Anne of Green Gables

Jo March, Lizzie Bennett, Anne Shirley,.... I like these fierce girls with their seeking souls.

Some time ago, I bought this very fun book "Literary yarns, crochet projects inspired by classic books", partly because there is an  Anne of Green Gables pattern in it. I just knew I had to crochet it. So here she is, my Anne with an "e", love her!

I am not so very good at amigurumi, not so very fond of it either because I find it a little hard on my hands and wrists. But, as always , happy with my new friend!

(There is also a Sherlock Holmes, who screams to come to life in crochet!)

Basket from leftovers

All crafters have leftovers. So do I, a lot. I had this ball of discoloured cord and decided to make a basket from it. I crocheted with some yarn leftovers around the cord, so the basket has a firm feel and I could give it a bit of shape by thightening or loosening the cord. It looks slightly like a piece of pottery, which I like. 

crochet around the cord:

 cord and yarn:

nice basket for my mini balls of coton yarn!

Little plants in a lamp

I decided to make a hanging plant pot from the glass shade of a broken lamp. I used a bit of the wonderful Ard-thir yarn from Kate Davies designs (in the Glamaig colourway) to crochet a structure in which the glass shade fits and added a small tassel for fun. Even small recycling projects like this deserve nice yarn in my opinion!

A Christmas garland

I find myself collecting small crocheted and knitted Christmas ornaments, some of them gifts from friends. I decided to make them into a garland, lightweight and easy to transport to wherever I will be celebrating Christmas over the years, taking these friends with me! I hope I will be able to make the garland longer and longer and longer! 

 

Sleepy piglet

I crocheted this sleepy little pig some time ago and used a very colourful yarn. He looks like he has been playing in unicorn poo. and now he is tired and needs to go to sleep. So I made him some bedsocks and a nightcap. I used some old T-shirt fabric for his wardrobe.
I have been looking for information about the pattern to share, but I have no idea anymore where to find it, sorry... hope you like me sharing the pictures anyway…

Upcycled not thrown out

Imagine, you spill some very yummy, very oily tomatoes on the cover of your very cheap ottoman. Yes, a big stain and a wash doesn't get it out. And I can't throw this thing away. So I sewed a new cover from some soft stretchy fabric I got from my mum, and I decorated it with a knitted and crocheted house, some flowers and a tree. It is actually this project that brought me back to knitting and crocheting all these years ago. Just trying out what I still remembered from school, and making my own design as I went along. Not a masterpiece, but very dear to me, this thing!

Pockets on a string

I was looking for something useful I could make from the patches I got practising crocheting and using up my yarnscraps. At the same time I found myself inspired by the dangerous pockets project, by Paula MacGregor and this poem by Sharon Owens :

Dangerous Coats

Someone clever once said
Women were not allowed pockets
In case they carried leaflets
To spread sedition
Which means unrest
To you & me
A grandiose word
For commonsense
Fairness
Kindness
Equality
So ladies, start sewing
Dangerous coats
Made of pockets & sedition

It is true, womens garments often don't have useful pockets and to carry a handbag just isn't handy all 

the time. So I thought, what about pockets on a string? Little bags for phone, keys, card, a bit of money, so you have the little things you need close at hand, but also freedom of movement!

Making these pockets, I can try out different techniques, different materials (some recycled fabric and yarn leftovers), adding haberdashery, tassels, and so on, which I think is a lot of fun!!

Crochet with friends

This shopping bag means a lot to me. Two friends and I choose to make one each: it was an attempt to stop the time, be together in a bubble, outside the far to harsh reality of illness. It gave hope, just for a moment, where there was no hope. Two friends finished their bags, one didn't, she passed away 4 months ago. We couldn't give you anything but this small tiny bubble that wasn't real, Kathleen, but we will never ever forget the joy of that day.

The pattern and Yarn (Sandnes Garn) we bought at Pand 16.

Cheery flower chain

This flower chain I crocheted some months ago for a friend who could use some cheering up.
It is based on a pattern I found in "Haken in kleur" ("Crochet with color") by Kazuko Ryokai.
The pattern (on p. 84) is called "lariat" or "bloemenketting". It was a fun project, although it meant weaving in really a lot of ends...
I used all kinds of yarn leftovers, mostly cotton, some wool.
It turned out quite nice I think, and in fact, at the time, it cheered me up as well.

The Keeper of Keys

Here is the Keeper of Keys. He'll guard the keys that are entrusted to him. I crocheted the bowl with selfmade t-shirt yarn. Then I washed it by hand and let it dry, stretched over a plastic bowl. This way it kept its form much better. The bear is needle-felted. I gave him a small knitted scarf. Being on a key bowl, he could end up in a drafty place, you see...

My Calm Cowl

This is the Calm Cowl by Suzana Davidovich. It's a free pattern on Ravelry (you can find it here). My Calm Cowl is not as wide as the original pattern. It's an easy relaxing crochet pattern. I used Evie Sublime Yarns in 3 subtle colours, purchased at Social Fabric in Totnes, a delicious shop which, as mentioned in a previous post, sadly doesn't exist anymore.

Blackbird collecting the mail

This rather large flat dish I crocheted from self-made t-shirt yarn. The leaf and the branch are knitted, the blackbird is needle-felted. Bird, branch and leaf are sewn onto the dish. It's perfect for collecting the mail!

Protectors of the pans

This was a fun travel project : while travelling by train last summer I crocheted 2 pot holders. We use them now as protective layers between our pans when they're stacked up. The pattern is called 'the Cook's Pot Holders' by Purl Soho. You can find the link to the pattern here. It is ideal to use up leftover yarn.
Purl Soho is a New York based shop, with gorgeous collections of yarns, fabrics and patterns, wonderful designs and a passion for natural fibers. It's so high on my list of "would like to see, would like to do, would like to visit"... Perhaps I'll get there one day....

Jane Austen

I have tremendous admiration for Jane Austen. This amigurumi Miss Austen was a very fun project! She guards her novels now, in my bookcase :-) The pattern, by WonderAnn, can be found and bought here on Etsy. The yarn I used is Fonty Bambou, 100% viscose, bought at Cross&Woods in The Hague, the Netherlands. I prefer to crochet with bambou, it is smoother than cotton and has a nice shine.

Tooterphants

Aren't they cute, these tooterphants ? It's a crochet pattern by Lucy Ravenscar. You can buy the pattern here on Ravelry. I got it from a magazine called 'Adorable animals', from the Creative Craft-series, published in 2015.
I made two tooterphants at the same time. As they were my first amigurumi, it took a while to finish them. But it was fun to do and I think they turned out quite nice...

 

The bucket bag

This summer, on different trips, I worked on my 'travelcrochet' : the crochet bucket bag, a pattern by Martha Stewart crafts. Here you should be able to download the free pattern : http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/crochet-bucket-bag-l10191b.html
I love the simple, honest look of this bag. I used fine merino aran pure Falkland wool and the grey stripes and handle are made with biolana organic wool. I added a simple big wooden button and a crocheted chain, with tassle. That chain gets wound round the button, this way the bag is kept closed when I put it down.
It was a fun and easy project to work on and the wool felt nice : light and fluffy. I like the outcome, I think it will make a great project-bag.