I Made it!

A Pinteresting Wreath

Tracey Todhunter — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:31:37 +0000

Last Christmas, it seemed like the whole of Pinterest was pinning yarn wrapped wreaths. I kept promising to make myself one. I bought a polystyrene ring for the princely sum of £1.99 in Hobbycraft (it has a flat back so it will hang nicely on the wall) and convinced myself it would be on my door by December 25th, all holly leaves and red roses …

Of course, Christmas came and went and the wreath sat unadorned in a box under my desk… Then the whole stripes thing kicked off and I remembered pinning this gorgeous blog post (do click to see the photos) and decided the time had come to make something lovely.

I began with a simple, pastel wreath which has since been covered with buttons and given as a new baby gift. No need for sewing, all you need to do is pin the buttons straight into the polystyrene, like these lovely Christmas decorations I pinned at Christmas last year. Next came this one, using the same yarns as the striped hanger I wrote about last week. I’m going to decorate it with some gorgeous flowers using a pattern I found on Craftsy.

After I showed it to my neighbour, she said she’d seen something very similar on Etsy. A quick internet search revealed this …

Mine is a little brighter, but you can clearly see the (unintentional) similarity.

I love my new wreath and I’m pretty sure I’ll be making many more. If you’re inspired to make your own, you’ll just need to crochet a strip of fabric in your favourite stitch. Sew it to the wreath and embellish as you wish. Or, if you’d rather be out enjoying the sunshine, go buy one ready made.

I’ll post a photo when I finish this one, you can bet there will be plenty of buttons on this one. After the stripes fetish, now I’m back in love with my buttons!

ps My wreath was 17cm in diameter. I crocheted 56 rows in htr, beginning with a 25 chain with an 8 colour repeat using DK yarns from my stash.

Crochet: A Summer Garland

Tracey Todhunter — Wed, 23 May 2012 09:11:59 +0000

This is an updated version of the garland I made last summer. With a new super easy flower decoration and a slight twist to the top edging which I think is nicer. I’ve popped full instructions and some photos to help those who are new to crochet into a pdf file (How to Crochet a Flower Garland )which you can download from here or from Craftsy.

I’d love to see photos if you make your own version.

*This pattern has restricted copyright so you can make garlands to sell, but restrictions on copying the pattern and distribution remain under creative commons.

Weekend Project: Crochet Coat Hangers

Tracey Todhunter — Fri, 18 May 2012 08:07:48 +0000

I warned you stripes would feature again – and here is the first example. My local Pound Store sells these covered hangers in packs of three and it only takes a couple of hours to transform them into lovely gifts. Either, random stripes like the one shown here or in plain colours or in keeping with a theme such as a wedding or even Christmas.

Simply take a selection of yarn from your stash and whip up a fab little gift in under an hour. These would be great if you have a summer craft stall coming up and as it’s such a simple thing to do, there’s no pattern and hence no copyright. Instructions here use DK yarn, but feel free to use whatever you have around.

Instructions: Using Uk crochet terms.

Ch: chain

Htr: half treble

With 4mm hook and DK yarn of your choice. Ch 17. Turn

Row 1: Htr into 3rd ch from hook. HTR to end. Turn

Row 2: Ch 2, htr into 3rd ch from hook. HTR to end, changing colour on the last htr. Turn

Continue working in half treble with 2 rows in each colour until the work is asnlong as your hanger is wide. Fasten off.

Now, you’re about to read something I always tell my pupils never to do…

Take a look at all those pesky yarn ends that lie along one side of your work, if you didn’t eave them in as you were crocheting, you’ll have a little fringe all down one side. Take a deep breath … knot them. Yes, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, just take a couple at a time, tie them in a neat little reef knot and trim the ends. It’s ok, you’re going to hide them all in the seam of the hanger and no-one will ever see them!!

Once you’ve tied all the ends in, weave in yarn ends at beginning and end. Find the centre of your work, slip over the hanger, pushing the crochet through the hanger handle. Fold over neatly at the back and sew the long seam with matching yarn. Fold over the ends and sew these too. Now, add a pretty ribbon and you have a pretty little coat hanger all set to brighten up your day!

Feel free to use 4 ply (more chains needed) or an aran weight (less chains needed). You only need to swatch a couple of rows to get the right measurements for your hanger, so off you go. Dive into your stash and have some fun with colour this weekend.

T x

ps: A word about “copyright”. You are free to make and sell items using these instructions, in fact I hope you will. It would be nice if you credited www.bakingandmaking.com if you do so, and I’d love to see photos of what you make.

Summer Stripes

Tracey Todhunter — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:18:18 +0000

I wish I could take some credit for this gorgeous summer themed window at Fibre and Clay, but this beautiful crochet beach scene is all the work of Riana and Camilla. Every Thursday it brightens my day as I walk into the shop. Expect to see a few stripes appearing on the blog over the next few posts. My workspace is a frenzy of colours as I try to use up some of my stash before Woolfest and get this need to stripe out of my system.

