Florence's Attic

Crochet Today March/April 2008

I so love Crochet Today magazine.  I have bought Interweave Crochet recently and was quite dissapointed as there wasn't that much in there I would make.  I did love the articles though, which is something Crochet Today lacks as it is mainly patterns with one small article.  Luckily the WHSmiths in Brighton often has it in.  If you don't live in the UK you can't understand the lack of crochet magazines here.  My mum often buys the knitting magazines and they rarely have a crochet pattern - and if they do it is usually a bag.

Here is a quick round up of some of my favourites this issue...

A really cute wrap cardigan pattern, and how sweet is this little girl!  The pattern is sizes 2 to 10 so I will be using this one quite a bit.

I love the way these coasters have been styled.  I love these so much I am thinking about ordering some of the Aunt Lydias crochet thread from the States to make them.

The scan of these isn't that great, but you get the gist.  When I first looked at them I didn't really like them, but I think it is just because they have been photograped together and clash.  I think these would make really great presents.

and one I won't be making.  I don't think this will show off my short hourglass frame to good effect!

There are also quite a few patterns for blankets.  All this for £3.00, quite a bargain eh?

x

 

Advice please readers...

Oh my, you know what it's like, you don't post for a week and then you have trouble deciding what to post about...so here is a bit of everything. 

Easter was good.  Some things were traditional, such as too much chocolate, and some things weren't, such as driving up to Essex on Easter Sunday through a snow blizzard!  Mister J won the Easter competition at school which I am thrilled about as it has given him a little confidence boost.

I received my centre block for the round robin swap on Friday.  It is from Luisa in Portugal and is delightful.  I'll photograph it tomorrow and give it it's rightly deserved own post to mull over what border to put on it.

I'm having machine issues, so really need some sewing advice.  On the whole I find the subject of sewing machines quite boring, you buy one, and you use it to sew.  However, my attitude is changing as my machine is not being so obedient.  I have been free machine stitching on fabric and paper for college, but am having terrible problems.  I think my machine does not like it, but thought I'd blog about it here to see if anyone has any tips.  I have a basic domestic Janome machine, which doesn't have feed dogs you drop, it has a plate to cover them.  Every time I have tried sewing with it, the thread has looped at the back and in the sample below 2 needles broke.  The plastic plate which covers the feed dogs has marks on it where the needle has hit it, and i use the darning foot.  I love this technique, but am getting really frustrated with my machine.  I was bought up on British sitcoms and my machine and I keep having a Basil Fawlty threatening his car moment!  Whilst on the subject of machines I am having a further dilemma.  It really needs a service (not linked to the free machine stitching as it has always disliked doing it), but it will be £45.  Part of me thinks I should just part exchange it and try out a new machine.  I would have a maximum of £200 to spend, but if any of you have a budget machine you can recommend, let me know.  Likewise, any tips on free machine stitching would be much appreciated.

Here is the front of the piece I was sewing, along with a sample I gave up on this after realising I was flinching when sewing in case another needle broke!

The loopy back - horrid eh?

My second dilemma of the day are these crochet Converse boots.  I followed the pattern, but feel the sole doesn't work.  I think if I was to make them again I would slip stitch the sole to the upper.  So what do you think readers, do these look great and I am being fussy, or does the sole look just a bit silly?  They need their black laces in, but I didn't want to crochet them unless I am going to give them to the person I made them for.

Do these look like seventies platform Converse boots?

Something else I'm up to which I'm not going to blog too much about, is a project with Mister J's school. This week I did resist fabric dyeing with 90 reception age children.  My hands are a bit stained, but none went on the children - phew!  It is for a background to a wall hanging which the older children will applique on.

Lots to do this week.  I have some free log cabin blocks to try hand sewing as part of my Gees Bend project. I am really looking forward to the hand sewing. I need to get my quilt project designed and ready to be approved, and try to finish my bag.  I also would like to get my Round Robin done and sent out early.   I have also acquired a couple of new books so will post some photos of those - the usual seventies applique I love.  Selvedge is out and looks like a really good issue, and I have already scanned some photos from the new Crochet Today to blog in a minute, so there should be a bit more happening round here this week!

Hope you are all adjusting to the clocks changing.  Since I have had children I much prefer losing an hour as it means I can say I got up at 7 o'clock, rather than 6, which sounds much more sociable!

Happy Sunday x

Crochet Hexagons and an egg R2 D2...

Things are a bit better round here today.  Goodbyes have been said, and the children are being much more civil to each other.  Has anyone else noticed that children seem to sense when you aren't 100% and modify their behaviour accordingly - and not for the better!  My aunt who died was 90 when Jude was born, so she was a good age, but she is the last member of that "layer" of the family to go.  We have lost all of them in recent years and it has made me feel very sad.

It feels strange Easter is here.  It is so early, apparently it won't be this early for at least another 100 years.  I'm going to go and buy some bits for our Easter egg hunt today, and flowers for relatives to try and get in the swing of things.  Usually Easter falls in the middle of the a two week holiday from school, but it doesn't this year.

Here is the R2 D2 egg which I made with Mister J for school.  He didn't want to take it in today as he said it was "rubbish", but I'm not one of these mums to do it for him so it looks perfect.  (Does anyone else look at children's entries in school competitions and think there is no way that an infants school age child could be that talented)  I think it looks great, and he has taken it in!

