Two more dreamy ponchos with not a hint of seventies fashion...

I still want to call these shawls. Ponchos bring to mind a rather different woollen garment than these two delights. These are pretty ponchos from Nicki Trench's crochet living. I like them so much I have now made three. Sadly only one has stayed with me. This is my well worn version,  made last summer

I used Debbie Bliss cashmerino aran in gold for this one, with some vintage buttons purchased locally and chosen by P. Good choice Patch!

And then this summer I busied myself with

this time in the same delightful cashmerino aran in aqua. With more vintage buttons from the same local shop, in the loveliest mustard. Though they look rather unevenly placed in this photograph - I may have been watching tellie at the time. This one was made for my dear friend Lou's birthday. Please feel free to re-arrange those buttons! Why didn't I notice this? Oh well, hope you like your shawl Lou. For yes, I have decided, this is most certainly a shawl.

The last of the summery bucket hats

Another bucket hat from Oliver + S' little things to sew, this time for P

I made this one at the start of the summer so it has been well worn as P's school sunhat. Hence the creases. This one was made with some denim from the piles and a green kona cotton (sorry can't remember which colour) from a local fabric shop.

I may have mentioned before how much I like this pattern. I do. In fact if you need to make a child's sunhat then this really should be the one...

Feeling autumnal...

The first of the snug wooly makes! Made on a rather hot September day...

A half hour or so lost on Ravelry came up with Lion brand yarn's Yorkshire cowl. I was looking for a chunky cowl to crochet, that was a free pattern. Reading people's comments I decided this was the one as they said it came up small. Perfect as this was being made for one of P's newly eight year old friends.

Another half hour or so lost in the local wool shop didn't result in any chunky chunky wool I liked and so this is made with the chunky Wendy merino pure ultra soft wool held double. I used the 10mm hook recommended in the pattern and I think this has come out slightly chunkier than the original, so extra snug. And pretty... the delicious sounding rhubarb colour. And oh my this is a quick make!

Happy birthday, Sophie!

The easy drawstring skirt... with pockets

Because it is those pockets that make this skirt

I followed this  tutorial by Melly Sews - with a few additions. I cut the skirt as one piece so there was only one side seam to do - this is meant to be a quick skirt after all! - added some top stitching around the waistband and made a deeper hem which was finished with a double row of stitching. Oh, and in the spirit of speediness I replaced the made tie with some ribbon. This skirt is certainly as quick and simple as others I have made and is actually quite a different style as it is less full than the lazy day or market skirt which I think suits the heavier cord.

The cattitude fabric (by Lizzy house for andover fabrics) was a must buy as the little girl who I made the skirt for has just welcomed a new kitten into their home. I suppose ideally I should have chosen a smaller print for the pockets but once I had decided on a kit fabric this was the one! I had planned to use a grey stripe ribbon for the tie to co-ordinate with those pockets, but sadly it was out of stock. Both the ribbon and fabric came from the dreamy eternal maker. And the pink cord came from the pile.

Happy birthday Esme! And yes, here are those pockets again...

Granny Barbara

Week seven of Simply Crochet's Granny a week.

Blind and band

There really is no connection between these two random makes other than their initial letter...  but I am attempting to catch up with past makes and so am throwing these together.

The blind is of the roman sort and is looking rather pretty in the sitting room

I used a kit from John Lewis thinking it would be easier than purchasing all the separate pieces, though now I'm not so sure. Certainly the final threading of the cords was easier as the potentially confusing part at the top came ready threaded only leaving me to thread the ends through the blind tape. But the instructions were minimal which I think could lead to some hair tearing and wringing of hands and possibly tears for those expecting more guidance. Happily I managed to avoid these emotions and just decided it couldn't be that tricky. Luckily by the time I realised that you needed to cut each pice of blind tape so that the holes for the cords lined up mine did. And I just know there were other times I felt the instructions could be improved but now I can't remember. Any way the blind works smoothly and looks like a roman blind should so we are happy!

