Such a good Auntie

30 Monday Jan 2012

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My niece is nine years old and loves playing with her two Baby Born dolls.  She also loves pink and apparently she very proudly tells everyone at school that her “auntie from London does crochet”.  Sweeeet. At Christmas she received her second Baby Born, a boy, so she asked me to crochet a jacket for him. How could I say no? And how could I only make one?!

I found the perfect pattern here. The jackets whip up in a couple of hours and you can really go to town with the customisation… as I did.  I adore buttons, so I used this as an opportunity to use as many as I could. Sticking to the same colour range, but using different designs. I think the mismatched buttons make these look extra playful and cheery, don’t you?

The pink scallop edge on this jacket are just shells consisting of 4dc, then you skip one sc, sc, skip one sc and then a shell of 4dc again and keep going.

I’d like to think of this one as having a sporty feel. Sort of.

The flowery button-hole on this short sleeve version is from Betty Barden’s book “Finishing Techniques for Crochet” (you can find a link to the book on the right of this page). I love this book and refer to it such a lot. It’s perfect for adding your own personal touch to a crochet piece.

The row of bobbles here, are also from Betty Barden’s book. See what I mean with using it to customise crochet?

I hope Cayla, and her dolls, like their jackets. I certainly enjoyed making them!

Knit and Crochet Now! TV

25 Wednesday Jan 2012

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Back in December I was merrily clicking around on Etsy, when I received a message from Candi Jensen, the producer of Knit and Crochet Now! TV, asking me whether I would ever consider selling the pattern for my clock. I nearly fell off my chair. I didn’t even know there was an American PBS TV channel dedicated to knitting and crochet, nevermind in my wildest dreams did I think that a producer on that show would be interested in my little old clock.  Once I had stopped jumping up and down in excitement, I visited their website. What a lovely surprise! This Emmy nominated show’s website is a treasure trove of helpful tips and beautiful crochet and knit items.  How did I not know about these people?!

Clicking through the list of free patterns, I fell in love with the “garden granny” scarf of Season 3-112. In that episode they also did an interview with Edie Eckman, whose crochet edgings book I’ve referred to so many times on this blog. I may just have to buy the DVD of Season 3!

Another one of my favourite crochet designers is Robyn Chachula, who is one of the experts on the channel. I’ve made two of her Floating wraps – one in grey and one in a variegated green and blue yarn. I love that pattern! I really love Robyn’s easy but very beautiful designs. In Knit and Crochet Now! TV’s online shop you can buy designs from Robyn, as well as other designers. Have a look at Robyn’s Colourful Snow Scarf, it’s really pretty.

The best feature of their website for me, is the videos section.  A lot of the crochet patterns they show you here, are part of the afghan square of the week feature. Sometimes the written word just isn’t enough when you’re trying to get your head around a new crochet pattern and the only thing that will do is having someone show, and talk, you through it. (I taught myself to crochet with videos on YouTube, so I may be biased.) Here is an example of the type of videos they have on the website (and therefor the type of content on the show). 

Lace Ripple from Candi Jensen on Vimeo.

See what I mean? Videos are so much nicer!

It was the encounter on Etsy with Candi that eventually lead to me selling the pattern. Candi also very kindly promoted the pattern on the Facebook page of Knit and Crochet Now! TV. I am so grateful to her! Their Facebook page has 17,477 fans, which is amazing exposure for a simple hooker like me.

Candi, if you’re reading this, thanks again! May your TV channel grow, never to be frogged, always with a lovely WIP on the hook and a stash of rainbow colours to choose from.

 

Terrific Tuesday

24 Tuesday Jan 2012

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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.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Aren’t these flowers just too colourful for words?! Hubby bought them for me while he was at the shops on Saturday. He knows his wife so well!

As you can see the Striped Stopper is still doing his draft stopping thing, and very successfully at that!

I hope you are having a terrific Tuesday friends!

Natasja

A pattern and a giveaway

20 Friday Jan 2012

Posted by in Etsy, My crochet, My ramblings, Pattern

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Today is a HUGE day me and crocheTime. It’s the official launch of my first pattern! It’s this pattern that kicked of my little crocheTime shop and lead to this blog. It’s the crochet wall clock pattern!!!!!!!

Now you too can crochet a clock for yourself or as a gift (please don’t sell it as it’s still copyrighted to me).

I listed it on Ravelry last night. What a rush to see my own little pattern right there in “recently added crochet patterns”!

The possibilities with this clock really are endless. You don’t have to use white for the clock face, and of course the four cirlces can be any colour, or combination of colours. I also give crochet instructions for four different types of edgings, so even if you stick to circles for numbers 12, 3, 6 and 9 you can make four different clocks just by changing the edge.

To personalise it further you can use any applique type crochet design (like I did with flowers) for the 12, 3, 6 and 9. As long as it’s flat enough that clock hands can move over it freely. I’m thinking stars, hearts, cupcakes. Anything will do!

Apart from crocheting instructions I also explain (and show with a couple of photos) how to assemble the clock, using hardboard and a hot glue gun.

The pattern can be purchased for £3.50 in my Etsy shop. Just click here to go straight to the listing. If there are any buyers from South Africa, you can choose Other as your payment option and pay R35 into my FNB account. Just send me a message via Etsy and I’ll give you the bank details.

Once payment is received I will email you the pattern as a PDF file.

But wait, there’s more!

Everyone who buys a pattern between today and midnight GMT on Friday 3 February will go into a draw to win this clock. I’ll draw the name at random on Saturday 3 February and let you know via my Facebook page and the blog who the lucky winner is.

