Teeny Totoros

September 28, 2014 Sarah Alderson

Yesterday I went to Yarndale and met up with a friend who pointed out I have been neglecting my blog recently (thanks for the kick up the butt Gwen!). There are good reasons for this (more about that in a later post) but I thought I would show off a little project of mine.

I love making teeny tiny toys. Quick to make and always cute, they sit around my craft room watching me as I work. I became a fan of Anna Hrachovec of Mochi Mochi Land for her wonderfully playful designs and first knitted her MochiMochi Snowmen that now hang on my christmas tree each year.

The sparkly white yarn was a Regia christmas special yarn that I purchased and use frequently for christmas projects such as snowflakes. These snowmen were so easy to make and fun to knit. They make great presents too.

I have also knitted a teeny armadillo who sits on the top of my computer and tuts occasionally at some of my maths when I am trying to figure out stitch numbers or spreadsheet formulas. He is also partial to a few stray biscuit crumbs.

He was knitted from King Cole Baby Alpaca and I love how the garter stitch forms his ridged shell and his little eyes peep out and nose. For a while my sister nicknamed me Armadillo because I love Dime (Daim as they are now known) bars and used to eat one daily. At the time there was a silly advert on tv for dime bars that featured an armadillo.

Recently I was at the Knitting and Crochet Guild annual meeting when I ran out of things to knit (!). So, I purchased some crochet thread (DMC Cebelia Cotton size 30) and some tiny (1mm and 0.6mm) hooks, downloaded a toy pattern and began trying to make a toy that was meant to be worked in DK weight yarn with a 3.5mm hook with a much thinner yarn and a tiny hook. The pattern is a free one on Ravelry by Lucy Ravenscar - White and blue small Totoro amigurumi.

I made the white Totoro first with the 0.6mm hook. He came out at 4cm high and very cute. Working on such a small scale was quite tricky, particularly for the ears and joining them together. Good light is definitely needed!

I then tried the blue Totoro using the 1mm hook. He came out slightly bigger at 4.5cm and I love the extra details in his pattern. In the My Neighbour Totoro film the white Totoro is much smaller than the blue one so I really wanted a REALLY tiny white Totoro to match him. Using a smaller hook was not an option as I had no smaller thread to use so I made up my own pattern to create a very tiny 1cm white Totoro to be his friend.

I started at the bottom (rather than with the ears in the pattern) and he is only 10 double crochet stitches round in his widest point! His ears I made by using a few stitches each and quickly decreasing. The sewing of his eyes was tricky because they were just so tiny. Blue Totoro now has his little friend :)

I think I might keep these two forest friends in my car for good luck. The white one might be a present for my sister, also a Totoro fan.

Working on these tiny projects taught me a few things about teeny crochet.

Choose a pattern carefully. Small things are harder to crochet than larger ones so think about the detail needed and pieces involved. Toys are perfect because the size does not matter as they do not need to 'fit'.
Toys with multiple small parts are harder than those with just a few pieces. Be careful to not choose something that has too many small parts already - they will be even smaller on a tiny project!
Good light is essential. These were made in summer when the light tends to be better but daylight bulbs will help in winter.
Crochet cotton is much easier than wool to work with as the threads are wound tight and do not 'split' as much when working with them and it does not shed as much making stitches easier to see.
Good quality crochet hooks are a must too. It is hard work on your hands when doing something this tiny. I used Clover Amour hooks that have a soft grip which helped.
Small things can take longer to make than larger ones. Whilst there was the same number of stitches in my projects as the pattern they were inspired by, the small size was harder to work and they took me longer to do than they would have done in DK weight yarn.
It is hard to mark beginnings of rounds. Totoro was crocheted in the round but I could not find a stitch marker small enough to mark the beginning of a round so some guesswork was needed.
Despite all of the above, teeny crochet is even cuter than its big brother and worth the effort!

I'm now planning other teeny knitting and crochet projects. I want to make one of my Cthulhu amigurumi's in a teeny size next as this pattern is very simple and should come out even smaller!

