tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23666912271724965742024-03-13T09:05:02.685+00:00Enthusiastic crochetoholicThe ramblings of an enthusiastic crocheter ( and knitter) also about my everyday life, animals, shopping, whinges and whines. A woman being dragged kicking and screaming into old age. Yes I dye my hair blonde and listen to modern music - why not?enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.comBlogger1210125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-5271192158964331292013-12-28T10:54:00.000+00:002013-12-28T10:54:16.786+00:00Sorry that I neglect my Blog I have been bad at keeping up with my blog. By the time I have added videos onto You Tube, Twittered, Google + and Facebooked I feel that I have nothing left to say anymore.<br />
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This is my latest video on You Tube telling about my Christmas gifts to me and mine to other people. I do hope that you will subscribe to me on You Tube and then you won't miss anything that I make.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCPNwulRes0&feature=c4-overview&list=UUunw2bpCg2TJqrxIL1z3mSg">My Christmas Video on You Tube </a><br />
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I am also on Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jan.carruthers.7">https://www.facebook.com/jan.carruthers.7</a><br />
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My other page where I post my crochet photos is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Urbangypsycrochet">https://www.facebook.com/Urbangypsycrochet</a><br />
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I am also on Etsy <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/UrbanGypsyCrochet">https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/UrbanGypsyCrochet</a><br />
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On Twitter I am Jan Carruthers2<br />
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I hope that you will join me on any of these sites as I cannot promise to keep my blog updated.<br />
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I hope that you all had a great Christmas and Happy New Year to you.<br />
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Jan xx<br />
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<br />enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-25421224959213442692013-10-10T12:38:00.001+01:002013-10-10T12:38:51.289+01:00Sorry that I have been missingHi folks.<br />
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Sorry that I don't keep up my blog posts as often as I should. The main reason is that I am now making videos on You Tube and I feel that by the time I have made those I am all chatted out!<br />
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If you would like to keep up with my projects and my chit chat then this is my You Tube link <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/UrbanGypsyCrochet">Urban Gypsy Crochet</a>. If you want to follow me then just click the subscribe button and it will tell you when I have posted a new video<br />
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I also have a Facebook page that I update almost daily. It contains not only my work but also snippets of other articles and photos that I find interesting. It is also called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Urbangypsycrochet">Urbangypsycrochet</a>.<br />
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I have also opened an Etsy shop selling a few of my finished garments as there are only so many crochet things that I can make for myself. I bet you can guess what that is called - Yes you are right it's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Urbangypsycrochet">Urbangypsycrochet</a>.<br />
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On my You Tube there are also videos of my stash room and the changes that I have been making to the garage and my house in general. My family have been here helping me with the clearing to stop me from being on an episode of Hoarders <smile>. They have now gone to live in Spain. It's very quiet here without them and I miss all the cuddles from their two dogs. Buster isn't as loving as they are. </smile><br />
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This is one of the jackets that I have been making recently. This one is still for sale on Etsy. It is made from 51% italian wool Austermann Murano which is £9.95 for a 150 gram ball but I managed to buy this in the Sale otherwise I couldn't sell it for the price that I am asking.<br />
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This jacket and hat have been sold via Etsy but I am going to make another one in another shade of James C Brett Marble Chunky. If you watch my latest video then you will see the colour that I bought.<br />
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I am in the process of crocheting an openwork top in orange. Once that is finished I will be putting photos on Facebook and Etsy. I have just finished crocheting a very thick warm cardigan and hat in a navy and brown mix which I am going to photograph whilst it is still sunny today.<br />
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Happy Crochetingenthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-27772965844839590202013-06-27T13:16:00.002+01:002013-06-27T13:18:10.694+01:00When Can Anyone Call Themselves A Designer?Anyone who has been reading my blog for a while knows what I do to patterns. Occasionally I follow them from A to Z but 90% of the time I do it my way. I have been known to use pattern stitches the wrong way up and put sleeves onto sleeveless things. I can add panels onto plain items or decorate with flowers and other motifs. I still don't call myself a designer even though my designs bear little resemblance to the original pattern that I looked at when I started. I have made up things from scratch but I am usually using an idea that is stored in my memory that I probably saw somewhere else. Does changing small things on patterns make a person a designer? In my mind no it doesn't but I have seen many examples of people claiming to have designed this and that when it is merely an adaptation of another pattern. As my Mum used to say there is no such thing as fashion and new design it is only old times with vinegar on meaning a revamp of an old fashion. <br />
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I showed you this photo of a work in progress on my last blog and I thought that you might like to see the finished item. <br />
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This started off using a vintage pattern for a dress but I changed it to add side panels in the cream and edged it in cream and added my signature flower motifs. <br />
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Can I say that I designed this? <br />
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This is my latest finished top for a customer. I took a pattern for a pineapple top. Crocheted it in thicker cotton aran yarn. Turned the top to the bottom so that the pineapples went downwards instead of upwards. I added shoulder straps and an edging to match part of the pattern. To me this is an adaptation of an original pattern as I didn't design the pineapple stitch that forms the main part of the tunic top. I did however add V shaped panels under each arm to give the bottom edge a bit more width for the hips. <br />
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I enjoyed making this top so much that I think that I will make something similar for my Etsy shop. I have sold a few things on there since I reopened my shop after a gap of 12 months. I am very pleased about this as I mostly get my orders via friends. If you are on Etsy please come and give my page a hello.It is <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/UrbanGypsyCrochet?ref=pr_shop">Urban Gypsy Crochet </a>. I also post daily on my Facebook page named Urbangypsycrochet, I not only post my crochet on Facebook I also post other people's crochet and share other items that are non crochet just because I like them.<br />
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I am gong to post this white top up to Scotland via My Hermes. They have put their prices up but still nowhere as near as expensive as Royal Mail who not only charge by weight they also dictate the size of a parcel and whether it will fit through a cardboard letter box template that they try to thread the parcel through at the Post Office counter. I don't know why they are making life so complicated for small people such as me who maybe sell one of two items per month so not exactly a business as such. I make very little profit on anything I sell I just like to crochet and it's nice to make a bit of money to buy more yarn with. All of this makes it a nightmare to post to anywhere abroad. I put a charge of £10 for postage to anywhere other than the UK on my Etsy page and when I got to the Post Office with my parcel they wanted £16.25 to send to the US by airmail. It was only about 450 grams so they are making it almost impossible for people other than in the UK to buy my crochet. I am practically charging as much for the postage as I am for the yarn. Small businesses are often people with small children who are trying to work from home to earn a living and trying to avoid the high childcare costs that they would have to pay if they went back into the workforce. <br />
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The government try to get people to be employed to help themselves to get off benefits and then the Post Office does it's best to make it impossible to run a small business without charging high postal charges which puts them at a disadvantage when competing with other countries. I am retired and do have a small set income to rely on but I have many friends who are younger and trying to be self employed with small businesses and I feel so sorry for them. <br />
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I am still crocheting away. I have some more orders to make but they are not wanted until next month so I am going to make something else that I like making for my Etsy shop. <br />
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Happy crocheting enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-82304405832633563352013-06-21T16:46:00.005+01:002013-06-21T16:59:02.364+01:00Yarn Hoarding. When Does A Stash Become A Hoard?I do have hoarding tendencies. I admit it. I come from a family of hoarders. We don't hoard trash. All of my family have been specific hoarders. My Father couldn't bear to throw away nuts, bolts screws and pieces of wood in case they came in handy ( as they frequently did) My Mum didn't seem to have the hoarding gene as she frequently threw away my toys when I was young just because I hadn't played with them for a week or so. When she died though we did find lots of things squirrelled away in drawers. My Brother has every book and record that he has ever bought. As he is now 74 and a book worm he now has lots of bookcases in his house and garage. <br />
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When I was younger my Gran used to say that I was just like my Auntie Edna. She had wool shops in Wales but every house that she lived in had a room or two that was stacked high with knitting machines and wool. There was barely room to put your feet. As she didn't give a hoot about how she looked, never wore makeup or styled her hair, I was quite upset when told by my Gran that I was exactly like her. I thought that I would always be well dressed in heels, makeup and nice clothes and would never have a room like that in my house. How times change.<br />
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Roll on another 30 yrs and I have a dining room full of knitting machines and cones of yarn and a bedroom (albeit the smallest bedroom in the house) stacked high with wool. I now have overspill in there so am going to have to find another hidey hole. I guess that I am like my Auntie Edna after all. I can't use the larger spare bedroom as my Son and Daughter in Law use it when they come to stay overnight or for a few days. <br />
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I just have to buy any yarn bargains that I see and I swear that I will have to live until I am about 100 to crochet my stash up even if I stop buying now.. I seem to have got slowly worse the older I get and the fact that I now have the house to myself and no-one to complain apart from my dog. My son does moan when he stays and my friends just shake their heads at me. I survive in clutter. Not dirt as that would drive me crazy. I just create better in a cluttered envirnment. I like everything spread around me when I am crocheting. I just haven't got the gene to be tidy. <br />
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This is today's delivery of cotton yarn. The yellow has a silky thread running through it. The white is just plain cotton. This was such a bargain on EBay that it would have been rude to let it go without a bid on it.. I was the only bidder and so got it quite cheaply. The beige and multi colours were from the same seller. Not sure what they are made of but they will get used up. I already have thoughts in my mind for what to make with them. The Big Wool Rowan booklet was a second hand bargain despite coming from the US. I am thinking about quadrupling wool up to knit on large needles. <br />
