Dream Fantasy

Odoh's Story.

Odoh the owl woke up one Summer morning and opened his eyes.

Odoh was amazed by what he saw lying before him, there stretching as far as the eye could see was a magical land, one that filled him with awe and wonder.  He set out to explore wishing that he had a friend with which he could share his adventure but unable to resist, he trepidly stepped across the stepping stones that led him to areas of lovely golden sand and broad green strips of meadow.

He jumped and played in the sand feeling the silky grains beneath his feet, running through he meadow of tall grass he didn't see them until he was almost upon them! a row of beautiful flowers filling the air with the most heavenly scent .

Odoh leaned on the picket fence and gazed up at the fluffy clouds in the sky above, they were tinged with a hint of dawn and reflected the green of the meadows below.

Looking far into the distance he could see a rippling steam flanked by a bridge on either side, Odoh was too scared to cross the bridge because he could see the water running below and he was afraid of falling...hang on! I can hear you saying, he's an owl he has wings he could fly.... but remember Odoh wanted to savour this adventure step by step and not miss a bit of it, everything goes past in a blur when you are flying and anyway this is his story so please stop interrupting.  Where was I? oh yes, because he didn't want to cross the bridge, Odoh took the path up the side and was mesmerised by the clear blue water rippling by, he sat on the side of the stream and let his feet trail into the cool water and had lots of fun splashing and scaring the little fish that swam beneath.

He got to his feet and stood on his tip toes,there just over the bridge on the other side Odoh spied something that set him off trotting as fast as his legs could carry him, I know I haven't seen an owl trotting either but that's what he said so I believe him.  Before he even realised  he had actually crossed the dreaded bridge and had ran down the pathway. Guess what he found? beautiful shells as far as the eye could see, in shades of pink and lilac, they had been thrown up by the rippling stream which after all did flow directly from the sea. he scooped some of them up to add to his shell collection (don't ask!) In his excitement he flew up into the air and gazed down below him.

He could see that this magic land stretched out a whole day before him changing only with the shades of time, he flew down and set off to enjoy the rest of his magical day.

Guess what Odoh found at the end of his fantasy? 
(Revealed below)

Fantasy Blanket 

I have really enjoyed making this blanket, it's a great stash buster, my completed blanket measures 43''x31'' and it took 400 grams of yarn

I want to make one for each of my four children so if/when they have kids of their own they can share the magic too. I can imagine this as a pretty cot cover, with a little baby lying snugly beneath having sweet magical dreams.

Thank you Ana for the great Pattern and tutorial you can find it here
Thank you Lorene for the great owl pattern you can find it here

It's the end of the month again! I can see by the Summer Link Party you are all doing so well with your stash-busting even in the heat of Summer, so keep linking and visiting and have a lovely Summer!

For those of you who are counting please leave your totals here

My total for this month are 750 grams.

So here is what Odoh found at the end of his fantasy.

A new friend! her name is Odah and she is for real :)

They hope to share many adventures together, after all they are woven by the same yarn, so I think they might. :)

Felix the cat sits on the roof and looks on.....he is not convinced! are you?

A Collection of Flowers 3

I really can't be bothered with big projects right now, don't you find it hard to knit or crochet when it's so warm?  I'm not complaining about the lovely weather long may it last! it's just that I need to crochet or I will get withdrawal symptoms and so, small is the way to go. 
I have been making lots of cute little projects with 4 ply cotton, they turn out so sweet but I have found the smaller the project the more wear and tear on my thumbs so I'm having to be careful because they are aching quite a bit just now.  While I am on the subject I found this blog post today which I found really interesting, it's a pity it wasn't available last year when my problems first started.  There is lots of good advice on there for any of you who have problems with your hands.

This is what I have been up to today.

I made these with Patons DK cotton and a 3.5mm hook

These are made with Patons 4ply and a 2.5mm hook

I thought they would be good for bag charms or hanging on a key ring.  I always think it's nice to have a few little things like this just to give away as gifts.

Then I had to put the cotton away but my crochet cravings weren't satisfied so I made these with DK wool.  
You can find the free pattern for these cute flowers here 

I have a plan for these they are going to sit with the granny roses and puff flowers that I made before, I need just a few more flowers before I put this plan into action, all will be revealed once it's done, I only hope that this idea of mine works or I'm gonna look a bit silly....haha but then I'm used to that. :)

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend!

Crochet Baby Dress

I think that crocheting little baby dresses is one of my most favourite things to do.  I see a pretty pattern and I have to make it, simple as that.

I do wish I had a little baby girl to model this for me.

