roman sock

An announcement and a toad pattern

Thank you so much for all the kind words about the little toads you can find the pattern here: Download toad.pdf

I have been thinking about trying to get some of my patterns published for a while and I am pleased to announce the next issue of Simply Knitting...... (The UK's Biggest Knitting Magazine) will have a pattern in by me! I am excited beyond words!!! They also choose me as their Friday recommended blog which was just amazing!

Below is a sneaky peak of the item... I hope you like it - its an old fashioned Christmas pud, that doubles up as a handy work bag.

 

To keep up to date with things that I have going on...you could join my mailing list - I have now added a link to the top of the right hand side bar. I will email when new patterns are published, there are any give aways or anything exciting happens - but not too often.

Is this too much attitude from a bird?

Does he make me a fully paid up member of the pink club? I think he shows pink can be cool - in context ;-)

he is a very cheeky chappy

with a penchant for posing

and lots of attitude!

I do love birds!

Lucky Happy Panda Cub

Finally I have had a little time to crochet! At last!! Meet my new little sweetie.

crawling along

smiling

chowing down

and just being cute

I was very lucky to live in China during the early 80's when I was a little kid. China was heavily communist and there were very few westerners, we were often the first white people locals had ever seen. When we went to the market (After a couple of hours on a bus) hundreds of people would queue up to touch my brothers hair (which is bright red - especially lucky!).

I am reading the book Getting Rich First in a Changing China, it makes me sad to realise how many old treasures are lost. But innovation always shines through. I remember drinking a bottle of coke cola in little shack bar in the middle of communist China in early 80's, now that is ingenuity - the bar was made of found bits and pieces! How the coke got there I will never know.

Teeny weeny

I have been snowed at work so have had no time to do anything! But as ever my fingers have been itching to crochet, but it had to be tiny and quick! So these teeny weeny cupcakes were born.

and just to show how tiny, a magic balancing shot!

the lone cupcake a delectable little bite

and just for fun the group shot!

I had a interesting experince the other night. I went to see the Merchant of Venice in the Botanic Gardens. It sounded lovely, Shakespeare a balmy night... the magic of dusk. The reality was starkly different, Scotland is never balmy and the play was long - very long. My bum was frozen.

This pic sums it up perfectly!

 

A very British frog

This is a very British frog, inspired by the Cumbrian countryside and Elisabeth The Golden Age (Hmmm Elisabeth, tenuous link! But made be proud to be a British - it's amazing the things our ancestors did to protect theses shores)

He is just the Tree Frog body with the Frog Pin Cushion legs! Super quick and super cute.

I also went to Woolfest!! It was super - It took about two hours to get down there, but well worth it! Lots of adorable sheep!! But these little darlings were my favorite!

and if you have ever wondered why there is so much straw in yarn, here is your answer!

and finally the obligatory beauty shot!

Elephants - cute and practical!

In the spirit of practical amigurumi, and there is nothing more delightful than something cute and practical, I thought I would solve my annoying problem of the moment with a little bit of crochet.

If I wear my ring at night, I end up scratching myself or my other half, but if I put it on my bedside table I lose it! .... What to do? Ahhh crochet....

I made this mini version of my pocket elephant pattern. I used Jaeger Silk so he is lovely and soft, but gave him a heavy weight inside so he wouldn't run away. He is teeny weeny and my ring just slips on him!

He makes a friendly additon to my bedside table

 

and like all elephants loves nosing about...

I hope this post is readable as typepad seems to have gone bonkers! I am off to email them to see what's up!

Little Acorn Pattern and a Plea

Thank you again for all the wonderful comments about the Little Acorn for Sock Knitters!!! How chuffed am I!!! The pattern is now available to download here: Download little_acorn.pdf

Some of you have kindly told me you would pay for it!! Which is just amazing but I have kinda been planning to keep my patterns free, so maybe one day if I am very lucky and get to write the crochet book of my dreams you would prehaps buy that instead...

But this time, if you like the pattern there is something you could do. My friend Bri from Figs with Bri has been diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, some of her friends have gathered together to start a fundraiser beacuse her medical insurance does not cover all the treatments she would like to have. You can read more about it here. They are trying to raise $12000 dollars, I would really apreciate it if you could possibly spare a few dollars that you would donate to Bri instead.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart,  and all my love goes out to you Bri!

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I have been having some fun with the pattern and came up with this alternative

Its strawberrytastic!! But could easily be adapted to other fruits and who knows what else!!

Have fun!!

From little acorns...

I wish I could knit as well as crochet but I don't have the skill and patience! I do, however, find it sad that there is a little rift between these two glorious fiber camps. So I wanted to think of crocheted gift for knitters, so we could all give gifts and make friends!

Introducing.....the Sock Acorn

It is just big enough for a skein of yarn and the socks you are knitting!

Then when you want to work on them you just pop your socks out...

and then secure your skien in the acorn to keep it safe from dust and annoyances and keep on knitting!

I have now finally finished a project I've been working on for ages and my time is my own again!!!!!!! So I will be rejoining blog land with a passion!! and I should have much more time for crochet!!! Yay!!!

I plan to be writing some more patterns, so I was just wondering if there was anything in particular you wanted me to write patterns for?

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!

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