Every household has the ongoing need for washing up, even if you have a dishwasher there is a need for sponges and dishcloths for keeping things clean. The ones in the shop are made to be replaced, often made of plastics which degrade over time and end up leaving residue on your dishes and going down the drain. I found I was forever replacing them, never feeling they were clean even when I washed them. I decided to find what all the fuss was about from others with cotton crochet dishcloths, and have to say the rumours are true: they're awesome. I recommend 100% cotton for things like this as it is absorbent, can be cleaned in boiling water and will not fluff. Acrylic is not as absorbent and will melt or stretch under heat. As it breaks down it will also put more plastics in the water, which we are learning is causing all kinds of misfortunes. When it's time to wash them, simply throw them in the machine with your clothes on the next cycle. If they are greasy or stained, try so...

We all wear our clothing as a representation of ourselves; whether its a conscious thing or not, there are decisions made on the styles we wear. I have always liked having interesting clothes, shirts with prints, bright coloured pants, big print skirts, you name it. In recent years I've settled into a core wardrobe of clothes, doing my best to only buy something to replace. Some clothes get a bit boring with time or aren't quite right when bought new. I had some ideas for how to improve them and finally took the plunge. Here's three items from my wardrobe I've revamped with crochet, the second two even including free pattern for you to try yourself! (10 minute read) Three fun ways to update your clothes with crochet The first was a bit messy, but taught me a lot and best of all resolved the problem I'd been experiencing. I had shared this on Tumblr when I made this, though I didn't document the process. I had a pair of 3/4 jeans that I wore all the time bu...

Friendly dragons In Early November I was asked if I was available for commission on a special Christmas present. I had to put off thinking about it until December, thanks to life being the chaotic nature of that time of year. Once I was able to give it some attention, I was enthusiastic to get started. The request was for a plushie of their pet bearded dragon. I knew I was limited on time and energy to work on this, so I didn’t want to write a pattern from scratch. I trawled the usual haunts – Ravelry, Etsy, blogs and finally Pinterest, but the first pattern I found was certainly the best. Available on PlanetJune, this Bearded Dragon pattern was just right for this “pet project”. Next, I needed to find the right yarn. I knew it would be tricky to both colour match and imitate scales. Being in Australia often means we’re limited by yarn available to check out in person. I want to one of my favourite brands, Scheepjes, as I knew they had some heathered type yarns. Checking against t...