the three C's... day four

crafting and crocheting: (notes)

note one: on saturday a whole new world of crocheting opened up to me, after looking through my little loved pile of Japanese craft books i stumbled across a lovely scarf pattern. it reminded me how every year i see lovely crocheted scarves in the stores (namely anthropologie) and wish i could make one for myself. this appeared out of my reach until i sat in my PJ's, yarn and Mr Hook in hand, and discovered i may not beable to follow the written crochet word, but i can read patterns using symbols. the best thing of all, these symbols are universal, therefore does not matter what language the book is printed in, i can attempt the pattern if it is written in symbols...

oh happy joyous crocheting moment

note two: in november i am teaching a two part sunday workshop at the fine and dandy Assemble Gallery and  

Studio, i am tres thrilled to be doing so and my hope is you may wish to join me. all nitty gritty can be found here

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**EXCLUSIVE WORKSHOP** Vintage Lappity-Lap Blanket with dottie angel

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Piece, sew and embroider a small blanket with the one and only Tif Fussell (aka dottie angel) in this two session workshop exclusive! A bit by the artist: “Using the age old idea of taking loved and used fabrics to make something new again, we will be ‘piecing and layering’ fabrics to create a ‘lappity lap’ blanket adding finishing touches of hand-knotting, appliquéd patches or doilies and embroidery. The finished result being a lovely reminder of traditions gone by and a rather spiffy bit of handcrafted goodness for your home, or to gift to another.”

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Students must have previous sewing machine experience and the ability to do a running stitch by hand. A materials list will be provided upon registration. Seats are very limited, so don’t miss the fun!

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Date: Sunday, November 13th AND Sunday, November 20th

Time: 1pm – 4pm

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note three: i marvel at the mysterious ways the handcrafted Gods move. there i was on monday in my shed, rambling on about 'dumpties' and there was lovely Sophie in hers on tuesday, trying to locate a lost crafty mojo. off out the house she pops hoping to find it and she does! in the recycling centre no less. gosh what are the chances of two spiffy dumpties being found on the brink of no return. Sophie has done a peachy job of 'dumptie number one' and she tells me 'dumptie number two' is asking for a crocheted hat. never have i seen such marvelous finds, and how fitting to find 'dumpties' at the dump

note four: the three C's and the thrillingness that it is, will continue next week due to there not being enough days this week to fit in all the thrilling thoughts...

she notes it is friday, she notes the 'hurrah horray its friday' feeling coming on, and she wishes you a peachy one ~ Tif

the three C's... day three

crocheting: (a blankie)

this whole post has been written with a song playing in my head, you know that little voice in your head that sings like a true singer, where to you, you sound like the bees knees. my little voice is singing "reunited and it feels so good, reunited cause you understood" it then goes on to make up a few words and then just go on repeating itself over and over.

this little singing voice of mine appeared last week, in the yarn aisle. choosing to spend my time wisely admiring balls of yarn rather than stand on the soccer sidelines in the cold, it just popped up from nowhere. it was inevitable i would find myself in this aisle as earlier in the day i had been hit by the nesting bug which always hits around this time of year, despite my protests. and with thoughts of nesting, comes thoughts of yarny blankets.

so i stood there channeling my inner Ingrid, i hoped some of her peachy talent for combining colours would rub off on me if i thought really really hard, but it was a tres sorry sight for yarny colours which stood before me in the 'chunky' section. oh woe is me i thought... i pottled around the corner, down another aisle, back again due to another yarny buyer not budging, quite obviously intent on her own project. down the next aisle and back around until i have frequented 3 aisles of double sided shelves of yarny goodness. my inner Ingrid found many peachy colours but alas and alack they were all in different weights. as i stood with despair in my crafty soul and my little singing voice going on and on, another little voice popped up. actually two. one from the other yarny buyer wishing to get past, and the other from another part of my little head...

first voice "excuse me please" to which i stepped aside.

second voice "surely Tif, if you combined several strands of the same yarn, you can make one chunky strand" to which i did a little jump (not a big one cause i had my clog boots on and i did not wish to land on the toes of the yarny buyer who was passing on by) and then i said a little 'eureka' to myself. i said this because i have always wished to find a moment worthy of such a word. i was never able to say this in science at school due to spending most of my science lessons sat outside the classroom in the corridor to stop the teacher weeping at my pants science skills in the labs.

