Crochet bikini WIP

I have felt a bit at a loss since I finished the fox head.  The lighter and warmer evenings don’t inspire me towards making blankets and I don’t have any birthdays coming up to make presents for.  I am still involved in Amazing Breastforms and have sent out two orders already as an approved volunteer.  You can find out more about how this wonderful cause is giving curves back to women who have lost their breast(s) through breast cancer here but apart from that I have nothing on the go and am a bit itchy for a new project. 

When a friend saw me making a breastform she joked that I should make bikinis and sell them. I don’t  really have any inclination to try to make money over something I enjoy so much, I feel like it would turn it into a chore. But I liked the idea of making a bikini so decided to give it a whirl:

And I love it!  It would make a great summer bra aswell.  I want to play around with different designs and colours.. Here are some of the designs on pinterest that caught my eye:

For anyone wanting to give it a whirl I used a 2.5 needle and schachenmayer catania 100% cotton and did the following:
Ch=chain

Hdc=half double crochet

Sc = single crochet

Ch 18, hdc in 3rd ch from hook then hdc in the next 14 ch. 3 hdc in the next ch then hdc in the next 15 hdc. turn
Ch2, hdc in next 15, 2hdc in next hdc, 3 hdc in next stitch, 2hdc in next stitch then hdc in next 15hdc. Turn 

Ch2, hdc in next 17 stitches, 2hdc in next stitch, 3hdc in next stitch, 2hdc in next stitch then one hdc in each of next 17 stitches. Turn

Continue until you get to 35 stitches plus 2hdc then 3hdc/2hdc/35hdc. 

To do trim around sides:

Chain 3, skip a stitch then 1dc, 1ch, skip stitch all the way around. 

Along the bottom:

Chain 2 skip 2 stitches 1sc in next stitch, repeat to end. 

Go back around trim:

2sc in each space of previous row all the way around. 

The ties are just chains and then one row of single crochet back along. I did about 300 chains for the back tie and 100 for each of the shoulder ties though this was a bit tight so could be a bit longer. 

Now I am having a think about how I want to do the bottoms…

Fin!

Fox head – finished! Well, it needs the hanging loop and whiskers but pretty much there. I love it, will be sad to give it away but he will make a wonderful present. Am really proud of it and can’t wait to try out another one.  Cannot recommend Vanessa Mooncie enough, I was not at all sure I had the skills to take this on but on the few bits I got stuck on, she was really easy to contact and super ready to help out with pointers which really impressed me.  

I have been quiet around here for a few weeks. I had my last chemo session and finished the last round of pills and after I got through that, life just got busy. The island has really felt like it is waking up from winter in the last few weeks. Days getting longer, warmer weather, more work. Our, and many of our friends’, work is very seasonal and in spring through autumn we work, and socialise, a lot. When winter comes we are worn out and tend to turn inwards and hunker down and lead very quiet lives. School, house, hobbies, family, little else. 

In Spring work starts trickling in, we start seeing more people (apart from other parents at the park) we have the doors and windows open more (all the time!), hearing birds singing in the garden, the kids outside infinitely more than not. We have a communal garden surrounded on all sides by the houses in our complex, no access to the street, so the kids eat lunch and run outside to meet their friends and play until bedtime.  Parental nirvana hahaha. 

 I love spring every year but especially THIS year, after 9 months of treatments and sickness and hospital and bed, sofa and jammies we have literally thrown open the windows and doors and a giant breath of fresh air has swept through.  Bliss. 

Little crochet bowls

Little bowls for my big sister. She lives faaaaar away in Singapore so small and light is the name of the game when it comes to presents. 

I think they came out alright for a first attempt. Now back to the fox head….

   
   

Crochet crochet all day crochet

So I finished the mouse heads I posted about a while ago. Unfortunately although they were nearly done for a couple of weeks I still managed to find myself frantically adding eyes and whiskers the night before my parents left. They are the couriers who will deliver my obra maestro (hahaha) to my sister for her birthday. This also means I was too up against the clock to do any final photos (boooo) but when she receives her delightful, slightly Godfather-horse-head-in-the-bed, present I will ask her to mail me some pics. They came out rather cute I must say. God know what she will do with them but HEY that is not my problem. Something something thoughts that count amright?

Because I am now clearly a crochet QUEEN I have decided instead of the 60s inspired blanket I wanted to make and gift as a wedding present I am going to gift an animal head. Because what better way that to say Happy Marriage than the faux decapitated head of a fox?  I seriously have no idea what they will make of it. But as with all handmade gifts they will surely appreciate the time and love that went in. Right? RIGHT? I mean this is no infant school half assed ‘art’ that they were forced to do as part of ’emotions week’. Well I hope it isn’t. I am slightly worried she will think it is really freaky. Sigh. Such doubt.  If it goes down well I tell you it is going to be animal heads ALL AROUND. Everyone I love will receive these for their next birthdays until they have the full menagerie. My mum is already eyeing up the zebra, I saw the glint in her eye. 

No pic of work in progress because right now it looks more like an armadillo wearing a visor and will not inspire anyone. Actually now I have made that comparison I HAVE to post the pic so you can agree that it is highly accurate:

   
This is what I am aiming for. It will get there…

 
In other crochet news I have also just been approved as an  Awesome Breastforms volunteer. I heard about them on another wordpress blog My little bs have the big c a few weeks ago and was inspired to sign up. Volunteers crochet or knit breastforms that women who have had mastectomies can wear inside their bra to ‘give them their curves back’. It seems like a really worthwhile cause and I am proud to be getting involved.  

   
    

Animal heads – update

Quick update on the WIP mouse heads. I need to put the nose on two of them and the eyes, which require french stitch, I haven’t quite figured out yet. But they look cute! I am really pleased with how they turned out.    
 

Animal heads

My sister gave me this book for my last birthday. While majorly overestimating my crochet abilities I do love it for the gorgeous pictures.

I had a go at the mouse and, although initially daunted by the instructions, I actually got through the ‘head’ section without any trouble. However I am stumped on the ‘shape back of head’ bit. It goes from working in rounds to working in rows and slowly increases and I just. Don’t. Understand. Is there anyone out there that might be willing to give this pattern a whirl and explain to me what the heck is going on?

EDIT: I messaged the author Vanessa Mooncie and she was SUPER nice and helpful and pointed me in the right direction…I am off to see if I can crack it… 

Inspiration

I want to make a blanket as a present for a cool young couple I know. They are 60s mod inspired so I am thinking oranges, whites, browns…Too retro and it can get that boring side of 60s/70s colours and they are not an especially, crafty, crochet loving couple but I think the right throw could be a cute addition to their house and make a nice gift.

Ideas or thoughts?

A quick browse brings up the following ideas. Hmmm might have to think on it a while.

 

 

Work in progress 1

Work in progress. It isn’t quite what I had in mind but I will keep going and see how it ends up.  I tend to prefer neutrals so the purple and light blue seem a bit garish but when I see other people’s projects with similar bright colours I think how nice they look. I am keeping an open mind about this one.