No. 76 - Christmas Stocking

Rachel asked for a Christmas stocking so this is supposed to be in Christmassy colours but I think it came out more like watermelon! 100% acrylic yarn, aran weight except light green is dk. 5.0 mm hook.

This was relaxing and satisfying to do as the chunkier yarn and hook, together with the open pattern, made it a very quick and easy project.

No. 75 - Tissue Packet Case no. 3

No. 10 cotton thread with 1.7mm hook. The rectangular crocheted piece was too narrow for the length of a packet of tissue so I turned it 90 degrees instead and added the triple crochet/double crochet borders. The case opening is perpendicular to the opening of the tissue packet inside but still works. Rachel is using it for school now.

Working with thread is a much slower affair than dk or aran weight yarn.

No. 74 - Masquerade Mask

Followed a free pattern from the internet provided by Red Heart yarns. No. 10 thread and 1.7mm steel hook. Will wear it at my office Christmas dinner which is themed "Masquerade" this year. A little challenging and therefore fun to do. Definitely had to be blocked to get it into proper shape.

No. 73 - Cardigan for Baby

Made this for the baby using 100% acrylic DK yarn and 3.5mm hook (I think). Happy that the wooden toggle buttons work well. It was a lot easier than I expected, way simpler than the crochet figurines as no colour changes are needed and little variation in the stitch count.

No. 72 - Chainlink necklace

Another chainlink necklace using cotton yarn. A little shorter than the earlier ones. Lighter to wear.

No. 71 - Mary no. 2

Made this one for a friend's daughter. This time the blue coat is a separate outfit from the body, and the veil is removable. The hair is also separately made from the head.

No. 70 - Mary no. 1

Here's a little figure of Mary Mother of God that I made for Father Robertus as a farewell gift when he was posted away from our parish to another church.

No. 61 to 69 - Easter Critters

Made these little guys (about two to three inches high) for the kids for Easter. Put them in plastic egg shells - they fit! 100% acrylic yarn, DK weight, 2.75mm hook. My own pattern. Thought I was making them all the same but each one somehow turned out quite different from the rest. Again reminding me how sensitive to tension the outcome will be. The photo shows the order in which they were made, beginning with the red bunny. 

When I was planning the colours, in order to have the rabbits all different, brown was one of the options as I have quite many shades of it in my yarn stash. Thinking about it, brown didn't seem appealing at all but it turned out to be very popular among all the kids! They think it looks like a fancy iced coffee drink, like a mocha frapp or something. I actually like it best among the bunnies. 

The chicks closer up:

Realise I should have posed one of them sideways - I'm quite happy with how the body shaping turned out, the back is longer so it has a proper chick-like profile. It was serendipitous actually, some of the increases got clustered closer together and that made that part stick out so I just made the rest that way and oriented the sticking out part as the back/tail. The first one had the biggest beak - Rachel was the one who told me to make the beak smaller so it would be cuter and it was. I really don't know why they're so different - they are exactly the same pattern, as far as I know. 

Bunnies closer up:

Now they're arranged according to spectrum - only I just realised that I should have swapped the purple and pink ones for a better flow.

No. 60 - Yoda no. 4

DK acrylic yarn, 3.5mm hook. Left it on boss's desk for his birthday.

No. 59 - Tissue Packet Case no. 2

Rico Essentials Crochet thread, 1.50 mm hook. Crocheted fabric after blocking, i.e., soaking briefly in water, pulling straight and pressing flat between towel.

Fabric sewn together to complete the case.

Different stitches used to make crocheted fabrics.

Back view shows the stitches better.

No. 58 - Water Bottle Holder for Sophie

DK 100% acrylic yarn, 3.5mm hook. So far so good, water bottle has stayed intact, i.e., unbroken, unlike the previous unprotected bottle.

No. 57 - Tissue packet case no. 1

Ricco Essentials Crochet thread, 1.50mm steel hook

No. 56 - Crochet Trinket Receptacle

Rico Essentials Crochet No. 10 cotton thread and 1.25 mm Clover steel hook (pictured). Gingher 4cm embroidery scissors - super sharp tip and cutting.