Odyssey, a CAL, week 01

CAL simply means crochet along.
Someone, of a group or a blogger, has enough courage to start a "crochet along". Once a week a pattern is posted and everyone can commit to doing it.
This CAL is from a facebook group I've been following for some time now. Crafty Crochet Community or CCC Social Group and here is the link to it.
Week one, a lot of eager crocheters started crocheting along, me too.
Block 1 is Odyssey Block by Leatitia Sherriff. You can find it here.
Here starts my odyssey too ..... can I bring it up to follow it for the entire year or not. There will be many weeks that I'll be away from home and then I'll have to catch up, not that it's a big problem, but it is going for a year.

Block 1 - Odyssey Block

Using Stylecraft Special DK 

Hook 4.5mm

So far so good, it really looks good!

The real thing, one block done.

They gave out measurements, ..... in inches!!! 

The size should be 12 inch square blocks, I have no idea at the moment what mine is! Large!

Finding it difficult to keep track of all the things I do , this blog is actually my notebook.

Colours used

Lemon

Claret

Fondant

Pomegranate

Turquoise

Cloud blue

Aster 

Grape

Wisteria

Meadow

Fondant

Pale rose

Lipstick

Time to pack those advent stockings away

2014
Time to pack all the Xmas decorations. All 75 of my advent stockings found new homes, new boxes to be packed away in. I myself will enjoy another fortnight of the warmth of my Christmas tree and its merry lights.

Quintin and family's stockings

Melaney's stockings

again Melaney's stockings

Michael's stockings

again Michael's stockings

You might think 75 is a miscalculation and yes it is, it should be 72, I've knitted 25 for all of them, not 24 as it should be. Ah well, one extra sweet for one of the kids.

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Socks pattern is from Litttle Cotton Rabbits

A Pamper cake

My children still wore nappies of material and you washed it, not things you wear once and then throw it away! Today when someone gives birth, you can even give them a pamper cake! Ha!
My daughter used to make them for all her friends who got babies, so now it was her turn. After some difficulties she was pregnant and on thursday 19 december 2013 little Sam William Benjamin was born.

What a jolie little fella! (it is only the end of a very big yawn)

Add a little heart

a pretty rose

or two, or three, or four!

a pair of monkey socks

Et voila!!!

A Pamper Cake

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Socks are designed by Aunt Janet, for pattern click here

Autumn coloured stash bag

 The growing process of a autumn coloured stash bag.

Clearly you can see the time of the year I started out with this bag.

Granny squares in all kinds or formats.

What lushious colours 

Old pants will do the honours of becoming handles.

I hope it works out?

Et voila!

In the lining I made special small pockets to keep my knitting or crochet needles.

A pocket for other little stuff

Finished!

I'm a traveller and need backpacks to get up and down those busses and trains.

Filled and finished!

Autumn

Just soak up the colours

Bears - SOLD!

pattern from http://www.happyamigurumi.blogspot.be/

When I first set eyes on these bears I could feel the itch in my fingers to pick up my hook and start.

Body parts!

look at that face

arms and ears

whoops, no reason to stare at the sky ..... or ceiling all the time

much better

voila!

When I finish my christmassy things, I'll start on clothes for them.

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Yarn is King Cole Splash (DK)

My library

Everywhere I go, the first place I get aquainted to is the library, I love libraries! Not that I read so much anymore, internet has taken over *sigh*
It stands to reason that I like to buy books, so here is my library of my needlecraft books:-
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Cable & aran stitches - edited by Erika Knight

500 crochet blocks - Hannah Elgie & Kath Webber

200 crochet blocks - Jan Eaton

Crochet borders - Edie Eckman 

75 birds, butterflies & beautiful beasties to knit & crocet - Lesley Stanfield

100 flowers to knit & crochet - Lesley Stanfield

75 bloemblokken om te breien - Lesley Stanfield

Bloemen breien - Susie Johns

Poppenkleertjes breien van marie claire - 46 modelletjes

Poppenkleertje breien van marie claire - 50 modelletjes

Slofjes en pantoffels haak je zo - Tanja Müller

Sokken van teen tot boord - Jo Ann Luijken en Marlies Hoogland

Hats of sorts

Hats, hats, shawls, mittens. 

Some of the family had to pose in some of the many hats I've knitted or crocheted, 

those that still exist and the new ones too.

Like this one E is wearing, brand new,she got what she asked

Hats that are still going around every winter, like I can wear one hat at a time, or two!

nice and warm, but not for in the midst of winter

actually this is mine, my daughter and granddaughter are showing it

beautiful hat, but it needs a frogging and knit again

ok, patterns are from:-  red hat with buttons on the side is from Heidi May and you can find the pattern here, then the red cowl is by Alana Dakos and I can't find where I got the pattern from, will have to search again, found it! click here

the purple too big hat is this one click here

Advent stockings .... already

Last year I found this really quaint pattern for Advent stockings on the internet. Here is the link to it  http://littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk/free_knitting_patterns/2007/06/knitted_mini_ch.html
They came out super lovely!

My daughter and daughter-in-law were thrilled with it and asked me to knit them a set too. One pair is finished, so have a look-see.

all of them

red and whites

hearts

whites -and redsandgreens

playing havoc with my cam

the rest, the green one needs some buttons (which I forgot)

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I made them slightly bigger than the pattern and when one of the grandkidz came to visit he absolutely had to try them on.

Floral bag

When I first saw this handbag I knew I must try it. The colour is just brilliant and the flowers are beautiful. What a talented lady Cherry Hearts is, she has such a good eye for colours.

As per usual I started on the wrong side. Often I just start off and go and when I get to a certain point I really have to read the pattern and then I see, duh! wrong again! These little flowers are so easy to make.

the finished product! with lining.

Pattern is from  http://cherryheartboutique.blogspot.co.uk/p/crochet.html

As I fell so much in love with the colour of the bag, I used exactly the colour combination as it was described in the pattern. I did not use all of the yarn and have a lovly colourful stash of this yarn and I'm going to make another handbag with the rest.