WIP Wednesday

It's already Wednesday again! These weeks are going in far too quickly. Think it's a combination of being kept super busy with four children and using my spare time to crochet and then blog about it! Not to mention that I am on the back to work countdown... four weeks to go and I bet these four weeks go the quickest of all.

So, as usual, I am working on multiple projects. I now realise I'm not alone in this as a crochet group held a poll the other day: one project on the go or a few? The results were 100% had more than one on the go. Surprising? Not really. I think we all love the excitement of starting something new. Looking for the pattern, wondering what colour yarn to use, getting everything ready and making a start. I enjoy working items up but putting them together is my least favourite part and I guess that's when I start on something new!

Anyway, this weeks Works In Progress:

The Blanket: This is just about finished now. Just got the ends to weave in and the edging to do. 

The Sun hat: I'm going to try out a couple of sun hat designs but so far I'm really happy with this one. The pattern is toddler sized but this one fits my seven month old quite nicely (he does have quite a big head though and is the size of some one year olds!). I've two more rows to do on the brim and then need to think about embellishments. I thought the wavy brim might be a bit girly but it looks cute on him and will definitely keep the sun off his precious little face.

Amigurumi Bunny: So far, I've finished the head, two legs and an ear. I haven't quite finished the body and the one arm that are pictured because they require stuffing and then a few more rows. I've quite liked working with a tiny hook to make this tiny toy. I'm not quite sure about the colour of this yarn though...it's pink and white and has quite a lot of one colour before changing. Therefore the head's a bit pink, body is white, one leg is half pink, ear totally pink!  

Hopefully these will all be ready in time for a Finished Friday post!

Amigurumi Amateur

I'm going to delve into the world of amigurumi.

Amigurumi is the art of making small, soft toys, using crochet (or knitting). According to <shhhhh> wikipedia, it is of Japanese origin...

"The word is derived from a combination of the Japanese words ami, meaning crocheted or knitted, and nuigurumi, meaning stuffed doll."


When I was researching the history of amigurumi for this post, I came across this graph, showing the numer of occurances of the word amigurumi in news headlines over the last few years. Looks like it's really taken off! There are many useful blogs and videos offering tips and patterns for cute stuffed animals. I'll crack on with the soft toy I've chosen and when I've finished, will share any resources I've found useful.

Finished Friday!

This week I have finally managed to finish the Newborn Knits cardi that I have blogged about before. Only problem is, it's a bit on the small side <sad face>. I suspect my gauge may be off.

I admit, I've never checked my gauge before. Lesson learnt. 

I reckon I can probably add a few rows to the bottom although I'm not sure they'll look the same or if it will be obvious they are upside down. The sleeves are ok in length and the hood looks very cute when it's on. Think I need to add toggle type buttons as these ones easily slip back through the button holes when it's being worn.

Here's a new cardi selfie to show what it looks like on...

Not the best pic, but it's impossible to get this child to stay still these days! You get the idea though. 

I have another Newborn Knits pattern to try. This one was in size 12 months (Master S is a few days short of his seven month birthday!), I think I'll have to do the next one in 24 months just to be sure he gets some wear out of it!

Happy Friday everyone x

Work In Progress Wednesday

As always, I have a couple of projects on the go. Nothing new I'm afraid but I'll share pics anyway.

First the cardigan from Newborn Knots, the "Hooded Baby Sweater/Coat". It is so close to being finished, I might even get it done tonight! It looks a little bit short though, I suspect I should have checked my gauge first, oops! I may just keep adding rows to the bottom so it fits Master S as long as possible. It has been an epic project, as in, it has taken me a very long time!


Secondly, a corner to corner blanket. This is for an order so just a sneak peek. I intend to finish this by the weekend, I'm probably about 1/3 of the way through it.

I finished some little booties for Master S the other day. They were to go with the hooded cardi but they're a touch on the small side! So, although these are finished, they're still a WIP as I need to make another pair in a bigger size!

Looking at this pic, I might add a little pink nose, some whiskers and ears to make these into little mice!

Anyone want to share any WIPs with me?

Busy Bank Holiday!

I've managed to complete a few items on my to do list over the Easter weekend. First the Moogly cardigan! I hooked this up using Robin baby aran yarn. It's 100% acrylic so will wash well, essential with a small baby!

