The creativity of crocheting can extend into many mediums!

Howdy! Long time... no crochet? Terrible joke.

It's been a while since my previous post, but I promise to make it a good one! The summer has come and gone, and my time has mostly been spent saying goodbye to lots of new friends I'd made in the last year on my placement, and saying hello and catching up to some old acquaintances as I make my return to University.

And its my FINAL YEAR.

As you would expect, such pressuring circumstances come with major distractions! Actually on this occasion it hasn't been crocheting - and that is what is different about this post!

Moving into student housing holds many stigmas including - everything smells, and the white walls look a little bit brown, and what is that stain in the toilet? - and this house was certainly no different. In fact, everything just seemed to be sticky and this led to me constantly shouting "why?!" (Noone has yet given me answers but I have theories!).

So I've had a bit of time to settle in - and one of the things that has helped me with this is a small - distraction - project to uplift the house a bit!

One of the van full of things I brought with me was an old bookcase! Being a pro at the ol' student thing, one of the other downfalls of student housing is the severe lack of storage. The bookcase used to belong in the office at home, naturally with refurbishments this one became void. So I took it! Initially I was just happy with the storage, but then thought how interesting it would be to try some DIY creativity with it!

This spent many trips to a low cost branded paint shop and buying little taster pots! Whenever there were 5 minutes spare I would gradually paint this bookcase. Very therapeutic! But also.. I have no idea about anything to do with painting and learnt a lot in the process, like:

• Sticky tape is required for nice straight edges
• If you get paint on the glass... its ok, you've just found out it scratches off later!
• But don't get paint on the floor - because this floor does not belong to you.

Learning all of these things were crucial, but its all in the name of FUN.

In addition to this (because you thought the excitement ended there) I decided to wallpaper! Painting, although not formally tried I had intelligent guesses on how it worked - but wallpaper I had not a clue.

But I also learnt lots more of DIY like:

• There is such thing as too much paste
• If you haven't got the right tools, a wooden spoon and a kitchen knife just won't cut it (literally).
• It can be great entertainment to fellow inhabitants.

And voila! A new funky upbeat bookcase! 

Envy of all the students houses!

How to make Socks!

A couple of posts ago I explained how to make slippers. A well received gift! Well I'm about to show you another great gift that I made especially to fit. And you will soon see why.

These particular socks are of the slipper variety - mostly because of the wool that I chose! I used a DK BONUS acrylic type wool. (Still on the acrylic!...)
This recipient happen to be my dad, and for a very special reason - I crocheted him a pair of slipper socks!



This is the video tutorial I followed. What I like to do with most tutorials is to attach my own ideas to the design, and with crochet being so flexible I am able to do that. To make it more of a slipper I stopped at the ankle and removed the sock element to my design. This particular garment was made up of mostly Single Crochet stitches so is really simple.

The issue that anyone should be aware of when using this video, is to adapt the number of stitches and rows according to the size of your wool. Probably basic common sense. Ha.

So what was special about this gift was the alterations I had to make for the perfect fit for my dad's odd sized feet. Due to an accident at work, my dad has an amputated left foot.

The amazing part is obviously the success, but also the appreciation for the effort,  and my dad loved and still loves wearing them! 

So much so... I can feel another request coming my way!

Look, I received a gift!

I've just come back from celebrating my other half's graduation, which I will soon be experiencing myself next year!... But with these occasions, you end up mingling with family members and friends. The fact that I have a hobby in crochet has got round, and my boyfriend's Gran got chatting with me about how my crocheting is going. Such a lovely lady, and she got out the cupboard something that she had made in the past...

A poncho! For something that was made so long ago it's amazing how fashionable it looks and I was honoured to receive it, not only because she had made it, but because it was the first project she had ever crocheted. Along with the sentimental elements, this poncho also demonstrates how basic my crocheting is - but it is certainly my aim to get good!

So now I can share and enjoy the creativity of other peoples crochet! I won't be able to wear it just yet with outside reaching temperatures around 27C... but certainly will be waiting for me when winter makes its return!

How to make... Slippers!

For me money has been a bit on the low side, and learning how to crochet has meant that when it comes to birthdays, you can create something unique to that person, and only pay for the wool! And at this point the only type I was using was Acrylic, which can be found affordable anywhere.

The recipient was female and so decided the appropriate gift was a pair of slippers! In this case what was good about the wool I selected was that it was completely machine washable and can be put in the tumble dryer! Which is what you need when something is being used constantly with feet.

