Monday craft and crochet day

I like Monday's - I work part time and I don't have to work until what I call "after school time" which gives me the day with Little Bear and also my Mum who has Monday's off. 

After the usual house tidy up we are ready for an outing to a garden centre to browse around or a day in playing/sorting or playing in Nanny's garden (always the favourite as Nanny owns a "ming"...swing to you and I).

Today was a little different though, Little Bear wasn't quite right last night so I didn't want to do too much. We very quickly nipped into the town to get some cot sheets for Little Fairy and an A5 notebook for my Filofax (SO hard to find it was ridiculous...) and then spent the day at Nanny's quitely playing and having lots of cuddles.

Whilst Little Bear was happy playing trains I managed to make the Filofax notebook a little more "me" by creating a front cover for it.

Pretty cover for notebook

Butterfly design

It certainly looks a lot better and is a lot sturdier - thankfully it fits quite nicely in the back of my Filofax. I really couldn't live without my Filofax - especially now the Baby Brain has kicked in (I locked my keys in the car last week and the week before I washed Little Bear's baby monitor on a full wash in the washing machine...but we don't mention these things in this house anymore!!) So yes, for me my Filofax is like my external brain and I can imagine it still being so when having two children to organize (and a hubby).

Little Bear is still little enough to need an afternoon nap (yippee!) I have about two hours to play with so I got out this new crochet book I was given.

Step by Step Crochet - I love the cover don't you?

Although it is all very basic and most of it is made up of "how to's" and different stitches there are a few patterns at the back.

Baby booties

Very sweet and shouldn't take too long to make. As usual I didn't have the exact yarn required but I have finally got to the point of knowing enough about crochet of what would also work in its place.

Cotton yarn

This cotton yarn is so lovely to work with and such a lovely colour.

Yarny happiness

I always think that when you use cotton yarn it somehow makes the stitches neater? Might just be me though! It was very easy to work with and quick to crochet - all of it made in the round.

Looking more like a Baby bootie

The stitches used were not too complex, off the top of my head the pattern used (UK terms) double crochet, half double crochet and treble two together.

Finished Baby Bootie minus the buttons

This is how it turned out. No buttons yet as it is actually going to be a present to me from Mum and Dad for Little Fairy.. Mum attempted crochet and got very confused and asked me to make them to give them back to her so she could then give them to me as a present...errrm, so yes, it appears I have just made my own present..without the buttons!

I have one more WIP (work in progress) crochet wise for Little Fairy (a dress) and then I can move onto her "Special Doll". Each of the children in our family have been given a special doll that I have made all from Jean Greenhowe patterns.

Jean Greenhowe's Scarecrow

This is what I made for Little Bear. I love the details on him! This was my first knitting project - I am very much a beginner knitter but Jean Greenhowe's patterns always make you appear to know what you are doing! They really are simple to follow.

Ebay has informed me that Little Fairy's doll pattern will be here on Friday which gives me this week to finish her crocheted dress. I hope I can finish her doll on time but the scarecrow took me a loooooooong time to make. I just need to stay focus and not get distracted by other lovely craftiness!! Wish me luck!