Purple, rain

We’re having a quiet half term, full of tea parties, games, coloured pencils, short walks, and visits to the library and playground. Little Flower has eaten most lunches under the kitchen table, pretending she’s Mrs. Tittlemouse. And now she’s wearing fairy wings, leaping from chairs in absolutely sincere attempts to learn to fly. I *love* childhood.

We all feel like real homebodies, snuggling under blankets and being generally lazy. Perfect conditions for crochet!

Purple is the shade of the moment here, with 10 more royal-hued hexies nearly complete.

I’m making swift progress on my purple scarf (that is, when I actually pick it up and work on it, the rows whip up super-quick)...

However, I’m starting to wonder what I’ll do with the edges to girly it up a bit. Remember, this is actually another Manly Scarf, I just enjoyed the stitch so much, and I loved this richly coloured yarn, that I decided to make one for myself.

But I’m a girly girl, and I need something to prettify the ends. I’m not one for tassles or loose strands of yarn hanging down. I’m considering little pom poms, like those found at the lovely creJJtion, but will it work with chunky yarn? Hmmm...scalloped edge? Flowers? Suggestions please!

You’ve seen the purple, now here’s the rain:

Ugh. That’s not pretty. Here’s rain with an orchid:

Still grey and rainy, but at least a bit more elegant...

Welcome to my new followers this week! I suffered some internet glitches this week, so I'm still catching up on your latest blog posts, bear with me! 

A big thank you to all the wonderful comments on my last post. I read and treasure every one of them!

Please link up your latest crochet projects below...

Chrissie x

An InLinkz Link-up

Bloomin’ CAL: Strawberry season

We’ve had a very cold, blustery day here in the south of England, with a biting wind and icy frost. Certainly no weather for strawberries...or is it?

Off my hook this week is a new winter hat for Little Flower. I made her a little strawberry hat last year, and when she realized she had outgrown it, she asked if I could crochet another one.

Of course I couldn’t track down the original pattern, which I had sorta mashed together from various sources last year, so I decided to improvise again. A baby earflap hat pattern was increased until it fit Little Flower’s head, the strawberry stem was spotted on Pinterest, but I didn’t like the leaves that accompanied it, so I made my own. Pale yellow yarn stitched on for the seeds. (I will happily cobble together all the elements into one coherent pattern upon request – just send me an email!)

She is very pleased and wears it with pizzazz – and gets many a smile from passers-by on the street!

In other crochet news, I finished the first ball of yarn for the Manly Scarf:

I am loving the shades of this yarn! But I must tuck it away so it is not discovered...

And like so many of us, there are a few other makes in the works that must stay secret until Christmas...so I will entertain you with a funny item I found in the latest Graham & Greene catalogue:

My, my, what gorgeous pom poms used decoratively on the wall! Remind you of something? 

Oh, I am just so on trend...but wait, let’s look a wee bit closer...

Good grief! Do you see the price tag on those posh balls of tissue paper? Three for £19.95?!?  I have £40 worth of pom poms on my wall from the Rainbow Birthday Party! And heck, mine are multi-coloured, which Graham & Greene would no doubt value at £29.95 for three!

Don’t you just love love love being a *maker*? I am sure most of you have experienced a similar crafty smugness, yes? Tell me about it and revel in it here!

And don’t forget to link up your hooky projects below!

Chrissie x

Blooming flowers, blooming ideas

Greetings to you all and a happy welcome to my newest followers. We are well into the Bloomin’ CAL with Ladybird Diaries, and I think for most of us the attention has shifted from hexies and blankets to Christmas projects...

I managed a few more rows of this oh-so-manly scarf from the latest issue of Simply Crochet. The yarn is King Cole Riot Chunky, and my dears, is it lovely! Soft, silky, and very warm, it is sure to keep Darling Husband toasty during the coldest of workday commutes.

It is worked in a granite stitch, which I’d never done before but it does sound macho, doesn’t it? I typically don’t crochet for men because, well, crochet usually just works up more lacy and delicate than knitting, but I spotted this and just had to make it. I like the yarn and stitch so much, though, that I am snooping around the other variegated shades of Riot Chunky for some more feminine shades...

Off the hook this week is a sweet collar for Little Flower:

This tiny pattern (and I mean tiny – the flowers are worked in embroidery floss and a size 2.5 mm hook!) is also from Simply Crochet, it’s a great issue this month, chock full of little gifts and lovely projects!

As I was making this collar, Little Flower helped choose the colours for the flowers, she happily stood while I measured the size to fit...so of course now she refuses to put it on, not even for a quick photo. Hmph.

Now, I’m not one to start thinking about Christmas until my birthday has passed on 1 December. My presents and my cake come before the advent calendar! But then we go mad and decorate and create and bake like we were proper Santa’s elves. So although I am not decorating, I’m starting to sort out the gifts, and that means thinking about how to wrap and present them...

And I have a few yarny ideas I’m going to test during the next few days. More to come in next week’s CAL update!

What’s on your hook this week? Please link up below!

Chrissie x

P.S. Thank you all for your well wishes for Little Flower’s recovery, she’s almost back to full health, a few more days of snuggling and back to pre-school next week!