Elf on the Shelf

Oh I have just not had the time or energy to update my Blog but I have loads to show you :)

I really, really wanted to make Jackson and Isabella an Elf for this Christmas and sourced the patterns knowing I could alter them a little if I tried. The male elf did look a bit scary haha!! and then I saw the current edition of Simply Crochet and on the front was a lovely looking elf!! and what seemed to be a fabulous looking Poncho!! That means surely if there are Two items on the cover I like I get to buy it...right?? Ha ha any excuse... Well it seemed everyone wanted to buy this issue. I couldn't get hold of one and the Month was coming to an end rather quickly.So I purchased the online addition. I really do like to have my magazines in my hand to scroll through. Or just to look at. I really do have a terrible Craft Magazine addiction and have to pick them up in the supermarket and have a little row with myself over whether I should be allowed it or not. I often win but just lately I have been trying to be really good and not buy. However this one I needed for my Grandchildren he he and so now have on my laptop. This is great for when Crocheting at home but is not ideal if you have a Hospital appointment and want to take some Crochet for the Car Journey or the waiting room. Plus you don't get a free gift!! So I will be cancelling this subscription and buying off the shelf when I need my next Magazine fix. The plus of this online buying is that I got 30 days free. So didn't pay for this mag. I just have to remember to cancel :)

So as I said the time was getting on.... I actually picked up my Crochet hook and started on Saturday the 29th November (oops) Leaving me not much time for this quite fiddly project. Here is my first days work and poor little elfy looking a bit like E.T

The pattern was quite easy to follow and although I didn't use the yarn suggested and just what I had in my stash came together quite well :)

I went onto the Hat next. This was not so easy. Once I had finished it was way too big and couldn't decide whether to sew it on and try to loose the excess all around or unpick and try again. I hate unpicking but as the elf was looking so good I went for this option. I didn't do the last round of increasing. It was still a little too big but much better.

 It was a nightmare to sew to the head though and get it looking neat like the photo in the magazine but I did my best. I enjoyed making his Hair and the little extra's like the frill round the neck were such good finishing touches. Unfortunately due to time my Elf is missing his Cuff's, Booties and Bell but is still adorable. Here he is with his Belt but no legs. 

I made a Box for him to have escaped out of ha ha and tied it up all lovely for Jackson to open. Isabella is a little young. So I will hopefully get round to making her, her own Elf next year when she knows what is going on.

 I wrote them a letter from Santa. You can see that on my Facebook Page Wendy's Crafts and inside I wrote a note from the Elf who had escaped. "Ha ha, He he I have escaped, Come find me. Do you need a WEE?? and then set him up in the toilet. It was so good.

Jackson wasn't too sure with what was going on but he did realise the Elf was being naughty and you could see he liked that. Hopefully I will get time to finish the elf properly once Advent is over and he returns to Santa :)

I so enjoyed making him but wish I had left myself more time to fully enjoy without rushing. 

 Keep an eye out on my Facebook page for Elf updates :)
Just one last quick photo I have now of him with legs :)

Snow White

My illness has yet again kept me away longer than planned but I have a nice Snow White post I have managed to write at last :)
My Granddaughter turned 1 in August and I have just got round to editing the photo's for my page. She had a Snow White Party. So of course Nanna here had to go all out :)
Catherine asked me if I could make Isabella a little outfit of which I got very excited as I could make a Tutu one. I was however let down with the top I ordered. So had to frantically Crochet one myself. I don't think the finished result is as good as if I had used a Ribbon Crochet top but I had to do what I had to do.

It was still very good for my first full Tutu dress. Isabella didn't like it though ha ha. So we have no pictures with it on. She was only 1 bless her. So will be trying it on again soon hopefully.
I also since started Cake making, make everyone a birthday Cake. So was also very excited for this as I could have a go at making my fist doll Cake with the Cake being the dress. I had a look on Google and decided I really wanted pleats on the dress and not just straight covered. I knew this was more difficult but I have to have what I want :) Apart from getting the Fondant a nice Yellow this Cake went surprisingly well and I was absolutely grinning from ear to ear at the result. I am never happy with my Cakes but this one passed my rather tough criteria :)

Oh.. I also made her a bow for her hair :) Just because I can. The photo doesn't do it any justice but It was very nice seen as though I am just learning. Catherine wanted Bella to be a bow wearer but just little ones. For this occasion though I thought I would make her a bigger statement bow.