One last photo to show that they really are tiny - they are all smaller than an AA sized battery:

Yorkshire Rose Corsages

July 31, 2014 Sarah Alderson

August the first is Yorkshire day, a day to celebrate all things Yorkshire. This year I wanted to add a traditional Yorkshire White Rose to my outfit.

The white rose is a heraldic rose traditionally from the House of York, but has since been adopted by Yorkshire and features on the Yorkshire flag. White roses can be found all over Yorkshire from the boundary markers to on houses and even shopping centres.

The rose traditionally has concentric rows of five white petals and a yellow centre.

I designed this crochet White Rose to celebrate Yorkshire day and the culture and wonderfulness that is Yorkshire. It has three rows of 5 white petals and a yellow button centre. It sits neatly on a rose leaf that forms the back to which you can sew a brooch back to pin to clothes or sew onto bags or hats. I shall be wearing my Yorkshire White Rose with pride on friday as I say Ey Up! to everyone I pass.

White roses are something I have enjoyed crafting the last few weeks. I have also designed this Garden Rose Corsage that has an elegant appeal with its pearl button centre and dainty overlapping petals. I love how pretty it looks on my coat. It has a flat centre that perfectly takes a pretty button, then petals that wrap round in increasing size to form the flower. The leaf is the same as the Yorkshire White Rose and again forms a backing for a brooch back to sit on. It looks fabulous on a dress or coat lapel.

Both patterns have written and charted instructions and are available now. They will both be half price on August the first to celebrate Yorkshire day with the code YORKSHIREDAY - when checking out the patterns add the code before paying to get 50% off.

As you can see, I have made quite a few!

Handlebar Hands & Cadence Cowl

March 27, 2014 Sarah Alderson

Today marks a very special day - 100 days to go until the Tour de France comes to Yorkshire! I'm very excited as the cycle race will pass very close to where I live and I plan to go to Huddersfield to watch the race come through.

It seems the perfect timing to introduce my two new crochet patterns - Handlebar Hands and Cadence Cowl. Both of these patterns have a cycling theme and were inspired into being after the release of my Helmet Head pattern in the Bespoke book - a whole book of cycling related designs inspired by the Tour de Yorkshire as it is locally known.

I love matching sets and found Helmet Head really fun to crochet so I just had to design a matching cowl and mitten set. All three of these designs are suitable for beginner crocheters as they use only a few stitches and have very little shaping involved. I'm just in love with the striping pattern and especially in these bright colours of Rowan Tweed that are all named after local places. Great to brighten up my outfits as spring arrives!

Cadence cowl is crocheted in the round and it can be made shorter or longer, or wider or thinner as required by adding or subtracting rows or stitches from the pattern. I like it at this length though as it can be comfortably wrapped around the neck twice as a very warm cowl or to keep it out of the way whilst cycling, or draped long and loose as an infinity scarf.

The Handlebar Hands can be made as fingerless mitts or full mittens and instructions are included for both. They come in three sizes to fit small, medium or large hands. They are unisex, just like Helmet Head and can be made more 'manly' by changing the colours of the yarn. I like the fingerless ones best for cycling with as I can use my fingers to ring the bell on my bike, but having a full mitten is great in cold weather.

The photos were taken by my dad and my sister kindly modelled for the photos. We had great fun on the photo shoot although it nearly was a disaster. I've learnt that you should not ask models to cycle alongside a canal without their glasses on. Disaster was narrowly diverted by catching Lucy before she fell into the water! She has forgiven me (I think).

Both patterns are available in my Ravelry shop and on this website. For the next 100 days both patterns are available for 50% off their normal price to celebrate le Tour Yorkshire. Use the code LETOURYORKSHIRE to activate this offer when paying!

Tunisian Crochet

February 21, 2014 Sarah Alderson

Tunisian crochet techniques was the theme of the February meeting of the local Knit and Crochet guild meeting. We had a short talk on the history of Tunisian crochet before learning how to do different stitches with the help of Fiona Mannifield. For those who have not seen it before, Tunisian crochet uses a crochet hook that has a very long handle and no hand grip. The stitches were all formed by picking up a row of stitches onto the hook and then casting them off. The different stitches are made by changing the way the stitches are picked up. It creates a very dense fabric that would be warm but use much more yarn than normal crochet.