If I make this again I will probably use a double knitting weight yarn so the cardi is a bit softer and more pliable. This will look lovely with the pixie bonnet I finished a few days again. I'm a cruel mummy and made my baby boy model it. I think he looks very cute and I must look out a pixie bonnet pattern that's not quite so girly.

Shell stitch pixie bonnet by Cre8tion Crochet

I have also finished a pair of Mary Jane style baby shoes. This is actually the first time I have used a youtube video to follow a pattern. Initially I was a bit annoyed that I couldn't read the pattern anywhere as I like to skim read them so I know what to expect. Anyway, I just followed the video and I'm really pleased I did. I learnt that I have been joining my rows in the wrong place all this time, oops! If there's a ch2 at the start, I had been joining in the first stitch rather than the actual chain of the ch2. They looked okay before I feel better for knowing I'm now doing it right! It was good to follow the video, it was reassuring. 

I love this photo of the shoes. I've been reading about how to improve my photography skills when taking promotional photos and this is the first time I've felt the photo does the item justice.

Lastly, I started a "blessing day bonnet" the other day and got it finished last night. I really love this mercerised cotton yarn. It's the first time I've used it. It gives a lovely finish to an item and is nice and soft but non shedding. I'm struggling to get a good photo of this hat though. It needs to be on something head shaped to show off the shape and the design on the back. I think I'm going to have to try it on the baby! He is quite difficult to get a photo of these days though, he's just started crawling! Here's my effort at photographing it so far...

So, all in all, a productive weekend. What shall I make next?! 

My favourite free crochet patterns

I am eternally grateful to all the lovely pattern designers who have provided over 48,000 free crochet patterns on Ravelry. This meant I could start crocheting with very little financial investment, a couple of pounds for a hook and some yarn. Many of these designers also have YouTube channels dedicated to teaching the basics of crochet and I am yet to come across a stitch that I haven't been able to learn via YouTube!

(If you decide to learn via YouTube...be aware that most videos use US crochet terminology. See my previous blog post).

These are a few of my favourite free patterns so far...

The owl hat from Repeat Crafter Me. I started off by making one for my toddler and one for my unborn baby at the end of last summer. I was kept busy making owl hats for a good couple of months!

This headband is so pretty. I made one for my daughter and this one was made for an order. It was quick to make and I love the flower on it.

One of my favourite hats yet! This cloche style hat from Aesthetic Nest  has a great tutorial to accompany the pattern and the flower pattern is included. Another fab flower!

My first crocheted blanket. This is a corner to corner afghan blanket. There are many patterns for these online but I used this one from Red Heart. Corner to corner patterns are fab because you just carry on until it's the size you want and then start reducing the length of the rows. This makes it feel like it works up really quickly!

One of my absolute favourites. This gorgeous cardigan is a free pattern from the amazing Moogly blog. I've almost finished it so will share a pic when it's complete, but so far, it looks perfect.

I sourced most of the patterns via Ravelry, a site that is well worth joining if you are looking for crochet or knitting patterns. There are over 130,000 free patterns to choose from!







Edited to add...
I've now finished the Moogly cardigan! It looks so lovely and worked up very neatly. It's a pretty easy pattern to follow. Go on, give it a go...

Current Crochet Projects

At the minute I have FOUR projects on the go! I am terrible for getting to near completion of one thing and starting another. Now, I have done that three times and I now have three cardigans and a blanket on the go! To be fair, I need extra yarn for one cardi and a blanket, another cardi is almost finished and the third cardi is the infamous never ending jacket I am crocheting for my 6 month old.

I'm afraid I can't even share pics of these items in progress as I wouldn't want anyone to see them before the recipients! So here's a pic of my baby (boy) modelling this pretty pink hat...

I'm resisting the urge to start on a pretty little baby bonnet. I need to keep trying new things to add to my inventory to keep the orders coming in. I haven't done a bonnet yet so I'm excited to try making one!

Must. Finish. Cardigans.

Adventures in weaning

Baby number 4 is at that magical age where you get to try lots of new foods and try to capture their expression on camera.

My first two babies are now 10 and 8 and were born at a time when weaning at four months with baby rice and puree was the norm. I think the change in guidelines happened between them but I stuck with what I knew for number two,  and anyway, the health visitors didn't really push the fact that you were meant to wait until six months! We progressed to lumpy foods at around 7-8 months and gradually onto normal food at some point during toddler hood.

Number 3 was born when our firstborn was almost 8, so by now I was well aware of the six month guideline. I felt like a newbie to weaning again as it had been a good few years! I was also aware of a new fangled weaning technique called baby led weaning (blw) and decided to read up on it.

