First attempt at spinning

I really enjoying crochet and decided to branch out from crochet to have more hobbies, so the next logical step seem to be to spin my own yarn, so its still linked to crochet. Sooner or later I guess I will have angora rabbits and maybe a few sheep, that will have to wait until I start earning though! I got a starter spinning kit from handspinner.co.uk, It came with an ashford drop spindle, a bag of Merino wool (ready to tease out and spin), the ashford book of hand spinning, and two issues of the mag The wheel. A great starter set in my opinion and it wasn't very expensive either!

So I watched three videos from theartofmegan's channel, the three videos show you how to draft the yarn for spinning, actually spinning the yarn, and finishing and making a skein. Definitely a good watch if you have never spun before!

So the first bit of yarn I spun came out mega chunky but that's because I used a very thick piece of wool and didn't draft it very much. The turquoise thread in the picture is DK weight and is there to give you a scale.

 

The next lot I have spun is using half the thickness of the yarn I used in the first but it is still abit chunky.. maybe more aran weight.

I still have half the amount of yarn that cam in the kit left and my aim is the spin something more like the DK weight. Then its to dying and I will be dying them using dylon in turquoise and blue colours, which are my favourite colours.

I'll let you know how I get on! Any tips are welcome please, I want to tune this skill so I can justify getting rabbits and sheep in the future :P

x

Lets doodle on fabric!

A while back during my exams my parents were very kind and bought me two books that I really wanted, one of which was Twinkie Chans book and the other...

I think the designs in the book are really cute and it made embroidery actually appeal to me which it has never done before! So this after noon I dug out some scrap fabric (which I bought and used for a moth net) and my mum's embroidery threads. I drew onto the fabric in biro (not a good idea) so when my pen slipped I couldn't correct it so I had to stitch over it. However I think the patterns have come out not so bad!

Heres what I did this afternoon, I went for an under the sea theme!

And here is each motif one at a time....

This one is definitely my favourite, the octopus is just so cute :D I like the bubbles too.

I did use two different shades of aqua in this jellyfish but it doesn't show up very well... note to self use more contrasting threads!

Finally the star fish!

I really enjoyed doing this today and it was definitely a nice little break from all the crochet I have been doing!

x 

Past, Present and Future

Wow its been quite a week, I got my degree (BSc Zoology (Hons) 2:1, with a 1st for my honours project :D) which I am really pleased with and it means I can do the MSc in Entomology at Imperial come October. Today I got a job interview as well :D really nervous but we will see how everything goes. 

So I haven't posted what I've been doing for a while and that's quite a bit considering I have lots of free time at the moment. So to start with my Mum's finished Star blanket. I LOVE making this blanket, I really really love making this blanket, which I never thought I would say because I didn't think I would like making something as big as a blanket. As I was making it Katie our schnauzer decided to lay on the blanket that I had made for myself so I covered her in the one that I was making and she looked so cute...

So after leaving the blanket for about a week to do other things I finally finished and felt very sad because I was enjoying it so much but here it is finished...

And like I said I REALLY enjoyed making it so I got more yarn for two more blankets hehe :D

I love red so I definitely wanted to make a red one

I chose these colours to look like sea and sand

I mentioned a few posts ago that I was going to make a scarf using Noro silk garden (chunky). I didn't copy the Rapunzel pattern (from inside crochet magazine) exactly as I only made one strip instead of three as I had used chunky yarn and felt that it was wide enough and tripling it would just be TOO much. I absolutely love the colour and would recommend this yarn (be warned though the thickness of the yarn varies) albeit a bit pricey.

I decided to teach myself to knit in the round as it was annoying that earlier in the year I had tried and failed. I shall not be beaten! So I tried and succeeded, maybe I failed last time because I had little patience due to exams hurtling towards me at a startling speed. The pattern I used was From the book Knit & Purl pets by Claire Garland  and it was the bird. I love the patterns in this book so it really pains me to say it but DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK! I wonder if the publishers even checked it before they printed as half the bird pattern was repeated on two pages and the rest of the pattern was missing! I was so gutted when I turned the page to continue knitting and realised. I've also heard there are a few other errors in the book. I would say if there is another way to purchase the patterns do so.