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This is a photo of some aran cotton that I bought a couple of weeks ago. I took this photo so that a customer could choose a colour for a top that she has ordered from me. She chose white in the end.<br />
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This is my Ice Yarns order that arrived yesterday. I have 2 packs of the blue and 2 packs of the silver grey. It is a silky ribbon yarn and looks really nice. The single pack of grey is a lovely corded effect yarn which is so nice to crochet with and I just love the multi colours of the Baby Yarns of Ice. I also bought 9 balls of the red Emu Perle from EBay. It is a discontinued yarn but washes wonderfully well so I always try to pick up balls when I see them. Usually they only come in a couple of balls so I was really excited to manage to buy 9 balls in one shade. I still have a couple of sweaters that I crocheted in the Perle from when I had the shop. I keep looking at them and wondering whether I will ever fit back into them or whether I should unravel them and make something else with the yam. <br />
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When I was new to EBay and unsure of bidding etc I bought a huge box of machine cones. When they arrived they were really fine like a 1ply and too thin even for my machine so they have stuck on the shelf ever since. My friend Sue called on Monday and she had wound a couple of her cones together to make a lovely shade from which she crocheted a shawl. I looked at my cones. I had done this myself to make 2 really thick sweaters. one is shades of reds and another in purples for the winter if you remember. They came out so thick that I haven't actually worn them but come a really harsh snow and they are ready to be dragged out of the cupboard to keep me cosy. This time I chose 4 cones in ice cream colours and then wound them together to make the ball in the centre of the page. I have now crocheted it together to make a top. I have had to watch as I kept leaving a strand behind and it formed a loop so I had to back track and redo a row or two. It's not finished yet but whoever buys this top can be assured of a one off design although I do have a bit left over on each cone that might make a child's sweater in the same shade. <br />
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I have been progressing a bit on the slow side with my crochet this week. I should try to speed up as I do have a few orders in the pipeline. When I started my Etsy shop I didn't want to be that busy so that I am under pressure to finish orders off. I actually prefer to sell the things that inspire me to crochet. I did get asked to make a full sized blanket but I turned that order down as I really do not have the patience for that. So far I am coping very well but a couple more orders would be nice. Never satisfied am I? I still have hopes of one day exhibiting at a craft co-operative shop.<br />
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I can't afford even a tiny shop but renting a very small space in a craft shop could be ideal for me to showcase my work and hopefully get some sales. If I was younger and in great health I would have liked to start up one of these co-operatives but I will leave it to the younger ones these days. We have an Arts and crafts place in Manchester in the Northern quarter but it comprises of people who rent small workshops space individually in a communal space and so is well out of my price range. Another of my pipe dreams. My main idealistic dream is to be able to rent a small shop in Skiathos and spend the Summer attracting the tourists with my crochet. That idea is only feasible in my wildest dreams. <br />
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Happy crocheting. Hopefully I will have the top finished by my next blog.enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-61428024920319745142013-06-16T14:13:00.002+01:002013-06-16T14:13:58.167+01:00New Crochet Books and Postal Goodies At the moment I am crocheting in black cotton yet again. I do hope that I don't get any more requests for black for a while. Last night I looked at my crocheting and discovered a glaring (to me) mistake 2 balls down so once again I had to unravel (sorry but I hate the word frog) and start again so that was another wasted night of crochet. I am sure that it has happened to all of us at some time but it is still annoying. I get so annoyed at myself for not noticing it and putting another 2 balls into the work before I noticed it. Hopefully I will get the back and front finished by tonight ready to start the sleeves tomorrow.<br />
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I have been busy on EBay as usual. My Bank Manager now thinks that I am a hopeless case. I am beginning to think that I need therapy to stop all of my yarn buying. My stash room has now reached the point where I can't actually fit anything else on the shelves in there.<br />
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These two photos are probably about a tenth of what is actually in there. My friend even made me this sign for the door <br />
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What I would really like is to use a larger room and have it wall to wall cubed shelving to make it into a craft room complete with my knitting machines and cones, my sewing machines and a comfy chair and TV. I would spend my life in there and only come out for meals! I can't change the larger spare bedroom into this as my son and his wife use that room when they visit me and they do prefer a bed to sleep in rather than a pile of wool! <br />
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This week's deliveries from the post man include a pack of cotton that I bought on EBay. Two big needle knitting patterns also from EBay.Yes I have been known to knit but crochet is my first love. The Big Needle Knitting book and the Today's crochet book came from 2nd hand booksellers. The crochet book is very 60's in style and I love some of the designs in it. Anyone who knows me knows of my love for retro crochet patterns. I have a huge collection of patterns and books but am always looking for patterns that I don't already have.<br />
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I also got my latest subscription copy of Interweave crochet which is mainly shawls this issue. They are very fine and pretty though. The blue crochet dress is a vintage speed crochet pattern. It uses 3 strands of DK to make this garment. .Lastly I got my pre ordered copy of the latest Doris Chan book. I have made a rather jerky You Tube video showing some of the items in this book. I had to keep panning away from the book as I was scared of showing any of the instructions and invoking the wrath of the copyright police.<br />
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My intention was purely to show off the photos of the designs so that other crocheters would want to buy the book which is now out on sale. <br />
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Buster is really benefitting from being walked for a couple of days with the dog walker. He is much livelier than he was. I am still walking him around the block when I can but it was obvious that he needed more exercise than I was able to give him. I bought him a new ball when I was out shopping and he is happily driving my neighbours crazy with the squeaking ball as you can see in this clip. <br />
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Hopefully I will get the front of the black crochet Elegant sweater finished tonight if I don't make any more stupid mistakes. Today is hoovering day. My neighbour fixed my upstairs hoover. Buster loves being hoovered by the attachment hose on this hoover. I do brush him every day but he is shedding everywhere at the moment. Have you ever known a dog that comes running when you switch a hoover on and stands there until he gets hoovered? He is the same with the hair dryer. Wet or dry he runs to get dried all over with the warm air. <br />
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Happy Crocheting. Wish me a mistake free day.enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-16073167928525660632013-06-13T13:23:00.000+01:002013-06-13T13:23:30.542+01:00I Am Still Busy CrochetingSorry that I haven't been blogging for quite a while. I don't have an excuse as such. Just been busy crocheting and not in the mood for blogging. There is nothing wrong in my world in fact I have been busy reopening my Etsy shop once again <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/UrbanGypsyCrochet?ref=pr_shop">Urban Gypsy Crochet</a> which is going better than the last time I opened it. I have sold 3 things so far so very happy with that. I have also had orders from friends and friends of friends. <br />
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This is the latest order ready for posting to Scotland. It is the Far Point Topper pattern by Doris Chan and I made it using James C Brett's Marble chunky that I bought from Purplelinda. Modelling it is my new helper. I bought a mannequin to help with my photos. She has 3 different egos depending on which wig she is wearing. When she is wearing her blonde wig her name is Paris. I haven't decided what her name will be when she wears her brown bob or her long brunette wig. I will be making this pattern again in different colours for my Etsy shop as it does attract a lot of attention when I wear mine. <br />
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I am still ordering lots of yarns from my usual sources. Ebay, Kemps, Purplelinda to name just 3.<br />
This is aran thickness cotton that I have bought in a few colours from a seller on Ebay. I used this cotton to make this waistcoat. <br />
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This is another pattern by Doris Chan from her Everday Crochet Book that took one pack of the aran cotton. My friend Sarah now has this waistcoat. <br />
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This is the Abigail Vest by Jenny King designs that I made for my niece using James C Brett's Cotton On DK that I got from Abakhan. Although the pattern isn't hard to make it was one of those pattern that drove me crazy crocheting row upon row of the chain loops that form all of the borders and bottom edge of this jacket. I don't want to make another one of these jackets in a hurry.<br />
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This isn't a good photo of the front of this jacket. It is much nicer than the photo shows. <br />
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This is a dress made f rom a 60's pattern in keeping with the fashion for vintage crochet. Once again I have used James C Brett's Cotton On for this dress. It is in my Etsy shop. <br />
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Another pattern from the Doris Chan Everday Crochet book. I made this Mei Mei with Reflection by Creative yarns. I love this little top. It is ideal for keeping shoulders warm on a chilly evening. Once again I have added it to my Etsy shop.<br />
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This is yet another Doris Chan pattern from the Everyday Crochet book. This has once again been made in Reflections by Creative Yarns. This was made for my Etsy shop but my friend Sarah bought it from me for her holidays. <br />
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If you want to see more of the things that I have been making recently and you are on Facebook then please like my Urbangypsycrochet page as I update that daily. I don't only use it for my items but I also add links to other crochet things and anything else that catches my eye. I think that is what has taken the place of my blogging. <br />
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I am still getting my crochet magazines and buying lots of patterns from Ravelry, Etsy and Ebay. I love my vintage patterns as well as the modern one. I order most of the latest crochet books via Amazon and today I got notification that one of my pre orders (the latest Doris Chan book ) is on it's way to me. <br />
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I still have the help of Buster. He is now going for twice weekly walks with the dog walker and really enjoying it. He got in the habit of walking with her whilst I was looking after my neighbour's two dogs so now he walks with another neighbour's dog. He also had his toe nails cut so he is a new man.<br />
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This is Buddy who I dog sit when his Mum goes away on holiday. He is looking very sad as he was missing his Mum. <br />
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Poppy is alos looking sad but that was only because she was waiting for a treat. She is very food motivated. She lives next door but visits me daily through a gap in the hedge. <br />
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I have to go and post the first red top off to Scotland. I hope that it won't be too long before I write another post on the blog. I also have to make a new video for You Tube. I forget to show my crochet off on video and still haven't worked out how to put still photo and voice overs on to the videos.<br />
