roman sock

I am plain overwhelmed

Wow - Turns out my little pom won the cutest face category in the Softie Awards!!!!! I am just blown away.

Thank you so much to everyone who voted, from the very bottom of my heart!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What an incredible thing to happen, I am totally overwhelmed and have not been able to stop smiling for days!

Thank you too to Therese for setting up the competition! She does such a wonderful job.

Today is also my birthday and this morning my love presented me with this cake! I am a very lucky person!!

So please take a virtual slice as a big THANK YOU!!

I am not usually a pink person but I think Cherry Blossoms win everybody over!!! These are from another trip to Loch Lomond

I never quite escape green though!

More Glasgow pics on my flickr stream I promise more crochet soon!! 

Roman Sock's Blogaversary

Wow - Roman Sock has been around for a whole year!! I am so completely chuffed. This is the longest I have kept any sort of journal and I never thought a virtual thing could reach across oceans and make me the most amazing friends.

So over 40 projects, 14 patterns, 87 posts and 653 comments (Oh my gosh!) later, I owe everybody a massive thank you!

This is going to sound like a crazy thank you speech (stand back Gwyneth) -  but I don't care!

Thank you June, Maritza, Bethany, Lindsay and Bri for helping me through this crazy blog thing. Your help and support has been invaluable.

Thank you to all the amazing people that actually made my patterns! How cool is that!!! You can see some of their brilliant work on the Roman Sock Flickr Link and everyone who bought something from Little Diversions from Roman Sock on Etsy.

Thank you Cassie from Bella Dia for sparking a Owlet craze!!

Thank you to all the amazing sites that featured my work including Craft , CraftyCraftyTV , DIYLIfe , Squidoo , Softie Central, Plush You, Crochet Pattern Central , Craft and Found, A Crochet Toy Chest and Lime&Violets Daily Chum.

Also thank you those lovely bloggers who blogged about this site! Fia Lotta Jansen , Groke Park, Crafting Creatures , LoopyJess, Cthulhu Crochet, CfKnits , Yarnigras , Quirkiest, Way Out Wear, LizzyJo, Knitting Frog, ChefHades, Ellielabelle and of course Soto Softies

A special thank you goes out to Monika for supplying me with glimmers of sheer joy!

I must have left loads of people out so please forgive me and know I appreciate you too!!

So, over the next year I promise lots more patterns made even easier to use and tonnes of crochet cuteness! Any other ideas?

little bunny foo foo - the truth

I love the natural world and adore making mostly realistic looking creatures but lately I have been wondering if I could design a slightly more traditional amigurumi. So cue this little bunny - I think I am going to call her Meitje.

She was lounging in the glorious sunshine today!

playing in the dadylion leaves

and of course shaking her booty

I have heard some very funny stories about the white lies parents tell children and the 'Doh' moments people have when they find out what they held as a firm belief was not true at all!!

My mum and dad told me that the little sprout bit in each peanut was poisonous - I still have problems eating peanuts even though I know its not true.

I have a friend who's dad told her that a car's lighter was actually a self destruct button ( An exhaust with smoke coming out) She only found out that wasn't the case when she had her own car and someone pressed the lighter in and she freaked out.

Someone else was told their Alsatian had been selected to be a police dog even though he was 7 or 8 years old, her boyfriend had to break it to her the other day.

It's a terrible and hilarious responsibility negotiating the path between protecting a child's feelings and wellbeing and them make a fool of themselves in their 30's!

It is the last day of voting for the Softie Awards so please please vote if you haven't already! Click Here

Vote Mini Twinks (Only if you want!)

A summery thank you!!

Firstly a massive thank you!!

Thank you so much to everybody who has voted for me in the Softie Awards - I am just totally bowled over by all the support -Wow!! I am just astounded. I am so glad these little things make people happy and maybe bring a little joy in to your day. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I was also shocked to notice that it's Roman Sock's first birthday on the 6th of May - I can't believe this blog is a year old! There will be lots of festivities on the day so have a check back then.

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Thanks to the emergence of the sun I felt the need to crochet something summery - I wanted something quick and easy and I thought a nice headband would do! I wanted a something that could hide a bad hair day but didn't require the same commitment as a hat!

I like the vintage Victorian/Edwardian feel - all alpaca, I am addicted! The yarn is just so soft and strokeable.

Thank you to my lovely model!

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I want to send out lots of love to Bri from Figs with Bri and Marian from I'm A Craft Artist my love is with you both. Sometimes all we can do is send out happy loving thoughts!

