the first, finished crochet item

The sample i grew fond of became a bag! i made a front to go with the back, a flap and a handle. Then i picked-up-and-knitted the sides and bottom and picot-ed all around the perimeters (lovely peaceful job.) 

   Plenty of inevitable cat and dog hair in the pictures and the colour has been extremely difficult to faithfully reproduce. (in reality, the first photograph is the closest match.)

Last Sunday i finally got 'round to constructing a canvas inner (undyed to show off the holes) so it's bits-n-bobs tight now and quite rigid. I still need to line the handle or the bag will be dragging along the ground.

 Ever helpful John suggests i branch out into crochet bags for iPads, pods, laptops and Kindles.
    I may attempt a tea-cosy. And a hat!

Bovis Bears set sail for Scandinavia!

Lovely news on Friday - two little bears were invited to live in Sweden!

  I'm really happy for the little jumbo-corduroy bear as i felt he might not be everyone's cup of tea, bless him (and he does go on so about hydraulic mechanics). As for the very small knitted lad - i don't know what we will do without him! As his listing has now disappeared, here is his biography, so you know what i mean:

Some knitted bears have very fixed characters. This is because some knitted bears lack the anatomical addition of a swiveling head which explains their often trenchantly fixed view, steadfast will and almost stubborn adherence to duty.
If you are looking for a bear whose pleasure it is to listen attentively as you discourse upon such subjects as dialectics, hockey sticks in graphs, the Turin Shroud or the Large Hadron Collider, then this is the one for you. He will also hear personal problems but is prone to offering practical solutions rather than a shoulder to cry upon as he is only 6 inches tall (when standing) and finds such shows of emotion physically uncomfortable.

This dear little chap has fully functional button-jointed arms and legs, the shiniest black eyes and a grand nose as the olfactory sense in one so diminutive must be even greater than that of the average bear to aid survival.

It was touch and go whether he would actually reach the shop window as he is a borderline genius and has been wooed by various organizations (i'm afraid i can't go into details - suffice to say we had to sign the Official Secrets Act). However, at the last minute, he broke down, shouting "I am a Bovis Bear, not a human being" and only calmed down when we agreed to revert to Plan A, the plan that all Bovis Bears are brought into this world for - to grow up and become somebody's greatest friend and companion and guardian ad infinitum.

He is a Bovis Bear and he's ready for (almost) anything! 

 
 It's so nice for them to be traveling together. Apparently their new companion has a working steam engine; to see one is the corduroy bear's greatest wish! To make a bear's dream come true is a wonderful thing.

 Goodbye bears! Safe journey!
 Only 6 left in the shop now, i'll have to get busy...

new bricks and timber

 A couple of weeks ago (after fairly gentle but sustained nagging from Sally) i finally had my Helen Keller fountain moment with crochet. Here is my learning curve so far:

Single Crochet

Double Crochet

Bump Stitch (with sc and dc's)

Puff or Cluster Stitch

Single, Double and Treble with a line of Trinity Stitch (chunky yarn, size 10 hook)

a simple Lacy Shell Stitch

Single, Double and Triple+Cluster+another Trinity attempt with 4ply cotton and 3.5mm hook

And finally, Trinity, Single, Double, Half Double, Popcorn and a dense Shell in different colours! I'm getting attached to this sampler so it might well become my first piece of crochet work - maybe a bag with a fabric lining.

  My first thoughts as i sat dumbfounded (and not for the first time) with my hooks and Crochet for Dummies book, were: this is just silly, it's like trying to knit with one arm tied behind my back. A couple of times i found myself crocheting onto the hook as if it was a knitting needle. As for the instructions, i can't tell you how many times i said "oh come off it! Never!" out loud.
 It all came together for me when i put the book aside and settled in front of YouTube.. My favourite teacher is Mikey Small from allfreecrochet.com A few of his tutorials have his hands working in front of a slightly sinister baby doll. Here's a link to Trinity Stitch with Mikey

There is also a German lady called Eliza (nadelspiel.com) with a beautifully accented voice and whose hands often speed up over repeat stitches. She shows quite complex work with fine yarns and hooks - it's like watching a spider weaving! Here's a link: Eliza's Big Fan Stitch

  i really like making crochet now that i can do it. No more skipping over patterns that require a crocheted border! And maybe one day i will be able to follow a whole crochet pattern.
 Many thanks to Sally [link to her blog] Knits Of The Round Table who saw that i had 3.5mm and 10mm hooks and gave me a far more sensible 5mm one. Magic wand!

 New Things to Do! Wooooo!