I managed to squeeze in a few moments of hooky time, over the festive period. Here is what I made...
It is crocheted using Debbie Bliss Paloma yarn, that I picked up at the knitting and stitching show in Harrogate. I used a range of different hooks, and followed the same patterns for each layer...
Each layer was then stacked and stiched together to form the Christmas tree. The tree was then decorated with a long beaded chain crochet.
Just a short posting: back to the festivities...
York is sooooooo very beautiful, especially this time of year. I thought that I would share some of that loveliness with you...
Hopefully there will be some hooky time over the festive period, otherwise here it to next year.
All that is really left too say is THANK YOU for looking at, and supporting, my blog and crochet projects it really means a lot to me.
Merry Christmas....
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The ta-dah moment are coming thick and fast at the moment as more and more Christmas presents are finished. Most of the ta-dah moments will have to wait until after Christmas: it is only fair!
Though here is one that I don't mind sharing with you...
Remember my last post on blocking? Well these are the results: starflakes which I have turned into my beloved Christmas cards...
I am really pleased with how they have turned out and I am sure that the people who get them will be just as chuffed..?
Yuletide Greeting, for the Soltice...
xxxx
Over the past few weeks I have crocheted lots of things which need blocking. I have never blocked anything before. Blocking, or pressing or making-up, is a brilliant finishing technique where you dampen and press out you crochet, pulling it into shape with pins and leave it to dry, so that the shape and pattern of your crochet is enhanced...
Sometimes this process can involve starch. I decided to follow Lesley Stanfield's tip, in75 birds, butterflies and beautiful beasties to knit and crochet,and use PVA glue to give my starflakes more strenght and extra shine...
I also decided to add glitter into the PVA, for extra sparkle! You dilute the PVA with water and mix in your glitter.
Soak your crochet for about ten minutes. Squeeze out the excess water and then pin out your crochet on a pin board. Make sure that the pins you are using are rust-proof and make sure your pin board is covered with cling-film, otherwise you will have a big mess and will never be able to take your crochet off the board...
Wait for twenty-four hours, or until your crochet is completely dry, and then carefully take the pins out and ta-dah - your crochet should look even more brilliant than it did before...
Will show you how mine turned out on my next post: though hopefully some of you might already know...
Do you remember that I mentioned that I had lots and lost of hats to crochet before Christmas? Well I have completed them. Here are a selection...
As you can see they are all the same design, but vary in size, yarn and embellishment.
I saved making my favourite one until last...
This one is for my friends little boy: who specifically asked for a blue and orange hat. I am really pleased with the wool that I found and think that the colours tone together brilliantly. To make it slightly more boyish, I decided to finish the hat off it a crocheted rib, an effect that I think works quite well...
I can't wait to see him in it!
I was having a good old rummage in one of my local charity shops, and I happened upon this...
Perfect for making all those Christmas decorations!
There are some great projects in here. There are also some, which I have to confess, I find a little creepy - perhaps something to do with watching too much Dr Who as a child. Moving on from the creepy Christmas makes, others are just lovely!
As yet I haven't followed any of the patterns, so I can't comment one how well written there are. They look simple and straight forward and are written in both English and American. Even if you don't follow the patterns: some of the photographs of the finished projects are great and will give enough inspiration to create your own Christmas decorations.
Now where is my hook...
I love Christmas cards! I love getting them and I love sending them. I even love the round-robin catch-up letters: so you can hear people's news and gossip.
I love handmade Christmas cards, the fact that someone has put the time and effort into making something special just for you. For the past few Christmases I have dabbled into the world of making my own Christmas cards.
Last year I decided to crochet some of them. This was a dabble, so admittedly not everyone received one. Never-the-less I was more than pleased with the results...
A very simple design of crocheted mistle-toe backed onto silver paper and card, then stamped with my usually yuletide greetings...
This year, I have given myself the challenge of making, crocheting, all of my Christmas cards: I'll let you know how I get on!
Like I mentioned in my last post I would share some of the most inspirational things that I saw at the Knitting Show. Here goes...
This amazing Christmas Tree was knitted and crocheted by over 700 people, as a fund raising project for Livability a charity which supports disabled people, offering them a choice about how they live their lives.
More information about the Christmas Tree can be found HERE and HERE -please take a look and support this great cause.
Katie Jones won first prize for her entry into the Hand Knitting Association...
It is fantastic to see crochet been used in this way: and holding its own along side knitting!
I just had to take a picture of this...
How cute are they? A knit your own nativity!
Which reminds me, to remind you, only twenty-four days to go: make sure you have opened your advent calendar or lit your candle!
I love to create beautiful things out of yarn. I love textile crafts, especailly crochet.
Recent Comments