Creative Mischief Handmade

My son loves the Octonauts , a TV show on ABC for Kids based on a series of books by Meomi. I have recently bought him stuffed toys of the three main characters and decided to try my hand at crocheting a toy or Amigurumi (the Japanese name for a small crocheted toy/animal) to go with his Kwazii, Barnacles and Peso. The OCTONAUTS are a team of undersea adventurers who are always ready to dive into action! Their mission: to explore new underwater worlds, rescue amazing sea creatures and protect the ocean. The result is this little octopus. Im really happy with how it has turned out. I found this pattern online and made it up, without the bobble stitches on the underside of the tentacles, as I knew an 18 month old would just not appreciate the time of all those extra stitches! I also used a double crochet stitch to join the top and bottom together as it gives a nice orange 'border' to the white underside. It is approx 7cm tall x 14cm wide a...

I have finished the top of Dad Quilt #2. Im really happy with it. I added just a simple 4" border in a complementary dark blue. Like most of my quilts it has turned out larger than I wanted - It is the size I designed, but larger than I like working on these days but it is the perfect size for snuggling on the couch. I have backed it in a cream and pinned it together, so this week I will be quilting. I haven't decided on a stitch pattern yet, but have a few ideas. I normally love meandering but my dad likes clean, simple & traditional, so I am thinking just some diagonal lines to highlight the patterned squares. I think it is still on track for finishing for his birthday at the end of the month, as long as I can put my crochet hook down long enough to get into my sewing room! Yes I have a new love - Crocheting! I don't know if I will ever make any clothes or hats or anything like that, but I am loving just relaxing on the couch and making little blocks. I fe...

Ive been busy again this week. Sewed a number of pieces together on Dad Quilt #2 and have the layout all sorted. I really need a bigger studio so I can have a permanent design wall, but for now I just hang up a large piece of felt and I can do my desgining. I love seeing a quilt come together, the balance of colours and all the fabrics layed out together. Once I get these parts sewn up I will add in the blue sections and the sashing strips. Ive also decided to teach myself how to crochet. I really enjoyed it while making the wig cap for Boy Dolls hair so I have been inspired to learn another craft! So far I've done this small sample. The light blue and green are in single crochet and the dark blue is a double crochet stitch.