hello, it's been a while! I've been knitting houses :)

Hello!  It's been a while since I've blown the cobwebs off my poor neglected blog, but I didn't realise it has been quite so long since the last post!!  Where has that time gone!  I am going to try (again) to get back in the habit of blogging, it is such a nice way to record what I've been making and other stuff.

So in that spirit, here's some little houses I have been having fun making recently. They are quite small, so will make good brooches or woolly pins for project bags, or very cute hanging decorations for the Christmas tree.

The lovely knitting pattern is by Julia Marsh at Hand Knitted Things , she has other cute house patterns too!

I made a couple of mods to the pattern to get the size I wanted, and I think it has worked well!

I used 2 strands of different 4plys to give a marled effect and get to the 8ply for the pattern, the yarns are mostly Jamieson Shetland wool.  I love the rustic nature of this wool, and there are heaps of colours to play with, so it's ticking all the boxes for this project!

These are destined for my Yarn Advent Boxes that I'm sending out in November, I've promised to include a few cute little extras and this is the first one I've made, they are kind of a surprise, but I doubt many people will read this far!

They have all their tails stuffed inside making them a little bit puffy. :)

So much fun playing with colour combos, and I really enjoyed embroidering the doors and windows!  

I have plenty of other things I need to share on here, so lets hope I get the blogging habit back and it becomes a regular part of my life again! 

Have a lovely day everyone, thanks for reading, it's been great to get posting again!

Merry Christmas Eve

Hello!! 

It feels like ages since I've given my poor old blog any attention, so sorry for the unexpected absence! Life just got busy and blogging has been on the part of my to-do list that I just didn't seem to get to! 

Oh well, these things happen don't they! 

It's Christmas Eve here and I thought I'd share my shiny, happy, Christmas dangley thingy with you.  This is our answer to a Christmas tree this year, non-traditional but colourful and fun.  I think it suits the hot Summer Christmas that we get in Melbourne. ( It's going to be hot tomorrow, so might head to the beach after the big lunch!) 

I also had to show you the very cute mushrooms that I made from The Little Box Of Crochet November kit.  Have you heard of  TLBOC?  It's a subscription box that arrives once a month with a different project and all the supplies you need to make it.  The first one was these gorgeous mushrooms designed by the amazing Kate from Greedy for Colour, aren't they so cute!! 

Amanda Bloom is the clever lady behind this new business, it is based in the UK, but she sends all over the world, so I couldn't wait to sign up!  Have a look at her website over here if you are interested in seeing more about her lovely boxes. 

I turned my mushrooms into hanging decorations and I love them on my dangley thingy! 

......I strung some lights around it too, it looks very pretty all glowing at night, a bit hard to capture in a photo....

So how have you been going?  

Are you looking forward to a nice festive break after the busy build up before Christmas? 

I know I am! 

I'd just like to thank you all for visiting this blog, even if the posting is somewhat sporadic!  I love my tiny corner of the crochet crafty online community, it is so supportive and kind!   I am planning on being far more organised and regular in the new year, so hopefully there will be a lot more posts!  

Also I'd like to thanks all the wonderful yarn lovers who have supported Little Woollie Makes Yarn Store during 2015, I so appreciate that you take the time and make the effort to shop with me, I am only a little shop and your support is just the best, you are all fabulous!! xxxxx 

I have a big wishlist of yarns that I'd like to get in the shop in 2016, so stay tuned, there will be lots of yarny love happening around these parts this coming year! 

Wishing you and your families all a very Merry Christmas, our gathering is quite small this year so it will be a lovely chilled out day, lots of food and drink and sitting out in the sunshine! 

Have a great day tomorrow! 

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Have a good one!

So, it's Christmas Eve and I am just about to sit down and watch the Carols and do a bit of present wrapping, while trying not to cry to much. ( The carols always make me cry, a goodwill and joy overload maybe.)

I really hope you all have a lovely Christmas and festive season, my good wishes go out to you all dear readers, have a very merry and bright day!  Thank you so much for visiting my little patch of cyberspace in 2014, I so appreciate all the lovely comments and support you all provide, you guys really are awesome!  

This holidays I will be enjoying time with my family, and I hope you all get to spend some time with special people over the holiday period too, I really think that's one of the most important thing for us humans, feeling connected, feeling loved, feeling wanted and special, and if we can make someone feel that way I think that's a great thing! 

(I guess this bloggy internet community is just a great big extension of that! :))

I will be taking a little break from this space, I think a break from computer stuff will be quite refreshing, plus I have lots of hooky ideas to get out of my head!  A couple of weeks of planning and getting organised for the new year will get me all set up for a great 2015, I have some ideas that I wanted to try out on the blog this year but didn't get to them, so I hope I can get them off the ground in 2015!

