wool eater blanket CAL week 7ish...

 It is taking a lot longer to get around my wool eater now, and I'm right out of step with the schedule for the CAL but most people seem to be working at their own pace and I think that is the best way to go anyway.  With each round I grow more and more pleased with how the blanket is turning out....It  is such a warm blanket and I know it will be a favourite when winter arrives, hopefully it will be finished with soon.  I'm still not sure how many more rounds I will do, but I have decided that I will not purchase any more yarn for it so that will help me decide.

So I added another two rounds since I last blogged about this project - light marl grey & Teal and each round of pattern (two actual rounds of crochet) now uses more than 1 full 100gm ball, so this pattern really does deserve its name ;)

The blanket now measures 129cm square and weighs approx 1290gms and is very warm!

If you are interested in joining in on this Crochet Along

details can be found here on Sarah's blog.

there is also a Ravelry group here for this CAL

 

Have a great weekend everyone!

~ Gillian ♥

 

 

Dorothy's Tail Neckerchief.....

 I finished this Neckerchief/shawl/scarf for my little miss and in time for her birthday

 It was a great piece to work, I really love the little 'spikes' and the asymmetric shape.  The shape makes it lets it wrap beautifully around the shoulders and the soft acrylic I used works really well with this pattern

 When the neckerchief is laid out flat on the floor it really does look like Dorothy the Dinosaurs tail, the way the asymmetric shape curls at the end (as you can see in the photo below) is a lovely design feature of this pattern also.

You can find the pattern by May Cheang Here on Ravelry there is a small cost for the pattern but it is well worth the purchase price as it is really well written.

I used 2.8 balls of Lincraft Surprise yarn and a 4.5mm hook

I have not blocked the finished piece, as I like the little spikes to curl.

Unblocked it measures 125cm x 116cm x 56cm

it weighs approx 270gms

this is a good size for my daughter who is 11yrs old and should be a useful size for many years.

I first blogged about this piece here

and my Ravelry page on this piece can be found here

I hope you are all having a creative week

~ Gillian ♥

wool eater blanket CAL week 6ish...

 I seem to be getting more behind with my wool eater blanket...but hey, at least It is growing!

Another 3 rounds of pattern complete and it is now a lovely lap sized rug.

Each round is now taking a lot longer to work around as you would expect, but I'm still really enjoying working this rug and the pattern is very relaxing.
(you can click on the image if you'd like to see it a little larger)

The three colours I added this week are

Duck egg blue, Maroon & Gunmetal Grey

It now measures 112cm square and weighs 1077gms.

If you are interested in joining in on this Crochet Along

details can be found here on Sarah's blog.

there is also a Ravelry group here for this CAL

 Another interesting project I am working on at the moment is this Antique frame, it is around 90 - 100yrs old and comes from my mothers side of the family. Mum very generously gave it to me recently.  It is hand carved and we think it is made from Australian White Cedar (I'm not 100% certain on that but I will keep inquiring and hopefully know soon what timber it is made from).  I do know that it is Australian timber, and local to my home town.  I know this information because it was all written onto the back of the frame before it became water damaged and when the print was pulled out and discarded the information was as well....but my mother does recall that it was locally grown timber.

 I just love this pattern, and think it would make a marvelous doodling border for anyone who loves to zentangle or zendoodle or just doodle ;)

 The frame originally was held together with handmade nails, unfortunately there were some cracks in the corners and I had to have the corners re mitered and as I am planning on putting a mirror in the frame I need the frame to be strong, so the framer has made it nice and strong for me, ready for the next step in the project.  I don't normally like altering antiques like this but it was a case of leave it as it was and storing it in my garage forever or loose a little off each corner and make the piece able to be used once more and hopefully admired.  So I went with the second option for this particular piece.

The frame originally had a print in it, not a valuable one and it had also become water damaged over the years, but some pencil writing was revealed when the back was removed, I am clueless as to what it may mean, maybe it is the frame carvers name, or in some relation to the original print....I may never find out, but it seems to be as old as the frame....

My next step is to rub it back lightly with some steel wool and apply some sealer, then off to the glass cutters for a piece of mirror and then back to the framers for finishing off....then I hope to show you my beautiful old frame :)

Have a lovely week everyone

~ Gillian ♥

Calico Crochet Rug & Pattern.....

