Zeens and Roger

A New Crochet Blanket. Circles in Squares.

May 24, 2016March 2, 2026blanket, crochet17 Comments

colourful crochet circles with scheepjes merino soft

Circles In Squares Baby Blanket

I finished this little crochet blanket about a month ago. It’s bold and colourful crochet circles in squares. It now belongs to a baby. It is not my baby, but a new cousin for my boys. I’m pleased that she has already had snuggles in her lovely new crochet blanket.

I haven’t written up a pattern for this one, but I will share some pics of playing with the squares, and attempts to block them!

Another baby blanket done. Love this one. Simple crochet circles in squares.

I chose to make the blanket with Scheepjes yarn. I really wanted to get my mitts on this brand. A couple of months ago, it seemed like loads of people were using it, and I wanted to join the fun. I liked all the colours, and I wanted something super soft, so I went with the Merino Soft (which also has microfibre in it).

It is the softest, squishiest yarn. It is also quite splitty, which surprised me. I find that once I get into a crochet rhythm, I can avoid most of the splittiness, whichever kind of yarn it is. However, it’s still disappointing when it happens.

Crochet Circles in Squares

When I heard that there was to be a new human on the horizon, I asked my sister-in-law what sort of thing she fancied. I knew I wanted to crochet a blanket, but I didn’t want to make one that wouldn’t fit in with her tastes. All that effort, and they don’t like it? No thanks.

She gave me a photo of a cushion that fitted with the nursery colour scheme. The cushion had a bunch of bright circles on it. That was enough inspiration for me; off I went, designing a new crochet baby blanket.

I blocked it (badly). It didn’t work. They all pinged back after 5 minutes. I thought they’d be good because of the merino, but I’m guessing microfibre does funny things.

These crochet squares were about as flat as they got, and they quickly started to curl at the edges again. Oh well.

Laying Out Crochet Squares

Each time I make a crochet blanket that’s lots of squares, I have great fun laying them all out. Once I have more than a few squares, I do it over and over, each time adding a handful more of newly stitched squares. I think I had another row to go at this point, but I couldn’t wait to see what was going on.

Crochet baby blanket. Circles in squares.

Sewing Crochet Squares & Running Out of Yarn

I had to be quite boring with the construction. I had next to no grey wool left. I sewed the crocheted squares together with a whip stitch as I reckoned this wouldn’t use as much of the remaining yarn as crocheting them. I also stuck to a very plain border.

I jumped online to try and order another ball or two, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. Sold out! So the border had to remain plain. In an attempt to add some interest, a couple of rows were Back Loop Only. Thinking about it now, I could’ve done some post stitches or something. Not that that would have been much better. I wanted to have a proper, fancypants border. 🙁

I got one ball of each colour for the inner circles and thought six balls would be enough for the main colour. Note to self: get eight balls. Eight balls next time!

I’m finding it increasingly difficult to take new and interesting pictures of blankets. They all end up draped on the same two chairs in the same locations!

Circle in square crochet blanket. Free pattern.

I can tell you that I never spot wires, plug sockets and other such things in Pinterest pictures. They jump out a mile in all my photo’s no matter how hard I try to avoid them.

Photoshop! We used to have a very early version of Photoshop (not that I knew how to use it) on the old Mac but the Mac choked to death on carpet fluff. Be mindful of computers when getting new carpet!

Bright crochet baby blanket. Crochet circles in squares.

A Made Up Crochet Pattern

I made up the pattern, although I know many similar ones exist. I’m afraid to say I have not written it down yet. Sooo at some point in the near future, I will come back with a post about how I made the squares. I did some experimenting with starting the rows, as I wasn’t happy with a messy 3-chain start. I think it’d be interesting to do some comparisons, etc., but it’ll have to wait until another day.

Anyway, I must go and wake up the little one, he fell asleep in the car on the way home from food shopping. He didn’t even wake up when I moved him to the sofa. Silly boy has been up since 5.40am.

I’ve linked up with Crafting is my Therapy. A place for sharing crafting blog posts!

Another Granny Triangle Shawl!

May 13, 2016March 2, 2026crochet, free pattern15 Comments

A Granny Triangle Shawl

I’ve crocheted another Granny Triangle Shawl. I couldn’t help myself. When I saw Drops yarn on sale the weekend before last, I had to buy some. It was for research purposes; I wanted to try out my granny triangle shawl pattern again.

Colourful crochet granny shawl. Free pattern.

My original crochet pattern is woolly and wintery. This time, I wanted something with more of a drape. I chose Drops Baby Merino this time (it’s 4 ply) and added a chain between each cluster to create the looser fabric. I’d not used this yarn before and I’m already using it again (another shawl pattern)! I like it, it’s good.

Summer Granny Crochet

I thought the colours in this granny triangle shawl were a bit more summery, and the drapey 4 ply would make it less stifling for the season. I’m really quite pleased. I used a 3.25mm hook with this weight of yarn.