This is the You Tube video I followed :

Being on my own and learning from no background in craft at all, You Tube has been a blessing for me - as I have yet to even learn proper crochet lingo - especially when it comes to patterns! (Something that will become obvious to in due course)

The slipper design is very simple but it teaches you two very important things:
How to crochet a circle
How to Slip Stitch

Which leads me on to my second part of the design...
A flower!


This is such a nice basic flower design! And actually not too difficult to make (but required all of my concentration at first)

When I was making the slippers I was really quite unwell (Not a virus I hasten to add!), with some time off work I was able to sit down, with a film, and crochet.
So this is why everyone likes it so much! It's therapeutic.

The recipient was amazed, not only because I could crochet, but because I got the size right and made something unique to her. To this day she reminds me of how comfortable the slippers are, and how she wears them all the time.

A brilliant gift - all for the bargain price of £1.80 (And some hours of my time...)

My First Official Project

It has to start somewhere doesn't it? I've already explained to you up until now how it has gone for me. To be honest, even though I was rubbish for a bit, I was quite happy to keep going and already pretty addicted. Ha.

You've probably noticed I had a bright yellow wool to practice with. Funny story - this was actually a mistake, my intentions were orange and I bought the wool online. When it came through in the post I was slightly surprised by how unlike orange the colour was.

But since it was just practice wool, it didn't seem to matter.

Lets go back 5 months and it was winter time - which is hard to imagine in Britain - as this post is going out we are experiencing a freak heat wave. Crochet is great  at winter because of all the obvious things, scarves hats.... And gloves.

Yes my first project was gloves! It was because I was strolling through YouTube and they looked so nice... I had to do it.



So I practiced first with my bright yellow wool, and my mum witnessed this magical creation where something actually went right. As my first ever customer she bought wool that she liked and  I made her a pair of gloves.

Amazing.


Actually though, the response from her and family members was quite positive. That's part of the addiction in crochet, you become this super hero who can, in my case, make gloves.

I won't take all the credit though - here is the video I followed!

I recommend this "youtuber" a lot because she makes it really simple - even though it has a double crochet foundation! (I think, ha ha still learning names) This is a lot different to just a chain foundation and has led me to inspiration to other projects that I will show you soon!

Such a great gift idea, because you can adapt it to how they want, and for my mum she wanted long gloves but you can make them short like with the yellow wool.

Practising those Stitches

It's good to learn to know different stitches other than the Single Crochet. There are some really nice easy ones out there too!

You know what is even better? Learning their names too!
Ones I recommend to use:

• Half Double Crochet
• Double Crochet
• Treble Crochet

Here is a great website that tells you about them

These stitches are really nice, simple and effective too. And if you want to be quite progressive with your crocheting they can be quicker than just the standard Single Crochet.  Not only this of course you can experiment with different looks and styles!



This video demonstrates the double crochet stitch. Youtube is a powerful tool to be able to find those videos that are helpful to learn and to recap the stitch if you forget! It's like having your own personal teacher. But... you control when they talk and shut them up if they're boring!

So that scarf you made with just a Single Crochet Stitch? Try it with the other basic stitches.

You must stick around this blog as soon I'm going to show you my FIRST EVER PROJECT! :)

Small plug - Go and visit neighbourly blog The Amazing World of Science - so educational, and if you are really into science you will definitely learn something new!

New Facebook Page!

I've just launched my own Facebook page! Pretty new to all this page malarkey! Never the less it is there for you upload  your projects! I would love to see what you get up to.

Share the inspiration!

Anyway, you can find it in the link on the right or simply by clicking here

Expect more diary of events very soon!

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Glastonbury Festival!

I have just come back from Glastonbury Festival! Absolutely brilliant I must say! I've watched the festival many times on the television, but the atmosphere isn't quite replicated the same as when you are there in the flesh. I wasn't sure if it would be my type of thing, but I found out.. that it is. 


I started off the day seeing Stornoway, which is an upcoming folk influenced band that I would be happy to hear more of!
Next I tried to see Bruce Forsyth - haha no luck... He sounded like good fun though!
I got a great place though seeing Of Monsters and Men!
And finished the evening with some jigging with Seth Lakeman, and singing with the headline act, Mumford & Sons.


What does this have to do with crochet?
Well, I made a top! 
As part of  the Glastonbury spirit, I felt it was the occasion, and also a reason to complete a project that needed completing.