 It is always a wonderful feeling to finish something so big...

I really love the soft octagon edges this rug has.

and also that it looks so natural and well...handmade :)

 so here is the pattern, it is rather long....

maybe as I make more patterns in the future they will become more streamline...lol!

Calico Crochet Rug

By Gillian Hamilton

Calico was my fabric of choice for this rug.  This pattern is designed for woven cotton fabric, not stretch fabric... but of course you could make it out of any woven fabric, old sheets, and old tablecloths even old garments.

The pattern below forms a ‘soft edged octagon’ shaped rag rug.

Rug can be made smaller if desired, and can be used for bath mats, placemats, and even little coasters.  Just work until rug is the size you require it to be.

You can find instructions for making the calico yarn here.

12.00mm hook used.
Rug is worked in spiral, using stitch marker as guide for round ends.

US terms used throughout pattern... sc (US terms) = dc (UK/Aust terms)

Always make sure that joining ends are worked over as you crochet not sewn in afterwards. Ends need to be at least 15cm (6”) long so that they when worked into rug they stay securely in place.  I did not trim ends but fully worked them into the rug.

I used 12mm hook for this rug, I found a larger hook made the fabric too loose and risks the ends coming out when complete. Strips of fabric were approx 4cm (1 ½”) wide. Of course if your fabric yarn is narrower, than your hook would need to be smaller.

I made 4 large balls of fabric yarn using the following pieces of fabric.

First piece was 3400mm x 2300mm rolled into a ball weighed 1263gms = 239.97mtrs
Second piece was 3500mm x 2300mm rolled into a ball weighed 1239gms = 235.41mtrs

Third piece was 4000mm x 2300mm rolled into a ball that weighed 1290gms = 245.10mtrs

Fourth piece was 3000mm x 1800mm rolled into a ball that weighed 767gms = 145.80mtrs

Total Weight of Calico 4559gms
Total length of Calico Yarn 866.28mtrs

First ball worked the first 20 rounds - approx 67cm in diameter.
Second ball worked 21st - 29.5th rounds - approx 95cm in diameter.
Third ball worked 29.5th - 36.5th rounds - approx 117cm in diameter.
Forth ball worked 36.5 -39th round - approx 130cm in diameter.

You may find that your rug is a bit bumpy as you work it, mine was too.  When complete I used a hot iron with steam on the reverse side of the rug and this made the rug flat as you can see in the photos.

 

Let’s begin.

ch4, join with ss

ch1, 8sc into ring, do not  join at end of each round from now on work as spiral; use a stitch marker to mark start of round.

2sc into each sc = 16sc

*1sc in next sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 24sc

*1sc in next 2 sc, 2 sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 32sc

*1sc in next 3 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 40sc

*1sc in next 4 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 48sc

*1sc in next 5 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 56sc

*1sc in next 6 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 64sc

*1sc in next 7 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 72sc

1sc in each sc = 72sc

1sc in each sc = 72sc

*1sc in next 8 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 80sc

*1sc in next 9 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 88sc

1sc in each sc = 88sc

1sc in each sc = 88sc

*1sc in next 10 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 96sc

*1sc in next 11 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 104sc

1sc in each sc = 104sc

1sc in each sc = 104sc

*1sc in next 12 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 112sc

*1sc in next 13 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 120sc

*1sc in next 14 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 128sc

*1sc in next 15 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 136sc

*1sc in next 16 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 144sc

*1sc in next 17 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 152sc

*1sc in next 18 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 160sc

*1sc in next 19 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 168sc

*1sc in next 20 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 176sc

*1sc in next 21 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 184sc

*1sc in next 22 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 192sc

*1sc in next 23 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 200sc

1sc in each sc = 200sc

*1sc in next 24sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 208sc

1sc in each sc = 208sc

*1sc in next 25 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 216sc

1sc in each sc = 216sc

*1sc in next 26 sc, 2sc into next sc* repeat from *to* = 224sc

1sc in each sc = 224sc

1sc in each sc = 224sc

Finish off and weave in the end.