Lazy Shawl Blocking

I was very well behaved because I actually managed to block my shawl. It’s an easy method of blocking, but blocking nevertheless. I pinned it out directly onto the carpet (whilst I was watching the telly) and sprayed it with water. Just enough to lightly dampen it. I left it for a few hours to dry naturally. But to make sure it was dry, I also got the hair dryer on it.

I wouldn’t ever advocate this method because somewhere along the line, I will no doubt end up ruining one of my precious crochet makes. I can see myself ruining the carpet, too. Yes, I know this is foolish.

Scallop Shawl Edging

I love the simple scallop edging for this triangle granny shawl. It’s not hard to do. I changed the colour sequence for this version of the shawl as I didn’t want to buy loads of different colours just to do a couple of rows of each. It still is essentially the same thing as the original. This time, I used 4 balls of green and one each of the other two shades. Each ball is 50 grams.

Even though it was something I made up, I forgot how to do the edging, so I dutifully followed my own crochet pattern. It worked too (but I shouldn’t let on that I was surprised, of course it worked!). I should confess that I did have to bodge the corner/point.

By adding a chain between each granny stitch cluster on the main body of the shawl (to get the nice drape I spoke of), the stitch multiple changed. It changed the stitch count from multiples of three to multiples of four.

Silly me! I had a skip a stitch here and there whilst making the scallops, so that the middle cluster actually ended up in the middle. It’s not noticeable, but something I should have planned for. At least crochet is very forgiving when you fudge a few stitches!

An easy crochet granny shawl. Free pattern.

The blocking definitely added to the drapey quality. It has also made the wool feel softer.

A really simple crochet granny shawl. Free pattern.

I took many, many pictures, but sadly, none of me wearing it this time. Shame. I got distracted by the cat. And then I started taking photos of other things around the room.

Plants aside, I’ve got some pictures of the cat…

Whenever something woolly comes out, she decides it’s somewhere she wants to be. Good old Marceline (not that old, she’s only turning one sometime toward the end of the month).

Sleepy kitty.

Suspicious kitty.

Birthday

May 9, 2016March 2, 2026crochet, sewing23 Comments

A Birthday Weekend

I’ve had a week filled with lovely birthday things. I’ve been out for dinner/lunch twice, no! three times. I’ve had lots of awesome presents, and there has been gorgeous weather. Smashin’.

I got my hair cut off too, so when I went out to dinner on Saturday night (The Five Bells in Clyst Hydon- very nice) I felt all new and swooshy. I didn’t feel so new and swooshy when we went out for lunch on Sunday (The Rock Inn on Dartmoor). A roast dinner sorted me out but crikey, I felt rough yesterday.

A New Granny Square Blanket

I also finished a colourful granny square blanket, which I’m really pleased with. I especially love the border, which uses the same scalloped edging as my granny shawl crochet pattern. This blanket is all Stylecraft Special dk.

Sewing Little Bags and Purses

Other things I managed to finish last week were two little bag/purse type things. One is for my unimpressive collection of barely used knitting needles, and the other is for keeping small projects in so I can take it out and about.
I used the fabric I bought in Totnes shops during the Easter hols. They both need pressing again because I made a very lacklustre job of it.

Sewing A Dress

I had all my sewing laid out on the table. I’ve made a half-hearted pledge to take part in Me Made May. Since last week, I’ve worn handmade things already, and I made a dress! I’ll take pictures of the dress before the end of May, I’m sure.

More Crochet Granny Stitches

Another work in progress is a new granny shawl. I’m doing a variation of my granny shawl just to play around. I’m using Drops Baby Merino. I went on a Drops spending frenzy last weekend. They had a sale at Woolwarehouse so I went a bit bonkers.

See! Drops yarn. I have an idea.

More Drops. I cannot wait to start this, Cherry Heart’s Victoria shawl. I have bought the puff stitch pattern, it’s printed, and I’m ready to start any second.

Birthday Presents

Some lovely presents were received. I got a bunch of fat quarters from my mother-in-law. She went to a quilting shop in Bovey Tracey. I know about this shop, but I’ve not been. It’s supposed to be good.

I got lots of fab books. Looking forward to getting stuck into those…

I got these bowls too. I got loads of stuff, I won’t show it all, but needless to say it’s all good gear. One of my favourites is the drawing from the photo at the top. It’s by my friend, who is an artist and graphic designer. It’s a picture of me doing my crochet! I guess I should frame it, I think it’s beautiful, but then so is the subject matter, obvs.

Craft Blog Club

And then the week before last, I got this wonderful bundle of stuff from Samantha at createitsamantha.co.uk. We took part in the #craftblogclub spring clean challenge on twitter. Essentially, it was a craft stash swap.

It was such a lovely surprise to open up the parcel and have lots of delightful things tumble out. The Power Ranger didn’t come with my new stuff; Three year old thought I should take a picture of it. I have some ideas of what I might do (not including the Power Ranger). I’m looking forward to playing around in the next week or two.

I love getting birthday flowers!

