Bina the bear and Harley the Hare

I couldn't resist this crochet pattern from lalylala.com, but I thought it might be a bit complicated for a newbie. I'm always up for a challenge though, so gave it a go and was really pleased with the results.

I also had a go at making a 'moon gazing' needle felted hare. It was hard to get a decent photo of him, but I think you can get the gist.

My next project is a crocheted blanket. I'm on row 50 of 180, so it might be a while before you see a photo!

New Hobby Part 3

The next thing I fancied trying was needle felting and wet felting. The needle felting is done by repeatedly stabbing Merino wool tops with a barbed needle until it becomes firm. The shaping is done as you are stabbing it with the needle. It is not a very sociable hobby though - as soon as you take your eye off what you are doing, you stab yourself!

The wet felting is a much more time consuming hobby. You have to layer row after row of Merino wool, add scraps of yarn and fabric and then soak it with soap and water. You rub all the soap into it and then have to roll the piece in between bamboo mats for several hours until it felts together. I am pretty pleased with the end result though.

New Hobby Part 2

I have always had the urge to learn to knit, but whenever I try, I end up losing more stitches than I have left on my needles! So I decided to have a go at crochet, which I found far easier, as there is only one stitch on your hook to worry about! I watched endless You Tube videos and finally had a go at a project. Lucy, over on Attic24 blog, makes some gorgeous bags, cushions and blankets, which in conjunction with the Wool Warehouse are available to buy as kits. You buy the wool packs from the Wool Warehouse and Lucy provides the pattern on her blog. I bought a pack, which gave you enough wool to make a bag, which I use to store my wool and also a cushion. Her instructions are really easy to follow and I am very pleased with my first attempt at crochet!

I have now bought the blanket pack, so watch this space....

New Hobby Part 1

So, after 20 years of owning a sewing machine I decided it was about time I learnt how to use it! I signed up for a 3 hour 'get to know your sewing machine' course at 'The Make and Do Studio', where I learnt how to thread it and more importantly, what to do when things go wrong! We ended the course by making a simple envelope cushion, which ignited the sewing bug.

So, the following week I did a 'beginners quilt making course' at the same studio. It is only cot size and uses a simple strip design, but even so, I am very pleased with myself, considering I was a total sewing machine novice the week before! We even made our own bias binding, which although time consuming, was worth the effort! Probably should have ironed it before taking the photo though lol!