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I hope that you are having a good day. Happy Crocheting.enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-52812731777113126552013-04-09T15:05:00.002+01:002013-04-09T15:05:50.597+01:00Brightly Coloured Crochet Coat I have finished off my brightly coloured coat that I crocheted in Austermann Murano. I used a pattern called Shaded Blanket coat that I found in the Simple Crochet book by Melody Griffiths. I bought the wool from EBay and only had 6 x 150 grams so the collar is shorter than it should be. <br />
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Sorry if the stripes make your eyes go funny but the wool is long length shaded and so the stripes are irregular and so they don't match up at the front. It didn't help that I fastened the toggles up a row wrong making one side look longer than the other. I did the body all in one so that the stripes would even out better, I didn't want any large patches of colour. <br />
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This is the back view showing the collar. I would have liked to make a hood but as I bought the wool from a private seller on EBay I couldn't find another ball. This jacket took 6 x 150 gram balls but it 51% wool so the yardage isn't that good. Sorry that the following You Tube video is a bit dark. I thought at the time that the day light was bright enough when I filmed it <br />
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As you can see in the video I now have yet another Tunisian book and 2 double ended hooks. I really must get down to some practise very soon.<br />
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My son and daughter in law came down on Saturday and left their two dogs with me for an hour or so. Buster lived with the girls until he came to live with me so there are no problems between them Well I thought so until Buster made his feeling very plain about the pecking order and sleeping arrangements. <br />
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The two girls, who are both bigger than Buster, had to squash up on the 2 seat sofa.<br />
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Buster, on the other hand, was lounging in style on the 3 seat sofa all by himself. <br />
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Even when he was awake he was on guard in case they wanted to join him in his area. <br />
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I also make myself a 4ply sweater from a machine cone. This pattern came from Plus size crochet by Margaret Hubert. I added the collar and the edging. It did seem strange to me to be crocheting the first size in the pattern and it still is a little large on me. It is draped on the smaller sized mannequin so you can't see the full size of it <br />
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We had a gloriously sunny day on Saturday and I hoped that Spring was coming at last but the weather is back to cold again yesterday and today. I am really fed up now of being cold. The only thing in the weather's favour is at least it isn't raining today. <br />
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I am going to try to finish off the chartreuse green chunky cardigan that I am making so will have something else to show for my next video and blog posting. <br />
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Happy crocheting enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-57018731205171248872013-03-26T19:26:00.001+00:002013-03-26T19:26:13.620+00:00I Learned 3 basic Stitches of Tunisian CrochetMy friend Sue came to see me yesterday and we spent a couple of hours watching the DVD that came with one of my Tunisian books. I am happy to say that we both mastered the first 3 basic stitches. We decided to stick at those for the time being and just practise until we feel more confident before moving onto other stitches. I haven't measured my tension so have no idea whether it is right or not. I will also not fret about that until I am more proficient. I don't think that you will be seeing a garment yet (unless it is a scarf) My friend <a href="http://bevmatheson.blogspot.co.uk/">Bev</a> has been trying to persuade me to try Tunisian for a long time. If you click on the link she is reviewing a Tunisian crochet book on her blog. <br />
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This video will give you neck ache for the first couple of minutes as I forgot that i can't rotate a video like I can rotate a still photo. Sorry if I give you vertigo.<br />
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This is a still photo of the Doris Chan Out Of Sight waistcoat from the Everyday Crochet book that I have just finished in aran cotton that I bought from EBay <br />
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The back view <br />
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I am really pleased with the way that this pattern and the cotton yarn have worked up. I have got 5 more colours, on it's way in the post, in the same brand of cotton so am looking forward to using them.<br />
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This is the yarn haul that I bought from Kemps online store. The Patons Morocco was only 59p a ball and if you hurry they still have about 4 colours left. The Patons cotton aran works up beautifully and they have a couple of colours left at 99p a ball. You will have to be quick as things don't linger long in Kemps sales.<br />
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Sometimes I am lucky and get a really good bargain in cashmere from China. I was very lucky to get these 3 colours that no-one else had bid on and all 3 x 100 gram balls cost me just over £6 postage free. It even came with it's own red paper bag. It is beautifully soft but they only sell it in 1 balls or 3 balls of the same colour that start bidding about £16. The only snag is the longish wait for it to arrive from China. <br />
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This is a close up of the multi coloured wool that I am using to make the jacket shown in the video. I did pay a lot (for me) for this wool so the jacket will be staying with me as I doubt anyone would pay the cost of the wool plus my labour if I was to try to sell it. I like bright things so I really want to keep this for myself. <br />
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We have been let off quite lightly with the snow in Manchester. Just a few miles either way of me has deep snowdrifts and blocked roads whilst all we had was a light dusting that didn't last longer than a day. It is very cold though and the wind chill factor makes it feel really icy cold. I have stayed in nice and warm apart from going to the dustbin. That was enough to chill me to the bone as I didn't put my coat on. Thank goodness for freezers of food. <br />
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I will have to venture out tomorrow as I need to pick up a prescription for my painkillers from the Pharmacy. I can live without a of of things but not these. I ran out yesterday but managed to find some old ones left over from a year or so ago. These confirmed my opinion that the tablets that I am on now are not half as strong as they used to be. I have had a relatively pain free day using these older pills. I have mentioned this many times to the pharmacist and the GP and they both tell me that it's ridiculous and there is no difference between the brands. I am the one taking them and these generic tablets do not work half as well as the branded ones that they used to prescribe for me. It's all about cost cutting. They probably save a fraction of a penny prescribing me these pseudo tablets.. In my opinion cheaper tablets mean weaker drugs. I can't believe that companies can produce drugs so much cheaper than the original manufacturers without some compromise.<br />
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Enjoy your crochet. Bye for now. enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-91202671701503918602013-03-21T17:40:00.001+00:002013-03-21T17:40:54.983+00:00I Will Learn Tunisian Crochet It has been an ongoing thing. me and Tunisian Crochet. I have learnt to do a couple of stitches but so far my tension is all over the place. I am not one to be defeated in matters of crochet so I have bought a selection of books and am determined to master it. This video shows some of the books that I have bought lately. I was scratching my nose on this still - honestly!<br />
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As I mentioned in the video I have sent up a lot of my crochet to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=tn_tnmn#!/TreLaCreativity?fref=ts">Tre La Creativity.</a> This link is to the Facebook page but they do have a web page of the same name.<br />
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I made this jacket to be sent to Scotland. I used some gorgeous soft baby yarn from Ice. The pattern is a mix of Doris Chan and me. The basic pattern that I used is Haru by Doris Chan from the Everyday Crochet book but I added long sleeves and a picot edging. <br />
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This is an Elegant Sweater that I made using a pattern bought from Jenny King designs. The yarn that I used is Ice Magic. I have made this sweater before in a plain shade but this is the first one that I have made using a random yarn. I do have other colours in the same yarn so I may make another one as this has gone to hopefully be sold in Scotland. <br />
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A closer look at the aran thickness cotton that I bid for and won on EBay. I am using the blue on the left to make the long waistcoat from the Everyday Crochet book by Doris Chan that is shown on the video. I have only used one ball so far but it is crocheting up quite thickly and easily. Over the years I have made nearly every design from this book. I could say that it has been my best buy and most used book of all time. <br />
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I bought the pink and white yarn from Ice. The bright plain pink and the Patons Morocco I bought from Kemp's. The Morocco is on sale (this colour only) for 59p a ball. It's lovely and silky and I wish that they had more colours left. The bright pink I used for a Double Stitch twins top shown in the video and later on this blog . <br />
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This is a closer view of the Patons Morocco showing the different shades of pinks and orange.<br />
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This top isn't quite finished as it still needs a crochet flower brooch and a tie threaded around the bottom. It is a smaller version of the one that I made for myself. <br />
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The weather continues to be cold which affects my joints. The sun shone this morning and I got quite excited thinking that Spring was finally on it's way but the sun was short lived. It is now bitterly cold and snow is forecast for later this week.<br />
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Happy crocheting and I wish you all a very good weekend what ever you have planned. enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-59746427803966839872013-03-06T16:53:00.000+00:002013-03-06T16:53:14.341+00:00New Magazines, Wool, CDs and Crochet BooksI have been progressing on the Elegant sweater and finished off the back and crocheted more than half of the front. No photos of it today as all I have to show is still pieces of crochet. <br />
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Instead I thought I would share with you the things that the postman has brought over the last few days. Today it was my delivery of Ice Yarns from Turkey.<br />
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You are not seeing double. I ordered another pack of each of the packs on the left hand side last week. I decided that for what I wanted to crochet I would not have enough with one pack. I am so sorry that I didn't order 2 packs of each of the Colorway wool last week as two colours that I bought are now sold out so I will have to make something with those colours that only uses 8 x 50 gram balls. I forgot to take into consideration the high wool content and that has an effect on the yardage. I usually read all the info given on the Ice site before ordering but my brain must have been having a day off when I ordered the other order. They still have some colours left in the Colorway but not colours that I want except for the one on the right of the photo which is quite pretty. . <br />
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I don't often buy CD's as I tend to watch the TV whilst I crochet but I decided that it was time to buy some easy listening. I like the one on the left better as it contains show tunes and I am a lover of musicals although I don't have the cash to splash to see any of them live.<br />
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These are 3 books that I bought recently. The middle one is very new and I had to send to the US for it but I picked up the other two from Amazon UK. There are lots of designs in them that I like and I am sure that I will be crocheting something soon. The first one that I want to make is the waterfall front cardigan on the far left. Is is done in a bulky yarn so shouldn't take long to crochet. <br />