Iron on the reverse side with a hot steamy iron.  (If you are unsure about ironing your fabric, test your iron on a scrap of your fabric yarn, I used 100% cotton for my rug so I put the iron on a cotton setting) 

This pattern is shared in good faith, here on my blog and I will also be adding it to the pattern to Ravelry.   Please include a link to this pattern if you post a rug you have made using this pattern online, and link to it if you are a Ravelry member.  If you make this rug please let me know, I’d love to see what you have created.  Please feel free to share a link to your rug in the comments below, as others may also like to see. 

If there are any mistakes in the pattern, please don’t be too hard on me this is my first pattern and I think craft is about sharing, learning and growing. 

Happy Crochet

~ Gillian ♥

how I make fabric yarn.....

I have just finished my calico crochet rug and before I post it on my blog and add the pattern I thought I would make a little post on how I make fabric yarn....I know there are lots of different ways to make it but this is the way I have found works best for me :)

Tear fabric into strips about 4cm (1 1/2") wide, once you have torn a few strips it becomes easy to judge how wide to tear...I usually cut a little nick in the end of the fabric to start the tear off.
Of course this works best with woven fabric, the fabric used in this project was 100% cotton Calico.

Place the ends of two strips together as in first photo and fold them over approx 15cm (6") making 4 layers of fabric.

Cut a slit through all 4 layers of fabric on the fold, cut only needs to be about 1cm as when opened up it doubles in length
as you can see in the photo below.

to make things easier to discribe, we will call one end A and the other B.
Thread end A through the slit on B - as above.
Now thread B through A. - as below.

You now have both ends threaded through the slot in the other piece.

pull ends firmly, so that pieces become intertwined. 

move both tails over to one side, making it easier to work over the tails when crocheting.
Now wind into a ball.
I find it is better to have a few balls for a project instead of a huge ball.
I would recommend one ball be made up from about a bed sheet sized piece of fabric, so if you are ripping up two sheets make two balls and so on.

I hope this all makes sense to those who are interested in making a rag rug...I look forward to showing you all my calico crochet rug hopefully tomorrow if I have the pattern finished by then...

have a happy day,  

~ Gillian ♥

wool eater blanket CAL week 5

well it is MY week 5 anyway ;)

I'm a little behind the schedule...

but that is the beauty of this CAL

you are able to work at your own pace....

and start and finish whenever you feel like it.

So another 3 rounds of pattern complete and 

my wool eater is starting to get some size to it now.
(you can click on the image if you'd like to see it a little larger)

The three colours I added this week are

Gunmetal Grey, Medium Marl Grey, Curry.

It now measures 101cm square and weighs 793gms.

it is not to late to join in

details can be found here on Sarah's blog.

there is also a Ravelry group here for this CAL

Have a creative week everyone!

~ Gillian ♥

Rip Currents....

Please be informed about

Rip Currents

I found this great youtube by Surf Life Saving & UNSW.

Our 16yr old son had a frightening experience yesterday

with a Rip at our local beach, Fortunately he is safe but needed to be rescued and we were so thankful to the body boarder who helped him out. Tragedy was avoided and lessons were learnt.

Learning how to read the water and spot rip currents when swimming

on Australian Beaches is such an important life skill,  The beaches are

so beautiful and the last thing you want to do is avoid them.

But knowing how to spot a rip is one lesson we all should learn.

~ Gillian ♥ 

waiting for school to finish for the day....

This is a little something else I'm working on at the moment.

We took a day trip recently to Sydney

just for fun, went to some exhibits

ate some yummy food

looked at some cool shops

took in some views.

But its about a 4hour one way drive.

Yes I did say we took a day trip!

we drove down to Sydney in the morning

and came home the same day....

So that means a few hours of solid crochet in the car! :D

So I started this lovely pattern by May Cheang

it is called Dorothy's Tail Neckerchief

and it is sooooo much fun to crochet!

I love those little spikes :)

anyway, each afternoon...

 I pick my children up from school in my car, one I pick up from primary school and the other two from high school there is 10 minute wait between picking one up and the other two so I carry this project in a bag in my car and work a row or two while I wait, its easy enough to chat with my youngest and crochet while we wait for my sons to finish high school for the day.
I’m not in a rush to finish it as it is still summer here in Australia, and it is proving to be an excellent pattern to work this way.

You can find the pattern on Ravelry Here
or in May Cheang's Etsy Store Here

there is a small cost for the pattern, but it is very well written and easy to follow and well worth the small price.

