Crochet!!! and a finally completed striped jacket.

As I said in my last post I was hoping to get Jaybugs jacket finished by the weekend. Well it's Wednesday and it was all finished Tuesday. So I think that's close enough. I'm unsure how happy I am with it.

I love the colours but as you sew it together with the reverse as the right side it's a little untidy. I am a perfectionist and things that show the flaws are something I struggle with. My control on the world is having everything in its place and clutter sends me spinning. Its just a knitted jacket, I know...... But that but is still there. Jaybug loves it so I feel special to her.  I guess I need to work a little more on the letting go of silly things, like the not quite perfectness of the jacket.

 

I am up to issue 3 of the Art of Crochet series. I am unsure how long I will buy it for as at $9.99 and 120 issues - I'm sure I can do a lot of really cool things with $1200! But it is really good the way the show you how to and I am enjoying the patterns that I have collected so far.

I have made 2 of the first 3 throw squares. I'm not overly fond of the fact my squares don't seem to be square. There is something I just am not doing right yet and I can't tell you how many times I have unpulled them and remade them..... As you can see below they curl in at the edges. Is my tension too tight? I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.

I also took an Youtube tutorial on making flowers.

 

It was quite fast and I had to keep going over it. But I managed to get the general gist (I am learning this is important, not perfection of a pattern, to making it work) of it and have been making some flowers from my head.

I have visions of myself making super amazing block blankets (that's not going too well is it!), funky headbands and hats, just to name a few. I have made 2 head bands so far and am learning how to make adjustments to get them to sit/fit better.

 

I have been reading lots of crochet blogs to get ideas and inspiration. One of my favs is PaisleyJade and she has just put together this awesome How to crochet here. I love the colours and fun she brings to crochet and I aspire to her coolness of crochet.

There are 2 sets of terms that crochet patterns are written in - UK and US. I knew this as I had read it somewhere, about making sure you stick to what you learn in. But then the most helpful thing I uncovered was that US terms and UK terms use the same names for stitches but they mean completely different things! This is where I had spend hours getting confused previously. I found this conversion chart here which illustrates it quite well. Yeah, ok, I might seem a little crazy but this was a super big deal in my crochet learning world!

When looking for crochet books to purchase to help with my crochet coolness, I stumbled on this blog from thornberry and she has a page for her crochet library. It is quite a good idea as I have been able to google the books and find out more about them and if any of them would suit me.

After looking into one that caught my attention I decided I must buy it. I managed to find it cheapest at The Book Depository. They have free delivery world wide and with our $NZD being at the best time to buy I got myself my very own copy of 200 Crochet Blocks. It worked out to be roughly $24 including the charge for the credit card to buy from overseas. Over half the price I have found it online in NZ! It took exactly 7 days from when it was sent to arrival. I was so SUPER EXCITED the day it arrived.

I know this will be a fab addition to my brand new crochet library. I have so many fantastic ideas as I flick through this book. The colours are great and the patterns easy to follow. I just need to master some more skill first!

There is a amazingly beautiful blanket shown in here that I am just biting at the bit to make for Jaybug. Here are my first two squares - Lots of practice still needed to get them right though, but the blanket is enough motivation to keep practicing.

After such a great experience with The Book Depository I have my second addition to the crochet library on the way. I am eagerly awaiting its arrival!

More Feijoa's, some knitting and crochet - all in a day.....

So today I have for you Fab Feijoa Muffins! These are so yummy that they are just about all gone. They have a yummy sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar over the top too.

To start off with though I hadn't thought about the fact that although we have Feijoas coming out our ears so of you would have no idea what they are (as Tea so kindly pointed out.
So Feijoas are a fruit that grow on trees and fall when they are ripe.

They have green skin 

 and a soft white flesh inside.

If you cant get Feijoas any of the recipes can have banana added or any other soft fruit that you may wish to use. I opted to add frozen berries to my muffins too which help add a little bit of colour and flavour.

You can find the recipe for my muffins over here.

Also a project I have been working on is a Hooded Jacket for Jaybug. I wanted to get her a bright striped jacket from somewhere like Pumpkin Patch, then I found this awesome free pattern online from Spotlight.

So I have been working on this with some awesome Moda Vera - Marvel plain 8ply yarn. I found it at our local Spotlight store for $3.99 a ball (which I thought was really reasonable for 100g ball). There is a huge range of colours too which makes it so easy to get excited. It is an acrylic yarn which I find easier to wash with the kids.

So here is the colours I have chosen

So far I have done the back, two fronts and have just about finished the first sleeve.

But today I got a bit distracted when reading PaisleyJade's post with yet another one of her awesome crochet creations. When I mentioned in the comments that I have been wanting to learn she sent me a fantastic blog link with learning to crochet a granny square (So Helen I am learning to make them!)
The link was for Meet Me at Mikes at was super easy to follow with great video instruction.

