A hoppity of bunnies

It's been a very busy few weeks for me. As well as crochet I love to sing, and have been getting ready for a couple of big concerts with the choir I am in. This weekend we were singing at The Sage. It was an amazing experience, even if did have to be cut short.

 

 

Normally I am at the back of my section, but somehow I managed to be placed on the front row of the ladies choirs, eek!! Luckily I remembered all my words.

 

I have been able to keep hooking while learning my words, and as Easter is coming up I thought I would make some Easter chicks.

The first one seemed ok, but the following chicks - well - I wonder if they look a little 'evil'? My son thought they looked like they should be on an episode of Dr Who.

 

I'm still undecided, I think if I get some small safety eyes they might look friendlier?

 

 

Some one who is less scary is Alby, my white rabbit.

Hopefully I will find the notes I took while I was making him, then I can get them on here x

It is lovely to relax on a lovely spring morning, with a cup of tea and my crochet.

The little rabbit applique is from Simply crochet magazine.

 

 

I think I got a bit carried away, and I was soon covered in them.

I looked up the collective known for rabbits, my favourite of the list I found, was a 'down of rabbits', however I prefer a 'hoppity of bunnies'.

 

 

 

I hope all these bunnies leave me plenty of chocolate eggs!

 

Love Katie x x

Little Leprechaun

This weekend I ended up with a new little friend to join the fairies that wander through my garden.

I have only made the pattern once but wondered if anyone out there would like to give it a go and have their own Little Leprechaun.

 

Apologies if you spot any mistakes, just message me and I will have a look x

 

 

What you will need

 

3.5mm hook

Beige dk

Green dk

Light green dk

Black dk

Auburn dk

safety eyes

button

 

 

R1) Make a magic ring in beige, work 6dc into the ring

R2) 2dc in each

R3) 2dc, 1dc, repeat around

R4) 2dc, 2xdc, repeat around

R5) 2dc, 3xdc, repeat around

R6) 2dc, 4xdc, repeat around

R7-13) 1dc in each

R14) dc2tog, 4xdc, repeat around

R15) dc2tog, 3xdc, repeat around

R16) dc2tog, 2xdc, repeat around

R17) dc2tog, dc, repeat around

R18) dc in each

 

place safety eyes between rows 10 and 11, approx. 9st apart

         Change to green

R19) dc in each

R20) 2dc, 1dc, repeat around

R21) 2dc, 2xdc, repeat around

R22) 1dc in each

R23 2dc, 3xdc, repeat around

R24) 1dc in each

R25) 2dc, 4xdc, repeat around

R26-270 1dc in each

R28) 2dc, 5xdc, repeat around

R29-32) 1dc in each

R33) blo, 1dc in each

R34-36) 1dc in each

R37)dc2tog, 5xdc, repeat around

R38) dc2tog, 4xdc, repeat around

R39) dc2tog, 3xdc, repeat around

R40) dc2tog, 2xdc, repeat around

R41) dc2tog, dc, repeat around

R40) dc2tog, repeat around

 

finish

 

Coat tails

 

Re-join green yarn in the centre (front) of R33

R1) flo, ch1 (does not count as a st) dc in each, ch1, turn

R2-3) 1dc in each

R4A) dc in next 21st, ch1, turn

R5A) dc2tog, dc to end, ch1, turn

R6A) dc in 18st, dc2tog, ch1, turn

R7A) dc2tog, dc to end, ch1, turn

R8A) dc2tog, dc till last 2st, dc2tog, finish off

 

re-join yarn in 22nd st

R4B) ch1, dc in first st, dc to end, ch1, turn

R5B) dc in 19st, dc2tog, ch1, turn

R6B) dc2tog, dc to end, ch1, turn

R7B) dc to last 2st, dc2tog, ch1,turn

R8B) dc2tog, dc to last 2st, dc2tog, finish off

 

Colar

 

In green ch20

R1) dc in 3rd chain from hook, dc to last st, 1htr in last st, ch2, turn

R2) tr in first st dc till last st, 2tr in last st, finish off.

 

Stitch around neckline of body.

 

Belt

 

In black ch38, dc in 2nd ch from hook, dc to end, finish off

 

Stitch hair in place

 

Legs (make 2)

 

R1) In green make a magic ring, 5dc

R2) 2dc in each st

R3) 2dc, 1dc, repeat around

R4) 2dc, 2xdc, repeat around

R5) 1dc in each

R6) 3x tr2tog 14xdc

R7) 3x tr2tog 11x dc

R8-9) 1dc in each

        Change to green

R10-28) 1dc in each

finish off

 

Arms (make2)

 

R1) Using beige make a magic ring, 5dc

R2) 2dc in each st

R3) 2dc, 4xdc, 2dc, 4xdc

R4-5) 1dc in each

R6) dc2tog, 2xdc, repeat around

R7) 1dc in each

      Change to green

R8-22) 1dc in each

finish off

 

Hat

 

R1) In green make a magic ring, 6dc

R2) 2dc in each st

R3) 2dc, 1dc, repeat around

R4) 2dc, 2xdc, repeat around

R5) 2dc, 3xdc, repeat around

R6) blo, 1dc in each

R7-14) 1dc in each

R15) flo, 2dc, 3xdc, repeat around, dc in last 2st

R16) 2dc, 4xdc, repeat around, dc in last 2st

R17) 2dc, 5xdc, repeat around, dc in last 2st, slst in next st

finish off

 

Hat band

 

In black ch32, dc in 2nd ch from hook, dc to end, finish off

Stitch around hat.