yarn being admired upon arrival home at mossy shed

so i went on my merry way, picking up sport weight (requiring three skeins to make a chunky strand), worsted weight (requiring two skeins to make a chunky strand) and just good old chunky (requiring one skein to make a chunky strand). then it dawned on me, not sure if this was another little voice or not, but the dawning made me note, yes this was a fine and dandy way to go about making chunky yarn for a blankie but it was also a very costly way. as i pondered, it appeared

buy yarn and save your sanity

do not buy yarn and go insane

i was left with little choice quite obviously i would be a fool to ignore the handcrafted gods and their words of wisdom...

yarn waiting to be admired by lads of two, with very little hope

on arrival home at the shed, i put my yarn in a little bundle so i may admire it, after which i fretted if my inner Ingrid had let me down, if the colour combination was tres terrible. i decided to not listen to my fretting ways and start my blankie. after a while, i put my yarn in a basket so my lads of two may admire it when passing by... noting not much admiring was going on, i gave up with the nicely positioned pretty yarn basket (fearing Little Olive would be most admiring) and proceeded with my blankie.

proceeding with blankie despite fretting about colour choices

with the help of Dorothy (again where would i be without Dorothy) i am now busy beavering away on a ripply striped blankie. 

perfectly sized for one who is wishing to nest alone, but could fit a little critter or small being in next to them quite snuggly if need be... and all the time as i beaver away spending quality time with Dr Hook and yarn, my little inner singing voice is keeping me company along with my sanity

another attempt at being admired by lads of two, attempt failed just like before

she is noting already friday is hovering close by ~ Tif 

a bit of 'lo and beholdness' continued...

ta dah! a 'lo and beholdness' circle of crocheted goodness becomes a 'lo and beholdness' warm and woolly coat for a cold mid century stool.

yes indeedy, it never ceases to amaze me what lovely yarny grandness can come from a few balls of yarn and stick with a little hook. when my little warm and woolly coat was finished up, my little crafty heart swelled with pride. i am not saying this is a big headed kind of way, no sirree, not me. i am saying it in a 'blimey, did i really make that bit of yarny goodness with my own hands' kind of way. oh such is the fabbiness of craftiness. after all it is a circle and up until now a crocheted circle has been out of my crocheting ability reach.

once again however i am reminded, with determination and a little bit of patience and many many moments of not succeeding in the ways of being a 'roundie', my perseverance has paid off. my lovely little stool with his woolly coat is living in my crafty snug upstairs. such is my love for him i have warned all clan members, with or without fur, it is out of bounds.

within seconds of placing my little 'lo and beholdness' jacket upon my stool, Our #3 said "oh, you've finished, great can we sit on it now?" and plonked himself down on my 'moment of roundie glory'. the shriek that followed alerted him to the fact, yes it was finished and no, you cannot.

i have noted over the past few weeks the petals are slowly flattening, and at times the cover appears to have shuffled to the side a bit. i have no evidence that others are sitting on my stool, or resting their feet, however i have sneaky suspicions 'when the cat is away, the mice will play'.

if by chance you fancy yourself a little roundie woolly coat for a cold stool, or indeed just wish to continue making a larger circle of petals and head towards a lovely rug for the floor, or a smaller one to make a cushion cover, then i am happy to share how i did it.

however before we begin, let me tell you several nitty gritty things.

1. this is not a 'how-to' for the petals, i am assuming you have already studied Mille's lovely pattern for petals, she so generously shared with us the other day

2. i used chunky yarn and a size Mr Hook 6.5mm K. where i did not have chunky in the colours i wished to use, i doubled up a worsted weight yarn. in fact the aqua colour i used is made up of two different shades put together and it came out spiffily in my books (do you like that! i do too, it is so much more than just spiffy, it is most spiffily, my new favourite word)

3. if you have understood how to make Mille's petals then you will understand what i am talking about below, if you have not understood, then i fear it will all read like gobbledy de goop.

4. i did have to rip out several rounds as the circle grew to keep it flat but i was determined not to be beat. you may well have to do the same.

