Copper Wire Crocheted Statement Necklace by ZegnaZewelry  (see more Zegna Jewelry)

Stylish design and unique wire crochet technique. Also crocheted technique made this set very light, elegant and chic. Picture isn’t show all the beauty and shine. One of a kind. Very sparkly. Perfect far any occasion.

I wasn’t so much bothered with the pattern, it is just a simple chain loop with a shell border. I really wanted to just concentrate on the form – having said that it was difficult to see how the yellow glove was started, on looking at the picture again it is quite obvious!! The shell patterns on the back goes from the fingers down – a clear give-away really, duh! I must have seen that when I first started making these. I forgot to say that when I found the yellow glove in my clear out that I found four fingers [gruesome!] already done, so I just had to join them up in the round.  Now back to my sewing. The background to these pictures is the fabric for Harri’s top, cut out and started, so back to the grind.

I’m making an attempt to reduce my stash, flowers, leaves and lucky shamrock have helped in a small way

White Sheep

MiniRöcke
It was also a flea market and a restaurant day (in few words, means that people could sale food “homemade” on the streets).

And I took the opportunity to buy some nice puzzle for my daughters!

The weather was not that nice, it was cloudy and a bit chilly…so the pictures aren’t the best….. (sorry for that!).

Looking forward for the next one……

Thank you Susanne!!

It took me a full day to find just the right pattern for this particular color of yarn.  I really didn’t feel like knitting socks, or even a shawl.  I wanted something to crochet that would be easy, fairly quick and simple.  I personally feel that sometimes the most simple of patterns truly can show off the beauty of a yarn, especially if it’s hand-painted yarn.  So with that though in mind, I decided to crochet a Spring Petals Scarf, perfect for beginners and easy to memorize.

The original design calls for worsted weight but it’s perfect for fingering weight too.  To compensate for the size, I doubled the stitches for the pattern  and went down three hook sizes, opting for a size US E (3.5 mm).   I also wanted something to give a bit more interest to the pattern and give a softness to the colors of the yarn.  After going through my stash, I found that I had two skeins of Rowan Kidsilk Haze in the color Dewberry (#600), a perfect complement to the Raven.

I plan to work on this scarf over the next few weeks, along with a few other projects I’ve got going!

Why am I late?? Well… same old story. I had difficult time to sleep after finishing a pair of booties. Crochet Cuffed Baby Booties  from Repeat Crafter Me.

I fall in love with that booties since the 1st time I found it on web. But I rather pessimist to make it because I rarely crocheted booties (somehow I tend to crochet them with different size. Maybe because my tension every time I pull out the yarns). Really have to work hard to keep my tension steady.

Now.. please take a look on my booties.

Material:

White Softy Cotton from Thalenta

Green Indonesian Cotton from Thalenta

Clover Hook 7/00

Button from coconut shell

And now.. do you remember my Rainbow Earflap which I post weeks a go? I finally get rid off those hanging yarns. Honestly, it took quite a lot of effort in doing it. But I think it’s worth a lot.

And now.. I combine those 2 and turn them into a mini baby set package. Guess what?!?! It was sold to a friend whose looking for a gift. Yay!!!

And after succeding in crocheting this Cuffed Booties, I feel like wanna crochet more and more. Zillion thanks to Sarah from RepeatCrafterMe for her adorable and easy to do booties pattern.

Happy Crafting All.

VINTAGE leather jacket
LINDEX fur gilet
SECOND HAND top
DINSKO snake pattern ballerinas

The pants were a present from mommy dearest! 

Here I am with the first dress for the challenge, for more information please read the post The Challenge 1 Dress = 1 Necklace.

I chose a red dress and decided to keep it simple. Used a pearl necklace (not real pearls  :-) ) and made some crochet flowers, sewing a pearl to the center. The problem with this necklace was his size, I like it to be near my neck,  so I shortened it a bit.

Tutorial for the flowers

Chain 5, join with sl stitch to first chain to form ring

Chain 3, make 11 dc into ring and join with sl stitch to beg chain 3, you now have 12 dc on ring

Chain2, 1 dc, 1 tr, 2 dc in next stitch, 1 sc in next stitch, chain 2, 1 dc, 1 tr, 2 dc in next stitch, 1 sc in next stitch

repeat until you have 6 petals

Then slip stitch to first stitch of the row.

