long trek

Posted on May 2, 2016May 1, 2016 by trish

I finished this sweater in March and didn’t have a chance to take a picture of it until now. It’s the Tumult Sweater from the winter 2016 issue of Interweave Crochet.

It took a fairly long time. I started working on it over Christmas holiday. It’s quite a repetitive pattern so I got a bit bored, and put it down a few times, then working a few rows at a time throughout winter. A long trek.

But finally we’re here :) I like how it turned out. I think I used a thinner yarn than called for, tested it a few times and followed the stitch count for size large to get the sweater measurements to be size small. I like that it can look casual and it can be dressed up as well, with a flouncy skirt, twirling around the Maypole… Happy May! :D

across the seas

Posted on April 2, 2016April 1, 2016 by trish

Hello from Seoul! :D

We are here for a few days to do some sightseeing before heading to Hong Kong. And in the week before I left I scrambled to finish 3 shawls and a hat for my grandparents and aunts. Didn’t have time to take a picture of them before I left, so here I am doing a make-shift photo shoot of the shawls and writing this at the guesthouse where we’re staying :D

The shawl in the picture above is made following the Lion Brand Yarn South Bay shawlette pattern, using Red Heart Unforgettabe yarn.

This one is made using the Lion Brand Dorathea Wraplet pattern, with quite a few extra rows, using Caron Simply Soft. Kind of looks like wings :)

And this was from the Tangier Wildflowers Shawl on Ravelry, also using Red Heart Unforgettable.

I think I will save the blogging till I get home, or keep it very brief, because Worldpress is very wonky on my phone. This is why I can’t even link to the pattern pages, and the pictures are tiny :S But the patterns should be pretty easy to find if you do a search on google or Ravelry, if you’re interested in checking them out :)

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

winding down

Posted on March 25, 2016 by trish

Had a very busy couple of weeks as I was preparing to go on holidays for several weeks. And finally, all the emails that could be sent are sent, vacation messages are set on voicemail and email, I’m finally feeling like I’m winding down.

And time to wind up more balls of yarn! :D

We’re taking a fairly long plane ride, during which I will surely be able to finish a project :D I decided to make this pineapple lace top, which has been on my to-make list for a while now. It’s a small enough project that doesn’t require bringing a lot of yarn. The goal is to travel light!

(Ravelry)

The other weekend I went to Romni Wools and found enough of this mustard colour Mirasol Illaris yarn in the discounted section in the basement :D I don’t have a ball-winder or a swift, but back of the chairs would do for now.

And I double-check on the TSA site that I can bring crochet hooks on the plane. Not sure about scissors. The TSA site says anything shorter than 4″ should be fine, but maybe I’ll just bring a nail clipper. We’ll need a nail clipper anyway.

Hoping I will be able to wear the finished top on the trip! :D Will keep you posted!

Wishing you a blessed Easter long weekend, friends!

nova scotia

Posted on March 11, 2016March 5, 2016 by trish

Recently bought a new crochet book, Learn to Crochet Love to Crochet. I loved the simple style of the patterns so much I just had to buy it. In the book there is this lovely fan lace cardigan that I especially wanted to make. It seems to go well with everything, and of course one can never have too many cardigans. Especially cardigans with pockets. So handy. Yup. Must make the cardigan.

But I felt bad about buying more yarn when I’ve already got so much of it. Particularly, I have been wanting to use the skein of wool I bought from Lismore Sheep Farm when we were in Halifax. It’s a really lovely dark green mixed with specks of grey and red. I also have a skein of Cascade Eco Wool in green/teal that’s been sitting on the shelf for months waiting to be made into something. Problem is, I’ve only got 200 yards of the Lismore wool and about 450 yards of the Cascade wool. Neither is enough to make the fan lace cardigan.

So I thought I’d use both :D

The colours ended up going quite well together, I thought. They remind me of algae and the sea. I did have to make the cardigan a bit shorter because even with both skeins combined I didn’t have enough yarn (good thing I’m short). I used every last bit of the Lismore yarn. I was able to add a row of single crochet to the bottom edge of the cardigan, sleeve cuffs and top edge of the pockets, with enough left for sewing. Also modified the front trims a bit (3 rows of sc), so they’re narrower than what the pattern instructed.

For the buttons, I found enough buttons of the same size in my collection that also remind me of the seaside. It’s hard to show you with my phone photos, but one reminds me of the full moon, one is iridescent like the inside of an oyster shell, others are colours of driftwood and seashells.

I don’t have enough space in our apartment to block the cardigan, so I gently pressed it with an iron under a wet towel to open up and straighten the lace pattern a bit.