5. all along i continued to check the fit with my stool after every round, just to make sure i was on the right track. each stool will be different so this is just a rough guide to help you along.

so hey ho, let's go

round 1, 2 and 3: as written in Mille's pattern

round 4 and 5: repeat round 2 and 3

round 6: repeat round 2

round 7: alternate between single petals and double petals

round 8, 9 and 10: repeat round 2

i stopped here as this was big enough for the top of my stool. if you are going on to make a rug, you will have to decide if rounds of single petals or alternating between single and double petals in a round will increase the circle nicely and flatly.

after my last round of petals, i half double crocheted (US term) all the way around joining at the end of the round and chaining up 2, to begin the next. you do no wish to increase as you are now working on the edge. i ended up with seven rounds of half double crochet to fit my stool's side.

to make the cover sit still and not move around or slip off (the stool is vinyl underneath) i then did a final row of single crochet missing out every other stitch from the row before, giving it a nice almost elastic edging to it.

i carefully placed the cover over the stool, not wishing to stretch the final round of stitches too much and damage them and Voila! it flipping fitted! it was indeed a small miracle.

i think a cushion cover would be most peachy and i have plans to work on one if i can find the printed out instructions of Mille's fabby pattern. i placed them somewhere super duper safe so i would not forget to pack them for Old Blighty. so safe, i have lost them...

she is hoping it all makes sense and wishes you a few crafty moments with your Mr Hooks this weekend ~ Tif

footynote: Mr Spell Checker found over 22 issues today, he particularly found 'spiffily' to cause him fretfulness like never before

a bit of 'lo and beholdness' in the shed...

do you recall a certain lovely thrift store blanket?

no need to fret about your recall skills, nor mutter under your breathe

"blimey Tif, i can hardly recall what i had for dinner last night, let alone your thrifty finds"

for i have provided an image to help, i know its friday and the week has been long so i do not wish you to have to mutter under your breathe because of me.

actually i can recall what i had for dinner last night, a rare occurrence indeed. not 'having dinner', the recalling it bit. it was a meal of orange with a hint of green. it was completely home cooked and surprisingly appealing looking, therefore worthy of recall in my mind.

however it is not about my culinary delights today, no sirree! it is all about Mille and her crocheting kindness.

upon finding my lovely thrift store blanket, then gifting it to another i continued about my life.

then one day Mille appeared, she told me how the blanket had inspired her to make one for herself and as she had trouble finding a pattern for it, very cleverly (i am thinking) worked it out from my blanket! this had me very delighted and even more so when she wrote up her 'something pretty' pattern and was happy to share it with us. thank you so kindly Mille for inspiring me to pick up Mr Hook again and others i am quite sure.

i am totally in love with Mille's use of colours, this is so often where i trip up but not today, for today i am riding high, higher than i have ever ridden in my short history of crochet riding...

for you see, thanks to the brilliant Mille, a small miracle came to pass last night in Mossy Shed.

as i sat, pondering her pattern with Mr Hook in hand and a ball of gray (see what i mean about colour), i established two rounds of petals and instead of doing as i was told and finishing up with a round of granny square to complete the one petaled square, a little voice whispered in my ear.

that little voice tempted me to do another round of petals, it questioned if indeed i could perhaps go another round or two after that. it was daring me to aim for a circle of crocheted goodness. i made a silent promise to Mille i would come back to her squares after i had ventured off with my little voice

never in my short span of crocheting career (do i have one) have i managed a circle of muchness. but i was feeling reckless, i was in my new snug, cozy, crafty hangout upstairs tucked out of the way of my clan, i was feeling anything was possible at that moment in time. the world of crocheting was my oyster.

and so it would appear the crocheting circle gods were in line, for row after row of petals and hour after hour of me sitting there listening to the early morning show on Radio 2 had me believing that miracles do happen. as i stood to go to bed, a little achy and creaky, well past my due date of hitting the sack, i laid my crocheted circle offering down and right there and then, a chorus of angels appeared, (singing quietly cause it was late) and glory shone down on me.

a crocheted circle of 'lo and beholdness' had been born and not an ounce of 'colour iffyness' about it.

she is wishing you a bit of 'lo and beholdness' yourselves this weekend ~ Tif

things to like, cont'd

things to like:

* a snow day at mossy shed

* little olive and used dog early this morning

* yarn to save my sanity with another day off school

* setting aside iffy coloured yarny project and learning to crochet bobbles

* new love of bobbly crochet resulting in a need for crocheting bobbles all day long

* a little corner set aside for 'bobbly crocheting sanity saving' moments during the snow day

she is thinking this could be the beginnings of some sweet sweet times with Mr Hook ~ Tif

a cluster of gleeful jam jars... how-to

yes indeedy!

it is a time for gleefulness

and a time for handcraftedness

now before we begin i must tell you several things,

thing #1: this cluster of gleeful jams jars how-to, is perfectly suited to any random sized jar you have lurking around your nests. i found some in the back of my fridge, saved some as they became empty, others i decanted the contents so i could continue uninterrupted in my need to clothe little glass jars in warm jackets. indeed the more different sizes you have going on, the peachier it will look.

