Good Hooking

Always busy making stuff

2011-02-26T13:16:00.004Z

It's not that I don't love you -- I do, honest I do -- it's just that since moving house and having a baby I seem to find it impossible to actually locate things I've made, photograph them and then remember which SD card they're on.

Such simple tasks in theory, and yet I fail consistently.

This is not helped by the fact that my brain likes things filed neatly, and so even if I locate a few items on a memory card, they get rejected for not being the thing I made after the last thing I blogged about.

Anyway, I'm just going to have to let it go and show you what craft-related items I have on my laptop right now (oh, and the death of a laptop has not been helpful in my quest to locate and file).

:: :: :: :: ::

OK, after a long search, I've found... some baby booties.

At this rate, the backlog could take a while to get through...

Anyway, I made these ages ago (last summer) from a lovely Japanese pattern book. They were extremely quick and easy. The downside being that Cecily left them on her feet for about 20 seconds before pulling them off.

After that, I actually altered the pattern and added a little extra row which made them less inclined to give into the merest tug from a curious infant. Unfortunately, this meant that they stayed on for a lot longer until Cecily decided enough was enough and ripped the entire strap off.

After that, I put them in my craft bag where they make me smile and where a baby can't seek and destroy.

Look at her ickle chubby feet!

Things I've made recently...

2010-04-11T11:09:00.005+01:00

Well, I say "recently" but given the parlous state of this blog, what I actually mean is "in the really quite considerable amount of time since I last blogged".

I'm going to whip through them all, keeping my usual hilarious commentary to a minimum as I don't have as much time to play with these days.

That's because one of the main things I've made since I last wrote was this:

Cecily May Milway. Born 30th November 2009, 6lbs 6oz

Aren't I clever!

A girl's got to have something to wear:

For her friend, baby Noah, born 2 weeks after her.

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have spotted that I've been knitting again (shocking, I know). All patterns are from the Erika Knight baby Natural Knits book.

Dork Adore: Lovely Things for Geeks (including craftsters)

2009-11-06T19:42:00.004Z

So, not only have I been busy knitting, growing a human from scratch and packing up to move house, I've also been working away at a brand new pet project: Dork Adore.

It's basically a geek haven, designed to have a category for nearly every area of the internet that dorks adore. And, of course, it goes without saying that there's a craft section.

Recent posts include:

Regretsy: The good, the bad, and the seriously ugly

Where the Wild Things Are amigurumi crochet patterns

Lafayette’s True Blood afghan crochet pattern

Bella’s Twilight mittens – free knitting pattern

I'm very proud of my new site, and I'm also blown away by the number of lovely writers who have given their time to what is basically a labour of love.

Lots of ex-Shiny writers are on board, including Susi Weaser (my successor as editor of Shiny Shiny), Gemma Cartwright, Robyn Wilder and Anna Waits.

I've also had world-famous children's author, Alex Milway (he's my husband, I'm allowed to be biased. Buy his books!) and Gemma's other half, Charles, who has written a hotly debated piece about Twilight and how rubbish it is.

And last but by no means least, my wondrous editorial assistant who works for my company, Miramus - Emma Cossey.

Anyway, have a look at the site, and let me know what you think. And if you're a crafty person and have any tips (or want to write!) you can get in touch over on Dork Adore.

Brace yourselves, people, I've been... KNITTING!

2009-11-06T16:25:00.004Z

It's outrageous, I know. I'm basically a traitor to the crochet community. But the fact is, I got myself knocked up (intentionally, I should probably add), and I started making a few crochet things, but soon even I had to accept that knitting has the edge over crochet when it comes to clothes.

But knitted toys still aren't as good as crochet ones. Which is probably why the "knitted character" on Harry Hill's TV Burp is clearly crocheted and should be renamed immediately.

Anyway, that was an unplanned side-rant and I should probably move on before I start getting foam bubbles round my mouth.

So, here's something I still haven't finished crocheting.

And here's the same thing, made by my crochet-whizz of a mother.

And this is the point that I got bored of crocheting trebles round and round and picked up the needles.

As you can see, my first attempt at knitting is a little bit iffy. There are clearly some errors in there. However, it turns out that one of the things that has always bored me about knitting was the simple fact that I always knitted scarves because I didn't know how to make anything else.

And knitting up and down is as dull as crocheting trebles round and round.

But once I'd actually decided to work out a pattern, it turned out to be surprisingly fun. And now I know how to pick up a stitch (why did no one tell me it was so easy - I used to unpick it all!) and do some basic stuff, I'm 2 jumpers, a cardie, and a nearly-finished cardie the richer.

I'll upload proper photos once I locate the memory card I took them on. But rest assured they're a lot less dodgy than my first cardie. Plus, I actually made sure I had enough wool to finish the pattern - unlike this red one with the dash of "oh crap I've run out of wool, this will have to do" blue.

I'm Alpaca Girl's Fiber Arts Friday featured blogger!

2009-04-14T16:25:00.003+01:00

The lovely Katy from Alpaca Farm Girl contacted me to ask if I'd talk about the fine art of crochet for her Fiber Arts Friday feature. How could I refuse? I am but flesh and blood.

You can read my hilarious insights and homespun wisdom right here.

Also, I know it's shameful of me, but I gave Katy the scoop on two things I finished making recently: my crochet blanket (well I say "finished" - I've still got a row of edging to do) and my amigurumi Milo, which I made for my Milo-mad niece over in Australia. She's already picked a hole in the back of his neck, which I think speaks volumes about the ingratitude of 2 year olds.

Cafetiere Cosy and a spot of DIY decor

2008-10-19T18:30:00.011+01:00

Yes, I really am living the dream. Not content with a black and gold tea cosy, I made myself a matching cosy for the cafetière, so now I have TWO tastefully crocheted items in my flat. Crazy, I know.

While I'm at at it, let's talk about the furnishings. You can just see the white bamboo table which I painted. It was given to us when we moved into our last flat and we had always assumed we would get rid of it when we finally moved into our own place. But in the spirit of trying to recycle and re-use, I decided to paint it.

I made those cushions for the sofa as well. Previously, it was a very tired and old chesterfield, and a lot of the leather had begun flaking off. I bought some duck feather cushions and covered them with material that I bought on eBay. They're not only helping to increase the life of the sofa, they're also making it a lot comfier to sit on!

The cream scatter cushion cover is made from the bags that our organic bed linen came in. I didn't want to waste them and they were exactly the right size for the cushions. Al thinks they're silly, but I like them! This is what they look like on the other side.

Waste not want not!

And finally, we have the lampshade. Al's been promising to paint bright flowers on the lampshade for ages, but after about 3 years of waiting, I finally just decided to sort it out myself. Here you can see what it looked like, and how it looks now.

The paper is from an Arts & Crafts wrapping paper book - Victorian paper for a Victorian house!

New crochet blanket

2008-09-23T13:51:00.003+01:00

Those squares I started making a while back are finally being put to good use. I've begun composing them into some semblance of order, adding some in to the mix and sewing them together into - almost - coherent patterns. It's almost as though I planned it that way!

Anyway, here's what we've got so far:

The latest square to be finished.

Here it is next to the first one I made (still my favourite so far).

And this is the new one I'm working on. Still not sure how it will all come together (I might swap the corner pieces for something else), but it's looking ok so far, I think!

International Crochet Day at Shiny Towers

2008-09-23T09:20:00.004+01:00

It's amazing what I'll do to try to win one of Jimbo's beautiful handmade crochet hooks. Quite how I found myself trundling into work with a bag full of wool and an almighty hangover the other Friday is a mystery to me - but I'd made a promise to teach anyone in the office who wanted to learn how to crochet, and my word is my bond.

All this was in honour of World Crochet Day, something that I read about on Jimbo's Front Porch, and which inspired me to have a crafty day in the office, much like they do over at Fruit Towers in the Innocent offices.

But while I was having these romantic thoughts of a bonding, crafting session with my staff, at the back of my mind was the knowledge that not all Shiny people are given to folksy crafting experiences, and - as expected - many of them scoffed at the very notion of spending a lunch break learning to crochet.

Luckily, I know how to win them round, and once I'd bribed them all with pizzas (bit of free advice: carrying 10 boxes of steaming pizzas is not easy), six of them stayed seated (presumably, the carb coma kept them grounded) in order to learn crochet skills.

Susi, Gemma, (who is already a wonder-knitter), Abi, Kelly, Lucy and Duncan all sat and listened patiently while I tried to talk through the hangover. Gemma proved (unsurprisingly) to be teacher's pet, and was soon helping the others. Lucy and Kelly eventually got fed up after about half an hour of valiant persistence (they were just getting the hang of it as well!), Abi finally got the hang of it (she's tried to learn before), Duncan was a natural, and Susi surprised me (and possibly herself) by not only having the patience to sit there and learn, but also by quite enjoying herself.

