Crochet Project Ideas 2018

I’m pinning crochet project ideas constantly lately! With some lovely new yarns the Mr has found I’ve been on the hunt for crochet projects. Crochet and blogging have been helping me stay sane lately and I am busying myself with them. So much has been going on lately that it’s been great to have projects to busy myself with.

Crochet project ideas

I feel quite cut off lately with no phone, I can’t chat online as much. Thankfully my surface does follow me around the flat but it’s really not the same. My brother pops in once a fortnight but otherwise, I barely see anyone so keeping busy is good. The best part is there are no deadlines, I just do as much as I feel I can when I can.

End Of A Project

Crochet Project Ideas

I am almost finished with my huge granny square blanket and know I will need something lined up to make next. Excuse the mess in this photo, it’s hard to get a picture as it is so large! Plus, I have kids… no further explanation necessary! I’ve somehow managed to crochet 150cm/180cm squared, hopefully, it won’t take too much longer! I really enjoy having a simple project to do even though it is huge and taken quite a while! I fear I will miss this project though so lining up a few more projects!

Crochet Project Ideas

I have been looking and pinning so many crochet project ideas that half the time I genuinely have no clue what to start next! I started hunting for some ideas ready for when the blanket is finally finished and found a few I’m tempted to try.

Crochet Socks

Crochet Project Ideas

I have this gorgeous yarn cake in blue that I think will make up some lovely socks. I’ve never attempted crocheting socks before so I am a bit nervous. It could solve my cold feed issues though and Heather has pointed me in the direction of some great tutorials. Knowing I have the #HGDCMakersMoment chat on a Wednesday also gives me a boost to find projects. Chatting to other makers motivates me to finish and find new projects.

Cocoon Cardigan

Aran Yarn

With the Burgandy Aran yarn, I am hoping to start a granny square cocoon cardigan. There are some lovely patterns out there but this one from Spoons & Hooks looks fab. She recommends using 1000-1250 yards of yarn for this granny square cocoon cardigan. I currently have 850 yards of Burgandy Aran Yarn. I figured since I need a size 6-8 I will give it a go and see if I have enough yarn.  At worst I can make it for Eva instead although I may keep an eye out for Aldi too just to make sure though!

 

My Ever-growing Yarn Wish List

I have an ever-growing Yarn wish list right now. Whilst I do have 2 projects on the go right now, a granny square blanket for myself and one for my brothers cat Mia. I’m still using up all my sparkly yarn but I’ve been eyeing up some lovely new colours and brands I’ve discovered.

I still consider myself a newbie when it comes to crochet and I openly admit to being clueless when it comes to different yarns but some are just sooo lovely! I love self patterning yarns, anything purple, grey or super soft. The girls regularly point out yarns they like and want used on a project too but this list is just for me.

My Yarn Wish list

 

Caron Cakes

Anyone who loves to crochet or knit has no doubt heard of Caron cakes, self-patterning yarns that come in a glorious array of colours. These are fantastic for a range of projects and look especially lovely when used for shawls. Here are my favourite 4 Caron Cakes.

Yarn wish list- Bumbleberry caron cake

Bumbleberry

I love the gorgeous combination of purples in this Bumbleberry Self Striping Aran Yarn. I could use this on so many projects for myself!

lilac frosting caron cake

Lilac Frosting

The Lilac frosting would make a lovely scarf for winter with just a hint of lilac throughout. I usually avoid lighter colours but I do love the way this Caron cake turns out.

 

Mixed Berry Caron Cake

Mixed Berry

I’ve had my eye on this gorgeous Mixed Berry Caron cake since I first discovered them. I think this would be perfect for a project for Eva. Maybe a nice cardigan if I can work out how to crochet one!

Faerie cake caron cake

Faerie Cake

The last yarn on my Caron cake wishlist is this gorgeous Faerie Cake. I just love the colours in this, I’ve no idea what I would use it for but I definitely need it in my yarn stash asap.

 

purple fizz

Purple Fizz

Stylecraft Wondersoft DK Merry-go-Round in Purple Fizz is another self-patterning wool which I would love to make some cushions out of. I want to funk up my sofa soon and have a few different cushion cover ideas.

candy

Candy

King Cole Flash DK Knitting yarn in Candy is gorgeous. I would love to make some cushions for the girls room. Ok I know I said this list is for me but I couldn’t help but slip one in for the girls too!

What’s on your Yarn wish list right now? Which of the above yarns is your favourite?

Relentless Accident & Eva’s New Scarf

I had a Relentless accident last week.

