An Unexpected Assistant

Hi there,
I came across a "female tailors dummy" which was discarded by the waste bin at the common area. It looked in good condition and I couldn't believe it (!) as I had been thinking of getting one to 'model' crochet clothing.
So here is a crochet tunic in cotton thread based on a pattern by Bernat. (pattern here). Don't you agree crochet clothing look way much better on the dummy than on a hanger?

Have a great week!

Serena

Study Buddies

Hi there!
It's been a long time since my last post an am grateful for a breather in my manic work schedule.
Can't believe 2 years have passed so quickly and I will now be saying goodbye to another batch of students.
As a farewell gift, they will each receive a 'study buddy'. Hope that this little buddy will be good company for them as they spend the next few weeks slogging for their upcoming finals.
(Many thanks to Karissa who has generously shared her pattern for the little fella here.)

I'm sure the students will like them, don't you think?

Serena

And the Bells are Ringing!

Hello,
Here's a post to 'ring in' the festive season -- sharing some crochet bells...can you guess what they are?

Well, it's a my take on a key pouch! Saw some versions of these on sale at the weekend market in Bangkok 2 years ago. I thought it was a good idea except that the cord was made very long ...which made me wonder "Wouldn't such a long cord get tangled up in ladies' handbags? (knowing most ladies have tons of 'stuff' in our bags)....
While mulling over what small gifts I could make for some dear colleagues, the key pouches came to mind. I made the cord shorter, but now it fits snugly on the button for storage so it wouldn't tangle around that lipstick, tissue pack etc in their bags!
For myself, I'm using it to store several thumb drives which I use for work.....
What might you use it for?

Till the next time, have a great year end of rest and spending meaningful time with your loved ones!

Serena

Spikes and a Phone Pouch

Hello there,
We just upgraded our daughter's handphone and so her handphone pouch wouldn't fit the new phone which is much larger. Coupled with the casing that the phone is in, it was difficult finding a pouch which would fit the phone snugly. Crochet comes to the rescue and thanks to the generous sharing of a free crochet pattern by Tamara Kelly of mooglyblog.com (pattern link is here), my daughter now has a new phone pouch! (The pouch then promptly accompanied us on our family vacation.)

Close-up of the Stitches

Small snap button to secure

 Have a great week ahead!
Serena

Cozying Up with the Kindle

Hello there!
We just purchased the Kindle but found that the leather cover that we had bought for it made the whole thing rather heavy and defeats the purpose of it being easily held in one hand for easy reading!
That sparked off the search for a crochet pattern for a cozy or pouch for the Kindle. 
This free pattern by Tamara at Mooglyblog (here) is beautiful and here's my take on it!
Have a great week ahead!

Seriously Cute Crochet

Hello there!

I'm thankful for a brief lull at the workplace which gave me time to make this cute little fella for a dear friend of my daughter. She loves it and I hope you do too!

 

You can find this pattern in the book titled 'Seriously Cute Crochet' by Ana Rimoli. Do check it out!

Compliments

Hello there,

Have you received a compliment today?

We all LOVE compliments don't we? For a crafter or anyone who creates, one of the best compliments we can receive is if someone will actually commission us to create something special for them...
In the past month, I've had the privilege of making two custom orders and loved every bit of the process.
Thank you so much to the 2 dear ladies who have greatly encouraged me!

Upsized Bunny

Hello there!

Do you remember the little bunny that was made from the pattern by Stephanie HERE at All About Ami ? 
She's been receiving lots of attention and when I was tasked to come up with a gift for a teen girl, my daughter suggested I 'upsize' the bunny.
So here is the 'upsized version'! Had a blast making it. Do hope over to check out the pattern and perhaps make one for yourself!

Have a great weekend!
Serena

A New Project for A New Experience

Hi there,

My young lady is attending dance school for a week in Australia. Having danced all this while in our hot tropical climate, leg warmers are definitely not part of her dance wardrobe. All fellow crafters would agree with me that when faced with a choice of 'buying' versus 'making', most of us would definitely say "I could make that!". And so I did, with great help from the free crochet pattern (here) generously written up by Ashley at A Crafty House.

As Ashley's pattern was written for her 3 year old, I had to make adjustments for my dear girl who is about 1.53m tall . I have shared the modified pattern at the end of this post.