In the end, my initial promise to teach them to make Innocent Smoothie hats proved a bit ambitious, but the rows of trebles (US DC) they produced were still pretty impressive! In fact, there was enough enthusiasm for people to get Gemma promising to do a knitting session, so maybe this is the start of something beautiful at Shiny Towers.

You can read Abi's piece about the day over on Crafty Crafty.

Teaching people to crochet in Crystal Palace

2008-08-25T13:48:00.004+01:00

The lovely Noisy Pitta and I had a great day back in June teaching the good people of Crystal Palace how to crochet. Here's Noisy Pitta Alison herself sitting at our stall, surrounded by brightly crocheted objects after driving 2 hours just to come and sit next to a person she met on the internet. Surely she deserves some sort of medal or award?!

The day, aimed at promoting the local shops in the area, was organised by the It's A Green Thing people, who confused me recently when they decided to move their shop to the other side of the Triangle. Lots of people stopped by to learn, which was a pleasant surprise - I had visions of us spending a day sitting on our own while people gave us a wide berth.

Teaching is tiring business (as Vanessa will attest), so thank goodness for whoever brought over the Eton Mess for us to devour, and for fellow professional blog botherer and Crystal Palace dweller, Rob, who bought me a pork butty from the food market. Otherwise I may well have *died*.

All in all a good time was had by all, and hopefully a few people will have found the lessons helpful!

Return of the Granny Blanket.

2008-07-08T17:26:00.000+01:00

My life's work has had another makeover, returning in a smaller, more manageable format, and with a whole lot more sturdiness.

You'll no doubt recall that I've been making this blanket since before I can remember (so - what - like, 10 years or something) and it's never really been finished off properly, despite the fact that it's been put to use on many occasions.

Since the weight of it meant it was starting to pull itself apart, I finally got my act together and rejoined the pieces (properly this time), taking out some squares to make it less heavy, and actually took the trouble to edge it as well.

However, as you'd expect, I'm still not entirely happy with it. I want to do something a bit more fancy with the edging and make it a little bit bigger. But it will do until I have my next little blanket break down.

PS. You'll note that I've left in the "bright orange monstrosity" that I so objected to last time. That's because it's grown on me and it's now my favourite one. Further proof that I just can't get enough of ugly crochet.

Black crochet tea cosy - surprisingly tasteful for me

2008-06-25T17:58:00.000+01:00

Those of you who hold each and every update I write close to your bosom, remembering every word and every project as though they were your own children, will have no trouble in recalling this "trendy tea cosy" (as I dubbed it at the time), which went disastrously wrong thanks to an ill-judged bit of sizing guess work on my part.

Well, I finally got the unfinished project back out of my stash box and added the extension required to make it fit my tea pot. And now I have an *actual* bit of tasteful crochet in my house, as well as a very nice warm tea pot. It's like some kind of Christmas miracle. Except for without the Christmas.

The cosy didn't really suffer from the half-arsed bit of bodging I had to do to make it big enough. In fact, I rather like the sideways rows I've added to each edge of the cosy. And the fact that it's custom-made to fit my pot gives it that special edge that I know will drive all my friends crazy with tea cosy-envy. They'll try to hide it with looks of complete indifference or polite interest, but *I'll* know the truth.

Yet another baby tomato hat

2008-06-07T12:31:00.005+01:00

I don't really see the point in having babies unless you dress them up in ridiculous clothes for your own amusement. Luckily, there have been plenty of powerless babes appearing in my life recently, and I've taken full advantage of their helplessness by plopping a tomato hat on their innocent noggins as soon as they hit the air.

My latest victim is my nephew, George, who's shown his gratitude to his favourite aunt by instantly growing too large for his. What he doesn't know, however, is that I can knock these things up at a hell of a rate of knots, and each time he outgrows a hat, another one will soon appear to replace it.

It's important that these youngsters know who's boss.

Here's a picture of him pretending he doesn't care that he looks ludicrous.

Whitting in the Wood - my first handmade wood crochet hook

2008-06-07T12:31:00.003+01:00

We bought a woodland recently. You know, as you do. The story of how it happened is too long (and possibly not very interesting), but the short version is that we love camping, we love woods, and we found a woodland for sale that was near enough to Crystal Palace for us to be able to drive to our very own woodland campsite in an hour.

Most of our time spent there so far has been used for clearing some space for the undergrowth to start returning, making a few paths and taking down dead trees. But in between the hard work, there's plenty of time to sit and stare at the camp fire and pass the time with a spot of gentle whittling.

I thought I'd have a go at whittling a crochet hook. As you can see, I still have a long way to go before I'm anywhere near to making something that's usable. But since this photo was taken, we've got some proper wood working knives, which makes life easier. It's also a lot easier once you've got a bit of wire wool involved in the process to help keep it looking a bit more tidy. I've made better attempts since this one, but still nothing I'm entirely happy with.

My brother in law is an especially keen whittler, and he produced this finished hook (above), which he's sanded and gently waxed, making a hook that's surprisingly easy and comfortable to use - much better than those jumbo plastic ones I've got. (Click for bigger)

Maybe one day, we'll be as talented as the amazing Jimbo. Check out his blog for some truly beautiful handmade wooden crochet hooks.

Orange Crochet Baby Hat. Almost as good as tomato hats

2008-04-06T01:03:00.007+01:00

I never got a photo of the two cute little tomato hats I made a while ago. They were both used, but neither set of proud parents managed to get a photo of his be-hatted sprog before it grew out of the tomato hat. "Useless" is the word that springs to mind.

The hats seemed to have gone down well, especially with Al's brother, who asked me to make a bigger hat for little Maya, but requested that I make it an orange instead.

Thanks to the lovely Craftster forum people, I came up with the bright idea of making the hat using the orange peel stitch that Jan Eaton uses in her 200 Crochet Blocks book.

I think it came out pretty well - though I ended up over-estimating the size and produced something that almost fits me (as you can see in the pic). However, Maya's growing like a fast-growing thing, so I wouldn't be surprised if it fits her soon. Though, no doubt, now she can speak she may have something to say about being made to wear a comedy hat.

I learned a useful lesson while making this hat, which I can't believe I hadn't learned earlier: never iron acrylic wool. It goes floppy and lifeless and there's no getting it back once you've killed it.

The hat's still wearable - it's just a bit limp.

Come visit me on Dollymix!

2008-03-25T11:57:00.002Z

Just a quick note, I'm guest editing Dollymix, our fantastic women's magazine, for a couple of weeks while Cate is away. So please do come and visit me and leave me lots of nice comments.

In other news, I've got loads of crafty stuff to write about, but I never seem to have the right photos on whichever computer I'm using when I feel like blogging. But, just to whet your excitement buds, I've made a tea cosy, a hat, a new blanket and another hat. I know, I know - it's too much excitement for one day.

Anyway, forget that - visit me on Dollymix! You'll like it there!

Yet another free crochet pattern - Link from Zelda. Will this kindness never end?

2008-03-13T18:00:00.003Z

Yes, I did it again. Far from being content at offering the world my free Jolly Roger pattern, I set to work to create yet another masterpiece, this time in the form of the wonderful Link from the Legend of Zelda. He's not exactly perfect, but I've tampered with the final pattern which means that your version should come out a lot better. Please do let me know if you make one of these - the validation makes me feel... well... validated (wrote myself into a bit of a vocabulary cul-de-sac there).

As before, the pattern can be obtained from the wonderful Crafty Crafty blog here, edited by the marvellous Abi Silvester, who also edits our green blog, Hippyshopper. She works very hard editing both those blogs for us, so do go and visit one of her sites and leave her some nice comments. It makes *her* feel validated.

I should probably also mention the fact that it's thanks to the wonderful artistic talents of my other half, Alex Milway (to give him his full name to help his Google rankings), who made the pattern for me from his childhood memories of Zelda and nothing more. He really is very clever. Annoyingly so, in fact. But don't tell him I said that.

By the way, if you would like to read the blog of the world famous children's author and illustrator, Alex Milway, you can do so here: www.themousehunter.com/blog. You can also leave him some comments if you like - he's also a fan of validation.

Click here for free Zelda pattern from Crafty Crafty

Free Jolly Roger Pattern from Crafty Crafty

2008-03-11T09:46:00.005Z

Because I'm such a nice and lovely person, I made a pattern especially for all the readers of Crafty Crafty. If you suddenly realise, upon looking at this, that your life has been an empty and meaningless existence without a skull and crossbone patch, you can download the pattern and create your very own Jolly Roger forthwith. It's a good job I was here, that's all I can say.

Get the free pattern here! Fill your heart with joy.

The Mousehunter by Alex Milway - available in a shop near you!

2008-01-14T10:58:00.001Z

Al's book, The Mousehunter is finally out in book stores trying to earn its keep. It's been out for a few weeks now, but the official launch is this Thursday 17th January. So, if you happen to be anywhere near the fantastic Bookseller Crow book shop in Crystal Palace, you can meet the author, get a signed copy and join us in celebrating the launch of the first of many Alex Milway children's books!