Knocking a full can of relentless all over my wool (new & used) and all over my latest WIP’s.

I felt devastated and angry, upset and annoyed with myself. I had ruined Eva’s scarf and all the wools Izzy had chosen for her blanket..

Some of you may have seen a little bit of my melt down on Twitter. I was having one of those moments when you turn into a child again screaming & crying and blaming myself for being so stupid for having a relentless accident, not only did I lose my WIP’s & wool but an entire can (minus one sip) too!

Luckily the lovely Tracey from Hooks & Dragon kept me chatting, giving me tips when I was thinking about washing and drying it all & helping me calm back down. I went from a screaming crying mess to just a sad one!

Eventually between my meltdowns and stomping around to try and find a way to fix it all the Mr suggested I just replace all the wool instead of trying to clean it. To anyone else they would have just said yes but me? I went off again about how I couldn’t do that because it costs MONEY! You know, the thing I seriously HATE spending. especially if it’s on stuff for me.

Eventually I gave in.. after all it’s technically for the girls not me since I’m making thing’s for them!

 

A few days later I finally managed to get out and buy a few new balls of wool.. I only picked up four colours as I figured I can pick up one or 2 more each week until I build my stash back up again.

A relentless accident means new wool

One of the balls was a replacement for Eva’s scarf. A pastel, mostly pink multicoloured wool from the QD Paintbox range. I love how it works up and can’t wait to get it finished!

Eva's Scarf

What do you think so far? I’m considering adding something on.. Maybe a flower? Any (easy) suggestions?? 

Latest WIP – A Crochet Blanket For Eva 

I’ve been getting a bit stressed again recently and as always I’ve fallen back on Crochet to help me through. It really is amazing how calming crochet can be, especially when you are familiar with the stitches/pattern.

I knitted a fluffy blanket for Izzy last year & Eva wanted a blanket of her own. With limited funds I haven’t managed to find any really nice soft fluffy wool/yarn for her but thanks to my friend adding to my stash I have started on a simple blanket for now so she doesn’t feel left out, especially with winter nearing and our love of sofa days with pillows, blankets, TV, books & hot chocolate!

Eva loves anything reallllllyy colourful (hence loving her colourful crocheted bag!) so I suggested making a blanket up out of lots of different colours/shades, which she was quite excited about.

Crochet blanket for Eva

I’ve been working on this blanket on and off and finally picked it back up again this week, mostly as Izzy keeps telling me I need to… ‘MUMMY! SIT! ROUND AND THROUGH! SIT!’ haha!

With Eva picking colours as we go it has slowly grown over the last week or so & we have decided to make it big enough to fit Eva’s bed for winter too so I will be making a second square & attaching them. I’m really enjoying making this blanket, changing colours and not having to think too much about what I’m doing as I can do this stitch with my eyes closed! (Yes I have tried, it amuses the girls haha!)

Eva wants me to incorporate the cupcake stitch I recently learnt somewhere in the blanket. I’ve been doing 3 rows though. Cupcake stitch is 2. What do you think? Maybe I could use some more of the colourful wool to blend it all together?

Do you crochet? If so, what are you currently working on? Or thinking of starting?

Me You and Magoo

Dear Bear and Beany

 

Keep Calm and Carry On Linking Sunday

Crochet fun

I’ve got to admit I’ve been having so much fun crocheting lovely pieces now I have such a lovely stash of wool! I’ve been having lots of crochet fun!

After finishing Eva’s bag I really couldn’t think of what to try making next but Izzy helped me out by asking for a hat for her baby since one baby already had one attached to her. I quickly got to work and got a hat made up and gave it to Izzy the following morning, she absolutely loved it!

Izzy loves watching and helping me crochet and gets really excited when I pull out a ball of wool so I wasn’t surprised when she passed me a ball of wool and shouted at me as she pointed to her baby dolls feet. Socks.. Or shoes? I went for shoes as I struggled to follow a sock pattern and just altered it to the style I wanted and they didn’t turn out too bad! Although next time I think I’ll use thicker wool as the wool I used was quite thin.

crochet fun

I absolutely love the colour of the wool though & may use it for a light cardigan when I find a pattern I can read haha! I seem to be having trouble following pattern’s although I know the stitches and abbreviations!? So far my guessing hasn’t worked out too badly luckily..