Here are some cheery photos of my Christmas tree thingy this year, 

I am calling it our 'Christmas Cloud', it is definitely not a traditional tree, but I like it and there are presents under it too! 

I think it is well suited to our warm, sunny, Summer Christmas, kind of airy and bright, and it revolves in the breeze.  (Sorry for the excessive amount of photos, I was trying to capture the way it changed as it moved in the air. )

 All you Northern Hemisphere peeps, I hope you are warm and cosy, we will be trying to stay cool here in Melbourne, although the weather is looking lovely and mild for tomorrow, so it should be good for the big roast and pudding.  

Okay, that's enough waffling, Merry Christmas everyone!

Talk soon! 

Big love to you all! 

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Crochet Christmas Baubles. Love.

Hello!  How is you week going?  

Are you getting super busy yet?

The silly season has definitely arrived at our house, I seem to have lost a few days last week!

I have been so busy getting orders completed and trying to have enough stock for the Emu Plains Market on Saturday, my house looks like a dump, there are bits of yarn all per the place, it has certainly been a bit cray-cray round here! 

  

We also had our big extended family Christmas party on Sunday for my side of our family,  it was great to catch up with all my cousins and aunts and uncles, I love being part of a big family, it is always a really good day, and is fascinating to see the next generation coming along and getting so big!!  

So Sunday was great day, then Monday was a shocking day for the country.

 What an unsettling week so far, with the terrible siege in Sydney leaving the whole country feeling stunned and so sad, it's hard to believe something like the has happened in Australia, but I have just been watching the news and it is heartening to see how everybody is coming together to support one and other, the aftermath seems to be bringing out the best in people, that is something to hold onto I think.  Love to all of Sydney. xxx

Anyway, this is not supposed to be a sad space, so  back to the hooky stuff.  

Here's something to cheer you up, in a very colourful, fluffy, frivolous way!

I have been crocheting like a mad woman, currently I am making some crochet baubles.  I have seen some lovely looking baubles around the internet recently, so decided to have a go at my own version, and this is what I have come up with.  

I have to say I am rather pleased with how they are turning out.  They are so fun to make! 

As usual, I have gone over the top with colour, the colours of the Cascade Ultra Pima cotton really look fantastic together, and I have got a few favourite colour combos going that are working well I think.

I am also pretty happy with my little pattern, a bit of trial and error, but they are fitting nicely and I love all the colour changes.  Might try and write it down as some stage.  I am hoping to have about 20 of these ready to sell at the market, but I really won't mind if I bring them home again, they can certainly brighten up my pompom tree!

So here are a few extra photos, just because I thought they looked cheerful! :)

So, I am right in the middle of decoration making and have found some lovely tutorials and patterns around the traps at this time of year.

Here are a few links for other decorations to hook up if you have a few spare moments.

* Crochet baubles at The Patchwork Heart gorgeous!

* More crochet baubles from Handmade and Home lovely!

* Cute Christmas Trees from Poppy and Bliss over on My Poppet 

* more Christmas Trees from The Royal Sisters (great for buntings or garlands)

Are you making any decorations for your tree?

Have you had a go at crochet baubles yet?

Have a great day! 

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(Edited 10/11/16  it has taken a couple of years,but I have finally written up my pattern for these Christmas Baubles,  Yay!  It is in my Ravelry shop over here if you'd like to take a look! :) )

Puffy Flower Decoration Tutorial

Hello!

It's been a while since I shared a pattern with you lovely readers, so I thought it was about time to post a tutorial, there is still time to make a few of these before Christmas.  I thought you might like to make a Puffy Flower decoration, I have been making these recently and they are fun and not too difficult, I think they look pretty dangling around the place, or they make nice little gifts.

 I think it is nice to make a decoration or two each year to add to the collection, and I try and come up with a new idea each year, this is what I have been making this year!  

So I have made a little tutorial for you if you would like to have a go. This is a little thank you to all the people who visit here and my shop and leave lovely comments, thank you for your support and kind words, I really appreciate them! 

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Puffy Flower Decoration

Ok, so you will need small amounts of cotton yarn in different colours, I used 8ply and a 3.5mm hook for this example, but you could use what ever you have, just use a hook that is one size smaller than recommended.  This tutorial uses US terminology.

( Throughout this pattern the initial chains made at the start of each round to get to the stitch height do not count as a stitch unless otherwise stated)

To begin chain 4 and join with a slst to form circle.

Round 1: Ch3, make 12 dc into circle, join with slst to 1st dc (not top of 3ch)  (12 st) Fasten off.

Round 2 : Join second colour, Ch3, create puffy petal - make 4 tr into same st as chains, leaving the last loop of each stitch on the hook.....

......so it looks like this, with 5 loops on hook...... ( sorry about the sideways photo, it refused to be edited!)