I have 3 hooks in my collection, all of which I inherited. All the samples I made with the smallest hook (it appears to be a size 4mm - there is no marking on any of them to let me know) and Shilasdair organic cotton (100% cotton). For each sample I cast on 10 stitches so I could see the change in gauge with the different stitches. I also had an idea that I could use these little squares as eco-friendly cleaner pads. I've made cotton pads before but I go through them so quickly that having a larger supply will be useful.

This first sample is the simple tunisian stitch. This creates a square stitch with a vertical loop. The stitches are apparently square so we saw examples from the guild collection of cushion covers in simple stitch with a cross stitch pattern embroidered onto it. It was the easiest of stitches and probably my favourite.

Then we tried the knit stitch. This gives the appearance of knitting but feels much denser.

The next pattern was the crossed stitch. This was a little more tricky as the hook has to twist round to do the second stitch in each pair but gives a pretty pattern with little crosses between rows.

We then tried a variation on the crossed stitch - the biased crossed stitch. This alternates rows of crossed stitch with a row of 1 simple stitch, crossed stitch to 1 stitch before end and then 1 simple stitch. This gives a diagonal line across the fabric.

Finally I was shown the purl stitch which was a little tricky to get the hang of to begin with as the hook goes into the vertical bar back to front but it does create a purl 'bump' on the fabric and repeating this gives the look of reverse stocking stitch.

Feeling 'hooked' on Tunisian crochet (pun intended) and now rather confident with my new Tunisian crochet skills I then tackled a couple of stitch patterns in a stitch dictionary I own. The first was a Tunisian stitch double which involved making a simple stitch and then doing a double crochet (single if in US) after each stitch was made. This made a slightly less thick fabric that has almost a woven appearance.

Finally I tried the plain Tunisian stitch. This was a very easy stitch and felt more like crochet but it gives lots of vertical bars.

I'm now looking at easy patterns on Ravelry that I might give a try. I've found this Generic Tunisian Crocheted Computer Sleeve that looks quite cool, but does mean I now need to learn to use multiple colours and manage it in the round. Perhaps a bit more practice is needed.

Helmet Head in Bespoke

February 7, 2014 Sarah Alderson

This week I received my copy of Bespoke - a beautiful book of knitting and crochet patterns inspired by all things bicycle.

What I am the most excited about though is seeing my first book published pattern - Helmet Head!

This is a simple slouchy beanie that is crocheted from 3 different colours of DK weight yarn to produce a kaleidoscope of colours. It is easy enough for beginner crocheters to tackle and looks great with a variety of hairstyles.

This hat was born the problem I always seem to have after I have been cycling - bike helmet hair! I wear a helmet as I have seen so many cyclist lives saved by wearing one when I worked in A&E. They really do prevent broken skulls. The trouble is, once I have taken off my helmet, I then have horrible hair for the rest of the day. This simple beanie fits in my pocket and can be taken out and worn to cover up my helmet head.

It looks so fab, I have been wearing it out and about before sending it off to be included in Bespoke.

It also goes really well with Woodrup - the gorgeous cardigan modelled here with my Helmet Head.

Bespoke features 10 patterns in total and is inspired by the tour de France coming to Yorkshire this year. Woodrup is a colourwork yoke cardigan designed by Ann Kingstone with really cute applied i-cord edgings. Then there is Picycle, a circular lace shawl by Karina Westermann which looks beautifully soft. Malliot jaune is a jumper that is sized to fit children, women and men by Alison Moreton. Hercules is a men's jumper by Sarah Hatton that has a wonderful cable pattern reminiscent of tyre tracks, a Courier felted messenger bag by Jo Spreckley and Frame Mitts by Rachel Coopley which manage to look snug and pretty at the same time. For those with kids there are the Chop Chop handlebar streamers by Verity Britton (or big kids like me that really want to make these for my bike!). The crochet patterns include Peachy, a bike seat cover by Ruby McGrath, Wickerton, a cute stripy bicycle basket with a pretty flower by Julie Glaze and my Helmet Head.