Again, I have no photo of it on but I do plan to get one :) and just as a final touch I made a huge organza bow in Snow White Colours. Just to see what it would look like and again the photo doesn't do anything for it but it was big and fantastic.

Crochet Purse

Well it has been a while since my last post but I have been busy blogging behind the scenes. It appears for me to be easier to write lot's of different posts and keep adding to them until one is finished. I am finding it quite hard getting my photo's loaded and on. So lot's of writen posts waiting for photo's but I have now at last finished a whole
 post and it seems it is Crochet Week this Week :)
I have so many Crafts I love but just don't get the time or have the energy to do them much. So it is nice when I can. A couple of Weeks ago I saw a lovely purse done in Crochet and it stuck in my mind. I have had a love and the want to make a purse for a while actually. I bought a Magazine a few Months back with a free gift of a purse to sew and managed to get some purse clasps off my Facebook Group Craft items for sale or swap for 50p each!! So..... last week I set to making one. I have always been able to see something and make it and this also happens with Crochet. So I got my Hook and my fabulous free BERGERE DE FRANCE Wool out and started. It came out really well and I was so happy with it.

 As I crochet I nearly always try to write the pattern down as I go but it is quite tricky getting things exact. I have soooo many half written patterns stored on my laptop and written in books. This one I have manged to stick at and even worked hard on a 2.5 hour journey to London last week. I have also been at it again today but it is still not done. You would think counting stitches would be quite easy but the amount of times I have counted around my work is unbelievable! I am just about to now try and write the pattern out on the computer and then will need to Crochet it again to triple check it. (It is actually going to be the 4th time I have done it but triple just sounds better)

Work in progress

As it was made from looking, I had no idea what I was doing really and the top is a bit too tight so although it looks fine. It actually doesn't hang right. I will be unpicking this one to get it right.This is made in BERGERE DE FRANCE Jaspee Wool. It is 80% Acrylic and 20% Worsted Wool and is fabulous to Crochet with. You cant see any mistakes ha ha because of the pattern in the wool. Yet you can see your stitches fine. I was very lucky to find out about the offer on the BERGERE DE FRANCE website. This was a points system that when I signed up I got points. These converted to £10 off my first order. It took me a while to choose as there was is so much on the website but lucky I did, as a few weeks after signing up I got the most amazing catalogue from them. It has their actual wool as samples inside which is fantastic as you can feel and see what you are buying. You can still get the catalogue if you are a new sign up but I am not sure about the points. Here is a link to their website. Bergere de France. It may be worth signing up to see. I chose the Jaspee in Vague (Blue) and Comete (Pink) and COSMOS in Mauve ecru (Pink) and Jean ecru (Blue) postage is just £2.90 and I got all 4 balls of wool posted for £3.59 with my money off. How amazing is that!!! There are so many beautiful Wools on there and some really different textures. I chose these Colours to make Hats for Jackson and Bella but then decided to throw caution to the wind and use my "posh" Wool for my purses and I think they suit the Wool very well.  The only problem with this wool is it doesn't give you the thickness on the label. I judged it was an Aran thickness and as I was making up a purse it didn't really matter but if you were making garments, You would need to know exactly. I can't wait to use the Cosmos and may do on my 4th try :)

BERGERE DE FRANCE Catalogue

I have since done a Blue one in the same wool. This one is much better although I still learnt something when sewing this one up :)

My Blue Purse :)

 and this is my 3rd one done in Creative Cotton which is Aran weight.