Have fun!
Serena

Pattern for Leg Warmers (written in American terms)
[modified from pattern by Ashley @ A Crafty House]

Abbreviations:

CH = Chain            DC = Double Crochet             SC = Single Crochet

SK = Skip              SS = Slip Stitch                    st = stitches

Top Ribbing: 

CH 7

Row 1: SC in second chain from hook and in each CH across (6 st)

Row 2: CH1 and turn work, SC in back loop of each SC (6 st)

Row 3 - 40: Repeat Row 2

Leg Section:

Row 1: CH1 and turn work 90 degrees in order to work across the ribbing for the leg portion. SC evenly across (39 st), join work to first SC with a SS.  (The opening in the ribbing will be seamed together later.)

Row 2: SC and 2 DCs in the first SC space, *skip the next 2 SCs, SC and 2 DCs in the next SC space, repeat from * to last 2 SCs, skip the last 2 SCs and SS into first SC from beginning of row to close the round. (39 st) 

Row 3:  CH1, turn, SC and 2 DCs (cluster) in the first DC, *Skip the next DC and SC, SC and 2 DC in the next DC, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, skip the last 2 stitches and SS into first SC from beginning of row to close the round.

Row 4 - 20: Repeat Row 3 [Increase or decrease the number of these rows depending on the length required.]

Row 21: [This row serves to begin the narrowed section of the leg warmer at the lower end.]

Repeat Row 3 except that for the first and last cluster, use 1SC and 1DC (instead of 1SC and 2DC)

Rows 22-23: Repeat row 21 [Increase or decrease the number of these rows depending on the length required.] 

Row 24: CH 1, turn and SC in each stitch across, join to first SC with a SS. Do not fasten off.

Bottom Ribbing:

The bottom ribbing is made similar to the top, except that the ribbing will have to be joined to the rest of the work at the end of every other row.

Row 1: CH 6 and SC in 2nd CH from hook and each CH across (5 st), SS in next SC of the last round from the leg section.

Row 2:  Turn, SC in back loop of each SC all of the way across (5 st)

Row 3: CH1, turn, SC in back loop of each SC all of the way across, SS in next 2 SCs.                  

Continue Rows 2 and 3 until you have worked all of the way around.  Seam ribbing using SS through both thicknesses of first and last row all of the way across. Fasten off.

Seam together the Top ribbing using SS through both thicknesses of first and last row all of the way across. Fasten off.

[Alternatively, you may seam the ribbing using a darning needle and regular 'sewing' stitches'.]

Deck Shoes are Back!

Hello there,
Just a quick update on the latest colour variation on the deck shoes which have been added to the Etsy shop. They've been our most popular design so far and I have a hard time trying to ensure that no TWO pairs are exactly alike....which means I'm running out of colours for the little guys!
If you do have any ideas or suggestions, I would love to hear them.

 

 

 

Have a great week ahead!
Serena

Pretty in Pink

Hi there,

Just popping in to share what I've made this week. It's been a while since I've made something sweet and pink for a little girl and since the T-strap shoes have been well-received, I'm 're-visiting' them. As always, I never make 2 identical items (unless on request), this pair is the first T-strap shoes in this shade of pink with these particular flower wood buttons.

Don't you love these wooden buttons with an 'antique' stain effect?

As usual, the signature sole in contrast colour.

Have a great week ahead preparing for the holiday season!
Serena

Peaked Caps and a Cowl

Hi there,

My parents were planning to visit my brother and his family over in Texas. It was the perfect excuse to crochet some of those beautiful hats and caps that I'd been wanting to attempt. It wouldn't have made sense to crochet such hats or caps in our hot tropical weather over here...no one would want to wear them!
This peaked cap from Patons Yarns caught my eye as I was searching for patterns. It took quite some persuasion before my daughter agreed to model it:

I also discovered that by adjusting the contrast of the picture, the texture and detail of the stitch pattern could be made more distinct....how cool!



You can find the pattern for this peaked cap HERE.

I made another one in bright pink for my little niece, with a cute snowman button. So now both mum and daughter can have matching caps :)

 

This diamond cowl by Tamara Kelly of Mooglyblog has a beautiful texture and more importantly, the pattern is free! (click HERE!) I had a limited amount of yarn left and so made it a little shorter than suggested. Now it sits quite close to the neck, perfect for turning a round-neck T-shirt into a turtle-neck.
I do apologise that we couldn't manage to 'model' it as we were in a rush to pack all the gifts into grandpa and grandma's luggage!

