Bunny and Chick Amigurumi Egg Cozy

These adorable egg cozies are so easy to make! You can jazz them up in any way that you choose and add your own creative flair. They are perfect for both normal eggs and creme eggs, making them ideal for Easter. This pattern uses UK terminology.

You will need:
4mm crochet hook
DK yarn
6mm beads (eyes)

Bunny:
Fork

Chick:
3mm hook


Egg Cozy


Ch 2
Row 1: 4 dc in first chain.
Row 2: 2 dc in each stitch round - 8 dc
Row 3: *2 dc in next stitch, dc in next stitch. Repeat from * round - 12 dc
Row 4: *2 dc in next stitch, dc in next 2 stitches. Repeat from * round - 16 dc
Row 5: *2 dc in next stitch, dc in next 3 stitches. Repeat from * round - 20 dc
Row 6: *2 dc in next stitch, dc in next 4 stitches. Repeat from * round - 24 dc.
Row 7-14: dc in each stitch round - 24 dc
Row 15: *dc2tog, dc in next stitch. Repeat from * round - 16 dc. Fasten off.

Bunny ears (make 2):

Ch 2
Row 1: 8 dc in first chain.
Row 2-4: dc in each stitch round.
Row 5: *dc in next stitch, skip next stitch. Repeat from * round.
Row 6-7: dc round. Fasten off.

Bunny tail:

Using a fork, make a mini pompom and attach to the back of the cozy.

Sew on a nose with embroidery thread (or felt) and the beads for eyes.

Chick's Beak:

Using 3mm hook

Ch 4
Insert hook into 2nd ch from hook, YO, pull through. Insert hook into final chain, YO pull through (3 loops on hook). YO and pull through all 3 loops. Fasten off and sew onto front.

See video below for how to attach chick fluff!

Crochet Button Stars

So I had a photo of crochet button flowers shared on my Facebook page by my godmother, who knows that I do love to crochet! After seeing that picture, I knew that I needed to work out the pattern. In the process, I managed to work out a pattern for these crochet button stars! After posting the video of the flowers on my YouTube account, I received requests to share how I made the stars, and I couldn't resist. I cleverly lost the original star so this pattern may not match the original, but it sure does the job! Below I have written out the pattern for both the US pattern and the UK pattern to save confusion :) Please let me know if it doesn't make sense or if I need to make amendments.

You will need:
4 hole button
Crochet cotton
A crochet hook that is small enough to fit though the button holes
Scissors
Needle

UK pattern:
Row 1: SS into first button hole, ch 4, dc into 2nd button hole, ch 4, dc into 3rd button hole, ch 4, dc into 4th button hole, ch 4, dc into 1st button hole, ch4 and ss to first chain.

Row 2: *dc, htr, tr, dtr, tr, htr, dc* into each ch 4 gap around. Finish off and sew in ends.

US pattern:

Row 1: SS into first button hole, ch 4, sc into 2nd button hole, ch 4, sc into 3rd button hole, ch 4, sc into 4th button hole, ch 4, sc into 1st button hole, ch4 and ss to first chain.

Row 2: *sc, hdc, dc, tr, dc, hdc, sc* into each ch 4 gap around. Finish off and sew in ends.

Crochet for Beginners: UK Treble Crochet TR (US Double Crochet DC)

Are you starting to see where the US and UK terminology cross over? It gets very confusing when you first start, but try to just stick to just UK or US patterns when you first start so you don't have to try and "translate" them at all :)

So here is my next video, the UK treble crochet or US double crochet! I have had some lovely feedback on my videos and already have some subscribers so thank you so much for your support! Don't forget that you can subscribe too so you don't miss out on any future videos.

Crochet for Beginners: UK Double Crochet DC (or US Single Crochet!)

So the second video that I uploaded to my YouTube channel demonstrates how to do the basic double crochet stitch! For those of you who aren't aware, US and UK crochet terms are different, annoyingly, so where I can, I will try to list the alternative term :)

New crocheted items??

Oh hasn't time flown by: I can't believe that it's already May! It doesn't seem long since Christmas and those festivities, and now we're approaching Summer at a very fast rate, although no one seems to have told the weather that yet here in England... I guess I can't complain. Since the Bank Holiday weekend, the weather has brightened up nicely!

Anyway, enough of that chit chat. I have been working on some new crocheted items for The C of C! If you follow me on any social media, be it Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, you will know that the doily-bug has bitten! It's my ultimate dream to turn The C of C into a tea room and craft shop, hence the obsession with tea cups! But I want to kit my tea room out with crocheted doilies, which may be easier said than done to be honest... I knew they'd take me a while to make but my first one took me 7 hours!! It was 100% worth it as it's so gorgeous.