The sequel will be out later this year, and he's got another deal to write a whole different series (about Yetis!), so it's going to be a busy old year. Plus, The Mousehunter will be coming out in America and Germany (and hopefully some more countries once he gets offered some more deals).

I don't hold out much hope for our vegetable patch this year!

Amigurumi Dude - my half-arsed attempt

2008-01-02T11:05:00.000Z

Oops! Just discovered this on draft from ages ago. I actually made this *last* Christmas, which makes this quite a feat of forgetfulness.

Thing is, I love the idea of making cute amigurumi dolls, but when I actually start, I find the whole process a bit too boring to keep me going. Lots of fiddly little bits and not an awful lot of mindless crochet fun, which is why blanket and hat-making command so much of my loyalty.

Anyway, as you can see, this is a fairly half-arsed little Amigurumi Dude, which I didn't ever quite finish off. I'm not even entirely sure what became of the poor little fellow. He was supposed to be a Christmas king, and I was planning on giving him to my sister. But I probably fobbed him off on some innocent child who was visiting one day. One thing worth noting, though, is the fact that I took the trouble to *knit* him a scarf, which is a very rare occurrence and should probably be marked with some kind of national feast day.

My friend put the little tassles on. She'd popped in with her other half and before either of them knew what had hit them, both Al and I had got them assisting in each of our craft projects. We really are fun people to know...

Mmm, crafty books.

2007-12-29T15:24:00.001Z

I've been thoroughly sated on the crafty book front in the past couple of months. My Secret Santa gift off Sheldon in the office (everyone fessed up who had bought what about 5 minutes after everyone had opened their gifts) was a fantastic book called Knitted Icons, which clearly comes from the mind of a twisted genius. It is surely enough of a reason even for me to dust down my much maligned knitting needles - even if it's just so I can make the knitted Gandhi.

The Crochet Me book was sent into the Shiny offices for the Crafty Crafty team, so I've commandeered it and promised to write up a review. But since all my craft-related possessions are in storage, I haven't had a chance to do much more than pore longingly over the pages and read the biogs of the craftsters.

And, finally, my first issue of Craft magazine has arrived and I've been carrying it everywhere with me, and lovingly leafing through it whenever a spare moment appears. I'm not actually sure it has much in it that I'll ever even think about making, but it's been so beautifully designed, laid out and published, that it's just a lovely thing to hold in your hand. After years of working in magazines I thought my love for them had entirely gone, but this little publication has reminded me how great it is when you find a mag that makes you want to join its club (which is the key to any good magazine).

Not entirely crafty, but one of those great "inspiration" books, nonetheless, "Recycled Home" was in my pile of Christmas presents this year, and it's already driven me to give an old table a bit of a makeover. Since I was going to throw it away or flog it, I'm now feeling all good inside about my recycling job. I wish I'd taken "before" shots so I could put up a post about it's transformation, but I didn't think about it for some reason.

Anyway, I think it's fair to say that I'm booked up to the eyeballs for the time being!

Why I'm not making any more presents for anyone ever again... maybe.

2007-12-29T14:55:00.001Z

It's been a long time, I know, but it's been a busy old year and although the crafting has continued, the blogging has gone sadly astray. We have been having our flat done up, and it's been a much bigger upheaval than we expected (thanks, lady project manager!!!! We *loved* being homeless). Because of that, my wool has been put into storage and I only have one size 6 crochet hook that somehow missed being boxed away. I haven't managed to fulfil my usual ambition of making everyone a present for Christmas, but I don't think anyone's too cut up about it, since my sister's tea cosy sits unused and unloved in her spare bedroom, Al's grandma has hidden the cosy I made her in her kitchen drawer and uses a different one, and I've never seen any evidence of the little bag I made my niece being put to use (in fact, I've never seen it since that fateful day it was unwrapped with much false glee.) As for Lia and her various gifts. Well, the least said about those the better.

Screw them, that's what I say. If they can't appreciate the genius of my ugly creations, then I'm just going to keep all that crafty crochet goodness to myself. Ungrateful wretches. Apart from the hat I made my niece (same as my Petrol hat - this is now the third time I've made this hat since I lost my first one), the two hats I've made for my new baby niece-in-law (which I will get round to posting about some day... when I've found the pictures), and the skull and cross bone placemat I made for my skull-loving friend (post about this one coming imminently). Apart from all those gifts, I'm not making gifts any more... OK, that's probably a lie - making things for other people is more fun. Even if they do just quietly secrete them into a bottom drawer for the moths to enjoy. The buggers.

I'm in a Crafty Crafty video!

2007-08-26T11:18:00.001+01:00

So, part of the reason that I haven't been blogging recently is because I haven't actually been crafting. I made a couple of tomato hats for babies, which I've yet to get decent pictures of - babies tend to be ungrateful that way - and I've also made some curtains for my camper van. But aside from that, my crochet hooks and sewing machine have been gathering dust. I always think it's best not to beat yourself up too much if you run out of crafty juice. Sometimes there are craft droughts that last for years, but this craft drought feels like it will be over any day now - I can feel the juices flowing once more. Mmm, juices.

So, I've done hardly anything of late, *EXCEPT* for this hat I started making ages ago and still haven't finished. You can see it here in this video I shot for Shiny Media's craft blog, Crafty Crafty (if you haven't visited, please do - and let me know what you think!). I've got some work in progress shots I took, that I'll pop up once I get round to actually finishing the hat off.

Keep watching for Isabelle's info on how she customised a man's shirt and what she did to her shoes to make them lovable again.

Shiny Media launches Crafty Crafty - a blog for crafty types

2007-05-09T11:37:00.000+01:00

It started as a bit of an in-joke between me and Gemma (Shiny Media's excellent Fashion Editor and fellow crafty type). If Shiny Media, creator of Shiny Shiny, were to start a craft blog, what would it be called? After sniggering at the simple genius of the name Crafty Crafty, we kept on mentioning it to the boys as if it were a fait accompli, even going as far as to stick up some sample posts on a test blog for our own enjoyment. And somehow, we managed to reach the stage where it was actually happening for real. Now Gemma and I just have to hope that it works out - since we're the fools who sold it to the others.

So, without further ado, please allow me to introduce you to Shiny Media's new craft blog, Crafty Crafty. Let me know what you think, won't you! And if you fancy writing for it, you can contact me on editor@shinyshiny.tv

Slightly off-topic, but look what I just bought!

2007-04-15T12:06:00.000+01:00

OK, I've got a couple of crochet projects I've been working on recently that I just *have* to post up, but before I do that, I needed to share with the world my joy and excitement at the frivolous purchase I just made. I bought me a campervan! Yes, I'm the proud owner of a 1980s VW Westfalia Camper. None of those shonky old 70s buses for me. They may look good, there's no denying that, but my childhood memories of holidaying in the 80s Devon Moonrakers and Holdsworth Kampers my dad used to sell has left me slightly dewy-eyed for these more modern VWs. They have a charm all of their own (at least I think they do) and this particular beauty has everything I wanted - round headlights, Westfalia interior and (most importantly) the green paint job.

I got it from the lovely boys at Eastfalia, down in Surrey yesterday. I knew I was doomed to make the purchase before I even got there - all the other vans I'd seen for sale had something that wasn't quite right, not to mention the fact that the 80s vans seem to be snapped up faster than the older models at the moment.

The one downer for me was the slightly grotty interior. My childhood memories are of brand new vans with spankingly clean interiors, but this one not only had a fair few dinks and frayed edges, it also had 25 years' worth of grot and a mouldy ceiling (which the previous owner had made worse by painting over the flocked finish, preserving the mildew AND ruining the fluffy feel).

But I can't help being ever so slightly pleased that the interior needs a spruce up. I know that keeping the original features is important for campervans and I don't want to be responsible for ruining the 80s interior in the same way that Victorian home interiors were ruined by people in the 80s (a pox on whoever decided to rip out the best bits from my flat and Artex the walls), but I reckon I can get the place looking like (mobile) home without making any irreversible changes. At least, that's what I'm telling myself. If I get too carried away, I'll just have to hide it from Antony at Eastfalia who will probably be appalled at the sacrilege.

I smell a Campervan blog on the horizon...

You can never have enough squares

2007-03-11T10:57:00.000Z

Yet more squares, this time of the itty bitty variety. These ones were my attempt at making something a little less garish than normal, but I soon got bored of the teeny tininess, which involves far too much scissor action for my liking. How can I concentrate on Boston Legal if I'm constantly having to start off new colours? I can't, that's how. So, they too have been retired indefinitely to the work bag and may or may not make a come back some day in the future. Maybe when there's no more television.

By the way, for some reason these ones came out all bluey and the last lot came out all pinky. To save me the effort of re-taking all the shots, I'd be much obliged if you could just adjust the colour mentally in your own heads (as opposed to anyone else's) to reflect the *actual* colour. Thank you.