It's so very simple to make even the lacy bodice was easy enough once I got my 'you must concentrate!' head on 



This is the hem as shown in the pattern and yes it is very pretty but it just didn't seem right to me, the lacy holes were too big, I also felt that the dress was too straight.   So I sat and thought and pondered a bit, and then I started playing about with my hook, lots of pulling out and restarting until I got the effect I wanted.  

I was so happy with the result, I think it's finished the dress off perfectly, it's given it a cute little flare....very chic for a cute little miss.

I did think about adding a flower but I think the lacy bodice is enough, a flower would spoil the effect.

Back view

Stats
To fit 6 to 12 months
Hook size 3 mm, 3.50 and 3.75 I gradually increased the hook size to give a fuller look.
I used 4ply Special Stylecraft yarn in shade raspberry and it took exactly 100 grams.
You can find the free pattern here 

Also a good excuse to show off my lovely roses.

Hope you are all having a great week!

My Family Think I've Lost The Plot!

A Collection Of Flowers 2

The Granny Rose

When I'm sitting with nothing to do I find myself just picking up a hook and making a few of these. it doesn't matter where you are people always comment on how lovely they are.
Thank you Astri for introducing me to these beautiful roses.

I have a couple of projects in mind for these, now take a look at this.

Does that not want to make you weep? my poor shrub was killed by the frosts!

but all is not lost....tadaaaa

It's amazing how more and more roses seem to blossom but they never die off!  I started off with 24 and at the last count there were 36, they just seem to fly off my hook and land right here.

 I think that looks so much better don't you? 

Why do some people namely one certain brother not understand that it's ok to be a bit silly now and then, he thought I should chop it down!!!......or do you think I've lost the plot too?  I don't mind it's staying haha

It seems that red roses are in just now have you seen what Astri has been doing with her's take a peep.

I will show you what I did with the others in a later post

Stats

Each rose takes just 5 grams of yarn
find the pattern here

Yes I've gone and done it again!

Fantasy Blanket Progress

I have just gone and done what I always do! jumped in with both feet and started another project when I already have about another six on the go.  Yes you may well have guessed  Ana's has done it again with her Fantasy blanket when I saw it I really couldn't resist, it's such a beautiful whimsical blanket how could I?

So first it was the selection of the yarn, most of it came out of my baby stash because I want this to be a blanket in pastel shades with splashes of deeper colour here and there.

Then out I went into the garden into the beautiful sunshine feeling so happy, because the sun was shinning and because I couldn't wait to get started.  It seemed so right to be hooking this blanket amongst my flowers.

Here is my progress so far, I love all the different stitches in this blanket and it really is a fantasy blanket because you can weave your own story into it with each different stitch you use.

I can see flowers, grass, sea, sand and sky, all the magic of summer.

 It blends well with my roses.

A touch of Summer romance.

 Thank you Ana for designing this lovely blanket I think I will be making more than one.

Hope you are all having a great weekend!

A Collection of flowers 1

Remember what I said about small projects well you can't get much smaller than flowers and lets face it we all love them, they are great for using up your tiny scraps of yarn and you can never have enough! it's always good to have lots ready just in case you need them for embellishing or for some beautiful flowery project.  

There are hundreds of beautiful free flower patterns out there so I'm going to pick some and place them right here with their pattern links in my flower collection so that they are nice and handy for us all to use.

The first ones I've been making are these

6 Petal Puff Stitch Flower

I always had a bit of an aversion to puff stitch until I started making these, they are such fun to do and addictive, once you get going you will want to try them in all sorts of colour combinations.
Thank you Tara for the pattern and tutorial.

I do have a couple of projects in mind for my flowers and one involves my scraps of yarn.  Yes the collecting of scraps continues and I'm pleased to say that the jar is as full as it's going to get and I have started filling another. For those who are new to my blog and may be feeling a little confused right now you may want to read the TUSAL posts which you can find in my Labels on the left side bar.

I feel slightly ashamed about this next bit, I am very late in thanking Helen for sending me these lovely flowers last year. I was going to thank her once the project I wanted them for was finished and she could see them in action as it were, truth is that project had to be scrapped due to persistent bad weather. ( I was going to fill a trellis with flowers in my garden) So a very belated thank you Helen, your beautiful flowers were well and truly appreciated and I will use them very soon I promise.

I am following Ana's Fantasy Blanket CAL, do take a peek if you haven't already.  I am a bit behind but once I have caught up I will be showing my progress, those who are following don't forget to link your progress in the summer link party so we can see all the different lovely colour combinations.