Sweet as Cupcakes!

The oven in our lovely little rental is currently not working *insert extremely unimpressed face* and whilst we wait for the new one I can't actually bake anything. So I made amigurumi fibre art cupcakes instead! Ok so they're not NEARLY as tasty as the real thing but heck they sure are cute! I stumbled across the adorable little pattern at Bitter Sweet, it's free and fabulously easy to follow.... the cherries were my addition but working in rounds it's a simple magic circle, 6 sc in ring, 2 sc in each st around, 1 sc in each stitch around, 1 sc 1 scdec around, stuff, scdec around and the for the stem simple make a chain of 5, sew onto your cherry and sew the whole thing onto your cupcake :o) And to think just yesterday I was complaining about how much I disliked making amigurumi after creating Boris and now look at me! Hooked ;) 

From boredom comes pretty things!

Not that I really have a use for a child's sized crochet hat (even though it IS pretty) I have made one lol I've had an incredibly long and tedious day and ended up trawling Youtube for a new pattern to make... it was meant to be adult sized but I think I fudged it somewhere. Nomatter! Ta da! I can keep this up for as long as there are still odds and ends of yarn in my box but after that it's bye bye crochet for a while until we have the spare cash to restock. Or even for one new ball... yes things are that bad at the moment :(  Should make for a few more occupied afternoons this week anyhow! After that who knows ;)

Two free newborn crochet hat patterns

So it's that glorious day of the week again.. FRIDAY! All together now with the sigh of relief 1,2,3 *Ahhhhhhhhhhh* Not really many better ways to spend a Friday afternoon than crocheting (in my opinion anyway) and today I've whipped up two newborn hat patterns for you... and yes these are more hats to add to Baby Shmoogle Bean's ever-growing stash. I am fast approaching the bottom of my scrap yarn box which is absolutely horrible because at the moment we don't have the spare cash for new yarn to start refilling it with :( Such is life! We make do with what we have right? I made both of these with one less-than-half ball of yarn and one even-less-than-half ball and as it turns out there was JUST enough. Anyhoo they're both quick to work up and go nuts with colour combos! Enjoy! I'm off to make some more with what's left of my scraps :)

You'll need:
'H' or 5mm crochet hook
2 colours acrylic (or whatever you like to use) yarn

Stitches used:
MC (magic circle)
Ch (chain)
Dc (double crochet)
Hdc (half double crochet)
Sc (single crochet)
Fp hdc (front post half double crochet
Bp hdc (back post half double crochet)
Sl st (slip stitch)

With colour A
Round 1: Mc, ch 3, 10 dc in ring. Sl st to top of ch 3
Round 2: Ch 3, 2 dc in next st *2 dc in each st around* sl st to top of ch 3
Round 3: Ch 3, 2 dc in next st *1 dc in next st, 2 dc in next st* around. Sl st to top of ch 3
Round 4: Ch 3, 2 dc in next st *1 dc in next 2 sts, 2 dc in next st* around. Sl st to top of ch 3. Finish off.
With colour B
Round 5-6: Ch 3, 1 dc in each st around. Sl st to top of ch 3. Finish off
With colour A
Round 7: Ch 1, 1 sc in each st around. Sl st to beginning ch 1. Finish off
With colour B
Round 8-9: Ch 3, 1 dc in each st around. Sl st to top of ch 3. Finish off
With colour A
Round 10: Ch 1, 1 sc in each st around. Sl st to beginning ch 1. Finish off
With colour B
Round 11: Ch 3, 1 dc in each st around. Sl st to top of ch 3. Finish off
With colour A
Round 12: Ch 1, st st around base of hat. Finish off, weave in ends.

With colour A
Round 1: Mc, ch 3, 10 dc in ring. Sl st to top of ch 3
Round 2: Ch 3, 2 dc in next st *2 dc in each st around* sl st to top of ch 3
Round 3: Ch 3, 2 dc in next st *1 dc in next st, 2 dc in next st* around. Sl st to top of ch 3
Round 4: Ch 3, 2 dc in next st *1 dc in next 2 sts, 2 dc in next st* around. Sl st to top of ch 3
Round 5-8: Ch 3, 1 dc in each st around. Sl st to top of ch 3
With colour B
Round 9: Ch 3, 1 dc in each st around. St st to top of ch 3
Round 10: Ch 2, *1 Fp hdc in next st, 1 Bp hdc in next st* around. Sl st to top of ch 2
Round 11: Ch 1, 1 sc in each st around. Sl st to beginning ch 1. Finish off, weave in ends.

