Not much to report on the crafting front for the month of July, it was just too hot to knit!
A bugs life….
I have dabbled with crocheting little toys as not as hot and sweaty as knitting a blanket!
Bella and Lucy
And I have been working on making a bunny. I started with Lockdown Lucy when we were isolating and have tweaked her a bit to make Bella. There will be more bunnies to follow me thinks until I am happy with Hoppy 🐰🐰🐰
August has started with rain and wind so I hope to get a bit more done on my blankets 🤔
Or Bella Bunny which is a lot easier to say. I have used the remnants of some brown DK yarn which sadly was not enough to make a full rabbit so she has blue and white stripey leggings to go with her little dress. I have a pile of fat quarters that I have been hoarding over the years which is where I got the fabric for the dress. Still a very simple dress but slightly better than Lucy’s tabard 😉
And talking of Lockdown Lucy
we are saying goodbye to her on Monday when she is being posted to her new home.
Still room for improvement but these are definitely stash-busting bunnies!
We have been self-isolating since Saturday. Stuck at home during a heatwave is no joke and my WIPs are both suffering- far too hot to be working on blankets!!!
We can sit in the garden first thing in the morning and late evening but far too hot the rest of the day. To keep my needles busy I have been trying to make a bunny and here she is. I have chosen the name Lockdown Lucy because the only other name I had up my sleeve was Isolation Isabella!
I need to work on her as she is a flawed bunny. One leg is fatter than the other but hey a lot of us suffer from swollen ankles at this time of the year, she’s also got odd ears (it comes to something when you can’t follow your own pattern notes🤔). Her eyes also need some work!
I’ve made her a little dress as I’ve got time on my hands. I won’t be entering the Sewing Bee any time soon 😉 Her little dress is a sort of tabard affair. The words of one of Victoria Wood’s Dinner ladies springs to mind “no one looks good in a tabard”! However, I need to work on my sewing skills before trying a proper dress😄
Off to do a bit more self-isolating and try my hand at another bunny!
As I have confessed in the past I have a weakness for crochet/knit kits. I get drawn in by the cute picture on the box, buy it and then stash it🤔 I have a load of them hidden in the garage that I may or may not get round to completing!
Garden pest 🐌
The snail came in a crochet kit from Aldi. Everything that I needed to make 2 snails, including a horrible plastic hook. Less complaining Jane! I have made one snail and there is plenty of yarn left, might even be enough to make a third? So for £3.99 it was quite good value, not that I will be making another one any time soon. The pattern was quite straightforward and I have finally mastered crocheting in the round without too much swearing 😉
I might dig out another kit next month and see how I get on but in the meantime back to my blanket😊
I’m still dabbling with crochet and have been trying out amigurumi. I have made these little bees using a pattern from Hannah Cooper. Amigurumi creatures are fun and very sweet but they are quite a faff. A lot of fiddling around for hours to produce a tiny creature🤔
They haven’t even made a big dent in my stash🐝🐝🐝. However, they have taken up all my focus so great little mindfulness activity 👍
I did try posing them in my honeysuckle but the yellow one had a bit of a nose dive! Anyway back to my dabbling. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend.
I took the day off work today and signed up for a macrame workshop. Some of you may remember my feeble attempt at macrame a couple of years ago… But I am quite proud of my efforts today and have a pretty bookmark to show for my efforts.
The workshop was run by Louise from Lilly Dilly’s and was held at Bodenham Arboretum. Louise talked us through making the bookmark and showed us how to do the individual knots against the backdrop of the lake and the sound of the ducks quacking. A very productive yet relaxing morning❤
I have tried to set up a separate page for things relating to Lucia the camper but have failed miserably.
Lucia is currently at the garage having her brakes sorted – a sort of spa break for campers!!!
I have started a throw for her:
I am using DK acrylic yarn (I won it last year) and a 4 mm hook. I possibly should have used a 4.5 mm hook as there is a slight ruffle but I wanted a tight dense fabric so some careful blocking will be required when I have finished.
June seems to have flown by. All of my excitement at the end of May has waned. Work has been incredibly busy and I barely feel as if I survived the month but I have a few days off now to recharge and get back on track 😎
I have sold one item at the craft shop so a long way from making a profit but thrilled that someone liked it enough to pay for it.
I have started a baby blanket in white (a divine bamboo and cotton mix) which I am working on when I have the energy to focus but the rest of the time I am playing around with bits of yarn and a hook with the intent of making a blanket for Lucia N’s little camper.
And my nephew finally sent me a photo of him modelling the cable knit that I recently sent him. 😆
So bring on July, I’m looking for energy and inspiration! !!
Remember the Aran cable-knit that was posted to my nephew well here he is wearing it and it fits. So pleased. Haven’t seen him in a few years but hopefully soon.
I have started a baby blanket in white for a friend who is going to be a grandma later this year. The pattern is an old Sublime pattern that I have used before and shown off on this space.
Progress so far…
So difficult trying to prevent white from looking grubby.
I am using my bamboo needles and a bamboo and cotton mix yarn. It is sooo soft. I really feel the urge to work a shawl or a scarf in it in the future as it is doing a good job of draping so far.
WOOLLY WEDNESDAY 