Little Red Riding Hood

Once upon a time there lived in a certain village a little country girl, the prettiest creature who was ever seen. Her mother was excessively fond of her; and her grandmother doted on her still more. This good woman had a little red riding hood made for her. It suited the girl so extremely well that everybody called her Little Red Riding Hood…

Charles Perrault

My Little Red Riding Hood inspired cape was made using hook size 10 and Robin Super Chunky – lovely soft yarn in deep red colour, a pleasure to work with. I decided to make it in half treble crochet as this stitch gives great dense texture. 

         

I didn’t follow any pattern, this is my original make, which I am particularly proud of 🙂

And my little girl sure looks cute wearing her Little Red Riding Hood. 

 

 

Candy Cane BB no. 2

Today I present another baby blanket made from Sirdar Pattercake, I used yarn cake in Candy Cane colour again. I just love it!

It really is amazing yarn and one ball is sufficient to make a great baby blanket.

This time I started with small granny square and then worked the blanket corner-to-corner. I added white edge to it for a neat finish and voila!

 

Work in progress

As always, I have couple of projects going on at the same time. So, here is a quick review of what you can expect to see here in the nearest future.

Easy Lavender Shawl

I lost the ball band so I can’t tell the brand of yarn. Weight is dk but I am using hook 5.0 mm to obtain loose tension for this shawl.  Nearly there, just need to figure out what edging to add to make it look complete.

Toddler Peach Vest

Again, lost the ball band, so not sure on the brand. Using 4.0 mm hook and dk yarn.

Tee “Amanda” by Adriafil

This is going to be a Tee in size M. I am using knitting needles size 4 mm and Adriafil Kimera in green shades. This is mercerized Egyptian cotton, really lovely to work with.

In search for inspiration…

Whenever I need a little inspiration on what to knit or crochet next I like to visit my favourite local yarn shop Purly Yarns. They are small family run shop that offers friendly atmosphere and lots of inspiration – come and see, you won’t be disappointed!

As usual, when I visited last week I got myself new balls of yarn that I can’t wait to try and already have couple of ideas on what to make.

I am sure that kids socks made of ColourLab will look great! I am planning on using Vauvan Sukka pattern by Kerttu Latvala.

I am very curious about Batik Swirl by Stylecraft. I got it in shade Meadow, bright and colorful, with the purpose of making a scarf to cheer me up during winter days to come. Quite possibly I will use free pattern that is included on reverse of the ball band.

I really enjoyed working with Creative Cotton Print when I was making my Buggy Bag and Tunisian Pot Holder. This cotton is so versatile and has lovely colours too, this time I got it in pink and orange. It will be perfect for making heat packs like these Rice Bags.

Toddler Sun Hat

Materials
hook 3.75 mm or size needed to achieve tension
yarn or tapestry needle
1 ball (50 g) of dk yarn or cotton, I used 100% cotton Puppets in a shade of white
yarn oddments in pink and green

Tension
17stitches and 10 rows to 10 cm (4 in) measured over treble worked using 3.75 hook and main yarn

Finished size
suitable for toddlers, 2 – 3 years

Abbreviations
ch = chain; dc = double crochet; htr = half treble; rep = repeat; sl st = slip stitch; tr = treble

Sun Hat Pattern
FOUNDATION RING: ch 6 and join with sl st to form a ring
ROUND 1: ch 3 (counts as 1 tr), 15 tr into ring, join with sl st into 3rd of ch 3 [16 tr]
ROUND 2: ch 3 (counts as 1 tr), 1 tr into same place, 2 tr into each tr to end, join with sl st into 3rd of ch 3 [32 tr]
ROUND 3: ch 3 (counts as 1 tr), 1 tr into same place, * [1 tr into next tr, 2 tr into next tr]; rep from * to last 1 tr, 1 tr into last tr, join with sl st into 3rd of ch 3 [48 tr]
ROUND 4: ch 3 (counts as 1 tr), 1 tr into same place, * [1 tr into each of next 2 tr, 2 tr into next tr]; rep from * to last 2 tr, 1 tr into each of last 2 tr, join with sl st into 3rd of ch 3 [64 tr]
ROUND 5 – 7: ch 3 (counts as 1 tr), 1 tr into each tr to end, join with sl st into 3rd of ch 3 [64 tr]
ROUND 8: ch 3 (counts as 1 tr), 1 tr into same place, * [1 tr into each of next 7 tr, 2 tr into next tr]; rep from * to last 7 tr, 1 tr into each of last 7 tr, join with sl st into 3rd of ch 3 [72 tr]
ROUND 9 – 14: ch 3 (counts as 1 tr), 1 tr into each tr to end, join with sl st into 3rd of ch 3 [72 tr]
ROUND 15: ch 3 (counts as 1 tr), 1 tr into same place, * [1 tr into each of next 3 tr, 2 tr into next tr]; rep from * to last 3 tr, 1 tr into each of last 3 tr, join with sl st into 3rd of ch 3 [90 tr]
ROUND 16: ch 3 (counts as 1 tr), 1 tr into same place, * [1 tr into each of next 9 tr, 2 tr into next tr]; rep from * to last 9 tr, 1 tr into each of last 9 tr, join with sl st into 3rd of ch 3 [99 tr]
ROUND 17: ch 3 (counts as 1 tr), 1 tr into same place, * [1 tr into each of next 10 tr, 2 tr into next tr]; rep from * to last 10 tr, 1 tr into each of last 10 tr, join with sl st into 3rd of ch 3 [108 tr]
ROUND 18: ch 3 (counts as 1 tr), 1 tr into same place, * [1 tr into each of next 3 tr, 2 tr into next tr]; rep from * to last 3 tr, 1 tr into each of last 3 tr, join with sl st into 3rd of ch 3 [135 tr]
ROUND 19: ch 1, 1 dc into same place, 1 dc into each tr to end join with sl st into 1st dc [135 dc]
Fasten off yarn.