Anyway, I’m off. Got a house to tidy and a child to entertain. Can’t watch A Bug’s Life all day. Actually, we did sit down and watch the local secondary school do a live Q&A with Tim Peak on the International Space Station a couple of hours ago (via the internet). I thought it was interesting but Three year old only managed five minutes before going off to look at a Lego book.

A One Skein Crochet Mesh Bag. Free pattern

May 1, 2016April 26, 2026crochet, free pattern36 Comments

One Skein Mesh Crochet Bag

EDIT:: Hold your horses!! Before you read on, you might like me to direct you to the updated version, which is a far more straight forward pattern with pretty much the same results. GO HERE for the new written pattern. And go HERE to YouTube for the video tutorial. Ta! x

The first anniversary of my blogging ways today. That went quickly! Yay me! I’ve enjoyed all of it so far. I’ve learned so much and (conversely) haven’t learned anything at all! I wasn’t sure what it would be like, and I have been pleasantly surprised. I wonder what the following year will bring!?

In celebration of this momentous occasion (and it totally is momentous), I’m sharing a crochet pattern of mine.

I’ve made a couple of mesh bags before, but they required more than just one ball of yarn. I didn’t want loads of balls/skeins rolling about everywhere, and I didn’t want to spend loads of money. Crochet can be an expensive hobby!

There are some photos below that show the bag’s strap stage, and there is also a delightful diagram to help show how the rounds are joined. I found it tricky to word the pattern for those bits!

Crochet mesh bag. Easy, one skein pattern.

A Crochet Market Bag

It’s a deceptively good-sized bag. When I was making it, I was unsure there’d be much point in it, but you can actually fit loads in this mesh bag. It has a good amount of stretch.

The yarn I used is Rico Essentials cotton dk in Emerald. I used a 3mm hook.

At the end, I had approximately one metre of yarn left. Your tension will probably be different to mine, and if you’re worried about running out of cotton, you could skip a round or make the strap shorter. The yarn is lovely to use, and I want more!!

One skein crochet mesh bag. free pattern.

Crochet Mesh Bag Pattern

3mm crochet hook
Rico Essentials Cotton dk in Emerald
The pattern is written in UK terms.

Start with a magic ring (or ch4 and join with a slip stitch).
Round 1: Ch3, 11tr into ring, join to third ch of initial 3ch with a slip st. Pull the magic ring tight to secure. [12st]
Round 2: Ch3, 1tr into first st, 2tr in each st around, join to third ch of initial 3ch with a slip st. [24st]
Round 3: Ch3, *2tr in next st, 1tr in next; rep from * around, ending with 2tr in last st. [36st]

Round 4: Ch1, 1dc in same st, *ch3, skip 1 stitch, 1dc in next; rep from * around until the second to last st, ch1, 1htr into beginning dc.
Have a look at the diagram to see how to join rounds at the end. Bear in mind that it’s just a partial section of the round, showing the important bit. Placing a stitch marker on the last stitch of each round from here will help. [18 ch sp].

Round 5: *Ch4, 1dc in next ch sp; rep from * around until second to last ch sp, ch2, 1htr into the top of the last st of the previous round (ie into the top of the htr of previous round).

Round 6: *Ch5, 1dc in next ch sp; rep from * around until second to last ch sp, ch2,1tr into the top of the last st of the previous round.

Round 7: *Ch6, 1dc in next ch sp; rep from * around until second to last ch sp, ch3, 1tr into the top of the last st of the previous round.

Rounds 8 & 9: *Ch7, 1dc in next ch sp; rep from * around until second to last ch sp, ch3, 1dtr into the top of the last st of the previous round.

Round 10: Three increases will be made at even intervals in this round. *Ch7, 1dc in next ch sp, ch4, 1 dc in same ch sp, (ch7, 1dc in next ch sp) x 5. Repeat from * two more times, finishing before the last ch7. Instead, Ch3, 1dtr into the top of the last st of the previous round. [21ch sp]

Rounds 11 & 12: *Ch7, 1dc in next ch sp; rep from * around until second to last ch sp, ch3, 1dtr into the top of the last st of the previous round.

Rounds 13 & 20: *Ch8, 1dc in next ch sp; rep from * around until second to last ch sp, ch4, 1dtr into the top of the last st of the previous round.

Round 21: As Round 7.

Round 22: As Round 6.

Round 23: Ch1, 1dc in same stitch, 4dc in each ch sp, 1dc in top of each dc of previous round, sl st to join to first st.

Rounds 24 & 25: Ch1, 1 dc in same space, dc around, sl st to join to first st. Do not cut yarn.

The Crochet Bag Strap

Continuing from Round 25,
Row 1: Ch1, 1dc in same space, 1dc in next 7 sts, turn. [8]

Row 2: Ch1, 8dc, turn. [8]
Repeat Row 2 until the desired strap length or when nearing the end of the yarn. My strap measures approx 18″.

