Advent Calendar Big Ta-Dah

Hello......... Just popping in quickly, to ask how your Christmas was ? I hope you all had a lovely day.We had a good day here and since then I've spent the last few days recovering.

 I also wanted to do a bit of a grand Ta-Dah for the advent calendar, I just couldn't resist putting them all together in a mosaic, just to see what they looked like, the pics are in the order the advent calendar ran.

Ta-Dah

Wishing you all a wonderful New Year filled with all good things and lots of yarn.

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

I'll be back in a few days with some year in review posts, bye for now............

24th December - Last minute stars

Hello......... So exciting the big day is nearly here but there is still time for this quick little make

These sweet little five

and six sided stars,

 

 I just couldn't resist using some left over Rico Creative Refection yarn to make these little beauties

So quick to make I just had to hook up a few.

Ta-Dah

Don't they look lovely on my pretty winter tree.

Here's the tutorial if you want to make some too.

Before I go I just want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas as a peaceful new year.  Thank you so much for all the lovely comments you have left throughout the advent calendar, it's been fun but a lot of work and believe me even though I started this in September it ended up right down to the wire to get it finished in time with my health throwing a few spanners in the works along the way.

Wishing you all a wonderful day tomorrow.

Ho ho ho

Clare xxx

23rd December Christmas Rose

Hello...........  Today's post is going to be a really quick one, as my energy levels are failing me and we are nearly out of time.

This is the last make and post to be written for the advent calendar, do not fear there is one for the Christmas Eve but it's already written.

Back to today pretty little make which is a easy one, or at least it would have been had my pain levels not been so bad.  It was worth it though, as it's such a pretty little star, plus it means I have come to the end of  four months of prep for this yarny advent calendar.  

So a big thank you to everyone who stuck with me for this yarny advent adventure.

 Ta-Dah

Stars, sparkly yarn and a pom pom what's not to love.

Here's the link to elizzza's wonderful tutorial

I'll be signing off for a few days now, there is still a post scheduled for tomorrow, but before I go I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and lets hope for a Peaceful 2016.

Ho ho ho

Clare xx

22nd december Winter Solstice, Spring magnolia

Hello.......... I'm so pleased we have made it to the shortest day and from now on things will only get lighter, so it seems perfect to celebrate todays solstice with a herald of the Spring to come.

This is another of Elizzza wonderful tutorials

I really enjoyed working with these pretty spring colours on such a gloomy winters day.

This is such a clever little pattern and I just couldn't resist using some twinkly yarn, for a hint of frost on the magnolia petals

It works up in four easy rounds.

Ta-Dah

I'm thinking of adding mine to my Springtime Wreath

Just before I go I thought I'd share with you my solstice candle I love this tradition

Of lighting a candle to burn throughout the shortest day, this year to match my magnolia flower I've used pink Roses with Winter Jasmine and Holly collected from the garden early this morning.

Ho ho ho

Clare xx

Christmas cards

Hello.......... Two posts in one day what ever next !!!

While it's been fun running the advent calendar I have missed the general chit chat of everyday blogging.  Back in the Autumn I signed up to take part in Amy's Fab Christmas card swap.

You see I spied these lovely paper's in a craft magazine and couldn't resist ordering some for my Christmas cards, the papers are by Docrafts and are a wonderful Folk mix. So I couldn't wait to get started on making my cards.

I had some lovely natural cardboard card blanks which I hoped would be just the thing for my folkie papers.  So first up I added a border of the pretty paper, then added a ribbon to my card.

Now I had a bit of a idea spring to mind when I was crocheting snowflakes, that they would be just perfect on a card, a card and gift in one if you like as the snowflake could be detached and hung on the tree.

The only problem was if the snowflake was hanging on the tree, then the card might look a little bit plain with just the ribbon and border, so after a bit of pondering I decided to hide a little bit of decoration under the snowflakes, two cards for the price of one.

So before attaching the crocheted snowflake I added a bit of snowy goodness to my cards

I then used form pads to attach a greeting so the hanging thread for my snowflake could be threaded underneath it.

as well as adding some snowflake sequins

I also added some pretty attachments under some of the snowflakes so after they had been removed, there would still be a functioning Christmas card.