thing #2: this cluster would be most suited to a mantelpiece or perhaps the middle of a dining table. just be aware of where you place them if you are using 'night light' candles. i also think they would look quite peachy with red flowers dotted amongst them or red knitting needles. the odd pesky gnome wouldn't go a miss either. i have yet to get my gleeful box down from the attic so you will have to use your imaginations on this one, which of course i know you have by the bucketful :)

thing #3: the only material i used in this gleeful cluster that has not been used and loved before is the cream yarn.

thing #4: i believe the pictures pretty much speak for themselves in how the jackets are made, the crocheted little number i have given more instructions to. but as we go along you will see they are quite simple in their construction and also rather addictive.

so without further ado, here are three little jacket ideas for this gleeful season...

little cosy jacket #1:

ingredients

* a glass jar

* a thrift store sweater with cream sleeves

* red embroidery thread

* needle

* piece of paper

*scrap of lace

* typewriter (or you can hand write your words)

nitty gritty

using your glass jar as a guide,

(this one you may wish to use a large size jar for)

cut the sleeve and cuff off your sweater

leaving plenty for turning the top down.

place sweater sleeve over jar,

roll down sleeve a few times,

giving a nice 'roll neck' to your jacket.

hand stitch in place with red thread.

next type a little saying

(or hand write it)

stitch your little saying onto a scrap of lace

(i used Miss Ethel here,

but easy enough to hand stitch)

attach your little label to the jacket neck.

place your little sweater jacket upon your jar

and voila!

little cosy jacket #2:

ingredients

* pieces of old lace

* a glass jar

* red yarn

* dress making pins

* large eyed needle

nitty gritty

lay your jar on the lace

and wrap it up nicely,

making sure you pay attention to the neckline,

this way you can make for a pretty shape.

pin in place.

taking a long length of red yarn,

begin sewing your jacket up

leaving a nice tail at the end

(i am now thinking it not unlike a corset)

when you have got to the top,

start stitching your way back down.

with a bit of luck

you will have some lovely random cross stitching going on.

when you are back at the beginning,

tie off your yarn leaving nice long tails

and Voila!

little cosy jacket #3:

ingredients

* cream yarn

* crochet hook to match your size yarn

* a glass jar

nitty gritty

crochet a chain the prefect length

for wrapping around your glass jar.

not too loose, better to be a little stretched.

join your chain with a slip stitch,

being sure to keep it untwisted as you join.

chain one and continue around your circle

in half double crochet (usa)

or half treble crochet (uk)

after one row it might be worth

checking the fit of your little jacket

if the fit is perfectly perfect

continue crocheting your rows,

being careful to join at the end of each one

and chain up to start a new one.

just before you reach the neck of your jar,

you will need to decrease 4 times

evenly around your final

half double (usa) half treble (uk) row.

it might be wise to place pins

as a guide here.

then finish off with one row of

single crochet (usa) double crochet (uk).

place your little woolly jacket upon your jar

and Voila!

if perchance the little crocheted garland has caught your eye, no worries. next week, i will be doing a re-run of last year's 'week of glee'.

i am thinking if the BBC can run repeats, then so may i.

she is wishing you a weekend of getting crafty with a few glass jars ~ Tif

parting ways, positively...

yes indeedy dearest readers, it is with heavy heart

and a nagging voice within my head saying

"haven't you learnt your lesson yet Tif?"

i must report, Mrs Hook and i will be parting ways for a while.

i do it every time and i am a fool to myself.

after my happy outcome with the 'high hopes wrap' for a chilly day,

i needed to dabble further with the fisherman cream yarn from lion brand.

i thought to myself, there could be no doubting,

if i made a big cream chunky blanket

my clan would become The Waltons.

we would share many happy moments upon the couch,

said lovely blanket keeping us cozy.

talking 'talky' things,

reading books

and always, always with a smile on our faces

i set out upon my 'no doubting' quest to make thee blanket

and to some degree i have succeeded in my mission.

the degrees of success goes as such...

successful degrees

1: blanket and edging completed

2: tags and little twiddly bits that make me smile, completed

3: admired by clan members,

but only because i stood for a long period of time holding blanket up

making 'clearing throat noises' in the vain hope,

eventually someone would look in my direction.

