Work In Progress Wednesday

This is a bit of a long term WIP.

 I started it back in September and I did know I was in for a long haul project before I started it. Especially as it isn't the only thing I have been working on.

It's going to be one of the Christmas presents from me to the older three boys, although I'm thinking I might actually write that it's from Alasdair on the card.

Although it's a big project, it's not a hard one. Just lots and lots of granny squares. I'm almost done the squares,  I've now got to sew them all together.

While the boys were at school today Alasdair and I laid them out to get an idea of what it's going to look like, and here it is, complete with the chart I'm working from and a solitary extra black square. The gaps are where I still need to make more squares (8 white and 8 cream, since you ask).

In case anyone out there is looking at it blankly and wondering what it is, it's the mushroom thing from Super Mario Brothers.

And I'm making it into a rug for the family/play room. 

I thought about adding some more squares and making it into a blanket, which I might still do eventually, but for as far as Christmas is concerned, it's a rug. If I do make it into a blanket, I'll need to make it a decent sized one so that three boys can snuggle under it on the sofa whilst watching a movie. Actually, make that four.

It's an impressive size once assembled and here is Alasdair admiring it to give you an idea of the scale.

All he really wanted to do was keep running across it!

My inspiration came from here, although I'm using a different granny squares pattern.

I have a lot of sewing ahead of me in the next two and a bit weeks, so if you'll excuse me............

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Work in Progress Wednesday - One of mine and one of James'

This last week has seen lots more of these coming off the crochet hook.

I'm trying to build up a supply of items that I can stock my little online shop with. I don't want to launch it until I have a reasonable amount of things to put in it!

Some of these corsages will also be going to my mum. The ladies in her church have a meeting at the end of the month where they will be selling things to raise money for the church's Missionary appeal. I've found some perfect sized boxes to put each corsage in, to package them up even prettier.

Moving back to the subject of my shop.

I also can't launch it until I get a suitable name for it. I'm coming up with nothing so far. I want it to reflect the folksy, handmade side of everything. It won't just be crocheted items in it. I want it to reflect me too, my patriotic side, my arty side. I wanted a Gaelic name at first, but then realised it was probably no good to have a name that no-one could pronounce!

All suggestions will be most gratefully received. I might even send a wee corsage to the person who comes up with a name I want to use!!

Onto James' project now.

He has a presentation to give to his class on Friday about his personal project. This term the teacher let them choose their own individual projects and he has chosen Roman Gladiators.

He plans to talk about the different types of Gladiators, their weapons, how they fought etc.

He has drawn a poster with the different Gladiators on it, complete with fold down flap showing their weapons.

He has also photocopied handouts to give to everyone, made a papier-mache helmet and made a short Lego animation of a Gladiator fight that he plans to show at the end!  

I may be biased, but I think he has quite a talent for art!

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Great Granny and the shopping trip (and a completed WIP)

This afternoon myself and the boys took my brother and my granny down to the shopping centre.

My granny was very keen to get to Marks & Spencer while she was here so that's where we headed.

After a little walk round the store we stopped for tea and cake.

Mine was a lovely Earl Grey and an even lovelier Caramel Slice.

Then we hit the shopping trail again and granny got what she was after.

My granny is in her 80s, so walking was a lot slower than the breakneck speed the boys usually like to take, but they were very patient.

I also finally got round to sewing the little faces on the baby blankie toys.

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Work in Progress Wednesday - Crochet Baby Blankie Toy

Short and sweet tonight.

The week we were away on holiday I rustled up a few of these baby blankie toys.

Since we were away I didn't have the stuffing for them so since we got back they have been sitting waiting for the little finishing touches.

Now that they have my attention all they need are some facial features.

I know safety eyes would look best, but since they are for small babies I didn't want to take the risk of them coming off so I'm going to sew on the eyes and a little mouth & nose instead.

These too, as well as the blankets, are heading off to The Mercy House.

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Work in Progress Wednesday - Coffee Pot Cosy

After my first proper crochet project, the tea cosy I made way back last summer, my husband has always been asking when I was going to get round to making a coffee cosy for him.

Well, I finally did.

I like the wool as it looks kind of like a tweed fabric once it's crocheted. 

Purple is my favourite colour too.

I am tempted to add a couple of wee flower embellishments to the front, but as it's for my beloved's coffee pot I don't want it to look too girly!

It's still a Work In Progress, as I haven't found any suitable buttons to hold it closed, so at the moment it's held together by safety pins!

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Work in Progress Wednesday - Baby Blanket, this week's progress

Earlier on this evening Calum was testing out his photography skills and took this photo of me working on the blanket I started last week.


It was perfect timing really, as I needed a photo for this week's WIP post!





I should get this one finished in the next day or two.


Then it's on with the next project.


What did I do before I discovered crochet?!

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Work in Progress Wednesday - Crochet Baby Blankets

Last week I finished my first ever crochet baby blanket.

It's basically a super-giant-sized granny square, all in the one colour.

Here it is being modeled by David, who has taken rather a shine to it.

This week I have started another baby blanket. This one is a different pattern, all V-stitch throughout and it will have a picot border added at the end. I think this pattern is nicer, so any more I make will probably be the same pattern. Although, I love trying out new designs so who knows!

Our little Bible-study group has a few blankets on the go now for The Mercy House. Knowing they are heading off to someone who really, really needs them makes them all the more special.

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Work in Progress Wednesday - Crochet Beret

This hat crocheted up really quickly because of the holes in it. It took me two evenings.

When I was working on it Calum asked me what I was making. I told him it was a hat. His reply was, 'but it's full of holes!'

