August

 Hands down August is my favourite month of the year, the weather is great,  usually, people are going on holidays, eating ice cream and picnicking. Nothing to do with being my birthday, ok its true I've not lost the child-like glee of a day dedicated to celebrating my successful journey around the sun. Despite the dreaded COVID, this august has been great, particularly for crocheting. 

I don't usually make hats, but I'm not making excuse. The plain beany looked so simple to make, I had even found a pattern. I am embarrassed to tell you how long and how many times I had to take apart and redo this pink hat. I should have realised sooner that the pattern was for 4pl wool and the wool I was using was a thick DK. I finally got the hat to the right size and even added a cute hatband in purple with matching bow. To use up the rest of the pink wool I made a pair of matching mittens. I originally picked a pattern that had a houndstooth design, but I quickly realised I wasn't going to have enough wool, so I used block colours. 

A colleague gave me her collection of crochet magazines, which I have slowly been working my way through. In one of the magazines it had a pattern for an amigurumi strawberry, and just had to have a go. The first one I made, came out so big I made it into a beetroot. the leaves were interesting to do since they have red/ purple stems, I decided to do the leaves in two separate pieces the stem and the leaves. The strawberry I made up the pattern using elements of the original pattern and adapting it to make it the size I wanted. I purchased some velcro, so I turned them into play food by making the leaves detachable.

My Partner knowing that I have been really into crocheting with chunky wool, bought me as a present some mixed coloured wool. It is so lovely and soft and came with a pattern for a snood or infinity scarf. Unfortunately, the pattern was a knitting pattern, but with a little bit of math and a lot of help from my mum, I managed to translate it into crotchet. Now I have a lovely new scarf for when it gets cold.

My lovely mother in law gave me two crotchet books for my birthday, which I have been happily working my way thought, 'Kawaii crochet' by  Melissa Bradley and 'pocket Amigumi' by Sabrina Somers. I was so inspired by the pocket amigurumi monsters book I got suck in and made two straight away. I started by making 'Nymphea' which is the first and easiest monster in the book. I hate crocheting the same thing multiple times so the eight petals drove me half-mad, but in the end, I'm glad I did all the petals because I love the way it turns out. Next, I made 'Oragi' the Pikachu looking one from the front cover. I had fun crocheting the eyes since I don't have felt to make them out of, they came out a little strange, I think I need more practice. Finally out of the Kawaii crochet book I made the ever-so-cute peas in a pod. The peas came out so adorable, I gave them each little faces with pink cheeks.  The pod, on the other hand, was a bit of trouble, but altogether I think they came out so cute.

                      

Lastly, I finished a project I started a while back. As a wedding gift, our friends gave us a box to put our reenacting kit in, so I decided to make us some bags to separate our kit in to. My first attempt wasn't that greatest so I threw it in a corner, but I picked it back up and made a few adjustments. Instead of hand sewing it, I decided it would be stronger if I used a sewing machine and all the sewing would be hidden inside anyway. It looks so much neater and stronger than it was before, I also added some foam in-between the layers of fabric so we can use the bags as cushions as well as storage. I'm glad I went back and finished it, now I just have to make another one.