Hello crafty friends!
It’s been a long time since my last podcast! You’ve noticed I’ve now changed the name from a vlog to a podcast, as I realised that vlogs are quite a different thing on YouTube 😅 for me, there was not a huge difference but after watching a few proper vlogs, I can say that my videos are definitely podcasts! Anyway, a lot has happened since last time I filmed, we enjoyed some lovely holidays in Queensland with family and I started a new full time job that has kept me very busy. I also finished quite a few things (in 3 months, I had time for sure!). And of course, I couldn’t stop myself from starting a few new projects as well 🤪 Anyway, I hope you enjoy the podcast episode, and if you don’t have time to watch it, here are all the notes with links to patterns and pictures!
Finished objects
- Advent calendar (by Yarnspirations) free pattern – I am super excited that this make is finished! I love how colourful the pockets are and I think I will add some details to the tree eventually, but I might make them out of felt rather than out of yarn. I will also cut out some numbers out of black felt to add on each pocket. Because I still want to add details, this calendar may not be completely done but I think the crochet part at least is finished. The pockets should be big enough for treats for the whole family and I’m excited to use it next December!
- Christmas dwarf (by Lynne Rowe) paid pattern from the book Once Upon a Time… in Crochet – I borrowed this book from my local library because I found some of the amigurumi from it so cute. One of the amigurumi I really wanted to make from it was a dwarf from Snow White but because I make it around Christmas time, I decided to make it look like a little Santa instead. I followed the pattern exactly but used Christmassy colours. I think they suit my dwarf really well and I am super happy with how he turned out. He is now stored with the rest of my Christmas decorations for the Christmases to come!
- Chinese Lantern (by EmmaCraftsDesign) free pattern – I really enjoy Lunar New Year celebrations, so last year I designed this Chinese lantern as a free pattern on Instagram. Recently, I’ve noticed that more people enjoy PDF patterns or patterns on websites rather than Instagram patterns, so I decided to move my free pattern onto my website. I also really enjoyed the experience of filming a video tutorial so I filmed a new video to make this Chinese lantern as well ☺️🏮
- Toni the Tiger (by EmmaCraftsDesign) paid pattern – Since 2020, I’ve designed the zodiac animal for each lunar new year and this year was no different. It was a nice challenge to design this tiger with all the colour changes and I really like how it turned out. I have also somewhat limited what I do with these zodiac designs because I am keeping the same body shape for all of them! I’ve actually sold my Ox but I’d like to make another one to take a picture with all my zodiac animals to date.
- Feathered friends (by MojiMoji Design) paid pattern – This was an unexpected make but I really enjoyed making those little birds! This pattern was designed especially for the Amigurumi.com amigurumi-along. If you’ve never participated in the ami-along, I would highly recommend it! Every month, a new designer is put in the spotlight and releases a special pattern for it. The participants crochet the pattern at the same time and there are heaps of prizes to win as well! I loved making the birds and the bird swing for January’s ami-along, and I loved seeing all the beautiful birds everyone else made as well! One of my birds’ is based on the yellow crested cockatoo pattern but with a pink galah’s colours and the other one is based on the budgie pattern with colours to match a sun conure. My little sun conure will be gifted to a friend who owns 3 of them, and I think she will love it!
- Først the first elf (by Ohana Hook) paid pattern only in French – I was lucky to test this elf by Ohana Hook! I really enjoyed making Først and loved the little details like his earrings or his jade heart. The construction for the clothes is super clever and I also really like his hair style. Clark loved him too and has been sleeping with him (there is no metal frame into this doll, which makes it great for kids!).
- Gilly the Goldfish (by Theresa’s Crochet Shop) paid pattern – I finally got around to getting some DMC Happy Chenille yarn (you can read my review here!) and I’ve made the cutest gold fish with it! I had also wanted to try Theresa’s Crochet Shop’s pattern for a while and I am so glad I did! Gilly was super fun and quick to make and I can’t wait to make more patterns from Theresa (she has so many super cute animals and I’ve already bought a few more!).
- Greg the Care Bear (by EmmaCraftsDesign) paid pattern – I was so proud and excited to finally release this pattern on Rare Disease Day on the 28th of February. I’ve written at length about this pattern and the inspiration behind it in a previous blog post (you can find it here). All the proceeds from the pattern sale will go to Rare Cancers Australia, and you can also make a one time donation directly on their website. Thank you in advance for supporting a great cause 🐻🎗
- St Patrick’s Shamrocks (by EmmaCraftsDesign) free pattern – St Patrick’s day is kind of a big deal in our family! My mother is law had Irish origins and she was also born on the 17th of March, so I thought it would be a great idea to design a simple shamrock and make it a free pattern! You can find it on my website or on YouTube (yes, I am on a video tutorial roll!!).
- Crochet squares for a collaborative blanket (by EmmaCraftsDesign and by Raffamusa Designs) free patterns – One of the founders of ‘La Guinguette’, the French crochet collective I’m part of, recently had a baby. Since November, we’ve been plotting to make her a blanket from all of us. I am now able to show you my squares as she has received the blanket! I’ve also included a picture of the finished blanket in the gallery below. This was such a fun project to be a part of and I’m really glad I participated, despite some drama with the post office. The square from Raffamusa Design can be found here.
Works in progress
- Wanida socks (by Cookie A) paid pattern from the book Sock Innovation – I have a half finished object! One of the socks is done and I need to cast on the second one. Sadly I have not had time to knit very much lately so this has been put on the back burner but I do need a new pair of socks so I will aim to finish it very soon. I really like how this first sock has turned out already and it does fit my foot nicely, which is always a relief!
- Blossom Blouse (by Dora Ohrenstein) free pattern designed for WeCrochet – I have not made a jumper or a cardigan in a very long time so I was overdue to start one! I decided to use my new-ish yarn cake from Hobbii to start on this top, and I think the colours will work beautifully with this design. I really like how the pattern on this blouse looks and it will be great to have a long sleeved top for this winter! It’s also quite nice that the pattern is a top down make, so that I can try it as I go to make sure it will fit me. I’m still on the beginning but I’m hoping to make some progress on it before my next podcast.
- Easter eggs dino edition (by EmmaCraftsDesign) free pattern coming out soon – Since 2020, I’ve been releasing collections of Easter eggs with a different theme each time. So far, I’ve done plants, spring animals and this year, when I asked my followers on Instagram, someone suggested dinosaurs. This was perfect as my 3 y.o. is dino obsessed! I tried to pick dinosaurs that would be recognisable as eggs and I’m super happy with how they turned out! These should be out very soon so keep an eye out.
Acquisitions
- Patonyle artistry yarn 4 ply (by Patons, purchased from Crumbz Craft in Healesville, VIC) Flora Mix colour way – I was super curious when I saw this yarn. Patonyle is one of my favourite sock yarns, and this has been hand dyed and looked so beautiful as a skein. It also looks great as a cake! I just need to find a good sock pattern to use this yarn with, or I might be able to use it in a shawl. Let me know what you think I should make with this beauty!
Useful Resources
- My French to English crochet terms conversion page, if you feel like making your own Først the First Elf (pattern currently only in French).
- If you want to be kept in the loop for upcoming pattern tests, you can follow me on Instagram.
Thank you for reading me if you’ve made it this far! I’d love to know if you enjoy those blogs posts that go with my podcast, if you do, please consider leaving me a comment, they always make my day 🙂 Until next time!
