Mini Skirts for Mini Trees #2, 3 and 4!

Last week I posted about my first mini skirt for my mini trees, and this week I am happy to update that three more are complete.  There are at least four more to do, if I can manage it, and perhaps more hiding in boxes I haven't yet opened.

Mini Skirts for Mini Trees #1

It's like the Doctor Who Christmas invasion - Christmas trees are everywhere - living room, dining room, craft room, spare bedroom ...  they've just sprung up here there and everywhere.   In preparation for my upcoming craft show, I'm sprucing up my mini Christmas Trees and editing their ornaments.  Each one has such a lot of character with a huge variety of trimmings and garland.

Crochet Christmas Stocking

Sir Stands-a-Lot models the new stocking

 Finished object Fridays - what an inspiration!  I must say that wanting to have the occasional blog post for Work-in-Progress Wednesdays or Finished-Object Fridays really does help spur you along.
On Wednesday I was looking for some crochet coaster patterns when I came across a little Christmas booklet for Loops & Threads Impeccable worsted.

Crocheted Bead Garland

Gold Beads with Red Cotton Thread with Gold Flecks

I am beginning to feel a bit beaded out. It will be temporary, I can assure you, but after many weeks of beaded ornament hangers, snowflake ornaments, diamond dangles, button whimsies and the like, my brain is in bead overload.  Now you might be thinking ... "hey, those look a lot like beads"  and it's true they do, but the difference is that I didn't string them.   No beading required!  This is a project for the crochet category. So, for a beading break, my work in progress is to finish up some of my garland to crochet.

First Tree Skirt of 2013

Christmas Tree Skirt in traditional holiday colours

I've finished my first tree skirt of the year - and just in time for a "Finished Object Friday" to boot.   I've kept this one simple - without fancy stitches or fancy yarns - and it has worked up pretty quickly.

Working Up the Crochet Cotton with Washcloths

My work in progress this Wednesday is not so much an item as it is a task.  I am in progress on working up all my bits of crochet cotton.  I have several bags, and many small bits that are not enough to make a full dishcloth, so I was delighted when I came across a new pattern that was very much like the tree skirts I like to make.  It's a free crochet pattern "Shaped Washcloth" from Lion Brand yarns.

On a roll with the wash cloth /dish cloths

WIP Wednesday - Christmas Tree Skirt 2013-1

I am trying these days to get back into my crafting and craft blogging, so I thought it would be a good challenge for me to participate now and then in the WIP (Work-in-Progess) Wednesdays and FO (Finished Object) Fridays at Tami's Amis and Other Creations.

Pixie Hood Hats - Country Loom and Charisma

One of my favourite hats - the wool is just gorgeous

Happy November everyone!  Yikes, can you believe it?  Despite my almost-year-round Christmas obsession, I always start to panic 'round about now.  While it may be still a good bit of time away, it is already a week after the time to send your overseas parcels without paying higher prices, so I know it won't be long now.  The Christmas wrap has come out.   Gulp.

Victorian Pinks Christmas Tree Skirt

I've recently been taking out the myriad Christmas Tree skirts that I was making earlier this year.  I was in such a frenzy at the time, with several in production simultaneously (one of the reasons I prefer crochet to knitting, where you feel handcuffed to things 'on the needles') that I didn't photograph projects, or clearly remember all the different styles and sizes that I'd made.  It's been fun to rediscover them.

Country Loom Baby/Child's Blanket

Little boy blanket in progress

This week I discovered my "willpower score".  It is zero.  Nowhere to go but up really. After declaring this week's crafting agenda to be about earring organization and this Country Loom childs blanket I'm working on, a fantastic new crochet pattern caught my eye and I just had to intersperse a new little project.  Out comes the worsted wool as well!  I bought the pattern and made up two hats before the sun set.

Green/Teal dots baby blanket

It was my friend Amy's baby shower today, so now I can show you my most recent baby blanket. Another version of the shell blanket that I liked so much in pink.

WIP Wednesday - Burgundy Christmas Tree Skirt

 Woohoo, I've made it ... for my first "Work in Progress Wednesday" posting.  It's never a problem to find a project that is "in progress" as there are altogether too many of those, but it has proven quite the challenge to remember that it is Wednesday - and then get organized enough to photograph and post about something.

Crayola Childrens Blanket

Do you remember when Crayola crayons came out with the 64 pack?  That was such an exciting day.  It was a good day for my multi-coloured crochet childrens blanket today.  Especially good considering I have, for a few weeks now,  been contemplating taking it all apart for either a different stitch or different project all together.

Good news though, it survived, and I've persevered and added a few more 'layers' since the first posting.  All the colours I'm using are in now - a total of 24 - so it's time for their second appearances.

I plan to follow a similar colour wave, but not an identical repeat.  I'm hoping it will look more interesting this way.  This should make a really fun play blanket for a young child, and one thing is likely ... they'll be good at their colours.

Freddie is doing his very best to learn the new "DON'T TOUCH!!!!" policies, but he sure likes to push the limits.