Kisses and keep your fingers busy!!

Just Ducky could be called an advanced beginner/intermediate pattern. It is worked almost entirely in the round, with some rows. The beak, wings, body, and head are worked separately from each other and sewn together.

Just Ducky is $5.50US. To purchase the pattern, click here:

Anyway, I had a good old time mucking around with dishcloths. I certainly dont need any more.

While I was at it, I started making a cotton hexagonal floor rug. I am not sure if I will ever finish it, but it is getting there.

What an excellent weekend. The Eurovision song contest was perhaps the best I’ve seen in a couple of years. Not because the songs and performances were somehow exceptionally good, but because I was watching it together with many others – online.

I was comfortably at home after a long day of gardening, with some Fair Trade bubbly and my new crochet projects, as you see from the photo. It was great to see how social media brings a whole new level to the experience. Dozens of tweets and FB updates, good discussions and laughs from all over Europe.

Btw, the more I read Virkkuri, the more I want to crochet. I hear Molla Mills is making a new book, let’s see when it comes out.

The month of May is always a busy time. Everyone suddenly wakes up to the spring, and there are so many events taking place that it’s almost hard to choose. Last Saturday was Restaurant Day, and dozens if not hundreds of little pop-up restaurants mushroomed here and there. Next Saturday is Cleaning Day, a massive flea-market taking place, well, everywhere. I thoroughly enjoyed Cleaning Day last year, but this year I won’t be able to join the fun. Other interesting, international, workshop-like things will happening the coming weekend, and I will be sure to blog about them later. Just wait! But for sure, social media already has and will add layers to all events.

And as if all of this wasn’t enough, I was invited to Haltia – the Finnish Nature Centre for a pre-tour for bloggers. The centre opens 31 May, and we’ll get a guided tour on 28 May. I can’t wait to see how the centre looks like, what it has to offer and how cool it actually is. I’ve driven past the construction site last year when visiting Nuuksio National Park in Espoo, but now it’s finally ready. Exciting to see the place and blog about it!

On a final note, yesterday was just like a hot summer day. It was wonderful. I met with some friends, we enjoyed a barbecue picnic, a few glasses of bubbly and of course, the sun. On days like these, it is almost hard to remember how dark and cold the Finnish winter is. How do we survive the winter ordeal every year?

♣ In the meantime: I’m off to the seaside for two days for some work-related brainstorming. I’m hoping to wake up early enough to get some nice morning photographs. Also, I managed to include a crochet workshop for my colleagues in the programme. We’ll be making small baskets.

♥ Song of the day: Birgit Õigemeel, Et Uus Saaks Alguse (Estonia, my favourite in the Eurovision song contest 2013)

I am basically a normal person. I watch TV, I have family and friends, I go to college part time, and I basically enjoy my life as much as I can. I collect hobbies. My favorite is to crochet. I love creating things with my hands, so I do a lot of things. I work with duct tape, do origami, paint, make collages (much like the one I did for my background; yes, that is my work), draw, color, throw knives, knit, write, shoot bows and arrows, cook, exercise, seed bead sew, and otherwise make jewelry. And just like a lot of other people, I have a mental disorder. Statistically, 1 in 4 people have a mental disorder of some type.

I have PTSD. It was formed from abuse that I had experienced for over 20 years. I’m 27 years old. It all started when I was 5 and it didn’t end until I finally removed myself from my abuser’s life. The forms of abuse include all of the above. As you can imagine, I have been significantly damaged. Now, I absolutely hate to use that word, but it is the best way to describe what happens without going into great detail about what I mean by the word. I shall go into some of the terminology a bit later on, especially when I decide to talk about mental illness stigmas. I have many complications from my PTSD. This is because my abuse was so extensive, lengthy, and untreated for many years. I have been going to therapy, and have been on 15 different medications to try to help my PTSD and complications from it. My story of healing is a long one, which will be revealed little by little. I’ve got to keep something for the suspense, right?

For now, this is good night… or good morning, depending on when you’re reading this. May your day be bright and filled with love and happiness.

