What with the past week having a Bank Holiday, it’s been a short working week. Only away two days out of four is not bad considering it could have been three. Although the Sunday was a wash out, and Monday was a travel home day, our weekend in Devon was really nice.
The past week I made a teddy bear, which I am fairly pleased with despite the mistakes I can see. But if I were given him as a kid, I would be quite happy. The chenille yarn from Sirdar really makes him cuddly. I may have hugged him now and then to ensure he was cuddly. 🙂
I have added a curved needle set to my equipment case and have made his neck less floppy.
He still has imperfections which I notice now and then, but they are ones I cannot fix now. First bear I made though, so I can live with them.
Now I have made a teddy bear, I am a little fired up to make something else. I have a small giraffe kit in the cupboard that I purchased years ago and never got around to make. So I will probably dig that out and start on that. When I was in Birmingham, I picked up a book for amigurumi toys. It’s called Cute Animals To Crochet by Emma Varnum. Each project can be made individually or as a pair, with boy and girl versions, including clothing. So if you are making a toy for a toddler you can choose either, or if you go with gender stereotyping, a toy dressed as a girl for a girl and for a boy, the toy dressed as a boy. In my view, make the pair as they are very cute, and the child receiving will be over the moon, and will ultimately decide which their favourite is.
The book is well laid out, with clear instructions to make each part. And even advises where legs, arms etc should be placed; my minor complaint from making the teddy bear was that the pattern lacked instruction on best placement (for a novice, it’s important).
I’ll let you know how I get on. The book is available via various well known online stores and you may also find it in the likes of Hobbycraft or your LYS if they have a book section and is priced just shy of £13. A bargain, if you ask me.
On to other WIPs, I added some squares to a blanket I started ages ago. I think it’s going to be one of those WIPs that you pick up and put down every now and then. If I made myself do a square a week, I would have something resembling a lapghan in 27 weeks. It’s Tunisian crochet, which I enjoy because the fabric you get is so different to regular crochet. But, I do find I get an aching wrist after a while, more so than normal. However, when I took a picture, I thought it might end up being a cushion cover. Then I only need to do another 9 squares. Makes for a smaller project which can be finished much sooner, with less wrist aches.
It’s curling due to the Tunisian Simple Stitch, and the aspect makes it look like some squares are larger than others. The squares are crocheted to the next as you make each one. Once it is blocked and then sewn together and stuffed, it will look fine I think.
In my other WIP, I have added a further two rounds to my Never-ending Granny Square. This is the one I am hoping to get to a double bed size. So more than just a bit to go still. I would like to have it done by Christmas though. At the moment, the last round was 188 clusters. I was listening to music doing the latest round and went through at least 5 songs, and I know I am not the fastest at crochet, which explains that I guess.
I reckon that I have another 30 to 40 rounds to go before it is finished. As it is a never-ending type, each rounds last side is two rounds higher than when you start, as you can see above. And because of the time it takes me to complete each round, which increases quite quickly, it’s becoming quite daunting. At least the nights are cooler, so it’s nice to pull this over your legs and just crochet away.
This weekend, I might warp up the loom. I went back to the LYS, Ajanta Studios, and purchased some more Bergere yarns. The lilac yarn, I plan to make a lacy shawl, so I am busy searching for a suitable patterned crochet (or I might try knitting one, but I have enough yarn to crochet). And the red and gray yarns will make a houndstooth scarf from the loom. The pictures below, the colour has not come out right and they look more purple and blue, but they are definitely grey and red. I’ll post some pictures next week of how that is coming on.
Why not share a picture of WIPs you are currently working on. I would love to see them.
Have a great weekend.
Jamie
Hook This, Weave That 