gifts Archives - Zeens and Roger

A Dear Ewe Review!

August 29, 2019crochet5 Comments

I have a new mug and it’s crochet related!! Huzzah! I also have some other new goodies too. I do hope you want to hear about them because I’m going to tell you how I got them! (yep, I have been gifted them for freeeeee in exchange for this totally open, sincere review… And good vibes).

In June I met Heather from Keep Calm and Carry On UK, a UK based crochet blogger. We were both attending The Crochet Sanctuary and it was fabulous to get to chat to another crochet designer for a whole weekend! (that’s another story, involving ghosts and balloons, if I ever get to writing it down). Not too long ago Heather set up Dear Ewe, an online shop dedicated to the sort of bits and bobs that are perfect gifts for craft enthusiasts. I’d been lusting after a crochet chart mug since Christmas but Father Christmas didn’t bring me one, booo. However, it seems Christmas has come early this year because just before Granny Square Day, I got a message from Heather to say a parcel was in the post with lots of goodies in it! Whaaat?!! I saw the email in the evening and the following morning the postman knocked at my door.

The first thing I did was tear open the box to get to my new granny mug but that wasn’t all that was in the box! I had no idea I was going to get such a treat! I also got lots of quality postcards with beautifully designed quotes written upon them (I got two packs of those so I’m putting one aside as part of a giveaway that I’ll probably do on my next Crochet Podcast.) I also got the best bag! It’s a huuuuge canvas tote with crochet charts printed on it. It’s proper sturdy too and I’ve already been lugging my wips about in it over the last few days. How lucky am I?!?

Let me say more about the mug. Oh, how wonderful it is! Perfectly timed too as within a day or so of it arriving I broke my favourite Pendle witch mug (this might be karma at work, I’m not sure)… I don’t think this one will break quite so easily, Heather sources her mugs from the World Capital of Ceramics!! (that’s Stoke on Trent). And the print is not going to go anywhere either, that chart is not going to come off in the wash. I’m sat here at my desk with my lush new mug, filled to the brim with hot tea. I am a happy woman.

Bezza would call this cake “healthy”. It’s courgette and walnut. :p

Of course, I popped over to the shop to see what was new and there’s loads of stuff there. There are a couple of smaller project bags that I have my eye on, lovely greetings cards and lots of other mug designs too, all of which go beyond crochet. If you’re a different sort of crafter there is something for you too, so whether you’re a knitter or an embroiderer you are catered for. And the crochet patterns are pretty cute as well.

Buying from a small business means the world to the person that created it. Until Sunday the 8th of September I have a super secret code offering you a 10% discount over on Dear Ewe. The code: ZEENS10. You’ve got just over a week, so you’d better get moving!

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I am stuffed to the brim with cake, this bag is stuffed with all the yarn.

xxx

A Bunch of Handmade Crochet Gifts

January 11, 2017March 4, 2026crochet, sewing20 Comments

The Post-Christmas Craft Comedown

My blogging will is not here today. I’m not really here. I’d rather be doing my crochet. I’m looking over to the other side of the room to where my current WIPS are. Getting the balance between making stuff and blogging about it can be tricky! The problem today is that I’ve seen all this stuff, like, ages ago! I love writing a craft blog, I really do, but I also must find the time to do the thing I write about. It’d be a bit futile if I didn’t do any craft, wouldn’t it?!

I probably made this little fabric basket in October. I use a great tutorial for making these (it comes in two different sizes). Go Here for the instructions on how to sew a little fabric basket.

I made up the pattern for this bag. I must make another and, when I do, I think I’ll do a sewing tutorial. This will hopefully happen at some point this year; it’s on a list of things to do, but so are lots of other crafty things! I also want to do a crochet version with bamboo handles as well!

This project bag annoyed me. I forgot to add interfacing, and it’s all floppy. The recipient didn’t mind, and I guess that’s what counts.

I made this crochet basket with it simple crab stitch edging a few months ago, and it was meant to have another to nestle within. It hurt my hands to crochet with such bulky yarn, so I didn’t make the other one. I think I chose a hook a size that was too small, which is what made it painful. The yarn itself is a t-shirt yarn from Flying Tiger and felt beautifully silky to the touch. I don’t know who has actual T-shirts that silky, not anyone I’ve met.

There’s no pattern for this one; I made it up.

Aran Weight Crochet Cowl

This crochet cowl was lovely to make. Very quick, too. I used two balls of Drops Alaska, and the pattern is from a new book by Nicki Trench: Crocheted Scarves and Cowls. I bought it from The Works around November.

mustard-waffle-crochet-cushion-wiht-wooden-buttons

Waffle Stitch Cushion

Ages ago, I’d wanted to make a crochet blanket using waffle stitch. About 100 grams of yarn into the project, I realised that the stitch was a massive, greedy yarn eater and it wouldn’t go as far as I’d imagined. I frogged it and went in the cushion direction.

It’s an 18″ cushion, and I did 70-something stitches across with the old Stylecraft spesh DK. Love it. But it was a present, so I gave it away.

