In Hedgehog Heaven

Just before Christmas I did a giveaway on my facebook page. I just came across a fab free pattern for knitted hedgehogs,(which you can find right HERE ) had done a test knit and was so, so pleased with the little cutie that I decided to give it away for Christmas. I named her Holly the Hedgehog - since it was Christmas. 

Lots of folks entered, but one special entry caught my eye and that was from Helen at Hedgehog Hollows Temuka . Helen was keen to win Holly to use as a surrogate Mama hedgehog for her hoglets to snuggle up to while they were in her care. I thought this was so gorgeous, as I have always been a hedgie fan. While the competition was still running I decided to knit another hedgehog, in case Helen's name wasn't drawn to win Holly. I named hedgehog #2 Tinsel. The draw was done and Helen did not win Holly, but I sent her Tinsel instead :) I was so delighted when Helen sent me photos of Tinsel and her new charges.

Helen is an amazing woman who has dedicated 20 years to looking after sick hedgehogs and their abandoned young. She converted an old caravan that now houses a Hedgehog Hospital. 

Helen says "the adult hedgehogs that come in are usually sick or injured but most suffer from mange which is
easily treated with oil baths.
Hoglets are often abandoned by their mothers when the nest is disturbed or the mother dies so the
majority of my rescue work is looking after these little ones. Some hoglets are so small that they
require dropper feeding every 3-4 hours which is very tiring if a couple of litters come in at the
same time. It's always a bit of a celebration when they start to self feed."

Helen keeps the hoglets till they weigh around 800grams which is a good healthy weight for them to hibernate over winter. Those that don't hit their weight are kept over the colder months and released into hutches in Helen's hedgehog friendly garden the spring.

Helen takes good care of her hedgies:
 "we have a special area that is fenced off to keep
them safe but they have access to the whole garden if they want to wander around. There is a feeding station in this area with biscuits and fresh water but we still find crushed up snail shells on the footpaths so know they are foraging for variety." 

With a caravan full of Hedgehogs and their babies and lots of other rescue animals the pet food bill can run pretty high at Hedgehog Hollows Temuka . If you're in New Zealand and feel free to send Helen pet food to help feed her little charges she says;
"If people want to donate I always ask for the loaf style chicken kitten food and budget cat biscuits

as these are what we go through the most of."

To find out more about Hedgehog Hollows Temuka Click the link which will take you to their facebook page. If you wish to donate please contact Helen through her page on Facebook :) 

Perky Snood- Vintage Hair Style

I love vintage clothing and hair styles, and earlier this year I decided I wanted to grow my hair for the first time in 35 years, so I thought a vintage style snood would be an awesome project to crochet. 

As luck would have it I came across an awesome vintage pattern for one. I found the old style terminology a little hard to follow at first but once I got the hang of things - away I went. 

Here is how my snood turned out:

I was very pleased with how it turned out - I used 100% wool for extra elasticity.

The link to the free pattern for this snood is right HERE

Have a go at it - you'll love it!

Staghorn Mitts- super fingerless mitts!

If you are looking for a lovely fingerless mitt pattern in 8ply look no further! 

Staghorn Mitts are gorgeous and a very easy knit, despite the cables. 

It's a little hard to see the awesome stag horn motif on the picture above due to the variegated yarn, but in real life the cable texture is well visible. 

The pattern is well written and easy to follow and has explicit instructions for both hands. (some don't)

Here is the link to the free pattern (If you're not a Ravelry member it will ask you to sign up- its just an email address and they hardly ever bother you) 

Staghorn Mitts

 I love the actual mitt construction and would like to have a go at putting the owl motif from the Owl Wrist Warmers I made earlier, onto this mitt pattern for a bit of variety. 

Fab fingerless mitts!

So with the very cold weather starting to kick in, my poor hands have been feeling the cold. I have been working on expanding my knitting skills and patience, and so I thought I would try a four needle, 4 ply pattern and see how I went. I found a great plain pattern on Ravelry by designer Jessica Baird which you can find HERE 

Hubby modeling my fingerless mitts

So this pair is my first attempt and I must say I love them (I am wearing them as I type) They took less than 1 ball of happy feet sock yarn and so are very economical if not a little time consuming. I would probably get faster in time.

Ring of Roses - Gorgeous!

Recently I stumbled across a GREAT tutorial for absolutely beautiful crochet crowned rings. It was a free tutorial from The Royal Sisters blog and you can check it out for yourself right HERE

Here are the rings I created from the tutorial, I am so pleased with how they turned out :) 

Little Baby Rainbow Top Hat

I love Top Hats and I love rainbows, and I love babies - so this little project was super fun! 

Here is a Little Baby Rainbow Top Hat, I made it using Thoroughbred Acrylic yarn and a 4mm hook. It is baby sized and would make a great photo prop for a rainbow baby :) 

The pattern from Red Heart is originally made for an adult, and uses double yarn and a larger hook, I however didnt have double up yarn in the colours I wanted to use so I just used single strands and a smaller hook which = a smaller hat. I will definitely make a larger version at a later date. 

Great free pattern from Red Heart, which you can find HERE should you fancy making one for yourself :) 

Blue and green should never be seen??? I beg to differ....

