many months later

Nearly 3 months into the new year and no new posts - terrible! well I better show something of worth then hadn't I......

I finally finished my massive sofa cover!!!! Seriously this has taken months (I think I started it last summer), by the end it was taking me almost a whole day just to do one round on the bloody thing!! It was one of those put down and forget about it projects, that bit by bit I just kept adding to inbetween projects. I'm glad I did it, and I'm glad I finished it, but I would think long and hard before doing it again, and I'd probably do a patchwork one rather than one continuous piece. I did however learn some important lessons

1. If you think there's something wrong in the first few rounds (like it's somehow got a kink in it even though mathematically its correct) - stop, go back, and fix it - you'll always see it and it'll always do your head in!!!

2. Planning a massive project - maybe don't use a small 3.5mm hook!?!

3. If you pull the muscles in your underarm and your hands and wrists sound like a cement grinder - maybe its time for a break!!!

Anyway, enough of my whining - here's a closeup....

I do absolutely love it though (so does the wife), it makes a nice bold crochet focus in our living room and looks a hell of a lot better that the dirty green sofa that lies beneath. It's also got this....

A nice solid crochet cushion made from that recycled t-shirt/fabric yarn (its called 'hooked zpaghetti'). I made this before I even started the sofa cover! (see just 'cos I don't post very often doesn't mean I'm not making stuff). Its stuffed with bean bag beads so its super solid and is nice to put on the floor to put your feet on.....speaking of feet.......

I also recently made some new slippers for myself. I've made slippers before, but I was really intrigued by the pattern for this (from Mollie Makes magazine) as its simply made from 6 traditional granny squares. I had to do a bit of testing to get the size right, but I was impressed with how easy they were to make. So yeah, sofa cover - check! cushion - check! slippers - check! crochet - check! cup of tea - check!

So there you go, coming up next, more stuff that I made ages ago....probably.....

end of the year

It's the last night of 2012, so I thought I'd do a quick update of some things I've been up to in the last month. Firstly, I decided this winter required a new crochet accessory....in the form of this super-chunky ridiculously bright neon pink scarf.

It's surprising how the average person on the street seems unable to handle the concept of a guy with a beard wearing neon pink. The amount of comments and dirty looks it has attracted is unbelievable. It was super quick to make, thanks to using a massive hook and just one ball of 'Patons Fab Big' wool, and it certainly is fab and big!

Next on the creations list is a bit of animal magic. Throughout December we have been doing some charity fundraising for the RSPCA at work, so I knocked up a few crochet critters to go into a raffle as prizes. I made a few small things like a hedgehog and a pig from my previous patterns, but also thought I'd try my hand at creating two new animals from scratch, and this is what I came up with....

He's a super-long sausage dog, and everyone at work wanted to win him. He was pretty easy to make, and even though I didn't write any notes while making him (of course I didn't - this is me we're talking about!), I may try making another and posting a pattern in the new year. The other animal was....

....a cute little cat (with a cute little bell on her collar). Again relatively easy to make, I've seen a few patterns for cats before but never really like the look of the end result, so I figured I'd just make one up and was pretty darn happy with it.

So what will the new year bring? Well there's a few things I still need to blog about from 2012 yet, I just have to get some photos off a friend first. But other than that, there's still a huge work in progress going on (and I mean huge, I've been working on it for so long I'm sick of it already), there's a couple of patterns to be designed and made (currently existing as only scribbles in my ideas book), and possibly a bit of a personal crochet goal to achieve (I'll keep that under my hat for now - just in case I fail). But if there's one thing you can bank on in the new year, its that the crochet will continue, and the wool stash will carry on growing in size...regardless of how many times my wife says I have enough already!!!

Have a fluffy new year and keep on crafting mutha-hookers!!!!!

yarn travels: bath

I've been a very bad blogger and not been around much, but life's been super busy recently. So busy I haven't even got round to reviewing my recent yarn buying trip to the great city of Bath. So here we go.
Me and the good wife decided around a while ago that we'd go for a day trip out, and it had been years since we last went to Bath. Of course as usual I did my research. Straight out of the train station and just down the street, and we're at our first shop, the appropriately named, 'WOOL'.

