Mini Heart Bunting - Crochet Fun!

Hi there, my crochet friends! 

I hope all has been good in your creative endeavours, I have been busy hooking up a storm recently, even though the blog silence may suggest otherwise! 

Today I thought I'd share with you something I have been crocheting for fun - these little tapestry crochet heart flags.  I seem to love the heart motif and have used it in many of my makes over the years, and I am quite pleased with these little bunting flags! 

They are not very big (only 11 stitches wide) so seem to hook up in no time.

If you are not familiar with Tapestry Crochet, there is a tutorial post I made a few years ago about how to do the basics that should show you how to change colours and crochet over  the second colour to hide it inside the row.  it is over here if you need a refresher. 

Tapestry Crochet - Harlequin Pattern Tutorial.

I have written up a little pattern so you can have a go at making some of these if they tickle your fancy.  I have used 4ply wool and a 2.5mm hook for mine,  but you could do them in 8ply and use a 3mm or 3.5mm hook.  They are great stash busting makes, only needing a small amount of wool for each flag. 

Mini Heart Bunting pattern

Until next time, have a lovely yarny day! 

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little snippets and a winner!

1. Bunting, bunting everywhere!   I really should hang this happy pile of colour around my shop.

2. + 3.  I have been working with lovely pastel colours this week making a few extra washers for the market on Saturday, and also making another heart bunting with a slightly stronger colour palette, very enjoyable work! :)   I don't think I've posted anything on here about the new Vinnis Colour Nikkim cotton that has come into the shop recently, it is so beautiful with so many gorgeous soft shades (the pastel colours I have been using in the heart washers).  I must do a post about it soon. 

(That's the problem with using multiple social medias, I can never remember what I've posted where! I have been using Instagram quite a bit recently, and when I put something up there often I feel like it has been dealt with and forget to share on the blog!! Poor neglected blog! :)   )

4. + 5.  Frank came to visit me in the Studio yesterday and found it a very interesting place!  I don't let the cats in here very often, so they are full of curiosity when they are allowed in. :) 

6.  Spring is in full swing around here at the moment, the garden is so beautiful and wild and full of flowers and blossom, the poppies are one of my favs and are putting on a great show!  Lovely long stems too. 

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And yes, we have a winner in my giveaway for the gorgeous crochet book 'Let's go camping' by Kate Bruning,  thanks you all so much for entering, I loved reading all your comments, I wish I had a book for you all!  

Anyway, the winner ( as chosen randomly by my son) is Rie!  Congratulations !  I'll be in touch for your postal address and get it out you ASAP. :) 

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Have a lovely day/night everyone, I'm off to do some hooky before bed. :) 

Washer week....

Hello there!  

I hope you all had a lovely weekend, it was freezing here, typical Melbourne winter really!  

The light has been very dull for taking photos, and without photos I don't really have anything to blog about!  

But I thought I'd show you what I've been up to recently anyway, bad light and all. 

I have been trying a new way of organising myself to make things for the market season that starts in a couple of months.  I always think I'll make heaps of stock in the off season and have lovely full stalls for the market, but what usually happens is that I don't do much for most of the time and then am frantic in the last 3 weeks!  So this year I am trying to make something different each week until the market season begins, last week was washcloth week, and this week is beanie week, so I'll see how many beanies I can make in 7 days.  

These photos are of the washcloths that I have made so far, they still need edges, but at least it is a start!  There are so many lovely colour combinations to do, I am going to schedule another washer week in a month or so. 

I have also been busy in the shop, I've had lots of lovely new yarns coming in, well four new ones anyway!  Who would have thought you could spend so much time phaffing around with wool! :)

So lots of photos to take and uploading to do, I'm hoping for a brighter day tomorrow!  

Oh and I have Clover hooks for sale now too, and pompom makers!! Yay! 

 So a big day of updating my shop tomorrow! 

So that's a bit of what I've been doing, what have you been up to recently? 

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Have a hearty day! :)

Hello! 