I look forward to sending out lots of clock patterns to you all. Lets hook around the clock!!!

A crocheted chandelier

19 Thursday Jan 2012

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A friend emailed me today with a photo of these most beautiful crocheted chandeliers for sale at  From The Heart Emporium (the South African version of Etsy). Isn’t it amaaaaaazing?! 

The seller is called Living Life, and she has loads more crocheted (and non-crochet) items for sale, but I think nothing beats these chandeliers.

Three versions

18 Wednesday Jan 2012

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One of the three projects, no, I lie, as of this morning it’s four, that I’m working on at the moment is cushions for our livingroom using Melody Griffith’s Roses and Daisies Throw pattern.  I showed you a photo of it yesterday.

Well, the 16 rose squares are done and I’m so happy with them! They look beautiful. However, me being me, I didn’t stick to the pattern.

I added another round to the squares, using Rowan Handknit Cotton in Mist – it’s a super light grey which I love.  I didn’t want to use white as my background colour as it would be too bright for the colour scheme in our livingroom (but I do love, love, love, white as a background colour in colourful crochet cushions and blankets). I still needed a colour that would blend in nicely, be neutral, and make the flowery circles pop. Round of applause for very, very, very light grey!

But what I actually want to show you today are the three versions of the square. At the top of the photo is the square as designed by Melody. It’s very pretty as it is, but I felt I needed a wider border of Mist. So I added a round of DC (middle square). However, on my very last square, I changed my mind. 15 Squares in, I was happy with them and then on square 16 I changed my mind. Typical. 

The DC round looked a bit bulky and when laid out together all those DC borders were just a tad too much. So I unpicked all 15 squares and replaced the DC with a round of SC.

Now

I

love

it!

Sometimes changing your mind is a good thing. I just have to try and do it a bit earlier.

Terrific Tuesday

17 Tuesday Jan 2012

Posted by in My crochet, My ramblings, Terrific Tuesdays

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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

A work in progress photo of my Roses and Daisies cushions from Melody Griffith’s Crocheted Throws and Wraps book (you can find a link to the book on the right of this page).

Have a terrific Tuesday friends!

Natasja

Anthropologie

16 Monday Jan 2012

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In an earlier post I mentioned Anthropologie to you. I said I would go have a look at their Christmas display window in Regent street and report back. Well, I did go. On the 27th of December. There was no Christmas display anymore. Just a big red “Sale” sign. Missed the boat on that one!

I did however go inside and sneekily took four photos.  A shop attendant was giving me very harsh looks so I could only sneak in four snaps.

When we were in Santa Monica in December I took some photos there as well. In the Santa Monica shop I photographed a beautiful blanket, or “Quirky Heirloom Throw” as they call it. It’s not strictly a crocheted blanket but it’s beautiful and would easily be able to recreate it in crochet. If not, buy it here.

I made a little slideshow for you of all the Anthropologie sneeky snaps. The first three photos are from the Santa Monica shop and the next four, the London shop.

Ooo, and before I forget, I also saw granny squares used as part of the shop display, and even part of the lighting installation, in Urban Outfitters in Santa Monica! Just love love love it! They’re the last two photos in the slideshow.

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The Crochet Hunter over and out 🙂




Cover your shoes in doilies!

13 Friday Jan 2012

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Do you love this as much as I do? Isn’t it absolutely gorgeous? You can do it too! The video that shows you exactely how to cover your shoes with doilies, is posted as a favourite on my YouTube chanel, MrsCrocheTime. I hope to fill the YouTube chanel with more of my own crochet videos over time, but for now, enjoy the Craftzine video.

Crochet on TV (The Middle)

12 Thursday Jan 2012

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A few weeks ago in The Middle Season 3, episode 12 I fell in love with yet another crochet afghan. This show really is a treasure trove of crochet blankets!

I love the zigzag, retro, colourful look of the blanket on Sue’s bed.

I’ve been searching high and low for something even remotely close to this zig zag pattern and today I found it in Robyn Chachula’s Crochet Visual Encyclopedia. I paged through the book in my local Waterstones during my lunch break. When I saw it, I almost screamed out loud – on the inside I was punching the air. 🙂 I had a feeling that a stitch dictionary / encyclopedia would contain the stitch and it did! I then, very sneakily, tried to take a picture of the page so that I could post it on the blog for you. I returned  ran back to the office, eager to download the photo from my camera phone only to find it wasn’t there! Covert operations are obviously not my forte….

But fear not ye hookers, the Gods of Crochet were on my side: a quick Google search produced the exact pattern, and more!

This link takes you to the US Amazon page for the Crochet Stitches Visual Encyclopedia. The bonus is that at the bottom of the page, there are sample patterns for you to try, and it includes “Malawi” which I think is the closest match to Sue’s blanket!!! How cool is that!?

I’m also going to update my post of 22 December to include a link to the “Double Crochet Track Seam” and  “Chain Space Seam” sample patterns, as more ways to join the grannies like in the Dooms Day Killer’s victim’s  blanket.

In the same episode of The Middle, Mike is sitting under a grey and red crochet afghan. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to locate the stitch used in this one. In my defence, the blanket doesn’t appear for very long so I can’t get a very good look at it. If however you think you know what pattern they used, please let me know!

I think I’ll have to invest in the Crochet Stitches Visual Encyclopedia in the very near future (it really is a brilliant book!). Covert phone operations and Google searches won’t snip the mustard yarn* for much longer….

*my crochet version of “cut the mustard”