I'm hooked!!

I've recently discovered the new Japanese crochet craze that is taking over the world; Amigurumi. I am now totally addicted and can't put my hook down! I'd seen Amigurumi books in shops before but never looked closely because I was more interested in vintage crochet patterns or granny squares and other motifs. However I now know 4 people who are having babies between June and August so I thought it would be nice to make some presents. I first bought the above book Seriously Cute Crochet by Nicki Trench because I own other books written by her and I love her style. This book certainly lives up to its name. The characters are adorable. There are lots of animals and they are all really easy and quick to make. If you can double crochet, increase and decrease you can make amigurumi.

For anybody who doesn't know, amigurumi are small crocheted characters that traditionally have larger heads and slightly out of proportion bodies making them very cute looking. Quickly becoming addicted to making these characters due to the speed in which they can be made, I purchased Amigurumi World and Amigurumi Two! by Ana Paula Rimoli.

The first book features many small characters from all kinds of animals to eggs that hatch, they are so cute!

The second book also has small charcters but also some larger projects such has mobiles for babies. I am so glad I bought both books because her patterns are really fun to make and they will make great presents for babies and children. Ana started selling on etsy, and through great success was able to publish both books so I felt really happy to purchase her books and support somebody who has worked so hard and is so talented. She still has an etsy shop where you can buy patterns and finished characters, and also a blog where she kindly has some free patterns. Check out her flickr site to see photos of her designs and also the flickr group where other people have made things from her books. For now I am really enjoying experimenting with the patterns and I will post photos of things I have made soon.

Busy times...

This week has been a crazy busy one already. I'm doing another craft fair this Saturday, again at Heebie Jeebies, and hopefully it will be just as much fun as the last one. So I've been busy getting things ready for that. I've also spent some time, well, quite a lot of time, making a page for the shop on facebook. I find facebook so difficult to use and so frustrating but I've finally managed it and a link is posted at the side of this blog so please become a fan!

I've also been discovering the delights of flickr, and the wonderful sewing and crochet groups that are on there. There are some really talented people. I'm still in the beginning stages of discovering groups, but so far I'm loving the echino! group and have added some of my photos, and the u-handbag group.

After this weeks craft fair I will be taking a short break over christmas and won't be doing any other fairs until next year. I'm really looking forward to some time off over so that I can get my life in order and to do some more making for myself. I really want to get my blanket finished so I can start other projects. But for now it's time to get back to it and finish off a few more bags for Saturday's sale!

Latest Projects

My wool stash has been out a lot over the past week, it has significantly grown, much to my surprise, so I am determined to use some of it up!

This basket only represents half of my stash I am embarrassed to say!

At the craft fair last month, I was asked to make some crochet flowers as brooches, which is something I've been meaning to do for a while. So I thought I'd get my mum on board too, to knit some flowers.

She made this lovely poppy.

I made this rose. (sorry about the dark photos)

And I'm in the middle of this gerbera. There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day at the moment to fit everything in. I'm hoping to make plenty more before next weeks fair.

I got a delivery of some more Echino fabrics today and I cannot wait for the weekend to make some more bags. I have lots of design ideas at the moment and I'm looking forward to making them come true! I love the blue version of the migrating birds design, I already had the pink.

Really love this cute brown and turquoise fabric with the small bird motif.

And this bright pink is very bold and funky.

Hope you are all having a productive week!

Vintage Crochet

I was flicking through my absolute favourite crochet book last night, Vintage Crochet by Susan Cropper of Loop, when I thought it was about time I did a post about two pieces of real vintage crochet that I have. The first was made by my Gran. She made these mats from pink cotton, and she also made a yellow tablecloth from the same pattern, again out of cotton. The tablecloth is breathtaking because it is so big and the crochet work is so fine.

She started making the tablecloth when she was a teenager, and because of the war, she could only get yellow cotton. She continued making the tablecloth right up until her 70s, when she finally finished it, so it was a good 50 years in the making at least.

At some point she must have been able to get hold of a small amount of pink cotton to make the mats, and she kindly gave one to me recently. It is a bit of a family trait that we start things and never finish them. My gran has lots of half sewn embroidery kits, jumpers that have been knitted and never sewn up, but I think we can forgive her for that considering she spent a lifetime making this wonderful piece of crochet, and finished it!

I find it incredible that she could crochet so finely. She told me that she loved doing it because it was so fine and lace like. The photos don't really give you an accurate idea of just how tiny the loops are. In the photo below I have put a needle through one of the chains to try to give you an idea, but the needle is actually quite a big one so it still doesn't demonstrate just how tiny it is.

My gran still has the original pattern, it hasn't quite fallen to bits yet, so I scanned it with a view to having a go at it myself but I just don't have the patience! If anybody would like the pattern please just ask and I will email it to you.

I love the repetition of the floral motifs. This little mat is so beautiful, dainty and pretty.

The second piece of heirloom vintage crochet is one given to me by Andy's Grandma. It was made by her Grandmother, Mrs Minnie Jane Julian who lived in Aylesbury for most of her life. She was born in 1865 in an appartment next to Kings Cross Station and died in 1955. She learnt how to crochet at bording school, which she went to because her mum died when she was young.

I love the intricate detail in this piece of crochet. It is so beautiful, perfectly done.

Minnie had a wonderful technique, each stitch is flawless. The whole piece is in excellent condition, as if it was made yesterday, not nearly 100 years ago.

I wish I had the skills to produce something so delicate.

I feel honoured and privileged to have been given these two incredible pieces of crochet. Not only are they examples of fine craftsmanship, but they tell a story of days gone by and are important pieces of both of our families' history. I've been wanting to frame them and put them on the wall in our spare room/ sewing/craft room but I haven't yet found suitable frames. Hopefully I might spot something at the shops this weekend because they need to be displayed to do them justice. I have been working on my own crochet blanket this week in-between being worn out and tired from work. It is coming along and growing slowly but looking at these two pieces of crochet puts mine to shame. Just as well that the light was so bad that I couldn't photograph it today. I will however show you how it is coming along some other time.

We have a very exciting day in store for us tomorrow, involving lots of making, but making something I have never made before. And yes, that's right, I said we, which means Andy will be doing the making too! But I will have to leave you guessing until tomorrow as to what we will be doing.....

Crochet Love

I've been working on a crocheted blanket for a good few months now, and I'm about a third of the way through it. When I first saw the pattern in Nicki Trench's book, I completely fell in love with it, and I knew I just had to make it.

The pattern uses rooster almerino aran wool, which is fairly expensive, so I bought cheaper substitutes, but it never got off the ground because the colours weren't quite like the original, and the thickness didn't seem right. Then one day, I decided to invest in the rooster wool so I bought it from http://www.laughinghens.com/ who are behind the book and pattern. It was so exciting when my parcel arrived. The wool is the softest wool I've ever felt and the colours are beautiful. Laughing hens is a fantastic company, and the photos of the workshops they hold just make me want to go, shame they are so far from where I live. Blanket is going well, hope to finish by the end of the year, but with the shop and work, square making is slow at the moment.

Watch this space as the flower blanket reveals itself! There are 60 squares in totally, going to have a lot of sewing up to do!

Already got my next project planned. (from the same book) I just love this cushion cake! Would look great in my house.