Newborn Baby Heffalump Crochet Pattern

The baby heffalump hat is something I've had on my 'to-make' list but everytime I tried I kept stuffing up the ears. This afternoon I was determined to work it out and after an hour or so I finally got it! Woohoo!! I was making one for Baby Shmoogle Bean and figured, well you know, why not take that bit of extra time to write it up as I go and share it with you lovely Beans :o) I feel slack for constantly MEANING to share patterns with you and then not actually doing it so here we go! Lucky you hehe The pattern involves a bit of the old 'just eyeball it' technique for lining things up and such but you'll be right, I promise!

So you'll need:
5.00mm hook
8 ply yarn in grey and a bit of 8 ply in white
yarn needle for sewing

The stitches we're using this pattern are:
magic circle (MC)
slip stitch (sl st)
double crochet (dc)
chain (ch)
half double crochet (hdc)

This pattern is in newborn size only sorry... also please do not copy/reproduce this tutorial in whole or in part anywhere. Feel free to make and sell to your heart's content though.. I don't mind! :o) A link back to here or something would be nice though?

For the hat
Round 1 Start with a MC, ch 3, 10 dc into ring. Sl st to top of ch 3 to close.
Round 2 Ch 3, 1 dc in same st. *2 dc in each st around* Sl st to close.
Round 3 Ch 3, 1 dc in same st *1 dc in next st, 2 dc in next* around. Sl st to close.
Round 4 Ch 3, 1 dc in same st *1 dc in next 2 sts, 2 dc in next* around. Sl st to close.
Round 6 Ch 3, 1 dc in each st around. Sl st to close.
Rounds 7 to 10 Ch 3, 1 dc in each st around. Sl st to close.
Round 11 Ch 1, 1 sc in same st. 1 sc in each st around. Sl st to close. Finish off. Sew in ends.

For the ears (The ears are made in two parts, the upper ear and the lower ear sections. The inner ear sections are also made seperately and are made in two parts. We will sew all pieces together in the last stage)

Upper Ear (make 2)
Round 1 Start with MC, ch 2, 13 hdc into loop. Sl st to top of ch 2 to close.
Round 2 Ch 2, 1 hdc in same st. 2 hdc in next st and in each st around. Sl st to close.
Round 3 Ch 2, 1 hdc in same st. *1 hdc in next st, 2 hdc in next* Sl st to close.
Round 4 Ch 2, 1 hdc in same st. *1 hdc in next 2 sts, 2 hdc in next st* over next 26 sts. Finish off.

Lower Ear (make 2)
Round 1 Start with MC, ch 2, 10 hdc into ring. Sl st to top of ch 2 to close.
Round 2 Ch 2, 1 hdc in same st. 2 hdc into next 7 sts.
Round 3 Ch 2, turn. 1 hdc in same st. *1 hdc in next st, 2 hdc in next st*
Finish off leaving a long tail for sewing.

Joining Upper and Lower Ear sections:
Overlap upper and lower ear sections using image below as a guide. Sew in place. Repeat for second ear.

Join yarn in top of ch 2 at the top of the ear piece. NOTE: for one ear you will work top to bottom and for the other ear you will work bottom to top. Make sure your ear pieces are right way facing before joining yarn. If you sc around both ears top to bottom one will be the wrong way around
Ch 1, in BACK LOOPS ONLY 1 sc around ear from top to bottom. Finish off. Repeat for second ear.

Inner Ear Sections:

Inner Ear Top (make 2)
Round 1 Start with MC, ch 3, 11dc in ring. Sl st in top of ch 3 to close.
Round 2 Ch 3, dc in same st. 2 dc in next st and in each st around. Sl st to close. Finish off. Leave long tail for sewing.

Inner Ear Bottom (make 2)
Round 1 Start with MC, ch 3, 11 dc into ring. Sl st to close. Finish off. Leave long tail for sewing.

See image below for place of inner ear sections, you'll need to overlap them a little. Once you're happy with the placement, sew them into place. You can also see how to ears will sit against the hat.

