Apparently April 2020 has been and gone, it has seemingly slipped by silently…drowned out by the roar of Covid-19, and all without as much as a blog post from me. My sincerest apologies, the NHS has been a crazy place to be employed of late and I have found it difficult to transition from there and slip into the rather relaxed mode at home…it feels like I am straddling two time zones!
I have been productive however, and I have a few things to show you and some good patterns I have found to share with you. The first of which is from one of my all time favourite designers…Mon petit violon. I have a brand-new niece scheduled to arrive in this world at any moment and I fell in love with the ruffle romper by Mon Petit Violon. So just before we were locked down I ordered 2 balls of Rico cotton soft in saffron. As soon as they arrived through the letter box I got my hook out and, well pretty much got lost in the beautiful stitches and shape of this romper. I oohed and aahhed as I hooked (no, I really did…out loud!). The pattern is a wonderful hook, it is clearly written and comes in two size options 0 – 6 months and 6 -12 months. I am hooking the 0 – 6 months as baby is due any day now.
There are plenty of helpful pictures included in the pattern too and although the stitches used are simple, I would suggest you would need some previous knowledge and experience of crochet and reading patterns so as not to be overwhelmed. Oh and of course it is very important to test swatch your gauge to begin with!
So there I was oohing and aahhing and hooking away merrily and what I should have done was read the partof the pattern which suggested amounts of yarn, because just as I got to the ruffle part…I ran out of yarn!
I should have ordered 3 balls! No problem! I thought and hit the button to order more…but an ‘out of stock’ message appeared! No problem! I thought as I checked the box that said ‘send email when back in stock’.
Three weeks passed and no email…a frantic search online found my heart sinking as shop after shop did not have any balls of saffron left. In desperation last week I put an appeal out on Instagram to see if any lovely hooker, anywhere in the world had some in their stash to sell to me… and my wonderful #sidekicksistas came to the rescue. The beautiful Karen alerted me to 3 balls that were available at Laughing Hens! Now I had never come across this beautiful gem of shop before…but I hit the order button and am now just waiting for my yarn to arrive, so I can get that ruffle hooked hopefully before my niece arrives!
Talking of patterns I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for the support you have given to me with my recent pattern release.
You have really blessed me!
I promise I won’t leave it as long before I next drop by.
I’ve had a lovely few days celebrating another year…yes, it was my birthday!
I have been well and truly spoilt this year and I have had some great yarny presents too, which I thought I’d share with you.
I kicked things off by booking time off work and then was treated to the most loveliest of birthday eve meals with my parents and brother as well as my guys too. It was a really great way to start the celebrations. My actual birthday day…you know what I mean! was relaxed and laid back, hanging out with the boys and Mr R.
We had a game of birthday badminton before cake and coffee…
no guilt involved, as calories definitely don’t count on your birthday! It was a beautiful coffee and walnut cake…my absolute favourite!
We took time out to notice Spring has well and truly arrived…
and I enjoyed finding some more spring inspiration whilst browsing around too.
Fabulous zingy spring vibes right there!
I spent more time with family andfriends and of course did some hooking too…this is how far I have got with my C2C rainbow heart blanket. Pattern details are just here.
rainbow baby blanket
I also got some great yarny presents too.
Fabulous personalized crochet hooks of my bestie and…
Mr. R surprised me with tickets to this years Yarndale Festival which is in September….SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
So, I’m feeling very loved and very blessed and quite yarny today.
As 2018 draws to a close and 2019 peeps over the horizon, it is that time of year when bloggers from all around the world post their obligatory review of the year.
Yes, this is that type of post…however, I have kept it simple and I have decided to choose just one photo from each month…yarn related of course.
Suffice just to say, 2018 has had it’s ups and downs, as I am sure it has for you; but crochet has, as always been my constant therapy! 2018 was all about busting my stash, finishing Projects Half Done (PHD’s) and learning to knit…I have also released the following FREE patterns this year which I hope you have enjoyed.
Being part of an amazing crafty community means so much to me and I just want to say a MASSIVE thank you to you, whether you are a first time reader or if you are a regular here at the nest. Your support and encouragement is treasured.
February, revolved around guilt free crochet as I ended up on crutches and had to take a month out of work. Luckily, for me I found the beautiful Seaside Stashbusting Blanket CAL hosted by the very talented Coastal Crochet It was the perfect project to bust some of my stash…every cloud eh!
