I always intend to make some cute things for Easter, then suddenly it's the week after and I realise it's far too late. Not this year! I set myself a goal and managed to sketch, draft, record and edit a PDF and video pattern in four days.  Here's some behind the scenes of this make, with the pattern linked at the end to Ravelry and YouTube.  The finished bunnies will also be available on Etsy as a one off, if you're so inclined.  I started with sketching different bunny designs, deciding "what makes a bunny?" for what to include.  It can be tricky to know where to start, but I knew I wanted it to be a small and quick make. Both to meet my goal date and because I wanted this to be in my beginner patterns section.  I have been working on larger and more complex projects lately that can be daunting. This one was to use simple stitches that aren't too fiddly or time consuming to make.  Once I had that down, I raided my stash of yarn to start playing with ...

 Many years ago I made a triceratops pattern, it started off all kinds of goofy before developing into what I had imagined.  I really wanted it to have the pointed beak and stand on four legs, as so many other patterns are more of a teddy style.  I had a lot of fun trying it in different yarns, my favourite will always be the Dancing Baby DK from Ice Yarns in rainbow, but it's unfortunately no longer available. It took a few tries to get it right, but being stubborn pays off sometimes. With such pretty colours what's not to love?  I have had the written pattern up on Etsy and Ravelry for a few years now, but have been asked many times for a video tutorial. I understand how daunting plushie patterns are to start, my heart was warmed by my testers, many of whom had never crocheted a plushie before and still jumped in! The time has come though, and the full tutorial is available free on YouTube now, with full instructions on screen to help teach reading a pattern along ...

When I first started my YouTube channel, I thought I would just focus on patterns. There’s already so many videos on how to do the stitches or starting projects. But over time I came around to the idea, because despite all those other videos existing they aren’t the way I would explain them. Thus the Beginner Series was born. It has started with four videos covering the areas I remember getting stuck on most when I was learning crochet  It was also great practice for me with editing because they’re much shorter than my other videos. I have a massive project coming up which will need to be broken into a series and being able to reference these videos to help adventurous beginners will make it much less stressful for everyone involved. I have plans for more videos into this series, do you have any suggestions or ideas? The first video is for starting in the round, using either a chain start or magic circle. My very first crochet make was a beanie and the chain method was the f...

This was a few years ago, but I love showing off our ottoman. We had moved to a new apartment and we needed a new coffee table that felt comfortable to put feet on, and for storing blankets and pillows in. New ottomans can be expensive, so we were looking through second-hand stores for a bargain and something interesting.  I was hoping for something to become a project (my partner, not so much). It took some hunting, but finally we stumbled onto this beauty – for only $15! The way it started.  With just a glance, you know the story of this box . The top has a hinge lid with treated timber inside, no chipboard here! It is very heavy and feels sturdy to rest our feet on. The fabric was an easy way to update the box without being a massive job. The inside hinting at something more.  I was worried about splinters for anything to be stored inside, so a lining would be needed. On inspection, the existing fabric was just stapled in place, obviously done with care. Even at this...

This seems to be the year of adding crochet to my clothes and I am very okay with this. I have a tonne of shirts that aren't fitting right after putting on weight. Many of them are not replaceable so I've been mulling ideas on resizing them. I had a spark of inspiration on Friday and decided to run with it. Spoiler of the finished product, but look how great it turned out! (7 minute read) Enhance Band Shirt Let's go on the journey together! Really actually a journey, you'll notice some of the photos have varied backgrounds. I was making this while on the way to a friend's place and while visiting. So we have some train seat & Ikea rug backgrounds. Materials:  Band shirt (or any t-shirt you have) sewing pins scissors Sewing machine (or hand sew the seams) recommend rotary cutter with skip blade, else a hobby knife and ruler will work in a pinch cutting mat 4 mm hook  4 - 8ply yarn, preferably cotton or no-pill of your choice yarn needle yarn sc...