Square Eyes

2007-03-11T10:42:00.001Z

OK, time to play catch up. Here's a selection of squares I made a while back. It all happened in the first throes of energetic blanket-making passion, during which time I was more than ready to create my crochet opus. Unfortunately, the passion was short-lived and after a frenzy of square-making, all production has ceased.

The squares are from the excellent 200 Crochet Blocks, by Jan Eaton. The problem is, I loved them all so much that I couldn't settle on any particular designs or colours, and I ended up with a bit of a mish-mash of half-started colour schemes and half-arsed blanket designs. I'm sure that I'll get round to finishing one rug, eventually, but in the meantime, they languish in my work bag with all the other unfinished masterpieces.

Where have I been?!

2007-02-04T18:27:00.001Z

Shameful, shameful shameful - there's no other word for it. I have well and truly neglected this site (and I only just found out that lots of people have commented, but this new-fangled Blogger had held them all back for moderating - sorry! I'll get back to the people who asked questions asap) and I have no decent excuse for it. I've actually been crocheting loads recently, but I keep failing to get photos of the stuff I make before I pass them onto the person I made the thing for, which goes *some* way towards explaining my absence.

Anyway, I'm not quite ready to make up for my absence just yet - it's getting late and I have a column I've got to write that's due in tomorrow (boo!) - but here's *one* thing I've made during my blogging leave of absence.

Lia, the girl kindly modelling the mittens for me, is now the owner of these woollen masterpieces, and you may imagine how pleased she is. The pattern is from my lovely Japanese crochet book.

Petrol Crochet Hat from Japan and Amigurumi heaven!

2006-10-30T18:49:00.001Z

I went to Japan a few weeks ago. It was a long trip with a lot of work and very little free time. But on the final day we got 2 hours to do what we wanted to on the streets of Tokyo. What did I do? I ran to the Tokyu Hands department store (via Kiddieland to pick up some Totoro toys) to buy some crochet books of course!

As we all know, the Japanese make excellent crochet patterns and the books they have are just so much better than the ones I can get in the UK. They just seem so much more creative - and cute - which is why I was determined to get some books before I went back. I ended up having about 10 minutes to decide which books to get, but thanks to my pidgin Japanese ("Sumimasen, Amigurumi?") I managed to find what I was after.

I got this absolutely lovely amigurumi book from Ondori, which contains a lot of patterns that are already available online for free (courtesy of some helpful translators). But it was only 280 yen and it seemed only right to hand over that small sum for the such great patterns. Can't wait to make some of the kawaiiii toys.

I also got this book from the Let's Knit series from Tezukuritown (click on the second button down and you can check out some of the patterns it includes). And the first thing I did when I got home was to sit and make this hat. It was too big when I made it the first time so I did it again with a smaller hook. Then it was too small, so I split the difference and did it again. But it was too small again. So I decided to go back to the original size and just do it tighter. But it was still too small. Just what kind of dark forces were at play here?

It was only then that I went back to the original hat (thankfully, I hadn't unpicked it) and realised that I'd put in two extra rows by mistake. After taking those out I was left with a hat that was the right size. I try not to think about the 4 evenings I wasted doing all those retries... It's best not to dwell on the lost hours... :(

But the fact that I did keep trying it is testament to the simplicity of the pattern - super quick to crochet and drawn in that excellent Japanese stitch diagram. So much easier than a written pattern - why don't we use them?! I love this hat - and after last year's hat making debacles, I think I deserve to have one success at last!

The two books together came to around £6 I think! Unbelievably cheap - and so much nicer than most of the stuff we have.

Crochet Purse - The finished product

2006-10-30T18:29:00.000Z

You may remember this purse, which I made while on holiday over the summer (summer! Remember that?! Damn you Greenwich Mean Time, I want British Summer Time back). I sewed this sari-type lining into it a few months ago, but deleted the shot I took of it by accident before I had a chance to post it up. So here it is. Nothing else worth mentioning about it I don't think.

Three quick things

2006-10-01T16:52:00.001+01:00

Forgot to say! The hat went down a treat - both mother and baby were delighted. Or at least I think Mae was delighted, though it may just been a touch of wind (that's the baby I'm talking about, not the mother - no idea how her wind was).

And on another note, just wanted to say that the paltry number of updates on this blog is no reflection of how much I've been crocheting but has more to do with the amount of time I already spend on a computer. After 10 hours sat at my desk staring at the web and writing stuff, I quite often run out of steam when it comes to my personal blogs. But I've got some bits to stick up soon, so I will have to be a bit more committed to Good Hooking.

And finally, we're (Shiny Media) hoping to launch a crafts blog soon. If you want to write for it, or know anyone who might like to contribute, let me know! You can email me on editor[AT]shinyshiny.tv . And if I take ages to respond, please don't take it personally - I'm all over the place these days and so is my brain.

Crochet Blanket - my life's work

2006-10-01T16:49:00.001+01:00

I learnt to crochet a while back now and just like most learner hookers, I started with basic Granny squares made out of three trebles (US double double crochet). Actually, I think they may have been double trebles come to think of it... Anyway, I started with granny squares and made quite a few squares , returning to it over the years as my interest came and went. At some point - though I forget the exact timeline and details - I'm pretty sure I unpicked the whole lot of the them and started again from scratch. The history of this blanket - when I started it properly and how long it has taken me - has fallen out of my brain for some reason. But there are two things I do know: it's still very far from finished; I'll probably unpick it all fairly shortly and start again. Again.

The very idea that I'll unpick it yet again (as well as the initial unpick and re-start, I've unpicked countless squares as well as the white joining rows more times that I care to count) is sending my boyfriend into fits of sighs, but this time it's not about me being all anal and overly perfectionist - it's because it's so weighty that it's starting to pull itself apart. If I do end up unpicking, I'll feel very sad, but also a little pleased that I can get back some of my favourite wool colours - and have the opportunity to create something even better that will be more sturdy. Those big double trebles, with those large squares (incidentally, trying to find 4 colours that look good together without repeating designs is frankly impossible - hence that bright orange monstrosity you can see) are just a little too volatile to survive standard blanket-based activities (sofa lounging, bed warming etc etc).

But even if I don't unpick it and decide to carry on (maybe add a backing sheet that will help to hold it all together), I can't imagine when I'll ever finish it. It's a huge beast of a thing, and there are loads more squares to add on - not to mention all those tiny joining squares to make and sew into the gaps.

Crochet Baby Hat

2006-09-02T12:31:00.000+01:00

So this is my latest Louisa Calder work of art. Looking at the ridiculous pixie hats, I thought to myself "just who in their right mind would be willing to step out sporting one of these ludicrous hats in public?" and then the answer came to me "a small child without the ability to protest". Since my friend is just about to pop out a new recruit for the sisterhood (ie, she's going to have a baby girl), I thought I'd make little Mae a hat that would be the cause of future embarrassment for her. Her head will hopefully be about the right size by the time the weather requires head attire (if my calculations are correct).

I haven't quite finished it off yet - I'm going to make it yet more foolish looking by adding some much needed ear flaps - but I'm pretty pleased with it so far, especially as the design was all created freestyle, based roughly on Louisa's basic hat design with a few modifications from me.

The amazing Louisa Calder

2006-09-02T11:53:00.001+01:00

I can't keep away from Louisa Calder for long, no matter how much I may giggle at her indifference to professional finishings off and her cheerful habit of making things that any sane person would feel entirely humiliated to wear in public. On the one hand I'm bemused (and perhaps even a little exasperated) by her obsession with making everything in double crochet (US sc) no matter what, and her unfathomable need to finish everthing off in such a botched manner that it looks like she grew bored and gave it to a toddler to stitch together. On the other, I love the bright colours she uses, the way she creates neat little "bird in flight" effects and the fact that she really does go to town with the crazy designs without a care for taste. Check out these ties for starters. Can you imagine anyone actually wearing these things?! And what's with the random way they get larger and smaller? I mean I'm pretty lax at finishing things off, but if I were to publish a book of my creations I think I might start actually finding out what this "blocking" business is all about.

Still, if I had to pick a crochet spirit guide, I think it would have to be Mrs Calder. And now I'm looking at these ties, I'm suddenly seeing the next trendy ironic Hoxton boys fashion appearing before my eyes.

Previous Louisa Calder creations: Crochet Laptop Bag| Crochet Bag | Mobile Phone Case

Crochet Cotten Purse (and Ikea box thing)

2006-08-13T12:07:00.000+01:00

While I'm on a roll, might as well post up this cotten purse, which I made while on holiday in Cornwall. On the drive down we stopped off in a town called Okehampton. I'd been feeling a bit annoyed with my decision not to bring anything to crochet and so when I spotted a wool shop I popped in and bought some natural cotton, a size 3.5mm crochet hook and a small turquoise zip (since there wasn't a matching zip available). Then I knocked up this amazing bit of artistry, whose purpose in life I still haven't fully decided. I probably should have lined it, or made a little interior pocket, but as usual I can always be relied on to do the bare minimum when creating an item.