Bespoke is a really fun collection of patterns and it is hard to know what to make first! So if you love your bike or know someone who does, or just love cute and pretty accessories, it is well worth a look. I'm really excited about the Tour de France coming to Yorkshire and plan to wear a few of these designs when I go to watch the race pass through my area.

I will be releasing matching mittens and cowl for Helmet Head soon so you can have a matching set (I love having matching accessories). Helmet Head is only available in Bespoke which can be purchased from Baa Ram Ewe.

Xylia Cardigan

November 1, 2013 Sarah Alderson

Have you seen issue 2 of The Crochet Project? The theme is Woodland Whimsy and there are some beautiful crochet patterns in there by some wonderful British designers.

My Xylia cardigan is in this issue too! Xylia means 'of the wooded land' and I think this name suits this pattern perfectly as the fancy granite stitch that forms the body of the cardigan has the wonderful texture of bark found on old trees found in the woodlands of England.

The cardigan has an asymmetrical design and manages to be both feminine with its pretty scalloped edges and yet functional with a handy little pocket and simple shaping. I think it is guaranteed to become a wardrobe classic.

Xylia is crocheted in one piece from the top down. Markers are used to note where yoke increases take place and once the armholes have been separated, the cardigan is crocheted straight down to the waist.

I love the fit of this cardigan as it sits on the high hip, perfect for pairing with skirts or jeans. The buttons allow the cardigan to be worn open at the top or bottom. I personally like the first two buttons open at the top as this shows off the asymmetrical design the best. It is available in 7 sizes from 34" to 56" chest.

I crocheted Xylia using Woolyknit DK classics yarn which is 100% merino wool. I like the soft brown shade that helps echo the woodland theme. The yarn is soft and warm and has the perfect drape for this cardigan. For substituting yarns I would suggest a 100% wool DK weight yarn that has a matt finish as this will show off the textured pattern to its best. Yarns such as Rowan Pure Wool or Purelife Organic wool, King Cole merino blend DK, Natural Dye Studio Dazzle BFL DK or Wensleydale Longwool Sheepshop DK would be great alternatives.

The Woodland Whimsy Collection can be found here and my Xylia cardigan here. I hope you like it. Please support this British design collection. I'm looking forward to the Knit Project issue 1 which will also be out soon.

Photo copyright for the top image is Kat Goldin of The Crochet Project.

Learn to Crochet Cthulhu workshop

November 15, 2012 Sarah Alderson

After all the excitement of learning to knit, I ran a learn to crochet workshop using my Cthulhu Amigurumi pattern and kits. This workshop was also sponsored by Leeds Inspired and Thought Bubble Festival.

The turn out was just as good and some people had even attended both classes. There were far more complete beginners here but everyone did very well - all managed the basic stitches before the end of the night. This was despite me losing my voice and having to whisper all instructions!

We even had the beginnings of a Cthulhu! He looks 'armless enough to me (groan).

Thank you to everyone who came, I hope you all had fun and I look forward to seeing you at Thought Bubble!

Zombie Charlie & Cthulhu Amigurumi

November 10, 2012 Sarah Alderson

These 2 little fellas have been designed as part of my learn to knit & crochet workshops that are being run during the Thought Bubble Festival. This is a week long festival that celebrates sequential art in all its forms. It finishes with a 2 day comic convention that I help to organise.

I am running a learn to knit course on tuesday next week, and then a learn to crochet course on the wednesday.

Zombie Charlie is a very simple pattern that is suitable for people to learn to knit with. He is named after Charlie Adlard, one of the artists who regularly attends Thought Bubble and he draws the Walking Dead series - which I love (despite having zombie related nightmares). Zombie Charlie is small and quick to knit, has basic increases and decreases only, and yet looks very cute!