Have a great weekend!
Serena

Little Boy Blue..Really?

Hi there,

Just 'popped' in to share my latest pair of baby shoes with a pretty cheery wooden button with pinwheel design! Reminds me of a windmill spinning and don't you love the colours with the 'antique' tone?





Paired with the sweet blue yarn, don't you think these shoes will look lovely on even a baby girl too?

 


Have a happy week ahead!

Serena

Study Buddies

Hi there,

I said goodbye to my current form class yesterday... They will now be on the last leg of their ardous 2-year journey in preparing for the A-Level examination, the results of which will determine whether they continue with tertiary education.

I was thinking of a farewell gift and had been wanting to give each one of them something which might accompany them for the remaining part of the journey. One particular student had shared that she often seemed to be so nervous during exams that it seemed like her brain 'froze'. Perhaps she needed something she could bring with her during the exam which could put a smile on her face and help calm her a little?
I came across a free pattern for an amigurumi whale by Karissa on her blog here.Thank you Karissa for sharing -- I found this whale to be perfect as a study (& exam) buddy!

So I made all 23 of them a study buddy each! Every one with unique colour combination. Also had some fun while photographing them. Hope you like them too!

Have a great weekend!

Serena

Deck Shoes again

Hi there,

Just 'zipping' in to share the latest colour scheme of the deck shoes -- decided to move away from the blue theme. How do you like these?


As you can see, I'm trying out a new way to photograph them too!

Here they are in the regular 'pose'.

Found a new 'friend' to accompany the shoes!

The regular contrast colour double-layered sole.

Have a great weekend (or what's left of it!)
Serena

Rosary Roses

Hi there,

A dear friend of our, S, was inspired by Kimberlee of 'Pondered in My Heart' which describes the creative use of crochet roses to teach little girls to pray the rosary. S thought crochet flowers would make a great birthday gift for a little Catholic girl and hopes that the little one's parents would use them to teach their little girl to pray the rosary.

Here are the custom-order flowers, 10 red & 1 white, made in a large size using double strand of acrylic yarn, so small little hands may grasp them easily.

Meanwhile, have a blessed weekend!

Serena


Crafting Adventures in Taiwan

Hi there,

We've just returned from a lovely family vacation to Taiwan. It was an added bonus to find some craft insipiration such as these:

These lovely crochet items were being sold in a shop which stocked a wide range of gifts -- the sign says they are all 'handmade'. Lots of inspiration here!



This lovely shop uses beautiful silk brocade fabric in all the items sold -- such a wide range and of course, ideas abound!

(For those of you interested: the quality is good and the shopkeeper is very friendly -- location: between exits Y16 and Y18 at the mammoth underground mall beneath Taipei Main Station)

Most of you would know that one of the reasons I love crochet as a craft is how 'mobile' it can be. As usual, I brought along a new project and you can see its really 'humble' beginnings.

Love how this stitch makes it look like it's knitted!

Guess where I was crocheting? It's a first for me....crocheting here...in a cable car!

At slightly more than S$2 per way, this 4 km long Mao Kong cable car ride is a nice change from the hustle and bustle of busy cosmopolitan Taipei. It is also great that they have crystal cabins which you do not need to pay extra to ride in. Do queue for one if you're not afraid of heights!

 

station at the top of Mao Kong -- a tea-growing region

the hillside is dotted with quaint teahouses which serve good food and fragrant tea

That's all for now. Look out for more travel photos in my next post.

Meanwhile, have a great weekend!

Serena

 

My Simply Delightful Top

Hi there,

The sunny tropical weather which we have over in Singapore greatly limits our choice of crochet clothing. I was pleased to find a pattern for a top which was a little more 'airy'.

As I've mentioned before, I usually work on such projects during 'waiting times' -- waiting for my girl while she's at ballet, during long car rides, long train rides, long bus rides...(you get the idea). In fact, this project has taken me almost 9 months...and it has been to Japan and Malaysia too!

The pattern is by Patricia Williams and was first published in the May 2009 edition of Crochet! magazine. You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry (click here for link).
 (Simply Delightful Top by Patricia Williams)

I made mine in a different colour and crocheted the ribbon instead of using a silk one. Here are some of the details.

 

Have another great weekend!

Serena