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These are the latest copies of my subscrioption magazines. Not being able to get out to the larger newsagesnts means that I have to subscribe.My local small newsagents doesn't have it in stock. Often that means that I would not have bought some of the magazines had I browsed it first but that is the penalty that I pay for subscribing. Usually there is at least one pattern that I like. <br />
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I am determined to get to grips with Tunisian crochet when I have some spare time to dedicate to it. I am ever hopeful that I will master the different stitches and have even been optimistic enough to buy a Tunisian crochet cable booklet! Yes, Beverooni, I will succeed in this Tunisian crochet one day. If you are interested in learning Bev is doing a crochet a long on her blog <a href="http://bevmatheson.blogspot.co.uk/">One Yarn After Another </a>. I didn't have the time to crochet along with her at the moment but it will be there on her blog for me to refer to once I start. <br />
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I have also bought a book on learning Hairpin crochet and bought a hairpin tool from Purplelinda. Very reasonably priced and half the price of one that I saw advertised on EBay. I did try many years ago but in those days hairpin was done on tiny prongs and I never got the hang of it. The hairpin prongs of today are adjustable and much wider. The other two books are secondhand ones bought through Amazon. I always browse to see the secondhand cheapest offers. Often it is still Amazon new ones that are the best bargains as they offer postage free if I choose the Super Saver version. They make take a bit longer to arrive but it saves £££'s on the postage. <br />
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This is a better photo of the Susan Bates hooks that I have fallen in love with . For those of you living in the US there is nothing new about these hooks but for the rest of us living in the UK they are a style of hook that I have not had access to until I ordered these sets from the US. I just love working with them and find that I can crochet faster when using one of these. The hook end has a deeper cut so the yarn doesn't slip off the hook as easily. I thought at first that they looked flat and wide but once I got used to them I prefer them now. </div>
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In order to try the different US types of hooks I also ordered a set of Boye hooks as some peoople swear by these hooks. These have the more bulbous hook end that is more akin to the UK hooks. I can use them but I do prefer the Susan Bates hooks. The only thing about the US hooks is that they have some sizes that don't exist in the UK which are great for when I am using US patterns that call for these in between (to us in the UK that is) sizes.</div>
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Buster has fallen out with me as I promised to take him a walk today but I had to wait in for the delivery man and he didn't call until 3.30pm and by then the weather had gone really cold. I don't like going out in the cold as it stiffens up my joints.I also need to do some food shopping. I am not expecting any deliveries tomorrow except the normal post so I must try to get out then.</div>
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Happy crocheting. I am really enjoying my crochet at the moment. If I am making something that I am really happy with then I can race along. </div>
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enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-31716348699011976172013-03-05T16:54:00.001+00:002013-03-05T16:54:07.568+00:00Crocheted Peter Pan CollarsA while ago I was asked by A dressmaking friend of mine if I would make her some Peter Pan collars to be attached to dresses that she was going to sew. I was caught up with lots of other projects that had to be finished first so I have eventually made three sample sets of collars. I found some free patterns on the net. One of them is from Garnstudio Drops and another I found on Ravelry. I am sure that I have some more collar patterns in my crochet books and magazines. I will have a browse one day. If I look now then I get sidetracked and start looking at lots of other things that I want to crochet. <br />
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I managed to make all of these from 100 grams of Patons Cotton 4ply. I have a feeling though that one set is a bit narrower than she wants so if she wants any more collars then I will probably only get two sets out of the one ball. <br />
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I have started another of the Elegant Sweaters from Jenny King designs. This time I am using a variegated yarn from Ice yarns. I am loving the hook that I am using. A while ago I ordered a Double Stitch Twins pattern box and it came with a couple of hooks from Susan Bates attached to the pattern booklet<br />
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I had read about Susan Bates hooks but hadn't realised that they had a different hook end to what I am used to. Once I tried them I was hooked (sorry I just had to say that) and I ordered myself a set of hooks from the US through EBay. I have been using them ever since but they didn't go up to large enough sizes for some of my projects. I saw another set advertised through Red Heart that were called Crystalites. They are a posh kind of acrylic but with the same hook end that I like. <br />
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Sorry that this photo is very blurred. I think that you can see better from the shadow the shape of the hook end. Looking at it face on it looks flat and wide but from the side it h as a much deeper hook that the UK ones that I have used in the past. I do find though that it depends on which yarn I am using which style of hook end that I use. For some yarns I prefer to go back to my old Aero metal hooks that I have used for many years. Unfortunately they don't make them any more. I have tried the Clover hooks but the hook part is too short and the end too bulbous. I must crochet further down the hook that a lot of people do, I have tried the fancy expensive wooden hooks with the carved ends but they just dig into my palms and the bamboo hooks are too light unless I am using a large size. I also tried the multi coloured wooden hooks that are supposed to be the bees knees but I didn't get on with them either and gave them away. It's funny how we all have our preferences for which hooks we prefer. I am now a convert to Susan Bates hooks.<br />
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I have bought a couple of new booklets for ladies crochet patterns and will take photos and show you the ones that I like in my next blog.<br />
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It was lovely and sunny this morning. The sun is still there but very weak now and it's starting to go quite cold out of the sunshine. I am thoroughly enjoying crocheting this new version of the Elegant sweater so I think that the sunshine and nice Yarn is helping me to recover my Crojo. <br />
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Bye for now x enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-70323696269973701652013-03-04T09:45:00.001+00:002013-03-04T09:45:53.425+00:00My Weekend With Three Dogs No I am not being rude about any of my friends. I was looking after my Son and Daughter in law's two dogs as they went to a friend's special Birthday party and would not be home on the Saturday night. They are beautiful dogs and so well behaved but their size made my house seem very small along with Buster too, <br />
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They took Buster's throw from the sofa and had a tug of war with it. I am not sure who was winning or whether it mattered who won. If one let go them the other would torment until the game began again.<br />
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In the end I had to take the throw off them as it was in danger of being torn as they got more boisterous. After that they found my plastic cheap version of crocs sandals and had a game with those. I had taken a ball off them. I am not one to spoil their fun but they were just ripping the ball up and eating the pieces. <br />
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Eventually the game got too much for them and they fell asleep. Don't let this photo fool you as this was only a cat nap in between the game of tug of war. I think that this part of their sleep lasted about ten minutes. <br />
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They are very well behaved it's just their size and general clumsiness that is the problem. My house is full of tempting nick nacks. At one time I had to rescue a cone of machine wool off them as they were having a great time trying to pull all the wool off the cone. <br />
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Where was Buster during all this time? <br />
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He was trying his hardest to stay out of the way. Wanting my attention as if to say This is my Mum not yours. The girls dwarf Buster. Luckily for me they are the gentlest dogs and haven't got a nasty bone in them. Other people are frightened of them because of their size but they are both so loving.<br />
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Too loving in fact. I didn't get any crochet done whilst they were here but that doesn't matter as I enjoyed my Saturday night in with the girls and my boy.<br />
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Back to normal today and some housework. I have to get rid of half eaten sticks that they bought in and chewed to shreds. I am still finding shreds all over the carpet. <br />
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Ah well it was a lovely change for me having company on a Saturday night. enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-44779444355078930452013-03-03T17:00:00.001+00:002013-03-03T17:00:29.779+00:00My February Challenge from AbakhanI haven't done an Abakhan challenge for a couple of months. Mainly because I was either making Christmas presents or I had lost my crochet mojo. In the end my project wasn't finished until the 1st March so not sure if I can call it my February Challenge. I chose Sirdar Filigree in the colour Gemstone. yarn but I must admit that I didn't research the yarn first and so was a bit shocked to find out that it was eyelash instead of the silky look that I was expecting. <br />
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I was set a double challenge this month. Not only was I crocheting with yarn that I had never used for crochet before but I was making a sweater without a pattern. I have made sweaters without a pattern before but not something that was a complex shape, This is the sweater that I was challenged to make something a similar shape to. <br />
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This shows the sweater front with the start of my crochet pinned to it. It doesn't look that is is unusually shaped until you see another view.<br />
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I don't know if you can see the fishtail sides. The back was made in two pieces with the long shaped sides. <br />
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I used some newspaper to draft up a similar shape to the bought sweater. This next photo shows what the back panel looked like. The centre back is on the bottom of the photo.I used this method when I was a teenager and crochet patterns were scarce. I used to draft up patterns using my sweaters as templates. There were very few patterns for garments when I first leaned. Crochet patterns were mostly all mats and pillowcase trimming. When the trend for crochet dresses and hot pants hit the catwalk the wool industry was woefully lagging behind with their patterns.Everything is much easier for today's crocheters. There are so many crochet patterns and books to choose from. <br />
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The only snag with crocheting to this paper pattern was that the eyelash yarn that I was using was quite stretchy and the piece came out longer than I really wanted. In crochet though the yarn does weld itself together somewhat I should have factored in the fact that this eyelash yarn would stretch in wear. If you are trying to work out the shape then the straight edge at the bottom of the photo is the centre back. <br />
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I had to work around any mistakes as that yarn was difficult to unpick if I made a mistake. I took these photos before the finished sweater went to be modelled at my friends. After she had taken it home I discovered that I had placed the sweater on the mannequin crooked and so it doesn't look level it looks rather lop sided.<br />
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This is the front view. Essentially it is a short sweater with longer sides. <br />
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This is a view of one of the sides. Because of the yarn that I used dropped in length whilst hanging on the mannequin I should have made the sides a bit shorter. That is something that I should have taken into consideration when I was crocheting the sweater.<br />
