Angry Bird

The pigs have stolen all the EGGS!!!

Grrrrrrrrr……….

The Pigs must be hunted down and DESTROYED!!

….and what better way to bring about such destruction then with an angry bomber bird!

Crocheted in  the round this is an easy toy to make for adults and children alike. Crochet a round ball to the dimensions you prefer and when you reach the final closing rounds leave out the decreases to create the chimney like wick…changing colour at the top to create the fire!

The features are made separately and sewn on. Begin the eyes with flat circles and then add an extra half row at the bottom in grey wool. To create the ‘eye-bag'’ effect add in a few larger stitches in the middle of this row. Eyebrows are just two rows of single crochet sewn into place. One thing I find it important to remember when making amigurami is don’t get hung up on the details! If the circles for eyes are looking a bit oval or too round don’t rip it out and start again you really can make the adjustments when you’re sewing the features on…an extra tight stitch here … a stretch here and a few extra backstitches and before you know it you have one cross looking birdy!

This was a leaving present for a colleague and will hopefully provide some stress relief by being chucked across an office!

A Leaving Blanket

The biggest crochet hook I own and a huge pile of Big Softie in shades: Foam 336, Mitten 341, Vivid 345, Muffler 342, Souffle 333, Flossie 340 and  Cupcake 334. The result a sofa blanket fit for a leaving present. The blanket was made in three panels and a simple hdc stitch. I sewed the three panels together and edged with some simple single crochet. The yarn is chunky and soft so it works up really quickly! I off to enjoy some unseasonal sunshine now…enjoy the pictures!

Wedding Flowers

All the way back in January I posted some sneaky peeks of my current projects seen here. Now a full nine months later I can show you what the two top photos were all about….Flowers!

More specifically wedding flowers for a  work colleague. One of her favourite colours was purple and after previewing a number of samples she decided that Roses were the way to go. I used florist wire to help give these flowers structure so they could be styled like a real bouquet. A few sparkly beads completed the white roses and two buzzing bees were made up from crochet thread. One bee hung from invisible thread from the brides bouquet to create the illusion of it buzzing around the flowers. The second bee was sewn into the grooms corsage. The bridesmaid flowers were a miniature version of the brides. It was a fun and fabulous wedding and I wish them all the best for the future. More photos than you can shake a stick at await you below!

(P.S. – if you attempt this at home beware the tedium of making the same flower about 30 times and beware the wire I almost had my eye out a few times – well worth it though!)

Halle

For the last four years we’ve attended the Tatton park picnic Concerts, and every year we are not disappointed!

The picnic concert starts at 5 and everyone trundles up the 20 minute walk from the car park absolutely laden down with bags and camping chairs and other essentials for a truly glorious picnic. Once into the field you pick a spot. our philosophy with spot preference is the reverse to most concerts…we accept we won’t see much of the orchestra and to be honest ORCHESTRA SMORCHESTRA! the view you want from your seats is that of the lake. AS lovely view at the best of times but when the firework extravaganza starts – themed and set to music it is AMAZING.

The picnic starts at 5 and the orchestra comes on at 8pm so there is plenty of time for picnicking, reading, chatting and hooking. It is absolute nirvana to anyone who love people watching – some people go to great lengths and bring table clothes and even candelabras!! This year we have had the best weather yet and were able to discard the golf umbrellas and the blankets only came out about 10pm when it was getting chilly. I’ll leave you with a few pictures – crafty stuff next week I promise!