Ahhhh it feels so good to finish yet another crochet project, this time a granny ripple throw. It's the first time I have done this pattern, and to be honest, I am thrilled with it :) 

Keen on having a go at making one yourself??? you can find a free pattern HERE - you will need to sign into ravelry though to view it :)

Babushka Key Rings

Hello one and all, 

I hope your holiday season is going splendidly thus far. This time of year at my house,lends itself to making stocking stuffers for Christmas, that's why I was delighted when I happened across a Youtube video that shows how to make the cutest little Babushka keyrings from scraps of felt and fabric, it also came with a link to a free pattern. 

The designers name is Lisa Pay and she has a whole swag of free crafting videos and patterns, she really is very clever :) 

 Here is Lisa's Babushka Key Ring Video Tutorial:

Here are some of the little Babushka key rings I have made. They are just the cutest thing ever!! 

Memory Lane Baby Shawl

For many years my mother kept a baby shawl that a friend's mother had made for her, for my impending arrival. It was off white, 4 ply lacy, round and very soft.

I had always imagined bringing my own little bundle of joy home in it. 

However, when I was first expecting, my first beautiful baby boy "Elijah John" was still born, so I never got to bring him home at all. After 10 years of infertility, the doctor told me the chances of having children were unlikely, my mother mentioned she was going send my baby shawl to a friend who was expecting- I was sad to see the shawl and my dreams for it being given to someone else but by the same token, I did want the shawl to get used again- so I said sure pass it on. 

About a month later, I broke the news to my astounded husband and then called my mother. I was expecting a baby in August and to my delight, mum had procrastinated about sending the shawl and so I was able to for fill my dream of bringing my baby boy home in its softness.  

Ace Monroe- 21-8-2012

A couple of months ago I stumbled across the pattern for making the very same shawl and so set to making one. I used cream 8ply acrylic baby yarn. Here is how it turned out!

If you would like to knit one two you can find the free pattern right here

Wingspan Shawls

I have been wanting to make a wingspan shawl for ages since stumbling across a free knitting pattern for it on Ravelry. It is a very clever quick and enjoyable pattern to knit and you can find it HERE

So far I have made two for myself.

Pink Ninja Gloves

I have been working on a special project tonight, a pair of pink ninja gloves for a special little girl who loves to play ninjas with her brothers! I will be knitting two pairs of black ones tomorrow for her brothers!!! Hiiiii Yaaaaa! 

Here is where I found the pattern.

Wisteria Lacy Shawl

Now I normally like to crochet, but recently I got some beautiful 4ply varigated wool 

(on special from spotlight, for only $5 a ball) that was far more suitable for knitting so I thought I would be a bit adventurous and dust the cobwebs off my knitting skills. 

I had a good look for a shawl pattern on Ravelry and came across this gorgeous pattern that was able to be downloaded for free. 

© Marisa Hernandez

The pattern is called "Easy As Pie" and I was really hoping it lived up to it's name. 

It took quite a while to get going, and I must admit I did a lot of counting and recounting to get the pattern semi right at first.... even then, I didn't quite get the numbers right. In the long run despite almost despairing at the lace chart I was supposed to know how to follow, I finished it, and it looked glorious ... even if I do say so myself! Here are some photos of my effort... let me know what you think!!

It's now proudly owned by my mum, which is kind of fitting as she was the one who taught me to knit in the first place :)

Spanish Rose Blanket

Well its finished!!!!! 

So beautiful, and such a relief to complete a large size blanket! 

This one is a Christmas present.

 If you would like to make one too.. you can find the free pattern Here

Coconut Ice Angel Jacket

Ohhhh I totally love how this little jacket turned out!!! So beautiful!

The original pattern is for a newborn size with 3 ply wool. I used 8 ply and a 4mm hook and it turned out in a size suitable for a 2- 3 year old 

You can find the free pattern here

Granny Rose Tutorial

A little while ago I stumbled upon a blog that featured a free Crochet Along project. It was called the Granny Rose Crochet Along and it featured a fab 3D style rose motif surrounded by leaves and a granny square. It is an excellent tutorial and it inspired me to have a go!

Here are a couple of projects I completed:

 This Blue Rose knee rug has come in handy for my mother in law, who cracked a vertebrae and has had to spend quite a bit of time sitting down... what a pretty way to keep your knees warm!!!!

 This bright colored baby blanket was commissioned for a work collegue who was expecting a baby girl.... she loved it!!!

This is my favourite so far, I just LOVE LOVE LOVE the colour combination (it looks so much brighter in real life)  here's a close up of the detail :) 

The latest granny rose project I am attempting is a larger size afghan for a Christmas present. I am loving the way its turning out. I am planning a lovely lacy border in red and black. Spanish rose style.

If you would like to try the granny rose you can find the free pattern here.

Crochet Technicolour Tote

The July 2012 edition of Australian Better Homes and Gardens had a fantastic crochet special. Within it, was a great pattern for a modern take on the granny square bag. I loved the results so much I made two!!! 

I love the happy spring style colours in this one (it ended up in Utah USA as a gift for an Aunt)

Blues, Greens, Purples... peacock colours :) 

Want to make one too??? You can find the free pattern here

Retro Granny Ripple Table Mat and Bag Bag.

My sisters birthday is coming up, she is really into retro decor. 

I decided to make her a retro table mat and matching bag bag. 

The stitch I chose to use is called granny ripple, you can find a tutorial for it here . Sure hope she likes it!