We've spent five whole weeks indoors as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc. It feels like a lifetime ago that we were playing on the swings at the park and building sandcastles at the beach! Still, we've managed to fill our time incredibly well with crochet, crafts, soapmaking, reading, painting, cooking, canning and baking.

I'm trying to stay busy and stay positive, but being indoors for this long is really taking its toll. Still, we've made a point of dancing along to GoNoodle, we have worked hard at assembling lego sculptures of awesomness, and have fingerpainted a gallery of magnificent artwork that we've stuck to every available door/wall/surface. It's pretty awful to be stuck indoors for this long, but I think if I'm going to be stuck anywhere, I'm pretty sure that I'd want to be stuck with this crazy bunch of humans.

A few weeks ago I started crocheting a small blanket for the couch to keep myself busy and productive. I pulled together some really nice colours from the Scheepjes Stone Washed range, and made up a bunch of African Flower Hexagons. I used this pattern tutorial: here - it was quick and easy to work up a bunch of these in random colour combinations. I really like the colours I had on hand, they're tonal and have a lot of rustic charm with their tweedy colour blending.

Happy African Flower Hexies

I joined the African Flower hexagons together with the crochet-as-you-go method and added a final border when I ran out of yarn. I've still got some ends to sew in, but I'll get there. Eventually.  I am especially pleased with the way it makes me smile whenever I see the finished blanket draped over the back of the couch.

Of course, when the children saw my blanket they wanted one each too - and I thought it was a good idea to let them come up with their own designs. Rookie mistake. Isla's design is a smorgasbord of unicorn glitter, with granny squares, flowers, hearts and a unicorn hood. Honestly, I have no idea what I'm doing with this one but I hope it works out.

Unicorn Granny Squares, with Added Glitter

The design also includes a hood, a horn, ears and a spiral mane. Of course.

Finnlay chose some really strong primary colours and a vehicles theme. It more or less matches absolutely everything in his room. He has chosen a few pictures out of his most favourite book (A 101 Vehicles) and I'm attempting to copy them and make them out of yarn. Wish me luck.

"But mom, this grey stripe should be a road." Obviously.

I have a feeling that we're going to be in lockdown for a lot longer than the four days that are left. I've still got a long list of fun (messy) things to attempt with the kids to keep them busy, thank goodness, but I am starting to wonder how on earth we're ever going to get all of these crafty makes back home with us when we make our trek back to the UK! We will have to get a container full just for the artistic masterpieces (finger paintings and scribbles) alone - nevermind the leftover yarn!

I think I've been crocheting the Solar System CAL (crochetalong) forever. Far longer than space, and time. Far longer than expected. In the beginning, there was nothing. And then BAM! We had a sun. Cute. Then it grew and grew with void space and orbits - bigger, and bigger. Each new pattern portion was released weekly on a Friday and I raced through each week's void space to get there.

But I got a bit bored doing rounds and rounds and rounds of blue. It's not that the pattern is boring or the results aren't satisfying (erm) - it's just a lot of the same. And my blanket got bigger and bigger and bigger and then I ran out of yarn. It was annoying. I checked online and lots of other CALers had the same problem. I ordered some more which seem to take forever. Next week is the last instalment of the CAL but I've still got seven more rows of void space to do (the blue bits) and each row takes about an hour because it's the gosh darn biggest blanket in the world. Still, the kids love it. I draped it over a chair for a photo and they both claimed it for their own. Isla does a jolly good job of looking stylish while doing it, I couldn't resist a quick pic (and I do mean quick, she  moves at warp speed!).

I am looking forward to catching up and doing the planets and all of the other sciencey appliques which will give this blankie a whole lot of space pop, but it does seem an awfully long way off. I do a little bit every now and then, but only get about half a row around before I get distracted by something else like oooh was that the kettle boiling? It must be tea time already...

There's something really special about receiving a handmade gift. Here's Isla jumping on the trampoline with her best friend "Miffy Bunny" - a handmade crochet bunny she received while on holiday from someone very special (thank you Althea!). I love this bunny because I know how much love and effort and time goes into something like this, and I love that Isla loves this bunny more than anything else. It's her special friend. As a maker, it fills my heart with happiness and pride that she loves Miffy Bunny so much and that she totally understands that someone MADE it especially for her.