Turn your bag inside out. To attach the handle to the other side of the bag, first count how many stitches are around the top of the bag. I had 100 stitches. The strap needs to be in the middle. I counted 42 stitches along the right side of my handle (42 + 8 = 50. That’s half of the stitches around the top of the bag). The next stitch (see pic below) was where I started to attach the other end of the strap. Make sure there are no twists in your bag strap!

The hook should be on the right-hand side. If it isn’t, crochet another row of the strap or take one away.

Ch1. Insert hook through first stitch on strap and the chosen stitch on the other side of the bag (see pic below). Yarn over and pull through all loops/stitches. Repeat for the last 7 stitches, leaving out the initial ch1.
Fasten off and sew ends securely.
Finished!

Make sure to sew the ends in really well.

A Finished Crochet Mesh Bag

I only made one crochet mesh bag, which I frogged a few times in the design process. This crochet pattern is mostly a way for me to practice pattern writing. It took blinkin’ ages, but it’s free! Useful feedback would be gratefully received. Thanks.

Please don’t publish this pattern without my permission. Please don’t pinch the pattern to sell. If you want to make the bags as items to sell at craft markets, then this is totally fine. And send me a message to say what you’ve been up to, as I would love to hear from you. Ta very much!

Thanks very much, and thanks for reading!

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Crafty Crochet and Buttons

April 20, 2016March 1, 2026crochet26 Comments

Crochet and Instagram

A lot of my time has been taken up with my addiction to Instagram recently. I’ve been taking part in a month-long mission of posting crochet makes every day. It has become an obsession, and I possibly need to chill out a bit.

It’s called the Lazy Daisy Jones Hook Up (#ldjhookup). It has encouraged me to get my craft on and make some stuff rather than fart about on the computer. However, the downside is the IG addiction. One bit of tech to another, but at least I’m making stuff too. And what do I care?! I flippin’ love it all.

Some of the creative themes meant I had to whip something up quickly, as I didn’t have anything around the house. Some of my pictures have been tenuous to say the least. The mandalas pictured at the top were made a couple of nights ago [top left is a pattern from the fabulous book, Boho Crochet, and the other two are from Red Agape Crochet The flowers [also from Boho Crochet] were crocheted last week. It’s fun!

On the side, I’m making a crocheted market bag. More about that another day!

Buying Fabric

Over the Easter holidays, we were in Totnes. I love the shops in Totnes; there are some truly lovely places. I only bought a few fat quarters of fabric and some buttons.

I almost bought some wool, but there weren’t enough balls of it for the project I have in mind. I had also intended to buy shedloads more fabric, but I didn’t fall in love with as much of it as I imagined was going to happen. Come on, I was totally willing to go on a spending spree! Ugh.

Liberty Prints and Buttons

I love this floral Liberty print. I wanted to buy swathes of it, but stuck to a small amount as I know that I’m not ready to ruin that much Liberty fabric with my dodgy sewing skills.

I’ve got plans for the fabrics but not the buttons.

It all came from different shops. There are a few dotted around Totnes that are craft-related.

My Button Collection!

Buying these buttons meant I had to get my (Hendricks) button tin out.

It’s only half full here, but it’s usually buttony all the way to the top.

I even attempted a rainbow placement of buttons but got bored. This is only half of my button collection. I’m sad enough that the rest are bagged up into different categories: big, small, multiples, colourways etc. I tried playing craftily with buttons again another day, but was interrupted by the cat and kids. Everyone loves buttons, it seems.

These are some of the fancier buttons I’ve got. I think I need to re-evaluate this mini offshoot collection. I’ve got some more favourites/fancy ones that can be added, and a few that need to be taken away. But, you know, that’s for when I’m desperate. I honestly don’t know if I’m enough of a button geek to go that far but, yeah, there’s a chance I might be.

Anyway, that’s it for now. As I said, I have plans for the fabric, and hopefully I’ll get my machine out this weekend. I’m also surrounded by lots of crochet squares that are being blocked for a new project. Everything is alright.

Gah, I almost forgot! I celebrated my first Etsy sale on Sunday! I was so very happy. SO thank you to my lovely customer! It has spurred me on, and I’d better get some more stuff in the shop now I know I can do this thing. XXX

I link up here:

A Really Easy Minecraft Cake

April 15, 2016March 1, 2026crochet15 Comments

Minecraft Chocolate Cake

You know those amazing cakes you see on Pinterest? Yeah, this isn’t one of those. I am not a very good baker. I love cooking, I am good at making food that tastes nice, and I love eating, but I am not a baker. If you are also not much of a cake maker, then you can probably make this recipe and feel halfway pleased with yourself!

Ok, so it isn’t Pin-worthy but it’s alright. I’m not good at decorating cakes either, so I think simple is best. I’ve tried being fancy before, but it just doesn’t work. So, this cake is for you if you need a very easy Minecraft cake recipe that is also very easy to decorate.

Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe

This recipe has evolved from a different one that a friend passed to me a few years ago. If ever I want chocolate cake, this is the simple recipe I go to. Over the years, I’ve made tweaks and changes, so much so that I now think I’m allowed to call it an original!