Since posting that picture, I've had several people enquire about buying a doily off of me! I started to make a slightly easier pattern, which only took me 3 and a half hours to make. Much more affordable for people!

I also took  a pattern and adapted it to make doily coasters! These still need tweaking. I think I either need to starch them or put them into a clear coaster so they're sturdier, but they only take me half an hour to make! Perfect :D

Do you think doilies are here to stay or are they just old fashioned now? Let me know your thoughts!

Crochet Mood Blanket 2014: February

February saw me finishing off row 2 of the blanket, as well as the whole of the second row. This month I got very lazy with making my squares and at times ended up with over a week's worth to catch up on!! Considering each square takes me about half an hour to completely do, it would take a while to catch up!!

 I also became lazy when it came to selecting colours. I'd just grab whatever was on top of my yarn bag so some of the colours are very similar! Towards the end of the month, I delved a little deeper, which is why you see the sudden influx of different colours!

Crochet Chihuahua!

It was my friend's birthday last week she loves chihuahuas! So I decided to crochet her one as a present, and here is the end result:

I found the pattern via Ravelry (link to pattern) and I was slightly horrified to discover that the pattern was just a chart! The whole thing was made more intimidating by the fact there was no key to go with the pattern! As I've done a lot of amigurumi, I managed to work it out with little to no problems :)

So yes, this little guy doesn't have a name yet, as far as I know, but I will keep you posted on it! She really liked her presents though :D

My Crafting Inspiration: Twinkie Chan

I thought it might be nice for those interested to see who inspires me when it comes to crafting! There are so many people who do, so expect to see a few blog posts!

The first post in this series is about the amazingly colourful Twinkie Chan! If you're about in the crochet world, I'm sure you know who this lovely lady is! Her tagline is "Eat your cake, and wear it too!", which just sums up her work perfectly. She is based in San Francisco and crochets lovely food-related items that are just too cute to eat! She is extremely well known for her scarves that are made up of crochet cupcakes and other delicious-looking food items.

When I first discovered her, I read through every single page on her blog and became increasingly inspired to start my own business! Twinkie Chan is one of the ladies who is fortunate enough to make a living off out of making and creating things; I'm so jealous! I guess I just need to stick at it.. :) Not only are there many pictures of inspiration on her blog, you also get a sneak-peek into her life and the behind-the-scenes of it all, including her adorable dogs and amazing craft room!! She is even generous enough to share the odd pattern for free on her blog :)

Enough of the chatter and onto the pictures! All of the photos are from Twinkie Chan's blog.

Free pattern available here.

Isn't she adorable??

Even if you don't like crochet, I thoroughly recommend Twinkie Chan's blog and website! It's guaranteed to make you happy (and maybe slightly peckish...)

Visit her blog: http://blog.twinkiechan.com/

Check out her Etsy! http://www.etsy.com/shop/twinkiechan

Or treat yourself to her amazing book, full of cute patterns! http://www.yummyyouclothing.com/twinkie-chan-s-crochet-goodies-for-fashion-foodies-book

Who's your crafting inspiration?

Crochet Mood Blanket 2014: January

So I decided that a weekly update of my blanket would get very repetitive, very quickly. I thought it would be much better to write a monthly update of my blanket was a lot more manageable and maybe a more-pleasant read.

I thought I was going to struggle a lot more with making one square a day than I actually did! Yes, sometimes I was up to a week behind, but I was soon able to catch up on the squares I'd missed. Because I was sometimes making 6 or 7 squares in bulk, this means the "mood" aspect of the blanket no longer exists. You knew I wasn't assigning set colours to moods as I was stash-busting, but before I was finding a colour from my stash that reflected my mood. Now I'm just going randomly with whatever colours I feel like. I love how it's turning out!

I have had a couple of annoying squares! Because I am stash-busting, I have found myself running out of yarn to close to the end of a square! I've had to do a bit of "creative" patching... These squares just have more character... *cough*

This square is my favourite so far. The yarn I used for the middle of the square was such a small amount, I found yarns in my stash that I matched to the colours in the centre :)

I'm using Attic24's "join as you go" technique and I'm so glad I am! I can't imagine making all these squares and have to sew them together individually! It would definitely put me off making the blanket! Here are some lovely pictures to show you how January looked! I don't think it had hit me how large this blanket was going to be! It's going to be massive; I'm so excited!! :D

Pattern Herd: Year of the Horse

So Chinese New Year has come around again and this year is the year of the horse! Coincidentally, I was born in the year of the horse too :)

If you'd like to know more about the year of the horse and what it all means, I have found a handy dandy link here. I don't know if I 100% agree with what it's saying as I can't apply some of the characteristics to myself, but I guess some of them are true!

