Crochet Christmas Wreath

I finally finished my crochet wreath. About a week ago, but this is my first moment to blog about it. I'm actually really happy with how it turned out. It probably ended up being a tad too long, which is why it puckers slightly around the middle of the ring, but I've never been one to chase absolute perfection when I crochet. 

Originally when I first started making it, two Decembers ago, I was planning on leaving it stripey and plain. After having it up for a week, I think I'll definitely be adding some Poinsettia and Holly leaves next year. All crocheted, of course. Maybe teeny tiny fairy lights too. We'll see how it evolves over the years! 

Well, that's all I wanted to say besides to wish anyone who reads this a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

My Tree is Up and I made a button garland!

It's the earliest I've ever put my tree up, but I have so much going between now and Christmas it had to be done! This is third year I've put my crochet baubles and chains on the tree and I still love them as much as when I first made them. I'm not one to change themes every year. Christmas is a time for traditions in our house, I like the familiarity of using favourite ornaments.

Although, there are always decorations that start to look a little shabby when you get them out of hibernation. When they need to be retired I make something new, and preferably crocheted, to take their place. So my decorations are getting progressively yarnier. But as a child of the 80's I will always insist on at least one piece of tinsel in my house.

For my new decoration this year, I made a simple button garland. It was just a very long chain of cream yarn, with assorted red and green buttons every ten chains. It's hanging above an arch in my house and I added a home made felt and scrap ginger bread man in the centre and a felt Father Christmas and snowman at either end.

The chain garland itself is very quick to make up. It would be a good family craft to make with any little budding crochters, and I think would also look lovely decorating a tree or woven amongst bigger evergreen garlands.

What do you think?

I'm also 90% finished on my crochet garland wreath. It's currently hanging on my ironing board while I find the time to sew it together up the back. I'll do it tonight, honest! I was thinking I might add a poinsettia in a red shimmery yarn? Or maybe holly and berries? I'll post pictures of whatever I decide, but any input is always welcome.

How is everyone else doing with their festive crocheting and crafting?

A Little Bit of Everything

This week I've been hopping from project to project. The table next to where I sit on the sofa has pretty much looked like the photo on the left the whole time. 
I worked a very little on the infinity scarf for my sisters Christmas present which is the maroon chunky wool, then I decided that I can spend my time doing the that once the decorations are all put up next weekend, so I switched to working on my crochet wreath. 

The green wool is for that.I started off leaving my tails with the intention of sewing them all in at the end. I think I'd just got into the habit of leaving them. Before starting my Christmas crocheting I was working on a scarf in the moss stitch and I'd been leaving them to make a fringe. Then I remembered how much I HATE sewing in ends and started working over them. I'm just going to leave one really long one at the end and use it stitch everything together at the end. Much less faffing about.

As I'm going to put the tree and decorations up next weekend that gives me a week to finish my wreath. Once I've done all my stripes I plan to do a few leaves of holly with some berries and then I should be done. Fingers crossed I finish in time.

I really want all the decorations to be as home made as possible this year, so I plan on making paper chains as well as snowflakes and little houses for the window. I just think Christmas and home-made go really well together.

When I got a quiet hour after my big Sunday tidy I decided to start on making my paper snowflakes. To have enough to cover my entire dining room window will take some time so I'll be squeezing a few snowflakes in here and there as well as making stripes in the week.

I've always loved making random cuts and seeing what unfolds . It reminds of how much I loved making them as a child, and how exciting Christmas was then. My little boy will be fifteen months by Christmas time and although he won't remember this year when he's older, I will. I feel like I'm on the edge of making happy traditions for my own family. Perhaps in future years we can make snowflakes together.

Knowing that he's going to have so much fun tearing wrapping paper, playing with new toys and getting fussed by family is making me feel excited on his behalf. I can't wait until he comes home after his visit to his Great Nan's next week and see's the tree all sparkly and paper chains everywhere. If I finish everything in time....

Sunday Funday

Normally on a Sunday my other half takes himself off to his Nan's house with my little boy for a Sunday dinner. They leave around eleven, come back around five, and I spend almost the entire time cleaning. 

As much as my twenty year old self would have laughed you out of the room if you suggested that the day would come when I would be genuinely thrilled that I would get to spend uninterrupted hours putting away a mountain of clean clothes that had gathered on the tumble dryer throughout the week, it's true! 

I love Sundays. I spend all day headphones on, dancing about in my pyjamas, hoovering, changing sheets and putting washing away. I seem to need at least an hour to put all the things in the wrong place, back where they belong.

After I've done all my housework I have a deliciously quiet bath, where I read, and nobody shouts for me to come and do something else. I should probably worry that I enjoy this so much.

However, with all of my crocheting reminding me that Christmas is sneaking ever closer, I decided it would probably be wise to practice doing a roast myself as it's now so infrequent that I do. I tried my hardest throughout the week to put the clean washing back as soon as it was out of the tumble dryer, and I mostly succeeded.

This meant that there was a moment today when my little boy and his Dad were having a nap upstairs, the roast was in the oven and there was nothing more for me to do, so for forty minutes I curled up on the sofa and crocheted. Still wearing some jazzy flannelette mind you.

I'm currently working on two projects at once, always a wise decision I know! A maroon infinity scarf for my sisters Christmas present and a woolly wreath. She asked me to make it, so it doesn't matter if she sees this . I want as many decorations as I can manage yarn bombed this year.

I started off with a simple shell stitch, then I frogged it and last night switched to Claire from bobwilson123's lazy cluster scarf pattern. I just amended it slightly so that every fourth row I'm doing a cluster, chain one and skipping a stitch. So far I'm happier. That's it above, in case you couldn't tell from my appalling picture taking.

For the wooly wreath I'm just doing different sized stripes of single crochet(US)/double crochet(UK) in different shades of green. I'm soooooo impatient to finish it. Is anyone else working on more than one thing at once? Usually I'm pretty restrained, but Christmas makes me giddy.