Minion double ended glove scarf

I made this scarf for my grandson, he loves Bob the Minion.

I used the basics from this pattern which is available free via Ravelry and written by Patricia King: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/minion-scarf-2

However I did make some alterations as I wanted to add pockets on the end which he could use as gloves so I added extra rows in blue and yellow and worked in the round until the pockets were the size I wanted then continued with the pattern to make the faces, then I worked in trebles all the way up to the back neck where I stopped.

I then made the other side the same way but with the one eye Minion and once it was finished I joined the two pieces at the back neck.

It came out really nice and he is thrilled with it.

Thank you Patricia for the pattern.

Happy crocheting!

Find me on:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PookieDoodleCrafts
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Ravelry: www.ravelry.com/people/pookiedoodle

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Jumpers for Cats - Crochet

No I've not turned into a crazy cat lady dressing up cats! These jumpers are for poorly kitties.

A local cat rescue sometimes has to shave cats because they arrived with their fur too matted and in poor condition to be able to groom it out, so once the cat is shaved they feel the cold and the little jumpers help keep them warm while the fur grows back.

I used Velvet Kerfuffle's pattern on Ravelry http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mock-turtleneck-sweater-for-cats as the basic pattern but did add a curved edge at the end just to give a little more coverage when the kitty is curled up. I did this by stopping one stitch short at the end of each row as I turned until it was down to about 10 stitches.

The turtle neck might not be ideal for a small kitten so I'm going to make some without the roll neck and see how they look.

They are made with a large hole for the front legs, this is better than have two small individual leg holes as it is less restrictive. The cats back legs and tail then stick out the back. The mock crochet ribbing around the neck is not tight but flexible enough to hold it in place.

I didn't have a toy cat to try it on but here is what it looks like on the toy rabbit I made last year! :)

The pattern is really easy to follow and I made this in a few hours one afternoon, it is all worked in UK double crochet. I used Cygnet Chunky yarn and a 5.5 mm hook, it took just under 100g. For a smaller cat or kitten double knit would probably do with a 4.00mm hook.


Happy crocheting!

Find me on:

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Ravelry: www.ravelry.com/people/pookiedoodle

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Tunisian Crochet Shawl

I first dabbled in Tunisian crochet way back in the early 1970s and had never revisited it until recently when I came across a pattern and I fancied having another go.

The pattern looked beautiful and it was also free, something which I like! 

It is this pattern which can be found on Ravelry http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/schmetterwurm by Christina Adorjan

I've called it my warm berry scarf as I used Drops Fabel in Berry Dreams and Grey in two shades, light and dark. 

I used 1x50g ball in each colour and also had to buy the Tunisian Crochet hook as the one I had was the wrong size, the whole lot cost around £11 (Nov 2016) so not a bad price for a nice new scarf and a hook to use in the future. Drops Fabel is a very soft and warm yarn and clings around your neck without being scratchy.

It took a bit of reading and a few rows of trial and error to fully understand the pattern but we need to remember that I was the equivalent of a complete novice and going into an intermediate pattern, so it should be expected that I might not fully understand. 

I think I made some mistakes, especially in the  short rows but to be honest I don't think anyone would notice. In row nine I misunderstood where there were a few dots ..... and thought it meant to move on to the next part of that row, what it meant was to continue as before until the required number of stitches were done THEN continue to the next part.

Once I had understood it all it was very easy to work the rows, you do need to concentrate though on the short rows especially and also if you are new to Tunisian Crochet. It grew very quickly and was made within a week.

It did need blocking to get the correct shape and stop it curling up, I pinned it out damp on my foam pads let it dry for a while and then removed the pins and rolled it up in a towel where I left it over night, it is keeping it's shape really well.

There are instructions within the pattern for some of the basic stitches of Tunisian Crochet.


Well worth having a go if you fancy trying Tunisian Crochet. 

Would I make this pattern again? Yes - definitely.

Happy crocheting!

Find me on:

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Ravelry: www.ravelry.com/people/pookiedoodle

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Crochet Pizza Play Food

My youngest grandson loves playing with his play kitchen and play food so as one of his Christmas gifts I made him a crochet pizza with removable toppings.