The Trees are all Skirted

I have 6 Christmas trees this year, but one of them (which is just the top half of my big tree) is in a pot where a cactus once lived, so it doesn't need a tree skirt. The rest are all decked out with tree skirts of their very own as I managed to make 5 this year. Here is the finished product I last showed you in progress.

30 Days

The Christmas countdown clock says 30 days ...GULP! Why that's no time at all for cards and presents and wrapping and cooking and baking and cleaning and decorating and entertaining and ... phew. There is nothing to be done but embrace it. It's the Christmas season!

Relaxing with Wool

It's very crafty around here right now. Beads everywhere and I'm pretty sure I swallowed a sequin yesterday. Oh well, probably not the first and likely not the last, but I thought I'd have a change and enjoy the relaxation of wool (ignoring the fact that there is also wool everywhere).


Mum recently brought back to me several large bags of wool that I had passed along many years ago when clearing out the cupboards. One of the bags was all Patons Astra wool that I had been once using to make little dolls and ornaments - translation - only one ball of each colour. So, I'm crocheting that up into a childs play blanket. When I'm finished it will be a good size for playing on the floor, or for a child's snuggle blanket.

It would be a little intense for a baby blanket I think, but hey, I bet they learn their colours early! I have a few more colours to add into the sequence, and then I will be repeating. It's a very simple pattern: worked on 5.0 mm crochet hook it's two rows of double crochet. I recently learned a new technique for changing colours - pulling up the new colour with the last stitch rather than finishing the row and then joining - and it works very neatly.

One more thing - so I don't forget - the Patons Astra wool is gorgeous to work with! Welcome back lovely wool.

Over on the knitting needles - I'm experimenting again with the Bernat Baby Jacquards. I did try crocheting this, and although it was pretty and looked a bit like the sky, it seemed a waste for the Jacquard wool. The knitting - especially with 'striping' - really brings out the pattern which is rather subtle in this Boo Berries colour wave.

This - if I ever finish it because I really don't enjoy knitting with tiny (anything under 5.0 mm) needles - will be a small blanket for a premature baby. Because the wool pattern is so interesting I'm working up with a simple striping of gartar stitch and stocking stitch. A border of gartar stitch on top, bottom and sides helps it keep a nice shape.

You can find this pattern as well as a multi-colour and basket weave variation at Little Blankets by Nancy Hearne.

And now we have hats & scarves

Another mission on the great crafting "to do list" (which isn't actually written down, as that would be too overwhelming) is to work up some hats to turn the myriad scarves I have made into "Hat & Scarf sets". The scarves are crocheted and the hats are knit.

I actually prefer the 'co-ordinating' approach to a matchy-matchy set, and these first few versions have worked out pretty well. I love the softness of the Charisma wool in this hat, and think there will be many more of these to come.

Another job done today, the first batch of these sets is now available in the new 'Hats & Scarves' section of my Etsy site. Many more to come ....

A New Washcloth Pattern

I have a new favourite wash cloth pattern to make - AND it's crochet - which I find easier than knitting. I know... I know... it's very exciting. You can find the pattern for free at the Lion Brand website. I found that I needed to increase my crochet hook to achieve the proper tension - I used a 5.5 mm vs. the recommended 5.0 - but in trying the 5.0 as suggested, I did note that it would work up ideally for a bath mat - having a little more stiffness.

This simple stitch works up to a very thick wash cloth, and although they are idea for dishes OR your body - I would personally use this as a wash cloth for your face. It's so thick and luxurious. In fact, it's really making me want to make tons of them and interesting soaps to match. I don't currently make soap - but you crafters know how this trend can go.

Keeping me slightly in check is one my new organizational tools. The "bag of things to sew ends in". While I can't fit an afghan or the likes in here, it does provide a little boundary for the number of small items that accumulate that "just need the ends sewing in". At the very least, these projects may end up all hanging out together. It is kind of amazing how they can accumulate. Sigh. Okay, where's the needle? ... here I go.

I'm sure this stitch must have a name, but I don't know it. The basic stitch pattern for the washcloth is this:

With 5.5 mm hook (or 5.0 depending on your tension) - chain 35.

Row 1: Sl st in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, *sl st in next ch, hdc in next ch; rep from * across – 34 sts at end of this row.
Rows 2-38 (or 40 depending on cotton): Ch 1, turn, sl st in first hdc, hdc in next sl st, *sl st in next hdc, hdc in next sl st; rep from * across.

Alternate the colour pattern however you like - and enjoy.

Stylin' Tote Bag

It has been much ado about beads lately, so I thought I'd better show that I am still progressing through the wool supplies and actually finishing the odd project.

Winter Wonderland Tree Skirt

Drum roll please. Perhape even some fireworks .... a job is DONE! I thought before I set off making all sorts of things with my wool 'bits', I had better first determine whether they were in fact 'leftover bits' or wool I still needed for the myriad projects on the go. So first up in the pile of projects, this Christmas Tree skirt.