Ella's blanket

I have finally finished another crochet blanket. This one is for my eldest niece, Ella. She is 10 and she asked for a pink and purple one.

I'm happy with the way this one turned out. It's huge and super warm.

Here is beautiful Ella all snuggled up ready for a sleep over at Nanny and Pa's.

I think I'm ready to try something a little more challenging now. Keep an eye out for my next blanket which will be for Miss Olivia in blues and greens.

Thanks for stopping by.

Faux wrap jersey dress

I got the inspiration for my next dress from this photo.

This is from a facebook page called Fashion UK. I love looking at all their styled outfits for inspiration. Here's the LINK if you want to take a scroll through their photos.

So maybe mine isn't as classy, but here's what I came up with. I like it with this scarf:

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If you have read my blog before, you would know that I don't work with patterns very often. I like just making it up as I go along or using online tutorials. But I thought I'd give a real paper pattern a go. I bought this one from STYLE ARC an online pattern shop. They have heaps of patterns for both woven and knit fabric based on current fashion trends. This pattern is called, 'Slip-on Suzie.' Ha! Cute!

This is the first time I have made a dress with long sleeves. It was easier than I thought it would be and I'm happy with the way they turned out. I added a gathered waistband as it needed 'something' there.

Next time, I think I will make a plain long sleeve dress without the faux wrap, but I'm desperate to find some decent jersey fabric in funky patterns here in Australia. The price of international shipping has gone through the roof so I really need something here. Can anybody help me out?

Hopefully, I will be back soon with another crochet blanket. It's taking me ages to sew in all those pesky ends!

Thanks for stopping by.

Daphne's crochet rainbow rug- my new craft

I'm back at last! My goodness that was a busy term! But we got through it and we're on beautiful, wonderful, relaxing holidays again.

Last holidays, I decided to learn a new craft after seeing lots of beautiful crochet rugs on Pinterest. So I jumped onto Youtube and started to learn the basics. With some help from my mother-in-law and sister-in-law who can both crochet beautifully, I was on my way and I don't think I'll ever give it up! It's addictive.

I made this rainbow rug for my gorgeous niece Daphne.

Here's the gorgeous Daphne when I gave the rug to her:

And here she is snuggling on the lounge with her dad (my brother).

Here are my top 5 reasons why I love to crochet and think you should give it a go too:

1. It's easy and quick! No counting stitches unless you do a fancy pattern and if you make a mistake it's so easy to see and fix because you usually only have one or two stitches on the hook at once.

2. It's relaxing. When you get into a rhythm with your stitches, you don't need to think about it at all- perfect for watching tele.

3. It keeps you warm in Winter. My sewing room is freezing in Winter so it's nice to have a craft to snuggle up with on the lounge. 

4. You can do it anywhere and all you need is a little plastic hook and some yarn. It's amazing what you can create using such basic and cheap materials.

5. It's timeless. These days we have such a vast choice in colours for yarn, the possibilities are endless. I remember a crochet rug that my mum had when I was little. I  didn't like it at all because of the dark, dull, boring colours. Clearly, we don't have that problem anymore!

Now my aim is to make a rug each for two of my nieces and my nephew. I might even get a little bit fancy with the patterns. I hope my nieces and nephew love them and they might even treasure them forever! So stay tuned for some more crochet creations- hopefully it won't be too long.

In the meantime, here's one more pic to enjoy:

'Til next time. xxx