New year, new projects

So. long time no listing. Many things have happened. I had a month off work, recuperating from the BIG-H (operation, for us girls) and managed to crochet 4, yes 4! baby blankets. I can never find the photos when I need them. Probably on the 'puter downstairs.

We moved buildings for work, and as we share our floor with new, different departments, you could not turn around without meeting a baby bump. They were everywhere. It was like an epidemic. Some have arrived, gorgeous! Some are still to come.

Some have been given little trinkets:

Carissa's bub got this (and Gillian got the same in Blue):

Sarah's bump is getting these:

Carissa has also ordered the Owl Hat. It is amazing how popular this is this season. I placed the above photo on Facebook and have received three requests.

The major work was inspired by Attic24. After mentioning I thought this was a cute idea for a baby to IsabellaGolightly I received an immediate request. It was a fun project and enjoyed every minute of it. I think it worked out ok? What do you think? (sorry the photos aren't the best. Rushing to work when I took them)

They are a gift for a friend of Isabella's, along with a pair of the boots above. I hope they like them. You  just never know do you? Well, off to bed now.

Many Owl's to make next week. I will upload them when they are ready. Good night!

A Vintage Vertical for Ollie

After much harassment from Melissa, a lovely contractor working with us, I succumbed and made this blanket for Oliver, her gorgeous 1 year old. The idea came from a posting on Attic24, the lovely Lucy, about a Vintage Vertical Stripe blanket she had started using Kool Kotton.

Vintage Vertical Stripe

A quick look in the local Kmart and I came across Patons Washed Haze Aran, a 50/50 cotton/acrylic mix. The colours were chalky and mixed enough not to look too babyish - he is a boy of 1 you know! Using the pattern from Bella Dia, linked by Lucy, and going absolutely insane, those who know me know I can not do random!!, I set forth on the journey of the Vintage Vertical Stripe.

Many hours later, and many movies later I must say, the blanket was finished. With the help of some medicinal Vodka and Coke I managed to survive the sewing in of the threads, 140 in all. The edge looked a bit bare so back to the local Kmart for extra red, Little Ollie's Mum has VERY red hair. A quick look through my 'The Art of Crochet' folder and I found this delightful 'Crab Stitch' border. It is amazing. It leaves picot edging for dead.

So 10 colours, 156 trebles per row, 140 tails vodka, hey presto Happy Birthday Little Ollie!!!

Trial Run

Floppy Hat

I tried my hand at a pattern I got from Annie's Attic. The book is called 'Chemo Caps & Wraps' and was sold to raise money for Cancer research. I love this little hat and thought it would be good for my gf's daughter, a real little fashionista. Unfortunately it is too small or her head is too big!!

Is it an Angel?

Or is it for an angel.

Flutter-Bye Jacket

A dream to make for Lisa and Little Chloe

During the visit to the Sydney Craft Show, 2010 we came across a lady selling a crochet baby jacket pattern. It has a copyright dated 2010 and was familiar so we bought it, we being myself and The Nanny (my beautiful Mum). As The Nanny has not forgotten anything she has ever made, !!!, we get home and she starts going through the old patterns. I'm talking pre-colour here folks! Low and behold up pops the very same pattern and The Nanny exclaims 'I made this for your brother!'. Now he is 45 this year, so a very old pattern indeed.

Flutter-bye jacket and ripple blanket

Not long after I run into a colleague at work I have known for 14 years and find out she is pregnant with her first, after 17 losses! There was only one thing to do. Add her to the list of blankets and get crackin'. The end result was a Flutter-bye jacket in a beautiful soft variegated with a semi-matching ripple stroller blanket. They are going in the post to her this weekend and I hope she likes them. The little angel was safely delivered and has been named Chloe. Congratulations.

A Good Mistake

I purchased a couple of baby blanket/afghan books from the US. They have beautiful patterns and nearly all are "Yarn" or "Size 4". This poses a conundrum in Australia as Yarn Type 4 in the US can mean 5 ply or 8 ply here. I had a variegated 8 ply cotton and decided to have a go at one of the patterns. I think I used the wrong crochet hook size and it came out smaller than the  pattern suggested, but it works! It is a really good size for a stroller. The larger afghans drag on the ground and can get caught in the wheels, yet this is just the right size to tuck in without bulkiness and keep bub warm, so my mistake is not as bad as I first thought..



Stroller Baby Blanket



The Costa is having a girl!

It was a very interesting day when we heard the Costa, otherwise known as beautiful Michelle, was expecting her second bub. To find out a baby girl was on the way was even more exciting until we received the question ' do you think I can dress it in blue and call in Bob?' by email. Coming up with a colour to use, for a Mum with an aversion to pink, and made from natural fibres, preferably cotton, was difficult. A trip to the Sydney Craft Show and the great people at Bendigo Woollen Mills had this lovely 70% wool / 30% cotton lilac (or is it Mauve? I'll let you decide). Then I had to hunt down a pattern I had spotted in passing on Annie's Attic website and voila! Job Done.

Crocheted Round Baby Blanket

As you can see from my posts I am trying all sorts of different shapes, patterns and colour combos to expand my repertoire. Hope it's working! Let me know what you think.

Shiloh Jolie-Who??

My 'Shiloh' blanket

My first complex blanket, not bad for a beginner...

I was given the brief 'I would like a blanket the same as Shiloh Jolie-Pitt's'. Well, where do you start with that? Much google searching, I refuse to use google as a verb, and I was able to locate a picture from New Idea (!) showing said Shiloh in a stroller clutching a blanket made of squares.

More google searching and I found a new Mum/baby forum, I love forums and blogs by the way - best source of information since backyard over the fence conversation went by the wayside but I digress. Someone had asked where did the Shiloh blanket come from. FAO Schwartz was the resounding answer. Off to FAO Schwartz we go.

Out of Stock was the reply but I did get a picture

Well, didn't look too hard. Couple of colours, hours of work and presto. Blanket made. Ah the colours. A quick trip to our LYS with the Mum to be. Many balls of Lana Gatto Jaipur later the blanket was ready.

You can see why I had to be creative for the twins. Same Mum and I had this as the predecessor!

With love for Twin 2

So twin 2, or 1 (it's so confusing), has this ripple afghan. Again, massive consultation on the colour arrangement ensued and this is the end result. Made from a new Magnum variation called Soft, or Carnival Soft if you can get it at Big W. It crochets up really nicely and is all warm and soft for bub to lay and/or crawl around on.

Ripple Afghan

With love for Twin 1

My gorgeous friend was blessed with her first child, after some radical throat surgery, late in life. Their family of 3 has now expanded to 5! with the addition of beautiful twins. This is the first blanket I made for twin 1, or 2, whichever. It took many hours of colour decision and I hope she likes it. I had a theme to match from the blanket I made for baby 1 a few years ago. It was a copy of Shiloh Jolie-Pitt's blanket and I only had 2 photos to go from. I will post that picture a bit later, have to get the Nanny to find it in her archives...

Babette

The picture was taken at Cape Solander, Kurnell on a beautiful wild and woolly Sunday. I'm sure many visitors thought we were mad carting a 'throne' across the cliff top but we didn't care! Mad is as mad does..