Five months later

Hi folks, yes it's just over five months since my last post and I reckoned it was time to come back to my blog and get back up to date again.

First of all, I cannot crochet at all at the moment. A month ago, I fell in the street and broke my left wrist. My wrist is in a cast and will remain so until 19th November, when I go back to the hospital to have the pins removed. Then I'll need physio to get everything back to normal.

I can't go to work, I can't crochet, typing is a tedious one-handed job, and it takes me almost an hour to get up and dressed in the morning. Not to mention how my wardrobe is now limited to the clothes that are easy to put on (no zips!) and that fit over the cast.

But I decided not to whine about it. My husband helps me when I need it. I can still use my camera a bit. I at last took a photo of Charles in his finished state :) I can still write. And I can still draw. And drawing is what I've been doing most of. Here are some of my drawings. I hope you like them

Meet Charles

Hello there! This is Charles, a cheeky monkey. Actually, he's a prototype monkey for now. I have lots of ideas about how to improve the pattern, but he did insist on having his photo taken, even though his legs haven't been attached yet. He's a very impatient monkey, and the rather thin yarn I used to make him with is making me rather impatient too!

Fun with felt

My mobile phone, which I've had since 2008 (yes, that's six years ago) has been on the blink for a while. It couldn't find the phone network any more, and in order to send texts from my home, I had to hold it out of the window.

So I decided to treat myself to a new phone and I found a reasonably-priced phone that suits me fine. And once I had the phone, it needed a case, of course. In the end I made three. Mine is the one on the left with a rabbit on it. The idea for the design came from the drawings I'd made for my crochet rabbit pattern. The middle design is for my husband. And the one on the right I made for a friend at work.

Felt is such a wonderful material. It's easy to cut, it doesn't fray, it's thick and soft. I've even received some orders for custom phone cases for my friends and colleagues. 

It's been a while...

I've not written on this blog for a while, in fact I've been pretty quiet everywhere. But I've been busy too. Here's a little run-down of what I've been up to.

First of all, here's what I made with the yarn I talked about in my last post. These squares, vest and baby sleeping bags have already gone to South Africa where they'll keep AIDS orphans warm. If you want to know how to do the same thing, check out www.knit-a-square.com.

For many years now, I've been promising myself a Kenwood Chef and now I have one! I finally found a good bargain, which includes the meat mincer and the liquidiser, and compared to some other well-known more colourful models, this one was not expensive. You may notice a little creature up there...

Well he wasn't alone! I had rather an invasion of baby turtles! This is a free pattern on Ravelry. You need to be a member of Ravelry to obtain it, but that's something I highly recommend, and it's free!

And before I leave, here are some goodies I've made using my new Kenwood. Yummy yummy!

Next time I'll show you what else I've been making. Not crochet for a change... come back soon!

Why I crochet for charity

I picked up a great bargain in our local Red Cross charity shop the other day. For the meagre sum of 5 euros, I came out with a big bag full of brand new yarn. Red, pink and white yarn, with labels still intact, 34 balls in all. My, was I happy! I smiled all the way back home, and then set to work.

As soon as I saw that yarn, I knew exactly what I was going to do with it. I'd be crocheting items for Knit-a-Square. KAS, as it's also known, is a charity based in South Africa that collects knitted and crochet squares and sews them into blankets for AIDS orphans throughout South Africa.

There are many associations and organisations around the world that accept crocheted goods. Many of them are based in the US, but I hail from Europe and hadn't seen the same level of interest from hospitals, care homes and charities over here.

But why did I choose Knit-a-Square? Well, like most things, it was a chain of events that led me there. It's almost as if Knit-a-Square chose me.

Early in 2012, a close friend of mine who knows how much I love to crochet sent me a link via Facebook. It was a short article about a group of women in Denmark who knit blankets, hats and clothes for babies and children in Tanzania. At the same time, at work we had started getting busy preparing a huge congress that would be held at the end of 2012 in Durban, South Africa.

I knew I would be leaving for South Africa a few months later. And I decided to have a look on the Internet if there were any charities there to which I could donate some crocheted goods. A quick search for "crochet charity South Africa" ensued, and the first link was, yes, Knit-a-Square.

To quote from their website: "It is estimated that there are 14.8 million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa. 1.9 million live in South Africa.
Many of these children are AIDS orphans or have been abandoned. Many live in great poverty in informal settlements. Some head up families of their siblings together with other children. Some live alone, without shelter, in hills and dumps around the cities.The knit-a-square project was started as a family project in 2008 and is now a world-wide community numbering an estimated 12,000 people in 54 countries round the world.
Together we work hard to help warm and comfort the children and we'd greatly value your contribution to this knitting project for the AIDS orphans of southern Africa. We ask the world's knitters and crocheters to send 8"/20 cm squares to South Africa, where we have them sewn into blankets for the children."

Local charities ensure the children are cared for, and Knit-a-Square works towards keeping them warm and happy. A group of KAS volunteers in South Africa collects the squares that are sent from all over the world and sews them into blankets for the children. KAS then deals with distribution. There are some beautiful photos on their website of the distributions, showing the children wrapped in their blankets. KAS also accepts donations of knitted and crochet vests, hats, pull-overs and baby sleeping bags, as well as toys, socks, gloves and stationery for the children. You can also make a financial donation via the website.

Why crochet for charity? After all, crochet can be a lucrative business. There is a market for patterns, and crocheted goods sell well. I make and design crochet toys, and even though my patterns are available for free, I do sell a few finished articles, mostly so that I can buy more yarn to make even more. Some people have made crochet their business and make their lives from it.

