Elves and Trees

I have been crocheting Christmas Trees (for Christmas Presents). I loved doing this. So quick, lots of little embellishing bits.

You can find the pattern for these here

And these little fellas are called Korknisse and are crocheted around a cork. You can also find the pattern for these here.

When I made these last year I actually knitted them as I wasn't confident enough to crochet them. Both are easy. The knitted ones you can make up as you go along. The only problem is, you have to drink plenty of wine to get the corks - shame!

 

Both of these patterns have come from the very talented Annabooshouse.blogspot.com. She is an amazing lady and she shares many of her patterns - a lot of them made up by herself. Very clever.

Please don't use my photos without asking first. Posted with Blogsy

Finished on a Thursday

Finally, I finished my crochet doll which I started with Annaboo's CAL ages ago.

She is such a poser. Sitting in the various greenery pots around the garden..............

smiling.........

dreaming........

I am quite pleased with her. I still can't quite follow a pattern but I am more confident than I was. I will certainly have a go now.

Thanks Annaboo - you did a wonderful tutorial, I know it was hard work for you. I hope you do another one some time soon.

 

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Woyww #138

Here we are again.  WEDNESDSAY.  Time to play along with "What's on your Workdesk Wednesday", hosted by Julia at http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com.
So today I abandoned my normal workdesk in favour of spreading my work around the house.

 This is the kitchen table.  I wanted to make a card but be downstairs to make dinner as well!

This is the Dining Table with Small's Toiletries Bag I am 'embellishing'

.....and this is the other end of the dining table......

I am attempting to make a bag with the handles I won from The Felt Fairy

Two different ideas.  

1.  Crochet side with a material inside - not sure if the crochet is too soft.  Will it hold up as a bag?

2.  The other one is two tea-towels sewn together.  The problem with this one is that I don't yet have a    sewing machine and I'm not sure if the material is too thick to hand sew!

My normal desk is just a dumping ground at the moment, so you don't want to see that.

 Why not pop along and have a look at the real talent from all around the world who take part in WOYWW.

WOYWW #132 - ONE AND A HALF SCARVES

What's on your Workdesk Wednesday  

This week on my table is a finished (at last) scarf for Smallest lovingly crocheted.  Also there is the start of another scarf but for Small this time, knitted on lovely big needles.  

Both of these scarves are supposed to be for Christmas presents for my special little boys.  However, I realised yesterday that the other ball of wool for Small's scarf is in the container, on the ship, which is refusing to come to our house TILL THE 28TH DECEMBER - Sorry for shouting but I'm mad!

Poor Small.  Hope it doesn't get too cold till after Christmas.

Anyway, my desk isn't very exciting.  Bear with me, next year (that's not as far away as it sounds) I will have my desk and my craft room and all my lovely craftiness supplies.  Ahhhhhh how I miss you, wool and ribbons, needles and crochet hooks, felt and material, glue and buttons, corks and beads, paints and paintbrushes - all of it.  I miss it all!

Next week I hope to have some christmas stockings in the making as they too are on the ship, and how will Santa deliver our presents to us in our new house if our stockings aren't hanging up.  So it's off to the Thrifty store again to find some suitable material (although I don't have my sewing kit either so my temporary one will have to suffice).

Go and have a look here at other peoples loveliness.

Thank you again to all of those people that comment on both of my blogs.  I have had such lovely words and comments from people I know and people I only know through writing the blogs.  It has been a difficult time for me and my family and the comments have been wonderful to read.  Thank you also to Brenda from Butlers Abroad for linking me on woyww the last couple of weeks because I don't have my computer yet and the IPad doesn't let me use Mr Linky.

Cheap Wool and another scarf

I had to unravel the scarf I was making for Smallest's Christmas present as I got half way through the wool and realised I wasn't going to have enough.  I got the wool in the UK and it would be difficult to get extra balls, especially the exact shade,dye etc.

Then I started again, but this time made it a little it narrower.  I also changed the stitch.  But this time I used a triple followed by a double.  I like it better.  It's quite dense and I think it will be warm.  We went out today and as we gathered our scarves and hats and gloves, Smallest asked if he could wear his new scarf that Mummy was making him.  Ahhh bless, at least I know he will wear it.

Today I went to Value Village.  A second hand store that sells everything.  I bought some really old looking wool for just $1.99

Think I might use this wool to make some Christmas Decorations when my stuff comes from across the sea.  Or I could just go and buy myself some knitting needles and find some corks and make them now.