I think it turned out quite well! I’m glad I used the yarn for this project, to commemorate the trip we took to the faraway province that I so love and will be sure to visit again one day.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends! :D

this week’s awesome finds

Posted on March 7, 2016March 4, 2016 by trish

Oh my goodness this giant pom pom rabbit!!! *squeal* the cottontail! The pink nose and whiskers! *squeal* Tutorial on ikatbag. (make a fluffle!!)

A shawlette, by the same designer who created the pattern I used to make those trivets! I like cowls better than scarves but have really come to admire the drape and shape of triangular shawlettes. Free pattern from Lilla Bjorn’s Crochet World.

A nice spring/summer make by Drops Design and looking forward to warmer weather…

A cozy, simple, perfectly squishy, cloud-like cowl. From Espace Tricot.

Bobble sheep! Especially love that bubble gum pink :D Free Ravelry download by Just Add Crochet.

And a bigger, more hug-able version of the bobble sheep :) Knitted pillow pattern by Purl Soho.

All made of yarn this week! :D Happy crafting!

intriguing trivets

Posted on February 21, 2016February 19, 2016 by trish

This is probably one of the most complicated patterns I’ve ever worked on. I think it turned out fabulously! :D

It’s made following the mint coffee mandala pattern on Ravelry. Through this pattern I learned to use a needle join method to finish off each round, instead of using a slip stitch, which creates a magically seamless joint! :D Can’t believe I’ve never tried that before.

It’s also very meditative to make. Had to really pay attention to the pattern and stitch count, which leaves less room for the thoughts to wander. I happened to have the same colours that the pattern used, otherwise I think I would have gotten really confused. I just ended up with a lot of ends to weave in, which is also quite a meditative exercise.

After some practice I tried switching up the colours to make two coasters to go with the trivet.

Made them as a wedding gift actually :D I think it would also make a really nice wall-hanging.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

sunshine cardigan

Posted on January 31, 2016 by trish

First finished project of the year! :D

Made this from the Burnside Cardigan pattern by KT & the Squid. I have never used yellow in an entire sweater before. I love how it turns out so retro-looking. And I love the funnel neck! There was a huge sale for the Impeccable yarn at Michaels and it has a nice shade of yellow, so that was what I used.

I’d love to say that my super grainy over-exposed photos are intentional, to go with the retro sweater, but that’s really because the lighting is horrible on this very grey day and this is the best my phone could do. Oh well. It goes with the retro sweater! Almost looks like film doesn’t it? :D

I modified the pattern a bit by adding the blue and grey stripes, the pockets, different front panels (rows of sc stitches running up and down instead of rib crocheted sideways) and button holes. I think I also made the sweater one size too small (XS — I should’ve made S). Usually sweaters I make from patterns turn out too big for me, so I went for the smallest size, but this pattern is very accurate with its sizing. So I had to widen the front button panels quite a bit.

I bought these retro-looking buttons from a nice Etsy seller.

I posted a selfie of this sweater on Instagram. Mike thought if it’s not for my phone the picture could have looked like it’s from the 70’s, with our typewriter and stuff. So he replaced my phone with a record :D

I love the straightforward style of KT & the Squid. Recently bought another pattern to make a sweater for Mike (and another for myself later), will let you know when his is done :D

Here’s hoping for lots of sunshine for everyone this week!

make a toasty blanket!

Posted on January 21, 2016January 17, 2016 by trish

I made this fun blanket for a dear friend who’s having a baby. I thought it could serve as a warm blanket for the stroller and carrides, and maybe also as a floor blanket to roll around on. It also works as a cozy lap blanket for mom! :D

With the bulky yarn and giant hook, it’s a pretty quick project. The finished size is about 26“x30”.

What I used:
Bernat Blanket, 1 ball of “sand” and 1 ball of “taupe” (I had quite a lot of taupe left, probably enough to make 2 pairs of the slippers in this post)
Light yellow yarn for butter pat (I happen to have a chenille texture yarn that I got from the dollar store once, but any yellow yarn would do)
15 mm hook (for toast)
Appropriate size hook for butter pat (depending on the yarn you’re using)
6 mm hook (for facial details)
Tapestry needle

What I did:

With “sand” colour yarn, ch 31.

Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in every ch across, turn (30 sc).

Row 2: ch 1 (does not count as sc), sc in each sc across, turn.

Repeat row 2 until piece is about 22″ from beginning.

Bread top shaping:

Row 1: ch 1, 2 sc tog, sc in each sc across until 2 sc left in row, 2 sc tog, turn.

