make: tunisian crochet entrelac blanket

I have spent the last week and a half learning tunisian crochet. It is sort of a cross between knitting and crochet. You use a long crochet hook with a stopper on the end like a knitting needle. In regular crochet you pick up a stitch from your work and then lock it off with another loop, in tunisian crochet you pick up a whole row of stitches and then go back along the row locking them all off. Because you work back and forth on the same side you never need to tun your work which makes it quicker but also much easier when working with something like an afghan or blanket. I learnt the stitches using various youtube videos which are easy to find by just typing tunisian crochet.I did several little sample squares to practice which have now become little doll blankets and this is my first real tunisian crochet project.

I used this you tube video as instruction for the blanket, it is a very comprenhensive and easy to follow crochet along, she takes you through every step of the first 3 rounds and after that it is just repeating what you have already done. My blanket is about baby blanket size at the moment and I am just going to continue until I run out of wool.

Jo x 



First camping trip of the year

I have been having trouble getting photo's on to my computer so sorry for the long gap between blog posts, hopefully all is sorted now so I can get on with keeping track of our days and I have a few 'makes' to write up as well.

A few weeks ago we were having a blast of hot weather so we decided the time was right for the first camping trip of the year (hopefully the first of many!), and Roghan's first ever camping trip. We only went an hours drive away but however far you go it feels like a holiday just being out of the house. We also only stayed for 2 nights but it was brilliant, we went with some friends and they stayed in some little hobbit house type cabins and we took our bell tent.

I love love camping so much, I love being outside all the time, I love going to bed with the sun or staying up talking by candlelight, I love that its cold at night (at this time of year anyway), so we all have to snuggle in bed together under blanket mountain, I love the fire smell that permeates everything, I love the patter of rain on canvas, and I love the freedom of packing it all up and moving somewhere else.

Needless to say, Faith and Roghan love camping too, or I should say - Faith loves it and Roghan just took it completely in stride like he does almost everything. Chris I'm not so sure about, I think he comes for us rather than for any love of camping but he seems to like it once he's there!

We visited an aquarium while we were away and Roghan was completely mesmerised by the under water tunnel, I think we could have laid him down in there for the rest of the day and he would have loved it.

Unfortunately, in the weeks since then it seems winter has returned in full force so we are staying home at the moment and waiting for spring to return.Here's to many more camping trips this year.

Jo x 

a different angle

He sits!! He wobbles, he tilts and yes he topples over sideways from time to time, but essentially, he sits. And I can tell you he is very pleased with himself!

Jo x





new arrival

We have had an exciting new arrival at our house this week.

Our new baby. benjamin mittens (yes all our bunnies have 2 names!). Note the little white 'mitten' front right.

He is super sweet and full of fun and mischief. I only went into the pet shop for some sawdust and came out instead with a box containing 1 baby rabbit, and no sawdust. It took him all of 10 seconds to have me by the heart and then I couldn't leave him. Luckily chris melted as soon as he saw him too so I got away with that one! He is now being carted around under faith's arm most of the time and very obligingly sitting in all the cardboard box 'houses' she is making for him!

The photo below is our other rabbit - jackson bunno - and the stance he took upon spotting another bunny in the house, sooo funny! They had a bit of a scuffle as is the way with rabbits but are now happily grooming each other and sleeping cuddled up together.

Jo x

yarn along

Joining in with Ginny from small things for the yarn along.

Above are some small crochet motifs I have been working on, I am on a bit of a stash busting mission at the moment so I am making these with all the little left over bits of yarn. Each one only takes 4m of yarn and about 4 minutes to make. When I have loads and loads I will probably sew them all together into and enormous blanket. This is an ongoing project!

Below is the silver sparkly shrug for Faith. I managed to make it without her once seeing it so it is going to be an easter present. I think she'll love it, she is such a sparkly girl.

Finger Puppet Instructions (continued)

first part here

So, once you've made the base you sew it up. Just sew up the back using your yarn ends and gather at the neck, add a little bit of stuffing to the head at the last minute. Secure yarn ends.

Hat:

Cast on 10 sts.

Knit 2 rows

Working in st st (start with k row) do 2 rows even and then decrease 1 st at beginning of next 8 rows (2 sts remaining)

K2tog and fasten off.

Use tail ends to sew hat into a cone shape and then sew onto head.

Cloak:

Cast on 10sts.

St st 6 rows

Decrease 1 st at beginning of next 4 rows (6 sts remaining)

Break yarn and pull through the 6 remaining sts, then use this tail to secure around the gnomes neck.

Weave in loose ends and your done.

In the picture you can see it is stretched slightly over my finger but it fits nicely on a child's finger. Within about 10 seconds of one of these being finished it had joined in a little make believe game that was going on and been introduced to the other tree house residents!

I didn't get a photo of my book this week but it was mudbound by Hilary Jordan. This was such a good book. I read it in 2 days and couldn't put it down. It is about life in Mississippi in the 40's and the ingrained racism that went on. Such a powerful and thought provoking read but written in a really accessible style.

Jo x 



spring craft exchange

We have just received our spring craft exchange items in the post. I love getting these packages its so exciting and when it arrives with its USA postmark, faith and I gather around it and really carefully break all the tape first so that then we can just effortlessly open the lid to reveal its treasures.

We got a rabbit flax seed heat pack, a felt tree and gnome, a wooden tree, blue silk, wooden prince and princess figures and a cuddly dog/sheep ( at first we thought it was a little spring lamb but then faith adopted it as a little fluffy puppy and even gave it a little pink leg warmer to sleep in!).

My contribution to the exchange was some crocheted baskets, they had some crocheted spring flowers in them too but somehow I failed to take photos of them.

I love these exchanges and appreciate the gifts we receive so much. Thank you to all those talented mums out there who contribute. Looking forward to the summer exchange.

Jo x 

 

at our place

This week has been campfires, sunshine, family time, sprouting seeds, piano practice, flower spotting, barbecue, sheep feeding, sea loving, dance showtime, daisies, daisy chain making,and close encounters of the horsey kind.

Jo x