Happy Hooking!

First of all, don't forget it's Handmade Monday today, so why not have a look at what everyone has been up to on Wendy's site?! I see she is showcasing some lovely photo frames as well this week!

It's been a quiet week really here and I have only given crafting a fleeting thought. My child-free Thursday afternoon did not pan out quite as I would have liked, as I was too tired to even move off my chair. Wimbledon on the telly didn't help out there either I have to say! However I did take advantage of a more sedentary state by starting a throw (finally) for Caoimhe's room. She has had the same tired old Ikea throw on her chair since before she was born, and I have had a bag of wool put aside to make something for her for quite a long time. I have now finally found a pattern I quite like the look of so we'll see how that one works out. It's in squares so it will kind of con me that I'm not just endlessly crocheting row after row, like Tilly's cot blanket did!

Talking of Tilly, some while ago my mum gave me a spare ball of yarn she had found in her cupboard, which, if memory serves me, had been left over from a fluffy bat wing jumper she made when I was about 12. From what I remember it was knitted on chunky needles, from cuff to cuff and was pretty much in demand, she made at least 3 that I can recall and probably more. Luckily it was a quick knit! I had one too and I have a feeling the wool she gave me was left over from the one she made for me. I have looked at that leftover yarn for quite a while wondering what to make out of it. I don't think there was quite 50g left although I didn't weigh it. Anyway flicking through an old crafting magazine on Saturday I saw a pattern for a little hat. The yarn provided for the hat has long since been stashed and used for other things but I gave it a go with my lovely leftover fluffy wool and came up with this in just a few hours:

The top picture is more representative of the colour, it is a white yarn with wispy orangey/pink yarn going through it. I was thinking initially of doing the flower in a contrasting colour, but as I have nothing in my stash with the same texture I decided not to. I was also going to put a button in the middle of it, but I think it looks nicer and simpler as it is.

I crocheted it on a size 5 mm hook and it has given quite a dense structure, which will hopefully keep Tilly's head nice and warm this autumn (as long as it fits her, and she doesn't have a big head like her sister did!) It is supposed to be a hat to fit 0-6months but I have long since realised that that actually means nothing as far as patterns go!

I find it quite hard to believe now that as a teenager I bought myself a crochet hook and a crochet book and struggled for months to learn. It is, in fact, easier than knitting in many respects and I am amazed I found it so difficult to learn! Still, I'm not brave enough to actually try anything complicated yet. But the demands of two little girls might put just encourage me!

Til next time!