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crochetime

~ So many patterns, so much yarn, so little time: story of my hooky life.

crochetime

Category Archives: My crochet

Big Benny

27 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by Natasja in GIF, My crochet, My ramblings

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

clocks, crochet, GIF, wall clock

Tick Tock. Tick Tock. Can you see how time flies?

I thought my first GIF must show one of my ticking clocks – it just makes sense considering the theme of this blog don’t you think? But what clock should I choose for the GIF debut?

It’s got to be the biggest one I have – the 45cm Big Benny in shades of green.  I don’t think people realise just how big it is! Big Benny is for sale in my Etsy shop for £40. Just click here.

As for GIF’s. Well, a GIF is the name of a file extention (like PDF, JPG or DOC).  It stands for Graphics Interchange Format (geek speak to my ears) and basically means a file of moving images in a loop – not a video, but not a static photo either.

I was introduced to GIFs in blogs, by Christelle who told me about One Sheepish Girl’s blog. She has the cutest GIFs! I use a iPhone App to create mine but a quick Google search will produce many other GIF creating websites.

My GIFs are nothing compared to the amazing, fascinating, beautiful GIF-type images by fashion photographer, Jamie Beck. Honestly people, have a look at these photos – it’s not photos, and it’s not GIFs – it’s cinemagraphs.

The GIF possibilities are endless, so expect to see a lot more on my blog.

Three to go

22 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by Natasja in Etsy, My crochet

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

blanket, crochet, crochet border, crochet edge, edging

Nevermind cats & dogs, it’s raining zebras & elephants here this afternoon. Pouring down!

I will be braving the waters to post a baby blanket that was bought on Folksy yesterday.  (Yeah! I love getting sales!) Somewhere in Wales there’s a baby boy waiting for his blanky, so off to the post office I will go.

After last night’s sale I now only have these three blankets left over in my Etsy shop.  If you click on the photo it will take you straight to the blankets section of my shop.

Off I go. Umbrella in hand through the raging waters. Okay, it’s not that bad, but it’s still wet.  I think I’ll have to pop into Costa for an Earl Grey with soy milk on my way back from the post office. Right?

 

Roses And Daisies cushions ta-daaah!

20 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by Natasja in My crochet, My ramblings, Ta-daah!

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

crochet, cushions, jan eaton, roses and daisies

Here the are!!!!! The two cushions you’ve been seeing glimpses of over the last two months. It’s amazing what a difference these two colourful cushions have made to the brown couch.

Because the front and back of each one is different there are four different ways of displaying them on the couch alone!

I really can’t decide exactly where and how I want to display them. They were made for the couch, but they also look good on the chair in front of the window…

and on the storage box stools.

To recap the details of the cushions:

Front:

The flowery squares pattern is the Roses and Daisies Throw from Melody Griffiths book Crocheted Throws and Wraps. I made 16 squares for each cushion.

I used Rowan Handknit Cotton in Mist as the background colour. The flowers themselves are done in Rowan Handknit Cotton, Drops Paris and Stylecraft Cotton Classique in various bright shades.

To join the 16 squares for each front panel, as well as to join the front panel to the back panel, I used Lucy’s method, which you can find here.

Back:

Chocolate Box from Jan Eaton’s book 200 Crochet Blocks.

There are links to both the books on the right of the blog.

Hubby really loves the cushions. He even helped to choose the colour and sequence of stripes for the chocolate box squares for the back. He loves the bright turquoise, so I used it as the last round for one cushion. When it came to doing the second back, I was asked to please add more red because he really likes the bright red. So sweet! Out of the two cushions he has “called dibs”  on the one with the turquoise back.

When I have to arrange crochet pieces I always do the arranging on the coffee table. I’d arrange, walk away, come back, swap them around, walk away, make a cup of tea, come back and arrange some more. Eventually I’d declared “I’m happy” and then start crocheting the pieces together.

Well… on Friday evening I was in the kitchen after having declared “I’m happy” when Hubby walks in.

He says “I think we need to talk about the squares”, takes my hand and walks me to the coffee table.

“Those two bother me. It’s too  much green together. We have to fix it”.

Aaaaaah, bless! I gave him the biggest hug ever and we started to swap and rearrange squares until it was perfect. That’s how we spent our Friday evening. The hooker and her amazing husband.

Even though he really loves the striped stopper, the identify crisis blanket and now these two cushions he asked me to please stop making things for the house now because “I can feel my manhood slipping away”. Those were his exact words.

