The modern granny square

Looky here at my crocheted square.

I saw this pattern on the internet

and

couldn't resist giving it a go. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it though. Maybe I'll make some more and make a blanket or pillow out of them or something. I'll have a ponder and let my creative mind go hunting for ideas.

This is the first time I've worked with different colours at the same time in crochet. I do it quite often when I'm knitting. It was really easy though. It required a fair bit of reading and re-reading the pattern to fully comprehend what going on but as you can see, I got there.

Now, you're probably wondering about the new look on my blog. Well, the background I was using popped up with a notice informing me that it was expiring and that I should upgrade it. I went on the site to do this but alas my old background wasn't there hence the new one. I then reworked the whole layout to make it all go together. This has taken me HOURS including a very late night but this is the finished result. I wasn't anticipating a change but since I was forced to I'm not actually that put out!

Ellen's Corner

My blog has had a temporary change of name today because this post is not about my creations but my twin sisters. All I do is talk about me me me so lets have a look at someone else's creativity for a change.

Something rather exciting for me, Ellen has just started getting into crocheting!! Yay! I have a crocheting buddy!

This box here is her first ever crocheting creation. So proud!

By her own admission it's a little wonky but that's what gives it charm I think. She worked really fast actually. Once she decided she was finishing it, there was no stopping her.

She finished it all off with some sewn on flowers in the corner. How lovely!

But that's not all. As soon as that was finished, she was straight onto her next ambition; making a granny square. After helping her at the start with technique and how to read the pattern, she was off. In fact, she got so engrossed that she has diagnosed herself with COCD. Crocheting Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

This is the finished result once she decided to cast off. She didn't know what she was going to do with it though.

Unfortunately, we did find a use for it. Her granny square became a shroud for my hamster, Woodstock who died on Saturday. It was rather odd the way she died really. One minute she was fine and I was cleaning her cage out. I turned away for a minute and when I look back, she was gone! There one minute gone the next. But she was fairly old so it was just a case of time.

I really hope that Ellen keeps up with the crocheting. It really is great to have someone to crochet with. There's something very sociable about sharing a hobby.

My very own knitted creation mmawhahaa!!

So I've knitted and crocheted a lot of cool things. But they've all been someone else's design haven't they. There's nothing wrong with that at all but I thought that this time I would try and create my own knitted toy based on a drawing I did some months ago.

I wanted something small to fit on my keys you see. I'm collecting keyrings that sum up what I like. I remembered that I had drawn this knit wit guy so I thought it would perfectly portray that I love knitting and such like.

I actually crocheted this because it's easier in my opinion to crochet small spheres rather than to knit them.

It was really very easy to make as it's just two spheres sewn together with some other stuff stuck on. But it meets the old saying: simple but effective don't you think?!

Megan's birthday song: That snotty little girl

It was my little sister's birthday the other week. Goodness me though, she's not really 'little' anymore! She's now a fully fledged teenager, uh-oh! I got an electric guitar for Christmas so I was just fiddling around on that whilst she was waiting to open her presents. Then out from nowhere came the begins of this song. I played a bit more and this was the end result so bear in mind that I made this like an hour. But it's what I hope is a funny song about her turning 13.

Let me give a little run down of this recording. Megan was the one doing the funky filming. And here for the first time, is my Dad on bass. Yep, I think this is his mid-life crisis in action here. He got a bass for Christmas most likely thinking that it'll make him look cool. I think though once he learns a bit more, he could turn out be a great little accompaniment to all my songs.

Anyway, after all that rambling, please enjoy and let me know what you think.

Show and tell time Friends version

Thought I'd give you a break from show and tell for a day! This time I will be showing you the gifts I crocheted for some friends.

You may recognise these as being something similar from a previous post. They're a more colourful version of the christmas tree decorations I made.

I had a lot of fun with choosing the colour combination for them all actually. I tried to match the colours to the personality of each friend if that makes any sense.

I was really lucky as well to find some buttons and beads that were hanging around my room to embellish them all with.

I really enjoyed making these. It was nice to work on some projects that required the skill of crochet for a change. I'm going to try and do a few more things crocheted now I think. Take a slight break from knitting. I say slight because I've got some awesome knitting books for christmas which I can't stay away from! I'm itching to get started on some of the patterns in those!