After the holiday, because I'm a masochist and wanted to ensure that all the goodness and relaxation I'd enjoyed over my break was well and truly wiped away, I took Al to Ikea to spend 5 hours walking around staring at poorly constructed flat pack items. How could I resist when I saw a selection of crochet storage box things? I purchased a four set of the knick-knack houses and now have them littered liberally about my abode. They're made from sterner stuff than the cotton purse, but I was nevertheless pleased with their matchyness. The only bad thing is that they bring to mind that string box I started making ages ago, which is still languishing unfinished in my workbox. Maybe some day I'll finish it off. In the meantime, you can buy a job lot from Ikea for £7...

Pink Crochet Shrug

2006-08-11T08:35:00.001+01:00

The lack of blogging recently is truly shameful, especially since I finished this pink shrug thing ages ago and now have a small backlog of recently made items to blog about. Last night I started browsing some of my favourite crafty blogs (something else I've been remiss in lately) and the fire of blogging enthusiasm was rekindled within me. So here I am, ready and willing to discuss stitch issues and other gripping wool-related incidents.

I'm feeling pretty good about how this particular garmet turned out. Why's that, I hear you ask (those that have actually managed to make it to this second paragraph)? Why, it's because I made the pattern up all on my very own (actually, that's a *slight* fib - I used the excellent pink shrug schematics from Crochetville to explain the dark arts of making up your own patterns). Now it's not strictly the first garment I've mustered up using the power of my own mind, but the last one had to be abandoned once I realised the wool was just too stiff.

This one was made using an altogether floppier yarn, which worked out a treat. (Wool fact fans, it's called Polysew Whisper So Soft, colour 107, 100% acryllic. I bought it from a little market stall and I haven't been able to find mention of it online - apart from someone flogging it on eBay). The reason it's not actually a full size cardigan as planned is because I'm far too impatient and just couldn't be bothered to make it any bigger. Also, when I was coming back down the other side and reducing stitches, I made a point of reducing stiches in the same places I'd increased stitches on the other arm. Turns out, that doesn't really work - and so there's a twisting line going up one arm and a straight line down the other. I think that would be less obvious if I made a bit of effort to steam it, but as already mentioned, that would require effort on my part and I'm pacing myself.

Finally, it's plain to see that the most exciting thing in this picture is not actually the pink shrug but the amazing crocheted frock I'm wearing (with no small amount of self-satisfaction). The reason for the self-satisfaction is two-fold. First up, I was on holiday when that shot was taken and that's me in our lovely B&B room (which was more like a hotel than most hotels) and the second reason is that the dress only cost me £15! FIFTEEN POUNDS! Bloody amazing. I can't quite imagine ever being able to make such a gorgeous garment myself, and certainly not for that price. God knows what sweatshop it was knocked up in - although I like to believe that it was made using a crochet machine. I have no idea if crochet machines exist or not, but I hope to god they do - there's so much crocheted stuff on sale at the moment for ridiculously low prices that the idea that they're hand made is just too awful to imagine.

Alex Milway - Children's Author

2006-06-18T15:58:00.001+01:00

Very excited - Al's webpage has gone up on his agent's site! Can't really believe that Al's actually going to be a published children's author this time next year. He's currently working really hard to get through the first edit and has added a loads more pages. I think he's a bit shattered by it all, but that's what happens when you have to continue working a normal job as well as writing and illustrating a book.

Once he's got that one finished, he'll have to start the next one straight away in order to get it written by next year. How quickly life can change!

(By the way, this isn't the actual cover, it's a just a quick mock up Al did for his agent. The name of the book will probably have changed by the time it comes out as well as Mousebeard only really makes sense once you know what it's about (a Pirate who has mice living in his beard) plus they think it makes the book sound too childish for its intended audience of 10yrs+ ).

Alex Milway's book!

Crochet Shrug Thing

2006-06-18T15:51:00.001+01:00

Here's a proper pic of that crochet shrug I made. What the photo doesn't show you is that, although crocheted in black cotton, the cardigan is also part-Milo. Although Milo doesn't have much hair compared to normal cats, and doesn't usually leave hairs about the place, this black cotton just couldn't get enough of his grey fuzz and seemed to latch onto every last smokey strand in the vicinity.

My Black Shrug

2006-06-08T12:00:00.001+01:00

It's a crap picture, but I wanted to post something up (it's been too long). I'll post a better photo just as soon as I get my backside into gear. It was a bit of an undertaking making this thing really. Doubling up the stitches was more taxing on my tiny brain than I'd anticipated, and even doubled it wasn't coming out at the right stitch height. So I was sticking in rows of Half Trebles(or Half Double Crochets, if you prefer) and having to keep track of when and where so that I could duplicate it on both sides. Using a knitting row counter made life a lot easier - otherwise I'd never be able to watch House and crochet at the same time.

Still, the agony is over now, and I've moved on to something that's just as tricky. I'm beginning to regret this whole move away from granny square-based blanket making...

Amigurumi

2006-05-22T21:11:00.001+01:00

I've nearly finished my shrug - just one little teensy tie to do. Really, I don't know what's taking me so long. It's shameful. But I just seem to have lost the drive at the moment. Not that I don't still grab my crochet as soon as I sit down in front of the TV, but recently I seem to simply hold it whilst gawking at the goggle box. Progress is pathetically slow. I suppose I did go through a period of not watching TV at all and only crocheting, so maybe it's time to redress the balance with some proper square-eyed behaviour.

Anyway, enough of my excuses, this is just a short post to say that I'm planning on jumping on that Amigurumi band wagon very soon. Crochet Me has a special on the little blighters and I really just can't get enough of them. Just as with the whole crochet clothes business (and how I got sucked into it against my will) I've never had any desire at all to make crocheted toys - since they remind me of receiving crap presents at Christmas from my Grandmother (along with the thermal underwear, which funnily enough I'd probably rather like now). However, as with so much in life, the Japanese know how to make things that are a whole lot cuter than our western woolly ways.

Leigh, of Knit-Errant fame, did this lovely one from a pattern she got here; Amy from the Hook & I has hers well on the way and - OH MY HEAVENLY LORD - just look at what Google brings up: A whole blog of Amigurumis. I feel like everyone's been having a party without me. :(

More Amigurumi blog stuff:
Amigurumi Girl
Gourmet Amigurumi
Amigurumi Crochet

And look at these! It's Amigurumi The Dogs!

Dear me. I'm off for a lie down - this is all far too exciting.

Tags: crochet Amigurumi

I know, I know, it's been a while

2006-05-17T10:48:00.001+01:00

But it's not because I've forgotten about blogging - it's just that I STILL haven't finished off the shrug I'm making. I only have to do one more tiny sleeve and the ties, but I just don't seem to be able to get it done. It's partly just a time thing and partly because I've fiddled with the pattern so I keep cocking it up. That's what happens when you try to count your stitches AND watch TV at the same time.

In the meantime, here's a picture of me looking a bit dumpy in the dress I had made for my friend's Hindu wedding. The tailor charged me £25 to make the dress (!), and it's a copy of a black Roland Mouret-style dress I took in for him to copy. The material is from a silk sari and I've still got about 4 metres left to play with. I couldn't really lift my arms or take very big steps in this frock, but it fitted in nicely with all the sari-fied ladies at the wedding. I just hope I didn't actually look this dumpy in real life.
Oh, and that's Al I'm cosying up to, in case you're wondering. Did I mention that he's going to have a children's book out in May 07?!

Do you speak American?

2006-04-26T10:08:00.000+01:00

So then:

UK Past Participle: Got
US Past Participle: Gotten

UK Past Participle: Knitted
US Past Participle: Knit ("Name three places you've knit")

UK Past Participle: Spat
US Past Participle: Spit

I'm not about to launch off into some rant or start picking apart the different grammatical reasons why one nation does it one way and one does it another (after all, not only do I have lots of extremely attractive and intelligent US readers, I also know that we'll all be speaking American in 50 years so it doesn't really matter), it's merely something that I've wanted to note down for a while - ever since I started this blog, in fact, and kept reading blogs where someone has "knit" something. Not only does that sound entirely bizarre to me, it also leaves me puzzled as to why you American readers out there are happy to leave some past participles in the present tense (knit, spit, shit etc), but feel overwhelmed by the urge to make "got" look more past tensey. What's all that about?

Probably there's some logical explanation, something to do with the great vowel shift, or the state of the language when those religious extremists hopped on a boat to the new world, but really I just felt the urge to note it down.

I've also been known to sit down and list the entire weasel genus (ferret, stoat, pole cat, pine martin, otter, I could go on), the complete set of Greek gods along with their Roman equivalents, and all my best friends in order. It's only a matter of time before I start naming nuts.