It looks very tight-fitting but cushions like negative ease for their crochet jackets. Otherwise, the fabric stretches out, and you get a baggy, saggy cushion.

The Kelpie Hat

This is the Kelpie hat by The Crochet Project. Such a lovely yet simple stitch! I had to tinker with the number of stitches because I used a thicker yarn than recommended. This is a Malabrigo aran weight yarn. I can’t remember the colour name, and I don’t know where the label is!

Another Red Crochet Cowl!

And this cowl is a free crochet pattern called the Lacey Shells Scarf. I reduced the number of stitches so that it was a cowl and not an infinity scarf.

Think this is Drops Nepal. Maybe three balls … 4? A couple of years ago, I made the infinity version in a brown yarn, and I wore it for about two years solid.

There really was so much more that I intended to make, and time ran away from me. I also gifted lots of Christmas decorations. Crochet baubles and lots of felt things were great for giving as little extras.

And now I’m going to dash back to my crochet pile and hide in there. It’s a lovely place to be.

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Handmade Christmas Gift Round Up.

January 6, 2017March 4, 2026crochet17 Comments

A Handmade Christmas

Christmas feels like it was months ago. A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks to really make sure it has completely distanced itself. However, it wasn’t really that long ago, and I think I’m still allowed to talk about it today (if only in a crochet/crafting capacity).

I do hope everyone had a good one and all that. I received so many lovely things, and I’m going to share some of them now.

Secret Santa Craft Swaps

First off the bat is my wonderful gift from Bekki at The Dartmoor Yarn Company. I got an amazing array of crafty things. They were all individually wrapped, and it was so much fun to open them all on Christmas morning. I managed to lose a couple to my Littlest, who thinks that all presents are for him. I don’t think he was impressed with receiving yarn, though. I was! Thank you, Bekki, I love it all, but my particular favourite is the Blacker Blends pistachio yarn (a project has already begun). And the teeny Advent sack is so cute!

This gift was all part of Stitching Santa, organised by Shelia from Sewchet. I sent a gift to another craft blogger and felt terrible because I hadn’t included half as many things. I hadn’t even thought to include chocs or sweeties. What kind of Christmas gift is that?! No chocs or sweeties, it would’ve been a sad day…

I also took part in another Secret Santa swap. This one was all arranged by Emily of Make.e over on Instagram. I got a gift from Emma of Moomaloom. The pencils are brilliant, and now I really want to make a pencil case, just for them. In the initial sign-up process, we had to provide a bit of information about ourselves. I wrote that I didn’t do princess stuff and that I was a fan of GoT. The Khaleesi mirror fit the brief perfectly, and it made me laugh. I’ll make the Christmas Robin next year. I can’t bring myself to do festive anymore. And I’m totally keeping the tissue paper, it’s gorgeous!

This one isn’t strictly a Christmas present, but I’m including it anyway. My name was pulled out of a hat as part of a Giveaway from Eleanora at Coastal Crochet. It worked out quite nicely because we were both celebrating reaching 1000 followers on Instagram.

I’m a meany and didn’t think to do a Giveaway for my milestone, maybe when I reach 2000! I’m not sure what I’ll do with the seaglass, maybe something for the garden? A mosaic type thing…

The bunting was put up immediately and looked wonderful as part of the Christmas decor. And Crikey, the Malabrigo yarn is beautiful. I think there’s enough for a dainty scarf of some sort. It’s lace weight, which means it’ll go quite far. I hope.

My last gift of internetty origins is the Humbug Scarf pattern by The Crochet Project. Jammy sod that I am, I was sent it as a gift because once again I named the crochet scarf pattern! It totally looks like a Humbug pattern!

A few weeks back, I had the good fortune to name another two of their new crochet patterns (the Kelpie hat and the Selkie shawl). I have promised not to keep doing it! If only I could come up with decent names for my own projects. Anyway, I’m using the Blacker yarn for this project, and I started it last night.

Other Cute Christmas Crafty Things

In the real world, I got a massive load of colourful embroidery threads from my mother-in-law. I need to sort them out. I got little plastic bobbins too, so wish me luck in all the winding.

Look at this teeny bunny that my mum found at a craft market. He’s so cute. She mentioned coals and Newcastle, but I don’t really knit, so it’s not the same thing.

And I bought myself presents from a very smart wool shop in Bovey Tracey (I dragged the family there after going to visit Father Christmas at the House of Marbles). I want to crochet some mittens with the purple yarn and a shawl with the mustardy stuff. Both have slight variegation, which I (secretly) don’t normally like. But since working with some green Malabrigo yarn recently, I’m on the turn.

Magic Christmas trees are an essential stocking filler, no?

There are a few more things that could be classed as crafty gifts, like books. Mostly crochet stitch dictionaries that I forgot to take a picture of (not that they’d necessarily make a good photo). And I’ve also purchased another skein of yarn that I’m waiting for Posty to bring.

Anyway, I’m off to make pizza dough for tea. I’ll sort out the pics of the things I made for presents and do something about it next week. That doesn’t have to be a Christmassy post. I don’t think any of it is actually festive themed, so I can get away with that in mid Jan.

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