Anyway here is the start of the bird anyway. I can't believe I knitted it in the round! :D

So since I appear to be able to successfully knit in the round I have started making a fingerless glove, you can find the pattern HERE. It's a simple glove which is perfect for me as I'm slowly getting used to knitting in the round.

I also thought I would share with you a book I love and definitely think every crocheter should own, Beyond the square Crochet motifs by Edie Eckman.

I got it for my 21st off Mum and Dad and its great, I haven't made many from it yet but the motifs are just beautiful!

Here is one I have made...

I have also made a small flower out of it which is attached to my crochet slippers, which I will blog about on a later date!

Finally I wanted to share I pattern that I like from the lion brand website called The tree of life. I think its fantastic and I started to crochet it. Sadly its about to be hibernated as there are other projects that I want to dig in to at the moment like the buttered toast scarf (which is gradually gaining slices of toast). But here is a picture of it so far anyway.

Anyway that's all for today. Oh and did I mention that I will have been crocheting for a whole year later this month! Time has certainly flown since then, I still feel like it was only yesterday that I first picked up the hook!

x

Hookin' Up Day 6: Donna's Decembers

I joined a project set up by Kathryn at Crochet Concupiscence called Hookin' Up and its 'designed to allow crochet bloggers to connect with one another, do a little bit of “paying it forward” with crochet reviews and help everyone find more great blogs that talk about crochet'. Yesterday Art like bread did a great review of my blog (Thanks :D ) and today it is my turn to review the blog Donna's Decembers by Liz.

To start with Liz was very kind and agreed to do an interview with me so without further ado...

Tell us a bit about yourself

Hiya, my name is Liz. I began Donna's Decembers as a tribute to my grandmother, Donna, in 2010. I run a blog that reflects my day to day life, interests, and musings on crochet.

How and why did you start to crochet?

My grandmother, Donna, taught me to crochet when I was just 7 years old. I was staying at her house a lot in the summer time and always saw her crafting. She would always let me work on projects with her, but knew that if she taught me to crochet, I would probably stay out of her hair ;).

What inspired you to start a blog?

I have always wanted to be the girl that has a cupboard full of notebooks and journals. I have found that it is easier for me to sit down at the computer and record my thoughts or recent events. I love blogging so much! I have met some really incredible people through blogging (via internet and in real life).

What gave you the idea to start your etsy shop?

During the 2009 winter holiday season, I began crocheting earrings for my friends and family members. I gave every female in my English department a pair of earrings as a token of my appreciation for them. They loved them! A close friend of mine whom owns a handmade shop encouraged me to persue Etsy a little futher. So far, so good!

Where do you get your inspiration from?

A lot of my inspiration comes from fashion magazines and how people live in various conditions. I look through Vogue each month and imagine the trends and concepts in crochet. Sometimes the ideas work, sometimes they don't! As I travel or go for drives, I think about what accessories would support day-to-day lives in various climates and lifestyles. It's so fun imagining people in your crocheted goods and then actually bringing them to life!

What’s your favourite item in your shop and why?

I really love the necklaces I offer. They are so delicate and beautiful. It's such a modern twist to vintage crochet. I love it when designers take an old style and give it a new use!

 

(Both images above are of the beautiful necklaces Liz makes and sells in her etsy shop, 

www.donnasdecembers.etsy.com)

What’s your favourite type of thing to crochet (accessories, clothes, toys, etc.)?

I truly love to crochet accessories. While I'm teaching, it's easy for me to keep up with those small projects. I do, however, crochet bigger peices in the summertime, though! Right now I'm working on a granny square coverlet for my new home!

Do you have a favourite type or brand of yarn to use?

I really, really love Lion Brand Yarns. They have a special collection of top notch yarns that are really beautiful. I honestly shop anywhere though. It is more important for me that the yarn be wearable, of good quality, and a good color than anything else!

Do you have a favourite crochet stitch?

I'm definitely going to go with any form of a bobble stitch. I love textured stitches. They can offer a lot of personality to the simplist of designs!

Do you have a crocheting role model?