Show and tell time number 4

Now time for the last installment of my family's knitted presents. It's my little sister's turn today.

Do you remember my gloves that I showed you a while back? Well I knitted some for Megan. Only this time, I designed a new pattern to suit her. I got some grid paper out and designed some hearts, hugs and kisses using my original pattern as a template.

I was really pleased with how they turned out. The yarn I used is better than the yarn of my gloves so they shouldn't go all fluffy with use as mine have. Still, I think that it acts character to the gloves if they looked well worn!

The picture on the left was taken on our Christmas walk. A perfect opportunity to wear our gloves together!

Show and tell time number 3

Happy new year! Hope you had a good night and aren't too hung over. I'll try not to shout too much if you are. So I thought that I would show you my Dad's present today seeing as I showed you Mum's yesterday. Those might know that Dad is pretty into his golf so I made him a golf club cover. But not just any cover oh no. It's him in knitted form! Although, I think that I was very generous with the amount of pom pom hair I gave him. I knitted this on straight needles even though it probably would have been easier to knit it up on double pointed or circular needles.

But it was cool though because it meant that I got to learn a technique called mattress stitch for when I was sewing it together. I love mattress stitch as it helps create a seamless seam. How I wish I had learnt it sooner. Looking back on my past projects, I realise that my seams were pretty shoddy. But still, I've learnt it now. I've actually learnt a lot through knitting all these presents, it's been great!

Oh and the 'R' on the front by the way is his initial not some new fangled golf club.

Show and tell time number 2

Time for another present! This time it's my Mum's pressie I want to show you.

I made her a party clutch bag. The majority of the bag was knitted using moss stitch which is knit one purl one.

The yarn I used was a bit annoying though. It was really thin so I had to double it up. Once I had done that though it knitted up quite well. You can't see it from the pictures but the yarn is actually sparkly.

But after finishing the bag, I thought it needed jazzing up a bit so I lined the bag with this lovely fabric, embellished it with pretty beads to act as the buttons and crocheted a flower brooch. I thought that I would make it as a brooch because then she has the choice of moving it about the bag or taking it off completely to just wear. Anything that takes her fancy!

I also made her a strap that you can wear different ways. She can wear it as a little shoulder strap or clip it on the other side for a wrist strap. And of course, she could have no straps at all!

It's a bag of many options!

Well this is my last post of 2010! I really hope that you have a great night tonight however you choose to celebrate the new year coming in. I'm just going to be having a quiet little night in having fun with my family. I'm cooking them a nice three course meal so that should be nice. We've also got some fireworks! But before that, I've got a new years cake to make! A yummy scrummy chocolate cake.

Here's hoping that 2011 will be a fabtabulous year for you.

Show and tell time number 1

Well the presents have all been opened now so finally, I'm able to show you everything I've been so busy with in the last few months. Rather cool was that my presents were the first ones to be opened! I think to give these presents the best chance to shine, I'll show you them in separate posts. So, without further ado, here is the first installment: This is what I made for my twin, Ellen. A travel pillow. I thought it fitted in quite nicely with our future plans happening next year. I'll tell you more about this in another post! Inside is a fleece cushion which I made and sewed together. The stars I was really pleased with. I crocheted and then blanket stitched them on. The edging is also crocheted. One of first things that Ellen noticed though for some strange reason was the wooden buckles. I found these in Boyes and just had to get them. I think they go really nicely with the moss stitch border don't you think? Anyway, I hope that it will come in handy. If she doesn't use it though, I know I certainly will!

Christmas Eve magic

Well it's the night before Christmas and I'm sat here by the Christmas tree with my family watching a film on the telly with my dog sleeping by my feet. How lovely eh?! Like something out of a novel I know but it's all true! Speaking of the Christmas tree, here are some of the decorations I've made including that Christmas star I said I was going to finish the other day. I decided to give my knitting needles a bit of a break so I crocheted these. I got the pattern for the baubles from a lovely blog called Attic 24.

I can't wait for Christmas tomorrow! I may be considered in the eyes of the law an adult now but I still get very excited nonetheless! I hope that you all have a great day tomorrow whatever you're doing.

I'm off now to fulfill a family Christmas tradition, to watch The Muppet Christmas Carol!