And the Oscar for Outstanding Hooking goes too.....

I'd like to thank my 3.5mm crochet hook (the smallest I've used so far in my hooking career) 
The gorgeous silk & mohair mix yarn
The various patterns from the 1970's that I looked too for inspiration and guidance 
My family for the constant and very consistent affirmations of "it's the first time you've tried to make something normal, is it for someones child?"

It really is a career highlight for me to have created, not only a cardigan, but one that can be worn out in the wild almost with my head up high (lets not kid ourselves here it's definitely not perfect...) 

And so with no more preamble, let me introduce the very first, the inaugural, the original JacBer Cardi 
Drum roll please........
(please excuse the photos - I was way to excited to pose properly and then have retakes).

The buttons need a bit of work (i.e. some of them are a bit small and keep popping out of the button hole!)

Hooks are flying!

Literally...
I've been popping about the country quite a bit recently, and that means time spent at airports and on the plane is extra crocheting time :-)


I've finished 3 more shawls for the Felt Shop plus two shawls and a blanket that were asked for, as well as the usual couple of dozen hearts to be hung from random trees for Valentines Day (oorrrrrrr).

3 shawls in the Felt Shop

Now for something new.  
I'm attempting a cardigan.  
So far I've pulled it apart four times, tried 3 different patterns and now I'm winging it.  It's based loosely on a pattern from my 70's Family Crochet Book, I'm saying loosely because after I'd finished the back I realised the stitch pattern was all wrong and the pattern I'm 'kind of not really' following is for a jumper not a cardi....

The yarn is lovely it's a very fine mohair and silk mix, I'm also aware that it may expand quite a bit when it's blocked so I'm really trying not to add extra stitches or it'll end up being a very holey coat for someone like Hagrid!

More flying this week, so I might get it finished by next weekend.  I have high hopes :-)

Cute Cotton Crocheting

I sorted out my stash and found I had been hoarding cotton, so I decided to have a play with amigurumi over the Christmas break and this is the result:

These 2 teddy bears are based from pictures I found on the internet on crocheted bears.  

They are so cuddly!

I also wanted to try my hand a dolls.  

It's something I've played with on and off over the years, I think these ones have turned out the best so far :-)

Angels at the Airport

This is the favourite tree in the Auckland Airport Shopping Centre Carpark dressed up for Christmas with peg and pipe cleaner angel dolls



 

Amigurumi Christmas Trees

Last year I made the team I work with little amigurumi snowmen.

This year I've made them each a little Christmas Tree with crocheted tinsel and some beads for baubles.

A few months ago I had quite a giggle from this Readers Digest book from the 70's that said to use a tongue depressor to make a lacy crochet stitch well, you'll never guess what I found at my local craft store.......

Guess what I'm going to be trying out this week :-)

It is summer - it really is....

It's thundering and lightening and pouring with rain.
Today it's just the humidity that proves the season we're in...  not like last weeks trip to The Mount  :-)



Pretty Pacific views

 

Pohutakawa is out before Christmas -
I think that means we're in for a long summer :-)

Mount Maunganui Main Beach

Christmas Bunting

I love fabric, and I'd love to be able to do amazing things with it, and after the various failed experiments I really should know that it's really not my thing - and yet I still can't resist....

Bunting. Surely even I can cut out some triangles and sew them on some bias tape?

Things I learned. 

I bough the wrong width bias tape - the fatter stuff would have been easier so I could  fold it over the top of the triangles - in the end I had to sew 2 lots together.

It really does pay to take time cutting out the triangles so they are all the same size (it's not only my sewing skills that need to be improved)

Putting your foot down on the sewing machine and closing your eyes can sometimes make a straighter line than if you look.

And a mere 4 hours and (not too much stress) later we have 10 meters of Christmas bunting to decorate with :-)

Luckily for my mediocre sewing skills, bunting is usually not close enough for anyone to see the mistakes