seeking more pattern testers

Do you crochet?

Fancy making a PURPLE PEOPLE EATER???



I'm looking for people to test crochet this little guy. I would estimate there is 3 - 4 hours work in him, and he can be made from your stash. It is a fairly simple pattern and includes single crochet, double crochet, increasing and decreasing. You would need to craft him over the next fortnight, and then offer me feedback on the pattern.

Interested? Leave your email details here, or contact me on Ravelry. My username there is laughingpurple. Thanks.

edited to add:
HAVE HAD A FABULOUS RESPONSE TO THIS... THANKYOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO HAS OFFERED TO TEST THIS CREATURE... LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THE WONDERFUL RESULTS

can I call this finished???

even though it's not yet lined?



I just want to have a think about the method of closure (perhaps something magnetic) before I start on the lining



cut a heart shape from a felted jumper for the embellishment, with single crochet to edge it

can't help myself...

started another rag bag the other day...

I know, I haven't even finished the last one as yet... but let's face it - I haven't let that stop me before!

this one will be worked from a queen size doona cover... I'm interested to see if I can get an entire bag out of the one cover... it's a reversible cover, with pink on one side and orange on the other



the base is completed, and I am a few rounds up on the sides

tasket... continues

have finished crocheting the body of the bag...

still need to decide on the lining and embellishments

so far it is sturdy, very comfortable to carry, and stands upright on its own

lux-roy the plastalien

my son created this fabulous plasticine creature this morning... and named him lux-roy

he will be the model for our april crochet challenge over at silly string group on ravelry

each participant will re-create him, using crochet as the medium

lux-roy is there for inspiration rather than cloning, and we all have such individual styles over there... so it will be fascinating to see what creations appear

come and join us if you fancy... all are welcome

a-tisket, a-tasket...

a-tisket, a-tasket

a green and yellow basket

I wrote a letter to my love

and on the way I dropped it



finally started work on my rag basket... I'm thinking it will make a fabulous project bag for my craft, but we'll wait and see when it's done

working it up in a variety of colours, changed at random... including but not limited to green and yellow!

using mostly old sheets and doona covers donated by my sister... thanks... you are a star

which came first? the chicken or the egg?

in this instance... it was the egg!



this little guy was created for the march 'oddball of the month' competition over at ravelry

the theme was EASTER... although I hadn't originally planned to go quite this cutesy with it!

my original idea was a bit more off-beat... I won't share all of the details with you, because I might keep it up my sleeve for another occasion, but I will give you two words... RABBIT STEW

as you can see, I ended up way off track!

this little guy was crafted from some of the assorted embroidery threads I was talking about a couple of days ago... along with some scraps from felted jumpers

messy's doll

my zettified art stuff swap doll is finished!

you will remember that I had to make it personally significant to my swap partner... not entirely easy when you don't actually know the person... but it certainly added to the challenge

so here's how I went about it

the body is green, which is messy's favourite colour

the doll has blue hair, to match the blue highlights that messy has in her own hair

she wears a fire hat, since messy loves driving her fire truck in local parades!



messy adores cats, so the doll has many feline features... paws, tail, whiskers



there is a 'days of our lives' quotation on the hat, since messy is a huge fan of the soapie



and the tartan ribbon was included because messy's real name is bonnie... which makes me think of a 'bonnie wee lass, with a thick scottish accent'

embroidery threads

over the years, I have worked on many embroidery projects... most of them were purchased in kit form

and those kits always contain way more thread than you could ever use

of course... I have never been able to part with any of it... and my collection has accumulated beyond that which I could use in a lifetime of embroidery



so, instead of throwing it away... it's time for me to find an alternate use for it!

I'm working on an easter theme challenge at the moment... and planning to try crocheting with these threads

the only problem is that they are all very short... each thread would only be around 12 - 18 inches long, which of course will mean lots of joins are required

on the plus side, there are so many different shades of every colour!

I'm thinking I might use some for my 'eye of horus' challenge too... stay tuned

mind you... there will certainly be threads left over, and I'm open to suggestions for other uses... what would you do with them?

bits and bobs scarf

still trying to work my way through my 'bits and bobs' bag... you know... all those little leftover pieces of yarn you have been holding on to for years and years???

so I thought I'd use some up in a one hour scarf

I worked with four strands throughout, just replacing each yarn as it ran out

and so we go... from this....



to this...

just checking

wanted to test out my one hour scarf pattern... just to confirm that it really can be done in an hour



indeed it can!

one hour scarf

in need of a handmade gift, and very time poor... I whipped this up



so quick and so easy... well under an hour to complete (including the wrapping)

scarf measures 145cm in length and is 12cm wide

worked in four different reclaimed yarns

using 10mm hook and all four strands at once, chain 80

row 1 - dc into 3rd ch from hk... dc in every ch to end... ch2, turn

row 2 - dc into every stitch to end, ch2 turn

row 3 - dc into every stitch to end, ch2 turn

final row - dc into every stitch to end, fasten off

clf competition

I decided to submit a design for the crochet liberation front competition over at ravelry...

the designed item had to be related to the crochet liberation front and have the logo somehow included in the design



and this is what I came up with...





introducing… the CLF caddy!

this functional fuzz ball has a multitude of uses, and you’ve gotta love those loops

the body is worked in two strands of red yarn and is representative of the ball of wool in the background of the CLF logo

the hook insignia is first crocheted in wool, and then felted for a fabulous effect

the caddy stands firmly on its own, or you can place a jar or tin inside… to increase the number of possible uses!

must... finish... zettified... art... challenge...

I feel like I dropped out of the zone for a few weeks there... don't know exactly what happened, but my crafting mojo just disappeared... gone - poof - vanished!

I think that's probably why my last few items created were "fairly standard, run-of-the-mill, follow someone else's pattern" type of projects

but I'm starting to feel it again, and am super motivated to complete my zettified art challenge... fingers crossed and it will only be a couple of days now

here is a sneak peek of where we are at

speedy gift

I have resisted the lure of the calorimetry for so long... it has been such a popular pattern, and I didn't want to be working on it just because everyone else was!

but the truth of the matter is... I am a headband girl at heart

those of you who know me in real life know that I am rarely seen without one

so I finally launched into it... and was amazed at how quickly it worked up... less than two hours from cast on to full completion!



made a few modifications, as I had heard a lot of feedback about the original pattern resulting in too large a fit

used 4mm needles, cast on 100 sts... reclaimed yarn approx aran weight

actually came up a tiny bit too small, so I added a chain stitch loop for the buttonhole... and it's now perfect

pairs, schmairs!

what is it about knitting pairs that is so damn difficult?

I always manage to breeze through the first item... but really have to force myself through the second one

I think it has something to do with the lack of surprise... you already know how it is going to look and feel, so the excitement is gone

finally forced myself to finish the second fetching to complete this pair of fingerless mitts



made a few amendments to the original pattern...

worked five cable repeats at the wrist (instead of three)

worked two cable repeats at the fingers (instead of one)

used regular cast off (instead of picot edging)

finished all edges off with a round of single crochet