Category Archives: Advent Calendar

Christmas Countdown – Day Two

Hello! I hope you enjoyed the links and inspiration for Day One of the Christmas Countdown.

Looking back to last year and the Planet Penny Advent Calendar I found the little yarn balls which I made as tree decorations which then went on to have decorative use all year round.

This is how they started out…

mini balls and needles - Christmas Countdown day 2

Planet Penny Advent Calendar – Day Two

They then went on the tree…

And eventually found a new life as the Knitting Mobile!

Knitting Mobile Christmas Countdown Day 2

Knitting Mobile link to PDF

This year I made some slightly bigger baubles by the same method, leaving off the knitting needles and adding a contrasting button on the hanger.

So with the wrapping of threads in mind, here are a few more ideas…

These are made using balloons and I think would work well fixed over fairy lights.

home-dzine.co.zaI

I can’t find a link for this one but I love it, even though it would take oodles of yarn (and patience!)

This little tree is sweet, and makes good use of battery fairy lights which are a much safer option, especially when you have excited little ones around.

Homemade Gifts Made Easy

And this is a lovely, simple idea. What better time of year than Christmas to count your blessings and put them on a string?

A Soft Place To Land

I hope you like these yarn and string ideas. Don’t forget to click the images and links to find out more..

Have fun! See you tomorrow…x

Christmas Countdown – Day One

It’s that time again! Have you eaten the first chocolate from your Advent Calendar yet? We are now on the final run down to the ‘Big Day’, and there is always so much to do, isn’t there? Last year’s Planet Penny Advent Calendar was lots of fun, a daily post with a craft, decoration or recipe.

This year I’ve rather less time available, alas, but I’m planning an Advent Calendar reprise, the Christmas Countdown – with added extras!

Everyday I’ll be bringing you seasonal pictures, ideas and links which I hope will give some inspiration, and something to enjoy when you take a well earned break from the festivities! Just click on the images below to find the source and instructions where available

I do like to add a little individuality to my gift wrapping, but it does mean some forward planning. Last year I utilised a large roll of lovely brown paper which is so much cheaper than the glossy printed variety.

I should imagine it’s much more ecologically friendly too.

Planet Penny Advent Calendar – Day One

There’s masses of scope for imaginative decorations, and great fun if you get the children involved with cutting out and printing and the compulsory glue/ glitter combo! And how about the good old potato print?

Can Do Kids Crafts

printed paper Christmas Countown Planet Penny Day 1

Paper Inspiration – Sidestreet Style

You could use old comics, colour supplements or magazines…

Teresapalooza

Or raid your sewing basket.

Trader Joe’s Bags

This is a great way to uses your odds and ends of Planet Penny Cotton!

Last Minute Knitted Gifts – Joelle Hoverson

I do love a pompom!

studiodiy.com

…and these are so simple, but very stylish.

Wrapping - Christmas Countdown Planet Penny

Eden Rose

I hope you enjoy the links and they inspire the imagination.

I’m linking up today with Handmade Harbour for Handmade Monday, so do call over there for more inspirational links…

I’ll see you tomorrow!

And the Winner is…

I’ve just picked the winner for the Buttonbag Advent Calendar Giveaway and it was SO hard! So hard in fact I gave up trying to choose between all the wonderful Christmas traditions which so many people had told me about and went for the trusty Random Number Generator…

So the winner is Frances, who has a great family tradition which I would like to copy myself…

“Our Christmas tradition is that my husband and I buy each other a pair of pyjamas and a pair of slippers/or cosy bed socks, we give each other the gift on Christmas Eve so we go to bed and wake up Christmas morning in our new PJs. This is a tradition carried on from when my husband was a kid and his parents would give him and his brother new PJs on Christmas Eve, and has been carried down to our two children (our daughter nearly 3 years old and 7 month old son), as since my in-laws have had grandchildren they have sent a PJ parcel in the post to be opened on Xmas eve. There are so many things right about having new pyjamas at Christmas!!!”

Congratulations Frances, I hope you and your family have years of fun and Advent anticipation with your calendar…

Thank you all so much for taking part. As always I wish I could give everyone a prize. Do take the time to visit the post to read the other entries, they are lovely, really bringing home the family spirit of Christmas. The shops may be full of ‘stuff’ and consumerism, but the heart of Christmas is really about being with the people you care about…

I will be back before long with news about the pattern testing from the last post, so see you soon…x

Crochet Christmas Baubles – The Pattern

Oh the joys of pattern writing! I seem to have spent most of the last week fiddling around with these Crochet Christmas Baubles.