Crochet Necklace

2006-04-21T11:16:00.000+01:00

Just pottering about the internet looking for gadgets for girls stories when I came across this Crochet Necklace on Sensory Impact. I haven't really got anything to say about it, but for some reason I just can't help getting over-excited when I see something that's been crocheted. Not a great time for me when shopping right now, as you can probably imagine. Everything seems to be crocheted, so I spend my time flitting excitably about each shop, prattling like a fool about how I could probably make something similar given a year or so, while my friends slowly back away towards the door in the hope of making a run for it.

By the way, the reason I haven't been blogging lately is because I haven't made anything new for a while. But I've got a shrug on the go at the moment, so hopefully I'll get a chance to finish it off this weekend.

Making my own crochet pattern

2006-04-13T09:32:00.000+01:00

Never let it be said that I don't try to run before I can walk. Fact is, I'm not much good at being a learner, which is why I tend to aim well above myself, often failing more often than I succeed. But, thankfully, this is only crochet, not some life or death situation, so failing really isn't a problem. It just means a few wasted hours of your life (all unpicked in seconds) and maybe a few soft, silent tears.

Since I was finding it impossible to match the free slouchy shrug pattern's gauge no matter which hook I used (turns out I'm not the only one - someone on Crafster said the same), I decided just to make a pattern up instead. I've got a baggy (knitted) shrug that I bought from Zara and, on inspection, it turned out to be a very simple rectangle-based shape stitched together. With that, and with the aid of the excellent Fluggy Pink Shrug Schematics on Crochetville, I dreamt up a pattern that I was convinced would work.

Only slight problem is, I think the lovely Rowan cotton I bought is just going to make it a bit too stiff. I got quite far up on arm before I decided that a softer, floppier yarn will work much better. It's a pain because buying online doesn't really give you an idea of what the wool will be like, but wool shops in London are very hard to come by - unless you want hand-dyed wool, spun by blind virgins in Wales, and then John Lewis can certainly help you. Lovely as that may be, if I buy enough of that to make a big slouchy jumper with, I'm going to be crocheting it out on the streets, with only a can of Gold Label and a dog on a bit of string for company.

PS. I like the little bit of sweater stitch I did at the cuffs end.

Crochet Pink Panta

2006-04-11T12:21:00.001+01:00

First off, apologies for the pic - I seem to suffer from some sort of facial tic that causes me to stick my tongue out as soon as there's a camera pointing at me. I did take a load of tongue-free snaps, but they all made me look like I was about to sneeze, so this one was the best of a bad lot.

Second off, I don't actually know if this qualifies as a panta or not, but how could I resist the opportunity for that punnish post header? I decided to make this little headband thing the other night on a whim. I just chained till it was a little over-sized for my head (size 3mm crochet hook, I think), and did a row of double crochet (US sc) about 6 chains in (to make the fastening loop). Then I decided to do a row of half trebles (US hdc). For the bobble, I just made it up - slip stitched into the end of the headband and did a load of chains which I then kept knotting up until I had a nice big knot to act as a fastener.

I'm rather pleased with it - not least because it took about 5 seconds to create.

Tank Top Alert

2006-04-04T15:33:00.000+01:00

In case you were wondering where I got such awful taste from, you need wonder no more. This is a tank top that my mother made for my dad back in the day. Apologies to anyone currently being blinded by the combination of 70s tank toppery and parental bedspread, but she took the pic not me.

I feel like I've been sucked into clothes making against my will. I always said I'd only make bits of crap to fill up the flat and to foist on other people - tea pot cosies, blankets, and the odd hat - but suddenly I find myself making clothes. And now, staring at this mesmerising tank top, I'm beginning to think "hmm, looks relatively straightforward, maybe I'll pick the pattern up next time I'm home.."

I think there may be chemicals in the wool.

Cosy tea for me

2006-04-03T19:43:00.000+01:00

Yes! There's a good chance that soon my tea pot may no longer feel the chill of cold air touching its delicate metal underparts. Well, if I ever get round to finishing this thing anyway.

I thought after all that tasteful clothes making it was time to do something nice and ugly again. If it's ugly and garish you can guarantee I'll like it. It's why I was a crap goth.

Anyway, it's not based on any one pattern. The stitch design is from Jan Eaton's 200 Crochet Blocks and I've just made it big enough to fit my pot (I hope - past experience has taught me that I have brain damage where the successful measuring part of my brain should languish). I'll start reducing stitches somewhere near the top, and hopefully all will turn out well. If not, I'll just fob it off on an unsuspecting relative.

Crochet Shrug - Worked this time!

2006-03-30T22:45:00.001+01:00

I've been wanting to post this since the weekend, which is when I actually finished the thing. But for various reasons to dull to go into, I haven't been able to until now.

I'm feeling rather pleased with myself over this one, and only wish that it was made from some spangly fancy thread rather than a basic acrylic. You could also level the complaint at it that it's on the small side - certainly it's not as big as the original pattern - but I actually really like it this size, and it's slightly larger than it looks in these shots (honest guv!). All in all, I'm pretty proud that I managed to make an item of clothing - and an item of clothing that I'm really happy to wear, no less!

This time it all came out even till I got to the end of the second arm and ran out of stitches at the end. I decided either I'd cocked up somewhere way back at the start, or the pattern was telling my to count forward too many stitches. After unravelling it a good way back to double check what I'd done, I decided that since it all looked right, and even with the other side, I would just change the number of stitches in the pattern to match up (sorry if this isn't making sense, but really you had to be there). That did the trick and it ended up being nice and even.

Despite that minor hiccup at the end, this was really quick and easy to make, and I'm thinking of knocking out a few more in different colours. I might tamper with the design a bit next time, since I never seem to be able to match the gauge, and I'll treat myself to some spangly wool as well.

All in all, a great learning process for me and a large feeling of self-satisfied smugness to enjoy at the end of it - and a neat little gold shrug of course.

Mmm, Wool

2006-03-28T12:38:00.002+01:00

Getting hold of wool in London is a bit of a nightmare. Finding shops locally is almost impossible (I've been on 2 pilgrimages to local wool shops in recent months that turned out not to be there anymore) and so you're forced to trudge up into central London to John Lewis where the wool is of the strictly upper middle class variety and entirely unconcerned for budgets.

So I've been building up quite a selection of online wool shops recently, (which I will add to the sidebar in due course). They have the benefit of not obliging you to get off your backside for longer than it takes to answer the door to the postie, but the downside is that you can't actually feel the stuff - or see it properly in a lot of cases. Still, seeing this lovely Rowan yarn (which I'm already familiar with from previous John Lewis wool groping sessions) on sale for £20 for 10 balls, I couldn't help but click the Buy button.

I'm hoping this will work for the Slouchy Shrug pattern I've been staring at longingly for the past few weeks. Problem is, I can't find wool that will match the guage, since Moda Dea wool isn't available in the UK. I haven't tried this new Rowan stuff yet, but fingers crossed. If not, I'll have to fudge it using the excellent Shrug Schematics on the Crochetville forum. I'm sure I'll get there eventually!

Success at last!

2006-03-27T19:28:00.000+01:00

Yes people, I finally did it - finally made a hat that 1) fits me 2) suits me (sort of). Actually, if I'm being really fussy, it makes me look a little bit egg-headed, but I'm glossing over that part and focusing on the "yay!" part.

It's just a basic Trebles (US dc) hat with a few rows of double crochet (US sc) with a simple little rosette attached at the side (which I put together on the wrong side to make it lie a little bit flatter). All nice and easy. The only thing that caused me trouble was the pink wool, which is some lovely old Jaegar wool that my very kind friend gave me from her departed Granny's stash. I thinkit must have been there for some time because it kept coming apart in my hands and eventually I had to double it up. There are a lot of knots hidden underneath, but it's the outside that counts!

And that's pretty much all I have to say about that.

Previous Hattage:
Failed hat for me #1
Failed hat for me #2

String, string's a marvellous thing

2006-03-23T21:24:00.001Z

Since my clothes making isn't going so well at the moment I thought I'd stick up a pic of this string thing I'm making from the Erika Knight's Simple Crochet book (obviously I haven't learned my lesson about attempting to make tasteful objects after the last debacle.) Well, I say "I'm making", actually I haven't done anything to it for weeks now.

Why? Because it's bloody hard work, that's why. Crocheting baskets with string may be all well and good in Ms Knight's household, but in mine it leads to nothing but callouses and misery. I'll finish it off eventually. Just need to wait till the welts have cleared up.

Failure is my middle name

2006-03-22T16:26:00.001Z

After my first attempt at making a shrug went horribly awry, I decided to try the other pattern I'd purchased instead. Sadly, this one fared only a little better and it's turned out far too small. I had an inkling it wouldn't come out right - I couldn't get the guage to match up no matter which hook I used. It was either right widthways and wrong lengthways or vice versa, so in the end I just decided to take the plunge. I knew the back was too small, so I upped the number of trebles (US dc) in hope of fixing it, but the sleeves aren't quite right, and I can't get the thing over my nearly non-existent bosom. I'm not going to bother finishing it as I don't think the extra rows will help. I should have gone with a larger hook. Buggeration.

