Crocheted Baby Clothes book

As promised in my last post here is a pictorial review of one of my latest purchases from Amazon. Cute and Easy Crocheted baby Clothes by Nicki Trench. As with the other book that I reviewed, the photography is excellent and I love the choice of colours. Makes me want to grab my wool and hook immediately and make something from this book.

Who says granny squares are old fashioned? I think that this is an adorable sweater for a little one.

 A useful design for any little girl's wardrobe. The wrap over cardigan. A necessity especially if the young lady goes to ballet classes.

Illustrates the more modern interpretation of the traditional matinee jacket. The use of the deeper colour and the addition of flowers brings it bang up to date.

A basic little baby cardigan with a granny square pocket to give it that little different design detail.

I would omit the neckline flowers as I think that they may irritate a very young baby.

Very pretty but I think that I would only put the loops at the bottom edge as babies put everything that is near their face, or on their sleeves, into their mouth. It would look equally as nice with a contrast shell edging instead of the loops.

Adorable winter sweater for a little girl. My only criticism of this book is that most of the designs are for baby girls.

How pretty is this? Simple and yet so effective with it's dainty flower and ribbon trim.

At last something for a boy. I would give this a deeper bottom edge as it looks a wee bit short to fit a baby's head.

Lovely blanket that could be made for a boy with a change of colours. I would omit the pom poms for safelty reasons.

Little girl blanket with pretty Spring shades in it's heart design.

Not sure how this fits. Bonnet with ribbons or floral beanie?

A unisex jacket. Love the colour and the toggle fastening.

Little shoes that match the jacket.

Bright pink poncho to brighten up your day.

Lemon poncho fringed with the bright pink.

Pretty lacy party dress if your little girl isn't a tomboy. My nieces would have dragged holes in this crochet dress in 5 minutes when they were this age.

Pretty little coat hanger covers to keep baby dresses from sliding off the normal wooden baby coat hangers.

How pretty are these. I would use them as wall decorations once the baby got bigger and started to grab at things.

Last of the pattern photos is this little rainbow bear. There are a few more patterns in the book that I haven't put on here. I just chose the ones that I thought were the best.

This is what has been finished from my hook this week. It is an off the shoulder evening top for my friend Julie. It is difficult to see the detail on this photo but I made it with Ice Yarn that has grey flower sequins worked into the thread. It is a lot more sparkly than it looks on the photos. It is quite a fine yarn and I worked with aa 3.50mm hook. I used one of the Double Stitch twins patterns for ideas but changed the pattern stitch and didn't make it in the round. This is a lot finer fabric and has side seams. In other words - I Did It My Way - as per usual.

The flower is on a brooch pin so that it can be taken off and used on another garment or pinned into a different position on the top. I didn't make a neck choker it is a headband but as the mannequin hasn't got a head I displayed it around the neck. Silver domed buttons in the centre of the flowers finish off the look. Julie was really pleased with the way that this has turned out and to be honest so am I.

I was going to the local Women's Institute meeting tonight to see if I would like to join but the rain has not stopped all day and I don't fancy getting wet through on my mobility scooter so I think that I will wait until next month for my first visit. Nothing worse than sitting for a couple of hours in wet clothing.

My next project is a crochet bolero for a friend's little girl. Photos will follow once it is finished.

Household Crochet book and 60's Style Crochet.

I opened up Blogger to write a new page. It has taken me quite a few minutes to find my way around and I have no idea what this is going to look like until I press the preview button. I haven't got used to the new Facebook time line layout and now they are messing about with Blogger.

Today I went up to the Farmers Market and chose the wrong moment to go. I got absolutely drenched right through to my underwear. The French bread and new seasons lamb will be worth it though. Needless to say the rain stopped once I got home.

I have been busy finishing off a 60's style crochet dress for a friend who lucky for me  loves the vintage crochet styles. She is very petite and a lot younger than me so she is a good model for my crochet.

I made this dress for Julie from a vintage pattern that I found on Etsy. I had this pattern years ago but had 'lost' my copy. I used some vintage Jaeger Lalique yarn that I bid for on eBay. This photo doesn't show that it has gold lurex patches of eyelash effect yarn on a white background. On the photo it just looks beige. In real life it is very glittery.

This pattern comes from the Double Stitch twins Fashionista book. It looks better when it is on worn over clothes as the increases look like mistakes on the fabric when it is viewed on a white background. I will make a few adjustments to the  pattern when I make it again to make the increases less obvious. I used Ice yarn for this. It has a lovely silky sheen to it and is quite lightweight when crocheted.