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This is the back view. My friend Sarah has taken the sweater and will hopefully send me a photo soon of her modelling the sweater so that you will be able to see it properly, She was red eyed and full of a cold when she visited so didn't want her photo taken wearing the sweater. <br />
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This weekend I have been looking after my Son's 2 dogs as well as my own dog so not much crochet has been done. I have now started to make some Peter Pan collars to be attached to fabric dresses made by a dressmaker friend of mine.enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-45852691887870613452013-02-21T17:16:00.000+00:002013-02-21T17:16:23.499+00:00More videos for You TubeOnce again I have been making videos of my crochet items and putting the videos on Facebook and You Tube. Thank you to everyone who has sent me nice messages. They are very much appreciated as I have been going through a period of self doubt recently which is why I haven't been blogging. I don't know whether any of you have the feelings that your work isn't good enough or worse why do other people sell their items and I don't sell mine. I started thinking that my work wasn't what anyone wanted and so that diminished my love of crochet and I went into a bit of a lull. I finished up only crocheting things that people asked me to make. My creativity went on a downwards spire. <br />
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I am hoping that making these videos will help me to regain my crocheting mojo (or crojo as I call it) and get me back on the track of modifying patterns and even designing my own.<br />
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The Abakhan challenge has hit the buffers. I had the wrong wool for the wrong pattern stitch. I couldn't unpick it so I have restarted with new wool and this time chosen a simpler stitch so that I can feel with my fingers where to put the hook instead of having to hold it up to try to find the right stitch. Wish me luck. Hopefully photos tomorrow when I get past the first couple of inches.<br />
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This is the first video clip that I made this morning. The sun was shining but it was freezing cold.</div>
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This is the second video clip that I made of the shawls and shoulder capelets. </div>
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The third video cut itself short as per usual. I must learn to time how long this camera gives me before it cuts off. Most of these sweaters have been made using vintage patterns although there is a hoodie using one of the free Double Stitch twins patterns from Red Heart. </div>
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This is the last video showing the last few things that I have to show today. I still have lots of hats, cowls and fingerless gloves and other bits and pieces but not sure how I will video those. I will think about that tonight and maybe have a solution tomorrow. <br />
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Blogger keeps freezing on me today so I will call it a day for now. <br />
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Happy crocheting. <br />
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enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-58302079471609361132013-02-20T07:55:00.002+00:002013-02-20T07:55:48.505+00:00Crochet Baby Clothes VideosAfter the fiasco of trying to video with my new camera I reverted back to my old faithful camera. The new camera bleached out all of the colour and when I managed to upload it to You Tube the sound was buzzing and the video had stripes of pink green and yellow across it. The downside of reverting to my old camera means that each video is very short. That is what there are 4 videos and one of them is cut short. <br />
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The videos are not of any new things. They are the stock that are left from my craft fair days. Since I have decided to stop doing craft fairs I now have surplus stock to sell. I hope that you enjoy looking at my crochet, my tatty back garden and Buster who gets in the act on some of the video<br />
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These are in the wrong order but I am a novice at posting videos on my blog so please forgive me. <br />
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You will have seen some of the brighter things before as they are part of my Abakhan challenge for a few months ago.<br />
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I was hoping to resume vlogging again but if I do then they will have to be very short videos as my old camera only records for about 7 minutes before it cuts off.<br />
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Today I am off for routine blood tests for my cholesterol. Buster isn't too well at the moment. He has a bit of a bladder infection which is resulting in numerous accidents so my steam cleaner is working overtime this week. <br />
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I am working on a new challenge from Abakhan. I am following the shape of a ready made sweater using different yarn. This yarn is in the reduced section of Abakhan and I am rapidly discovering not the ideal yarn to crochet with. It is Sirdar reflections and has lots of long whiskery fibres. Last night I crocheted away for a few inches only to discover later that I had crocheted into a whisker instead of the main thread several rows back which resulted in a large hole appearing. Trying to undo a few rows is proving to be very time consuming as the fibres are sticking together and the knots have to be unpicked with a needle. I had to leave it last night as I was on the point of taking scissors to it which wouldn't have achieved anything. I will try again later today.Photos will follow once I have recovered my patience and got back to the offending row. I am sure that you have all had moments like this. had I been crocheting in 'normal' yarn this frustration would never have happened. I have been crocheting slowly and supposedly checking every row so I don't know how this hole happened. I feel like everything that I crocheted last night has to be unravelled. <br />
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Anyway winge over. I need my breakfast or at least a coffee but I can't have one until I have my bloods taken. Happy crocheting and I will catch up with you soon, <br />
<br />enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-21541459204819050562013-02-18T19:20:00.000+00:002013-02-18T19:29:36.919+00:00Dolls Clothes I promised my Great Grand Daughters that I would make them some clothes for their dolls. They chose knitting patterns. I managed to make a knitted pram suit for Charlotte who is 16" tall but I must confess that it took me a whole week to knit this <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTO5i57-ccjyRDlLYJXzWge4xn8_icifnl2q-AKNNOHg2ISF594Kqe9nsz8xeFJ7ibklq49pkD4-oDUDN2QZiLkNWMSY6fTZj6HjrgLj7L2qa8Y9XWwnPkR1wrn6FZ-l-ZI4u_x7CFR4/s1600/Doll+clothes+for+Charlotte+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTO5i57-ccjyRDlLYJXzWge4xn8_icifnl2q-AKNNOHg2ISF594Kqe9nsz8xeFJ7ibklq49pkD4-oDUDN2QZiLkNWMSY6fTZj6HjrgLj7L2qa8Y9XWwnPkR1wrn6FZ-l-ZI4u_x7CFR4/s320/Doll+clothes+for+Charlotte+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It is actually a darker shade of peach than is showing on the photo. I then decided to change to crochet and made this little set up in a couple of evenings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6FS5A8u_sG8OtBtTcppjoN3i_ymqsIMGjQTPhgq3wXk3JUq0UJhEMftGL_dnaz6bGpNVJyW3RRDdq-T6_98K7hglzjPlob95t9tz30e75K7K9ZW-abpFShrO7oB_pDQR5GdcRHc5-Ra0/s1600/Doll+clothes+for+Charlotte+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6FS5A8u_sG8OtBtTcppjoN3i_ymqsIMGjQTPhgq3wXk3JUq0UJhEMftGL_dnaz6bGpNVJyW3RRDdq-T6_98K7hglzjPlob95t9tz30e75K7K9ZW-abpFShrO7oB_pDQR5GdcRHc5-Ra0/s320/Doll+clothes+for+Charlotte+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is much more my style. Here is a closer view of the crochet.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYw88nlA9Mz20CxfvwKi0bkdBVoL6W5-r6jElQJvt9tL8syINaJTKUymFWHdD2DxVivHGn57VZQU_YWqYeKx6kAs3g-WqZ-fkZ8byrHCdxtwhK4Ao7mUBeHglBX43R90ZCkmeFGwYHWTA/s1600/Doll+clothes+for+Charlotte+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYw88nlA9Mz20CxfvwKi0bkdBVoL6W5-r6jElQJvt9tL8syINaJTKUymFWHdD2DxVivHGn57VZQU_YWqYeKx6kAs3g-WqZ-fkZ8byrHCdxtwhK4Ao7mUBeHglBX43R90ZCkmeFGwYHWTA/s320/Doll+clothes+for+Charlotte+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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My other Great Gran Daughter's doll is Sally and she s 27" tall so I have bought her a few things from EBay but am bracing myself for knitting the outfit that she has chosen for Sally. <br />
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I am taking part in the Abakhan Challenge again this month and this yarn arrived <br />
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I am crocheting with it and it is a little tricky as the long threads get in the way and I find that I am crocheting the threads instead of the main yarn and keep having to unpick it (not an easy task) as I have missed the thread and got a hole. <br />
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I am attempting to make a crochet version of this sweater for my friend Sarah. I haven't got very far as you can see. I have pinned the bit that I have done to the original sweater to check the width. The sweater is made up in a very unusual way so I have had to make newspaper templates of the style so that I can crochet to them. This is how I started crocheting back in the 60's. I used to make paper patterns and crochet to them instead of following a bought pattern. I am going around full circle. Hopefully I will have more to show you once this is finished. <br />
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I have been tidying up and today it is the turn of the baby items that I made for craft fairs. I decided to unpack the bags and see just what I have left. <br />
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Obviously a lot more than I thought and I still have another bag to unpack with ladies shawls in it. I decided to try out my new camera as a video camera so pardon me with my first attempt. It is buzzing for some reason and I sound as though I have a lisp. The video is all blurry but hopefully you can still see some of the things that I am trying to show. Because I was holding the camera things went out of focus and blurred. I think that I need to invest in a little tripod or stand to hold the camera steady before I make another video. <br />
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The video link refuses to load for some reason. I am trying again through You Tube. I will add it on to this post later if I do manage to upload it. The fist video that uploaded to You Tube had taken all of the colouyr out of the video so I have started again. <br />
<br />enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-88503199466438714062013-02-06T20:12:00.000+00:002013-02-06T20:19:48.577+00:00Simply Elegant SweaterI am not being big headed here. The blog title is actually the given name of the sweater that I have just finished crocheting. If you would like the pattern then it is available from JKD or Jenny King Designs and it is called Simply Elegant Sweater. I believe that it is also for sale through Annies. I bought mine through a Ravelry link.<br />
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The main part of this sweater is worked side to side. Basically two rectangles and the front is sewn together at the shoulders with a twist in it. The side seams are sewn together and the sleeves are crocheted from the top of the sleeve to the wrist. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMVWxEVc9dKBN95CVe6WwEOAdKceJko9vyrcjrSr5xIGZYjmHREJ_R0wgbR9G6VpaeUlBkHxautseERmoubtrHi37CbgCxtpUS85Dc7ukUKDgZonz-jNEqU1Vgr8CnKGALggFYYQqh7tQ/s1600/Sarah's+cross+over+sweater+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMVWxEVc9dKBN95CVe6WwEOAdKceJko9vyrcjrSr5xIGZYjmHREJ_R0wgbR9G6VpaeUlBkHxautseERmoubtrHi37CbgCxtpUS85Dc7ukUKDgZonz-jNEqU1Vgr8CnKGALggFYYQqh7tQ/s320/Sarah's+cross+over+sweater+002.JPG" width="252" /></a></div>
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There are lots of ways of draping the front. It's just a matter of adjusting it until you find the look that you want. The sweater looks grey on these photos but it is actually a mink shade of brown. I made it with Coas which is a yarn that I bought from Ice yarns. It has 30% wool and is labelled as fine. I changed the hook as the pattern called for a 10mm hook and this yarn resembled a dishcloth on such a large hook. I went down to a 7mm hook as I crochet loosely but if I made it gain then I would use an 8mm hook to give the sweater a bit more drape. The pattern also calls for the pattern stitch to be worked in the front loop only which again came out to loose looking in this yarn so I crocheted in plain half trebles (half dc if you are in the US) I think that it has turned out well and can see myself making a few more of these. <br />
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This is Buster alerting me to the fact that the Postman is about to bring parcels to our house. This shows him pre bark. He knows the delivery Postman well enough but still has to bark at him.<br />