I'm just glad I used cheapo acrylic as I'm obviously destined to cock this up a few more times yet. I may try a different pattern first, as I'm itching to have a go with one of my new jumbo hooks, but I should probably stick with this one now that I've at least got a faint idea of what I'm supposed to do. Then I might treat myself to some decent wool.

Oh, and for some reason, even though I'm sure I read the pattern correctly, I had a larger space on left side than the right side. No idea how that happened, but maybe I'll suss it out on attempt number two.

PS. I have recently acquired a stinking cold, so now I'm feeling doubly sorry for myself. Maybe I branched out from granny squares a bit before I was ready...

You can see what it actually should look like here.

Crafster Pariah

2006-03-21T20:05:00.000Z

I've noted that I have a knack for killing a topic stone dead when I respond to it on Craftster. I'm thinking that maybe I've committed some hideous faux pas somewhere along the line and now I'm being politely ignored in the hopes that I'll go away.

Ah, how little they know of my tenacious ability to hang around long after I'm welcome. I'm not going away - it's too good over there. They've got all kinds of clever people with nifty ideas and access to patterns I could never dream of. If I hang around long enough, maybe they'll get used to me - just like that person in your school gang who you didn't really like, but who could afford to buy all the CDs you wanted.

Check out these bad boys

2006-03-21T19:20:00.001Z

My jumbo ~~tampons~~ crochet hooks arrived. Roll on the slouchy shrugs.

Dare To Wear Crochet

2006-03-20T20:23:00.000Z

I know, I know, I'm only promoting my own websites, but I didn't write this piece and I didn't prompt the CQ girls to do it either, so I think linking to it's allowed. Charlotte's done a piece on Catwalk Queen about crochet clothes and how to wear them. It's a nice little piece, with lots of highlights from the high street.

I did a big crochet snapping session on a recent shopping voyage, so I will post up some pics as soon as I find an easier way to get the pics off my current phone than using Bluetooth to send them to another phone which can then send email. Yes, I have too many phones. And yes, I am a geek

Dare to Wear Crochet

Good Hooking in the Guardian

2006-03-20T12:31:00.000Z

I appear to have been featured on the Guardian's Newsblog linklog, which is nice! I'm not sure if they know this blog is written by someone who sometimes writes for them or not. Perhaps I've got Jane to thank, who read's Al's blog (who mentioned me the other day) or maybe it's just pure fluke. Either way, I'm very happy to have been featured along with the fab Inky Circus girls who I met up with once in a coffee shop in Borders book shop.

The blogosphere's a small world! [Click on pic for biggie, or go here]

Supersized Crochet Hooks

2006-03-19T13:31:00.001Z

Yes, I really can get an entire post out of the subject of "crochet hooks". I am Boredom incarnate. The thing is, I've been checking out a lot of US patterns recently and for some reason those pesky yanks (no offence to any pesky yanks reading) feel the need to use gimungous crochet hooks. I mean, who ever heard of a size P crochet hook? There's no such thing. I looked it up on a conversion chart and metric doesn't even go that high. It must be thicker than a jumbo tampon for gawd's sake.

My mother, and more especially my grandmother, used to use teensy hooks to create intricate, detailed doilies and sandwich protectors and other bits of useless ephemera beloved of people in the 50s (don't ask me what sandwich protectors are - I just made that one up but it sounds like something they'd make). If I handed my grandmother a size P crochet hook she'd look at me like I'd gone loopy (whereas in fact it's the other way round). I'm not even entirely sure what size P means. I've looked at lots of different conversion charts and some say it's 16mm and some say 11.5mm and I've also seen it quoted at 10mm, 12.75 and 15mm.

The largest hook I've managed to get hold of so far is an 8mm, which strikes me as more than large enough for anything you'd like to achieve. Any larger than that and even I'd start to feel a little embarrassed to be seen crocheting on public transport.

But since it's currently the US's turn at running the show, it looks like I'm going to have to concede defeat and put in a special order.

[comedy jumbo crochet hook pic taken from Stitch Diva]

Crochet Panta

2006-03-19T12:05:00.001Z

Two words I'd never even heard until recently: shrug and panta. The former because I'm not a fashionista type and it takes me a while to catch on; the latter because I don't snowboard. But while they may be fairly new additions to my (already extensive) vocabulary, they seem to be all I'm crocheting right now.

(Well, that's not strictly true, but let's just continue the pretence for the sake of this post. It's neater that way.)

After a string of recent failures (I really don't want to talk about the fact that I've just had to entirely unpick the shrug I've spent the past week crocheting, the bitterness lingers still) I was ready to build a big bonfire and throw all my wool and crochet hooks into the conflagration (see what I mean about that vocab). So, to perk myself up again, I popped over to Crafster and got this nifty little panta pattern. A couple of hours later I had a panta of my very own. Some might say it's a little on the small side, and so by rights is more of a "headband", but I pay no heed to quibbles over semantics.

It's the first time I've had a go at ribbed crochet, so I'm mighty pleased to have given that a whirl. An easy peasy panta that's fun and quick to make. My faith in crochet has been restored...
for now.

Find out how to make a Panta here.

Lia's Hat

2006-03-16T12:42:00.002Z

This is the hat I made for my friend Lia for Christmas. I've got loads of bits of random wool given to me by various people and I'm not sure what sort of yarn this goldy stuff is, but it was absolutely lovely to crochet and felt very soft. From what I remember, the hat wasn't quite as nobbly as it looks in this photo. I like to think it was a bit more professionally done than that, but there's a good chance I'm merely deluding myself.

I'm modelling it for the pic, but since I failed to put any makeup on for the shot, I thought it best to hide my spectuarly spotty head from your tender eyeballs. It is not a pretty sight. The good news is (in case you care - and I just know you do) they've cleared right up now.

The pattern was from an old magazine Al's mum sent me.

Crochet Dress in Topshop

2006-03-16T11:59:00.001Z

I'm not fully convinced that I actually like crocheted clothes - there's always a danger that you'll get carried away and end up wearing something like this. Nevertheless, having seen Gemma's knitted shrug, I thought I should at least give it a crack before dismissing it. I bought this pattern from Diane Langan and am already well on my way - although I'm not sure it's going to turn out right first time thanks to my (typical) decision to fiddle with the pattern (more of that on another post soon).

Anyway, I've spotted some crochet stuff in shops recently. It's amazing how obsessed you become with peering at knitwear when you can knit and crochet. So, I thought I should probably indulge my obsession by posting up a few of my finds. This dress from Topshop was on Catwalk Queen. Next time I'm in Topshop I'll see if I can find it to take some closer snaps.

Trendy Tea Cosy

2006-03-11T10:34:00.001Z

Milway bought me Erika Knight's Simple Crochet book for Christmas. Until that point I'd been labouring under the illusion that the only way to crochet was with tongue firmly in cheek, but suddenly here was a design book with tasteful patterns in that wouldn't look out of place in a some City-type's po-faced loft apartment. Maybe I too could be tasteful!

Alas, the taste-gods have so far rejected me. This trendy tea cosy (or cozy to US citizens) was my verson of the cafetiere cosy (!). Possibly my first mistake was foolishly believing the I have it in me to work out my own designs. My second was ignoring the requests for posh black cotton yarn and using cheapo black acrylic, of which I have an abundant supply. My third was attempting to make something for myself (I've proved time and time again that I can't make something for myself with any hope of success) The gods were already displeased.

I was in a posh hotel making this (a birthday present from Al - I sure know how to make the most of a romantic weekend away, eh?!) so really the surroundings should have been perfect. However, the fatal flaw in all that was that I guessed how big it needed to be to fit my teapot. Sure enough, it turned out to be too small.

I was going to bodge a bit of extra crochet onto the side, but the very thought of giving up my aspirational tea cosy for a half-arsed black cover made me too depressed for words, and the miserable thing has been consigned to my wool box until the day I spot some hapless soul with a correctly proportioned unclothed pot.

Crochet Mobile Phone Cover

2006-03-09T14:08:00.000Z

Time for another bit of Louisa Calder-inspired creativity. This time it was Al's mother who benefitted from my crochet skillz, with this mobile (cell) phone case. I finally twigged about using trebles for the row that the pull cord goes through, and this was probably the first time I actually made a bag that didn't have any mistakes in it.

Similar stuff:
Crochet laptop cover
Crochet Bag

Crochet Tea Cosy

2006-03-09T13:23:00.000Z

I made this tea cosy for Al's Gran who wanted something bright and yellow to put on her pot. It was fun to make and easy, but was unlike anything I'd made before thanks to the almost semi-circular style. You start with an oblong and keep going back and forth round it, creating a nice ridged effect. The bottom was unusual as well, using a repeating triangle of double crochet, half treble, treble and double treble to create a band. It uses US names so you'll need to keep that in mind if you're a Brit. [Click for bigger pics]

Free T ea Cosy Crochet Pattern

Flower Hat: Failed Hat for me #2

2006-02-27T21:09:00.000Z

This hat took me absolutely bloody ages to make. Since I'm very far from gaining my black belt in crochet, this advanced pattern took an age for me to understand. I think a lot of my trouble is, I try too hard to follow the pattern, rather than just being sensible and thinking "what is it actually supposed to look like at the end of this?" I always have this dumb-headed belief that if I stick with it it will magically turn out OK in the end.