The kit comes with a clear plastic cleat which we replaced for a white metal version, and the wooden pine-look pull was given a totally unnecessary but looks much nicer for it coat of gentle blue paint.

Here's a better photograph of the colour of the fabric - a pretty Cath Kidston print bought for Sweet Pea Cottage, which we moved from nearly four years ago. Probably purchased a year or two earlier than that when we had no plans to move. Luckily it takes me an age to get around to making curtains and blinds so I never got around to making them for Sweet Pea Cottage!

And the headband... this is bobbles and baubles easy ten minute versatile headband made using a small bit of cotton from the basket

It really is a ten minute make! Parcelled up with some sewing bits for Anna's birthday

Happy birthday, Anna!

The rainforest explorer vest

Another make for P - they had an Amazon day at school and were asked to go dressed in something inspired by the Amazon. P decided he wanted to go as an explorer and I smiled as I knew just the thing - the explorer vest from oliver + s' little things to sew

Patch's input was that TRF must be written in red on the waistcoat under the top pocket - TRF for The Rainforest Foundation, the name of the class company. Other than that this Mummy could do as she liked! So off to the local fabric shop in the hope of some cheap cotton in suitable colours. No cheap cotton was to be found but they did have some cheap and rather horrible poly type twill. This fabric stretches and was no fun. But it was sort of the colours I went looking for.

I did have fun!

If you make this vest please do make it with bellow pockets. They make for a slightly more involved sew but are so very much worth it. They even make this one made out of the most horrible fabric possible look sweet on a little one. And that back pocket!

And every explorer needs a hat... the reversible bucket hat from the same book

Put with some linen shorts and green t P was ready to explore the Amazon! I do wish I had used a nicer fabric to make these as P wears them a lot. Oh well

Granny Doreen

Week six of Simply Crochet's Granny a week. I like the simplicity of Granny Doreen though she is rather petite. Do so wish these Grannies were a constant size.

The Flash costume

Maybe because I say yes to P's requests for most Mummy makes he looks so happily expectant when he makes another. And so it happened that P was invited to a party where he could dress as any favourite character. He asked to be Flash. Or is it The Flash? Anyway I had no idea who this fictional person was. I attempted to persuade P to go in one of his already made costumes. I tried to reason with him that the invite said favourite character and that surely this couldn't really be a favourite as I wasn't aware of them - this was at the point when I realised looking at that lovely little face that I was indeed going to be making a costume so I could try to make it one I would enjoy doing. And that is how I ended up putting together this Flash costume.

And mostly it really was putting together. The red trousers were bought and I was planning to buy the red long sleeve t too. But not one anywhere. By this stage I realised I was going to have to dye a long sleeve white t and the only shop to sell long sleeve white tees (this was the summer) was closed due to flooding. So I dyed a slightly too short t we already had which is slightly annoying as it started out slightly too small. Also slightly annoying that the washing machine rubber trim is still, may many washes later, a delightful shade of deep pink.

The hood is the helmet pattern from Emma Hardy's cute and easy costumes for kids, cut from a cheap and cheerful adult size red t, and the mask is from the same book. More felt was then used for the flashes - I sandwiched heavy duty interfacing in between the layers of the flashes on the head. The Flash does also have flashes on his legs but I decided to keep these trousers flashless as P has been wearing them as everyday trousers.

I do believe The Flash would also clean his boots before any mission but it gets muddy round here. 

Happily one of the Daddys at the party recognised this as a Flash costume so I was happy. And so was P. Very much so. What will he request next?

A round-up of birthday tees

Gosh, the oldest of these was made in maybe May? Hmm, no actually P's would have been made in January. And not sure they are really a make as the only sewing involved is around the numbers as these are all shop bought ts. Though I have made my first t, and it was fun, so maybe that will change! 

A fun way to use up some of the smaller pieces in the fabric pile. And yes, P did choose his fabric. He'd spied the leftovers from making his car seat cushion a little while before his birthday and asked me so enthusiastically to please make him a birthday t with it. What was a Mummy meant to do?