A Year in Crochet

It was around November last year that I thought myself how to crochet. Once I got the hang of it I was hooked (pun intended!)

I've developed my skills slowly but have really enjoyed it and I'm now addicted! From the very first scarf I made to baby clothes, teddy bears, and blankets, here is a selection of the last 12 months...

I'm really looking forward to developing my crochet skills and new crafty adventures in 2014. I hope you are all enjoying your New Year's Eve celebrations what ever you're up to. For me, it's an evening snuggled up on the sofa with a cuppa tea :)

Betty xXX

Little Tank Top

I've been wanting to make some little people clothing for a while and after my successful attempt at a cardigan (minus the sleeves - I've not quite mastered those yet) I decided a cute tank top would make a great gift for my godson. Would you believe it was so hard to find a pattern for one especially for toddlers, but after a bit of searching I found one by Lisa Hoffman - Little Boy Springtime Vest

I chose a simple light grey colour yarn using Stylecraft Special Aran in silver and did an edging in a sage green from New Fashion DK in glacia. It was such an easy pattern to follow, I'll definitely be making more! It can easily be adapted for smaller or larger sizes but changing the yarn and hook size, and even the colour to make it more girly. I think next time I'll add an appliqué motif to give it a bit of character. Here are some pics:

At the beginning it did feel like it was going to take forever.

The back complete, now to do the front.

It's all finished!

I must get some crochet clothing tags or try to make my own as shop bought ones tend to be aimed at knitting. I had to use 'stitched with love' tags as it was the closest thing to crochet! 

Hope you are having a lovely time over the festive period and eating lots of yummy food :) 

Betty xXX 

Christmas Crochet Makes 2013

With only 5 days to go, I have been crocheting like a mad woman for what seems like weeks now. I felt like I got the main Christmas gifts out the way but then others sneak up on you and before you know it, you're in the last week and it's time to start giving gifts.

I'm pleased so far with my makes and I hope that the recipients like them; WIP's so far have included the CK inspired scarves, a little cardigan for the OH's cousin, a tank top and Pocoyo doll  for my little godson.

I'm now working on the final projects which include a Pocoyo doll and tank top for my Godson

I somehow managed to make myself another snood in the meantime - you know we always have to have more than one thing on the go and this was a very quick make taking only a couple of days to finish.

I've really enjoyed having lots to focus on but I think next year I will definitely start nice and early and have a clear plan of what I'm going to make. *Note to self - order enough yarn*

I hope you've all been enjoying the festivities! I can't wait to have a break and enjoy lots of lovely food...and more crochet :)

Betty xXx

Cath Kidston Inspired Crochet Scarf

I am a self confessed Cath Kidston addict. I love the whole concept of the brand, the patterns, homewares, clothing...everything! The basic colour palette is usually a vintage inspired combination of red, pink, blue, yellow and green; colours that I love individually as well as when put together.

A while back a saw a tutorial from the lovely Kath's blog, Inverleith for a CK inspired cowl/scarf which I adored straight away. Unfortunately this was near the beginning of my crochet journey and I wasn't sure about how to make such a wonderful thing. So it was stored in the 'To Do' projects and put to the back of my mind...until now.

I've found brilliant supplier on Instagram, mentioned in a previous post and purchased her CK style colour pack which comes in 6 or 12 balls of wool. I went for 6 was plenty to make a scarf and I have lots left over.

I'm really please with how it turned out - you can wrap it around three times so its cosy and snuggly! It is meant to be a Christmas present for my sister-in-law but I'm tempted to keep it for myself!

I also made a slightly smaller version for the other sister-in-law in more neutral colours. I love this combination of nature neutrals with a splash of pink. For this I used Stylecraft Special DK in Brown, Cream and Clemantis with the green from the CK pack. I did a starting chain of 130 + 3 for turning and followed the same granny strip method as before. With this snood it can be turned twice but in hindsight I should have maybe gone up to 150 +3 so there is a bit more room to get your head in on the second turn! I might keep this one for me and make another for the SIL!

Betty xXx

Crochet Christmas Wreath

Following on from my previous post updating you on recent events you may have seen the Autumn wreath that I made, inspired by the brilliant blog Repeat Crafter Me. When I showed my mum she loved it and asked if I could make a Christmas version for a family friend in Ireland.