This month my knitting and crochet has been all about colour – and don’t you think with all this rain – and even hailstones yesterday we need a bit of cheery colour in our lives?

A Little Knitting

Tracey Todhunter — Tue, 15 May 2012 08:03:07 +0000

Last Friday I found myself with a couple of spare hours and nothing to knit – yes – there was a pair of socks in my handbag I could be finishing and a few crochet projects on the hook. But, just like when you open the wardrobe and can’t find a thing to wear I knew I needed something new. A quick knit, something I could cast on and finish in the time available.

In times like this I turn to my Pinterest boards, where I found this pretty little dress, called the Little Pear Vest it’s designed by Gretchen Ronnevick (you can find more of her designs on Ravelry. It’s a present for a friend and I hope she likes the colours. It took 35g each of 2 balls of Wendy Merino (a 100% superwash wool) I had in my stash and I finished it off with a tiny crochet flower and a pretty button.

You can find the pattern here and I highly recommend it for a quick, yet satisfying knit which is designed for you to embellish and alter to your heart’s content.

Happy knitting x

Comfort Food

Tracey Todhunter — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:13:41 +0000

Until Easter this year I’d never cooked a rice pudding. We were staying with friends and the lady of the house asked me to make a rice pud to serve up with Sunday lunch. No presure! Luckily she has a well stocked shelf of cookery books and together with the instructions on the back of the packet, I put this together and it has now become Mr T’s favourite Sunday teatime treat. The original was from Delia’s How to Cook but I failed to copy it down, so I had to cobble this together on our return. I think Delia had it from an old Eliza Acton recipe.

Using the quantities on the back of the rice pudding packet, simply warm the milk in a pan, add the rice and allow to come to simmer for 10 mins, add sugar to taste and a knob of butter. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Add 2 beaten eggs and pour into a shallow oven proof dish. Top with grated nutmeg (or for a different flavour, stir in 1 tablespoon vanilla paste with the milk and skip the nutmeg). Bake as directed on the packet, but it will need a few mins less than the packet says. Start checking after 40 mins and if needed turn the heat down low. We like ours with home made jam and there are never leftovers!

Work In Progress

Tracey Todhunter — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:31:51 +0000

Just wanted to share the contents of my mind- currently spilled over my desk – When the creativity flows, tidiness goes out of the window!

There are at least 5 works in progress on here. I’d love a bigger workspace, but can’t imagine how chaotic that would be!

Where do you do your making? This desk is tucked away in a corner of the kitchen, facing away from the window, so no distractions…

Birthday Celebrations

Tracey Todhunter — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:34:24 +0000

Me and Miss T. 7th May 1994

Today “The Teen” turns 18. A day to celebrate all that’s good with the world. It’s been quite an adventure, but looking at the beautiful, confident woman currently lounging on the sofa eating birthday chocolate I can’t help thinking Mr T and I have done our job well.

Happy Birthday Miss T xxxx

A Crochet Success Story

Tracey Todhunter — Sat, 05 May 2012 13:47:50 +0000

The nicest thing about teaching is when you see a beginner come back with their first finished project. It’s fair to say M struggled to pick up the crochet basics and we spent a lot of time after her initial learn to crochet class (taught by the fabulous Sarah Hazell) getting this crochet cushion off the hook!

M is deservedly proud of her first cushion cover and I’m delighted she has immediately bought yarn for her next project. You could say she’s well and truly “hooked”. My work, as they say is done.

Happy making to M and all of you who are new to the art of crochet!

A Little Award

Tracey Todhunter — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:19:08 +0000

It’s always lovely to know who is reading your blog – google stats and wordpress dashboard are good for the stats, but there’s nothing to beat a real live person saying “I read your blog”. A very special reader gave me a Leibster Blog award last week and although I said thank you on twitter, I didn’t quite get round to popping the news on here. It’s not often I get called a “crochet guru” that’s for sure!! I’ve had the Leibster blog award before, so rather than passing it on again, can I instead share two new blogs with you which I think are well worth taking a peek at.

The first is written by a lovely lady I met at Frodsham Knit Group, she’s particularly talented at stitching and writes a very readable blog called British lady by the Lake, it’s not “new” but it is new to me! Next, can I introduce you to The Late Night List Writer, she’s young and fabulous and has the most amazing collection of vintage china I’ve ever shared lunch with! Her blog is very new, so do take the time to pop by and wish her well.

And if you’re a blogger, or a blog reader, give yourself a special pat on the back for something good you’ve done this week. We all need to give ourselves a small reward from time to time.

Happy making x