WOYWW #128

My first woyww in Canada.  Now there isn't a lot on it because the ship hasn't arrived with all my stuff (at least three weeks yet!!!).

So what is on my workdesk?  (well for a start it is a small kitchen table).  All that is here is a very large crochet hook which I picked up at the local thrifty store?  Some thick wool I bought in the UK to make Smallest a scarf for Christmas.  I started a scarf in the UK before we came out here but the packers shipped it before I put in on one side to put in my flight bag.  A teapot full of tea.  Two mugs for Huffle and I.

....... And that's it!

There are lots of proper desks out there to have a nose at

http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com

Corks, Cake & Crochet

And one more makes 4.

Smallest actually came up to me the other day and said "where is my cork man?". He went off and chose the wool, got my needles and picked his own cork.

So this one belongs to Smallest - he loves it.

I have been commissioned to make some Korknisse for a friend too, who wants to use them to display her 'meaningful' corks, i.e. one from her Wedding Day, one from when her children were born etc - what a lovely idea. 

I made a Banana and Chocolate cake (from The Great British Book of Baking) for a picnic we went on this week.  In all honesty, I had some bananas hanging around which were way past their best so this was the perfect thing to make.

They are not holes - they are great big chunks of chocolate - yum

Now when I went to take a photo of my cake, I accidentally left it on the video setting - (oh how my Huffle laughed - he wanted to see the video to see if the cake moved).  Well here is the video and if you watch it very very closely you might just see it wink ;o)

he, he, he, he.

My Crocheting is coming along quite quickly.  Maybe not as neat as I would have liked but I am very very new to this.  Each evenng I lay it on the floor of the lounge and when Smallest comes down in the morning he picks it up and admires it (he is so very appreciative of all my work).  He lays it across his lap to see if it is yet a blanket. 

Ah bless him.

WomcrW in the sunshine

Which translates into What's On My Crafting Rug Wednesday (although I did take this on Tuesday) but that's far too many letters for a title.

This week I have been trying to make the most of the sunshine and been crafting outside. Well trying to, despite being ill and having the kids here. Funnily enough they are not interested in crocheting, knitting or anything I fancy doing at the time. You see, it doesn't involve mud, sticks or chocolate.

Anyway, what is on my crafting rug:


My How To Crochet book which I am finding incredibly difficult to decipher. It should be easy. There are diagrams, pictures, tips but I just can't do it. Luckily my Mother in Law can crochet and she is going to help me this weekend.


There are my balls of wool and some lovely flowers I might make into brooches. I made them by mistake, good mistake but a mistake nevertheless.


My smash book - full of more ideas which I will get round to one day.

And an album I am trying to create of old photographs found at my Grandma's house. I've had them for years but only just started to sort them. Some of them go back ages.


<><> <><> <><>

I wish I knew who this was.  We think they might be my Great Great Grandma & Great Great Grandad but we can't be sure.  It seems a very old photograph.

What's on your work desk this week? Hop over to Julia's to find lots more desks.


Another purchase from Ikea that I wanted to share

It's a candle that smells of apple.  ....and it really does.  I have bought many scented candles before and none really smell once they are lit - but horray, this one does.

woyww plus Minions & Cupcake

On my workdesk this lovely Wednesday is :-  My Smashbook / Journal/ Scap Book, whatever you want to call it.  It is proving very useful for jotting down ideas especially when looking through my friends magazine yesterday.  I managed to get lots of tips, some good websites to check out and some new blogs to look at.

There is a finished Minion on there waiting to be delivered.  Some photos I want to cut up and do something with - not sure what yet.

Also there is some crochet - I am attempting to crochet a blanket but am kind of making it up as I go along.  When I was in the loft this weekend (having a huge clearout) I came across all the old baby blankets that I have knitted, friends and family have crocheted.  I don't want to get rid of them so I thought I might crochet them all together and make one huge blanket. 


MINIONS

Hurrah - I have finally finished my knitted Minions and have the pattern here:-

One for my neice and two for my friends' children.  I had such fun knitting these (although they are bit fiddly to sew together).  They each have their own look and I am sad to see them go to their new homes. 

Be happy little Minions.  BTW these are from the film 'Despicable Me' - I had a few comments last week asking what Minions were.  They are little helpers / workers of the main man in the film (Cartoon).  He has hundreds of them. 

Doesn't everyone deserve a few Minons in their life?


CUPCAKE

I also made another felt cupcake - I quite like this one but not sure it's quite good enough to eat.

Maybe I could knit myself a load of Minions, to make me lots of cakes and then I can sit and eat them all day long.   Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ;0)