 I hope you are having a fabulous week!

Before I pop off to bed I thought I'd show you a little thing I made last week, some heart bunting.  

I have been a bit fixated on hearts recently, and these cute little flags are an idea I had for some left over cotton, not enough for a complete washer, but enough for a square!  I might put a little recipe together for these, they are fun to make and make a cheery addition to a wall I think! 

I'm planning to make some nice long strings for the studio, I ended up painting it all white, so there is lots of scope for colourful decorating! :) 

So what have you been making lately? 

Something big and long term, or a quick crafty fix?  

I am finding that I am making lots of smaller things, at the moment, like this bunting, due to another market in April, but then there is a break over winter, so I think I will be able to start some bigger projects, maybe a couple of blankets. I have seen a lovely motif that I want to try, isn't there always another idea to try!! :) 

Have a good crafty day! 

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Big Heart Blanket - Tadah!

Hello!  How is your week going, good I hope!  

I have been to a funeral today, which always leaves me feeling rather flat and emotionally drained, so I am here to share some bright and colourful pictures as a little antidote to the sads. 

I hope you are all not too sick of seeing this blanket, it is finally all together and totally complete! Yay!   

I think this was one of my most enjoyable make of recent times, I love using this cotton and the colours just seemed to work together so nicely, it was a really fun crochet time. 

I am thinking of making another one in  cool pastels of mauves, lilacs, pinks and mints, I think that would be lovely too! 

And the sewing together went quite smoothly which was good, I was worried it would look messy, but I think it has gone together quite neatly! 

....a few people were wondering what the back looks like, so here is a picture of the front (above) and the back (below), as you can see there is not a lot of difference, just the seam is a little more noticeable on the back. :)  You've gotta love tapestry crochet for that, it makes a great reversible fabric! 

So that is a wrap for the Big Heart Blanket!  Thanks for all the nice comments you have left recently, I really do appreciate all the kind support I receive over here on the blog and also on Instagram, everyone is so super nice!!! :) 

One other thing, I have actually written up this pattern and finished loading it onto my Ravelry store, so I now have a grand total of 2 patterns for sale over there! lol.  

Here is the link to Ravelry if you are interested to have a go at one of these yourself! I don't think it is available to the UK at the moment, I have to have a look at how to do that with the new tax laws over there.

Talk soon! 

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Colour and some other things.....

Hello there!

How was your weekend?

We had a long weekend here, so it kind of feels like a Monday to me today.  We had a fairly relaxed couple of days, I got quite a lot of crochet time which is always nice.  Our middle son had a bit of a party on Sunday night, just because he could, so we had a dozen or so 16 year olds at our place, needless to say it was a late night!

I have been making washers for my market in a couple weeks, you are probably sick of seeing pictures of these heart washers, but they are what I am making at the moment. :)   I decided that little heart flags made into bunting might be quite cute, so have been using up left over bits of cotton to make these little rectangle heart pieces.  I hope it looks cute once I have crocheted them onto a string and done an edge, in my head it does!

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I saw something on Instagram that has really inspired me to want to get my knitting out again.  One of my favourite blogs is 'Do you mind if i knit' by the amazingly talented Vanessa Cabban, I was so sad to hear that she died tragically late last year, and there have been a few projects I have noticed pop up in her honour and remembering her.

One of these is the totally gorgeous Remembering Vanessa Cowl KAL by Christina Wall.  I am so inspired to give this a go!  Vanessa's beautiful fairisle knitting always caught my eye and I think this is a lovely way to pay respect to such a creative multi talented woman.   

Definitely putting this on my to do list.

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Another beautiful colourful  project that I 'd like to try is this very cute baby cardigan by Vicarno, so rainbowy and sweet!  This is crocheted too, so should be a fairly quick make.  

Also on the to do list. :)

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I am also thinking I should make a bunny for the Mirabel Easter toy appeal, I only have a few days left so have better get cracking!  Pip has lots of info  over at Meet me at Mikes if you have time to whip up some cute bunnyness for some deserving little person. 

