Long wavy stripes

I made some crochet things for my mother's birthday. (At the moment basically everyone gets crochet things for their birthday.) I did this long scarf with stripes along its length. I like doing stripes this way because it's something you can't do with knitting, unless you had super-long needles because you have to make it in just a few rows with a LOT of stitches. I can't remember how many stitches per row for this one but it's probably over a hundred. The wavy pattern is made by making different height stitches (double, half treble and treble) and doing the opposite on the next row so the peaks and troughs match up. The ends of the rows were a bit untidy so I double crocheted the ends to neaten them up.



Then I also did this little purse, which is a really cute pattern: you start in the middle working rows vertically, and work increases into the last stitch each time to make the round part. You go back and forth around the centre. Hard to explain but it's from this pattern.


And finally, Tony made a linocut card, inspired by a fossil ammonite after we visited the shell grotto in Margate.

iPad cosy

Here's another very simple thing that I crocheted: an iPad cosy. It's extremely simple, but I like the colours and the way the stitch looks. It's from that 200 stitches book I linked to, and the rows slant in alternate directions. Not difficult at all, but I love it, people comment on it, and it cost me a lot less than the boring old cases you can buy. (If I have one criticism of the iPad, it's that it doesn't come in bright colours. Well, I fixed that.)

Silly printed face

I mentioned that Tony had been doing lino cutting. Here's my first attempt (it's not lino, but rather rubber, which is easier to carve than lino for beginners). Obviously I did the silly face that I draw. You can see the test prints here, but I used it to make my grandma's birthday card and she really liked it. 

Graffiti

We went for a meal and the place had markers in the toilets and encouraged graffiti. I drew this bird, which is inspired by (=copied from) birds that we saw graffitied all over the place when we were on holiday in Bologna years ago. Back then, these birds were so ubiquitous that they sold things with them on - I think my aunt had some plates. I wonder if the Bologna birds are still to be seen.

Loopy scarf

I can't claim any credit for this, because I just followed a pattern, but I do think it's the best thing I've made. I made it as a present, but I'm tempted to make another the same for myself. It's an infinity scarf (ie the kind without ends, that's a big loop) and the stitch is a really unusual one called 'broomstick lace'. I followed this youtube tutorial, which although it's long is very clear (I skipped ahead once I'd got the idea of a step).



You essentially make every other row much bigger by making the loops round something (I used a ruler) and then grouping them together to make the pattern.

I liked the colour-changing wool so I did similar, and got this:

The card in the second picture is a lino-cut printed card with the image by Tony (printed by moi). We made a few printed cards earlier this year, but I didn't get round to posting any. I'll have to locate the photos and put them on here.

Granny hexagon

I wanted to make a different-shaped cushion, and I discovered/worked out that you can make hexagons in the same way you make squares. I found this pattern, but I didn't use it in the end as I wanted to see if you can do it in literally the same way as the squares, just changing the number of corners rather than doing different stitches. And it turns out you can, though it doesn't look quite as nice as the fiddlier ones at that link:

I had to unpick and redo a couple of rounds because it wasn't lying flat, but by experimenting I eventually got it.

Fancy scarf

I used one of the stitches I practised to make a long, light, open scarf for my grandma's birthday (it is summer, but the scarf is very light and will be nice when the evenings are cooler). I did it in a nice warm grey colour. Here it is in progress:

And here it is finished:

The book underneath the first photo, that I got the pattern from, is a really nice book called '200 crochet stitches'. It's got excellent clear instructions, diagrams and photos. I got mine with Christmas money last year:

Stitches

One think I've really found that I like about crochet is how easy it is to make lots of different kinds of fancy stitches. Here's a couple of practice goes I had, of making rounds, chevrons, 'eyelash' stitch and one that I then used to make a complete project (photo soon).

Obligatory granny squares

One of the first things that most people learn how to crochet is granny squares: they're easy, quick, and use up little bits of wool rather than needing to buy big quantities. You can then put the squares together to make things like blankets and cushions (and more, if you're creative). Here's my first go at a cushion cover, not yet attached to a cushion:

When you attach the squares together you can do it with crochet, rather than having to sew them. Gives a nice neat edge. Some people actually crochet the lot together as they're going, building one on what's already there, but I made little ones and attached them in rows.