One Crafty Mumma's Dishcloth Swap

 

These wee dishcloths are off to Tassie tomorrow after I whipped them up this week so I could participate in Mel's Aussie dishcloth swap.  I've always quite liked the idea of crafting something up to swap with someone else and have done a couple swapsie things in the past - here and here.  I think one just has to be careful not to participate in something that's going to overwhelm you so this dishcloth swap was perfect!  They come together so quickly and are almost too pretty to use.  I made these with Panda Herron which is 100% cotton so perfect to use for washing!

Getting my late night craft on!

What's a girl to do when she spies Pip's crafty larksfoot iPad cover in the new Mollie Makes Crochet book but to go right ahead and make it!

 

I just used some left over wooly yarn I had from another project to create a bit of a rainbow.  It whipped up super fast (took me two nights and just a couple of episodes of True Blood...which I am secretly addicted to!!!!) and the pattern was very easy to follow.  Makes me want to use it again on a larger blankety style project. 

 



 

 

Click here for a linkyloo to Pip's larksfoot pattern on her blog.

 



The tooth fairy

Get the rotten child?!  I am assuming that is an updated version of tiggy!

And the tooth fairy (otherwise known as daddy's wallet) did indeed leave $20.  How could she not when a note like that is left for her!? And it was a front tooth!

 

Days later....

The second big tooth get's the wobbles!

Poor tooth fairy!

 

 

 

 

"To the tooth fairy.  I have lost my very big tooth.  My dad pulled it out when I was drying myself.  I got dressed and mum came home and I showed her.  It is like $12.95.  Now I have no front teeth.  From Isaac Robinson"

 

$12.95... Well, that's the price of the bug magazine the newsagent is currently selling with the awful dead scorpions and spiders moulded into clear plastic that go with it!

The Joys of Relief Teaching

 (a recording with an image of my shoe cause it's probably not the done thing to record strangers children then post them all over your blog!)
 

Oh, the joys of relief teaching.  There are many good ones... no reports, no staff meetings, np parent teacher interviews, scampering off as soon as the bell goes, no planning, no preparation...

 

The flipside.

Taking music for two days.  When I have no musical skill.  And the grade threes have recorder practice.

At least in a crisis, I'm your gal for a kickass Mary Had A Little Lamb rendition!

My creative space... The sunny spread

A while ago I came across an pattern called the Sunny Spread.  'Twas pretty and quite yellow.  I pinned it and then promptly forgot about it.  Then I came across the beautiful crochet work of Dover and Madden, and quite clearly I was so enamoured I had to copy her!  I realise this is soooooo not the done thing and is quite frowned upon by crafty types but I'm not selling this, or mass producing it or anything.  It's merely a wee blanket gift for my brother, his wife and their soon to be baby (girl!!! so they say!!!). 

 

The pattern itself is so super simple and so lovely!  Those raised sections are created by crocheting behind a stitch as the circle increases.  Super Clever!

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's not a huge blanket and is really only intended to be used in the pram or praps in a cradle when the lovely wee baby comes home.  I should also have blocked it, something I have never done with my crochet because I am a lazy crafter.  I think I shall just sit something heavy on it and hope for the best!

 

How can one not include a photo of the craft project with peeping toes on display?!  This is standard crafty instagram fare when photographing blankets right?!

 

Then I tried to get toooo crazy....

This is totes supposed to be one of those shots of the crafty type with their crafty blanket floating beautifully next them... looking all crafty, serene and clever. 

Perhaps not.

Work in progress....

Poor me.  I am having such a blah day.  No reason really, 'cept I'm feeling on the sluggish, fat side and I turn 38 next week which is really not that far away from 40.  Poor me.  Play the violins.  I should probably not have eaten the entire wee tub of chocolate covered proper fresh raspberries that I bought home from Tassie with me.  Or the marshmallow chocolate snowballs from the chocolate factory.

 

Something that always makes me feel better is to pleasantly waste the day away on Pinterest looking at pretty things. 

 

I came across this pretty thing recently and knew straight away it would be perfect for my brother's as yet unborn baby of no known sex!

 

I loved the greys, the yellow and the black in it and am shamelessly copying the beautiful colour palette that Vicki has produced in this blanket.

 

The pattern is called Sunny Spread and is really simple to follow and looks amazing as a finished square.  It has this quite funky stitch called a front post treble crochet where you make your treble behind a previous stitch which then creates the ridges you see on the square!  Very fancy!

 

 

 

 

 

Has anyone ever actually tried crocheting with black wool?!  Well nigh impossible!  Wear glasses!  And have a good light right behind you!  And squint!

 

 

 

So far I have only done the border on one circle just to see what she looks like and I think it's marvellous!  It may need blocking though as they all have a tendency to curl up on themselves.

An easy present for boys!

To make this envelope cushion cover to fit a 45cm square cushion you'll need:

A piece of yellow material for the Lego man and a Lego man template. You can make this any size you like. 

A piece of fusible interfacing so you can iron your Lego man onto your cushion fabric. 

Cushion fabric - three pieces measuring 18"x18" (the front of the cushion), 18"x14, and 18"x12" (the two back pieces which will overlap creating an envelope opening. No zips!!!)

Print out and trace your Lego man onto your fusible interfacing then iron that onto your yellow fabric. The interfacing I use is double sided so I ironed it onto the yellow fabric then cut out the yellow Lego man, peel off the backing and...

These pieces will still measure 18".  You are folding, ironing and sewing the 14" side and 12" side. 

I like to use my 14" back piece first, then the 12" inch piece.  This gives the rear of the cushion a nice long covering on its envelope back. 

I say this with my tongue firmly in my cheek! I am very much in the camp of 'close enough, good enough' with my sewing, cutting and measuring!

I've made two of those now for boy's birthday presents this weekend. I may add a mini figure with them for good measure in case the birthday boy's are not huge fans of soft furnishings! 

 

Told you it was easy!