So day started very sluggish (it is Monday after all!).  I set my alarm at 5.30am to get up and go for a walk.  Clothes were laid out ready to go, brain and body was not.  Snooze was pressed numerous times and I didn’t get up until about an hour later.  I made my hot lemon water with cayenne pepper tonic and got started on a very brief yoga session – a few sun salutations was all I could fit in.   I do live in a half scary / half posh neighbourhood and the thought of walking in the dark made me a tad scared (haha excuses!).  So I made a deal with myself to walk in the late afternoon.

I had 1.5 long blacks from about 7am to 10am and got out of work at 1pm for some lunch (ps I’m doing IF at the moment.  Feel free to check out LeanGains for some insight).  Lunch was delicious!! I’ll post a photo below.  Simple slow cook pork that I put on yesterday with sautéed spinach, tomato and capsicum in coconut butter with some avocado (see my post on FODMAPs if you want to see why I ‘shouldn’t’ eat avo).  Back at work I just drank a truck load more water and sipped on Lemon and Ginger tea due to my bloaty belly (love/hate relationship with avo).

I’m just waiting on my boyfriend (self proclaimed bossfriend as he thinks he’s boss – whatever THAT means…*rolls eyes*) to come over so we can finally get my morning walk in only about 12 hours later.  Also just munched on about 10 almonds as I’ma hungry hippo.  I’m off to Big DubYa when he gets here to buy some wool for my granny square blanket.  Exercise and errand in one – huzzah!

So dinner tonight will be something along the lines of meat and/or egg and veges.  I’m kinda thinking an om-nom-nom-lette.

Supplements are 3x fish oil tablets 3x day (sometimes only twice as I forget at lunch!) and 3x Magnesium and Calcium tablets per day.  Magnesium is for muscle spasm for my silly back and to assist sleep and calcium to help absorb or whatever (note to self – must look into this).  I’ll make sure I do a short guided meditation before bed tonight too.  OH and I have to finish off some telephone crisis supporter elearning (nearly finished!!) and pay a bill…yuck.

Plan for tomorrow is to hit the mat EARLY!  As in get my butt out of my cosy, warm, feels like a nanna hug of a bed and get my body moving.  Annoying the weather is changing to cool as it just makes it so much bloody harder!

Body love is the aim of the game!

x

A bag for breakfast

I am ridiculously pleased with it and my other half let slip that he thought it looked great too! I had to get him to repeat what he said after I picked myself off the floor.

The connection of the rings to the sides was something of a fluke. I just messed around with my crochet hook and this is what I ended up with.

Crochet bag handle

Bag handle

I might blog my first tutorial on this bag. What do you think?I will probably give the twine a rest for the next project.

Inside

I have a few days to decide on some holiday friendly take away crochet.

Related articles

• A bag for breakfast (lovelucie1.wordpress.com)
• A bag for breakfast Part 2 (lovelucie1.wordpress.com)

I crocheted the roses and then using craft wire I threaded the wire throughout the rose, twirling the crochet rose around to make a rose shape.

I attached the roses to the wire heart I made and adding some leaves for an extra decorative design.

Hope you like as much as I enjoyed making.

R x

I wanted a toy box that would grow old with him, a box he could take to University, take to his first home and share with his own children when I finally let him fly the nest and I approve of her!!!

Please, please, please visit my friend page, search Carved on Facebook to find his page.

Or visit his website: http://www.carvedletters.co.uk

Or his blog: timwhittondesign.blogspot.com

A massive Thank You to Tim for Michael’s beautiful toy box.

R x

Learn the art of the Granny Square with tuition fees going to fund a fistula operation at the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital.

The classes are run as part of the Hamlin Fistula Hospital, which many people may have heard of as the “Hospital by the River”.

The classes will run upstairs at Grind on Darby St once a month until November (from 11am to 4pm) and teach you everything you need to know to make your own Granny Square Blanket.

Class dates (please register here to confirm the class numbers)

Sunday 26 May
Sunday 30 June
Sunday 28 July
Sunday 25 August
Sunday 29 September
Sunday 27 October
Sunday 24 November

The fees from each class ($60 per person) pays for an obstetric fistula operation, restoring the dignity of a woman who would otherwise be ostracised by her family and community.  Obstetric fistula is an horrific childbirth injury which leaves these poor girls incontinent and outcast. Because of the generous support of programs like this, patients coming to the hospital in Ethiopia can be treated free of charge!

