Ta-dah! Alexandra!

Hi everyone!

Phew, what a couple of weeks! It's been a bit quiet on the blog because life took on a whole new dimension a few weeks ago - our daughter arrived! 

Alexandra Zoe Westlund was born by c-section on Tuesday 22 May 2018, at 4:30 in the afternoon, weighing 3.3kg and 50cm long. We are all recovering well and getting used to this crazy parenthood thing. 

I know I'm biased, but isn't Allie just ridiculously cute? 

All these crochet blankets are coming in handy now that winter has finally arrived in Sydney! 

I'll post more again soon - our Blogstars project for the nursery is nearly done and ready for its big reveal as well!! 

Hugs,

Michelle

Nesting: Part 2

Hi everyone!

The nursery is set up, the orders are all completed, and so while I try and get some rest in these last two weeks I've been playing with some more crocheted baby things...

Flower Puddles Ripple Blanket

Pattern: Flower Puddles Ripple Blanket

Yarn: Wolltraum My Melodyy 4ply in Forever 

While I don't really need more blankets, I just love this design and maybe it'll be a good photo prop? Once it gets outgrown, I am thinking about mounting it on some self-adhesive board and hanging on the wall <3 

The pattern is really well written and really does look like ripples in a puddle! 

Eloise Sweater

Pattern: Eloise Sweater by Moogly

Yarn: Moda Vera Fayette in Smoke, Stylecraft Special DK in Empire and Paintbox DK in Turquoise

I wasn't planning to crochet any baby clothes. I thought they'd be too hard to wash and dry, and therefore just sit in the cupboard gathering dust rather than getting used! But, we had dinner with some lovely friends on the weekend who said that one of their favourite gifts for their baby was a collection of handknitted jumpers, which were machine washable and got used and loved to death over the wintertime. So, I had a go at one and it came out so cute!!

Fortunately I had exactly the right coloured buttons in my button stash, which is getting sadly depleted - nearly time to go back to the craft op shop around the corner and stock up again!

Because I used DK yarn rather than Worsted, I made the 6-12 month size - hopefully it won't be too small! 


Next projects...

I've almost finished another little jacket, but it really needs the buttons before I can show it off properly ;) 

While I wait for the Stardust Melodies squares to arrive from Anne in Germany and the Blogstars in the UK, I want to make more little cardigans/jumpers! The lovely people at American Yarns are sending me some of the new Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable Waves to try out - it's going to make some gorgeous booties and a cardigan or two :D 

Do you have any favourite baby patterns using DK yarn, preferably not too nanna-ish? 

Yarn Review: Bernat Baby Blanket Tiny (from American Yarns)

Hi everyone!

I was recently given the opportunity by a yarn retailer in Melbourne, American Yarns, to try out some of their brands and write about it here. Well, who am I to say no to free yarn, and also, a lot of the American yarn brands are actually quite difficult and expensive to get hold of here in Australia! But where to start!? So many beautiful squishies, from Bernat to Caron to Lily Sugar'n'Cream, and some new Red Heart lines I haven't seen before... 

I've been admiring the Bernat Baby Blanket Tiny chenille yarns for ages to make some little animal friends. What better opportunity to try some, and also make some baby things for my own little one! American Yarns kindly sent me some in the Wildflower and Hush Pink colourways. 

The postage was very quick (fortunately, because I am very impatient) and then I had to decide what to make. This gave me time for some very enjoyable squishing and cuddling of the yarn - it is so soft and snuggly!

My first thought was to make one of Anne's gorgeous little Cross Your Heart Teddies as a cosy little friend for my tiny human, but then I thought I better find a bigger project first, as the teddies don't need all that much yarn and I didn't want to run out on making a blanket!

After perusing the Ravelry Projects Gallery for the yarn, I started with a Corner to Corner blanket, thinking that it would show off the colour changes without looking too mind bendy. However I discovered very quickly that because the lovely squishy chenille yarn has almost no stitch definition, it was very difficult to work into chains. So, that half a ball of blanket is sitting here now waiting for me to be inspired to either finish it and make a lovey, or undo it and repurpose the yarn. The outcome is extremely warm, soft and beautiful to touch and hold, just the crocheting was not a lot of fun. 

Do you have any suggestions on blanket patterns that require minimal working into chains? 