It’s a dead easy cake to make as it’s an all-in-one method and you can cheat even further by using self-raising flour instead of farting about with baking powder and bicarb! The recipe below is plain flour plus the powders, but just swap them for self-raising if you prefer.

Easy Chocolate Minecraft Cake Recipe

Minecraft Cake Ingredients

275 grams plain flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1.5 tsp bicarb
3 tbsp cocoa powder
210 grams caster sugar
3 tbsp golden syrup
210 ml sunflower oil
210 ml milk
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Half tsp salt.

You will also need ingredients for the buttercream icing, below. Plus, chocolate sprinkles for decorating.

Sift all the dry ingredients into a big bowl, then add the wet ingredients. Whazz together with an electric whisk and divide into two 7″ square tins (lined with greaseproof paper).

Put them in the oven, Gas Mark 4/160c, for 35-40 minutes. I don’t have a fan oven, so I swap the tins over after 25 minutes. Sticking a skewer into the middle will tell you if it’s done. If it’s clean, it’s done; if it’s not, then it needs a few extra minutes. Take the cakes out of the oven and leave them to cool.

Prep For Decorating in Minecraft Colours

The cakes won’t be 100% flat, and you want them to be as flat as possible. That means slicing a bit of cake off the top of each. These can be taste test bits; you need to taste plenty of them to make sure it’s ok.

Butter Cream Icing Recipe

350 grams of softened salted butter. If your butter is too cold, microwave cubes of cold butter in a bowl to soften it in 4-5 second blasts, mixing around after each blast
700 grams icing sugar, sifted (Did you know that you can freeze leftover butter icing!)
1 tsp Vanilla extract
3tbl cocoa powder
Green food colouring.

Mix the above ingredients thoroughly together in a big bowl. Take a generous quarter of the mix and put it into another bowl. Sift and mix 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder into the big bowl. Squirt two tubes of green food colouring into the small bowl of icing and mix (Aldi do a good version of the Dr Oetker gel colouring, but it’s not local enough to me).

Now there are two bowls of butter icing, one green and one brown.

Smoosh the chocolate butter cream to the top of the bottom square and then sandwich the other on top, which I place upside down. This provides you with a top surface that’s more square.

Before I start doing this, I tuck bits of greaseproof paper under the cake to stop the board getting messy. (Next time, I want to see if decorating somewhere else, then transferring it, will work better because I ended up tearing half the icing off the bottom when I removed the paper…ho hum).

Once sandwiched together, put more of the chocolate buttercream around the outsides of the cake, filling in any gaps. A knife in some hot water will neaten up corners and make it more cubey, like a Minecraft block.

The green icing is spread on the very top of the cake. Use the flat of a knife to pat over the top to create grass. I added chocolate sprinkles to the sides for dirt. I emptied it into my hand and then gently threw/pressed it on.

Then you eat it! Or, before eating, add little Lego Minifigures to decorate a bit more, and/or some birthday candles!

Oh my goodness, it’s such a moist and chocolately cake. And it’s by far the easiest Minecraft Cake recipe you’ll find!

Handmade Patchwork Bag

April 6, 2016March 1, 2026sewing40 Comments

After many years I've finally finished my patchwork knitting bag.

English Paper Piecing – New Project Bag

My skewed memory tells me I started my patchwork bag three years ago, but it may be even longer than that. The main fabric is hand-stitched using English Paper Piecing. All the fabrics I used came from purchased fat quarters that had caught my eye, or they were scraps leftover from old projects.

I am properly happy that it’s all done and in use; it’s great for storing my crochet projects! It looks so much better than I thought it would, too. I was getting bored with seeing lots of little unstitched hexagons, waiting to be sewn together.

Time To Start Sewing

Lots of individually tacked hexies sat in a paper bag for over three years. Now and again, I’d get them out of the bag to look at them, and that was about it. Back in they’d go and I’d do something else instead. Eventually, I found that it was time to start sewing.

I laid out all the hexies and took a picture of them to work from, so I knew the “random” order that they’d go in. It’s nice to have a picture to reference. That way, I know that each fabric print is evenly spaced, and I don’t have to worry about two matching hexies accidentally being placed next to each other.

Eventually, I began the slowish process of stitching them together, and I was happy to discover that it wasn’t really that slow to do afterall. It had never occurred to me how useful it was to have them all wrapped in their shaped paper. I mean, of course it was, that’s the whole point of EPP, but still…

With a couple of weeks of sewing the hexies together, in a little and often sort of way, I was finished with stage two.

Handsewn Patchwork Fabric

I liked the crinkle of the paper as I had it on my lap, a very tactile and auditorily calming experience. With stage two finished, it dawned on me that I’d have to actually put in some effort to move on to stage three. I knew I had to do it immediately because it would otherwise sit in the cupboard for another three years.

