Edward's Menagerie - Rabbit & Cat

As well as making Winston the Aardvark and Samuel the Koala for Christmas gifts, I also made Emma the Bunny and Alexandre the Russian Blue Cat for my great niece and nephew.

Meet Emma, the Bunny.

And Alexandre the Russian Blue Cat.

Both are sporting wooden bum buttons so no one forgets who made them  :)

Again, if you are thinking about getting this book, then do, I highly recommend it.  The patterns are all formed of one basic pattern so you can get to grips with it really quickly.  It is easy to follow and the results are very cute.  You can by it on Amazon by clicking THIS LINK.

ps: The Amazon links I've scattered throughout the page are affiliated  if you click and buy I might get a few pennies.  

Cat's & Strawberries - a mini iPad case tutorial

You may recall I made my Uncle an iPad case from Tractor themed fabric.

Well, while I was at it I though I would make my Sister one for Christmas too.

First of all I placed the iPad on the fabric, and leaving an inch all the way around I cut out the pieces.

• 2 from the outer fabric
• 2 from the wadding
• 2 from the lining

Taking the outer fabric and the wadding I then stitched up them using my sewing machine, to create a quilted effect.

With the right sides inwards I sewed the two pieces together around three sides.

Next I sewed the two lining pieces together, right sides facing each other, to make a little pouch.  I left a hole in the bottom to turn the whole thing inside out later on.

For the flap I cut a piece of each of the fabrics and the wadding.

 

And quilted the outer fabric to the wadding as before.

I added a piece of Velcro to the lining fabric.

Then sewed the two pieces together with the right sides facing in.  Once sewn I turned them the right way out and over-sewed the edges to give it a nice crisp finish.

Then it was time to sew it to the main pouch.

Next it was time to add the lining in and give the top seam an oversew.

Then I added a funky button that I bought from HERE.  The button is just for show as the Velcro provides the fastening.

And that's it finished!  Voila!  Done!  Complete!  Useless!

Yes, useless.  To my sister anyway, as she doesn't have an iPad mini, she has a full sized one.  And I only found out on Christmas Eve so no time to remake it.  

I gave her an IOU instead  :)   

I adapted a bag pattern from Emma at Hole House to make this case.

A big chunky uni-sex scarf

Another de-stash scarf, this one a hugely chunky weight one in Crochet Trebles.

Simple, but so warm and effective, and I think this one would look fabulous on a chap, don't you?

Rich earthy tones of burgundy, blues, and burnt brown with a funky fluffy fringe to finish it off.

Perfect for those cold days, this chunky number will really keep the chill out.

If you fancy crocheting yourself a scarf, then Febuary's project at Crochet £& Craic is scarves.

The next one is on Monday 2nd Feb, 5.30-7.30pm at Hobbycraft, Carlisle, and it costs just £5.00.

Pea & Mint Soup

Would you look at the colour of this soup?  How vibrant!  And delicious too.

I did my usual scavenging of the reduced section in the supermarket and grabbed these peas for 10p and a bunch of fresh mint for 5p.

I chucked a chopped up celery stick in the Soup Maker with a little oil and sautéed it.

Then I chopped up the mint - the smell was gorgeous, fresh minty goodness wafting through the kitchen.

I chucked it all in the pot with the peas and a chopped up potato to thicken.

Covered it with water.

Then left it alone for 20 minutes to cook before blending until smooth.

Yummy, healthy and only cost around 10p a bowl!!

The last 6 blogging years....

ONE year ago on Sunday 26th Jan 2014, I blogged about a class I had just held, "learn to crochet", at The Eden Workshop in Plumpton near Penrith.

TWO years ago today on Saturday 26th January 2013, I blogged about writing to Whiskas about the missing yellow bits from Milly Moo's favourite cat food.

THREE years ago, not to the exact date but to the closest which was Thursday 19th January 2012, I ran a giveaway for a crochet hat that my daughter very kindly modelled for me  :)

FOUR years ago on Wednesday 26th January 2011, I told you about a collection called "Sprite Flowers" that I started on holiday in Marrakesh.

FIVE years ago on Tuesday 26th January 2010 I was teaching beading to some Duke Of Edinburgh award students, and we made Tiaras  :)

And finally, SIX years ago I wasn't even blogging, not with this blog anyway.  My very first blog was on Thursday 19th February 2009 after a class and chat with Laura Sparling.

How the years fly......


Oh, by the way, you can click on the links to take you to those blogs if you want to read any more  :)

A crochet cot blanket for Hope

A little while ago I made a blanket for a friend's new Granddaughter, with a matching Squiddly Diddly conforter.

Now my little Granddaughter, Hope, is out of her Moses basket and into a proper cot, it was time to make her a new blanket too.

Using the same pattern, one I downloaded from Ravelry, a Lucy Lyons design which you can find HERE, I got to work.

I used the gorgeous "Soft & Cuddly" yarn from W.I at Hobbycraft, it really is beautiful to work with - exactly what it says on the ball band, soft and cuddly. I got the Pink Flecks colourway, which is a rich cream dotted with pinks and purples.

Then I edged it with the bright Pink colour for a bit of Oomph.

Excuse the shadowy photos, but I forgot to take any before I gave it to my Daughter-In-Law, so had to take them at her home in-between the furniture  :)

It's the perfect size for a cot, and the best thing is I have put some yarn aside for when I need to make it bigger for her bed   :)

Edward's Menagerie - Aardvark & Koala

My lovely Hubster treated me to the Edward's Menagerie book by Kerry Lord.

It really is a gorgeous book and I couldn't wait to start working from it.

I knew immediately which the first project would be, and that was an Aardvark for my daughter, Shona (age 21) for Christmas, immediately followed by a Koala for her partner Marie  :)

Meet Winston, the Aardvark.

And his friend Samuel, the Koala.

And they both have wooden bum buttons to show who made them  :)

If you are thinking about getting this book, then do, I highly recommend it.  The patterns are all formed of one basic pattern so you can get to grips with it really quickly.  It is easy to follow and the results are very cute.  You can by it on Amazon by clicking THIS LINK.

ps: The Amazon links I've scattered throughout the page are affiliated  if you click and buy I might get a few pennies.