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Sorry for the bitsy post today, I kind of feel that is how my brain is working at the moment, hopping from one thing to another, I am a bit all over the place! :) 

Anyway, have a great day, talk soon! 

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Hearts and dahlias

Hello! How was your weekend, good I hope.

We had a good one, I managed to make some good progress on my new blanket that I am calling my Big Hearted Blankie.  I am hoping to have this finished next week at some stage.  The plan is to write up a pattern for this one and get it out on Ravelry as soon as I can. 

I thought my stripes of hearts looked very colourful all rolled up, I love looking at colour sandwiches like this!

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We went to the Victorian State Dahlia Show the other day, I really love dahlias and want to get more colours in garden next year. There were so many gorgeous showy blooms it was a sight to behold.  I had a good chat with the dahlia people, it always amazes me how people with a passion are so good to talk to about their interest, so generous with their knowledge, I always find their enthusiasm rubbing off on me and I want to experience their level of interest, no wonder I have so many hobbies! Anyway, I bought a few new colours for my garden and am going to go down to a huge dahlia farm  outside Geelong in a few weeks where you can see masses of varieties in bloom and order them for the next season.  I am feeling a bit inspired by my garden at the moment, have to keep chipping away at my jungle while the motivation lasts! :) 

.....a room full of colour.....

....love these spidery ones at the front.......

........I love this peachy coral coloured one, I will be looking to get a few in these shades I think......

,.......these are the  humble offering from my garden this week, I love the red and white one, I must remember to divide this one in a few months! 

So, what have you been up to lately? 

Have you got a heap of hobbies vying for your time like me?

Bye for now! 

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Makings this week.....

Hello! How are you going today?

 I'm just popping by here to share a few crochet makes from this week, I have been so busy finishing things off for the market on Saturday, i have had no time for blogging or anything else really!  

....I've made some more little booties, this time in sizes that will actually fit on little feet (the last lot I made were very cute but far too tiny!).........

....and I have made 5 more heart washers, tonight I have to edge them all, so I am going to have a little Deadwood marathon ( I am really enjoying this series, Bullock is very cool! ).....

........and I have finished off my little decorations with a picot edge. I crocheted two flower circles together so they are the same both sides and can twirl around without looking terrible on one side.....

So now I am off to my edging, I might try and take a little photographic tour of the market this time and show you some of the lovely stalls, there are plenty of them! 

Talk soon......

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Tapestry crochet clouds, and a winner!

Hello.

It has turned quite chilly here, we have been spoiled with some lovely mild weather recently, so I guess it was just a matter of time before we got some proper cold stuff with Winter just around the corner.

Quite appropriately for such a gloomy day, I have been hooking up some clouds, a new pattern in the tapestry crochet technique.  I'm pretty happy with how it is turning out.  My husband only needed one guess to get that they were clouds, so that's a win.  (Although he also thought they looked a bit like space invaders, but clouds was his first guess, so I'm going with that.)

This is going to be a little cloudy washcloth.  I love making washcloths using tapestry crochet. They are just the right size to stave off boredom and get finished in a day or two.  I think I might have a little play with a different edging pattern this time.  I usually go for a picot edging, but this might look good with a nice scalloped edge.  Hmmm, we'll see.

It is also time for a winner of the May giveaway! Thank you for the great response to these giveaways, I can't believe so many peeps enter, it is so nice to hear from so many readers, thanks so much for leaving a comment.  I wish I had something for you all! xxx

Anyway, the winner for May is Rie!  Congratulations Rie!  I'll be in touch to get a postal address and pop your prize in the mail for you. 

So, that's about it for now, I'm off to finish my clouds and make some soup.

What are you up to?

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Autumn harlequin finish!

Hello.

Well another week is flying by, already Thursday, where have those days gone!  I don't know what's happened to my resolve to blog more often either.  Sorry about that.