It's a really basic top and I'm going to make further embellishments. I'll give this top a proper explanation in the future, but for now here is a picture!

Keep Crocheting!

Start off Simple

To anyone who is looking into crocheting, when you start learning more than just a chain, its good to start off doing something that is square. I don't mean literally, but things such as headbands and scarves are great as its a case of getting that initial foundation sorted, and the rest is easy.

Just a reminder from my previous post, here is the image that shows my ambitions to make a scarf. At first the changeable edges had something going for it, but as it went on it slowly got thinner and thinner... and made less sense as a scarf.

The reason I failed is because I didn't count! In the video from my previous post, the lady talks about counting your stitches, but I didn't take notice and for some time struggled with why I couldn't get it right.

When I look back at this photo, I realise how disorganised my stitches are, and there was no hope really! At the time, no one knew of my crazy hobby and I wanted to surprise them with it. By fate my niece was to turn 1 and I was desperate to show off my skills (that I didn't quite have yet).

For me, at that point, I need that motivation to give me a reason to make something. I practised and practised... and YES! A simple headband on its way!












....I did need help from my mum, though.

Let's talk Slipknot, but not the band...

I remember being taught them back when I was at guides, I have a badge to show it, but actually I remember nothing about them...

Their role in crocheting is the starting point. It's a simple loop knot which is adjustable, and pretty hard to get wrong.

• Take 10cm of wool 
• Wrap it round your finger
• Feed the wool through the circle you have just created
• Don't feed all of the wool through.. This will just create a normal knot
• Insert the crochet hook and use the end to tighten into a Slipknot...

It's quite difficult to explain,  easier done than said.. 
So here is a video instead! 

Actually this video is great because it shows you how to hold your crochet hook - which for people who knit it is very strange - but if you started out brand new like me it wasn't so bad at all! But you have to remember that the purpose of the left hand is to create the tension of the stitch - this is the part that takes loads of practice...

You can also use this video to learn to Chain and create a Single Crochet Stitch. 
When I first started I really didn't do very well... and it's quite hard when adding an extra row, to get that right too. I have photos to prove it!

This image on the right, believe or not was never meant to be this shape! As I was crocheting I was giving my made up creation different purposes as I went along. That's the beauty of crochet, to have the option to "kind of" make it up.I think I settled with finger glove, but there were ruder suggestions made!


To the left is my second attempt - trying to keep those edges in line is so difficult. You just have to keep practising! It's easy for me to say now I've got past this stage, and at the time it was a bit of a joke because I wasn't a natural.

Apologies for the a long, detailed post, but these aspects really are needed together, and are good to learn. Just watch the video. Trust me.
By the way, if you have photos to share then please do! I'm always interested to see others' creations!

First Post...

I am absolutely new to the world of craft. My introduction to crochet came as an unexpected one, and following in the same way for no reason at all it has decided to stick with me as a hobby, of all things! There are some people I have met on my journey when learning about crochet, but most follow the woolly craft from having learnt knitting, or being taught back at school in subjects such as Textiles...

I have decided to create this blog from the perspective of a complete newbie. I have had no lessons, and so far have been learning for a few months, but will slowly show you the process of how I have been learning - with plenty more to come!

Well - How did it all begin?....

Currently I work at a community radio station, and get to meet some fascinating characters - and work with some of them too! - some that you will get to know over the course of this blog I'm sure. But, it was on a non-peculiar day that I complimented a Youth Worker for her adorable head band. It was green, with some cute details of flowers, and looked nice and warm. Her response was simple "I made it!". Completely intrigued by this, our conversation continued for some time, and by the end of it, my conclusion was that I needed to give it a go. 

We all have these conversations from time to time, and quite often they don't materialise, or you just cannot copy someone else's enthusiasm for something. However, a situation came my way where I had a voucher -  so I purchased some crochet hooks.. and some wool! For me it was win - win, if it didn't work out then I hadn't lost any money on it, but if it did work out - then that's great too! And lucky for me, it came out as the latter, and I have been able to appreciate crochet as an art, as a money saving way to get new clothes and to create something unique to you and as a way to gain inspiration from others!

This blog is going to feature some of my tips that I have already discovered as a novice "crocheter", videos that I have found in particular to be helpful to me, as well as showing you some of the things I have made so far to help inspire you!

Join me as we learn about the World of Crochet together!

Selina x