So on to the teddy. Oh my goodness, it worked up so well with a 3.5mm hook, and it is just so soft (I need to find another word for soft). My husband Kiah nearly claimed it for his own, and spent quite a lot of time the evening I finished it with it tucked between his neck and shoulder, just enjoying the cuddles. I am going to make a few more so that as they need washing or the chenille wears a bit thin, the wee flea can still have its snuggly toy! 

It's been heaps of fun trying out this yarn. If you're in Australia and looking to buy American branded yarns, have a look at American Yarns! I'm excited to dive in further and try more, but they might have to wait until after I get used to having a small baby in the house! 

Nesting: Part 1

Hey everyone!

Oh man I have been so bad at blogging and crocheting so far this year - my output is way down and my crojo has spent a lot of time AWOL. I've just been extra tired, what with growing a whole new human being! Kiah and I are having our first child, due in mid-May. So far pregnancy has not been enjoyable at all between the very hot summer, my chronic fatigue and all the usual "perfectly normal" things that go along with the whole process, so thank goodness there's only 9 weeks to go! We're not going to find out whether it's a boy or a girl until it arrives :) 

I have managed to make a few things though, and it's super exciting to be making baby things for me for once :P 

We have some big things coming along this year - continuing our work with Stylecraft and the Blogstars, a new collaboration with an Australian yarn retailer, and hopefully working with a mindfulness magazine called Breathe later in the year on another meditation CAL. Plus, there's a bunch of new designs at  various stages of production that I really should get moving on before all my time is devoted to a tiny screaming person! 

But, while that is all in progress, I thought I'd share with you the things that I've been working on over the last few months :) 

Neat Ripple Blanket

Pattern: Attic24 Neat Ripple

Yarn: Bella Baby Bambini Print, 50% Acrylic 50% Nylon

I started this blanket ages ago - the yarn is so soft and silky, and worked up so beautifully in Lucy's neat ripple pattern. When my crojo first disappeared in January it was really nice to pick up again and just do something relatively mindless and repetitive, and I'm so happy with how it came out!  

Rainbow Cloud Wrap

Pattern: Virus Blanket / Scallop Border for Virus Shawl

Yarn: Wolltraum My Melodyy 4ply in Mamma Mia (500g cake)

I made one of these for the Sydney Easter Show last year, and sold that one very soon after. I still had the other 500g cake which was wound with the colours in the opposite direction with dreams of making another one someday... Then, I was looking for a project I could take with me to sit in the extremely boring waiting room of the antenatal clinic, and picked up the second cake to give it a go! 

The pattern was so easy to remember after a few rounds, and it was a lovely project to just sit in front of the tv through this hot Sydney summer, no need to change colours or weave in ends... The texture is absolutely wonderful - warm but breathable - and I can't wait to wrap our baby in it! It's also machine washable (and goes in the dryer on low) so I don't have to be afraid to use it in case it gets dirty! 

For the edging, I found an edging pattern for the virus shawl and it was pretty easy to adapt to the square blanket. It finishes it off beautifully! 

Rainbow Happypotamus

Pattern: Happypotamus 

Yarn: West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4ply in Rum Paradise 

I have been drooling over this yarn forever - such bright rainbow colours... But, I am not too excited about making more socks (knitting is just so slow!?) and as it's a wool/nylon blend, what else is it really good for? 

It's good for happypotami. The outcome is just so pretty, but the texture of the yarn is a bit scratchy from the wool so maybe this will be a toy for looking at on the shelf rather than playing with :P 

I only ended up cutting the yarn to start in a different place once, for the nose piece - otherwise every piece just continues on from the previous one, and it worked out really well!

I absolutely adore the colours! 

What's next? 

Anne and I are working on a project with the other Blogstars using Polly Plum's Stardust Melodies patterns and the new Bambino Yarn - but we'll tell you all about that next time! 

Hugs,
Michelle

PATTERN: Bargello Wave Baby Blanket!

Hey everyone! 

My brand shiny new Bargello Wave Baby Blanket pattern has been published!!

You can find it, buy it, queue it and favourite it here on Ravelry:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bargello-wave-baby-blanket

There is a discount coupon running until Monday night, you can find it by checking out Crochet Between Worlds on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/crochetbetweenworlds/) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/crochetbetweenworlds/) ;) 

But for now I'm just going to post heaps of photos, because I am so in love with this design and the pretty colours <3 <3 <3

Catching up!