March 2018
crochet and coffee
This is my favourite photo from March. My Seaside Stash Busting Blanket was starting to look more blanket like and by now I was enjoying the random colour selection from my stash.
April 2018
On a personal level April was profoundly traumatic and sad here at the nest, but on a yarny level I released the pattern for this beauty. I just love this blanket so, so much and it proved to be a welcome shower of cheer which burst forth amongst the grief. This also fulfilled the remit of completing a PHD!
2018 saw the beginning of my learning to knit adventure…this is as far as I got. I started really well and perhaps got a little ambitious…which became my downfall. Here are my posts to prove it here,just here and here
I haven’t returned to this project yet as I can’t work out where I am in the pattern! I do really want to finish this off…a New Year Challenge perhaps?
June 2018
We had an unusually hot summer here in the UK, so hooking al fresco was great now that my Seaside Stash Busting Blanket had grown in size. We had a beautiful sunny weekend glamping and those soft pink and grey shells will forever remind me of that recharging break away with Mr R and the Robins. You can read about those glamping adventures just here.
July 2018
The stash busting continued throughout July and inspired me to hook this cheeky dude. I had some black, white and grey Paintbox cottons just sitting in my stash and the most apparent thing to make was a zebra of course.
Having never made amigurumi before I am now completely smitten with all things amigurumi, which came as a total surprise to me! I made so many mistakes with this pattern, but learnt lots about the process of amigurumi along the way…if you want the full details of the mistakes I made take a look here.
August 2018
This was a joy to hook and also busted some more stash. I made this Vintage Market Tote for my Mama…and she loved it
September 2018
The end was in sight for the now glorious Seaside Stash Busting Blanket…and just in time for the change of seasons as Autumn crept in.
October 2018
A real …tadaaa… moment. This beautiful unicorn was made with a lot of love in my heart and no mistakes…well none that I know of! A real gem of a pattern that was easy to follow and so well written. It was an absolute joy to send her to her forever home and I am looking forward to hearing what she has been named. The pattern details are just here.
November 2018
My two favourite things to do when I’m on my own are to crochet and drink coffee and if I can do both whilst watching the world go by then that is near perfect for me.
This is another stash busting win for me also…a super soft and pretty baby blanket using up left over yarn from my Sunday Shawl.
This photo is from January…a PHD fail. I have added some more rows over the course of the year…honest I have. I don’t know why I haven’t finished it. The pattern is simple and it is very handsome… and it is not really that far from being finished; but the pretty things call me more loudly.
All in all 2018 has been quite yarny, maybe not as yarny as some, but yarny nonetheless. I have met some amazing crafty friends along the way, busted through a lot of my stash and finished a PHD or two.
Autumn is creeping in and I can feel the joy rising in me. I adore the Autumn and all of her treasures; it awakens my soul and wraps me with comfort.
I know not everyone feels this way…Mr R mourns the Summer, but I am celebrating her arrival.
A great deal has gone on here at the nest over the Summer months and there is still much more to achieve. New windows and doors have been fitted, outdoor adventures have taken place, three weddings have been witnessed and celebrated (we still have two more to come), decorating has commenced, and children have been coming and going and then coming back again only to go off once more it seems!
I have taken great delight in my crochet time, which has been a little bitty. I wanted to share this Vintage Market Tote with you…pattern details and links can be found at the bottom of this post. I made it for my Mama’s birthday and it hooked up quickly.
The pattern is free and I found it to be well written with clear, concise instruction. I altered the length of the handle by about 20 stitches, making the straps a little longer, but that was just preference.
I used a lovely aran weight cotton blend yarn by The Women’s Institute, which flowed from my 5.5mm hook with ease. I crocheted using x2 strands to make my tote more sturdy, which meant I used just over 300g of yarn and finished with a chic black and white spot ribbon.
I will definitely return to this pattern…and my Mama loved it!
Well this is the last yarn a long Sunday in this June series. Apologies for this last session being a bit late…It has everything to do with a manic weekend, a 16 mile charity walk and a wedding in a field! It is still Sunday in the UK…so only a bit late eh!
I now have a little collection of cute summer projects and if you follow me on Instagram you will know what has captured my heart…but I will post about that separately in the week.
Just a couple of weekends ago, I abandoned work early, gathered my brood and made a little journey to a truly magical place. We only travelled 30 minutes away but we found ourselves in a different world.