Yes, dear, thank you, but the holes are part of the pattern.

I also learned a new stitch, a front post double crochet and a back post double crochet. These give the kind of rib round the brim of that hat that you can see better in the darker picture.

Now I can get started on the baby blankets I mentioned in yesterday's post!

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Work in Progress Wednesday - Baby Crochet

There have been quite a few babies born lately so I have been working on some baby crafts.

♥ My youngest and oldest babies ♥ (my middle two were already alseep!) ♥

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Work in Progress Wednesday

This week it's time to look at what my boys and husband have been crafting.

My husband is at home all this week. He has a few days off in return for having worked so many extra hours over the last couple of months. He has really been enjoying spending the extra time with the boys. At the start of the week they came home with an Airfix model soldier kit. There was great excitement all round.

I'm sure I've already said how much my husband loves Military history, especially World War 2, so this was as much for him as the boys.

The first few soldiers were painted by daddy. He had to show the boys what to do of course :0)

Then James and Calum were both able to try out their painting skills.

They are now totally hooked on Airfix models and have been searching online for their next purchases. James has had the idea that they will make up a sort of timeline of soldiers through time including Romans, Knights etc. Calum is very keen to try building one of the Land Rover models.

When my husband saw me taking the photos above he said I had to have a photo of all the infantry lined up behind their Captain.

And then I had to get a close up of the Captain.

From both sides.

I can see these little men taking over my life in the months ahead! It's so nice to see the boys taking such care over painting the little figures.

As for last week's project: 

I got the scarf and brooch finished.

I made a slightly different flower brooch to the one I made for my mum's scarf.

This one I made up all by myself!

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Work in Progress Wednesday

Short and sweet tonight.

I'm working on a scarf and brooch the same as the one I made for my mum's Christmas present. Only in a different colour.

This one is for my granny's birthday, which is on Saturday so I really need to get it in the post by Friday. She was admiring my mum's one so I said I'd make her one too.

My granny (my mum's mum) lives about 2 miles away from my parents. She will be 85, or maybe 86 - (I must check!), is still living in her own house and has 9 great-grandchildren.

Anyway, the scarf.

I must try and get a photo of it in daylight because this doesn't do the colour justice. It's more of a teal colour and has little sequins through it.

OK, I'm off to try and finish it!

Gaelic word of the day:

seanamhair (shen-avar) - grandmother

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W.I.P. Wednesday - Christmas Crochet Projects

Time now to reveal all those Work In Progresses that I was wanting to share throughout December but couldn't because some of them were gifts, and some of the gift recipients read my blog!

Remember Alasdair's cute little Owl hat? Straight after I had made that I made a different one for David. I just didn't get a chance to photograph it properly before now (and it still isn't photographed properly because that boy just doesn't sit still!)

If he had sat still long enough you would be able to tell that it is a Raccoon hat.

Then, after making these two hats I was on a bit of a roll and made a third type for my youngest nephew's birthday. He turned three on Christmas day, see a couple of posts below. 

Here he is in his froggy hat.

Next in line for an earflap hat was my husband's sister, who loves the outdoors.

Back in November I showed the colour of wool I was using for one of my mum's presents.

I was making a neckwarmer with a corsage brooch to hold it closed. My granny has been admiring it so much that I have promised to make her one for her birthday, which is at the end of this month.

OK, everyone still with me? Just a couple more things.

I made this hot-water bottle cover for my brother's wife. 

Lastly, and most certainly not leastly, my TOP SECRET project for the boys. 

With all the other projects I was working on, I didn't get the full set of Star Wars figures made, but I did make them one each and the rest can be added on at leisure.

I wrapped them up individually and made them from Alasdair to each of his older brothers.

Darth is still waiting for me to buy some felt for a cape!

Gaelic word of the day:

deiseil (jay-shall) - finished

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Now, given previous posts, and what I am about to show, I realise that I may be at risk of a reputation as something of a Star Wars geek.
Can I just confirm, that I wouldn't actually choose to watch these movies! Growing up, I really disliked them in fact. It's just that, in providence I have been blessed with four boys, and, well, they happen to love Star Wars. And since I happen to love my boys, and wouldn't change a thing about them, then I am happy to embrace a little bit of life with the Force.
Right, glad we cleared that up.
I must add too, that this current WIP is a surprise for my boys for Christmas. I can only work on it when they are in bed. I will need to watch too that I don't scroll down on the blog when they are in the room in case they see this TOP SECRET photo I'm about to share!
So, here we go.

Cute, he is.

I have the patterns to make 10 little Star Wars figures. I'm not sure if I'll get them all made in time, with all the other projects I have on the go, so I'm starting with their favourites. We can always add the others after.

Technically, my Christmas cake counts as a WIP, since I will be giving it a twice weekly 'feed' of whisky for the next three or so weeks, before icing it.

Here is my littlest chef helping me out with it.

Mixing it......

.....spreading it in the pan........

.....and cooked. The smaller cake on the left is for my parents-in-law.

The house smells wonderfully warm and festive tonight after baking these.

And after the success of last week's Owl hat for Alasdair, I am nearly finished a similar one for David. I shall share that one next week!

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W.I.P. Wednesday

It's a cute one today!

Technically, it's not a Work-in-Progress anymore, it was my WIP at the weekend.

Once I started it I was determined to finish it quickly so my little man could wear it on the cold mornings when we take his big brothers to school.

Ready for it?

One more thing to add, it's probably one of those kind of things that look super cute just now but he won't thank me for the photos when he is older!

OK, here it is:

This next one's a bit fuzzy, but he smiled so nicely for it!

My cosy little bug!

The link to other people's WIPs is here.

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