 I think this looks stunning and would love to do them in all the Rainbow Colours. This Cotton comes in the most stunning Colours and I have worked with it a lot. I love the fact that it is Aran weight as it works up quickly and gives you that lovely chunky but not to thick look. I think it looks fab made up  into a purse.
I will hopefully over the next few Weeks finish my pattern and be able to put it up for sale. This will be a miracle as I have only ever finished and checked on pattern ever ha ha but I do have more faith in this one :)

Ripple Blanket and Jackson

Motivation around the House has been slow of late. I have had no want or need to do much except rest and pin things on my Pinterest boards :-)
The last few days however I have had a bit of something going on in my head. Possible Blog posts have been floating around, Finishing of Crochet items, a little bit of Cake making and so here I am with a Blog ha ha
I remembered a few Posts ago here, That I gave a sneaky peek of a Ripple Blanket I was making for my Grandson. He was not born when I started it and I was worried I wouldn't get it finished as I do have a tendency to have an awful lot of unfinished projects lying around :-S
Anyway I forgot to show the finished Blanket, So here it is :-)

It has had quite a bit of use :-) Here is Jackson just a few minutes old with his Blanket 

and one day old :-)

It has since got a little warm for this Blanket as it was made from Aran Yarn. So I have started making him a new, lighter weight Blanket :-) This time I decided to do a Granny Square as we have noticed that Jackson likes to hold things close to his head whilst going to sleep and also like me he has a need to put his Fingers and Toes through holey Blankets. I found this out a few Months ago. Whilst I was looking after him he was getting tired and it was getting a little chilly so I sorted through the airing cupboard and found Catherine's Baby Blanket that my Nan had knitted her. I was so chuffed as my Nan is no longer with us it gave Jackson a little bit of her. Look at these beautiful Pictures I got of him.

This was taken the end of June, Jackson is nearly 5 Months old here.

So gorgeous

I so love this photo.

Isn't this just adorable 

It is so canny. It is just what I do even now as an adult.

And so the "yet another Crochet Project" has begun although hopefully it will not take too long as it is for my very special boy :-) 

Afghan update and wool review

Well I have kept at it..... My Afghan that is. So far I have 3 Squares done and still enjoying it.

This is Square Two in progress and was quite annoying.... I did have a few cross words with it lol, It called for a Shell pattern like you use on Granny Squares except I had to chain one after every Treble and I kept forgetting arghhhh but I got there in the end and went onto Square Three;

This I am having a lovely time with. It is so nice to put stitches together that I have known for ages and get these lovely squares. Just hope I don't get bored before it's finished.

I am using my favourite wool here, it is Cygnet Grousemoor Chunky and is 75% Acrylic and 25% Wool which is just enough Wool to make it Special... as in soft and cuddly but not too much to have to be careful with washing. My kind of Wool :-) and I just love a Chunky as it Crochets up so neat and quick. 

The Colours I am using are 

A) Fushia

B) Rose

C) Thistle

D) Grey

E) Cream

I used the same wool here in a little project I whipped up in time for my Grandson

A separate Post to come but a little taster for you 

:-) 

Celebrity Crush and Crochet Heart Bunting oh and Blocking ;-)

I have always had a problem choosing a Celebrity Crush. I did used to have a crush on Anthony Edwards on ER and then his Character died :-( 
but I have just finished watching Dancing on Ice and wow and Corr, Watching Matthew from Emmerdale dance to Nightfever..... Gave me a Fever, Watch this 
http://www.itv.com/dancingonice/contestants/matthew-wolfenden-nina-ulanova/show-three-matthew-nina


So yay I have a new Celebrity Crush

(I've just watched this clip again and oh wow it is soooo good, He is so slick )

I have had a few things craftwise on the go and one of those that I haven't got round to Blogging about is my Heart bunting. It was a start and get to the end finished project!!! and takes pride of place at the top of my bed :-) 

It was a pretty simple project and made in an Evening but I did have to block it as the Hearts turned up at the ends. I don't often Block much so I took a few pictures to show how it's done.