The pattern is by Drops/Garnstudio and can be found on Ravelry here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/s24-44-pizza-party

It was a very easy pattern to follow and the pieces were made within a few days, as the pizza slices are made with a chunky yarn and also double thickness they are quite firm and keep their shape. The toppings I made in double knit yarn.

The toppings are:

Pepperoni
Olives
Pepper pieces
Tomato
Calamari or Onion rings

I also designed my own mushroom slice by making the pepper piece in beige and then slip stitching around the side until on the other side near the centre and then working a few rows to make a stalk.

To help with the overall effect I used a pizza box and covered it with plain paper and then printed a 'logo' of Freddie wearing a chef's hat.

It was an instant success and he was thrilled with it.

I didn't sew the toppings in place, I wanted them to be removable. I did try sticking velcro on the pieces to hold them on

but the velcro pulled threads on the crochet work so I abandoned that idea and simply left them loose, it works fine and means they can be put wherever you like making different types of pizza.

Happy crocheting!

Find me on:

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Ravelry: www.ravelry.com/people/pookiedoodle

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Bertie The Teddy Bear using Sydney the Amigurumi Teddy Pattern

When I first saw Sydney the Amigurumi Teddy pattern I fell in love with it at once.

The pattern can be bought via Ravelry, it works out around £5 depending on the exchange rate for the dollar at the time, it is made by One and Two Company: http://bit.ly/2g7PqID

The pattern is really well set out with lots of photo instructions as well as written ones, these help you to get the correct positioning of features in particular.

I found it an easy pattern to follow and Teddy was made in just one week working in the evenings while watching TV, it grew really fast as it is made with very thick yarn and I used a 4.5 mm hook - I used Cygnet Chunky: https://bit.ly/2g7LVSt but you can use thicker or thinner yarn however that will change the size of the bear.

Mine, who I've called Bertie,  came out at around 20" tall from ears to toes. He is really cuddly and everyone who sees him falls in love with him, the features make him look so cute.

Happy crocheting!

Find me on:

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Twitter: www.twitter.com/Pookie_Doodle
Ravelry: www.ravelry.com/people/pookiedoodle

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Ribbed Leg Warmers Free Pattern

I made these leg warmers to help keep my calves warm while running in the winter.

The pattern is available for free on Ravelry - http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/long-ribbed-leg-warmers

I did alter the pattern slightly as my calves are quite slim at the top and I thought they would fall down if I did 2x2 rib at the top and 3 x 2 rib at the bottom, so I changed the way I did them and began in 2 x 2 rib and worked upwards from the bottom.

For the last 3 inches I decreased in every purl section of the ribbing by working two stitches together, this made the top section slightly tighter and it seems to have worked really well and they stay up without any problems.

Thank you tot Totli for this lovely free pattern.

Happy crocheting!

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Ravelry: www.ravelry.com/people/pookiedoodle

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Crochet stripes in the round without those ugly staggered joins

Have you ever worked some beautiful stripes in your crochet work only to find that when finished you have quite an ugly staggered look where you changed yarns?

Would you prefer them to look like this?

There are two methods to help prevent this happening, one is for when working in continuous spirals and one is for when working in joined rounds.

For continuous spirals:

See video link for a full tutorial. https://youtu.be/PaHEHTFNcDY

Basically you simply have to work half the last stitch on the round, leaving two loops on your hook, then using the next colour pull through both loops to finish the stitch. 

Then work a slip stitch into the next stitch.

Then continue on as normal. 

For joined rounds: (Again see the video tutorial for a better and full explanation).

Basically you drop the last loop from your hook, put the hook into the first chain of the previous round and through the dropped loop, then pull the new colour through them both,  then work a chain and begin the next round in the new colour. 

The video below gives a far better view of what I mean as it is easier to show you than try to write it down! The first part of the video is for continuous/spiral rounds and the second part for working in joined rounds.

Happy crocheting!

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Ravelry: www.ravelry.com/people/pookiedoodle

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