Yikes. It's a tie between Linda Permann and Twinkie Chan! They design peices that are representative of their personaltiies and lifestyles.

Do you have any advice for a beginner? 

Yes! Take your time! It's better to perfect things as you go than rush and have to go back and re-learn stitches and movements. Also, take risks. Make sure you put your own personality into your work!

I strongly recommend any beginner to check out the following links:

www.ravelry.com

http://www.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/pg.cgi?page=learningCenter.html

Thank you Liz for taking the time to do the interview.

Now for me to tell you what I like about Donna's Decembers. Its great source of inspiration as she share images of things that inspire her.  Her blog journals her life with crochet weaved in throughout, this really makes you feel like you get to know her and her crochet. I would definitely recommend checking out her blog Donna's Decembers  as I am sure you will find inspiration for your own crochet there.

You can also find Liz at

twitter: @donnasdecembers

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Donnas-Decembers-Crocheted-Jewelry-Accessories/15794785090425

Now go check out her blog!

5

Mum's Star blanket

I started the star blanket for mum today because I don't have the right amount of yarn for the rapunzel scarf. I'll get more tomorrow and start it then but I thought I would share a picture of mum's blanket so far because the colour are lovely and bright :)

Colours are brighter in real life than in the picture, I hope she likes it :)

Finished Star Blanket

As you can see in my last blog post I had started making a star blanket from issue 16 of Inside crochet... well now it's finished YEY! It was really easy to make and relatively quick to make too! It's the first pattern I've made from inside crochet and it has turned out really well. So with out further ado here are some photos.

I love the star pattern in it .. kind of reminds me of flowers

And to cuten my blog post here are some dog photos...
This is Holly and she LOVES being wrapped in clothes or blankets so she is very obliging

Katie however isn't so obliging but I managed to snap a picture of her wrapped in it :)

Awwh she always looks so serious but shes lovely :D

And finally here is a couple of pictures of it on the settee

Its the biggest thing I have ever made! and is so different from making Amigurumis

So my Mum loves it and wants me to make one for her, so we went back to the yarn shop and got more yarn in different colours. I should point out that the pattern says you need two 200g balls of each colour but I only used 200g of the blue (sandpiper) colour... so these are the colours Mum chose from the colours available (though there weren't that many as they are so popular that they were selling fast)

I also found another yarn shop just down the road from the other yarn and it had Noro silk garden yarn that I wanted so I could make the Rapunzel scarf  in the same issue... I love the colours!

Can't wait to start both projects but I also need to finish the Buttered toast scarf. If only there were more hours in the day!



Update: crochet madness

I'm absolutely loving the summer holiday... can't believe that I won't be back in uni until October and that's only if I choose to do a masters! Anyway I have been crocheting two bigger projects than I usually do. So to start I've started doing Twinkie Chan's Toast scarf. I've done three slices so far and I can't wait until I have finished it (just another 13 slices to go!). I used yarn I got from a yarn shop at home but they didn't have any brands I've heard of. Wish I could find somewhere that sold Lion brand yarn in the UK because I don't fancy ordering it from the USA. Anyway here are some pictures of my finished three slices!

mmm plated and ready to serve!

Ok so my next project which I started yesterday. I had brought along with me issue 16 of inside crochet, it has a lovely blanket in it (star blanket) made in James C. Brett yarn. I figured I would never be able to find this specific yarn but went in search of other bulky yarn. My Dad found a yarn shop in Ruthin and off we went! It was only a small store but it had a nice selection. She told me the bulky yarn was on the bottom three shelves so I bent down and to my disbelief there it was! James C. Brett yarn! However they only had one ball of the aqua yarn. So I chose my own colour combination which has produced an much subtle contrast but I love it! Here are two picture of the first two bands of colour....

and a slightly closer picture...

I love the pattern and so far it has been an absolute joy to crochet! I feel like going back to the Ruthin yarn shop and buying a different combination of colours and crocheting another straight after!

Another project I'm intermittently doing is the scandinavian throw, which I have now finished all 15 small blocks and am half way through making the first of the four big blocks :D

Anyway I'm off to crochet some more but will keep you updated!