25 June 2013

Weekend project: crochet collar


"Back in the old days I would never leave the house without putting on a pretty little something to trim my outfit." said Mrs. Crafting looking rather amused at the sight of my worn-out grey t-shirt. "Take my collar dear, you can pretend it is a necklace!"

I finally made my first crochet collar! The pattern was created by Emma and it is available here.

I really like the way it fits and kind of looks like a necklace! 

13 June 2013

The ups and downs of jersey yarn

If you open pinterest and search for jersey yarn or t-shirtyarn your screen will instantaneously be flooded with hundreds of chunky crochet projects! One of them has been at the top of my to do list for quite a while.
I loved the idea of stitching up a doily shaped rug, specially if made from recycled t-shirt cotton. However, to source the right kind of used t-shirts wasn't easy (I guess I have to find a better charity shop!) so I decided to buy jersey cotton instead. It is pricey, even on ebay... Knowing that my regular needles wouldn't be up to the task I also bought a massive 9.00mm one! And so it begun... My mother always said: "Don't make your stitch to tight nor to loose!", but for as much as I tried to please her it would always be tight. Well, the problem is - if you work jersey yarn with a 9.00mm needle and a tight stitch you are going to get 2 things:
1. Blisters.
2. Stretched fabric.
The giant doily was looking terrible.  
Tip: Make your work easier without compromising the style by cutting the yarn in half!
 Deciding to make my job easier, I grabbed a scissor and cut the jersey in half. The cutting process was a bit boring I must admit, but the jersey rolled back in perfectly and I ended up with the double of the material. All in all it was a good idea.
Working with a slightly thinner yarn was much easier. I kept the stitches as loose as possible, but I noticed that jersey has a natural elasticity; so just do your best to make it look good.
The rug is not finished yet. I think it still needs one or two single crochet rows, but it looks very sweet doesn't it?
Giant doily rug.
 PS: I know, I know, the clogs photo is a cliché, but I just had to take it!

29 May 2013

Weekend project

What do you do when you're stuck with a rainy, gloomy, grey afternoon, and a box full of cotton scraps happens to be sitting right besides you?
Shell stitch crochet cloth.
To make this cloth I worked a simple shell stitch - 6 rows of beige followed by 3 rows of white, and repeated until it was just the perfect length.

The little corner fringes give it an immediate rustic look. I love this one!

15 May 2013

Space invaders

Brace yourselves to the cutest alien invasion ever!


crochet space invader
Mrs Crafting's crochet space invader.

01 May 2013

Cake toppers

-"Oh dear, said Mrs Crafting after finishing the 3 layered carrot cake for the church bake-off, all I need now is a perfect finish!"
Mr Crafting's cake toppers are for sale at the Little Wedding Emporium.

Cherry on top of the cake, eh?

Crochet cake toppers.

25 April 2013

Dressed up bottles

The first crocheted bottlecover that I have ever finished was made out of twine. Dry blue twine.
I needed something to put flowers in. An empty bottle happened to be laying around, and so was the yarn. Problem solved!
Since then I have made about 20 different ones, and the idea never seems to get worn out.

There is something very nostalgic and welcoming about them, isn't there?

Mrs Crafting's crocheted bottles. Shell stitch.
Mrs Crafting's crocheted bottle. Aqua honey comb stitch.

10 April 2013

The good, the bad and the lovely!


"Our friend Clint stopped by for lunch. He immediately joined forces with Mr Crafting and took over the kitchen… a recipe for disaster! Luckily I had enough cotton to make a strong tea towel, to help me to clean up the mess." Mrs Crafting confided to me last year, while wiping a pile of plates with fervor.
The story repeated itself last night. The result might be different in style, but equally lovely!