But I wanted to help. And I believe that's what drives people to crochet for charity. Here in the western world, we hardly ever see poverty. Of course there are people who are less well off than others, but a vision of real poverty is rare.

I knew how fortunate I was to live in relative ease. I was going to visit a country thousands of miles away. I would be staying in a comfortable hotel, and after the conference I would be going on a great safari. But away from the tourist routes and the posh hotels, there were 1.9 million orphans who needed my help.

So I started crocheting. And in the few weeks before I left for South Africa, I managed to crochet 15 squares and a hat. I also added six crocheted or sewn toys to my parcel. In December, I flew over to Durban and from there, I posted my parcel to Knit-a-Square. When I got back home, I carried on crocheting squares.

I continue to design, make and sell crochet toys. But I set aside some time and yarn to continue to crochet for charity. Making the squares is quick and easy and a great way to try out some new techniques and designs. And most of all, while I'm crocheting, I imagine the face of a child, far away, for whom my very small act of kindness may be making a huge difference.

www.knit-a-square.com

Little jacket and other toy clothes

Sorry I've not posted for so long. A recent shoulder injury has meant I've been unable to crochet or type, and I'm just about getting on top of everything again.

It's rather overdue, but here at last is the pattern for the little jacket mentioned in my previous post (where you'll find a pattern for a toy dress).  I've also made some more, very simple clothes for a doll, teddy or rabbit. These are ideal stash-busters too. For some of the items I'm giving instructions rather than an actual pattern, so that you can easily adjust each item to the size required. The main stitch used is dc (tr in UK terms). This stitch isn't what I'd use for amigurumi, but for doll's clothes it is fine, and it makes them very quick to make.

The jacket pattern is based on the pattern I used for the baby cardigans I blogged about here, for which the pattern is available here. However, as this is for dolls, the whole thing is a lot smaller. I have included instructions for two sizes, and you can again alter them by using thicker or thinner yarns, larger or smaller hooks. Once you get the idea of how the jacket is constructed, you can make it in several sizes, and alter the length, the borders, and so on.

Here's the pattern. This little jacket is made from the top down.

Smaller size (underarm measurement 28 cm) -

Ch 27.
1 dc in 3rd ch from hook, 1 dc in next 2ch.  3 dc in next ch. 1 dc in next 4 ch.  3 dc in next ch.  1 dc in next 6 ch.  3 dc in next ch.  1 dc in next 4 ch.  3 dc in next ch. 1 dc in next 4 ch to end. Turn.

For the next 3 rows, you will gradually increase and shape the top of the jacket as follows:

ch3 (replaces 1st dc). 1 dc in each st, but work 3 dc in the centre stitch of each 3 dc group, to the end of the row. Turn.

Next row:

xh 3 (replaces 1st dc). 1 dc in each stitch until you reach the centre stitch of the 3 dc group. Skip to next 3dc group, work 1 dc in centre stitch of that group, then continue 1 dc in each stitch to the centre stitch of the following 3dc group. Skip to next 3dc group, work 1 dc in centre stitch of that group, then continue to end. Turn.

Continue working straight until the jacket is as long as you wish it to be. You may like to add an extra row at the bottom to make it flare out a bit. To do this, just work 1 dc in first st, 2 dc in next st, to end.

Now work a row of sc along the front borders and the neckline. Sew a button close to the neckline. You don't need to make a button hole, just use a gap between the stitches.

Larger size (underarm measurement 32 cm)

The larger size is made the same way, just starting with a longer starting chain and altering the first row as follows:

Ch 35.

1 dc in 3rd ch from hook, 1 dc in next 3 ch.  3 dc in next ch. 1 dc in next 5 ch.  3 dc in next ch.  1 dc in next 10 ch.  3 dc in next ch.  1 dc in next 5 ch.  3 dc in next ch. 1 dc in next 5 ch to end. Turn.

You should also increase for 4 rows before starting on the straight part.

Trousers

This pattern for doll's trousers is very simple. You just make two identical pieces and sew them together, adding a "waistband"  at the end. You can easily adjust the pattern to fit your doll or other toy.

Start by making a chain the approximate required length of the trousers.  Then work in rows of dc until you obtain a rectangle that is wide enough to fit around your doll's leg easily. Next work one row of dc, but stopping about half-way down the leg, then another row if dc (or more, or less, depending on the size of your doll), still finishing half-way down. This makes the gusset. Finish off.

Make a second identical piece.

Now fold your pieces with the gusset piece at the top, and place them so that one gusset piece is in front and the other at the back. They should look like a piar of trousers! Sew the two pieces together, making sure you obtain the trouser shape.

To make the waistband, attach the yarn to the top, and work 1 dc, 1 ch around the top. Weave a ribbon through the waistband and pull to fit.

Hat

The hat is newsboy style. You can easily adjust it to fit your doll by adding extra increase rows.

In a magic circle, ch 3 and 14 dc into the circle. Ss to top of first st. Turn

Ch 3, 2 dc in each st. Turn.

Ch 3, 1 dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, around. Turn.

Ch 3, 1 dc in each st around. Turn.

Work 2 more rows of dc, turning at the end of each row.

Work 2 rows of sc, without turning.

Work 1 row of sc, decreasing every 5 stitches or whatever is necessary to reach the size required.

Make the brim: ch 2, 1 dc in next 16 sts, 1 hdc in next st. Fasten off.


I hope you enjoy making these simple items. Feel free to embellish and alter them to your taste!