Also, I have worked out how to do granny hexagons from an old copy of Crochet Today (the very first issue in case you are interested) .  I like to have a light crochet project on the go as an antidote to college work, and these fit the bill perfectly.  The yarn I am using is pretty horrid - just cheapo acrylic, it doesn't even come in good colours, but by the time I mix the browns, beige's and blues it doesn't look that bad.  I cannot justify making a Rowan yarn blanket as a "pick up at 9.30pm for an hour" project at the moment, so it will do.  It is for Mister J as a drag around the house blanket, and for picnics so I am not too bothered.  The yarn was actually bought a while ago to make a ripple stitch blanket, but it kept increasing at the ends so got cross and stuck my two attempts in a cupboard!  I don't know what colour I am going to crochet round each one and join them together in - I'll decide that at a later stage when I have finished them - Christmas 2010 perhaps!  Also, I have learnt the lesson before that I should stop after every 10 and weave the ends in, otherwise it is a long horrid job to do at the end.

Here is the blanket from the magazine - I love these colours

and here are two of my babies

I have been getting visitors from Laura Crochets.  It is a new blog, really interesting and great to see a UK crochet blog - go and visit and say hi and support her yarn diet.

Have a good Thursday - it is the best one of the year as most people don't have work in the morning, so really it is like a Saturday night!

x

Square within a square, within a square...

I finished my centre block for the Spring Fling Round Robin swap swap yesterday.  I was looking at some photos of vintage quilts and saw a square within a square block, so decided to whip one of the these up as a replacement for my iron graffitied block.  I am happy with it - I would love to make a whole quilt of these, with some cute quilting in the dark brown squares ( you know, the square between each block which would be made when you join them all together).  It is foundation pieced, although it has shrunk by 1/8", so I will be putting a grovelling note in for the quilter this is going to.  There is something about swaps which make me worry more about my work that I usually do.  It is fun seeing how the blocks are coming along, and I already have a few favourites.

I have been having a bit of a down week.  Rowdy children, being skint and a family funeral to go to this week have made me rather down in the dumps.  Hopefully it will lift soon.  Spring is here, we have Easter this weekend and the clocks are going back next week so there will be more daylight - the gloom must lift.  I have also offered to help Mister J decorate an egg for the school display, no cute Easter theme for us, we are doing a Star Wars R2 D2 - now if that doesn't put a smile on my face , what will?!

x

Naughty Iron

I finished my Spring Fling Round Robin centre block this week, but have had a disaster!

Here it is, all folk arty - a bit Janet Boltony.

I got it ready to send out (please forgive the label, I am out of bubble jet set, and the laundry marker I bought in town is one of the biro style ones I have never used, and never will buy again...)

Shock, horror, there is a bloomin iron mark on it

so I am starting again.  All the pieces are tacked round freezer paper, so I should get it finished this evening.  How annoying!  In other work, I have been cutting and sticking prepared papers to come up with some quilt designs in the style of the Gees Bend quilters.

Happy Friday x

The Happy Hooker (well happyish...)

These two projects have been hanging around for ages, but I was a little disheartened with the way they were turning out so they never quite got finished.  I have a few of these sort of nearly there projects around my work bags and feel that if I actually finish them, then I will feel better - even if they just go to the charity shop.

Fit to be Tied
The bag was so quick to make up and I am really happy with it.  The problem with it is that as I finished the crocheting I realised it was too small for me to use.  It would have been fine in the days of one key, cash, a bank card and lip gloss, but bags need to be a little more substantial for my kit these days.  I decided to give it to Bizzie, so put in a cute lining.  I love it, and so does she.  If you are new to crocheting this is a brilliant project to try as it is lots of rows of hdc.

Inside

Cold Shoulders
I am so disappointed with this.  I absolutely love the design, and wanted to make a top I would wear on summer evenings over a strappy top.  The yarn was lovely, but my choice of colour.  I would recommend never making this in variegated yarn.  I decided to finish it to wear in bed when reading (hope I don't look too much like an old lady in it, I suppose the husband will let me know), so chain stitched the ties, but didn't bother with the pom poms.

The lovely original

My effort

Cake, Daffodils and Mothers Day - Spring is here!

Wow, I have only just got over the weekend.  We had a special birthday, so I made a Yarnstorm inspired cake.  (you can just about check out the stems of the lovely spring daffodils in the pint glass behind the cake - I must get a new small vase!) 

On Tuesday night we went to see our local football team play on a hospitality package with good food, wine and Brighton won. 

It was a college weekend, although I felt rather hazy from the birthday meal.  My main quilt project has been approved by my tutor, but two of my other projects aren't working out.  On the course you have to make 5 items.  A container, a home accessory, a fashion accessory, a wall hanging and a quilt.  One has to be mainly applique, one block patchwork, one quilted and then you have free reign with the others.  My bag hasn't worked out which is block patchwork, so I am going to make it into a cushion.  This means that the quilted cushion I have designed is redundant so I am starting from scratch on another one.  I have fathomed it out now, but I had such a headache on Sunday!

I was at college for Mothers Day, but we had a good dinner at my mums on Sunday evening.  The children got me these tins for my pins and buttons from Cath Kidston.  They are so cute.

There was lovely writing from Mister J in my card.  He asked his dad to spell "beautiful" but he got the b round the wrong way so it said "Mummy, you are deautiful" - how very true! x