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Who thinks that crocheting a Waratah is a good idea?
After seeing a couple of crocheted flower books being promoted on the web I realised that there are probably many of you who don’t know that I dedicated myself to crocheting botanically correct flowers 20 years ago including some amazingly beautiful Australian natives, published in 2003.
After 25 attempts to get it right and the lounge room covered in bits of red and maroon wool crocheted into spikes, the Waratah was born, the Gum nut took 7 attempts, and the pansy took 2 years of attempts to get it looking like the pansies that actually grew in my garden. With 3 gardening reference books later and I had self published a flower book. Published with both British and USA terms, international symbols all hand drawn initially.
Crocheted flowers can be put on anything.
My friend Geraldine puts a fuchsia on the corners of her shawls to decorate them and they certainly get some attention.
WARNING these are addictive!
Authentic native Australian flowers to crochet. They can be made to scale or made to order.
Or make some gardener’s favourites like Fuchsia , Daisy, Gerbera or a Pansy.
Or what about a Daffodil?
You will want to make them all.
Tartan Blankets Never Die
While tiding up my office I found and old Craft magazine. I was drawn to it because of the bold colours and the flowers on the cover and then I got the giggles. That wasn’t all that was on the cover. On the left hand side was my Crocheted Tartan Rug. I had completely forgotten about it as it was published 20 years ago.
Most people crochet story starts out with a lovely thing like “My mother taught me, my granny showed me how to crochet” etc. BUT in my case my mother demanded I teach her when she first discovered a tartan rug. Her words were,
” well now you will have to teach me how to crochet. I’ve seen a blanket I love , come with me and I’ll show you”.
So we traipsed off to this lady’s house to see the blanket. To be truthful I actually didn’t think the blanket was even crocheted at all. I hadn’t seen anything like it, but I was positive it was NOT crocheted. So I told Mum she had it wrong. Ok it was me who was Wrong! and you wont hear me say that again in a while.
Since that time my Mother has taught over 100 people how to crochet Tartan Blankets and she doesn’t know what the stitches are called. Yet it works. They are that simple.
The funny part about this story and the reason I’m telling it now is that the original Tartan rug book may no longer be in print. I think I sold the very last one today. The very day that I found the magazine with my tartan on the cover. So after 23 years and I don’t know how many reprints, I have had to make it into a downloadable E-Book. This will work for you, you don’t have to pay for postage and you will get it immediately. Just in case your family’s tartan is not in that book I have written another 100 tartans since. Your family’s clan may be on my list here on the website.
And if you can keep a secret I may just be doing a tartan blanket sometime soon as a crochet along(CAL). Shall I let you know when that is happening?
Tartan blankets are interesting enough for an experienced crocheter as you still just want to see what the next colour looks like, but if you are an absolute beginner and never held a hook in your hand before this is the project for you.
And I still believe that they are the classiest crocheted Blankets ever!!!
You know the old saying you don’t know what you’ve got until its gone”?
My Faithful Companion project bag, the simple Dilly Bag, is no more so I am remaking her in some of the same yarns but this time I’m adding Noro Kureyon. She was made in pure hand wash only wool and fulled (felted in the washing machine). This made her sturdy and hardwearing and stretchy when needed. Oh so stretchy!
She had given me over 15 years of continuous use. I’ve been making do with other bags since and every time I put them down they fall over, and then the yarn falls out all over the floor. This never happened before with my Dilly bag. Everything fitted in as well, and when you went somewhere she sat there looking lovely and stayed put. She was so pretty you had to smile just looking at her colours. I think the narrow neck held things in place and my Yazzii hook holder & Yazzii utility holder never fell out.
I actually have fitted 3 full 10xball packs each in there so that my husband would not see what I had bought. Was that wrong?
This time she will have a purple base, so that if the floor is dirty you won’t see it and using the Noro means that the colours will be even more exotic. I cant wait to see her finished and put her to use. I just hadn’t realised that she had been so perfect and so functional.
Sale Sale Sale!!!
I’m just not sure if anyone actually reads what I write so this is a test. I have renamed the Paris Miss top, as suggested thank you, to the Hugs and Kisses shrug. If you order the pattern and the yarn to make it before May 21, 2022 as soon as I see the order I will refund the pattern amount!!! I love people who like 3 exclamation marks. I hope you do too.
So in fact you will be getting the pattern free and the yarn on sale . Yes it will cost you $24. And it is such a pretty little design I think. This is limited only for Aussie customers so sorry.
I have been learning how to do Facebook and Instagram but I’m a better crocheter and designer than I am social media student. When I get better at it I won’t have to try these tests out on you. I’ll just blast you on there instead.
I’ve had my bout with the virus so I’m not feeling super chipper yet but I’m getting there. I hope you are all well and this little blog post makes you smile.
Enjoy
Jenny
Slow Fashion
I designed this halter top in 1981. 41 years ago. I know because it was my first year of teaching high school in Moree, NSW. Some other dates in my life are not so easy to identify.
I don’t have the photo of the models wearing it then, it was before the digital age. I reworked this design for A Summer Collection book published in 1998.
24 years ago. The model in the 1st photo here just had her 30th Birthday. Happy Birthday Biddy!
Her Mum was on the front cover, My Mum was in there too.
The Summer Collection book could never have been done without the help of Diane Bailie. Here are her daugher’s Azticia and Jacinta with my daughter Anthea modelling in this design from 1998. ( middle photo) Azticia’s back view shows the interesting back and backpack & hat too.
5 years ago Jacqui modelled it in 2017. I remade in my new Stonewash( well it was new then). This design has just been published in Simply Crochet magazine in 2021.
I think that there will always be pretty girls wanting to wear something cool in Summer to highlight their lovely figures. I renamed this as the Jacqui Halter now because Jacqui was so kind as to model it for me. Thank you for being so Gorgeous!
And 40 years later it is an actually pattern you can make yourself. #slow fashion
Too funny right ?40 years really is Slow Fashion.
Jacqui Halter Top – Jenny King Designs