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The doll pattern has some really lovely patterns in it. As I mentioned before I am on Great Granny Jan dolls clothes duty at the request of my Great Grand daughters I will have to jiggle these patterns though as one doll is 24" tall and these patterns are for an 18" doll.<br />
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I am getting over optimistic with the other book. I haven't managed to get my tension right with Tunisian crochet and her I am buying a book of Tunisian cables. There is nothing like biting more off that I can chew. I always throw myself in the deep end of anything new that I am learning.<br />
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Yes I know. I promised no more yarn buying unless necessary but these were such a bargain on EBay that my subconscious brain made my fingers hit the bid button.<br />
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These books came the other day but as I was bidding on another 3 editions I didn't want to jinx it by anyone else seeing that I was interested and getting interested too. Mean of me I know but I wanted to keep the bidding price down. The shawl book in particular has some lovely patterns in it. You know me and my retro patterns. I like them so much better than many of the new ones. <br />
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Someone on Facebook today posted the link to the pattern Granny Takes a Trip.This took me back a few years when I made this jacket for my friend from the very same pattern but in shades of purples, pinks, reds and black. I loved the shades so much that I promised myself that when I had got over the shock of sewing all those tail ends in that I would make it for myself but with narrower sleeves. These tend to get hooked up on everything and dust everything that you pass by. Maybe it's time to organise my stash of odd balls and make another one, this time for me. <br />
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I have made this shawl in many different colourways. Some with a white edging, some with black. Some in vibrant shades and some in pastels. This shawl has been commented on more than most. I made it for myself many years ago but it is still in perfect condition and lovely and warm. I used different shades of muted blues along with beige's, browns and cream. there are different weights of wool in there and different textures. I think that is what makes the shawl unusual. It's all muted shades but some of them are shaded yarns with subtle colour changes. I don't h ave a pattern. It's just granny squares at a different angle to make the point at the bottom edge. The top edge is finished off with a row of half granny squares to give a level top edge. <br />
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I need to start the dolls clothes tonight. I have been putting it off as I much prefer to make larger things which is why you rarely see any toys on my pages. I will be OK once I actually start making them. <br />
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Have a lovely evening and Happy Crocheting. enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-68484933388749121662013-02-04T15:42:00.000+00:002013-02-04T15:42:14.781+00:00Shhh - I've Been Knitting As most of you know I crochet 90% of the time. The main reason is that I knit with one needle under my arm and so the weight of any knitting pulls on my neck and makes it ache. I have tried knitting free or on circular needles but 50 something years of knitting one way means that I just can't knit any other way.<br />
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I bought some super thick yarn from one of Ice Yarn sales just recently and thought that I would make another of these jackets as I have worn the last one that I made to a shred. <br />
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Thee pattern comes from an old Phildar book probably dating from sometime in the 80's. I have made every one of these tops as I find them so useful as a house jacket as the sleeves don't get in the way when I am doing chores. This time I have made the one that is shown but one button. I have added buttons all the way down mine. 3 of the designs are knitted but the one on the right is crochet. I have my eye on making that again sometime soon. <br />
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My version has come out a lot longer as the wool is much thicker than the original Phildar Tweedy was. We used to stock Phildar in our shop and I have to say that Phildar tweedy was one of our best sellers. The Ice yarn that I have used is very thick and took 16 x 50 grams to make this jacket but it is so lovely, soft and warm.<br />
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I have also finally finished the hoodie for my Great Nephew JP. I got this Patons yarn for 99p a ball from Kemp's Clearance sale. Although I am not crazy about the colours as one of the shades in the ball looks 'dirty' in my opinion. The yarn itself is lovely to work with and I bought a few more colours when it was on sale. It is now blocking as you can see as the jacket looked too small for JP because of the rib stitch. I am going to make him some more woollies as he coming up later this month for his Grandad's birthday. Unless I crochet the others I will be knitting them on the machine. I have had enough knitting for a while.<br />
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I still have to crochet two sleeves on Sarah's draped front sweater so that will be my next thing to finish. I also have to crochet a cotton Peter Pan collar and then start the doll's clothes that my Great Granddaughters ordered. <br />
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Buster is bored today. Despite about 5 minutes of glorious sunshine this morning the weather has turned out dull and rainy as per usual for Manchester. According to the weather reports we are in for some more snow later today or tomorrow. I feel like a fraud mentioning snow when I know that so many or my regular readers have snow up to their eyebrows whereas the UK grinds to a halt if more than an inch falls. <br />
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Today I had great plans to do some more tidying up but so far I haven't hardly done anything. I put the paper recycling bin out ready for the early morning emptying and the wind blew it over and the papers inside had to be rescued by a passing neighbour. I was in danger of becoming a litter lout as the wind caught the papers and whizzed them in the air. Our bin men collect any time from 7am - 9am so I have to put them out the day before otherwise I can miss them. My bin is overflowing as I have been sorting out some storage papers and packaging that I put into my garage over Christmas. <br />
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Happy crocheting everyone and thanks so much for the lovely messages that you have sent to me. Thanks for the advice Roger I will look into that and use your ideas to safeguard me for next time. <br />
enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-57433058809460407752013-02-02T16:09:00.002+00:002013-02-02T16:09:19.086+00:00I Am Still Around Sorry that I haven't been around for a long time. I just simply fell out with blogging. My camera wouldn't let me make a video of more that a few minutes so I just temporarily gave up blogging.Videos were so much easier than typing and posting photos.<br />
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I got a new camera for Christmas but I am still coming to grips with how to work that so that I can make videos with this newer one as it has a longer memory for making videos. <br />
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I have still been crocheting. Not quite as much as I did in the past but I am still working at it. I think that maybe I suffer from the S.A.D syndrome as around my Birthday (November) all around Christmas and most of January I feel generally out of sorts and everything is just too much trouble.<br />
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Anyway I will do a bit of a pictorial catch up with you on a little of what I have made since I last blogged. <br />
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This is what I am working on at the moment. It is a pattern from Jenny King Designs and has still to get the sleeves crocheted. I couldn't get my tension on the hook recommended as it was a huge hook and I tend to crochet a bit loose anyway. I used a 7mm hook instead of the recommended 10mm and although it does look tighter than the pattern picture does it still look large to me. Considering that loose crochet does tend to grow a little when washed. <br />
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Over Christmas I made a cardigan for my friend Sarah's mother and she liked it so much that I was asked to make another. This is made in King Cole Riot.The photo of the first cardigan is on Facebook as the original photo is not now on my PC anymore since the update.<br />
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I may have mentioned in my blog previously that I was doing a class teaching crochet at the local Ice Cream parlour and cafe. Unfortunately the cafe had to close but I did manage to buy some of his storage display units from the shop. My crochet friend Sue came down to help me and we reorganised the patio door end of my dining room into a workroom with knitting machines set up on either side. This has made a big difference to the room. I still have to tidy up the rest of the room as next week we are going to start organising the stash room as I have got a unit to go into there. I am hoping that this organisation will encourage me back into my machine knitting again, <br />
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I did manage to use the machine and make this sweater for my younger niece in Patons cotton that I bought on sale from Kemps. I had to hand knit the ribs as my chunky machine wanted adjusting as it was ribbing too slackly and I didn't have the time to sort it out until Christmas was over. Hopefully I have now solved the problem but I won't know for sure until I use it again, <br />
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As I wasn't machine knitting with the many cones that I had in stash I decided to use 4 strands of different coloured cones together and crocheted myself two very chunky sweaters for the cold weather. This one has 2 strands of different shades of purple, an aubergine and a gold worked together. I made a similar sweater in shades of red, maroon, orange and bright pink but when my PC died and had to go to the repair shop I have lost a lot of information and recent photos that I hadn't backed up. A lot of my more recent crochet otems are on my Facebook page UrbanGypsyCrochet which I update regularly as I do my personal Facebook page. You will find out my name from the UrbanGypsyCrochet page. I don't want to put any links on here and attract spammers. Since I stopped blogging my life and photos have been well documented on there. <br />
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I am still coming to terms with what I lost when my PC had it's mishap. A lot of the photos seem to be lost forever which is sad but I suppose that it is just one of those things in life sent to try me, The repair man also took off a lot of things like the printer, mic and web cam so I have to try to get them reinstalled. I have the recovery discs for the mic and camera but my niece gave me the printer so she is going to look to see if she still has the original disc that came with it so that I can reinstall that. If not I will have to get back in touch with my PC guy and see if her can help me recover the files that I need to make the printer work. I have also lost access to one of my e mail accounts. Fortunately it's the least used one but it is linked to Amazon so unless I can find the account again I will have to change the info over to another mail account. <br />
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I have made lots of other things which I can't post the photos on here as they are now missing. I am sorry now that I hadn't updated my Ravelry for a long time either as now I can't catch up with my projects on that unless I save photos from my Facebook. <br />
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I hope to start posting on my blog again. Perhaps not as regularly as before but that was one of my New Year resolutions.<br />
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I hope that you are all keeping well. Happy Crocheting. <br />
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Jan <br />
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enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-50505260714654017712012-09-05T18:27:00.002+01:002012-09-05T18:27:53.328+01:00Crocheting For My Holidays Sorry that I have been missing for so long. I have Buster full time now which limits my crocheting time. Last week I also looked after my next door neighbours dogs as they went on their holidays.<br />
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I can't remember if I told you on my last blog that I am unexpectedly going away for a week to Skiathos. because of this I have been crocheting a few things for my holidays and also trying out some ideas that I can personalise to put for sale on my Facebook page Urban Gypsy Crochet. I haven't listed anything on Etsy for a while as I didn't get many sales. I may try again with my Autumn and Winter designs. <br />