So here is my afternoons distraction:

Round 1 and 2 completed and then I thought I better get the beef casserole in the oven otherwise there would be no dinner tonight and lots of explaining to do!

 Completed 3 round granny square and even a colour change!

Sewing in all the ends

And completed granny square!

I am super excited and ready to make more. It was so much fun and heaps easier than I thought. But for now I really must get the Jacket finished for Jaybug. Granny squares awaiting may just help me get it finished super speedy!

Moss Stitch Shoes

 The pattern recommend a lightweight yarn blend that is between a 4-ply and a double knitting weight. Approximately 107m/50g ball.


To fit ages                          3-6         9-12            12-18 months

Materials - one 50g ball of wool (above is description of wool)
                    Pair 2.75mm (UK 12/ US 2) knitting needles

Tension - 28 sts and 46 rows to 10cm/4in square over moss st on 2.75mm needles.

Abbreviations - alt = alternate  dec = decrease  foll = following  in =inch(es)
                           inc = increase one st by working into front and back of stitch
                           K(k) = knit P(p) = purl  rem = remain  st(s) = stitch(es)
                           tog = together.

Moss stitch - 1st row [K1, p1] to end
                       2nd row [P1, k1] to end
                       These two rows form moss st on an even number of sts

to make - With 2.75mm needles, cast on 22(26:30) sts.
                  Moss st 1 row
                 Work in moss st and inc one st at each end of the next and every foll
                 alt row until there are 32(38:44) sts, work all increase sts in moss st,
                 so keeping the continuity of the pattern.
                 Dec one st at each end of next and every foll alt row until
                 22(26:30) sts rem.
                 Shape heel
                 Next row Cast on 5(6:7) sts by cable method, moss st these 5(6:7) sts,
                 then moss st to end. 27(32:37) sts.
                 Moss st 1 row
                 Inc one st at end of next row and 4(5:6) foll alt rows. 32(38:44) sts.
                 Moss st 1 row.
                 Next row Cast off 20(22:24) sts, moss st to last st, inc in last st.
                 13(17:21) sts.
                 Moss st 10(14:18) rows.
                 Next row Work 2tog, moss st to end.
                 Next row Cast on 20(22:24) sts by cable method, moss st these
                 20(22:24) sts, then moss st to end. 32(38:44) sts.
                 Dec one st at beg of next and 4(5:6) foll alt rows. 27(32:37) sts.
                 Moss st 1 row.
                 Cast off.


To make up - Join back seam. Join upper to sole all around, easing in fullness at
                       toes. Turn through to right side.

Some great pick me up's

On Sunday I was stuck down with a horrible tummy bug. I woke up feeling a bit sick and with a headache. I got the Hubby to bring me some panadol and let him do the morning kid routine, before he headed out to watch car racing. By 10am I had my head either stuck in the toilet or a bowl. It wasn't pleasant at all. As the day progressed I started to feel worse and worse. I was cold, then I was hot, I was being sick all the time, my head hurt, my back hurt. I do not do vomiting and nausea well, it probably has something to do with suffering for months on end with Hyperemesis gravidarum - a severe form of morning sickness - with all three of my pregnancies. I had texted the Hubby a couple of times to let him know I was dying and even tried to ring him, where a lovely computerised voice told me he had temporarily disconnected his phone! It seems this is what XT tells you when I phone isn't in service.

When he eventually (it felt like forever to me who was dying) came home later in the afternoon he found me half dead on the couch and told me he hadn't  got my messages until he was heading back into civilisation - as racing was in the outback somewhere. He then took over the household as I had managed to put tea on in the crockpot earlier in the morning and get some washing hung out. I remained couch or bed ridden only moving to the bathroom to spew some more. Hubby then took yesterday off too to look after me and the kids as I was feeling completely wiped out from the 24 hour bug. The weird thing is I haven't been in contact with anyone with a bug and I got it not the kids? Usually a vomiting bug hits the kids but never comes near the adults in our house.

Today I am still lacking in appetite but am feeling loads better. I have a fun filled evening planned with some friends and I wasn't going to miss out on it for anything.

So here is what I have made for tonight:

Yummy carrot cake with cream cheese icing ( recipe added to what's cooking)


And I have also finish sewing up the first little knitted shoe I have been making. I decided to make them for a friends daughter who is always bright in clothing and attitude. They are just adorable!

If any one is keen for the pattern I can put it up for you, just leave me a comment and I will get it up :) They come in size 3-6, 9-12, & 12-18 months and are worked in one piece in moss stitch then you just sew up. Very quick and easy!

Glad to say we are finally enjoying week two of the holiday with some lovely spring weather. Saturday we managed to take the kids for a picnic lunch, last night was a beach walk before tea and tonight we are planning fish and chips at the beach. I love the warmth of the sun and how inspiring it is to get out and weed the garden, or mow the lawn, or wash the car. Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful sunshine for the holidays?