Crochet bunny time!

       Hello my yarny friends,  I hope you are all going ok and staying healthy, I don't know what it's like where you are, but there is a lot of Covid around here, so many people have had it,  I feel like I'm just waiting my turn. 

Anyway, it's nearly Easter and this is the time of year that I seem to like to crochet bunnies.  I always think I'll have plenty of time to hook up a big bunch of bunnies, but time gets away from me.

So here are some bunnies that I made over the weekend, I'm pretty pleased with this little family, I used Rauma Garn Puno for the bigger bunnies and it was a dream to crochet with and has given them a cute fuzzy fabric. It's a blown type yarn where the fibres are blown into a tiny tube so its very light and airy.  

You can of course make these with any yarn you like, I've made tiny ones in 2ply and 4ply in the past and once a giant 20ply bunny which was fun.  Just adjust your hook size for the yarn weight you are using, I always go down a few sizes so the fabric is nice and firm and the stuffing doesn't show through.

I've popped a link to the pattern if you'd like to give it a try.

  find pattern over here

You can also find it on on my Ravelry page Julie Harrison Designs, I have updated the pattern slightly and also made it available free as a little thank you gift to all my yarny peeps.  I hope you have fun with it!

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!

Lacy Scarf in Skinny Wool

Hello!  This is a scarf I crocheted last year that I was pretty happy with, I'm thinking of making a few more in different colours.  I think they would make good presents, what do you think? 

The pattern is called Diamond Cluster Lace Plume Scarf, a bit of a mouthful, but pretty easy and doable, a 3 row pattern repeat that is very effective.  

It is by Bianca Boonstra and can be found on the Moya Yarn website in their free pattern section over here .    

The pattern is made for the Lace Plume 2ply cotton by Moya, (I have made one in this and it was lovely) but this time I have used the lace weight Skinny Wool  from Adele's Mohair.  

This is a lovely single spun lace weight merino that comes in so many gorgeous shades.  

It was great to crochet with too, and I love the lightness of it and how blocking the finished scarf really opened up the lacy pattern.

I am enjoying using the smaller hooks and fine wool at the moment, I'm also making a few other things in 4ply that are looking pretty cute, and more crochet beads for necklaces, but I'll show you those another time. :) 

Yes. I definitely think I need to get another one of these on my hook!  Maybe in that Poppy Red this time....  

Talk soon. xxxx

Crochet a Christmas Tree!

Hi there! I hope you're having a great day wherever you are! 

So December is nearly here, and that means Christmas is just around the corner!! Eek!  Where has the year gone? I feel like I have been going backwards this year, always chasing my tail!  Hopefully I'll be more organised next year and get my act together!! :) 

Anyway, I have been doing a bit of crochet and I thought I'd share a little Christmas decoration that I've been making this week, I like to try and come up with a new decoration each year and this is what I've made for this year! 

I hope you like it!  It has a bit of a rustic, folky feel which I like.  

These cute crochet Christmas Trees are made in 2 flat pieces, a front and back, that are then crocheted together. They can be left flat or can be stuffed for a more 3D effect, They are very simple to make, I have done a spotty bobble version and a striped version, so you can make a whole forest of dangley trees if you like!  There are lots of ways you could decorate these trees you could add a little sparkly star to the top and a loop and hang them, you could sew on beads or buttons, or make little stands from slices of branches and stand them up like a forest. or you could make a few and turn them into a Christmas bunting!  ( I think I might do this with mine!)

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Crochet Christmas Trees!

Materials and hook: They can be made from any yarn you like, different yarns will give you different looks, use the crochet hook 1 size smaller than recommended for the yarn you use.

I used MoYa cotton Caresse which is a rustic 10ply yarn and a 4.5mm hook.

Stitches used:

Chain (ch): Yarn over and draw through loop on hook.


Treble (tr): Yarn over, insert hook in stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, (3 loops on hook),

yarn over and draw through 2 loops, yarn over and draw through remaining 2 loops.


Treble two together (2trtog): [Yarn over, insert hook in stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over, draw through 2 loops] 2 times, yarn over , draw through all loops on hook.

Double Treble Bobble (dtr bobble) : [Yarn over twice, insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over draw through 2 loops, yarn over draw through 2 loops] 3 times, yarn over draw through all loops on hook.