I made this bolero out of 100 grams of Patons Fab DK wool as a trial for size for my friend Claire's little girl. She is making some Ra Ra skirts for summer and wants some boleros to go with them as it is never that warm in the summer. I will use different yarns for the rest of her boleros just as soon as I am sure of her size. She will try this on and then Claire can let me know how it fits. I didn't want to use expensive yarn for the trial size. If it doesn't fit then I haven't wasted much yarn and I am sure that it will fit some other little girl.

Yarn that I bid for on eBay. The navy and plum colours are to go with other shades of plums, purples and pinks that I have already bought in Red Heart. I want to make myself an afghan for the winter in these kind of shades so am collecting them ready for when I start. The pink eyelash yarn is for a bolero for the same little girl and the Red Heart in beige shades will be for my Great Nephew for the winter.

I got this booklet from Amazon as I am thinking that this will be the style of the afghan that I would like to make. It will probably be one of those, 'ongoing for a few months'  kind of project as no doubt I will get bored if I try to crochet it all at one time.

My friend Sue introduced me to Ice Yarns from Turkey. The yarns are beautiful and ridiculously cheap but the postage is astronomical. I wasn't convinced for ages when Sue said it still worked out quite cheap but it really does despite having to pay over £30 in postage the balls of wool averages out at around £1.67p a ball and there is no-where in the UK (apart from the sale at Kemps) where I can buy good quality for this price. I have got more packs of these yarns but these are my latest buys. No wonder my credit card bill is so high ! A lot of this yarn is for Julie's holiday crochet clothes..The pink shades, and possibly the blue, are for boleros for Claire's daughter.

Two new books from Amazon. I just love the covers, The colours look so inviting they make me want to grab a crochet hook and start right now. I will review the one on the left later.

Not a very good photo but I just love the granny square blanket in the pastel shades.

Isn't this little bag simply gorgeous. I will have to brush up my sewing skills for the lining for this one. I love the Spring shades thay have used.

I am so in love with this granny square bag. I love the colours. Definitely on my 'to do' list. It will make a great project bag for my WIP's or a shopping bag on a Spring day.

I think this cosy would get stained with the drips from the cafetiere but nevertheless it looks pretty.

Wouldn't those rose curtain tie backs look lovely in a little princess's bedroom?

I have bought the cushion pads and an itching to start one of these. The shades of this cushions are so pretty. A change from the vivid colours that I usually like.

These are not shades that I would immediately think of for a baby blanket and yet for a little girl they work so well plus I do love shades of lilac.

Not a good photo but I do like the lacy scarf plus the photography in this book, using old furniture, adds so much to the display of the crochet.

Not keen on the shape of these baby shoes but I do love the pastel shades.

I don't possess a tea pot, nor do I like tea, but I do think this is such a fun tea cosy. I will make it one day and hope that someone will like it.

I don't as a rule crochet toys but these Russian dolls are so cute. I am rubbish at the embroidered details. My toys always have cross eyes and strange expressions.

Not sure why they have popped a little dress in with a book of household items but it is rather sweet and dainty. I don't think that I would have chosen such a bright pink ribbon though.

My friend Sue (the one who introduced me to Ice Yarns) is as bad as me for collecting yarn. She went to Abakhan and phoned me up to ask if I wanted her to get me the colours that I needed for the cushions. She called this range of colours Cath Kidson colours. She knows that I am always there for a bargain. I must remember to pay her the rest of the money that I owe her for this yarn. I am like the Queen. I rarely carry any money unless I draw some out of the bank for a special purpose.

At the moment I am crocheting an off the shoulder top for my friend Julie in another of the Ice yarns. This one is pale grey with grey flower sequins in the yarn. I have finished one piece of it so far.

Later today I am off to see my new Great Nephew JP who is up from London for the weekend to be shown off to the relatives from Manchester. It will be nice to see him even though I have now got a collection of photos of him.

I need to get dressed again as I had to put all of my clothes in the dryer as they were so wet when I got back from the market. Luckily there were some clothes already in the dryer that I could temporarily change into.

I will show photos from the other book on my next post. My two fur neighbours Buddy and Poppy are here to see me. They come through the patio doors to say hello. They don't usually leave until they get a doggy treat and even know which drawer I keep them in. Yesterday my visitor was Lily, the cat from 2 doors away.

Baby Clothes for a Great Nephew

I have had Internet connection problems for the last few days resulting in losing connection altogether for two days but thanks to a lovely BT engineer who repaired my failing telephone line connection I am now thankfully back up to speed. I have a couple of crochet books to review but first I will show you the things that I made for my great nephew Joseph. All these have now been safely delivered and my niece has seen them all.