All you have to bring along is a 4mm crochet hook and a ball of 8ply Acrylic Yarn in a bright bold colour! You can pick these up at Spotlight, Lincraft, or your local craft shop. A pair of small scissors and a good sense of humour can come in pretty handy too.

With your completed blanket, you can keep warm for the up-coming winter months, or like hundreds of amazing hookers from around the country, you can donate your blanket (or granny squares) to be given as a gift to the amazing patients of Hamlin who each receive one upon arrival to the Hospital.

For more info go to the above fb pages or
www.hamlin.org.au

www.facebook.com/DrCatherineHamlin

www.facebook.com/toaddiswithlove

www.facebook.com/littlemissswan

So I have been thinking about what my next crochet projects are going to be. I am definitely going to learn to do scarves and give them as Christmas presents. I would rather make presents than buy them and I might as well start now. I also found this cool idea on Pinterest to make crocheted coasters. I would like to do that for presents as well. Plus I could make some for our house! I’m also thinking I want to start my first full sized blanket for the hubby and me and I have a design picked out that I want to do. Another thing that I thought looked awesome is making little crocheted stuffed animals for the munchkin. Now all this seems like a lot and I want to get things done in an orderly and timely fashion. I want to prioritize the Christmas stuff and the animals. So I figured I would set goals. I’m not allowed to start my afghan until I have completed at least 3 scarves and 3 animals. The coasters I should be able to do fairly quickly. I got excited when I saw the coasters because I could basically just look at the picture and count the stitches and recognize what the different stitches were, and I’m excited to play around with different colors on them. I eventually want to do all the scarves in the book and multiples of all the animals. I’m very excited to finish my baby blanket and start some new projects!

Also, this.

It’s been almost a year since Lynne posted her first tutorial for the Blogville Ladies Crochet Society and I took my first steps into learning crochet. I had wanted to learn how to crochet ever since I saw the amazing things she made and exchanged with her friend Melissa and was thrilled when she offered to create some tutorials. We started with dishcloths and potholders, moved on to  amigurumi pebbles and finished with learning how to make granny squares.

I never posted about the granny squares because I was making them as gifts and didn’t want to spoil the surprise but now that they have been given away I can tell you all about them. When I first started making the granny squares I didn’t know what  I was going to use them for. At the same time I was working on the Blue Moon Magic Raffle Quilt for the Genesee Valley Quilt Club. I’m the kind of person that likes to show my appreciation for people that help me on a project so I decided to put those two things together so to speak. There were about 70 ladies all totaled that helped create the raffle quilt and I decided to make a pincushion for each of them.

My mom helped by sewing and stuffing all the little pillows. We used one of the left over fabrics from the quilt that also complimented the yarn I was using for the granny squares. I used the cotton yarn I had also used to make some wash clothes I sent to the Warmth for Warriors project. There are 5 different colors of yarn and I was able to make it so no two cushions were alike (sort of like snow flakes). I loved how they turned out.

Here is a close up of a few of them. I had to improvise what to do for the back of the cushion and it took a couple of tries to get the size just right.

I ended up doing 7 rows of double crochet (15 stitches long). To join the front and back I used single crochet around the edge. I’m happy to say that the ladies who received them were surprised and happy with their unique gifts.

After making 70 granny squares I’m pretty sure that I can now make one in my sleep. Towards the end it started to seem a bit tedious, but it felt good to get them done. Thanks again to Lynne for turning me into a hooker. I really enjoy having this portable hobby.

I tried to get a picture of the whole afghan.

This one shows the bubbles a little bit better. It’s just hard to see details in a black afghan in a picture.

Here is a picture of the bow.

I should have used a ribbon about half the width of the one I used. Willow liked it as it is, so I’ve left it like that for now. I haven’t sewn the ribbon in place, so I can change it later. She seems to be starting to agree with me that it should be changed. It’s okay, but because the ribbon is too wide for the wholes in which it’s woven, it’s folded over and bunched up. When I get the different ribbon I’ll sew the bow once it’s been tied.

I haven’t yet finished the pillow. I need to get some Polyfill to stuff it. I wish I could find some black Polyfill to use. I know the white is going to show through the black yarn and look funny. She won’t care, but it will annoy me. Also, I want to wait on getting it done until I get new ribbon. I used nearly 5 yards on the afghan, so I’ll have to get two spools of the ribbon I end up using.