However, once I'd understood the pattern (after unravelling it a good 400 times), it was actually pretty quick and easy to make. Just one problem.

It was teeny tiny. So I made it again with a bigger hook.

Still teeny tiny. Tried an extra flower.

No dice.

Photographed it and sent it to the big ball of wool in the sky. Cried a little.

Free Pattern from Crochet By The Hook
[The ever-helpful Dot has now added a detailed tutorial for the killer Row 6 so you shouldn't have to unravel it quite as many times as I did. I'm still not sure quite why mine ended up being so small though.]

Tea Cosy

2006-02-27T20:59:00.000Z

This was the tea cosy I very kindly created for my sister. I'm not sure if she actually uses it or not - I'd rather not know the truth... - but I was pleased with how it came out since both the shell stitch and the cable stitch were new to me.

Funnily enough, despite numerous failed hats for me, this tea cosy fitted my head a treat. There's a good chance I may have to knock up another one as a head cosy if I fail at any more proper hats.

As is my tradition, I never quite finished it off properly. I was going to do some little rosettes round the top edges to make it look like a cosy I spotted in a sunday supplement's aspirational homewares section, but I lost patience after two teensy rosettes and fobbed my sister off with a "I'll finish it later" offer. That was back at Christmas.

Oh, and for some reason, my cosy didn't seem to close up at the top quite like it was supposed to, but I rather like it that way.

Free Pattern from here.

Failed Hat for me #1

2006-01-11T02:59:00.000Z

So this was the first hat I made for myself. After months spent knocking up things for other people (my aim was to make something for everyone at Christmas but I ran out of time in the end) I decided that I would make myself something - especially as I was going hatless while my friends were swanning about in my original creations.

This was the Cloche Cap that I made using this pattern. It was nice and easy to do, but no matter how large the hook was, I couldn't get it to fit the gauge. Possibly because I was intent on only using one strand of double knitting rather than 2 strands as requested in the pattern. Because I'm a cheapskate.

So, as expected the hat came out a little on the small size, but it fitted my pin head fine. You can see my charming boyfriend is reluctantly modelling it for me and it looks a little tight for his manly-sized head, but for me it was just about right. Despite this, I soon concluded that it had another fatal flaw. It didn't suit me. This in spite of the fact that I generally look pretty spiffy in hats. Problem was, it looks better perched on a curly mop, and it just didn't really sit right on my straight locks.

Well that's my excuse anyway. The fact that my fellow straight-haired, pin head friend came over the other day and took my cloche along with the other hat I made her (more of that another time) is beside the point. She tells me she's not wearing it, however, because it doesn't cover her ears which is no good for winter.

So failure all round then.

No wait! There's a happy end to this tale. Having seen how good it looked on Milway's curly locks, I decided it would be a great wheeze to make a similar hat for my brother-in-law, a great tall man with long flowing curly locks of silver and blond. Mighty impressive hair indeed, in dire need of a house cap to lend even more of a distinguished air. I also knew it would annoy aforementioned niece. Incentive enough for anyone. Alert to the undersized failings of the last one, I added an extra shelly bit at the start, and ended up with a huge hat that I thought would be far too large. It did end up being on the large size, but still within the limits of acceptable hat-to-head size ratio. Brother-in-law was, of course, delighted. Niece was, of course, appalled.

So success all round then.

Except she got the better of me. While my father was down for Christmas he took a shine to the hat and took to wearing it. Come leaving day, she convinced him to thieve the hat so now I'm the one who gets to be humiliated by my father and she gets to chuckle in a self-satisfied manner. Truly, there is no justice in the world.

Flower Cushion

2006-01-04T19:21:00.001Z

I saw this pattern and absolutely loved it immediately. It was only after I made it and showed it to friends that I realised that my design tastes appear to have been stolen from an old lady. I've stuck to my guns, however, and this (still unfinished) cushion has pride of place on my knackered old green chesterfield (see what I mean about the old lady tastes). Still, I must still have some doubts about its design merits, because I bought two cushions to cover and not only have I not made the second one, I've not even finished this one off properly.

This was actually the first non-Granny Square-based thing I made. Until then, I'd only ever known how to create trebles and double trebles, and I only ever picked up my crochet hook (pinched from my mother's collection) sporadically, usually to start a large blanket that would invariably be abandoned by the third square (ah, the folly of youth).

Since I was (and still am) a bit of an amateur at this sort of thing, I went online to learn how to do the basic double crochet stitches. Problem is, when I then made the thing, nothing quite looked right. Being a slow learner, it took me until I'd finished the first side to realise that the Americans have changed the names of all the stitches, so I was doing trebles instead of double crochets and double crochets instead of single crochets (oh, the larks!). Being both lazy and stingey, I decided not to waste time and wool unpicking the whole thing, but simply made the other side correctly (which you see here now) and added a few extra rows to the edges to get them to meet. Incidentally, the guage was totally wrong for the smaller UK sizes - it would never have worked out the right size even if I had followed it correctly. So the extra rows would have been in regardless. Incidentally (mark II), you can quite clearly see that the lazy crocheter has used the older US large central yellow bit for the right-hand blue flower. Louisa Calder wouldn't mind...

Crochet Bag

2006-01-03T21:14:00.000Z

Good old Louisa Calder came in handy again for this bag I made for my niece. It's a lot smaller than the laptop case I made, but is pretty much the same sort of thing. I still hadn't twigged about the row of trebles, though, so it's threaded through the stitches as per last time. I really like this bag, but I actually meant it to be horribly garish again to annoy my niece (isn't that what Aunts are for?) after she mocked my laptop bag. I was tempted not to give it to her, in fact, but since I'd left it too late to get her something she might actually like for her birthday, I had no choice but to give it to her. I stuck in a load of Burt's Bees products to soften the blow of the ugly present. And gave her a new mobile as well, so maybe I should have kept the bag after all...

Those with a keen eye and a rapier wit will note that I've quite clearly missed a few stitches along the way. I'm still not quite capable of making something without mistakes. Even somethings as simple as a rectangle, double crochet bag.

Crochet Laptop Bag

2006-01-03T20:07:00.001Z

Yes, I really did crochet myself a laptop bag. Thing is, the laptop is teeny tiny - about A5 size - and so no normal laptop case was going to cut it. I made it while sat in hospital waiting for Al's Gran to recover after her op went horribly wrong (thankfully she's on the road to recovery now) and it helped to keep me busy and gave me something else to think about that wasn't too taxing. The pattern is based on one from this fantastic old book called "Louisa Calder's Creative Crochet", which is full of loads of garish designs - just the sort of thing I love.

She's obviously a true English eccentric, and the ghostwriter is at pains to point out that she comes from an artistic environment and that her husband, Alexander Calder, was "one of the greatest sculpters of all time". Quite what he had to do with it is a mystery to me, but this was published back in 1979, so maybe including your husband's bio in your own book was less strange back then.

One of the best things about this book is the inclusion of some truly awful designs, that even I, with my love of all things bright and woolly, can't bring myself to admire. There's a whole section on creating woollen ties for men to wear with their suits, and since the designs are very similar to this bag above, you can get a fair idea of just how horrified any man would be to be handed one of these as a gift.

And along with some remarkable revolting neckties, there are a a few designs that appear to have been knocked up by the artist's small, academically inept, relative. Probably around the 6 year's old mark. But no, we discover that Louisa herself is responsible for stitching the red bag together on the outside with black wool and uneven stitches, because imperfections should be left if it "enhances the final result". Certainly, the designs that quite clearly drop and regain stitches liberally throughout for no apparent reason are "enhanced" by the look, but whether that's a good thing in this case is something I'd be willing to dispute.

But despite much guffawing at some of the things our Louisa felt happy to include, she gets full credit for giving me some great ideas of things you can do with simple double crochet (US sc). Specifically, the colour changing is a real eye opener. Usually you're told to pull through the new colour as the final loop in a stitch, but these designs start a new stitch with a new colour, giving a little "bird in flight" dot effect that works really nicely. She does it the whole way through, and while I don't like it when changing rows (I'm too anal for such sloppiness), used to add little colour flecks, or bands of colour, it works really well.

The only downside to creating a bag like this all in Double Crochet is that I find it really hard to work up any pace and so it takes a lot longer than making Granny Squares, for example. There aren't actually any patterns in the book, you get general written instructions on how to do it and what to chain, etc, but after that you just have to work it out from the pictures. I should have put in a row of trebles for the pull ties, but I didn't read the instructions properly.

Welcome to Good Hooking!

2006-01-03T19:54:00.000Z

Home of all my crochet creations. This is the obligitory test post