I'd seen their adverts in mags like 'Mollie Makes' and others, and was really looking forward to going to this shop.....I wasn't disappointed!!!! What an amazing store! So much yarn, and even better, when I went there was so much yarn on sale (and I'm talking some ridiculously low prices for damn nice yarn).

I got some super-chunky wool (it's massive and it was only about £3), a few bits and bobs of simple coloured yarns (and some with sequins in it - nice!), and also some really pretty louisa harding sari ribbon stuff which I reckon will crochet up pretty nice with something like good ol' solomons knot.

As well as having tons of yarn, they also had good selections of books, cottons, and all sorts of bits and bobs. One of the best things about this shop (other than all the things listed so far) was that the two ladies that worked there (I don't know if they were the owners) were absolutely lovely. They spotted my crochet coat straight away and were really friendly with everyone that came in. I can't recommend this shop highly enough, seriously, amazing! So, after restraining myself from spending all the money in my wallet, as we leave I notice another shop opposite that I didn't find in my research.....

....a random tiny little fabric shop called 'Country Threads'. The ribbon displayed in the window suckered me in...

....I mean look at that!! we ventured inside, lots of very nice fabrics as well as ribbons. I bought myself a little fat quarter of some lovely triangle patterned fabric, but honestly, its quite a cramped shop, and the lady didn't come across as particularly friendly (I know she was busy, but in a shop so small it kind of made me feel like I was just in the way). But that aside, a nice little find. On to the next place....

...oh yes, its only 'The Makery Emporium'. Now I didn't entirely know what to expect, I'd read a lot about this shop (and the people behind it), and was really looking forward to going here. First impressions: smaller than I imagined, second impression: oh my god they have tons of really nice stuff in here!!!

Even though its small, there are tables and shelves choc full of crafty little bits. Aesthetically it's beautiful, and I personally found it was the sort of shop where you spot little bits that you've been longing for, like little 'made with love' tags, and fantastic patterned 'washi' tape (japanese masking tape). And of course there was a good selection of funky fabrics (pictured below, I bought some with pigs on!!)

So overall, an amazing little place, again highly recommended. So that was nearly all the shops on my list, just one more bead shop that wasn't really my style of stuff, and one more place that I knew nothing about, but worth a look maybe......

....oh yes definitely worth the look. All I knew was that there was apparently a haberdashers in the Guildhall Market. So we get there, its a stall called 'Sew and Sew', and it goes on and on and on. Maybe not the greatest selection of yarns (but I'd got my fill at the 'wool' shop), but absolutely everything you'd need for any craft project, and it seems Bath is the place to get your ribbon, they had tons of the stuff.

I got some awesome leopard skin ribbon as well as some nice christmas style ones (planning ahead). I even got some bright neon yellow cotton that was next to the till, I couldn't resist. Very well priced and a massive selection, its worth hunting this one out.

So overall a great day, I'm stocked up and ready for the inevitable christmas craftathon. Only downside of the day, Bath is a little bit insane with the amount of tourists on a Saturday, and be careful you don't eat too much pasty, but some brilliant craft shops!

so you think you like pom-poms?

It's been a while since my last post, so I think you all deserve something just a little bit special. Some followers will remember me mentioning working on big projects, this was one of them. So you know how all us yarn nuts have loads of left over bits (I had a hell of a lot), and you save them up thinking, 'one day I'll do something with that'. Well some people might use it for making little flowers, coasters, you know, stuff like that........some of us get a little bit more carried away.......may I introduce to you...one of my many alter-ego's.......monsieur pom-pom!!

