In April & May…

…I had more fun with Turtle Tales. (See the full story here, here, here, here and here.)

…I made pompom animals with lots of children at an Easter family event.

…I made a cute cardigan as a birthday present for a cute little girl.

…I had some lovely things in the post from Tamara and Jane.

…I finally showed you the Riverbed Blanket.

…I enjoyed bright splashes of colour as spring arrived – at long last!

…I spent a bank holiday with a lovely friend and a crazy cat.

…I had some lovely presents for my birthday.

…I revealed the winner of my birthday giveaway (and even managed to send it before the month was over!)

…I spent my half-term holiday making granny bunting.

That’s actually a whole lot more than I thought I’d done! I think it feels like I haven’t done much because I haven’t been blogging much, but perhaps that’s not the case…

#196

I noticed when I posted yesterday that I am getting very close to my 200th post – how exciting! It’s also getting pretty close to my birthday – something else that’s very exciting! So to celebrate these two exciting events I’ve decided to have a giveaway! So many exclamation marks!!!

The winner can choose between a Hearts Desire Doily…

…or a Five Point Star Doily.

This can be made in red, cream, white, pink, pale blue, pale green or pale yellow – is that enough choice?! (Read about the first time I made these patterns here.)

In addition, the winner will also receive a custom made crochet and wooden beaded necklace, similar to this one.

The winner can pick the colour and length of their choice.

There may also be one or two other goodies added over the next couple of weeks – watch this space!

If you’re interested in joining in, simply leave a comment at the bottom of this post.

February

I’ve had blog posts running through my head all week, but no time to write them down. Now it’s Saturday and I have all the time in the world and the words have run out! So instead of words, I thought I’d give you some pictures of what I got up to in February.

I enjoyed some early (and very short lived) signs of spring.

I made my first ever crochet necklace. It’s still on my desk and I just love looking at it!

I made a cover for my journal.

I whipped up a super quick baby boy blanket.

I’ve also been working on another project since the beginning of the new year, but I’m making it as a birthday present, so I won’t be able to show you for another couple of months.

What have you been up to this month?

Crochet necklace

Ever since I made my vertical garland I had another project in mind. As I put the garland together I couldn’t help thinking that it was a bit like a necklace. Which got me thinking – why not make a crochet necklace?!

I used some of my new yarn to fill a lovely bowl with crochet balls (another of Lucy’s patterns – fab!) I love how they’re all different colours, but all work so well together. And they look all seaside-y and summery. Yum! Anyway, I’m getting distracted…

I thought about making a whole necklace with crochet beads, but thought that it would probably be better with a bit of weight to help it hang properly. I ordered some plain, unpainted, unvarnished wooden beads. And they work so well together!

I crocheted a small loop which (just about!) fits over a wooden bead. I made sure that there were two very long tails to thread through both wooden and crochet beads.

When it got to the right length (approx. 52cm/20.5in) I crocheted 3 chains to create a small gap between the neckace and the final bead. Even though it’s a very snug fit (I should have made the loop just a little bigger) the loop goes over the last bead to create the clasp.

I really love how it’s turned out! I don’t really wear big necklaces very often, and had this in mind as a birthday gift for a friend. But now I’ve made it I think I might want one for myself too!