After planning the details with her about the design and what decorations she wanted I got cracking and after a few days ended up with this:

As you can see I've stuck to the traditional Christmas colours of red, green and white, (using Stylecraft Special DK in Green, Lipstick and White) adding some white sparkly snowflakes (yarn came free with Simply Crochet this month), holly and berries and a big red bow to add to it. The base is a simple single crochet changing colours after 12 rows, adding 3 rows of white in between. The snowflake pattern is from Simply Crochet Issue 11, the holly is from Attic 24, berries are my own creation, and the bow, again, is a simple single crochet, making it as big or small as you want it by adjusting your foundation chain. I also added a small bobble edging in white to add a bit of contrast.

Overall I'm really pleased with it and will make myself one for our flat as this will be our first Christmas in our own place and as a married couple :)

Betty xXx

WIP Wednesday: The Hat That Turned Into a Snood

This week in the UK we have seen gale force winds sweep across the country. Thankfully where I live in South East London, we were not massively effected; just a few branches and lots of leaves on the roads. Going to work has meant that I've had to scrap all my hair up into a rather sorry mess and by the time I actually get to work it looks like a birds nest, so I thought a new hat would do the trick to keep my mane at bay.

After thumbing the latest copy of Simply Crochet this month (Issue 11) there was a lovely pattern for a bobble/pom pom hat which looked super cute and cosy.


I attempted the first 5 or so rounds and realised that I was getting a bit stuck and confused so I frogged back to round three and have decided to change it to a snood/cowl instead. I always love something warm around my neck especially as the temperature here seems to be dropping. The initial foundation chain of the hat pattern would have been too big for my head anyway (it would have been very slouchy if you like that kind of style) so fits perfectly over my head and around my neck.

I have opted to use Stylecraft Special Aran in Aspen with a 5mm hook. I managed to complete it last night so it was a super quick and easy make. I probably could have done it in a day if I'd had the time but I'm really pleased with the result and it was lovely and warm on the way to work this morning! I have used a mixture of stitches - single, double and half double (US terms) with some shells and a row of bobbles!

Excuse the dodgy expression and my bathroom!

Betty xXx

Update

It's been a while since I've sat down to write something, mainly because I've been so busy with either work or finishing off little projects I just haven't had to energy to sit and type (especially when I'm in front of a computer all day).

I've been a busy bee though on the crochet front. With Christmas fast approaching (okay, I know we still have about 8 weeks!) I have a list as long as my arm of projects I either need to finish off or start. I also keep getting distracted with other little makes that might only take an evening to finish but I need to be stricter with my time if I want to get it all completed before December 25th! So, here is a little compilation of what I've been up to...

We went down to the New Forest for a couple of days in September which was absolutely wonderful. It was so pleasant and peaceful down there; everyone was really friendly and it was nice to see new things, especially the horse but alas I struggled to get a descent picture of them!

We bought ticked to Wicked which is a show I have seen before but the Other Half had never been to the theatre so I decided that was a brilliant show to see. It was 'wicked'! I love all the songs and the stage production and how everything moves so seamlessly never fails to impress me.

The weather has most certainly changed over the last couple of months and it is officially Autumn. I love this season; everything gets a little more cosy, the leaves turn to that lovely auburn/orange colour and there is a crispness in the air. I had seen an autumn/fall wreath on the blog Repeat Crafter Me and I thought I would give it a go. I got the polystyrene wreath from Hobbycraft and bought a selection of autumnal colours from Deramores. The pattern can be found here as well as patterns for the tiny pumpkin and leaves.I really enjoyed making it and it only took a few days to complete.

I also decided to make a slightly larger pumpkin using the same pattern featured in RCM's blog post, just increasing the initial chain stitches to give a bigger version. I'm really pleased with this too and added a pom pom wreath made using Clover Pom-Pom Makers, which was super quick and easy!

These are a couple of little projects I have on the go. A possible Christmas present in the form of a Cath Kidston inspired cowl scarf and a cutie teddy bear for a new baby arrival :)

I hope you have all been well and enjoying the change in the seasons.