I think a lot of people are enjoying this kind of handmade happiness. Not just makers, but people who appreciate the love and effort that goes into these makes. Christmas time is our busiest time at markets with Bean & Boy, our handmade soap business. Every weekend we find ourselves standing shoulder to shoulder with other makers from around the country as we tell people about handmade soap, helping them choose a bar of soap for a specific "difficult to buy for" relative, and explaining the soapmaking process over and over again. I think it's amazing that everyone is interested in hearing about the making process, and that we get to meet so many other enthusiastic crafters who make everything from "raw pizza" to giant hair bows. We've seen ceramic santas, handmade jams and chutneys, cake decorations and (a first for me) neon budgie tree angels. The markets this year are bigger and better than they were last year, and everyone is opting to buy handmade instead of commercially produced. It is a magical time and I'm really excited to be involved. It's even more exciting when someone buys from you and truly appreciates the amount of work that went into something.

I've always loved making things, all sorts of things, so it's wonderful that there's a huge interest developing in things that are made from scratch. From scratch, what a strange phrase. Apparently it has something to do with competitive sports and it denotes the starting point of a race or event. Anyway, the only kind of competitive sporting event around here is how fast you can knit a pair of socks. I'm losing, by the way. One pair a year does not seem like it is record breaking!

So, a big thank you to everyone who has supported us at markets and online. An even bigger thank you to everyone who supports the kind of crazy that comes along with made-by-handers (the accumulation of materials just-in-case-I-get-a-chance-to-make-that-thing-I-once-dreamt-up, the insistence on taking crochet in the car whenever I become a passenger, the persistent glitter that I can't seem to get out of the carpet, all those late nights making soap). And of course, the biggest thank you of all for everyone who has decided to go handmade this year instead of shop-bought. You're all magic.

Everything is better supersized. And with sprinkles.

I'm pretty ridiculously pleased with the way that this poncho turned out (raveled here). It was so very quick to make too, which surprised me as it is a full-size wearable garment. I've knitted cardigans before and - for me - those take months to do! This was done in a few days during the school holidays.

It's a really simple pattern and usually I find that a bit annoying because it can get boring, but the granny stitch worked up really nicely and the repetition was enjoyable because it was so easy to pick up and put down in between kids activities. As it got bigger it was harder to "just pop in my bag" so it had to stay at home, but I imagine that smaller ones would be much easier to cart about if you had to go wait at school or some other activity. The pattern is by Simone Francis, from Simply Crochet issue 25, and can be found on ravelry here.

Oh, and I learnt a new stitch! Crochet rib! Most pleased. Here you can see it on the reverse, because the cowl neck bit is turned the wrong way round so that when it folds down, you see the nice and neat "right side". Clever.


Isla chose the colours for herself when we ordered online for another project. This particular range of colours is so out of my comfort zone but I wanted to use what I had without buying more, so this is what I came up with. It's quite cheerful and I think the grey tones it down a bit. I'd love to do one in sea glass colours of blue and mint greens but really, how many ponchos does one person need? ("All of them" is the most appropriate answer here, I think.)

I tried out Paintbox Yarns (mostly because I love the design of the ball band). I found them to be very similar to Stylecraft Special DK yarn, but with a few undyed bits here and there which would be more noticeable in a smaller project. I'm  not sure I'd notice the difference between the two yarns if they were the same weight, side by side. The colours are different, though, which is nice if you're trying to get out of the Stylecraft Special colour palette.

Next up, a mini version for Isla! There's plenty of yarn left over from this poncho, so it'll have to be put to good use. Poor girl, I'm not sure what she's going to think of matching "mama and me" outfits. We'll have to check schedules before leaving the house!

I have this rule. It's a silly little rule, but here it is anyway:

I'm not allowed to buy a craft magazine unless I make something from it 

I think it's partially because I don't want to end up with a pile of magazines I've never read, and partially because craft magazines are really quite expensive and I feel that I must justify it to myself when I want to buy one.

Anyway.

So every now and then I see something in a magazine that I love, and I get to make a no-pressure project that has no deadlines and no real purpose other than sheer loveliness. It's a bit like old William Morris. What did he say?

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." William Morris

And so this is my latest make: a crochet summer dress that's decidedly watermelon-esque. It's from Simply Crochet, issue 46. Raveled here.


I made it in age 3-4 for little Isla (hoping it would last until Summer because it is definitely not dress weather at the moment!). It has a really charming little yoke construction with a swing skirt and added black watermelon pips/seeds for detailing. It closes at the back with a button or a ribbon.

Circus-y blanket with bonus roses. Lovely.

We're on to part three now: multi-coloured pentagons that go round and round to form the big top's "skirt". I once wondered whether the designer played yarn chicken as she designed the central motif: pulling each colour out of the bag at random before hooking the next row. But it worked. I learnt to trust her. This time, I'm not so sure.