.....then make the last yarn over through all 5 loops, creating a puffy cluster........

.....into the next st make 1dc and a puffy petal in the same way......

Continue making a dc and a petal into each stitch until you have 12 petals made.  In this round only, join with slst to third ch of starting chain. Fasten off. (24st)

It should look like this.

Round 3: Join 3rd colour to stitch at top of any puffy petal, chain1, make 2sc into same stitch, then 1sc into next st (top of dc of previous round).  

Continue making 2sc in top of petal, and 1sc in top of dc, 12 times in total till you are back to the start, join with slst to 1st sc. (36 st)

 Round 4 : Chain 1, make 2sc in same stitch, then 1sc in next 5 stitches, *then 2sc in next stitch, then 1sc in next 5 stitches* , repeat from * to * all around , join with a slst to 1st sc. ( 42st)  Fasten off.

This makes one puffy flower circle.

Make a second puffy flower circle the same way.

Take both circles and place wrong sides together. 

Working through the back loops only of each circle, join yarn and chain 1, make 1sc in each pair of back loops, with a 4 chain picot every 6th stitch if you wish, or you could just leave the join a plain circle of sc..........

......continue around the circle until you get back to the start, join with a slst to 1st sc.  Chain 45  and join with slst to 1st chain to create a hanging loop. Fasten off.

Use a needle to weave in your end securely.

And there you have it, one finished decoration! Yay! 

I hope these instructions make sense, if you have a problem, I'll try and help.

Now you can go and play with colour combinations and make lots of dangling goodness for your holidays! I hope these little things help make your Christmas very merry! 

Have a lovely crafty day! 

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Makings this week.....

Hello! How are you going today?

 I'm just popping by here to share a few crochet makes from this week, I have been so busy finishing things off for the market on Saturday, i have had no time for blogging or anything else really!  

....I've made some more little booties, this time in sizes that will actually fit on little feet (the last lot I made were very cute but far too tiny!).........

....and I have made 5 more heart washers, tonight I have to edge them all, so I am going to have a little Deadwood marathon ( I am really enjoying this series, Bullock is very cool! ).....

........and I have finished off my little decorations with a picot edge. I crocheted two flower circles together so they are the same both sides and can twirl around without looking terrible on one side.....

So now I am off to my edging, I might try and take a little photographic tour of the market this time and show you some of the lovely stalls, there are plenty of them! 

Talk soon......

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Flower decoration tutorial......

Hello!  

How are you going? I have totally lost track of the days this week, fully in holiday mode at the moment!

But I have put together a little tutorial for the stuffed flower decorations I have been making, in case anyone would like to make a quick and simple decoration to add to their Christmas cheer. 

Ok, here we go!

Hook : 3.00mm

Materials : Small amounts of 8ply yarn, I used Heirloom cotton 8ply,  but this is a great scrap buster project, you could make these with any yarn I think.

Chain 4, slip stitch into first ch to form circle .

Round 1 : ch 3 (counts as 1st dc), 9 dc into circle, join to first st with slip stitch (10 sts all up), bind off.

Round 2: Join second colour to any st, Ch 1, 1 sc into same stitch, then 2sc in each stitch around circle 

( 20 stitches all up), bind off.

Round 3: Join petal colour to any stitch.  Make 5 petals in this round.  

(Work into the back loop of the st only in this round)

To make a petal, 

In 1st st : do 1sc

In 2nd st: do 1hdc, 1dc, 2tr

In 3rd st: do 2tr, 1dc,1hdc

In 4th st: do 1 sl/st

Continue around circle and make 4 more petals ( 5 in total), sl/st into first st of first petal and bind off.

Now you have a flower like this, you can do a few different things. You could leave it at this point, and have a flat plain flower, or you could do an extra round of sc around the petals in another colour for a finishing outline flower that is still flat, or you could do what I have done, .......

........which is make a second flower and join them together by sc all around in a contrast colour, stuffing the flower with a bit of fibrefill before completing the sc edge......

 .......and then I made a hanging loop by changing to a 2.00mm hook and chaining around 30 - 40 chains and joining the end with a slip stitch into the base of the chains.  Weave in the ends, and

 So that is it!  Very easy and simple, and I think  they are very cute when they are finished.  You could add these to presents as a sweet topper, or hang them anywhere you like!

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I am sorry about the poor quality photos, the lighting wasn't great and I think I must have been shaking the camera a bit. 

We are having a great holiday, and I haven't spent much time on the computer at all, the internet connection is fairly dodgy here anyway, (and I have almost forgotten about Christmas completely!), too busy having a fun relaxing time swimming, lazying around, sun soaking, eating, drinking, etc. You get the picture!

Anyway, I will be back in a week or so with normal life resuming. 

Hope you are all having a good week too! xxxxxxx