Yep that's right, I created a costume made entirely of pom-poms (and a few little bits of crochet thrown in too). It was time for me and my friends to attend the annual Shambala music festival, and those who have seen my very first post will remember my crochet costume from last year. It's probably self evident that a lot of work went into this costume too. I spent about a fortnight just making pom-poms alone, not to mention the amount of time it took to sew it all together. Someone smart would have counted how many pom-poms were made as they were going along......I'm not that smart, but I would guess there had to be at least 200 pom-poms!

This photo probably sums up the entire fancy dress day. I couldn't walk 5 metres without someone wanting to have a feel, take a photo or just wanting a hug (many a hug was had). It was an amazing day (it was an amazing festival full stop!). I had so much fun that day and it was nice that the costume was appreciated by so many people. 

Fortunately the British weather wasn't too bad to us that day (lucky really cos I don't think the costume would have done great if it had poured it down with rain!). It was so brilliant being out in the sun, all glittered up and covered in wool of every colour!!

Oh and of course there has to be an obligatory drinking picture. As you may well guess, much alcohol was consumed.....but the less said about that the better!!!

little things

So rather than completing or even starting some of my ideas for big crochet projects, I've been busying myself making quick little gifts for people. Here's just a few of them:

Here's one that goes back to our visit to France. Whilst out there my mum was talking about how she'd bought her friend some fluffy dice for his new car, and then she realised she'd like some for herself and that I'd be able to knock some up crochet-style in no time. So I got started with some red wool bought from the local haberdashery. They were super easy to make, only thing that took time was the damn sewing. I even put some dried lavender inside them along with the stuffing. Needless to say, my mum was pretty happy with them.

Next is a gift made for a friend at work. He and his wife have just had a baby girl. While he was away on paternity leave, I thought it would be a nice idea to make him this little rabbit for the baby. I had some super-soft baby wool left over (and luckily had just about enough...but only just!) and I managed to get it done quickly (completed in an evening). I left it waiting patiently on his desk until his return. They were so happy with it they even named it after me! It's pretty cute, and made from a book that's simply called 'Amigurumi'...but, and it's a big but, it's the worst pattern book I've ever come across!!! Great for inspiration and gorgeous pictures, but before I even started I could see that the maths were completely wrong. I'm just glad I got it cheap in a sale!

Once one of my colleagues at work had seen the rabbit, it got her thinking. I was asked if I could make a bear for what will be her first granddaughter. She said she'd like it to be about 12 inches tall, baby pink and wearing a dress! I thought this was quite an interesting challenge, and decided to give it a whirl. It was quite fun to do as I didn't use patterns and tried my best to get it right on the first attempt. I wasn't sure about the dress at first, but once everything was complete I was really happy with the result. Again, when I gave her the bear she said it was perfect, and proceeded to show it off to everyone in the office.

I have been doing other crochet projects too, honest, more to come....I've just gotta stop getting distracted!

free crochet pig pattern

I've been meaning to post this for quite some time now, but its finally here, my second public pattern. I'd like to introduce you to my little friend, his name is Brunswick

One day me and my wife were talking about how much she loves pigs (as you do), and I thought, 'I bet I could make a pig in no time!'. Now I know there are probably tons of patterns for pigs out there, but this is so ridiculously simple I didn't even feel the need to look for other patterns, I'd made it up in my head before I even put hook to wool. So once I'd made good ol' Brunswick the pig, my wife said I should write up and post the pattern, so here it is! I hope you enjoy, as with my last pattern, if you discover any glaringly obvious errors let me know, but it has been tested and should work fine.

| Abbreviations | FLO = front loop only | BLO = back loop only | ch = chain | ss = slip stitch | dc = double crochet | 
| st/sts = stitch/stitches | dc2tog = dc two stitches together/decrease |

Using light pink DK(double knitting) weight wool and a 2.5mm hook (but a 3mm or 3.5mm will do the job too)