The Patchwork Pattern

The pattern for this patchwork bag is from Cath Kidston’s book, Sew! The book has so many lovely looking things, but I have to be honest, I think the instructions are rubbish! For this particular pattern, it wouldn’t have hurt to have a couple of illustrations demonstrating how to insert the lining, would it?!

I had a look online but only found other bloggers or reviewers who were frustrated with it too. Nothing that helped, unfortunately. With that in mind, I decided to take photos of what I did. Maybe it’ll help someone else. Or maybe it’ll just remind me how I did it, in case I fancy having another go.

And I haven’t even mentioned that the instructions were just plain wrong! It said to fold the lining fabric lengthways. They don’t mean that, they mean the other way. Who wrote that?! That wasn’t the first mistake either. The other error was to do with sewing the hexies together. When joining the outer sides together, it told me to sew three rather than four of the hexie strips together. If I’d done that, my bag would have had a massive gaping hole at one of the sides! Jeez! Anyway, moving on…

Making the lining for a patchwork knitting bag

Making and Lining The Patchwork Bag

Here are a few pictures showing what I did. Hopefully they’ll do the trick. Do I need some words to go with them?

Step 1: Fold the lining fabric in half.

Step 2: Measure 25cm from the bottom fold and mark with a pencil. Or line up the bottom seam of the hexie fabric with the bottom fold of the lining and mark where the opening, near the top, sits (which should work out as approx 25cm).

Step 3: Sew that bit on both sides. Then press, continuing the fold to the top of the fabric. Press a seam across the top bits too.

Step by step pictures to lining a patchwork knitting bag

Step 4: I snipped the corners to avoid bulk. The instructions don’t tell you to do this, but the seams are bigguns.

Step 5: Put the lining inside the bag, wrong side out.

Step 6: Pin together at the bag opening.

Pinning the edges. Patchwork knitting bag.

Pinning the bag opening.

Getting out the sewing machine. Patchwork knitting bag.

Machine stitch the lining to the top of the hexies. Do this on both sides. I think I did this after slip stitching the open sides. In that picture above, I can’t see any stitches. I was drinking Cava at this point, so it’s a bit foggy (it was the weekend!). Not sure that bit matters, it’d probably work either way.

Attaching the handle onto the patchwork knitting bag

Attaching the Bag Handle

This was a fun bit. I managed to catch the end of Adventures in Babysitting, so I sat and watched that whilst pinning the handles in place.

By the time I got around to sewing the hem down, I was watching Alien. I haven’t seen it in years; it is such a good film. A proper film (not like Prometheus, ugh, terrible).

A patchwork knitting bag from Cath Kidston's Sew! book.

I’ve impressed myself by finishing it; I still can’t quite believe it. It’s good, isn’t it!?! I took the pictures of the completed article at Grandma’s house.

The only thing I might change is the green fabric at the top. It’s a bit deep and makes the bag slightly too long.

Would it be that much of a bother to unstitch it and do it again? I could take the time to shorten it, but I think I’m nitpicking; it’s probably OK.

And I did it with many interruptions. I took many photos with a child sitting on my head (see the odd middle picture), and the cat kept sitting on it at any given opportunity!

I was asked via Instagram if I would like to link up with Me, You and Magoo for Crafting is My Therapy. I’ve not done a Link up before, but I think I just share this lovely badge and everyone can share a bit of creativity! Is that right?

DIY Jedi Robes. Reversible, In Case You Want To Join the Dark Side!

March 31, 2016March 1, 2026free pattern, sewing20 Comments

Homemade Jedi Robes

It’s the Easter holidays, so I will be relatively quiet here until the week after next. It’s amazing how having an extra child at home creates so much more work. There has been a birthday too, which has made me busy.

Don’t worry, we’ll talk about handmade Jedi Robes in just a moment!

mini chocolate muffins instead of a big birthday cake.

It’s The Boys’ Birthday

Mini birthday chocolate muffins. I guess you could argue that the star decorations were part of a Star Wars birthday theme, but I didn’t twig until just this second that there was a connection. Let’s go with it…

The ever evasive Darth Vader in homemade jedi robes

Reversible Jedi Robes

Anyway, on to what I’m here for. I made a Star Wars costume for a three-year-old. For a bit of diversity, I decided to make it reversible. This gave the boy a choice of whether he wanted to be a Jedi Knight or give in to temptation and join the Dark Side.

I think it is safe to say that he has joined the Dark Side. I knew he would, which is why his big brother models the Jedi version. Not sure I’ve got my priorities right by buying him Kylo Ren’s lightsaber, but whatever, he loves it.

Start Wars fancy dress. DIY Jedi robes. And they're reversible so you can turn to the Dark side!

You need about three metres of each of the brown and black fabric. It was 45″ wide. I got it all from Amazon as I only needed cheap stuff. I usually only get fabric online if I don’t care much about the quality.

These DIY robes were actually really easy to sew. Apologies, but the old tutorial I used can no longer be found online; there are plenty of others to choose from. I made two robes (without hemming): one in brown fabric and one in black fabric.