A Softie Award Shock!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow - I have just found out that my little pom has been selected as one of the Softie Award finalists! My mind is completely blown. What an honour! I am just floored - there were so many incredible entries!

You can vote for my little guy or any one of the other amazing entries here.

This is Twinks' campaign poster - please feel free to use it if you fancy!!!

I also wanted to congratulate QDPatooties I am a massive fan and she was nominated for 2 awards!!!

These things are always really bitter sweet for every one person who became a finalist many amazing entries didn't get through! It is just so random and everyone has their own taste!

Below are my pick of the bunch:

While She Naps

Cutseypoo

Soto Softies - I am saving up for my third!

Squirrel Momma

and finally...

Elbooga

Little Lamb

Little Lamb is an amazing charity run by Lindsay and Maureen. They make donated crochet and knitted squares into amazing blankets for babies, children and adults who need them! I was completely chuffed when Lindsay asked me to make them a mascot. It has taken me a little time....but here she is.

She likes relaxing in the grass

Smiling

Standing round

and having a good old sit down

I hope she was what Lindsay had in mind.

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I watched Miss Austen Regrets tonight, what a brilliant show, so powerful, well worth watching if you can possibly track it down.

Today I have felt incredibly lucky for being here, happy and healthy. I am unbelievably lucky and I need to spend more time enjoying it, rather than worrying about the future. It's strange how difficult it is just to let go and enjoy - afterall there is no way of knowing what is going to happen, so it's all about the journey!

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I thought in the style of Julie Andrews and her favourite things - wow it's not often you can say that - that I would end each entry with something that makes me happy.

On my bedside table I have three little trolls: one supposed to represent my Oma (Grandmother); one my mother; and one her sister Fredy. I used to play with them every time I visited my Oma and thought they were just the most precious things. Now they live with me and every time I see them I am reminded of just how amazing women are! My mum is also coming over to vist me soon - it's going to be fun!

Frog pincushion pattern at last! and a tiny bird

I am so sorry it has taken so long to post the frog pincushion pattern! It's finally ready - and you can download it here: Download frog.pdf

I have been taking more glasgow pictures ( I know! It's boring now!) which you can catch on flickr if you fancy a little scottish distraction!

I have been utterly enchanted by Maritza from Soto Softies other blog inside the softie machine. This post on Yellow really struck a cord.

For the first time in ages I actually had a very small amount of time to crochet - so I made this very small little bird. I am going to try some different sizes!

Brushed Crochet

I thought it was high time I did a proper tutorial on my 'Brushed Crochet Technique'

http://littlegreen.typepad.com/romansock/brushed-crochet.html

I was frustrated one day, around a year ago, when I discovered that fluffy yarn didnt make fluffy crochet creatures. So I used Twinkle's slicker brush to try to pull out the hairs - and wow! I was really impressed with the results.

I have been using the brushed crochet technique, creating fluffy crochet creatures, since then and these are some of the creatures I have made.

Here is a little sample of the tutorial:

 

Hope you like it! - I love seeing other fluffy creatures!

Twinkle Twinkle

I have been trying to develop a new elephant pattern for the last couple of days - but I just can't make it work! I have tried it every which way but it just looks rubbish! So instead, something that always looks beautiful.

My little Twinkle. He is doing very well at the moment even though he has a collapsing trachea - we have been following Cesar Millans tips to keep him calm and its working so well - he is almost a new dog. Playing hide the toy every day and even learning to look on the bottom of shelves. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks!

Intently watching

thinking - mainly about cheese!

dreaming - again probably about cheese!

This is the new bird feeding station that we have put into our little garden. We have had great tits, blue tits and this robin who is undeniably leader of the pack. If he is not on the station, he is hiding in the hedge next to it, or watching it from the tree across the street. His song is gorgeous even if he is a bit of a bruiser, when it comes to chasing other birds away.

Glasgow is beautiful! No really!!

I have been bowled over by how beautiful Glasgow is and my camera has been permanently attached to me. Here are some of my favourite snaps.

I love the way the sun can be beating down one minute and the next, everything is filled with atmospheric mist and you could be walking into another time.

Cue a bridge just a few meters from here, this pic was taken at twilight, it could be anytime in the last 400 hundred years.

I am also addicted to moss. Its something about its sheer tininess - like it belongs to a miniature world we don't understand.

This was a little burn (Scottish word for stream) we found on the banks of Loch Lomond. It was so pure that you could see each stone at the bottom of the burn.

If it had been just a smidge warmer I would have not been able to resist diving in.

Could you?