Have a happy day

~ Gillian ♥

wool eater blanket CAL week 4

For week 3 of the Wool Eater Blanket CAL
(February 1st - 8th)
we were to add another 3 rounds of pattern...

I added medium marl grey, maroon (I actually think it is more of a dark plum but the name on the receipt for this colour was maroon) & Laguna (once again this was the name on the receipt but it is a medium teal/turquoise blue).
It now measures approx 87cm square and weighs approx 566gms.

it is not to late to join in
details can be found here on Sarah's blog.

there is also a Ravelry group here for this CAL

I hope you are having a nice week
~ Gillian ♥

wool eater blanket CAL week 3

For week 3 of the Wool Eater Blanket CAL
(January 25 - February 1)
we were to add another 3 rounds of pattern...

I added duck egg blue, olive green & light marl grey.
It now measures approx 69cm square and weighs approx 376gms.

it is not to late to join in
details can be found here on Sarah's blog.

there is also a Ravelry group here for this CAL

I hope you are having a creative week
~ Gillian ♥

wool eater blanket CAL week 2

For week 2 of the Wool Eater Blanket CAL
(January 18 - 25th)
we were to add another 4 rounds of pattern...

I added Gunmetal Grey, Teal, Curry and another row of Gunmetal Grey.
It now measures approx 55cm square and weighs approx 250gms.

I'm a little late posting my photo
as I have been away for most of the week..
the hardest part of this Crochet Along is deciding which colour to use next ;)
it is not to late to join in
details can be found here on Sarah's blog.

I hope you are having a lovely week
~ Gillian ♥

wool eater blanket CAL....

 I have decided to join in the wool eater blanket CAL (crochet along)

organised by Sarah London through her blog.

You can find all about it here

and its not too late to start if it is something that interests you, Sarah has provided the pattern for free and also has provided an oblong version as well as the square which I am working.

It is such a brilliant pattern...

you do need to concentrate for the first few rounds

but after that it all falls into place and works up quite quickly.

I will do my best to follow the schedule

but I'm sure I'll probably wonder a little off from time to time ;)

This week 11th - 18th we were to work the first 6 rounds of pattern.

Unblocked my square so far measures approx 37cm square.

Thank you so much for the lovely comments regarding my post below x

I hope you can all find sometime today to be a little creative

~ Gillian ♥

pages from art journal.....

how does one keep calm and carry on

when all you feel like doing is screaming?

in the past three weeks since my father passed away

I have felt every emotion and cried more tears than I thought were possible

I have times were I have felt strong and then weak once more.

Prayer has at times flowed and at times felt impossible

knowing that God knows my heart has been a huge comfort

and the love of my dear family has been such a blessing.

I have started a new art journal for 2012

no great art works in there just doodles and collage and thoughts from my heart

but I thought I would share this collage of some of the pages I have made.

I have really found working on it has helped with all the muddle that seems to clog your brain when you lose someone you love.   Somehow working on it has helped me 'Carry on'.

a dear friend of mine wrote out these verses

 in a card she gave me and I wanted to share it here for you all....

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV

~ Gillian ♥

I wish all of the visitors to my blog a

Holy and Special Christmas.

On the 17th December, my father passed away suddenly

so I will be taking a break from blogging for a while.

~ Gillian ♥

Making Progress...

Just thought I'd share a progress photo of my calico crochet floor rug :)

it is coming on really well and very enjoyable to make

with the exception of a bit of a sore thumb from working with such a big and heavy project...

a small price to pay for what I am hoping will be a lovely piece in the end!

PS...the flooring you can see in this photo is our new flooring!  I took this photo on our kitchen floor, we now only have our lounge room to floor to lay and hopefully we will finish it off this weekend.

Have a creative and lovely week

~ Gillian ♥

Three Granny Stockings.....

Ok....so I have gotten a little sidetracked from making my Calico rug!

But when I saw this gorgeous granny stocking pattern

designed by Michelle from the Royal Sisters Blog

I just had to make some for my children.

I still need to add some cute little pom poms,

I am waiting for a smaller pom pom maker to arrive - oh I know I can make pom poms the old fashioned way, but I much prefer using pom pom makers!

