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.

Acer C720 Chromebook Review

A couple of weeks ago I invested in a Chromebook. We have two laptops, mine is pretty much kaput, and full to bursting with work stuff. It's also missing a space bar thanks to the toddler. The husband's laptop was running very slowly, the battery has gone so it has to remain plugged in and it is missing quite a lot of keys (toddlers like to break everything). I was hesitant about buying yet another laptop, for the keys to be ripped off and for it to be on it's last legs within a couple of years. 

I needed a laptop as I struggle with the small screens on phones when trying to navigate crochet patterns. The size of the iPad screen is ok, but I'm doing a lot of typing for my blog, business and writing crochet patterns so really need a proper keyboard. It's also full of Peppa Pig games and videos for the kids, so not a lot of storage space left. 

I had come across Chromebooks but written them off as husband told me it's just a browser. But then, that's all I do....browse! Well, not just browse, I use browser based software too. I have found that since ditching my iPhone for an android powered HTC phone, my digital life has been taken over by Google. They now look after my email, my photos, my documents, my music, my blog... And all for free too. Hmm, maybe a Google based laptop wouldn't be such a bad idea. 

So, I bit the bullet and parted with £199, with the warning from my husband not to expect much.

It arrived a few days later, the box ever so slightly bashed but the packaging was just a plastic packing bag, no padding whatsoever. It was well packaged inside so no damage caused. I unpacked and checked all components were present and correct. There was a quick start guide which I dutifully followed. Basically, plug it in, switch it on and follow the on screen instructions.

After logging on to the network, it asked for my Google log in ID and password, gave me a quick tour and we were good to go! I went straight to the Chrome store, to get those all important apps, Facebook and Twitter. Turns out, they are basically just a bookmark. Clicking the Facebook button simply takes you to the Facebook page. Ditto Twitter. So it truly is browser based. 

I've had a couple of weeks to play with it now and I'm actually very impressed. For what I use it for it's perfect.

• It's very quick to start up, ~ 7 seconds apparently, although I usually just shut the lid and reopening it boots it up instantly. 
• The battery life is impressive. I've only charged it three times in the last 12 days. 
• My husband and daughter have since added their Google IDs to it so we can just log on as ourselves and not have to search through all the browser tabs to find what we were last looking at. 
• It's almost impossible to get a fingernail under the keys, so hopefully the toddler won't ping them off! I say almost, I can't rule out that the toddler won't destroy it yet.
• It comes with 100Gb of Google drive storage, free for two years. This is fab because I can always access things that are on my phone and vice versa. 
• It's always up to date. 
• The build quality on this model is excellent. It's thin and light but feels robust. There are two USB ports, a HDMI port, an SD slot and a headphone port. 

A couple of issues I've had..

• The wifi has randomly dropped out once or twice. This has been remedied by that old solution, switch it off and on again.
• There isn't a caps lock but alt + the magnifying glass button puts caps lock on.
• I can't find a delete button. There is a backspace which deletes but this means putting the cursor after the thing you want to delete. I expect the delete key involves some kind of multiple button combo that I am yet to find. 

That's it. I am really pleased with it and even the husband is. 

If you have any comments or questions, are a fellow Chromebook convert or just want to say hello, please leave me a comment below.