As always I’ve got a couple of long term crafty projects on the go (my zenbroidery mandala and ripple blanket both of which are taking shape but still need a lot of work to reach completion), so I really fancied doing a few quick (ish) makes to get that feeling of actually having completed something.
Whilst out shopping I found some beautiful glittery wool and decided instantly that it had to be made into a mermaid blanket for little Miss. After a bit of internet searching I found this super, easy video tutorial. I found written patterns really hard to follow unless accompanied by lots of pictures of the process, so this was just perfect as I could pause and replay whenever I needed to. It took me just over a week of picking up, putting down and a little tweaking of the pattern as I went along and here it is…
I am so, so happy with how it turned out and so is little Miss, who put it straight into use now the weather has got a bit cooler…
After deciding that my crochet cotton needed a new home where I could easily see all the colours (it was still being stored in one of the bags it came in and I had to tip it all out each time I wanted to find a specific colour), I remembered the t-shirt yarn I was gifted for Christmas a couple of years ago and the Supersize crochet book which was one of last years Christmas presents. So I set about making a basket. Now, the reason this post is called quick (ish) makes is because of this basket! I set about making the basket, following the pattern perfectly, the rows were whizzing off the hook but then I realised id made it a tad too big, it was very floppy and it was going to be a very shallow basket given the amount of tshirt yarn I had. so, I undid it all thinking, not a problem, it was easy to do, it will be done in no time. HA! Could I get it right the second (3rd, 4th, 5th,or 6th) time around?! No I bloody could not! In the end after much swearing, throwing it on the floor in temper (I’m not proud to admit this) and lamenting that I was crap at following patterns, I decided that it didn’t matter if it didn’t look exactly like the picture, I plugged on and this is the result…
It actually turned out ok even though it didn’t look exactly like the picture. The stitches are somehow much denser and it doesn’t have that basket weave look but it does the job and I’m proud of my first attempt at a basket and my first attempt with t-shirt yarn. Always a glutton for punishment and with some tshirt yarn left, I decided to make another. This time though I opted for a simpler pattern which I found online. I cant link to it though as I totally forgot to save it. This basket did fly off the hook and was done in a matter of hours…
Its a little less sturdy than the first basket but I’m happy with it. Together, they double up well as a display feature in my living room as well as making my crochet cotton easily accessible.
Last weekend, whilst Little Miss was busy creating shapes with her iron beads I just couldn’t resist getting in on the act and making yet another mandala.
It is yet to be ironed but once finished it will join the other 4 mandalas see here in the craft room. At the moment they are stacked in a pile but I’m considering how to display them. I’m thinking of maybe stringing tem together with ribbon and hanging them up as bunting. I’ll probably make a few more first though and then decide but I will be sure to post pictures when I do.
Karen x x