 

Clover

 

In light green ch8, slst in 4th ch from hook, ch3 slst in same place as before, ch3 slst in same place as before, finish off, weave around centre of clover and pull tight to close centre.

Stitch one clover to hat and one to shirt.

 

 

Hope you enjoy the pattern, if you make my leprechaun please credit me for the pattern.

Thank you

 

Katie x x

 

 





A Doily Kind of Day

The first thing I ever crocheted when I was a little girl was a doily (well of sorts). My grandma taught me to chain and the double crochet and so I just went round and round feeling very pleased with myself.

Ever since then I have always loved a doily. I didn't care when they were out of fashion, I was still happy to display my doilies with pride.

 

Now the doily seems to have become a little more popular again (I don't think it's just my wishful thinking). Large, small, plain or colourful, the possibilities are endless. I started adding more colour after looking at beautiful mandalas on Instagram.

 

I admit I love working a repetitive pattern and getting mathematical with my crochet.

 

 

 

I have been hunting through all my old copies of Simply Crochet to find pretty patterns. I don't always follow the colours given as I like to go with colours that match my mood, or other things that become an inspiration, such as a vase of flowers on the mantelpiece.

 

 

Sometimes I like to just pick up my hook and yarn and let the crochet flow, add colours and shape as I feel them. Although I do get cross with myself if I can't work out what I've done when I later want to write out the pattern.

 

 

So why don't you pick up a hook and decide how colourful you are feeling today, see what beauty you can create x x

 

Katie x x

 

 

 

A purse fit for a fairy

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love all things fairy-tale.

 

 

I have a selection of crochet fairies that sit on my shelf (you can  follow their adventures on A wander with the fairies ) and I love making little accessories for them.

 

At the moment I have been inspired to make slightly larger fairy accessories and have been hooking up some pretty fairy purses. Each one for a different kind of fairy.

 

 

 

The first one I made, I imagined would be used by a flower fairy to keep her seeds in, ready to scatter across the meadows. I love the basket weave pattern in this purse.

 

 

The ripple pattern, I decided, would be perfect for a mermaid to store her shells. The smaller purse was the free gift which came with this months copy of Simply Crochet.

 

 

This purse is to store fairy dust and is covered in ribbons and bells.

 

 

And finally (well up to now anyway) is this little purse. I was looking out at the stars the night before I made it and was thinking of fairies catching falling stars to add to their fairy dust.

 

Yes I do seem to have a rather overactive imagination, but isn't that what makes crafting and making so fun.

 

Sometime we should all use our imagination a little more to put some magic and sparkle into our day.

 

 

Katie x x

 

 

 

 

 



Snow, Hail, and Thunder

What a morning it has been, woken early by very loud hail storm, followed later by thunder and lightning and snow.
It was then followed by rain to clear it all away.
Luckily I did manage to get out and get some photographs of the snow earlier in the week.

I am very lucky to get to see these views each day on my way to work.
My favourite times are those when I arrive on the promenade as the sun is beginning to rise, truly stunning.

 

I have followed last weeks crochet inspiration from the Big Garden Birdwatch, with more from the African topic we have been doing at work. It's not often you get to see a giraffe in the snow.

 

 

To add to my collection I am now busy hooking up a zebra, very tempted to make a multi coloured version but stuck to black and white for now.

 

 

Hope you have a lovely weekend.

 

Kathryn x x

Big Garden Birdwatch

This weekend has been the rspb Big Garden Birdwatch. While getting ready for this I have been inspired to get out my hooks and yarn and make a few little birdies of my own.

 

 

These little lovelies are much more obliging when needing them to stay still while I try photograph them.

 

It was nice to work on a nice small project, and once I got going I kept having new ideas for more and more birds.

 

 

This little blue bird is my favourite of the flock.

 

 

 

Hello New Year

Well it has been a long time since I posted here, and I have no excuse.

So here I am, first post of the New Year and my first makes.

 

I have been loving these two projects from the issue 27 of Simply Crochet.

Sometimes you just need a project that works up quickly and is pretty. I now have myself 6 of these lovely pincushions x

 

I have also been working on one of my own patterns

 

 

I first had a go at a monkey a few months ago, but he was in pink, but this little cheeky chap is going to be part of a display where I work so I thought I should make a more 'monkey coloured' fellow.

 

 

Although I do think pink is quite fetching for a monkey.

 

Katie x x