It's been a dark and stormy week, and I've tried my best to avoid all sensible things and responsibilities, opting instead for toddler crafts and crochet. We've been very productive around the house with grown-up DIY things but I do love these colourful moments filled with glitter and googly eyes.

The Stylecraft Carousel CAL started last week and I had to put aside my Frida's Flowers to catch up on the first installment of the carousel. The colours are so out of my comfort zone but I really, really like them. I especially like the mustard colour.

I did wonder (more than once) whether Sue Pinner the designer was in fact playing "yarn chicken" with her colour choices, choosing each one at random as she put together the motif. In the end, I'm rather pleased with it. I ought to be bolder with my colour combinations methinks.

Dinosaurs, did you know, are best decorated with glitter and sequins. Lovely.

This is what I'm making, sitting in the garden, enjoying the summer sun. It's all very much in progress but I hope to have it done before the next Stylecraft Crochet-Along (CAL) starts in a week's time or so. No pressure.


Piles and piles and piles of lovely crochet goodness, all coming together to make a small blanket throw.

I fell in love with Jane Crowfoot's Frida's Flowers Crochet Blanket some time ago, but couldn't find time nor inclination to work on such a large project. Besides, it is mostly black, navy and maroon and those are winter colours. You need bright things for the summer time, especially when you're surrounded by the pink and neon explosions of a toddler's favourite colours.

And then I saw another version of this hexagon blanket in a completely opposite colourway: cream, purple, pink, blue, green, peach. You can see it here on Ravelry. I couldn't resist, so I ordered in some bits and pieces and started building up a stash of colourful hexagons.

It was published as a Stylecraft Crochet Along (CAL), and the pattern installments are still free on their website here.


This is my first time working in Stylecraft Special DK (and in fact, my first time doing anything this scale in acrylic) and I love it! The yarn is squishy and soft, and works up easily on the hook. It is softer than expected and doesn't feel all that acrylic which really surprised me. It also cleans up really well; I've had to scrub off chocolate finger prints already. Not mine!

I'll post some photos of the individual hexagons soon. Just need to find my camera battery charger... it's in a box. Somewhere.

Another pinterest-inspired project: crocheted jellyfish. #love

I'm really happy with this one.

There are swirls and twirls and loop-de-loops of yarn loveliness.


The free crochet jellyfish pattern is from One Dog Woof, and is worked in amigurumi rounds quite quickly. The tentacles take longest of all but they're very portable and I was making them in the car, in the doctor's waiting room, while the kids were sleeping...


The original pattern was designed to be a bathroom accessory for kids, with the cotton tentacles making an  ideal hand-drying towel. I used the rest of my Drops Love You 5 cotton yarn for this project; it is ideal for facecloths, scrubbies, and just about anything that needs to withstand the rough handling of an enthusiastic two-year-old.

I made some small adjustments to the original pattern: I made 9 tentacles for each jellyfish, doing lots of twists and turns along a very long chain (70 stitches for most of them, with some 60 and some 80 and 90 for the longest ones), I changed the colours a little, and replaced the polyfill stuffing with a sponge that I cut down to the right size so that it can be used in the bath too.


I particularly love the jellyfish faces which make me chuckle every time I see them hanging up in our bathroom.

I'm enjoying all of these mini craft projects because they're so portable, and that means that even though the family and the house is whirlwinding around me, I'm able to do a tiny little bit of making time for me.

And making for me means making for us, which Isla adores because let's face it ... there's not much going on here that she doesn't lay claim to. Sweet girl.

Thanks to 3am baby feeds, I get to spend a lot of time on Pinterest looking at amazing things I could be making if I had a few moments to myself. Like this bunny from Lanukas.com - a free pattern that keeps popping up on Pinterest. I really like the colours and his cheerful face, it's an ideal textural baby toy for little Finnlay.

I'm determined to make some of the things I'm pinning away for a rainy day. There's no "free time" anymore, but sometimes (rarely) I find myself in a rare moment of quiet when both children sleep simultaneously and the dishes can just wait. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, I take full advantage.


This pattern is ideal: you can pick it up and put it down without losing your place, and the amigurumi construction is so simple. I imagined that it'd be around 10cm tall but as I worked up the rows, it grew and grew and grew...



I really like it. Isla likes it more, and calls it Bah. She tucks it under her arm and takes it for walks around the house. This poor boy is going to have to fight to get his toys back when he's big enough to know.