(To make a bobble in a contrast colour; in the stitch before the bobble, use the bobble colour for the last yarn over so that it is ready to be used to make the bobble. Change back to the background colour in the last yarn over drawing through all loops on hook.)

Turn work after each row.

Staring chains in each row do not count as stitches. 

Australian/English terms.

Bobble Tree Front:

Row 1: Ch3, 2tr in 1st chain. (2sts)

Row 2: Ch2, 2trtog in first stitch, 2trtog x 2 in last stitch. (3sts)

Row 3: Ch2, 2trtog in first stitch, dtr bobble in next stitch, 2trtog x 2 in last stitch (4sts) 

Row 4: Ch2, 2trtog in each stitch to last stitch, 2trtog x 2 in last stitch. (5sts)

Row 5: Ch2, (2trtog in first stitch, dtr bobble in next stitch) repeat to last stitch,

2trtog x 2 in last stitch. (6sts)

Row 6: Ch2, 2trtog in each stitch to last stitch, 2trtog x 2 in last stitch. (7sts) 

Row 7: Ch2, (2trtog in first stitch, dtr bobble in next stitch) repeat to last stitch,

2trtog x 2 in last stitch. (8sts)

Row 8: Ch2, 2trtog in each stitch to last stitch, 2trtog x 2 in last stitch (9sts) 

Row 9: Ch2, (2trtog in first stitch, dtr bobble in next stitch) repeat to last stitch,

2trtog x 2 in last stitch. (10sts)

Row 10: Ch2, 2trtog in each stitch to last stitch, 2trtog x 2 in last stitch. Bind off (11sts)

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Tree Back:

Row 1: Ch3, 2tr in first chain. (2sts)

Row 2: Ch2, 2trtog in first stitch, 2trtog x 2 in last stitch. (3sts)

Rows 3 to 10: Ch2, 2trtog in each stitch to last stitch, 2trtog x 2 in last stitch. (increasing 1 stitch in each row) Bind off.

Place the front and back together with right sides outside, join edge colour to bottom right corner and dc through both layers. Dc around the tree making a picot (4 chain, slip stitch into 1st chain) ever 3 stitch or so. when you get back to the bottom edge, dc half way along then pop a small stick for a tree trunk and crochet around it and continue to where you started , join with a slip stitch to the first stitch and bind off.

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For a striped tree:

Make as for the tree back, but use 2 colours alternating each row and crocheting over the unused colour across the row, so it is in the right place to start the next row. 

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Well that's it for now, I'm off to make a few more trees for my shop window! 

Talk soon! xxxxxxx

Retro Solid Granny Square Blanket - Tadah!

Hi there! 

I hope everyone is having a great day, I have a colourful post for you today! 

I have been hooking steadily away through January and I've actually finished my first project for 2017! Yay! :) That's pretty good going for me! 

This blanket was quite the speedy make, I seemed to have enough squares made in no time and then it was just a matter of sewing them all together and hooking a border up.  

I have to say that I loved working with the MoYa Caresse Aran Cotton, it was nice and textural and worked up fast with a 5mm hook.  The colours were all so beautiful and worked so well together all the combinations look great (well I think so anyway!) . I love that slightly washed out look of the MoYa palette, and the hand dyeing process leaves some nice subtle variations in the colours which I really like. (You can see this most in the border where there are a few rows of the same colour).

This has ended up about cot size, nice for a baby or lap blanket. 

So here's the nitty gritty: 

Pattern: My version of a Solid Granny Square (108 squares)

Yarn: MoYa Caresse Aran Cotton in 10 different colours

Hook: 5mm

Size: cot size (9 x12 squares) 

........this was when I was blocking the blanket after joining all the squares together, I thought about blocking each individual square, then decided to wait till they were all joined, it seems to have worked out ok.  It is quite a thick textured blanket, and i like the slightly puffy look to the squares....

 .....tadah!  All finished! 

....you can see how big it is all laid out on my table, not giant........

Onto the next thing now, it feels great to have something completely finished in under 6 weeks, I wonder if I can keep the momentum going and get the next one finished as quickly!  Not likely! :) 

Have a great day/night everyone, happy hooking!! 