Anyway, enough of that. You're here for a pattern herd (ironic as it's for horses) not for whether I always want to be in the limelight or if I'm great at communicating!

1) Amigurumi Horse by Tanya on Little Things Blogged

I love this horse! I love its bright blue colour. Guaranteed to stand out in a herd. He has an amazing oversized head and a lovely long, white mane. This pattern is available for free on Little Things Blogged.

2) Carousel Horse Pattern by BeadedBundles

I love carousels. My friend and I always go on one if there's one around when we're together! It's a tradition that started on Brighton seafront and has just continued. This carousel horse reminds me of these times and I love its simplicity. The pattern is available for download on Etsy.

3) Brown Pony Pattern by April Draven

This "brown pony" looks suspiciously like Bullseye from Toy Story 2 and 3! I suppose for copyright reason the name wasn't used... But if you know a Toy Story fan, or you are one, then this pattern is perfect for you! It is available for free on April Draven's blog :)

4) Hermione the Unicorn by Dawn Toussaint

I guess this pattern isn't strictly a horse, but it's a type of horse! And look at her gorgeous little face. It's difficult not to include her! A beautiful unicorn with a rainbow mane and lovely blue feet! The pattern is a free Ravelry download: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hermione-the-unicorn

5) Pony Pattern by All About Ami

Another pattern that was made to commemorate the year of the horse, All About Ami has designed this cute little pony that could easily be adapted into a unicorn, although she is gorgeous just as she is! The pattern is available for free on All About Ami.

6) Pony Hat by NyanPon

Ah! I want one in every colour! I love this hat, it looks so snuggly and warm. Perfect, especially as it snowed here (Nottingham, UK) yesterday! We are not used to that. I love the individuality of this hat. Definitely will stand out from the crowd in this. This pattern is available for free on NyanPon's blog.

That's it from this pattern herd! If there's anything you'd like to see "herded", leave a comment!

Happy New Year and About Crochet Mood Blanket 2014!

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! I'm so sorry for the lack of blog posts but I was travelling across the country, visiting family etc, so I didn't really have time to write an update for you all!

I also hope that Father Christmas/Santa was good to you all and gave you lots of craft-related gifts! I received crochet hooks and a case from my uncle and auntie! You may wonder why I need more crochet hooks, but these are in a lovely variety of sizes and have handles! So useful and very comfortable to use. The case is so pretty too so I can now travel with my hooks with pride!

My mum was thrilled to bits with the earrings that I made for her (and if you don't know what I'm talking about, refer to this blog post here!) and has told me that next year I will be receiving an order from her as presents due to the number of compliments she's received! Always lovely to hear :)

So my sister was browsing Instagram, as one does, and came across a crochet project. Mummy_Stacey on IG had the great idea to make a blanket through 2014! The basic idea is to assign colours to specific emotions or moods and to crochet or knit one square/stripe a day/week using the colour that reflects your mood! I thought it was a brilliant idea and knew that I had to make one! There was a lot of chat about a Facebook group for this project so I offered to make one. The group was set up the morning of New Year's Eve and at the moment, there are over 1,700 members! I can't believe how many blankets there are going to be by 2015! Some people are even dedicating to more than one blanket. If you search #crochetmoodblanket2014 on Instagram, you will find many many posts about this wonderful idea!

Several members of the group have decided to do different types of squares. I have some lovely examples here from the Facebook group!

These gorgeous squares are by Janet Stone on Facebook. She explains that the flowers are constant and stands for faith and hope, and the colours will show her dominant mood for the day. The pattern is her own creation! Amazing talent :)

These lovely solid squares are by the very-talented Faye Walsh, also known as Little Dove Crochet. These squares will really make an impact! She is aiming for a colourful patchwork and isn't assigning a colour to a mood, just crocheting what takes her fancy each day!

These wonderful squares have been made by Cara Mia. She has decided not to go for the classic square and took inspiration from the Crochet Motifs book you can see in the photo above. She was originally going to do a different style square each week but now she's not sure because this square works up so quickly!!

I've chosen just to do a basic granny square for my pattern of choice because I knew I'd stick to it then :) I also haven't selected specific colours to moods. My mission for this blanket is to stash-bust so I will just be using colours that take my fancy each day, but it will also be reflecting my mood! Here are days one, two, three and four:

I felt creative on this day, hence the variegated wool!

