Crocheted i-cord

I belong to a group on Facebook called Creative Crochet Crew and I find lots of interesting tips and patterns on there. My latest find was a link to a YouTube video on how to make a crocheted i-cord. It is so easy. Amazing! Here it is:

 Crochet an i-cord

It is by a lady called Clare of BobWilson123 and there is also an interesting crochet blog which you can find here:

 BobWilson123 blog

Gift cards for Christmas - presenting them well

I know this is a crochet blog, but I also like to do a little knitting on and off. One of my free patterns on Craftsy that seems to go well is this knitted Gift Card Holder. Giving gift cards can sometimes seem a little impersonal. So why not make yours stand out with this hand-knitted gift card holder?

Topped off with a button, it can be used as a store card holder after the gift is bought. The yarn I used for this project was James C Brett 'Aztec' which is 90% acrylic and 10% alpaca. Lovely and soft!

Well I never did! It's a cat!

This is the oddest thing. I am just designing a new crochet applique pattern called Fat Cat and this afternoon what walked into my house but a black and white cat. He/she is very friendly and cared for but was obviously extremely hungry. I've (foolishly) given it some meat and now it is going fast asleep on a towel on my sofa. It's only been in for an hour!!

Now what would you do? I have put his photo on Facebook and am hoping somone will claim him. I suppose he makes a good model for my pattern!

Look what has just arrived!

Lovely jubbly! Lots of Tunisian crochet hooks to experiment with.

For my first project with Tunisian crochet I am making myself a pair of fingerless mitts Couldn't be easier, you are thinking? Well, I've completed one of them and made three obvious mistakes already. But I'm learning fast and that's the whole point of this exercise.

Once I speed up with this technique, I think I shall enjoy this method of creating fabric. It certainly has a different texture and 'hang' to it than either knitted or crocheted fabric - perhaps somewhere in between.

I have always held my crochet hook like a pencil but with Tunisian crochet hooks I have had to change to holding it like a knife. That's a new development in itself and it will be interesting to see if I make the switch when I go back to some 'ordinary' crochet projects.

In the meantime, here are a few links that this novice has found helpful:

Tunisian Crochet Simple Stitch

Fingerless gloves
Fingerless mitts