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 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.)

I haven't crocheted for a very long time.

A very long time.

I gave it up because I wanted to learn how to knit. You know, because you either knit or you crochet.

I hadn't realised that the two weren't mutually exclusive. You can crochet and knit. I know, gasp.




All wrapped up with ribbons!

I don't think people realise how much effort and love go into handmade gifts. Supplies - especially yarn - costs an awful lot, and then you have to make each and every stitch by hand. By hand. It takes a lot of time.

That's why I rarely give handmade gifts. First birthdays are special, though. You should have something extra special for your very first birthday. It kinda sets a precedent for all of the amazing birthdays to come.

Stevie is the newest addition to our Bakercourt family. She's a raspberry pink octopus.
















Of the knitted variety.
















She has large amber eyes, shaped tentacles and a penchant for knitting needles (especially those dpns which have a charming little glove to keep them warm!)
















I've always had a soft spot for cephalopods. I blame Jules Verne. So, when I saw Hansi Singh's Amigurumi Knits (because, why should crocheters have all the fun?) I knew I had to get it: there was a giant knitted octopus on the front cover in octopus-red and yellow. Also, an angler fish (which may be next!) and promises of aubergines and kraken patterns to follow. What's not to love?

In the picture above you can see the other half of the glove set: it's a woolly hat! They were a gift from my dear friend Anne who sent them all the way from Austria. They're designed to keep needles together, and to keep points protected. Also, they look awesome.
















Stevie is raspberry pink with a burnt orange underside. Each tentacle took around 15 minutes to knit (you make them up using short rows) and the mantle and head took around two hours to knit (although I was distracted by a movie and had to frog the project at least twice when I lost count, or started knitting in the wrong direction thanks to Colin Firth on the telly). I had really wanted to knit this up using teal and lime green but the only yarn shop open at 8pm on Friday Night (when I had to start knitting) was John Lewis - and they only had a pale blue aran yarn that really lacked personality. I decided on the raspberry pink instead, and matched it up with the orange I had in my yarn stash.

You're supposed to stitch on eyes using yarn but I really liked the look of the teddy bear eyes when I saw them in John Lewis. Had To Have. Also, you fill the legs using pipe cleaners and do you know how difficult it is to find pipe cleaners that aren't luminous yellow/pink/red? I decided to get silver, so every now and then the light catches Stevie's tentacles as she pirouettes across the parquet.

Right-o. The banana bread has just come out of the oven and I have a long week ahead. It's time to switch off the computer, put on the kettle, and cosy down on the couch. Happy Sunday, all!