Mermaid Tail Blanket

I have just finished crocheting my first

Mermaid Tail Blanket!

This was a custom request by a family member

who chose the colour scheme herself.

This tail measures 52" or 132cm from top to tip of tail.

Excluding the tail, it is 38" or 96cm long.

The waist circumference is 47" or 119.5cm 

The recipient is 6 year old but I wanted it to be big and cosy for her

(I can just fit in this one)

I've got two more to make, these ones a bit smaller though!

Wilbur's Tiny Dog Coat

My future Sister-in-Law got a tiny Fox Terrier for Christmas last year

from her parents and asked me to Crochet him a little coat

to keep him cozy through the cold weather.

When I say he is tiny, I mean he is smaller than most cat's I've seen

and I had to skip 6 rows of this pattern to make it the correct length.

The above photo's are of him on my lap, and he hasn't gotten much bigger!

I used this pattern from Stitch 11, but because I crochet tightly, I used

the recommended hook size, but Wilbur's coat is only 8 & 3/4" long

In order from top to bottom - underneath, top and side views of the coat.

It's stretchy with a gap to avoid mess when Wilbur has a bathroom break!

A Purple Horse

A Purple Horse with Multi Coloured Hair

How cute is this horse!

Pattern is from Monster's Toy Box (Ravelry)

And it is quite quick to make.

Horse stands almost 9inches tall and is perfect sized for little hands to hold on to.

I put two little 'pantyhose bags' filled with rice to add weight to the base

so that Horse wouldn't fall forward to.

More Crochet Koala's

I've made three more colourful

Sam the Koala's for a friend

to take to her nieces and nephews for Easter

Ribbed Beanie with Pom Pom - MINI TUTORIAL

Remember this Ribbed Beanie?

Here's a quick little how-to

on how I made mine.

((( I got the idea for this from All About Ami

who found the pattern from Lion Brand Yarn )))

First Step: Crochet a rectangle to fit around your head in single crochet ribbed stitch.
Single crochet ribbed stitch is just plain old single crochet (US terms)
stitched into back loops only on every row.

I used a 5mm crochet hook and chained 41 to get 40 stitches per row.
I crocheted 86 rows for my rectangle to measure 42cm/16.5" long.
The long part needs to fit around your head.
There is some stretch in this piece so make sure it fits comfortably.

Second Step: Once your rectangle is big enough, stitch the two shorter sides together with whip stitch.

Third Step: Sew around one of the openings and pull yarn tightly to close this end. Tie a knot under the pulled top and secure.

This makes the top of the beanie.

I found that pulling it tight while sewing it closed worked better - instead of waiting until you've sewed through the whole top and then pulling the yarn.

Fourth Step: Make a pom-pom and attach to the top of the beanie.

Everyone makes pom poms differently so make your own pom pom however you prefer.

I attached mine with yarn - but I have previously attached pom poms to alligator clips 

which gave me the option to wear the beanie/beret with pom pom or without.

Thought One: I wish I had made my beanie longer on the shorter sides so I could roll up a brim.

Thought Two: Dark purple doesn't photograph too well unless your in perfect light.

Thought Three: When will I be able to make a pom pom tight enough that the strands don't pull out?

Ribbed Beanie with Pom Pom

My first finished project of 2014.

A ribbed beanie with cute little pom pom on top.

I got the idea for this from All About Ami

who found the pattern from Lion Brand Yarn

Mini-tutorial to follow

on how I made my own beanie

Two Little Owls

I made these two owls

for twins Phoenix and Ivy

A boy owl

And a girl owl

I've sent these off

to Queensland 

in time for Christmas

WIP

This is [another] Work In Progress

Beautiful wool, gorgeous shades of navy, purple and bright blue.

This is another pattern from Rachel Oglesby's book Crochet Boutique.