With right sides together, I sewed them together, leaving a 5 – 6 inch gap in the bottom so I could turn the whole thing the right way round. Bagging out, right?

Initially, you ignore the sleeves, tucking them in whilst you stitch around everything else. Once it has all been pressed (don’t melt your cheap fabric as I did), the sleeves can be tucked into each other and their hems both folded to the inside, where they won’t be seen. A little bit of top stitching sews them together.

Top stitching around everything else also tidies it all up and closes the hole that was left at the bottom.

A Star Wars Fancy Dress Costume

Because it is just a fancy dress costume, I wasn’t particularly careful about how it all went together. I’m pretty shocked that it worked so well. I cut out the black fabric first and used it as a template for the brown so they’d both be the same size.

I had some minor unpicking to do at the beginning, where I messed up the shoulders. And I had some mighty gathering to do on the hood because it was so much bigger than the neck bit (it is supposed to be big though).

I think it’ll get too short very quickly, too; children grow so quickly. If I were to make it again, I’d add about three extra inches to the length of the robes.

Other than that, it all kind of worked. Three-year-old stomped around the house in Vader style and had a great time (there was even hands on hips and heavy-duty breathing).

Both boys got right into the spirit of it, which I loved, especially as my eldest hates dressing up and will usually refuse. My efforts rewarded, phew!

Oh, and I forgot to take pictures as I made it, so I can’t show a step-by-step thing. It’s not so important with the robes, as it was someone else’s tutorial.

Making the Coordinating Tabard

I bought a metre of calico for the tabard and used half (it was 60″wide).

The tabard was really easy to make. I had two rectangles, approximately boy-sized, and I snipped in a V shape at the neck. I sloped the shoulders slightly (downward towards the outside), then stitched the pieces together at the shoulders. I quickly (and shoddily) hemmed all around the raw edges and left it open at the sides.

It is tied closed around the body with a belt, which is a strip of leftover brown fabric that I folded in half lengthwise (with raw edges tucked in) and top-stitched.

This was the most basic way I could think of to finish out the Jedi outfit.

Then, after Star Wars shenanigans, they did “art” or, in other words, they painted themselves…

Such a mess.

Old Craft Projects and New WIPs

March 18, 2016March 1, 2026crochet, sewing17 Comments

Random Craft Projects

This is going to be a bit of a random post today. I’m chucking up pictures of where I’m at with my crafting this week. There isn’t a theme as such, just sewing and crochet I’m tinkering with.

English Paper Piecing

I’ve had all these EPP hexies stored away in a tatty old paper bag for about three years. I think I was pregnant when I was basting the fabric to paper, and now my boy is turning three soon. A long time.

With spring on its way, the change in season has created a new surge in enthusiasm for this sewing project. I have the painstaking task of hand-stitching all of the fabric hexagons together. It’s actually not that bad. I think I put it off for so long because I thought it was going to be a nasty job. I’m actually enjoying it!

I’m not going to go nuts, it’s only a patchwork bag. It’d be a definite labour of love to go bigger. I’ve got an amazing patchwork blanket my Nanna made for me when I turned eighteen. I think she was at the EPP for years.

Handmade Jedi Robes

Next: a pile of Jedi-appropriate fabrics. Both my boys have birthdays on the way, so they will each have something Star Warsy. If I’ve got enough fabric, I’m thinking reversible Jedi robes. The kids can decide whether to be a Jedi Knight or join the Dark Side!

I’m not sure how this’ll work right now, but I’d better get on with it and start the design process.

Handmade Summer Dress

For me, I want a summer dress. I saw a really pretty handmade dress on Instagram about a month ago, did some nosing and found out it was the Charlie Dress from Simply Sewing magazine.

The sewing pattern was spread over two issues, and it was the second issue that was in the shops. I ordered the back issue of the first one, and it arrived within a week. I’ve sorted the pattern pieces and dug out some ancient fabric from the depths of my fabric drawer. Fingers crossed, I will actually do this.

I have repeatedly got to the cutting out stage with many a dress pattern over the last few years. Then all stops. I chuck it all back in the fabric drawer and forget. I think I’m pretty consistent like that.

Using Up Fabric Scraps

Also kicking about is my sweety tin. My sweety tin is a good size for keeping embroidery-type projects in.

I’m not very far ahead with this idea. I’ve drawn a rough sketch of what I want (a bouquet of wild flowers) and now need to sort out all the little bits for it. I’m not sure how it’ll turn out; it’s more of an experiment at this stage. I just really enjoyed making my spring flower stitching a few weeks ago and want to play some more.

I’m thinking of a fabric collage, which is a great way of using scraps of felt and fabrics. Colourful embroidery thread adds more depth and shaping.

A Baby Crochet Ripple Blanket

Then there is an actual finished object! A baby crochet ripple blanket. I’m going for a plain border. I guess I could add something a bit snazzier, but I feel like I’m finished with it.

I thought that was it for WIPs, but I’ve got garter stitch knitting kicking about somewhere.