Our house is really very small so these bright, hard to ignore crochet items really pack a punch when you walk into a room. I totally get what he’s saying. It’s only the two of us and, well, he has to live here as well. And it’s not as if he’s unsupportive or forbids me from crocheting at all. He just knows his wife (and I think he’s seen my queue on Ravelry which might have scared him a bit.)

As he suggested, I’ll focus on cardigans and sweaters for myself or gifts for others for now. At least for the forseeable future (read: At least until next Winter when I might be able to convince him that we need a afghan to liven up the brown couch a bit more…)

Until then, we’re enjoying our lovely, bright, cheerful cushions.

And the winner is…

14 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by Natasja in My crochet, My ramblings

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

competition, Etsy, giveaway, wall clock

Susan Dougill

Congratulations Susan! As soon as you send me your postal address, I will send you your two brooches.

Here is the screenshot that randomly selected no. 84.

How did I award numbers to subscribers you may ask?

My 103 subscribers consist of 30 fellow WordPress bloggers, and 73 email subscribers (WordPress bloggers also receive copies of new posts by email so it’s the same thing). However,  I had to deduct two from 103, seeing as I subscribe to my own blog 1) via my work email adress and 2) as a WordPress blogger – hence 101 as the Max number.

In Excel I listed all the blog followers and email addresses in one colomn. I then sorted them alphabetically and that’s how each person was allocated a number. When Random.org selected 84, I just referred to Excel sheet to find the corresponding email/blog address. All very scientific and fair.  Promise!

Thanks to this Valentines Day giveaway my blog subscription went from 80 to 103 since its launch on 6 February, which is amazing! Thank you to each and every subscriber that help me reached over 100 subscriptions. You are the best!!!!

To the rest of you who weren’t lucky enough to be drawn, here’s a Valentines Day card* from Me to You.

I hope you all have a super duper Valentines Day!

*The card is available to purchase in LemonsForLemonade‘s Etsy shop.

Terrific Tuesday

14 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by Natasja in My crochet, My ramblings, Terrific Tuesdays

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

200 crochet blocks, chocolate box, crochet, jan eaton, stripe, Terrific Tuesday

On a Monday I can still remember the fun I had over the weekend, Wednesday is the middle of the work week, on Thursday I start getting hopeful and on a Friday I can taste the weekend. But what about a Tuesday? It’s so…. just there. Weekend memories are too far away and the upcoming weekend might as well be a year away.

What we need is a bit of colourful inspiration to get us going on a Tuesday, don’t you think? A pretty picture, beautiful scenery or colourful imagery. Yup, that’ll liven up Tuesdays and turn it into a terrific day!

From now on I will go through my photos every Tuesday and find us a pretty picture to add colour and joy to the day.

xxxxxx

This is the back of one of the Roses and Daisies cushions. Isn’t it totally cheery?! The pattern is called Chocolate Box  from trusty ole Jan Eaton’s 200 Crochet Blocks (you can find a link to the book on the right of this page). I was about three rounds in on this one, when I knew I was going to HAVE to make a whole blanket out of Chocolate Box blocks some time very soon. It’s just too good not to – much like a box of chocolates…

Chocolate Box square

Seeing as its Valentines Day, here’s a another chocolates box for all you hookers to get your teeth hooks into – crochet style!

Source: toinenkerros.wordpress.com via Kitiza on Pinterest

I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday and a surprising Valentines Day!

Natasja

Helmien’s infinity scarf

11 Saturday Feb 2012

Posted by Natasja in My crochet, Pattern, Ta-daah!

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

crochet, crochet pattern, free pattern, myPicot, yarn

Helmien and I have known each other almost 20 years. We were in High School together in South Africa, went our different ways after High School and then in 2009 – 14 years later – I bumped into her at London Waterloo station.  What’s the odds, and what a happy coincidence! We are obvioulsly meant to be in each other’s lives no matter where on earth we are.

It was for Helmien that I made the second infinity scarf. She saw mine last month and asked whether I would make her one as well. Of course I would!! I used the same brand of yarn, Garnstudio Drops Delight, but her scarf is in shade no. 15 (mine was shade no. 10). I used two balls of shade no. 10 that I had left over for Helmien’s scarf, because she really loved the bright greeny-blue shades.  (By the way, until 29 February, Drops Delight is discounted by 25%. Just saying.)