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Chunky Sunburst Granny Blanket

Hello there. 

I hope you're having a lovely day! 

This is a blanket that I finished a while ago and while I have shared it on Instagram, I don't think I ever got around to showing it on here. So if you've already seen this on Instagram I apologise, but I like to share things over here too, it's kind of like a diary of my crochet that I can check back on when I need to make something again. :) 

Anyway, this is the fabulous Sunburst Granny Square pattern by Priscilla Hewitt, 

The yarn I have used is MoYa Bulky Plush Organic Cotton, it's a chunky weight so you use a 10mm hook.  I loved how quickly these squares worked up in the Bulky Plush.  I only needed 12 squares and I had a decent sized baby blanket! I used around 1 ball each of the colours in the centres, and 6 balls of cream for the background colour, plus 1 ball of the border colour.  That is quite a lot of yarn, so this is a rather special blanket, but I am really happy with how it's turned out! 

I'm thinking of making a pillow in the same pattern and yarn, with 6 squares, so rectangular, and maybe with a vintage blanket for the back side......., I think they'd look great on a bed!  Or even a square cushion made from 4 of these squares on the front would look awesome. :) 

So many ideas, not enough hours! :) 

Have a great day, talk soon! 

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Grey Sunburst Granny Square Blanket - Tadah!

Hello there!  

It's been gloomy rainy day here, so I thought I'd show you a blanket I finished recently.  I think I might have shown you the start of this one ages ago, it sat unfinished for a long time, until I finally got around to adding a narrow border.   

The pattern is the classic Sunburst Granny Square by Priscilla Hewitt, I love this pattern, so simple and versatile.  I grabbed a heap of my favourite colours and had fun combining them into the centres and then calmed things down a bit with a grey background.   I  think it has come up nicely. :) 

So, what have you been up to lately?  

Things have been busy around here,  I have had some lovely new yarns come into the shop for the Winter season, and I still have a long wishlist of yarns I'd like to stock.  I'll be adding new things as money becomes available, slow and steady we are growing!  Thanks so much to the fabulous customers who shop with me, I am always so appreciative of all your support! xxxx

Last week I sent out the last box from my Yarny Love Club for Autumn/Spring, I am getting organised for the Winter/Summer Club and hope to open up for sign ups later this week. :) 

 I'm doing a little 100 day business Challenge for Little Woollie Makes, and am hoping to get my blogging mojo back in a big way! 

Anyway, I'm about to run out of battery here, so I'll leave it there tonight. 

Have a great day/night!  Talk soon! xxxxxx

Big Heart Blanket #2

Hello everyone! 

It feels like ages since I've shown what I've been crocheting, probably because I've been working on a big blanket for a lovely customer and it felts like I'd bore you showing the same work all the time. :)

Anyway, I have finally finished this Big Heart blanket and it is happily living in it's new home! 

I thought I'd show you some photos of the process along the way and how it turned out. ( Sorry if you've seen most of these on Instagram!) 

I am really happy with this finished blanket, it is bright and colourful and very hearty! I still love tapestry crochet so much, making these blankets is fun! 

....I made 12 heart strips to make this blanket......

.......sewing up the strips......

.... still sewing up the strips........

....it is a nice wide blanket to go across the end of a queen size bed......

....colour overload!! The clash of patterns! ......

So that is the end of another big project, it's time to think about what to make next!

So many possibilities!  I think I might work on a few small quick things for a while, big projects can take over your life!! 

Have great day you guys! 

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2 blankets

Hello! How has your week been?

 I have been busy with lots of making recently, so please forgive my very sporadic posting over here, I feel bad that my blog is being neglected, but am hopeful I will have more to share and more time to do so soon!  

Anyway, today I thought I'd show you a couple of blankets I have been working on, one finished and one still in pieces.  I really love making blankets, crochet is such a good blanket making craft!

Firstly I have made another neon stripe blanket for a lovely customer, it is always fun to make these single crochet stripe blankets, even if there are a million ends to weave in. 

I think it has turned out well, and I hope the new owners will like it! 

The second blanket I am making is just for fun, the sunburst granny squares blanket using up lots of odds and ends in my stash basket.  I am having a lot of fun with these squares!

....lots of loud colour combos......