 Once you have all the ear pieces sewn together you're ready to sew the ears into place against the hat. Make sure the bottom of each ear is placed at the base of the hat. I hate sewing things that 'stick out' on crochet, I find it really tricky... so I can't really advise on how you should do it... just kind of wing it and hope for the best :o) You're probably better at it than I am anyhow. Once you're happy it's secure... and all your bits are sewn in, then you're probably done! Also if there are any mistakes in the pattern please let me know, I'm writing this up at 11pm at night and I may have missed something... happy crocheting!

Crochet Potholders ~ a new little addiction!

My lovely new little splash of colour for the kitchen!

I kept seeing these on Pinterest and thinking how pretty they were, crochet potholders! Some of the designs around the place are just stunning and it's probably safe to say I'm a little hooked on them at the moment. I found this one in particular and just knew I had to try it out first... I came across the free pattern at Hopscotch Lane and the flower one really caught my eye. You can find the free pattern for this little beauty on Ravelry and if you have a bit of a google around you'll see some of the amazing colour combos other's have come up with for them. My little kitchen is in DESPERATE need of come colour..I think a few crochet potholders in different designs and colours hung on the wall would be perfect.

View of the back
 

That's one little corner of my house made a little brighter with crochet :o)

19 weeks today and a crochet yo-yo afghan square

Hi all,
how've you been? Things have been hectic here in the life of me lately.... it's the old saying 'everything that can go wrong will go wrong' and it certainly seems like it has. Finances falling to bits, the car deciding to take its own life and needing don't-even-want-think-about-how-many-dollars worth of work to get it road worthy again, family dysfunction, all those sorts of things that make life interesting. Bubba Shmoogle Bean on the other hand though seems to be doing well thankfully, I hit the 19 week mark today and no my morning sickness STILL hasn't buggered off. No kicks yet either which I'm told should start to happen soon-ish... I have had plenty of nosebleeds, headaches, nausea and the kind of ligament pain that stresses you out everytime it happens. Whoever said the lack of sleep doesn't start until AFTER you've had the baby was very very wrong too by the way and deserves a swift kick! I think some website suggested I use a pillow to stick under my tummy at night if I'm uncomfortable laying on my side BUT that only works if you don't move around...which I do... a lot.... in a way very similar to a fish out of water. The pillow usually ends up being thrown out. All part of them *ahem* joys of it though. And I have a bump now! Finally! I had planned to take progress photos from week 8 or whatever but I decided I was too fat and you couldn't see anything anyway. My non-baby bump has been replaces recently with actual baby bump so I now feel like I can share a pic. Ta da!

This evening has been relatively uneventful (in a really boring way)... you know when you get into a state where you're so tired sleep seems impossible but you're too cranky to be awake and functioning? That's me. My bloody eye won't stop twitching and I've had this annoying headache since I woke up thismorning and I just haven't been able to shake it.... yes I know! Sleep would probably fix those things but it's only 7.20pm :( Sooo what am I doing? Crocheting of course... crocheting and trying to focus on NOT pacing a hole into the floor with over-tired headachey frustration. Anyone got a spare chill pill?

I thought I'd give something different a go... I've started on a yo-yo blanket square and am just in the process of learning how to join the yo-yo's together. It helps when the pattern is easy to follow like this one! You can check out the design and download the free crochet pattern at YarnCrazy Crochet World And nope, I haven't bought any new yarn... I am still using up the half-balls in my plastic tub. I actually have 3 scrap afghans on the go at the moment trying to clear up some space in my cupboard, but I can't share those just yet :o) Wish me luck joining all these bits together tonight though! My WIP basket is very much overflowing with half finished projects and here I go deciding to start another. As you do!

Itty Bitty Crocodile Stitch Booties FTW!

When I first found this pattern I thought the crocodile stitch was the hardest crochet stitch in the universe (not blowing it out of proportion or anything of course)... much cursing went on whilst I tried to get my already ache-y brain around it (because when you've had morning sickness and a throbbing headache all day the next obvious step is to try and crochet something DUH) You can probably imagine how uber stupid I felt once it clicked and turned out to be easy peasy WHOOPS! Anyhoo now I've got the hang of it and all is well.... behold my booties! Down right adorable :o) I have to say, of all the bootie patterns I've tried in the past these are the easiest to work up, and easier still once you get the hang of the scales around the top. The V-stitch is fast and simple and this pattern can easily be adjusted to fit any sized foot big or small!