The yarn is Drops Love You 5 cotton which is quite a solid yarn, albeit a bit splitty to work with. It is only 80p a 50g ball so you can't really complain! I love the earthy colours it comes in, and it is really easy to work with if you're aware of the splittiness and make sure that you get all of the strands under your hook to work a stitch. I didn't think about this at first and had to pull out a few rows to tidy things up, but if you're not too fussy then that probably isn't necessary.

I used a 4mm hook for the yarn, but of course a smaller hook and thinner yarn would result in a much more sensibly-sized toy. I really like the feel of this yarn - it's interesting to touch for little hands, and holds its shape well. I also love that it is recycled which makes me feel better about buying new yarn. It used up a bit more than I expected it to - 50g of each colour - so one ear is "beige" (which is a lovely stone colour) and the other is yellow. I used a bit of merino wool felt for the white eye.

Pinterest win!

I particularly love this hat. It's a chunky knit that works up really quickly, and left plenty of yarn over for making up a matching gift for Jack's twin sister.

Again, back to the Purl Soho from one of their fantastic patterns: this time, it was Super Soft Merino Hats for Everyone. I tried out a new yarn - The Women's Institute Soft and Chunky which is a 30% acrylic 70% merino blend. Should be wonderfully warm and easy to wash.

Flower Girl Purse for Annabelle (Ravelled here)


This was a really quick and fun crochet project, made for Annabelle, Jack's twin. I use the leftover yarn from his hat to make a matching purse that would be perfect for carrying around little sweets, clips, stones or other treasures a two year old might find.

I used this pattern to make the flower and added a leaf and crocheted flower centre to make it stand out a bit. Very cute. Isla was impressed with this one.

Mittens for Isla (Raveled here)

... because I can't really knit up a selection of gifts and neglect little Isla can I?


I used the last little bit of my very favourite yarn to make these mittens using the Another Pair of Mittens pattern. I joined them together with a knitted i-cord because I'm certain that these would soon part ways if they were loose.


She was impressed. After trying on, they got wrapped and put under the tree. Isla loves opening up presents so I've wrapped up a few silly things - not least of all these essential-for-winter mittens that she's already seen. There are fruit sweets, dummies, biscuits...

After all, it's all about the unwrapping, isn't it?

Winter arrived. It was quite all-of-a-sudden-ly. Now, cold hands and woolly hats are abundant.


The park froze over. The puddles are miniature ice-rinks. Jumpers and cardigans have been replaced by snowsuits. There was, in fact, even snow. In London. In NOVEMBER!


I haven't been crafting much as it seems that I spend more time making sandwiches for lunches, cleaning up after messy baby and washing bottles than on anything I actually want to do. Ya know, like knit a cardigan, or a pair of socks, or ... anything, really.

I did, however, make an eensy weensy and snuggly warm baby blanket for a friend's baby shower. Just a few evenings after baby has gone to bed and et voila! Instant craft satisfaction.


Take one cheery fleece fabric print (hot air balloons AND rainbows)...


... and blanket stitch all the way around the outside to make a base for a neat crochet edge. This keeps the fleecy bits all neat and tidy for washing later on.

He's very sweet, and the proportions are all right. I made him using Vinni's Colours Serina, a bamboo yarn which is really lovely to work with. Really annoyingly, I ran out of yarn about 3/4 of the way through! So frustrating! This happened with the giraffe pattern I made a few weeks ago too, from the same pattern designer.


I kept my stitches nice and neat throughout, and matched the pieces to the images so I don't think I should have run out. I had to have someone in South Africa post me an additional ball of yarn... luckily it arrived in time for Isla's birthday.

I found some stash buttons for his arms and legs which seem to go quite well, and make them posable. He has such a cheerful face that it makes me laugh!Isla loves him too, and often gives him a hug if she finds him in her toy box. Sweet girl!

I made him for Isla's birthday, so he shall now make his way into the Great First Birthday Stash of Gifts to be wrapped and stored away until Monday.

So. Why is he "Duck" and not "Gerald"?

Because.

I was working on attaching all the giraffey bits together, slowly piecing them together one afternoon while Isla was playing next to me. I put him down for a moment, within reach. She picked up the leg-less giraffe, looked at me with huge eyes and a massive smile, and said - at the top of her voice - duck! 

Isla's vocabulary is somewhat limited, being not-yet-one. "Duck" is by far her favourite word at the  moment, but she is quite precise as to what is a duck and what is not. It must be yellow. It must make a duck noise.

Apparently giraffes-without-legs qualify.

Just two more hand-made gifts to finish in time for The Birthday. Almost done. Am sure I will like them more than she will, but when you're one, everything is amazing and wonderful and perfect so I have high hopes. (Just make sure that there are balloons on the day and whatever you choose will be fine.)