this was not easy i might add,

as it took quite the time for myself and blanket to be noticed

by which point my ailing arm was complaining big time

not so successful degrees

1: it should have been bigger,

only two clan members can be comfortably situated under it at any one time

2: the cross was supposed to go from side to side,

thus implying a nod to our home country and the flag of England

3: i have noted, upon completion (to a degree) of blanket

it does not contain The Waltons special family powers

but all that being said,

ignoring the lack of England flagness about it,

the inability to bring a sense of Waltons to my clan

and my inability to wave around my right arm and shoulder,

making me off duty in the kitchen and cleaning department

(silver lining if ever i saw one)

i do believe this is my most favority, favorite blanket to date

and if a time comes

when Mrs Hook and myself get it on again, in the near future

we shall beaver away on completing the flag bits...

for now however,

i am thinking it best

to ignore the 'not so successful degrees',

embrace the 'successful degrees'

and call my blanket

a 'positively postive' blanket of the utmost kind

she is remembering, remembering the 5th of november and wishing you a spiffy, safe one ~ Tif

a 'high hopes wrap' for a chilly day, how-to...

now some folks may say,

"oh Tif, i think you may be mistaken,

for it would appear you are wearing a glorified blanket around your shoulders

and not as you say, a high hopes wrap"

but i know

and you know dearest readers,

what they obviously do not know.

all one needs is a pair of rose colored specs

and an imagination of the utmost kind,

for the glorified blanket around my shoulders

to become a 'high hopes wrap' for a chilly day.

not a super duper freezy chilly kind of day

but a medium sort of chilliness day,

when one can still maintain a little bit of charm in the clothing department,

and not so freezy chilly one loses all cares of looking charming,

reaching for the nearest duvet to drape around ones self before leaving the nest.

ingredients ~

* one pair of rose colored specs

* one imagination

* one Mrs Hook size K/6.5mm

* lion brand wool-ease yarn in chunky

2 balls of fisherman (color #099)

1 ball of silver grey (color #155)

1 ball of charcoal (color #152)

* one doily

* one kilt pin

* a few left over bits of yarn from your stash

just a word before i proceed with my little 'how-to' for a chilly day.

to be honest you can use any yarn or color combination you wish.

Mrs Hook is a size K hook,

so if you wish to follow my measurements perhaps use a yarn suited to her ample size.

the final measurements for this peachy wrap is roughly

15" wide x 51" long

or

38cm x 130cm

as with all my crocheting tutorials, it is quite simple,

however i have used the joining technique of the 'ordinarily extraordinary' blanket,

if this is a "no-no" for you,

then i would suggest making your individual colored strips

and then slip stitching them together at the end.

and last but by no means least!

i have used the US double crochet term throughout,

which is UK treble crochet :)

so with all that being said, to borrow a phrase from the brilliant RAMONES

"hey ho, lets go"...

recipe ~

using the fisherman cream yarn, chain 20 plus 3 (for turning)

double crochet into 3rd chain from Mrs hook

and continue double crocheting happily for 130 cm (51")

attach new color, sliver grey and chain 10 plus 3 (for turning)

double crochet happily back towards your cream strip

when you have reached your cream strip,

join the grey to the cream

using the 'ordinarily extraordinary' way

(at this point you will be at photo #7 of the blanket 'how-to' close ups, so follow from there)

continue along your happy way,

joining the grey to the cream strip as you go.

when you come to the end of the silver grey strip,

join the third color charcoal, chain 5 plus 3 (for turning)

double crochet back towards the heather grey strip,

again using the 'ordinarily extraordinary' join as you go

once you have finished your charcoal strip, finish off your yarn.

weave in any threads needing to be disguised.

you will now have a lovely rectangle strip of crocheted goodness.

looking not unlike a narrow blanket :)

gather up your doily, pin and yarny leftovers.

carefully stitch your doily down in one corner of your wrap,

by weaving yarny colored leftovers in and out of the doily's pretty pattern.

i also used a bit of green yarn to wrap around my kilt pin,

this was to keep him warm, i thought about him being chilly too

and thought how nice for a little pin to have his own 'warm wrap' whilst out in the cold.

and there you have it!

Voila!!

a 'high hopes wrap' for a chilly day

i am thinking so many possibilities here,

jollier, brighter colors,

weaving lace or ribbon through the 'ordinarily extraordinary' eyelets,

edging the wrap with picot or shell edging,

just with a bit of imagination,

i have no doubt you will take this woolly wrap 'how-to'

and make it you own

she is brainstorming her 'table of contents' with used dog and little olive ~ Tif