It feels a bit weird to write this post as I reckon I’ve mostly been banging on about crochet for the last few months. This has actually been quite effective because traffic here has gone bonkers (relatively speaking). It’s tempting to try to force new crochet ideas upon myself to keep up with momentum. Not gonna do that though. Since I don’t get paid for blahing about my hobbies, I’m going to carry on and do whatever I fancy. But it is lovely to know that people like things I do, so thank you. I’m loving it here. x

A Touch of Spice with a Pompom Edge.

March 14, 2016March 1, 2026blanket, crochet, free pattern36 Comments

Crochet Pompom Edging

I think a crochet pompom edging is one of my favourite types of blanket borders, so far. This is a cosy blanket just for me!

It’s a real thrill because most of my finished crochet blankets tend to make me feel a bit “meh” after I’ve finished them. It’s usually to do with them not ending up how they looked in my head, so they get abandoned, or I give them away. Not this time!

The main crochet stitch used in this blanket is the Stacked Shells section from Cherry Heart’s Spice of Life blanket. Sandra herself did the same thing, and I liked it even more than the Spice of Life Blanket [here’s my SoL]. I’ve totally copied the idea! It’s called A Touch of Spice, and I really love it.

A Touch of Spice Blanket

Last year, I bought a pile of Stylecraft Life DK, thinking I was going to make a Rustic Lace Square blanket. I’m still undecided about the Rustic Lace Square with this particular yarn, though. Some of the crochet blankets I’ve seen are exquisitely beautiful, but they look cottony and fine, not woolly and wintery. They’re lacey. I’m not sure this is the yarn for that crochet project. However, I’ve still got loads of Stylecraft Life left so…

Stacked shells with a crochet pompom edging

A Bobbly Pompom Border

The bobbly crochet pompoms are my absolute favourite bit. I love the red, and I just think they’re fabulous. I was super proud of them because I made up the crochet pattern myself.

I’d found a couple of crochet patterns and tutorials that had really faffy ways of crocheting pompoms, which I just couldn’t be bothered to do. I did try. Every pompom took an age, and it would have taken a lifetime to go round the whole blanket. My reaction to that was to come up with my own cheat pompom that takes half the time to crochet.

Spice of Life inspired Stacked Shells crochet blanket.

Bobbly Crochet Pompom Edging

Before I share the pattern (below), let’s take a look at the instructions for how to crochet a bobble. I have used UK terms, but a UK treble crochet is a US double crochet. Super simple to translate.

5tgr = treble crochet 5 together. Here are the instructions for a crochet bobble ie 4tgr:
Yarn over (YO), insert hook in stitch, YO, pull up a loop, 3 loops on hook. YO, pull through 2 loops, 2 loops on hook.
YO & insert into st, YO, pull up a loop, 4 loops on hook. YO, pull through 2 loops, 3 loops on hook.
YO & insert into st, YO, pull up a loop, 5 loops on hook. YO, pull through 2 loops, 4 loops on hook.
YO & insert into st, YO, pull up a loop, 6 loops on hook. YO, pull through 2 loops, 5 loops on hook.
YO & pull through the last 5 loops.

Gosh, that’s tricky to write down, that’s for sure!

Crochet PomPom Edging Pattern

This pompom edging is worked into a foundation of plain stitches that you’ll have already worked. I crocheted this pompom edging onto a round of UK treble stitches / US double crochet stitches. I continued to use the same colour.

Round 1: With right side of blanket facing, *Ch7, 5tgr in 4th ch from hook, ch1, sl st into bottom of bobble, ch3, skip 3 sts of blanket edging, and sl st into next st; rep from * around.

I’ve broken it down with a few pictures below:

How to make a crochet pompom edging. photo Tutorial.

Crochet Pompom Edging: Step By Step

Step1: Chain 7.
Step 2: Beginning the 5tr bobble.
Step 3: Before pulling through the last 5 loops on the hook.

A photo tutorial for a crochet bobble edge.

Step 4: A finished crochet bobble.
Step 5: Slip stitch into bottom of the cluster (original 4th ch from hook.)
Step 6: Chain 3.

Step 7: Miss 3 stitches. Slip stitch into the 4th chain.
Repeat all the way around. Fasten off, sew in ends and admire your new crochet pompom edging.

My Spice of Life inspired crochet blanket.. Except this has a crochet pompom edging

A Lovely Blanket with a Crochet Pompom Edging

Amazingly, for me, I blocked this crochet blanket. I pinned it directly onto the carpet because I don’t have any spongy foam blocking boards. It doesn’t seem to have ruined the carpet.

To block my blanket, I sprayed it lightly with water and left it overnight. By morning, it was dry (It was near the radiator). I have draped myself in my cuddly new blanket every evening since I finished it last week. It’s lovely.

Anyway, I think I’m sewing stuff next. Maybe some Jedi robes for the boys, slightly different to usual. And I’ve dug out some paper piecing hexies, which is a very old, ongoing project.