Brown for boredom because I had a 4 hour train journey back to Nottingham!

Blue for day three because it was cold and raining outside!

I chose light yellow and mint green today because I had a relaxing day :)

Each of my squares will have a white border as a joining colour and I will be joining as I go, using Attic24's tutorial. This means I will actually end up with a blanket instead of a collection of squares!!

Stacey has been kind enough to thank me on her IG for making the group and I have since doubled the amount of followers! I cannot believe it but I am also very thankful. I think that I will make a lot of friends through this project :)

I will dedicate one post a week to #crochetmoodblanket2014 and show you all my 7 squares from the week and why I chose the colours I did.

Come and join the fun on both Instagram and Facebook!!

Pattern Herd: Last-Minute Crochet Christmas Decorations!

So your house may be decorated by now. If it's not, you'd better get a move on! There's less than a week to go until the big day!

If you received a surprise gift from someone and don't know what to give back, these decorations won't take long for you to whip up for panic-presents or even labels for presents!!

These little gingerbread houses are gorgeous and will look at home on most Christmas trees! They don't require a lot of difficult stitches so you'll be able to make them without too much concentration. The free pattern by Ursula Markgraf can be found here.

I made these for one of my friends who lives abroad because they're so lightweight. I managed to get it down to making one in 10 minutes. The pattern uses basic stitches and also doesn't require a lot of concentration. Perfect to do while watching a Christmas film! The free pattern by Marianna can be found here :)

Look at how cute these little sockies are! These could be hung on the tree with little chocolate in for your guests. The stockings are easy to make, but they will require a little more concentration to make the first one than the other patterns I have written about! They are very easily customisable by adding different embellishments. The free pattern by Le Monde de Sucrette can be found here.

These's little bells are adorable! They'll make any tree look that little bit more Christmassy! There is both an English and a Spanish pattern for these bells. If you keep scrolling down, you'll get to the English version! Free pattern by "Crafteando, que es gerundio" can be found here.

This little guy will take a little more time and dedication than the other patterns I have posted. It's worth it though; look at his little face!! He looks so snuggly and warm with his stripey scarf too. The free pattern by All About Ami can be found here.

I know I've already done a pattern-herd of snowmen, but we're just going to have a slight overlap! This happy bunch can be made in no time and you can give each one its own personality. Perfectly customisable for your recipient! Living The Craft Life provides this free pattern.

These bundles of deliciousness are the creation of Twinkie Chan, who is renowned for making food-based crochet items! Using a polestyrene ball, these crocheted sweets are oh-so easy to make! They consist of a square, which you then shape into the sweet. This free pattern, complete with video tutorial, can be found on Twinkie Chan's blog, here.

Well I can't exactly write about Christmas decs without Father Christmas (or whatever name he is known by in your family)! This cute FC will stil proudly on any Christmas tree! The free pattern, which isn't too difficult, is by Pebie and can be found here.

I hope that this post has given you some last-minute decoration ideas! Let me know what your go-to pattern is for an unexpected present!

Penguin "glittens"!

So about a month ago, my friend asked me to make some penguin mittens/fingerless gloves for her. It took me so long to work out how to make them, but I've finally done it! It will be much easier to make next time :)

To make the gloves/mittens, I used this pattern here as my friend is 6ft+ and therefore has larger hands, so I used a pattern designed for men. I used a 5mm (H) crochet hook and DK (worsted weight)  yarn in black. I decided not to crochet the individual fingers and just make it as I make my other fingerless gloves. I also added a loop at the top of the mitten so the mitten part could be held back with a button.

The pattern requires a lot of counting and I had to unpick and re-crochet a lot of the first mitten. Quick tip: read the pattern thoroughly before you start each row!! 

Once I finished the base, I had to make the penguin face. I didn't know how to do it so I had a look around on Ravelry and I found a great pattern for a hat. I used this pattern for the face, but with a 3.5mm crochet hook so it's smaller. For the eyes, I made a magic ring and DC (SC) 8 into the ring and then fastened off and tightened the ring. The beak I kind of made up... (US terms are in brackets)

CH2,

R1: 2 DC (SC) in second chain from hook, ch1 turn

R2: 2 DC (SC) in each stitch, ch1, turn

R3: 2 DC (SC) in first st, 1 DC (SC) in 2 st, 2 DC (SC) in last st, ch1, turn

R4: 2 DC (SC) in first st, 1 DC (SC) in 4 st, 2 DC (SC) in last st

Fasten off.

I'm so proud of these mittens! I will definitely be making more to post on my online shop!