         

I literally finished Crocheting all 6 Hearts and got a very Hard Pillow ( I used my Memory Foam one ) I clipped a Bath towel around it then pinned each Heart to the Towel So they were stretched out to the same shape. I then lightly sprayed them with water and left to dry :-) I think it helped as they don't seem to roll up any more but unless I do one without blocking it I wont really know. Anyway I felt very professional doing it he he 

Afghan Fear overcome ... maybe

I have always had a fear of large Crocheted items... not the items.... of making them. I always get bored with repetitive things so make small easy items like Flowers and Hats.
I may however have just overcome that!!
Here look at this;

I think I may be in love, So much so that I have pinned this to my Pinterest and.... wait for it. Started making it!!! Woo hooo, Want to see??

Here you go 

The first Square in the making and being thoroughly enjoyed, Let's see how long this lasts then eh :-)

A few of my Favourite things :-)

A Collage of a few of my makes :-) 

Can Covers

So as a run on from my previous post Saleable, I am Crocheting Can covers and thoroughly enjoying it.  I thought I would go basic as I am going to meetings to get me back to full strength and on our first visit I was classed as reckless!!.... me reckless I couldn't believe it but on thinking and talking this through I decided I quite like being reckless.... maybe this is for another post lol as i have gone off the point... what I was trying to say was for my first Can Cover I decided to just go with a different Colour for two stripes in Double Crochet...... Yes being reckless lol I wanted to change this and do a row of Treble here and maybe 3 rows of double instead of two but persevere I did and got a lovely creation :-) and then was able to go on and be reckless, putting together different stitch combinations ;-)
My Colour inspiration was our living room the main Colour lime Green, I wanted a stripy random look but also I do like Colour coding my rooms for some reason so need to keep with that theme too. So thought I would just add a lot more green to various other colours,

Look what I my first two rows were though, 

This if you don't know is Nigeria's Colours and the only reason I know this is I was very fortunate a while a go to meet a very hmmmm lovely Nigerian Gentleman and ohhh he was so lovely :-) So this Crochet for me project has not only helped me Craft for me and become less reckless lol it has brought back sweet memories of a time that seems a million years ago and what sweet, sweet memories they are :-) 

and do you also know what? I have actually finished a few...

Not a brilliant Picture but a finished product no less :-)
Little update on Jackson - He is still adorable and content and just beautiful, Here have a peek at this little beauty.

He is just about an hour old here :-)
Gosh I seem to have so much to say today but the last thing is this;

I joined Laalaa's  travelling box this Year and I received the Box on Monday last week, What happens is this - there is a huge list of people on the Box list and I was 2nd. We receive the box and take out anything we like. I received the box from a lovely lady who's Blog is  The Snail Garden and also this lovely Gift from her. 

Thank you so much for this. 
I took out a Magazine, Some Fabric and some Beads. Not sure if I was too greedy but I did put back one of each item I took and a few extra bits. I have lots of left overs from my Craft Shop so I am thinking about starting a Box myself, if anyone is interested let me know :-)









So I am just about to send this off to the next lucky Person on the list. 
 I had a mass response on Facebook to my last post, Really overwhelming, Thank you so much to everyone who commented on this, It really is lovely to know what People think of my Blog. 

Saleable :-s

One of the Bad things to do with being self Employed and stressed is what I find it has turned me into.
Everything I Craft, I feel has to be sellable. I was making a Blanket for my upcoming Grandson the other day, Whilst making it I counted the Hours it took so I could work out how much this would have to be priced up for to sell, I took photo's that would be good enough to go on ebay and etsy not just good enough for me to track what I had made via my Blog. It is something that is haunting me almost...... My Craft did for a while turn into my business and now yes it is nice if I make something and someone would like to buy it infact it is fabulous but I need to Craft just to enjoy Crafting. I have seen many things Crocheted that I have really though what is the point of that??? no one would buy it would they and is it even sellable? Not oh wow that is nice I would love one of them  ha ha one of these things is Crochet covers for tins. Why would someone want to Crochet a cover for a tin?? but it is done, here on this amazing Blog I love; Attic 24

Yes the are beautiful but the time involved is just not justified to me....... that was until today ha ha light bulb moment for me. Why not just for the sake and enjoyment of it cover a tin..... Not to try and sell but to actually just do for myself to enjoy the art of Crochet....... and so I did and how amazingly refreshing it was too :-)
Photo's to follow