Ta-Dah

As well as sending a card to my swap partner I also popped one in the post to the lovely Amy. Plus I made a few more for some other friends.

I've been making other cards too, this one is for my Mum, how I love that pink glitter paper.

and I sent this cute little Reindeer card to my sister and her family.

I'm yet to receive a card from my swap partner, which I completely understand given the sad time her family are experiencing at the moment, I wish them well for the year ahead and hope they can enjoy there Christmas.

Thanks again to Amy for organising the swap.

Happy Crafting

Clare xx

21st December- Crochet Star Eulalia

Hello........... Today's make is this pretty little star, perfect to hang on the tree

and it hooks up in just a jiffy

Such a simple little pattern

Ta-Dah

But very effective.

Ho ho ho
Clare xx

20th December - Crocheted Flower Bauble

Hello......... Welcome to day 20 of the advent calendar today I thought I'd share a pattern of my own with you.

For this make you will need some yarn and a bauble, either a polystyrene one or just one off the tree, for this make I used a 20cm bauble, the silver one pictured above to be precises as I wanted the silver to shine through.   I used Twinkle DK yarn (mostly) and a 3 mm hook, going down a couple of hook sizes from the band.

 Oh and the tutorial is written in UK crochet terms!!!

Round 1 First up chain 4 and do 5 double crochet (dc) ( using UK terms!!) into the ring.

Then we need to make the puffy flower, using a four yarn over puff stitch. 

Round two, So join the new yarn and chain 3

Right now for the puff stitch which is 4 yarn over puff.

So yarn over, insert hook through stitch, yarn over, hook back through stitch (3 loops on hook), then all you do is repeat this 3 more times, then pull hook through all the stitches in one go then close with slip stitch. Ch 1

then another 4 yarn over puff stitch and ch , repeat 4 more time until you have a six petals on the  flower. slip stitch into top of first three ch

(Hopefully that makes sense!!)

 Now join a new colour ( I'm using a sparkly white so my flowers, in the snow) with this mild weather I'm sure it's the only snow we'll have this Christmas here at the summerhouse.

 Round three,  join the new yarn through the middle stitch of one of the petals with a slst. Ch 1, then 3DC into the same stitch. The 1 Treble (tr)  (into the 1ch from the previous round between the petals)  continue the round then slst to close the round. 

Round 4, Now it's time for the granny rounds 

Join the new yarn then ch 2, 2 half trebles (htr) into the same stitch, then ch2 miss the next two stitches then * 3htrb into the next stitch ch 2 * repeat till the end of the round close with slst into the top ch of the first stitch.

As you can see the bauble is becoming a dome shape,

now try it for size on your bauble, it's like a little woolly hat, so cute, also now's the time to deal with the ends.

Now as I love stylecraft Special DK in sherbet I wanted to add it to my bauble only it lacks a little sparkle so I added in some sparkle yarn for the next round crocheting the two yarns together.

Round five Join the yarn through one of the granny chain spaces and then ch 2 then 2 htr into the same stitch then ch2 *miss the next two stitch then 3htr ch2 *for the rest of the round join with a slst.

 Round six  Join new colour into a granny chain space from the previous round then ch3 then 2tb into the same st, *ch3 miss two stitches then 3trb into the next stitch ch3* repeat for the rest of the round.  Close with a Slst.

 

Round seven, join new colour as before then ch 3 2 tr into same st. Ch1, then one tr into the middle stitch of the previous round (as pictured above)  ch1, 3tr into chain space ch1, 1tr into middle stitch ch1 repeat through the round close with slst.

Yay we are nearly there you should have two cute little domes, so sew in the rest of the ends, now at this point check it fits the bauble, if you are using a larger bauble just continue adding rounds until you are there.

Then using a contrasting coloured yarn it's time to sew the two halves together, (if you'd rather you can use the some colour yarn as your final round) try to match the sides together starting off with one of the three trebles)

Keep stitching then add the bauble and continue sewing until you reach the top, then finish off by stitching through a few stitch then pushing the neddle down and along a few stitches then out again before cutting the yarn.

Ta-Dah

  

As a finishing touch I couldn't resist adding a bit of sparkle to the centre of my flower, you could also use a button or just leave it plain.

Happy Bauble making

Ho ho ho

Clare xxx