Hello everyone! 

I haven't blogged much about everyday things for so long - between patterns and Melbourne, it's been a bit busy! Here's a little update on what's going on for me :) 

First, since it has been so long, a Sophie's Universe CAL update in pictures! I love the butterflies and the little plum tulips :) It is also big enough now to keep my knees warm while I work on it - very useful now that the weather is starting to get chilly of an evening. Only 3 more weeks to go!! 

I've also started on a new Crochet Along - Jane Crowfoot's Lily Pond Blanket together with Stylecraft Yarns. I wasn't that excited about it after I saw the initial photos, it seemed very dark. But now that I've made my first set of pieces, it really does look like ripples in a pond! I chose mostly Stylecraft Special DK colours to sort of match the Stylecraft Life DK set colours, but I think my choices are a bit brighter than the Special DK alternates provided.

I broke my yarn fast (again) last weekend at Spotlight's 40% off yarn sale. It was just too good to resist! I discovered some colourways of Moda Vera Bouvardia that I actually like, such as Tokyo:

and Sunset Dive:

And I am definitely excited about getting more of these yarns as they make such lovely Road Trip Scarves for my stall in June :) Fortunately Bouvardia is on sale for VIPs until 10 May, so I just have to get back to Spotlight before then! 

I also found a new Moda Vera Marvel variation called Magic Stripe - it has longer variegations in colour, and I think it works well for these booties! What do you think? I'm about to get started on a blue/green/white pair as well. 

But, our big excitement this week were the huge storms, rain and wind around Sydney and the Central Coast/Newcastle. We were fine here in Meadowbank (although the hot water was off for about a day due to damage to the hot water tanks), but up at the Lake House, things were a little bit different. There were trees down all over the place, they still have no power after 4 days, and the lake overflowed just a little bit! The combination of a king tide and the storm surge meant that the lake couldn't do its usual tidal thing at Swansea, so it got a tad overfull...

See that bench out in the water behind a tree? It's usually about a metre from the edge of the lake... The ducks thought it was all marvellous though :)  

We were meant to be going up there for this weekend to celebrate my mother's and my sister's birthdays, but without power we couldn't have hot showers or even make tea! Kiah and I quickly cleaned out the fridges and freezers, which were already defrosting, and just came home instead. It made for a long day, especially after getting evacuated from Spotlight at Tuggerah on the way! 

Tomorrow there will be birthday lunch at my parents' house - slow roasted pork belly, roast vegies and, by special request, red velvet birthday cake with salted caramel and white chocolate cream cheese icing! Wish me luck with the cake, I've never made red velvet before! 

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend :) Don't forget, if you are interested in participating in the Crochet Between Worlds Christmas Market, send us a message on our Facebook page! We are going to start organising in earnest at the end of May when I get back from the Great Ocean Road Marathon! 

These boots are made for... snuggling!

Hello everyone! Sorry I'm a bit late this week - I was hoping to blog last night but me and Sophie were NOT getting along, and I wanted to show you all how this week's part of the CAL looks :) 

First up though, I have been having loads of fun recently making Crocodile Stitch Booties! Using this fabulous set of patterns from Bonita Designs, I've made baby ones in Stylecraft Special DK Citron:

Child ones with a Stylecraft Special DK Lavender sole and Moda Vera Fayette Jewel Mix tops:

And adult ones with a Moda Vera Marvel Green sole and Moda Vera Fayette Frenzy tops!

It is a fantastic pattern - very easy to follow and well explained for uneducated people like me who have never done crocodile stitch or rib stitch before - I highly recommend it. And, so cute!

I particularly had fun at Mum's house on Sunday, shopping in her button collection :) Do you think these were good choices?

The baby ones don't have buttons yet. I need to either figure out how to crochet buttons that are the right size and work well, or maybe get some velcro? What do you think?

And here is my Sophie's Universe progress! It took me much longer than it should have to do the last 10 rows, but I kept reading the pattern wrong and miscounting and discovering mistakes in previous rows... Sophie didn't quite go over the balcony, but it was a near thing a few times. I love the colours though!!

Here's hoping I have better luck with next week's part 5 :) 

EDITED TO ADD: Here is my sister's start on the Sophie's Universe CAL - I love how the different colour scheme gives a totally different effect!! She was inspired by the Attic24 Cottage pack in choosing her colours.