4KCBWDAY2 - Day 2 of the knitting and crochet blog week!

A Mascot Project!

Today we are supposed to plan a mascot project. We don't have to do it (thankfully.. after all that buzzing I don't know when I'd fit it in) but we are supposed to take you through the process we use when planning a project. So, I'll plan to make a bee (since it has to be linked to our house mascot.. and I'm a little uninventive).

My first step would be to search for patterns related to the project I want to make. Perhaps on ravelry, or google.

So here's my ravelry search:

Immediately, I love the look of the little bees there, one in from the right.

This project is knitting, so I would automatically think it would take some concentration for me (I'm still getting used to knitting again) and until last week, I wouldn't have been able to try it, as all my needles were too big! I have inherited some new to me needles though, so now have the right size!

Next, I would probably completely ignore any yarn suggestions. I'm cheap and cheerful and rarely buy suggested yarn. I usually use acrylic, though I have some blended yarns too!

I'd just make sure to pick some yarn colours that would work for the project, especially as it's a toy/plushie so it wouldn't need to be special yarn anyway.

Thenn... I would sit down on the sofa, with my laptop open so I can see the pattern (I don't have a printer) then off I'd go...

Knitting and crochet blog week: day 1

The House Cup!

I'm almost certain that I would be placed in to the house of the bee. I very rarely stick to just one project! At the moment I'm making 2 crocheted blankets, a knitted mouse, some crocheted roses and some crocheted daffodils (and there are plenty of other projects flitting around in my head!). I'm trying to be less of a bumble bee though, and have created a word document on my computer for all the lovely free patterns I find online. Now, instead of going "Oo, I must start that now!" I try to add it to my little directory for another time (when I've finished a few of what I've already started). That didn't work with the knitted mice though.. I saw it Saturday and started it Saturday (thought I HAD seen it a while ago and dismissed it). Yep, definitely a bumble bee.

Knitting and Crochet blog week 2013

So, I'm probably a bit late to this party, but this is a quick post to let you know that I've decided to take part in the knitting and crochet blog week run by Eskimimi makes!

The idea of the week is to bring fresh and new ideas to blogging, but you can find out more about that here.

So, there is a guide for me to follow with what to post on which day. And there will be a knitting or crochet related post every day for the next week. This means that my other posts will have to wait a bit longer (they've already been scheduled, so I'll have to change the post date to EVEN later..)

I'm looking forward to a guided schedule of blogging this week, and hopefully I'll find some new things to blog about that suit me!

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Learning cabling

This week we've spent a couple of days staying with Tom's Nan, Sue. Which means I've had a few craft lessons!

Lesson number one was learning how to cable knit. Sue did a quick sampler so she could show me what to do, and then this is what I came up with!

The pattern is hard to show up close but it was a simple cable pattern using cb4 on a repeat with purl stitches in between.

You can see a little peek of what I did next in the background too..

New arrivals: Easter chicks!

We've got some new arrivals. These gorgeous little knitted chicks..

These chirpy little things were an Easter present from my brother's gorgeous girlfriend. She knitted them herself and also sells them in her parents' shop, "Mike's" in Ilminster. She makes several little knitted toys available to buy throughout the year so worth a look if you're in the area :)

Finished project: Sail boats!

I have been wanting to make this pattern by Jacquie at Bunny Mummy every since I found it whilst "stumbling" the crochet interest nearly a year ago! In fact.. I think I found it just as I was starting to crochet and though "Help! I'll never be able to make something as pretty as that". Well... here we are and I've managed to follow the pattern and as Jacquie's tutorials are always so well illustrated with well-taken photographs it was nice and easy! In fact.. it only took me a couple of days and that includes drying time for the starch!

I didn't embellish these ships as much as Jacquie did but I'm glad I finally found a use for these little fish! They came with my second (?) crafty creatives subscription box and I adore them, I just never thought of anything to use them for until now. This decoration is actually a house-warming present for my parents, but I have an idea for these boats for the future for my own home :) May be a few months before I make them again though!

P.S. I'm attempting to be a bit more conversational in these posts now. I read one of my older posts the other day and realised it was all short statements. Not fun to read hey? Let me know if this is any better and I'll try to keep it up :)