I also followed a MyPicot Openwork and Lace pattern like I did for mine, but for Helmien’s infinity scarf I used pattern no. 2030. I can highly recommend the MyPicot patterns. Seriously. Give it a go.

Doesn’t she look beautiful?!

Here we are in our (almost matching) scarfs.

Love you, my friend!

Artsy by association

09 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by Natasja in My crochet, My ramblings

≈ 1 Comment

This is the retro red circles clock that Lynn Holland of OneIMadeEarlierToday bought from me last week. I blogged about it here.

When Lynn emailed me the photo this morning, the first thing I replied was, “Tell me more about the stunning wall hanging! I love it!” This is what Lynn replied:

I made it for my final show for my HND Textile Design course.  The inspiration came from photographs I took of windows and balconies in Italy.

I made the felt and then stitched into it. I love the vibrant colours and knew your clock would look just right next to it.

It’s beautiful Lynn and I would have given you full marks! My clock is in very good company next to it. Artsy by association.

Looking back over my life, the one thing I’m sort of sorry about is not taking Textile Art as my art subject in High School. (You may recall that I took Pottery.) I wonder if my life would have turned out differently if I had pursued a career in textiles as opposed to Legal PA? Big difference!

Then again, I didn’t pursue a career in Pottery just because I took it as a subject in High School, so I probably would have ended up where I am today, anyway.

I love the path my life has taken and I found my crafty passion eventually, so it’s all good. And thanks to the Internet, I can connect with other crafty people like Lynn and so so so many others.

Nah, no matter what subject I took or didn’t take in High School, I found My Happy Place. What a blessing!

A Valentine from me to you

06 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by Natasja in My crochet, My ramblings

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

competition, crochet flower, giveaway

Without Valentine’s Day, February would be… well, January. – Jim Gaffigan

So true Jim.  February won’t be February without a mention of Valentines Day, and here at crocheTime, I’m jumping on the bandwagon by giving away a Valentines Day gift to a lucky reader.

To say a HUGE thank you to everyone who follow me and my hooky ways, I’m giving away this set of flowery brooches.


All you have to do is subscribe to the blog by midnight GMT 13 February. As easy as that!

You can subscribe by going to the top right hand side of the page and enter your email address where it says “Click to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Join 80 other followers”.

The 80 followers I already have, will also be entered into the draw.

I’ll be using the www.random.org random number generator to select the lucky blog subscriber. I’ll post the result on Valentines Day on the blog and the Facebook page.

Good luck hookers!

And the winner is

05 Sunday Feb 2012

Posted by Natasja in My crochet, My ramblings

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

competition, Etsy, giveaway, wall clock

…Beatrix from Vienna, Austria!

Congratulations Beatrix! Your square clock will be in the post very soon.


Thank you too to the other eight ladies who bought a pattern. I appreciate your custom and look forward to seeing your completed clocks! You can link them as projects to the pattern on Ravelry.

Thank you too to Hubby who was the official impartial name drawer.

Cufflettes

01 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by Natasja in My crochet, My ramblings, Pattern

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

crochet, crochet pattern, free pattern, Mollie Makes, wrist warmer

Cufflettes. Say it slowly. Savour the sound. It sounds so deliciously French* and classy, doesn’t it? 

But what am I going on about? Cufflettes? It’s the name of a pattern for, what is commonly known as, wrist warmers. Oh, cufflettes sound so much better don’t they?! 

The pattern was designed by Kalurah and is available as a free download from Ravelry. Just click here.

I crocheted  these cufflettes last winter (it only took a couple of hours) and had to get them out again this week. I wear them over my fleece gloves because the wrist section of the gloves are just not long enough – when temperatures reach 1 degree every little piece of exposed skin need to be covered!

I just love how these look peeking out under a sleeve, or worn just as they are. I, of course, jazzed them up a bit with mismatched buttons. I really do have a thing for buttons.

If you like wrist warmers, you will fall in love with the wrist warmers on the cover of Mollie Makes issue 10.

They scream vintage, lace and Victorian. Have a look on the Mollie Makes blog, here for more information.

*I’m currently reading “Madame Tussaud” by Michelle Moran which is set during the French Revolution. All the men in the book seem to be wearing coulettes (knee-breeches) so that may be why “cufflettes” has such a French ring to me. Cufflettes. Cufflettes. Ooh, I still love that word. It could so easily have been cuffextenders, or longcuffs, but no. It’s cufflettes. Beautiful!

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