I invested in the Gill Rapley book to learn about why this method of weaning was the way to go. As I was breastfeeding on demand, blw seemed liked the natural transition, going from one form of baby helping themself to another! My baby would be in charge of what he chose to eat and how much of it. It sounded perfect to me, no more faffing about blending up steamed veggies, no separate meal for the baby, no need to sit and spoon feed them while your dinner went cold! I do like anything that makes my life a bit easier so I was sold!

So, he hit "the middle of the first year" (I think he was 23 weeks) and he joined in with dinner. For a while not a lot went in but then the tell tale sign appeared that he was digesting some actual good. In his nappies. Nappy contents are fascinating when you're a parent! That was it. One successfully weaned onto solids baby. (No, really, that is it! All you need to do is carry on offering a bit of whatever your eating and following their lead.)

Onto baby number four. As we approached weaning age I had mixed feelings about it. He was 10lb 8oz at birth and had breastfed, on average, every 3 hours, day and night, since he was born. Exhausted didn't even come close! I was being maintained by Cadbury's and coffee. So I was looking forward to him getting sustenance from other sources but also felt a bit sad that I would no longer be solely responsible for his incredible weight gain (now 20lb+...bad mummy hasn't had him weighed since he was 6 weeks old, oops!).

I also hoped that being full of solid food would make him sleep longer at night. But as long as I was just breastfeeding, I could cling onto that hope...I was scared that the reality would be that his sleeping pattern didn't change at all!

Another reason for holding off for as long as we could, I knew of the messiness that blw or indeed any weaning entailed. Having a dog is definitely a bonus here, I don't have to clean much off the floor but the laundry... The volume of laundry! As if it wasn't bad enough already with four children! 

At about 23 weeks I handed him a broccoli floret. He devoured it. He now devours pretty much any food he can get his chubby little paws on. The only food he pulls faces at are those that are spoon fed (this is where I'm a blw fail, he does grab the occasional pre loaded spoon but that's more because I've been distracted rather than intentional!).

Of course, I do worry about him choking. Learning the difference between gagging and choking has helped me relax a little and knowing that he is less likely to choke if he is in charge of what goes in. If he does start gagging, I try to wait a few seconds before panicking as he usually resolves the issue himself. This is easier said than done though! 

Having tried both methods of weaning, I'm a total blw convert. It has the added bonus that we all eat more healthily because we can't be feeding the baby salty, processed food. I love that I don't need to worry about taking baby food out and about with me, he'll just have something from my plate. This makes me think twice about what I order, so  blw has health benefits for both of us! 

Crocheted Cardigans

I currently have a couple of cardigans on the go, to see if I have the time to make them for my business.

The hat sales have dwindled as the weather has got warmer which I had anticipated, but I've been a bit stuck on what to make instead! I've enjoyed making a couple of things for my smallest two boys and my daughter has asked me to make her a slouchy hat so I'll be getting on with that soon. I asked for suggestions as to what people might buy, and the ideas included sun hats, blankets and cardis.

So, a few weeks ago I was asked to make some unisex cardigans and found this one on craftsy.

I love the look of it, it's a cardi when the weather is still cool but can be a light jacket on warmer days. I bought the pattern and started making it for my 6 month old. Actually, I think he was only 5 months when I started but it's taken me so long to get it done! It's still not finished but I only have 1 sleeve and the hood to go.

I consider myself a fairly speedy crocheter these days but this one is taking forever. I think it's because it's single crochet (fine) but ONLY in front loops. This means I have to constantly look at what I'm doing, I haven't really got into a rhythm with it and, although it has a look of double crochet, it's taking longer than double crochets take. Also because I know it won't be a quick make, I keep putting it to the bottom of my list. I need to finish it before the baby grows out of it though. It looks nice so I'm happy but I won't be taking orders for it.

Another cardi I have been trying out has been this one, from Moogly.



It has worked up quickly and looks beautiful. The foundation double crochet was a new stitch for me but the moogly tutorial was brilliant and taught me just what I needed to know. All the other stitches were basic and the body works up in one piece which is fab. I hate stitching! At the minute my creation doesn't have sleeves and although it's very cute, I think I'll need to add sleeves though as it's not exactly warm here! I'll definitely be making this cardigan again. A bonus is that the pattern is free so be sure to have a look at it.