Body
Round 1: ch2, 6dc in 1st ch made (join with ss) {or alternatively magic circle/ring of 6dc}
Round 2: ch1, 2dc in each st around (12dc) (join with ss)
Round 3: ch1, {FLO} 1dc in each st around (12dc) (join with ss)
Round 4: ch1, 1dc in each st around (12dc) (join with ss)
Round 5: ch1, {BLO}*1dc in nxt st, 2dc in nxt st* repeat 6 times (18dc) (DON'T JOIN WITH SS, just keep working around in a spiral from this point, and be careful that your next dc goes into the first dc of this round and not the ch you made at the start )
Round 6: {BLO}*1dc in nxt 2 sts, 2dc in nxt st* repeat 6 times (24dc) 
Round 7: *1dc in nxt 3 sts, 2dc in nxt st* repeat 6 times (30dc) 
Round 8: *1dc in nxt 4 sts, 2dc in nxt st* repeat 6 times (36dc) 
Round 9-10: 1dc in each st around (36dc) 
insert safety eyes (if you don't have any, you can always sew on some small buttons at the end)
Round 11-23: 1dc in each st around (36dc)
(the amount of the previous rounds is what I worked it out to be with a 2.5mm hook, but I crochet quite tightly, basically just keep doing 1 dc into each st around until the length of your pig looks about the right proportions, if you think it needs more or less rounds then go for it)
Round 24: *1dc in nxt 4 sts, dc2tog in nxt st* repeat 6 times (30dc) 
Round 25: *1dc in nxt 3 sts, dc2tog in nxt st* repeat 6 times (24dc) 
Round 26: *1dc in nxt 2 sts, dc2tog in nxt st* repeat 6 times (18dc)
Round 27: *1dc in nxt st, dc2tog in nxt st* repeat 6 times (12dc)  
stuff pig relatively firmly, insert a little bit first to make sure some stuffing goes in the pigs snout, then fill the rest of the body
Round 28: *dc2tog* repeat 6 times (6dc) 
fasten off and leave a long tail, weave in and out of each stitch and pull tightly, this should close up the hole. Weave in end

Feet (make 4)
Round 1: ch2, 6dc in 1st ch made (join with ss)
Round 2: ch1, 2dc in each st around (12dc) (join with ss)
Round 3: ch1, {FLO} 1dc in each st around (12dc) (DON'T JOIN WITH SS)
Round 4-6: 1dc in each st around (12dc)
finish with a ss in the next st, fasten off and leave a long tail

Ears (make 2)
Round 1: ch2, 6dc in 1st ch made (join with ss)
Round 2: ss in nxt 2 sts, 3dc in nxt st, ss in nxt 2 sts, leave last st unworked.
fasten off and leave a long tail

Tail
ch17, 1dc in 2nd ch from hook, *dc2tog* repeat 7 times, dc in last ch. (it should become a spiral as you do the dc2togs)
fasten off and leave a long tail

Assembly.
Stuff and position the feet on the underside of the body (opposite the side where you positioned your eyes), I'd suggest pinning the feet into position first, and then sew them on with the tails you left.
Sew the tail onto the back of the pig (position it slightly up from the middle, like in the picture below), and sew the two ears on the top of the pigs head. Weave in any remaining loose ends.
Using some embroidery thread or thin wool in a darker shade of pink, sew on two little nostrils onto the pigs snout (although this isn't really 100% necessary, its still pretty cute without, but your pig won't be any good at finding truffles)

Once you've made one, I dare you to try and stop! Those pigs just keep on coming. You could even try using wool that changes in shades of pink like the little pig here (his name is Rasher...cos he looks like bacon!!). With a little bit of clever thinking you can simplify the pattern, and using thinner wool and a smaller hook make a tiny little pig like rasher.....or, if you want to get really silly.....

....you can make a massive pig, just like 'big daddy' here. Again its really simple, I used 2 strands of neon pink yarn together and upped my hook size. he's the perfect size for a bit of bedtime cuddling!!

The legal bit: I am happy for you to print this pattern for yourself, and I do not mind if you want to use it at crochet classes or groups. I retain copyright, I only ask that you do not sell works made from this pattern, and do not publish or replicate on any other websites or publications without prior permission