Row 2: repeat row 1 of bread top shaping.

Row 3: ch 1, 2 sc tog, sc in next 9 sc, 2 sc tog, turn.

Row 4: ch 1, 2 sc tog twice, sc in each sc until 4 sc left in row, 2 sc tog twice, turn.

Row 5: ch 1, skip first sc, sc in next 4 sc, 2 sc tog, turn.

Row 6: ch 1, skip first sc, 3 sc tog, fasten off, weave in ends.

Attach yarn to middle of bread top shaping at row 3, repeat rows 3–6 for the other side of bread top.

Crust:

Attached “taupe” colour yarn to any stitch at the bottom edge of toast, ch 1 (does not count as sc), sc around toast evenly (1 sc in each sc at bottom edge and bread top, 1 sc in each row-end on the sides, making 2 sc in each corner, and making 3 sc tog in the middle of bread top where it dips in), sl st in first sc to finish round.

Crochet 2 more times around toast, fasten off, weave in ends.

Eyes (make 2, or more, to make a multi-eyed monster toast):

With “taupe”, 10 hdc in magic ring, sl st in first hdc to complete round, fasten off, leave a long tail for sewing.

Smile:

With “taupe” and 6 mm hook, ch 9, fasten off, leave a long tail for sewing.

Butter pat:

Crochet a rectangle about 3“x4”. Number of stitches and rows will depend on the yarn you use. When fastening off, leave a long tail for sewing.

Assembly:

Sew eyes, smile and butter pat onto toast with tapestry needle. When sewing on butter pat, I tucked in bits of the bottom edge so it looks like it’s melting.

And here’s Mr. Toast relaxing before going to his new home :)

Stay toasty, everyone! :D

Christmas crafting fun :D

Posted on December 29, 2015 by trish

Some of the gifts I made for Christmas :)

This was from a pattern by the Knit Cafe, I got it while participating in the annual TTC Knitalong. I don’t usually knit with such fine yarn, so it took me quite a long time, but the result is well worth the effort!

I like the contrast between the solid garter stitch and the lacy mesh stitch when it’s all wrapped around. Might make another one sometimes, with a different colour combination :)

Here’s a much quicker project I made for Mike, using Bernat Blanket. It’s quite a soft but sturdy yarn with very little stretch, I thought it’d be perfect for slippers. The pattern is from Rainbows and Sunshine. Fits him perfectly! :D

This bonnet was finger knitted on the plane, on our way back from the east coast, with a skein of beautiful Sirdar Kiko. It’s a baby shower gift I made it for a friend who used to work as a flight attendant on the airline we flew with :)

This is one of the stones from Mike’s grandpa’s collection, which I wrapped with wire and made into pendants. Mike’s grandpa passed away a few years ago. He was quite a semi-precious stone and fossil enthusiast when he was young!

I’m not educated in stone identification at all, so if anyone knows what this stone is, please feel free to drop me a note! I made a total of 13 pendants for aunts and cousins, but I was too excited about wrapping them up and writing notes to go along with them, I neglected to take pictures of the finished necklaces. I followed this handy tutorial for the wire-wrapping.

While visiting Mike’s parents we looked through more of grandpa’s rock collection, including this piece of petrified wood, with transparent inclusions! How cool is that?

Look at the light shining through. Maybe it can be made into a sun catcher.

And here’s my young nephew wearing his present :D

I followed the owl hat pattern by Kat Goldin. Also made these owl mitts from Down Cloverlaine for my other young nephew, this pineapple bag for my niece, a couple of knit neckwarmers/cowls that I made up with bulky weight yarn, this casserole carrier from Moogly for my mother-in-law, and a couple more projects that I can’t show you just yet because the recipients haven’t opened them :)

After making gifts I thought I’d spend the holidays making something for myself. I recently started on this sweater from the current issue of Interweave Crochet. Here I am drinking tea, eating Kinder eggs, and watching family play scrabble while I crochet — holiday at its finest :D

We’ve also got some very unusual weather in our corner of the world this Christmas. It’s not unusual to not have snow, but it was warm enough to find these turkey tails (I think that’s what they are) in the backyard!

Happy about the fungi sighting, at the same time a bit uneasy about the double-digit temperature :S

Then on the weekend it was very windy, with water splashing onto the lakeside road. Reminds me of the roaring sea in the east coast! I don’t think I’ve ever seen the lake with waves like that, but then I don’t see the lake very much from where I live.

But all in all we had a fun time away from the city visiting family. And I’m grateful to have one more week of holidays until the new year, which means more time to write about crafting fun here on the blog! :D

Wishing you a wonderful week!