Christmas Crochet!

Hello everyone! 

I can't believe Christmas is less than two weeks away - where did this year go!? Fortunately I have most of my Christmas presents organised (though just about all of them are still in the post somewhere), and I have a date with our French exchange student, Violette, to put together our holiday menu and recipe book.

On Sunday, we hosted our last Crochet Class of the year. These have been great fun, and we are looking forward to doing more next year! 

Tis the Season, so the patterns were for Christmas tree decorations :) If you're looking for some quick and easy crochet decorations for your tree/fireplace/house, I've linked all the patterns we used below. 

There were little Christmas socks from Le Monde de Sucrette...

More mini stockings (made with granny pentagons!) from Maggie's Crochet...

Stars from Petals to Picots...

And little Christmas trees from Crochet Jewel!

We had some beginners too, so there were also a few granny squares produced. Isn't this yarn just gorgeous?

 

Overall it was a fun afternoon, and everyone got to take home something that they had made :)

Around the Bases CAL - Afghan Square Round Up!

Hello everyone! 

It's been another hectic week here, but I've managed to tick one thing off my list - my centre square for the Around the Bases CAL, starting on August 9! 

I'm going to use all Stylecraft Special DK for this afghan, choosing colours with a random pull from my bag of scraps and rejecting only if I've used the same colour in the last 10 rows already. It's made for some interesting colours so far... but that will be part of the charm!

The really special thing about this CAL is that each one is going to be unique, because WE get to choose the starting square! 

I spent quite a long time on Ravelry looking at different square options, before narrowing it down to a shortlist and coming to a decision. It was really hard! I ended up deciding on a square and then converting it to a rectangle - after Sophie and the Lily Pond, I need a break from square afghans :P 

But what to do with all the other pretty squares that I found? It seems a shame to just forget all about the lovely crochet that I found... 

So, shared here for you (and me) are the big afghan squares that tempted me the most as the centre square for this CAL :) They are in no particular order, and all pictures are from the pattern pages and belong to their respective owners. 


Tropical Delight
Published by Mellie Blossom

Cost: Free! 
Link: http://www.mellieblossom.com/free-tropical-delight-crochet-pattern/

Starburst Square
by Tera Kulling

Cost: Free!
Link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/starburst-square-2

August Sun
by Donna Kay Lacey

Cost: $1.99
Link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/august-sun---wwbamcal

Firenze
by Julie Yeager

Cost: $2.99
Link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/firenze-afghan-block

Grand Granny
by Angela Harriman

Cost: $1.00
Link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/grand-granny

Daisy Centre Mandala Square
by Zooty Owl

Cost: Free!
Link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/daisy-centre-mandala-square

Denna Square
by Polly Plum

Cost: Free! 
Link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/denna-square

The Enchanted Garden
by Courtney Jones Laube

Cost: $3 + $1.99 for the Crocodile Stitch Flower pattern
Link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-enchanted-garden-tote

Sophie's Garden

Cost: Free!
Link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sophies-garden

The Darkness Held at Bay
by Shan Sevcik

Cost: $1.50
Link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-darkness-held-at-bay-10-and-12-block

So, what did I go with in the end?

The Darkness Held at Bay, with some extra rows of bphdc after the centre square to make it rectangular, and then an extra row around the edge to get to the right stitch count :) 

What do you think? Are you interested in joining this CAL too?  Which afghan square would you use to start with?

Hugs,

Michelle

New Patterns! Bonfire Beanie and Moroccan Doorways Mini Clutch

Hello everyone!


We finally ironed out our problems with Paypal and Ravelry and that means... our new patterns are on sale! We've used small variations on the same overlay crochet pattern to make these two very different items - what do you think?

Make sure you read all the way through before clicking through to Ravelry, as there is a special offer right at the end ;) 

Bonfire Beanie

Pattern available from http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bonfire-beanie 

Keep warm and toasty around the campfire with this Bonfire Beanie! The band is made using overlay crochet techniques to create the flame motif.

Opening Weekend Sale - 10% off with code OVERLAYSALE

Moroccan Doorways Overlay Crochet Mini-Clutch

The design reminds me photos I have seen of colourful markets and souks in North Africa, enticing buyers in with rich colours. Make sure you use lovely bright colours to bring this little clutch alive with the colours of the market!

Pattern available from http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/moroccan-doorways-overlay-crochet-mini-clutch

Opening Weekend Sale - 10% off with code OVERLAYSALE

SPECIAL OFFER!!!

If you want to buy both patterns, add both to your cart and use the code DOUBLEFIRE to get 30% off the total!!

(Important: Make sure you Add to Cart, not Buy Now, 

to take advantage of this double offer!)

Crochet Dreams

It is cold, wet and utterly miserable here in Sydney today, so I'm tucked up on the couch dreaming of all the crochet projects I want to do!

Offset Circles Blanket by Baby Love Brand

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/offset-circles-blanket

I just love the look of this square design! The wonky circles are so cute, and I can picture different colour schemes to make it look like peacock feathers, crazy rainbows... anything! 

Ellipse Blanket by Minett Johansson

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ellipse-blanket 

Another pattern that could be anything - individual squares, washcloths, baby blanket, full size blanket... I like the illusion of curves with all straight lines! 

Crochet Swing Jacket by Copper Llama Studio

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crochet-swing-jacket

As a larger sized person, this jacket just looks so awesome (plus, then I can be a frill necked lizard)!

Crochet Overlay Mandala No.1 by Caro Created

https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/104510956/crochet-overlay-mandala-no-1-pattern-pdf

I already have the pattern for this, just need the time and the concentration to work on it! 

Canyon Shrug by Lion Brand Yarn

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/canyon-shrug

This top just looks so snuggly, I have to try and get the right yarn to make it.

Groovy Rucksack by Carole Marie

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/groovy-rucksack

Rainbows. Fabulous shapes. A useful bag. What more could I possibly want!?

What is on your crochet dreams list?