Twigs, flowers and leaves
TWIGS: Add twigs by working in surface crochet directly on the finished hat. (optional)
FLOWERS: Ch 6 and join with sl st to make a ring. Ch 3 (counts as 1 tr), 3 tr into ring, ch 3, turn; 1 tr into first tr, 1 tr into each of next 2 tr, 1 tr into 3rd of ch 3 (petal made), ch 3, turn; * working across back of petal just made, work 4 tr into ring, ch 3, turn; 1 tr into first tr, 1 tr into each of next 3 tr (petal made), ch 3, turn; rep from * 6 times, join with sl st into 3rd of beg ch 3 of first petal. Fasten off yarn.
LEAVES: Ch 6. Sl st in 2nd ch from hook. Dc in next ch, htr in next ch, tr in next ch, 4 tr in next ch, turn slightly to continue working on the bottom of the foundation chain and tr 3 more (7 total in that chain), tr in next ch, htr in next ch, dc in next ch, sl st in next. Fasten off yarn.

Finishing
Weave in the yarn ends. Pin flowers and leaves to a hat. Secure flowers with a few stitches worked in matching yarn, taking the stitches over the chains behind each flower petal. Stitch leaves in place down the centre of each leaf.

Very Hungry Caterpillar Snuggle

This is my first custom make, ordered by a friend as a baby shower gift – set of baby snuggle and a hat, size 0-3 months.

I used chunky yarn but bit bigger hook, I wanted it to be warm but also stretchy and loose enough to allow air to go through to keep baby comfortable. 

Yarn used was Cygnet chunky. It’s acrylic so easy to care for, can be machine washed. I use it for a variety of projects and is perfect for children, adults, or house accessories.

I think this snuggle will make a great photo prop – just look at this doll! 🙂

Sirdar Doodle jumper

Very proud of this make – jumper made for my baby girl using Sirdar pattern and Sirdar Snuggly Doodle dk yarn.

getting started

The pattern was easy to follow and the jumper knitted quickly, yarn gave it lovely texture and I loved working with these colors.

work in progress

 

Below is my girl in a finished piece ❤

Custom orders

I am now accepting orders for custom makes.

I can knit or crochet hats, scarves, cowls, shawls, blankets, throws or toys. I can provide all materials needed or you can post/deliver to me what ever you want me to use.

Please contact me for a quote.

 

Fair Isle Vest

Below is a vest I knitted last year for my son – my first attempt at Fair Isle knitting.

It was challenging make, especially when it comes to weaving in ends, which I absolutely hate. And this time there were too many! It took my long time to finish this off.

I feel like this vest could’ve been a bit longer, it looks rather squarish. But given that it was my first attempt I am rather pleased with myself.

I am not sure, however, if I will ever do something in Fair Isle again. I know effects can be stunning when done right but I don’t think I have the patience to do it, ha ha ha 🙂

Frankie the Doggie aka the Sausage

Today I am presenting one of my first crochet makes, made about 3 years ago, when I was expecting my first-born. Turned out that A. was not interested in this doggie at all, however J. absolutely loved it. It is still my kid’s faithful friend, although we call him not Frankie as the original pattern suggests but Sausage.

Sausage was created based on the pattern from the below magazine.

 

It wasn’t the easiest pattern to follow for a beginner but the effect is worth a try. I was quite pleased with myself when I finished it.