......getting things all squared up with a calm grey, I have finished squaring all the circles up now, so just have to weave in the grey ends and sew it together.  Should have it finished this week. Yay!

I'm hoping to make a few of these for the shop, to showcase some of the colourful wool I sell.

I am thinking about making extra squares for a few cushion covers, and I would love a couple of sunburst pillow cases for my bed too!  So many ideas, so little time! 

I had better get back to the making of stuff, and hopefully I will have a newsletter out today with all the latest things from Little Woollie Makes. ( But don't hold me to it! :) )

Have a hearty day! :)

Hello! 

 I hope you are having a fabulous week!

Before I pop off to bed I thought I'd show you a little thing I made last week, some heart bunting.  

I have been a bit fixated on hearts recently, and these cute little flags are an idea I had for some left over cotton, not enough for a complete washer, but enough for a square!  I might put a little recipe together for these, they are fun to make and make a cheery addition to a wall I think! 

I'm planning to make some nice long strings for the studio, I ended up painting it all white, so there is lots of scope for colourful decorating! :) 

So what have you been making lately? 

Something big and long term, or a quick crafty fix?  

I am finding that I am making lots of smaller things, at the moment, like this bunting, due to another market in April, but then there is a break over winter, so I think I will be able to start some bigger projects, maybe a couple of blankets. I have seen a lovely motif that I want to try, isn't there always another idea to try!! :) 

Have a good crafty day! 

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Seaside Wheels within Wheels - Finished!

Hello everyone! 

I hope you all had a great weekend!   

I had a market stall at Emu Plains again, which was lovely, and then we spent a fair amount of time at the beach as the temperatures have skyrocketed in the last few days and the water was divine!   My older 2 boys sweltered it out at Soundwave Music festival in Melbourne and had a ball. It was a huge weekend in Melbourne with the White Night Festival and World Cup cricket also on, the boys said the crowds were massive! 

Today I am trying to  catch up on my huge washing pile and get things in and out before a big summer storm hits later on.  I really lead such an exciting life!!! ;) 

At the risk of boring you all stupid with more photos of this blanket,  I thought I would show you how my blues and greens Wheels within Wheels blanket finished up.  I was really happy with this make, I haven't made a blanket with so much off white before, but I love how the circles really pop in the light background.

So a few facts about this blanket : 

Pattern : Wheels within Wheels by Frankie Brown

Yarn: The circles were made from small amounts of Colorworks and Loyal DK in a variety of greens and blues.  The background was Baby Merino 8ply by Heirloom in cream.

Cot size, 42 squares.

So now I am working on something new, I started this new make before the wheels blanket, but now I can really get stuck into it!  

I will show you some progress later on I think, I'm really liking how it is coming up! 

Have a great day! 

Talk soon! 

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Crochet 2014 (my makes this year)

9 blankets made this year 2014!!

Hello! 

I hope you are enjoying the last day of 2014, it is hard to believe another year is almost over, 

I think it is true what they say about time speeding up as you get older, 

this year seems to have gone very quickly!

  Anyway, the end of the year is a good time for reflection, so I decided to do a little crochet review of 2014 to look back and see what I actually got made and completed this year - there was more than I expected!  It seems 2014 was quite a productive year crochet wise, even if I often felt like I was not achieving much! 

It was fun putting them together into collages, (done in Picmonkey).  

So here you have it, my crochet year in pictures!

......there were lots of washers, flowers, interesting motifs and a little bit of knitting too! .....

......there were stamps, booties, bottles and buntings.........

....there were jar covers, puffy flowers, bigger booties and baubles too!  ....

It has been a good year around here, I hope 2015 keeps up the positive vibe, I have a lot to be thankful for and I really enjoy sharing bits of my little day to day life on this here blog. 

Thank you for letting me share my  love of crochet, craft and colour with you all, the crafty community on here is very inspiring and I am glad to be a tiny part of it too! 

Have fun tonight, we are seeing the New Year in with friends, eating and drinking and having fun, 

I am sure we will have a lovely night, I hope you do to! 

As my son said to me this afternoon as he left for a party, "See you next year Mum" haha... 

Happy New Year to you all, I hope all your dreams come true in 2015!

Talk to you all next year!! ;)

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