We went glamping…that is camping in style!
And let me tell you it was absolutely luxurious. Running hot water, flushing toilet, the most comfortable bed in the world (honestly I felt like I was sleeping in a cloud) and a roll top bath with a gorgeous and very private view.
The boys happily shunned their screens and devices and spent hours splashing in the hot tub
and lighting fires
We cooked contently on the dutch oven (although there was a large wood burning stove inside our abode)
And we cycled the short distance into Arley where the great Severn Valley Railway passes through.
In the evenings we lit another fire and made use of the blankets provided for us;
and we chatted and laughed and breathed in and out deeply inhaling as much of the tranquillity as we could whilst toasting marsh mallows and drinking bubbles.
Of course I took my own blankets and they looked so pretty out on the decking…which has fairy lights at night.
(Yes, that is a candelabra you can see on the dining table! )
There was also plenty of time to crochet
and knit
This place is a true gem…and look what I found in the dresser…
a happy piece of yarn!!!!
So thank you Mark and Sonja for all of the fairy dust you sprinkled for our stay with you….we loved it!
Oh my word… you guys have hooked, knit, sewn and crafted in some amazing places…but I think the most out there has to go to Connie who hooks whilst being a pillion passenger on the back of a motorbike! Yes you read motorbike!!!!
Now that’s extreme crochet and some serious nerves of steel.
S0, welcome to this Sunday’s yarn a long. So far this month we have nattered about our crafty hacks and our alfresco crafty habits in honour of world knit in public day.
This week I thought I would like to gather your ideas about what you like to hook, knit, sew, or craft in the sunshine. The weather here in the UK has been quite pleasant of late and I have several blankets on my hook and it’s just too warm to be hooking under a blanket for any length of time. I did write a blog post about the top 5 things to crochet when it’s hot which is just here…they included
Welcome to this Sunday’s yarn a long. Firstly, thank you to all of you who took part last week…I have learnt some very cool crafty hacks. I think one of my favourites was using dental floss on an aeroplane to cut thread instead of having your scissors confiscated as suggested by @laurahoueltextiles over on Instagram…you should go and check her beautiful feed out…very talented!
So to this weeks yarn a long.
As it has been ‘Happy world wide knit in public day’ this week
I thought I would ask…Where is the strangest place you have knit, crochet, sewn, crafted?
I tend to end up hooking whilst the little ‘big’ Robins are doing their sports
At the skate park…
I am sure you can tell me of stranger places. Let me know in the comments thread below.
xxxxx
Last weeks yarn a long is just here if you want to read or share your crafty hacks. This series is also on Instagram @yarnyrobin
Welcome to the first yarn a long Sunday in June. This is actually the fifth yarn a Iong, the first four of which I hosted back in March. If you want to catch up on those you can find the relevant links just here.
So feel free to grab a coffee or something else to drink and I’ll kickof this weeks topic which is all about sharing your
CRAFT HACKS…
crochet hacks, knitting hacks, yarn hacks, or any other crafty hacks. If you are not to sure what a hack is then here is my definition:
A craft hack refers to any skill, short cut, or innovative trick that increases ease of creating, productivity and efficiency.
Now, I use a few, but I think the one I use most frequently is using hair pins as stitch markers.
I know stitch markers are beautiful and my heart flutters a little bit if the stitch marker actually coordinates to a projects theme…but here’s my rub with them…I can never find one when I need one.
Hair pins on the other hand are plentiful in my dresser. They may not look as glamorous as the beautiful stitch markers but they are much easier to attach and remove from projects too!
What is your best craft hack? Share your best ones in the comments thread below.
Well this is the last yarn a long Sunday in this March series. It feels like ‘blink and you will have missed it!’
Easter has hurtled at us and March is almost through!
Thank you so much for last weeks natter…I loved chatting with you about life’s little motto’s. I found it quite inspirational and have carried them with me through this week…not always successfully, but I have tried.
If you are not quite sure what I’m on about you can check out last weeks comment thread just here.
You can find week 1’s ‘Why do you craft, crochet, knit?’ yarn a long, just here
and week 2’s ‘How to fix a crochet blanket’ just here …
just in caseyou wanted to catch up and of course you can still join in with any of them.
If you are returning then welcome back…and thank you.
Now, as this is our last yarn a long for now, this week’s topic is
xxxxx
Crochet blog 