Next Izzy wanted a dress for her baby and chose a pink (yuk), purple (yay!) & blue wool. Trying to find a dress pattern I liked and was easy to follow was hell to be honest. Most were too girly and frilly and I couldn’t stand them so after a bit of a sulk.. (I had already had to put up with using a wool with pink in it lol) I decided to just use the stitches I know and made it up as I went along adding button holes on the straps to make it easier for Izzy to dress and undress the doll. I have a huge stash of heart buttons & found some dark pink ones that I thought went well with the colours too & luckily Izzy loved the dress when it was finished.

I’m impressed how quickly I can crochet things like this and really enjoying learning all the stitches even if I am struggling to follow patterns.

I’m now debating what to make next and sorting my stash hasn’t helped at all.. Sooo many choices!!! If you dont follow me already then pop by my Instagram as I tend to share wip’s & finished projects on there 🙂 dont forget to follow me too, I follow back!

Colourful Crochet Bag

Having received 2 bags of wool last week and unsure what to make with all my amazing purple’s I started a little project for Eva using some rather colourful wool that had Eva written all over it which I found in the bags!

I decided to crochet a bag for her to give myself a bit of a challenge but struggled to find a pattern I liked so decided to just wing it with what I know and hoped for the best.

image

I was shocked when it started looking like a bag, maybe not perfect but for my first attempt with no pattern I was quite pleased with myself to be honest.

Surprisingly it began to look like the bag I had pictured in my mind fairly quickly and I was quite impressed with how quickly I managed to finish it considering I was only doing 10-20 minutes here and there across the week. I managed to twist the handle when I stitched it on so had to unpick the stitching then  untwist the handle and restitch it again but luckily that didnt take too long either!

Im looking for 2 funky buttons so it can be done up and I still need to tuck the ends in but this is the finished product so far…

Eva absolutely loves the colours and pattern of the bag and has asked several times if its for her and if she can have it but I’ve told her I’m making it for someone else so I can hide it and fill it with gifts for her birthday.. Which I may have a little head start on already… 😉

I cant wait to give it to her! What do you think?

Now I need a new project.. Haha!

The Secret Diary of Agent Spitback

Me You and Magoo

Purple crochet/knitting project hunt

I am absolutely over the moon! Some of you may have seen on my Instagram yesterday a friend gave me 2 carrier bags full of wool, knitting looms and needles. It really made my day as I was very low on wool and hadn’t done much crochet or knitting lately!!

I’ve been struggling again since the steroid injections began wearing off and clearing through the flat over the weekend has left me hurting even more so lots of new wool to play with is a much needed distraction. I love how many purples there are and have already begun a little crochet project for Eva with the neon multi-coloured wool but I’m on the hunt for a project I can use the purple’s on for myself!

image

I know a few of my readers crochet and knit and would love some suggestions if anyone has any?

The Secret Diary of Agent Spitback

Another Crafty Bargain

I shared with you all my Crafty Bargain before but completely forgot to metion another crafty bargain in the same shop in Grays highstreet, PoundCity.

I was really impressed when I spotted these and noticed that they were different sizes to what I already had so definitely had to be bought, I bought my brother a set too as I am trying to teach him to crochet as he already know’s how to knit.

Have you found any crafty bargains recently? Or starting/completing a project? Don’t forget to share them with me & leave a link in comments 🙂

Knitting projects – Izzy’s Blanket

When the kids finally go to bed I’m usually on my phone or laptop for the evening doing surveys, product reviews, reading random posts and news articles but every now and then I put it all down and do some knitting instead. I’m still a beginner and only managing a simple scarf and blankets so far but it gives me something different to do, especially on days I’m struggling to move around.

I cam across some lovely yarn in PoundStretcher – Melody baby soft yarn I’m currently halfway through a blanket I started when pregnant with my 1yo.. The idea being it would be done in time for her winter.. However thanks to morning sickness 24/7 I wasn’t always in the mood to knit (Or able to without covering it in my vomit) so unfortunately it dragged on until she was born.

I then had problems finding the same  yarn (I know, I know amateur mistake not buying enough!), of course when it was back in stock i made the mistake of only buying one ball again.. So now I’m stuck again waiting to buy the final 2 balls I need to complete this blanket!

Knitting Projects - Izzy's Blanket

I’m hoping my local Pound Stretcher have a delivery in soon as I would love to finish this in time for Christmas! Its lovely, soft, fluffy and warm perfect for snuggling on the sofa with on a cold day.

I think in the meantime I need to find myself another smaller knitting project to keep me busy. Does anyone have any suggestions for quick and simple knitting projects other than a blanket or a scarf? Feel free to leave a comment, or email me at Relentlesslypurple@gmail.com