Cthulhu is a simple crochet pattern that uses double crochet stitch only (single crochet if you are in the USA) with increases and decreases. Again it is suitable for complete beginners. I love the H.P. Lovecraft stories about the Mythos world and Cthulhu is my favourite character. I just love his tentacles :)

Both Zombie Charlie and Cthulhu proved very popular when I posted pictures on instagram so I decided to make some kits that include everything you need to make your own Zombie Charlie or Cthulhu.

Both proved very popular! They make great christmas stocking fillers and gifts.

Zombie Charlie & Cthulhu fighting over who is the most popular

I am publishing the patterns for download now and these will be available on this site shortly, and the other sites through which I sell soon. The kits will be available at the Thought Bubble festival next weekend. I then hope to have the kits for sale in my Etsy shop after this.

Ia Ia Cthulhu fhtagn!

Handmade Home

October 16, 2012 Sarah Alderson

I like to think I am a little bit green. Well, not personally, although I do occasionally have hulk-like tantrums, but green as in environmentally friendly. I also think my house is much prettier with lots of handmade things in every room, such as the bed throw I finished recently. In the aim of creating less waste and making life prettier, I have been crafting a few things for the house. It has also been a great way to use up some scraps of cotton that have been sitting in my craft room for far too long.

First I crocheted this scrubby:

This was a great little pattern by Judith Prindle called Spiral Scrubbie and it is free to download. I used some Debbie Bliss eco aran cotton which is probably a little bit expensive for this type of project, but it looks lovely and works well.

Next I crocheted some make-up remover pads in the shapes of flowers:

There is no pattern page for this one so I shall give my instructions here. The instructions are in British crochet terms with the US equivalents given in brackets:

Row 1 - Magic loop, chain 2, tbl (US dc) x 12 into loop, sl st to close & pull tight. (12 st) Row 2 - chain 3, tbl (US dc) in first stitch, 2 tbl (US dc) in all st, sl st to close (24 st) Row 3 - *dc, 2 tbl (US sc, 2dc) in next st, 2tbl, dc (US 2dc, sc) in next st, sl st into next st, repeat from * to end, sl st to close

Very quick and easy, I made all 10 in less than an hour. I used Twilleys of Stamford Freedom Sincere Organic Cotton DK which I really love. The pattern idea came from friends on Ravelry which I then modified to make the petals more pleasing.

So there we go, some pretty and useful new handmade home things in my bathroom.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this apple though..... a decoration for my underused fruit bowl?

Rocky and the Crochet Throw

October 7, 2012 Sarah Alderson

Nearly 2 and a half years ago my Dad and his wife got a greyhound (called Rocky, the poor thing) from a greyhound rescue centre. Greyhounds seem to have a design flaw for living in the UK in that they struggle to keep warm in the winter. So, I decided to crochet a blanket for the poor little thing (he actually is very spoilt).

Baa Ram Ewe, my great local yarn store, had not long opened so I treated myself to a few hours browsing yarn and choosing something for the dog. I found some Wendy Mode Chunky in some bright colours and set about crocheting the blanket.

The blanket was taken to knit night and everyone commented on how lovely it was and were very surprised when they found out it was for a dog - it was far too nice!

When it reached about 15" it became apparent that this was not going to work for Rocky. It was very large and very heavy and would likely drown him as he is a rather fragile dog.

So I went out and purchased some Sirdar Supersoft Aran to make the dog blanket in which worked much better. The blanket was much lighter and the colours were far more manly for a dog that is really rather fussy.

Doesn't he look handsome?

So what to do with the previous blanket? Well, it turned out to be just the right width for a throw for a double bed, so I purchased more colours of the Wendy Mode Chunky and carried on crocheting. And then it got put away as my startitis casted on for new projects.

It remained in a cupboard for over a year......

Occasionally it came out, most often in winter when it was perfect for being able to snuggle under whilst crocheting along the top in my cold house. It felt like it would never end.

This week, I decided that I was very cold and got it out again, and I have finally finished it! It is now keeping my feet warm in bed and looks nice and bright and cheerful in my bedroom.

I might have to start another blanket now to keep me warm while I am crafting in front of the tv.....