The pattern calls for a 4mm hook but as I was working with baby ply yarn I used a 4.5mm and they should fit 0-3 months. You can find the fabulously free pattern at Lolly's Crafty Crochet and if you search for these on Ravelry you can download the PDF too :o) These will be keeping tiny tootsies warm and toasty come September!

Linked up to

Sunshine Leg-Warmettes ~ Newborn Crochet Pattern

They're not full legwarmers, they're legwarmettes! Designed to compliment the Sunshine Bonnet these cute little crochet creations fit over the knee and stop at the ankle for full cuteness overload in your newborn photos...  They don't take a lot of yarn or time to whip up and would look beautiful with a solomon's knot wrap or layering blankets for Spring shots. As with the Sunshine Bonnet, these will fit best within 14 days of bubs arrival up to 1 month; you may need to add another few rows of dc to fit up to 3 months. These are worked in rounds so you'll need a stitch marker. You'll also need:

• a 4.5mm crochet hook
• yellow 8 ply yarn
• white  8 ply mohair or yarn for scalloped edge

Make two. With the yellow yarn:
Chain 37 and join with first chain, being careful not to twist it. Work 1 dc in each chain around. Continue to work 1 dc in each st around until you have 10 rows. Once you have 10 rows, work 1 row of sc, then sl st around the top. Weave in ends.
Change to your white yarn and join to the opposite end to the slip stitches. Chain 3, work 2 dc into same stitch, sl st into next stitch, skip 1 st *3 dc in next st, sl st to next, skip 1* around. Sl st to first chain.

Sunshine Bonnet ~ Newborn Crochet Pattern

Modelled by Miss Mushroom! It's easy peasy and oh so cute as a photog prop! It will fit newborns best within the first 14 days but can be used for bubs up to 1 month old. For this hat we'll be working in rounds. Repeat between ** each round and remember to move your stitch marker each round so you know where to end and begin. You'll need:

• a 4.5mm crochet hook
• a stitch marker
• yellow 8 ply yarn
• white 8 ply mohair (or 8 ply white yarn)

For the Bonnet:
Starting with a magic circle and your yellow yarn, chain 3 (counts as first dc) and work 11 dc into ring, close do NOT join.
Round 1: 2 dc in each st around
Round 2: In 3rd chain of beginning dc work 2 dc. *1 dc in next st, 2 dc in next st*
Round 3: *1 dc in next 2 sts, 2 dc in next st*
Round 4: *1 dc in next 3 sts, 2 dc in next st*
Round 5: Ch 3, turn. 1 dc in next 50 sts leaving remaining 13 unworked. Ch 3, turn.
Round 6: 1 dc in next 50 sts. Ch 3, turn.
Round 7: 1 dc in next 50 sts. Ch 3, turn.
Round 8-11: 1 dc in next 50 sts.  Finish off with yellow.
Bonnet Trim:
Using white yarn, join to last st made, working along front of bonnet: Ch 3, 2 dc in same st, sl st to next st, skip one stitch, *3 dc in next st, sl st to next, skip 1 st* Finish off. Weave in ends.

For the Ties:
Using white yarn, chain 55. 1 sc in second ch from hook and in each st along. Finish off. Repeat for second tie. Weave in ends and sew to either side of bonnet.

Cute right? Why not make a pair of matching Sunshine Legwarmettes to complete the set! Enjoy :)

Another beautiful free shawl crochet pattern

I pinned a whole heap of free shawl and capelet patterns recently with every intention to make each and every one of them either for myself, as gifts or both! After finishing the Pineapple Lace Shawl I moved on to this gorgeous design that really caught my eye. I left off 2 rows around the bottom but it turned out beautifully and as a very simple pattern, I highly recommend working one up for yourself or as a gift! You find the free pattern by clicking HERE.. the only thing is you will need to sign up to the Lion Brand website to access it, but with so many other free patterns available on that site, it's probably not too much of a problem :o) Feeling inspired by the purple and black on the last shawl I made, I was eager to use that colour combination again and after a few hours of happy crocheting, I finished up with this:

It has been wrapped in white and red striped paper, tied with a box and had a tag attached to it under the Christmas tree :o)