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The video is taking ages to upload today. I do hope that Blogger manages it ..( <u>I could not upload it in the end so I will have to try another day)</u>. The reason that I haven't blocked the shawl for the Mother of the groom yet is that I decided after blocking dozens of shawls to treat myself to some blocking wires which are somewhere in the post. I look everyday for them to arrive. The more that I want something to arrive the longer it seems to take. <br />
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This is the Trippy Tunic pattern by the Double Stitch Twins. The pattern is free on the Red Heart site. I had seen this many times but always crocheted in the very bright colours as per the pattern and though that it was not for me. I decided to crochet this in black and on a smaller hook so that it isn't quite so baggy and loose on me. I like the fact that it can be worn over a dress with the belt or loose as in this next photo.<br />
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The loose version is great over a vest top and shorts or even on the beach as a cover up.<br />
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This is another Double Stitch twins design. Again a free pattern on the Red Heart site. It is called the Two Tone shrug as on the pattern they make it with one colour for the front and another for the back. This size came out too large for me ( I made the XL) so I had to add a drawstring around the bottom edge. <br />
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This one is the smaller size which fits me better according to my taste. Although I am a larger lady I don't like things too loose. I just made these in the cheaper acrylic yarn as I like to try out patterns that I am not sure about in something not too expensive in case I don't like them. I do like this pattern and feel sure that I will be making more of these, or similar, for the Autumn to be worn over a sweater. I have already started one in finer yarn for a friend's Birthday. <br />
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This is my version of the Knot Ugly Shrug from Stitch n' Bitch The Happy Hooker book. I altered the pattern to make it longer as I wanted it to fasten at the waistline and not just under the bust. Although this pattern is easy I wouldn't make it in one piece next time as it is difficult to judge the length of the sleeves. I would make it conventionally with stitched in sleeves. <br />
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This is the sweater that looks much better on me than it does on the slimmer model. I am still not sure if I like it as it is a mix of patterns. The top part comes from a Doris Chan pattern that was free on Caron. I didn't want the very openwork chain bodywork as on the pattern so I made mine more of a solid pattern but somehow it doesn't sit right and tends to twist around. Thankfully I only used a cheaper acrylic yarn for it so it will get worn as a house sweater. <br />
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This is a stole made as a present for the bride. I haven't made it for her to wear on the day it's just a general one for her to use as either a stole or a scarf when the weather goes a bit cooler in Skiathos. The pattern is the Sweet Lorraine by Doris Chan and the pattern gives instructions for a skinny scarf, a scarf, a stole and a throw. She gives information on how many extra stitches to add per pattern repeat. <br />
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It is a winter white shade rather than a bright white as the yarn is a mix of cashmere, silk and lambswool that I bought from Hong Kong via EBay. It is beautifully soft and I am going to order some more in a different colour to make something similar for my Sister in Law for Christmas. The yarn is so soft and light and yet so warm. <br />
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Because it is so light it scrunches up easily into a scarf for a chilly winter day.<br />
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The video is taking ages to upload. I have an awful feeling that it is not going to be on this blog at all. I will leave it for a while. It appears to be stuck tight at the end. I have tried 3 times to upload it onto here but my PC is running rather slowly today. <br />
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I am getting quite excited now that my holiday is getting nearer. I don't want to say exactly when I am going for security reasons as you never know who is reading this blog and so knows when my house will be empty. I have nothing of value but it's just the thought that someone might steal my yarn stash. Now that would be a nightmare. Eep!<br />
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I will try to blog a little more often now that life is settling down into some sort of a routine. I am sorry if there isn't a video attached to this blog. What I have written would make a lot more sense if you could also see the video.<br />
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Have a great crafting day - Jan x <br />
enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-5897060479528713802012-08-13T09:59:00.001+01:002012-08-13T09:59:57.689+01:00I Love Vintage Yarn Sorry that it has been so long since I last posted but for once the sun has been shining in the UK and I have been sitting out in the garden making the most of it.<br />
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The first bit of non crochet news <br />
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Buster is here. Not just for a week but to stay permanently (apart from holidays) I am back to being his Mum again instead of Gran. He has quickly made himself at home. I bought him a new ball to welcome him. Noise warning comes with this video.<br />
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It doesn't take much to make him happy. I was happy too to wake up to a loving pair of eyes. It doesn't take much to make me happy either. There is nothing in the world like the love of a dog.<br />
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As you know I am unexpectedly going to Skiathos with a friend. As I have not had time to save up for this holiday I am having a sale of the crochet items that I have made for craft fairs. I have decided that apart from an odd local one I am giving up the craft fairs. I don't have transport and I don't like having to ask my niece to take me here and there. She has a full time job with little spare time so I don't like to impose.<br />
My crochet is displayed on my Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/Urbangypsycrochet">Urbangypsycrochet</a> Even if you don't want to buy anything then please view and like my page. So far I have just sold the brightly coloured circle waistcoat.<br />
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I have finished the short sleeved jacket for my friend's Mother to wear at a wedding. The yarn that I have used is absolutely gorgeous. It is some vintage Emu Silhouette that I managed to find on Ebay. I used to sell this yarn in my wool shop and still have one crochet top made from it. It is silky and drapey and just feels so luxurious. I managed to get hold of some peach colour as well. <br />
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I just love the way that it drapes.<br />
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The pattern may still be available as it isn't that long since I bought it. It is Sirdar 8699.<br />
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I did change the edging. On the pattern it has just a plain UK double crochet but I added a fancier edging as it is for a wedding. <br />
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This is what I am crocheting at the moment. I bought from Ebay some cashmere, wool and silk yarn from China some time ago. it is lovely and soft but I decided not to use it for my great nephew as it is not machine washable. I am instead making a stole with it. It is a gift for someone so I can't say more at this stage. I am using the Sweet Lorraine Throw pattern by Doris Chan from the Interweave Crochet Fall 2008 magazine. It is a great patterns as it tells you how many stitches to chain on for a narrow scarf, a wider scarf, a stole and a throw. It also says how many extra chain that you need to add extra patterns. This yarn is a fine 3 or 4ply so although I am using a 5mm hook I had to add extra sts to the stole pattern to make it that bit wider. I wish now that I had added another pattern set to it but once it is wet blocked then hopefully it will be wider when it is finished. <br />
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The stitches are now out from behind my ear. I have not heard anything back from the hospital about the biopsy so I work on the theory that no news is good news. I am not really a worrier. I tend only to worry once I have cause. I am sure that if the lump wasn't benign that they would have told me by now,<br />
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Today is still fine but unfortunately the sun seems to have gone into hiding. It is still warm enough to have the patio doors open so that Buster can go in and out of the garden as he wishes. He is getting older now and needs more bathroom breaks than he used to. This is one reason why I now have him permanently as my son and his wife work full time. He is a very affectionate dog and needs more attention than he gets being one of three dogs. It's a win, win situation all around. I get company and he gets cuddles. The only thing that he will be short of is good long walks but then he is older now and doesn't need to walk as far.He is happy exercising in the garden with his ball.<br />
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Happy Crocheting xxenthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-43916329031291836632012-08-04T12:51:00.001+01:002012-08-04T12:51:30.484+01:00Fait Main Special Crochet MagazineI fell in love with this magazine when I saw the one that my friend Sue had brought back from her holiday to France a few weeks ago. As it is a French magazine no-one in the UK stocked it so I had to search online for it. I was trying to find a stockist in France so that maybe the postage would have been less but all I could find was a company with the lovely name of <a href="http://www.imrsheep.com/FaitMain.html">Irene and Mr Sheep</a> who are based in Canada. I managed to order it but it cost me $28 with the postage.<br />
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Those of you who follow me know that when my heart is set on something to do with crochet then I will pay anything within reason to get what I want. <br />
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I have put it in a video as there are so many designs to take photos of. I didn't want to appear on the video as although today I was able to wash my hair, for the first time since my operation to remove a hopefully benign lump from my right ear, I still have stitches in and swelling and my right ear sticks out a bit like a cab door. I do hope that this is a temporary look. Stitches come out on Wednesday.<br />
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Anyhow enough about me. The video also has glimpses of my furry Grandson Buster who is here for a few days so not much crochet will get done until he goes home again on Sunday. <br />
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I am going to grab my crochet and try to get some done in the garden. Buster is easy to look after when the weather is nice as all he wants to do is sit in the garden with bursts of energy when we play catch with his ball. His friend Poppy nips through the hedge to say hello but as neither of them are young and sprightly any more they are more like a doggy Darby and Joan couple. <br />
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I do hope that you like the designs. I am going to be brushing up on my very rusty schoolgirl French and trying to understand the diagrams. I would like to make so many of these before the Summer ends (if it ever arrives). <br />
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Happy Crochetingenthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-5438908493724192192012-07-28T15:11:00.002+01:002012-07-28T15:11:15.002+01:00A Tour Around the WorkroomAs I am starting to recover my energy, after feeling so lack lustre for weeks, I spent yesterday swapping things about in the house. The video today is a tour of what I have achieved so far. There is still a lot more to do but when you consider that my house was beginning to resemble an episode of Hoarders then I am quite pleased with the results so far. As my friend says now that I have tidied it then it's time to use some of the yarn hoard before I buy anything else. As she is not a crocheter I resisted the urge to kill her. My crocheting friends understand fully where I am at but even they don't understand this compulsion that I seem to have for collecting (a nicer word than hoarding) all things crafty especially yarn related.<br />