Anyway, here is my latest finished thing, the Autumn Harlequin blanket,  I so love making these blankets that they seem to take half the time of other things.  It has been fun working with a new colour palette, and I have grown to really like the warmer, slightly more sombre tones in this blanket.

What do you think? Are you into more muted colours, or bright and vibrant?  I think I like them all!!

So here are a few details:

This blanket is 110cm x70cm approximately, (Cot sized or a nice knee rug size) including the border.

I used 19 balls of 50g wool:

Yarn: Heirloom Merino Magic 8 ply.

Here's the colour breakdown:

Mustard (509) x 3

Papaya (502) x 3

Rusty orange (209) x 1

Plum (216) x 2

Peacock blue (232) x 1

Sea blue (217) x 2

sea green (221) x 2 

grass green (223) x 3

Grey (206) x 2

(I think this colour scheme could be really nice for granny squares or stripes too. I am thinking of making an Autumn star stitch blanket next.)

This wool is available in my shop if you would like to have a closer look!)

The pattern was the basic Harlequin tapestry crochet pattern that I have been going on about for ages now, it is such a lovely technique!  I haven't written it up properly yet as a pattern, but I am sure you can figure it out from my tutorial over here if you are interested.

So that is one thing out of the way. I am trying to finish off  lot of projects that I have lying around the place.  I am doing the Western Port Craft Festival again this year in April, and I don't want to take all the same stuff as last year!  

Nothing like a craft stall to give me motivation to Get Things Finished! :)

How has you week been? 

Have you been finishing things off too?

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More harlequin experimenting....

Hello!

What are you up to today? I have been having a bit of a restless week, I am having trouble settling at  any one task, I am doing little bits of things and then moving onto something else, not a very productive way to be!  I think I am trying to achieve too much in too short a time and so am not really getting on with anything properly!! Oh well, I guess I will just keep muddling through my days, and hopefully this restless mood will pass.

Anyhoo, onto other more enjoyable crafty matters, I thought you might like to see what I have been playing around with as a side line to my bigger autumn blanket.  I am experimenting to find a way to create a diamond blanket that has all different coloured diamonds using the tapestry crochet technique, instead of rows of the same colour like my last couple of blankets.  I still really love the rows of colours, but would like to have a go at a more patchworked effect with individual colours for the diamonds.  I know I could just crochet lots of diamonds and sew them together, ( I am doing that for another blanket) but I like the nice thick fabric that the tapestry technique creates and also it would be fully reversible instead of having a right and wrong side.  I am sure this has been down before, but I enjoy figuring things out for myself!

So these rectangles are where I'm at.  Each one is a made up of two colours, and when I sew them together I will get a multi coloured diamond pattern! 

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I am liking how geometric they are looking, I think you could make an interesting blanket just by combining random colours and sewing them together in rows.  Lots of potential with this I think!

 But this is what I am going for at the moment, see how I am getting nice big diamonds from the four rectangles when they are placed in this pattern? I'm happy with that!

I have to be careful that I do the colours in the right spots to make this work, but if I do a colour layout on diamond graph paper I should be sweet.

So you see lovely readers, my love affair with all things harlequin goes on!! :)

We will see how this turns out once they are all sewn up......

Doing any experimenting over at your place?

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PS. A big hello to all the new people reading this blog, and thank you for all the lovely comments you guys leave me, I really appreciate them.  Everyone is so supportive, encouraging and kind in this creative blogging community!! xxx  I am making a big effort to become a better bloggy 

citizen ( I have been slack for too long) and to reply to comments you leave here, so if you leave a comment maybe check back in a day or so and I will hopefully have replied to you!  

I have only been doing this for a little while, as I realise I  should really make more effort to communicate other than just my posts, which I kind of see as open letters to you all!

Anyway, it could all fizzle out in a week, but I will try not to be 

overwhelmed and to stay on top of things!

I have something nice for you all coming up soon, I hope you like it!

Have a great day!

Talk soon,  J xx