Winter Warmer Tutorial

There's nothing like snuggling with a hot water bottle on a cold night.  I like to have one handy to snuggle with in my arm chair while I watch tv and this mini sized hot water bottle works a treat.

I wanted it to look pretty while it wasn't in use though.

So I created this pretty jacket with Moda Vera Marvel Soft 8 ply in white.

I used a 4.25mm hook.

The pattern is simple.  Just UK sc, tr and increase/decrease.

Ch 26
Row 1, tr in third chain from hook, tr to end 23 stitches.
Row 2 chain 3 turn, 2 tr in second stitch, tr to second to last stitch 2 tr in second to last stitch, tr in last.

Rows 3-15 chain 3 turn, tr in each stitch 25 stitches.

Row 16 ch 3 turn, dec in second/third stitch tr to 3 stitches before the end.  dec in 23/24th stitches, tr in 25th.

The increases and decreases give a nice curve to the top and bottom of your cover.

Make another exactly the same.
Sew or crochet the sides together.
Pop it on your hot water bottle to check where the neck sits.  (Mine was about 5 in from the edge on each side.)
Crochet the top together leaving a gap for the neck.
Crochet a row of sc around the neck hole. Join with a ss and chain 3
Crochet a row of tr around, join with ss and chain 3.
Increase by crocheting 2 trs into every other stitch. Join with ss and chain 3
1 more row of trs and join with ss chain 1
1 row of sc and tie off.

Weave in your ends.

I've sewed a small zip on the end of mine to facilitate removal and for washing but you could use buttons.

This pattern is loose in that it can be adjusted by increasing the size of your foundation chain to make a cover for a full sized bottle.  The same principles apply to the neck of the bottle.

I decorated with a rose and some leaves from Attic 24. Lucy has a lot of different flowers amongst her tutorials or you could just as easily cross stitch or put something else on it, like maybe an owl.

Tea Cosy Love

Irony, I don't actually drink tea!

This started as a favour for my Stepma.  She had an operation last month and I travelled north with the Wee Girl to help out around the house for a few days.  Stepma was somewhat nervous regarding Dad's house keeping skills while she was incapacitated so the Wee Girl and I cooked and cleaned.  I have to say though that Dad had it all in hand from what I could see.

During some down time we were discussing crochet and I mentioned I would like to try a tea cosy.  Stepma enthusiastically mentioned that her teapot was cosy less and she would just love a nice tea cosy.  And so it came to be that the teapot came south to spend some time at my place.

Making the cosy wasn't easy.  All of the patterns on line are for somewhat taller china teapots.  The shape was different on this chrome pot, the spout is higher and above the widest point.

I settled on this pattern from "Why didn't anyone tell me" but it needed some adjusting.  My cosy had to increase and decrease quite rapidly.  I winged it and have started to create a tutorial.  I think I got it right on my third effort (pictured above).  The first two work just fine, but the third one just came together and I got regular increases.

Above are all three.  What do you think?

Happy St Patricks day!

It's 9am and everyone is sleeping.  Last night we went out adventuring till late.  The husband had a rare night off i.e. he wasn't "on call" for fires, which meant we could go out and not worry about having our evening interrupted by the pager.

We took the children out to play mini golf, something they've expressed an interest in doing over the years.  My hockey playing children were somewhat confused by the golf putter but adjusted well, the man child got a couple of holes in one.  The match took about an hour and was won by the hubs who has previous experience playing golf but professes to be useless at putting.  The man child came second and the wee girl 3rd.  I brought up the rear as usual my lack of competitive spirit and skill at things sporty no doubt had a bearing.

Then we tootled down to the Wynyard Quarter for dinner.  The man child showed a great interest in the "hot" girls walking down Quay St to Vector Arena for the Taylor Swift Concert.  We had an awesome meal and got home around 10pm, everyone was in bed before 11pm.  And now I am up alone as they slumber on.

Spotlight are having a sale and whilst wandering looking for odds and ends for my squares (I have 30 now and I've used up quite a bit of my stash) I stumbled upon this:

Moda Vera Willowy, 100% Viscose for $4 a ball.

It was calling to me to play with it, I swear!  I've never used 100% viscose.  It has a pretty sheen and it's soft.  So beautiful and soft!

I had to buy some, had to!

So I got 3 balls, the pink, green and white.

I brought them home...

I sat and contemplated...

What does this want to be? I asked myself.  I thought and thought.

Flowers, definitely flowers.

And so I hit on African Flowers.  They are unbelievably soft and pretty.  I put aside my squares to make them.  This is going to be my scarf this winter.  Two hexagons wide and as long as I can make it to wind around my neck.

There is a darker purple I might have to go back for as a contrast, I haven't decided yet.

It's going to be just warm enough for Auckland and I have wanted a new scarf for a while now.  The wee girl has her own flower scarf but this stuff is so pretty and so lovely to work with, I might have to make her another!  It glides over the hook and feels absolutely silken as it runs though my fingers to create the tension.  I'm in love!

My days off have been busy this week.  With my new sew pouch I have created a cellphone sock in cotton.  fiddly to work with but I think it looks pretty good.

It looks better on the phone but I couldn't take a picture of it with the phone, while it was on the phone.  I could have gone and borrowed one of the other phones but they were all tucked up on their chargers, in the bedrooms of their slumbering owners and if I have learned one thing being a mother, it's to let sleeping husbands and children lie, if I ever want time to myself!

And of course today is St Patricks Day.

May your pockets be heavy, your heart be light and good luck pursue you each morning and night.

Slainte.