I know a lot of you out there do the most wonderful tutorials and patterns on your blogs, but for those who have never tried I’ll give you a little flavour of it.

First, as you sit playing around with yarn and hook you have an idea, and you make a ‘thing’ that you quite like. So, after a bit more fiddling it turns into a ‘thing’ that you really like…. Hooray!

Then, trying to remember what happened the first time round, you make it again, this time jotting down the process as you go.

And then you make it again, this time from the pattern, scribbled on the back of an envelope, correcting the mistakes.

To the computer to type it out…

Print it…

Make it again, to pick up typos.

Back to the computer for corrections. Then go through with a fine-tooth comb trying to put yourself in the shoes of someone who has never seen the pattern before. Is it explained it simply enough?

Decide some bits need pictures. Make it again, taking pictures.

Photoshop next, cropping and balancing to make the pics as good as possible.

Put the pattern together on screen. How does it look?

Print it.

Panic… Have I looked at it for so long that I’ve missed some howling error?

Have some down time on the Facebook Page and discover that someone has left a comment on a picture shared of a beautiful original piece of work with a link to the Ravelry pattern and find someone has said, and I quote,

“It is BEAUTIFUL! but $5 is too much for a pattern!”

Aaaaaah!

And so this pattern was sent out to some lovely volunteers to try out, and having been thoroughly tested by a textile artist, a crochet newbie and an old hand at crochet, the Crochet Christmas Baubles pattern is now available, FREE! Find it here!

November 2014 UPDATE:

You will also find it as one of Attic24 Lucy’s picks in the Christmas 2014 edition of Simply Crochet Magazine just here…

Have fun…!

Advent Calendar Giveaway

In the run up to the Christmas season upon us, I thought I’d share an early Christmas present. I have been very kindly sent a wonderful Buttonbag Advent Calendar kit, perfectly timed for next month. I love Buttonbag, do you remember I went to the book launch last year? The bright cheeriness of their ideas and kits are right up my street, very Planet Penny!

The kit has everything you need to make a personalised Advent Calendar for your children or grandchildren, and it’s simple enough for it to be a joint project, something exciting to do together in the run up to the main event.

It’s lovely to get something fun in the post…

And I couldn’t resist a peek inside…

And one lucky person will have this pleasure too, because I’m giving it away! And not only the kit, but also £20.00 worth of John Lewis vouchers to buy some little goodies to fill the pockets of the Advent Calendar.

All you have to do is to leave a comment on this post, and share your favourite family Christmas tradition. ( I’m sorry, the prize is limited to the UK only)

I will make the draw next Sunday 10th November, so you won’t have long to wait and then I can get the kit posted out in plenty of time for you to make the Calendar before the 1st December.

Looking forward to hearing from you very soon…x

Ed. to add: Thank you so much for so many of you sharing your Christmas traditions. I’ve so enjoyed reading them, it’s really put me in the Christmas spirit! The entries are now CLOSED, I shall announce the winner very soon so watch this space!

The Knitters Mobile

Do you remember the Knitters Mobile? Back in February I returned to the Knitters Christmas decorations I made for the Advent Calendar in the run up to last Christmas…

…and decided to make a mobile. I knitted some tiny bunting to go round a wooden hoop, suspended all the little balls made with the Planet Penny rainbow colours and ‘Hey Presto’, a Mobile!

It’s been hanging around quite literally, for a while and was a source of amusement during Open Studios but over the last few days it made an appearance on the Loveknitting Facebook Page which has sparked a fresh wave of interest. Planet Penny yarn is perfect not just for crochet but knitting too so a pattern to reflect this is well overdue. The Knitters Mobile requires minimal knitting but is a fun project to start off with. I have written a set of instructions and you can download them here, for free.

(Ed. to add: due to a few Facebook comments about sharp pointy things I would like to point out – This is a decorative piece for a craft room. It is NOT a toy, it is NOT intended to hang in a crib, it is for the enjoyment of adults, not children!)

I still have a fancy for a lampshade with these hanging all round the edge, wouldn’t they make wonderful shadows?

There have also been requests for a kit. I am thinking of perhaps a pack containing all the materials necessary to make the mobile which could be bought along with Planet Penny Crafty Cotton Pack. Would love some feedback on this idea, especially from those of you have bought the cotton already!

And finally, I’ve cracked the challenge of a knitted version of the Crochet Rainbow Mice! The Knitted Rainbow Mice Pattern is now available from the Etsy shop as an instant download, as are all the other patterns…

Enjoy your week, I’ll be back soon…x