Michelle sells the pattern on Etsy here

and her Ravelry page for this project can be found here

Pattern is very well written and easy to follow,

it is written in UK/Australian terms with US terms in brackets

Lots of great step-by-step photos, well worth the small purchase price.

I used 8ply Moda Vera Marvel & Panda Magnum Acrylic

with a 4.5mm hook.

a little update on my Calico rug 

thank you all for your interest in it :)

I'm almost finished my second ball of calico!

It now measures approx 90cm in diameter.

So far its turning out great!

Trudi asked me how my arms and wrists were coping with the heavy hooking..

Thanks for asking Trudi, so far ok but my left hand thumb is feeling the pressure from working with such a heavy project so I need to work a row or two, then take a break...

its not as hard to hook as the denim was in my

Who said Granny's dont look good in denim bath mat

But I think it will be all worth it in the end ;)

Have a great weekend everyone

~ Gillian ♥

Calico Crochet Rug

 Our little family has been busy since October laying new Bamboo flooring in our home, it is looking so beautiful! We only have the lounge room and staircase to go, we will be working on the staircase this weekend...so exciting :)   I've made a couple of small rag rugs this year and so decided I'd make a large one for our lounge room to add a touch of softness for the kids to lay on and for exercising etc...

 The previous rag rugs I have made have been out of old sheets I had in my linen press, But I decided I would use calico for the lounge room....It is growing rapidly and is much bigger than shown here in these photos and I'm already onto my second ball each approx 1250gms in weight. 

I'm using a lovely chunky 12mm hook and I have torn the calico approx 4cm in width all worked in dc (sc in US terms) with increases when needed...very simple and enjoyable :)

I've got a few projects on the go at the moment....as always ;)

I am almost finished my giant granny square blanket -yay!

I am also hooking another pair of slippers...

But I really want to finish this calico rug before our lounge room floor is finished,

so it is taking priority at the moment.

I hope you are having a delightful day

~ Gillian ♥

Edna Slippers.....

I made these fun little slippers this week....

The pattern came from Crochet Today Magazine Nov/Dec 2011

The pattern is called 'Edna Slippers'

of course I just love anything that has a granny square in it ;)

I used Moda Vera Cardellino yarn (from Spotlight) & a 6mm hook.

They were quite quick to hook, I did make a few alterations to the pattern so they fitted me a little better.

if you are interested about what changes I made

I have noted them on Ravelry page for these slippers here

Hope you are having a creative weekend,

Gillian ♥

Dodecahedron Thingymabob......

I've been busy crocheting Granny Squares over the past month or so

and decided I needed something a little more dimensional for a change this week.....

and crochet doesn't get much more dimensional than this ;)

The pattern is called Dodecahedron Thingymabob, which makes me smile :)
and anything Mathematical is always going to find a home at our place, its being tossed around our lounge room as I type..lol!

Pattern is available on Ravelry

The pattern is Excellent! with lots of photos & well written. 

This was loads of fun to make, quite easy once you have made a couple of points and ss them together.

I decided to put 6mm black safety eyes in the end of each point to add a little something ‘extra’ :)

I also filled the points with plastic pellets (the type used in softies) then toyfil…and added a cat toy to the centre to give it some noise.

The plastic pellets give this a wonderful weight and makes it spin through the air as it is thrown (just make sure that your crochet is tight so the pellets don't come out).

(Hold the Thingymabob cupped in one hand and flick a point with your middle finger as you throw up into the air & it and it spins...very cool!)

It would of course make a lovely baby present for a new baby boy

(they are often hard to make something for)  maybe in sweet greens & blues, I think I will be making more of these in the near future.

Hope you are all having a lovely week!

Gillian  ♥

a little spring bunny......

 My niece found this cute bunny pattern online and asked if I could make it for her, isn't it adorable! 

 It took a little longer than I thought it would, mostly because it was a little fiddly using such a small hook.

 But I'm so glad she found the pattern for me, and I'm glad I finally finished it, in time for her birthday...

Happy Birthday MJ x

Pattern can be found on the

Craftzine Blog and on Ravelry

I used Panda Cotton Blend 8ply (purchased at Lincraft)

& a 2.5mm hook.

Thank you all for your lovely blog comments, we have been away for a few days and it was so lovely to return and read them all x

Have a lovely week

Gillian  ♥