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I think that it all stems from my childhood when after the war everything was rationed and hard to get. My Mother used to hoard up anything that could be used or re-used. Bits of wool and buttons. My Father was the same only he hoarded anything vaguely DIY like nails, screws, string and bits of wood. My aunt used to sew and saved all the offcuts from the dresses that she made, for other people, to make things for me. My Brother still has almost every book that he has bought in his lifetime, His house is like a huge library and his garage is wall to wall books. There is barely room for his small car.<br />
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I think that you can safely say that hoarding is in my genes. We are a great family of collectors. My Son collects motor bikes and spares. His Father, my ex, has a garage full of things that might come in useful one day.<br />
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This afternoon I am going to my Brother and Sister in Law's to meet up with the rest of their family to celebrate their Ruby Wedding Anniversary. I will see my Great Nephew J.P who is now 3 months old. I haven't seen him since he came up from London when he was a couple of weeks old. He will really look different this time. I believe that he is still a red head. My younger niece used to have reddish blonde hair as a child and her husband has red hair too.. His Dad and my Sister in law were also red headed when young so J.P had more than a 50/50 chance of red hair. <br />
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I had better hit the shower and get dressed. I knew that my new dresses would come in handy. Since I bought them I have had a few chances to wear them. Now if only the weather would stay sunny and then I can wear my new shorts and vest tops. I only wear them in the garden but the weather hasn't been warm enough for that except for a couple of days but that was before I bought them. <br />
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Happy Crocheting!enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-80501756674902814142012-07-26T12:50:00.001+01:002012-07-26T12:50:38.808+01:00My Abakhan Challenge for JulyIf you are a follower of my blog then you will know that I accepted a challenge from <a href="http://www.abakhan.co.uk/knitting.html">Abakhan to</a> turn £15 worth of anything that they sell into a project. As I am a crocheter and sometime knitter of course I chose yarn. This project was supposed to have been my June project but as I have been plagued my some health issues and a couple of deadlines this has turned into my July project. <br />
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The theme of my project was to try to be able to wear Summery clothes even when the weather wasn't particularly warm and sunny. We all have those summer dresses in the wardrobe and don't put them on as we don't want to put a heavy jacket over the and yet are cold with our arms bare My aim is to show that a pretty short sleeved jacket will fill the gap. <br />
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A design similar to this makes even my sleeveless dresses wearable when the air is chillier than it should be for Summer. It is pretty and warm and yet light enough to look Summery. This pattern is the Short n' Sweet by Angie Best which can be found in the Stitch and Bitch The Happy Hooker book. <br />
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As you can see from the back view my version is more of a Long n' Sweet. That is the beauty of making something yourself. It can be adapted to suit your figure type. As I am plus sized then I like my jackets to cover my hips as I think that the longer line is slimming. <br />
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The yarn that I used is James C Brett <a href="http://www.abakhan.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=james+c+brett+cotton+on+">Cotton On which</a> comes in such a variety of colours that I was spoiled for choice. The reason that I chose this colour was simply because I had bought some new dresses that had splashes of this colour in them. I am so pleased with the way that this yarn has worked up. It is a cotton mix so it has the properties of the cotton mixed with the lightness of an acrylic. At £1.85 a ball this jacket cost me £11.10p to make. It would have cost me a ball less if I had made my sleeves just an inch shorter which is very good considering that I am plus sized. An average sized lady making her jacket shorter and smaller could make it for £8 - £9 at the most. <br />
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This is a close up of the stitch. Despite looking complicated it is quite an easy stitch to follow. I like the way that the jacket is worked top down all in one after the armholes. As the sleeves are crocheted downwards too there is hardly any sewing up, except for the yarn tails, which is my kind of crochet. <br />
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Another reason why I had to dip int my 6th ball was that I added an extra edging around that wasn't on the pattern. I tried it on and although it is meant to be an edge to edge jacket I felt that it was looking a bit too far apart so I added a couple of rows if a shell edging around it to give me an extra inch on either side. Now I can fasten it with a fancy button or a brooch if I want to.<br />
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As the weather in the UK has been so dismal this Summer I think that I am going to make more of these little jackets in different patterns. I don't know about you but I am so sick of wearing my dowdy winter type clothes instead of pretty Summer dresses. Instead of freezing this Summer make yourselves some boleros, jackets, stoles or shawls in pretty colours and get those dresses out of the wardrobe and get them worn. If you are not a bright colour loving person, like me, then there are some lovely shades in the neutral or paler colours that will fit into your wardrobe colours a treat. <br />
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Happy crocheting.enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366691227172496574.post-5435599126238438702012-07-22T16:39:00.003+01:002012-07-22T17:15:36.103+01:00Short n' SweetNo I am not referring to myself with the title but the garment that I have started with the lovely to work with James C Brett Cotton On. I am supposed to be participating in the <a href="http://www.abakhan.co.uk/knitting.html">Abakhan</a> monthly challenge but have been a bit busy so I didn't manage to do one for June. I have changed my June challenge into a July one.<br />
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As I mentioned before the yarn is a 50/50 mix of cotton and acrylic and is so soft to work with unlike some yarns that split as I am crocheting. As it is a mix it has 158 yds to every 50 gram ball which at £1.85 ball makes it a good quality but also good value yarn. It comes in lots of <a href="http://www.abakhan.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=james+c+brett+cotton+on+">colours</a>. I have trouble deciding which one to choose as there were so many. Click on the link and see which one you would choose. <br />
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Anyway enough of my gabble this is what I am making <br />
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Short n Sweet by Angela Best<br />
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The pattern comes from this book. If you haven't got this book in your library then all I can say is Why Not? It isn't just a tuition book it comes with lots of very wearable patterns. If you don't believe me than just look on Ravelry and see how many projects have been made by members from this book. <br />
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At the moment mine looks like this. As you can see mine is more Long n' Sweet as being of a more rotund figure I prefer my clothes to be that bit longer in the hope of disguising my overly curvaceous body. OK rotund is the real word I should be using but I prefer curvaceous! <br />
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The colour is showing off the pattern beautifully. Once it is finished and has sleeves added it should look like this. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMpnpUU7oic7R0QmoI4sJrTvn9HQubXlaW4Xox-74VImtep74D2ad3l8WcA93q7dCDta7acYc4dYPZtUBKmZg4XYemhfqWMtdbX1obVXXf8ZJnom9iSZL-nuYMUjTCHBaLnqX1xbWjis/s1600/short+n+sweet+start+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMpnpUU7oic7R0QmoI4sJrTvn9HQubXlaW4Xox-74VImtep74D2ad3l8WcA93q7dCDta7acYc4dYPZtUBKmZg4XYemhfqWMtdbX1obVXXf8ZJnom9iSZL-nuYMUjTCHBaLnqX1xbWjis/s320/short+n+sweet+start+005.JPG" width="253" /></a></div>
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Well better than this actually. This was made about 3 yrs ago in acrylic and has been washed and worn very frequently which is why I decided to make another one. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_jX6oM0JD5JtPI6tn-cgZ7QQXxPhcv4S0kd9GvFORhWLSmHuMddIgE5e32rRHbAROndkcOCLeqdm4jxp243epwDxhxK_anG8L1k25iRMwZrCQqTp3MfgIiL6vVKpcVgKZY26HaM72Eg/s1600/short+n+sweet+start+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_jX6oM0JD5JtPI6tn-cgZ7QQXxPhcv4S0kd9GvFORhWLSmHuMddIgE5e32rRHbAROndkcOCLeqdm4jxp243epwDxhxK_anG8L1k25iRMwZrCQqTp3MfgIiL6vVKpcVgKZY26HaM72Eg/s320/short+n+sweet+start+008.JPG" width="247" /></a></div>
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This is a pattern that I bought from EBay.I think that they are so sweet. I am going to make some once I get some lavender or other small potpourri to fill the centre fabric hearts in the middle of the crochet. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6ZAtUFOXJl3VeE9jG8NtOGkIZhuSg_daOiAzWaK1rSKUmYdIjOFkPyIMZRWdoCQPwgCxHY25TNKd9AJIGKKL6Bl4MFZPmOU2cRVFSDUWjg592wNQtpyzDB4gEUuY8yFqMOTlZ70osuM/s1600/short+n+sweet+start+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6ZAtUFOXJl3VeE9jG8NtOGkIZhuSg_daOiAzWaK1rSKUmYdIjOFkPyIMZRWdoCQPwgCxHY25TNKd9AJIGKKL6Bl4MFZPmOU2cRVFSDUWjg592wNQtpyzDB4gEUuY8yFqMOTlZ70osuM/s320/short+n+sweet+start+009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have almost finished this cushion cover. It looks a bit out of shape at the moment as it is not displayed with the cushion inside it as it still needs some presstuds sewing on to close the top and yet still make it easy to remove for washing. It is a much smaller size than the granny square cushion. I call this a boudoir cushion. The cream yarn that I used is from the same bundle of yarn that I used to make the granny square cushion. Six colours were bought in the Sale at Abakhan. I shared the bags of 5 x 100 gram balls of each colour with my friend Sue (The Enabler) . I still have lots left to make other things with. <br />
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I think that I mentioned before that I have been revamping my wardrobe with the aid of EBay. I hate shopping and as I can't walk far I hate it even more now so online shopping is the way forward for me. Since I bought this and the other clothes I have found out that I may be going to the Greek Islands for a week in September. It's only a maybe at the moment as it is for a wedding blessing of two old friends who are in Skiathos ( think Mamma Mia). He wants his Mum to be there and his Dad doesn't want to travel so I may be accompanying his Mum who I have known for 40 yrs to his blessing. Nothing is settled but at least I have some new clothes (and shoes) ready if I go. All I need now is a nice lightweight suitcase with wheels but I am sure that someone in my family has one that I can borrow. <br />
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I took these two photos last night as I was getting ready to go to my elder step granddaughter's engagement party. When I looked at them this morning I realised that I took them before I put my party top on. I wore an elbow length red top but as the neckline is very low I had put this red vest top underneath it to cover my modesty and my bra. I had a great night out. It was lovely to see my family all in one place and my lovely great granddaughters who were dancing about in their party dresses. I think that I am getting old though as they had a live rock band which were very good but extremely loud. Conversation was impossible when they were playing. When I got home last night my ears were ringing and a bit sore. Thankfully they have now recovered. <br />
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Sorry about the week's delay in posting but I haven't really been doing a lot of crochet this week as I am still in the sorting out mode. Unfortunately it takes me such a long time to do things these days that what should be a day's worth of work now takes me a week thanks to this stupid back pain. I have to do a little bit and then sit down for a while. It's very frustrating when I think of how I used to be a mere 10 yrs ago. Then I worked a full time and a part time job and still managed to keep the house clean and tidy. Maybe that's the reason I am like I am now. I wore myself out when I was younger as I have always been such a hard worker. That is why I find it hard to accept my limitations these days. At least I can still crochet and get around and about so I should just stop whinging and get on with things! <br />
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Thanks to everyone for your lovely comments. I do appreciate them so much.enthusiastic crochetoholichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10587972202268932439noreply@blogger.com2