I made this little jacket from Patons Eco cotton that I bought in the sale from Kemps. As usual I started off using a pattern but then changed it. I have used my favourite stitch for a boy as I think that it has a knitted appearance which my niece prefers. The stitch is one UK treble and one UK double crochet. The row after alternates the stitch working the treble where the double crochet was on the row below. It gives a moss stitch appearance. I also made a little beanie which I forgot to take a photos of. I decided to trim the jacket and the beanie with an oddment of cream and added cream buttons just to take away the plainness of the jacket.

I have since changed the buttons on  this jacket to a deeper shade of turquoise as the leather look buttons looked a bit too heavy for a baby cardigan. This was knitted from Rowan Cotton Jeans which once again I bought in the sale at Kemps. The pattern is called Charlie's jacket and I got it free from Ravelry. The beanie is just my addition. As this cotton is more of an aran thickness than a DK the jacket came out a bit larger so will fit Joseph later in the year.

Another little jacket knitted in Patons Eco cotton bought from Kemps in the sale. It has a very slight fleck which isn't obvious in the photo. I think the pattern is one from Sirdar But I would have to look as I have tidied the pattern away. The Eco cotton is so soft for a baby and more importantly is machine washable which is what my niece will want.

I bought this pattern from Etsy but to be honest I didn't understand the way the pattern was written so I made my own version of the crochet owls at the bottom. I do find that some pattern over explain things and that just  confuses me. I would have preferred a chart for the owl part of this jacket. There should have been a matching owl hat but I was so fed up of the pattern I didn't make it. This is a larger jacket for Joseph to wear in the winter.It is made in James C Brett acrylic DK.

Once again I bought this pattern from Etsy. I used Patons Eco cotton for this and made a larger size so that it will fit the baby later in the year. I didn't want to make too many very small woollies as small babies are ofter just wrapped up in shawls and blankets for the first couple of months and don't wear a lot of cardigans.

I have made more but I need to find the photos of them. I will post more and review my latest crochet books in another post.

Two Weeks Early

Introducing my Great Nephew, Joseph Paul, born to my niece and her husband early yesterday morning. He was 2 weeks early but weighed in at a healthy 7lbs 8ozs. My Sister in Law has gone down to London to see him and my elder niece is going down tomorrow and taking with her the little things that I have knitted and crocheted for him. I will be able to post photos on here once they arrive in London and Mum has seen them. I will have to wait until the family come to Manchester for my little cuddle.

I am going to show you the contents of this latest copy of Inside Crochet. The photography is much brighter and clearer than the Interweave Crochet despite my bad photography.

I know that this is quite a plain top but I do like the shape of it and it would be a useful summer addition to my wardrobe (if we ever get any Summer that is). I have some black cotton yarn that will look nice for this.

I like this as an everyday, but a little bit fancy, sweater. I think that this is one to add to my every growing 'to do' list. I would choose a deeper colour though as pale colours drain me now I am getting older.

Although these are cute I wouldn't make anything woolly that might find it's way into a baby's mouth especially anything that might have wadding inside that could poke through the fabric and potentially choke them.

Not for me. I am not a lover of crocheted necklaces unless they are in wire with beads.

Definitely not for me. I mostly only crochet useful things, either to wear or household items, and these don't some under any of those headings. The flower patterns on their own might be useful for trimming something else

This cape has an oldie worldly look about it. I can imagine it being worn in a period drama if it was in a more conservative colour. I think this design would look better in a neutral shade than a bright colour.

I am told that these very narrow scarves are all in fashion. I am not sure if I would add a  flower to it. A nice silky fancy yarn would look great without any added adornment.

I like the pattern stitch and the colour but I would have to make some amendments to the neckline of this top. I don't think that it needs a ruffle at the neckline. I would prefer it either as a plain neckline or a small turn down collar.

Sorry about the bad photo. I have seen many nicer handbags. This is not one that I would add to my list.

This is a pretty shawl and maybe one day ,once I cure my phobia of joining circular motifs, I will make something similar to this.

This is a bridal garter. I haven't read the pattern but I hope that there is some elastic around the top otherwise the ribbon would be like a tourniquet around the top of the bride's leg.

These last 2 patterns are not in the magazine. They are pages that I bought through eBay and as they are taken from magazines, which are not named, I can't help you as to where they came from.

I have started a black jacket pattern from the Double Stitch twins book. I have only crocheted one sleeve as yet so I will post a photo once there is something more to see.

Enjoy your evening. I am dog sitting my neighbour's two dogs tonight so not much crocheting will be done this evening. I will be playing with them instead. I do love my furry companions.