Sophie's Garden Mandala Cushion

Well, it's finished - my Sophies Garden Cushion cover. I'm still not completely happy with my colour choices on side one of the cushion. Side two had more thought put into the colours, so is quite different from side one. I also made it up as I went along rather than simply do another version of side one. I bought a 40cm square cushion pad and altered it into a circular (ish) pad. It's not bad though and I think a 7 year old girl will be quite happy with it. Luckily she's now out of her pink pink pink phase, as the cushion is definitely not pink!

It was quite enjoyable to make and the pattern instructions were absolutely FABULOUS with close up photos of every single stitch. You really couldn't go wrong. I must admit I'm tempted to make the full blanket version. But I'm also tempted to make this -

Tatty Teddy!! Isn't this just the cutest crochet pattern you've ever seen?! I saw it in the pattern book at work last week when I was helping a customer and I immediately put a copy by, along with a ball of wool. Goodness only knows when I'll actually find the time to make it mind you.

I still need to crack on with the little Pocket Love Hearts. I made a few more last week, in amongst hooking the cushion cover. I must take them to work this week and start trying to sell them. I haven't decided exactly which charities it will be for yet. I thought perhaps some could go to Compassion, as the hearts are made using the threads and beads from a friend who was a great supporter of them.

Once the hearts are done, I have 2 crochet blankets that still need to be finished. There's my Rippling Clusters Blanket, which I haven't touched for several months now. It's long enough to keep your legs warm if you use it as a lap blanket but it was supposed to be quite a bit longer than that!

And then there's the Crochet Star Blanket I was making for my Mum. She had Alzheimers and died before it was finished. It was only going to be small - about 3 ft square - just to lay on the bed and add a splash of starry colour. All the star shapes are made and pinned together. I just need to finish joining them and adding a border of some sort. Ah well, one day...

I'm sure there were lots more things I was going to talk about today but I can't for the life of me remember what they were. Work is still horrendously busy and I'm seriously worried that something important is going to be missed and everything will go bang. Before I can finish one task, someone wants something else done and I'm hopping from one thing to another, with no sequence.
I'm doing my best but I can only do so much and I fear disaster is looming on the horizon.
But it's a disaster of their own making, as they repeatedly refuse to take on a temp to help. I'm seriously considering changing my name to Wonder Woman...

I'd like to say "see you next week" but it will probably be at least a fortnight before I pop back again...

Ooh - I nearly forgot!! This happened last weekend!! Another "magic" number on the view count of my stripey blanket on Ravelry. It's taken nearly 3 years to reach 11,111. I wonder how long before it gets to 22,222??...

Pocket Love meets Valentines

Blimey! Has it really been over 2 weeks since I was here last? Doesn't time fly when you have more work than you know how to handle?!

BUt seriously, recently, I've been thinking about making things for charity again and with Valentines Day approaching, I thought perhaps some little hearts. I have one or two ideas of what I could make but thought I'd start with the Pocket Love Hearts that I made last March. (The idea for them came from - Curly Birds She has lots of ideas for things you can make.)
It was such a sweet idea - I often wonder if This Batch that I made to send out to the Philippines, were shared out by Mara to her friends and family and are now treasured.

They're so easy to make and they don't take too long - depending on how much decoration you want to add. They're tiny, so you can't add much. Although there's no reason why they have to be tiny - you go right ahead and make a BIG heart!!!

I made half a dozen a couple of weeks ago while it was raining and to begin with I only made them with red felt. Then I thought perhaps someone might like a different colour - after all, just because it's coming up to Valentines doesn't mean they all have to be red. I do have a few small pieces of felt in a variety of colours and will buy some more at work on Monday.

For the stitching and decoration I'm using some beads and embroidery threads given to me by a dear friend. The pattern - such as it is - I hand cut from the first piece of felt, then laid on the next piece of felt and cut round it and so on.
On one heart, I added a few beads and on another a stitched daisy, a few kisses etc. Then hold them wrong sides together and stitch round with blanket stitch. When you're nearly all the way round, add a tiny amount of stuffing. Finish the thread end off carefully, so no knots show.

If I'm going to persuade people to buy them as Valentines gifts, I need to crack on really!! I should have decorated them on one side only, rather than both... Ah well... I'll try and do a few more tonight.

This afternoon I have a little crochet to be getting on with. Have I ever mentioned my love of Pinterest?? I'm sure I have. Well, THIS mandala has been re-pinned over 400 times from one of my boards. It's a nice (if pricey) pattern, although I don't like the designer's colour choice but because so many people seem to like it, I keep thinking maybe I should make something like it. I have made a couple of mandalas in the past and they are rather enjoyable to make. They just have very little purpose...
I've also pinned a design called Sophie's Garden which I absolutely love and have been waiting for an excuse to make it. Well, there are two friends birthdays coming up and I thought it might make a nice cushion cover for one of them.

Naturally, I'm trying to make do with the wool I have available to hand, so it won't be as nice as the original - in fact it may turn out to be quite ugly and be consigned to the bin! But so far, it's not too bad.
The pattern doesn't have the green bobbles but who wants to follow the pattern exactly?! And anyway, it needed bobbles...
It's wet out again today, so it's the perfect day to stay in and crochet and sew.


Yesterday was quite the opposite - bright and sunny with a chill in the air but without Friday's biting wind. And there was actually blue sky! Yes BLUE!! I took lots of photos of course. Here is a tiny selection. See you again soon. :-)