Crufts and crochet.

I’ve been catching up on Crufts today. I can’t believe that I forgot it was on. Between that and the Edinburgh yarn fest, my Instagram and facebook feeds are full of awesome photos!

The Tunisian CAL is getting there, out of sheer stubbornness I’m persevering with it. It’s a long time since I’ve cursed my crochet quite this much. The image of using up so much of my stash keeps me going, but it may be one of those things that I finish and give away immediately – so I’m not reminded of how annoyingly wrong I kept getting it 😦

I’ve always wondered what the dog groomers at Crufts do with all that hair. Seriously, some of those dogs are mega hairy. If it was me, I’d be putting it in a wee bag and giving it to some spinners. I’ll not sure though if I’d wear a sweater (or anything!) made of dog hair, would it smell like pooch to other dogs? My poor Labrador would go in a huff 😉

We bought my gran a book once, I think it was called knitting with dog hair. She & granda had a Yorkie called Bonny and a Border Collie called Ben, it was meant as a joke but she really liked it. For ages afterwards we dreaded getting a scarf made of yorkie hair 😌

When it comes to yarn, I seem to be working a lot with acrylic recently. It’s ideal for amigurumi and big blankets. The sirdar crofter was a gorgeous wool mix, it felt soft & string at the same time. I can’t wait for bad weather so I’ve got an excuse to wear my crofter scarf!
I’m looking forward to getting something fancy at St Abbs yarn fest in April. Perhaps something with alpaca (my secret yarn crush!). It the kind of fibre that makes me want to bury my face in it and purr 😆
As long as its not Alsatian, I’ll use it.

What’s your favour yarn is?

Do you have a secret yarn crush?

Let me know in the comments below.

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Crochet word search

I’ve been thinking about trying this for a while, so here goes. I love crochet and I love a good  word search so why not try both.

The words you are looking for are:

bamboo     hemp     yarn     wool     tunisian     pattern     chart     amigurumi     crochet     blanket     stitch     ripple     puffstitch     grannysquare     guage

Enjoy  & have a great weekend 🙂

I’ll post the answers on Sunday xx

My (current) favourite Tunisian Patterns

These are a few of the best patterns that I’ve come across on the internet recently. Usually my curiosity is hooked while I’m wandering round Pinterest and before I know it, the yarn haul is getting pulled out and the hooks are being warmed up.

DISCLAIMER – I haven’t made them all yet and all patterns are available publicly and for free. Enjoy.

1. The Crochet beanie  HERE – this pattern is my all time favourite mostly because you make it sideways, and there’s something about watching it ‘appear’ that really appeals to me 🙂 Add a few extra stitches or a band if, like me, you have a lot of hair or like your hats a bit looser. Very quick to make and great stash buster.The patterns by Becky Rainford
2. The Tank Top HERE – I haven’t gotten round to making this one yet, but it looks so lovely. Definitely near the top of my to do list. Pattern by Amy Depew
3. Tunisian Slippers HERE – this pattern is in Japanese but there are charts and photos. Toe curling cuteness. I’m making these this weekend & expect once the girls see them they’ll be begging for their own pair.
4. Spiral Blanket HERE – I have started this pattern (more than once), its not the clearest of patterns but, by golly, the effect is worth the effort. Worth a blog post in itself, which I’ll get round to soonish. Pattern by Margaret Zellner.

So, this is what’s been distracting me recently, luckily there’s a few would-be gifts among them. I’ll post photos of my wares once I’ve finished working my way through them.

bye for now xxx

Consider Tunisian.

Tunisian crochet is the oft overlooked cousin of traditional crochet, yet, as I’ve seen on several pinterest boards, its getting a following.
I added Tunisian to my repertoire about 5 years ago. I saw it as one of those stitches handy for making scarves, if only I could stop it curling. Tunisian is dense and works up quickly, its more economical than either knitting or crochet. It really is the best of both.
Since the early days, I’ve come across many interesting patterns in Tunisian. These include hats in the round and circular blankets (using short rows!) and, as the photo below shows, sometimes you can make a blanket with a twist. I now recommend new crocheters or knitters should try Tunisian first, especially if like me, they are left handed. Its easier than knitting to control materials and tools yet not as fiddly as crochet is t first.
Seriously, give it a go!