Betty xXx

Crochet Hand Warmers

The weather has decided to abandon all hope of an Indian Summer and it seems to have officially become Autumn. I do love this time of year; getting cosy on the sofa with a blanket, wearing jumpers and boots, plus I get to wear scarves again. Aside from being constantly cold, getting wet in the rain and being blown about by the wind, its a great time of year!

It seems a little early to be dusting off the gloves and scarves (although I'm tempted), I thought that some hand warmers/fingerless glove things would be more appropriate and would keep my mits warm on the way to work. I've seen a couple of people posting their makes on Instagram (my username is betty_button) which has inspired me to make my very own pair. After a quick internet search I found a blog post by Lucy from Attic 24 which seemed super easy so I've given it a go. I used Hobbycraft's value yarn in blue (although its more of a purple shade) and a light beige I had in my left over stock pile. They are both DK and I used a 4mm hook. They only took one evening to make!

 It was super easy to make, although I made the mistake of not doing enough foundation chains (Lucy suggests 35 and I only did 30), so I had to do 3 single crochets (UK double) down the side to make it fit! I went around 24 rows high, using one row of single crochets and the rest as half double crochets (UK half treble). I thought they looked a bit plain with just one colour so I added some light beige to the thumb hole and a neat bobble edging along the top.

I wore them to work this morning and they were lovely and cosy; definitely kept me warm in this cooler weather!

Betty xxx

Christmas Crochet Inspiration

With summer pretty much over in the UK and the leaves turning a lovely orange colour I can now start thinking about all the crafty things I want to make for Christmas! I know, I know, It's still a good three months away but I would like to make a few crochet presents this year as I was still just a complete beginner last year. I still count myself as a beginner but I am competent enough to make a few things now that don't fall apart!

My main easy make will be scarves - for myself as well as others. I am also thinking about place mats, coasters, candle votive covers and anything of course some lovely decorations to adorn our new flat! I particularly would like to make a wreath a la Attic 24 (I love Lucy!) and my mum has been eyeing up some stocking garlands to hang over the fire place. Of course with all of this crochet making madness I will be making my biggest order to the wonderful website, Deramores. I really cannot fault them! Every order I have placed has arrived the next day, they have a massive stock selection, colours...I could go on. I have also seen a lovely seller on Instagram who is selling DK packs in various colours and she'll even put custom packs together for you! This will be great for Christmas colours as well as future projects I have in mind. Her name is Anita and her Instagram username is mycraftlife (she also has a personal account madebyanita showing off her lovely creations).

Here are some Pinterest inspiration:

 

Red Apple Placemat by MariMartin

 

Basket Weave Placemats - Redheart.com (free pattern!)

Granny Stripe Infinity Scarf - Olgasoleil.blogspot.com

Christmas Stockings - www.talesoftwistedfibre.wordpress.com

Colourful Christmas Wreath - Attic 24

Christmas Wreath - Julia Crossland

I hope that has given you some inspiration, albeit a little early perhaps! Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?

Betty xxx

Etsy Love

Recently I find myself spending a lot of time on Etsy. Not necessarily making actual purchases but just looking at all the pretty goods there are and being in awe of how talented all the sellers are. The great thing about Etsy is that you can shop all over the world and find treasures that are unusual, handmade and quite often, unique. I also love that they have a massive vintage section featuring bags, clothing, jewellery and home wares.

As a seller on Etsy (www.bettybuttonpie.etsy.com) I have to say I am quite lazy. I have been selling my handmade jewellery on and off for about three years now but after a bit of a disastrous craft market and lack of money I lost my mojo and haven't really gotten it back. I am a lover of all crafts and can see the time and effort that has gone into each pieces I favourite on Etsy, but unfortunately my passion for selling my wares has dwindled, at least for now.

Here are some of my most favourite items at the moment:

 

Harry Potter Expecto Patronum T-shirt

 

Mustard Yellow Button Earrings

 

Silver Stacking Rings

 

Bicycle Phone Cover

I could honestly go on and on listing all the wonderful creations but I hope you liked a few of my personal favourites. 

What are your favourite items? Do you have a shop on Etsy?

Betty xxx