Author Archives: pennygj
FollowCrochet, Cats and Crochet Mice….
Welcome back to Planet Penny and another Handmade Monday post. It’s also a catch up post, because last week I didn’t feel able to bring you up to date with the ‘Clovis the Cat Saga’ because I was dreading the outcome. But I’m back now, with more crochet, more mice, and even more cats!
If you’ve not visited before, Clovis is my ‘foster’ cat, living with my mum and who suffered a nasty accident 10 days ago, you can find out more in this post. Last weekend he was safely ensconced in his crate, and I thought I had the after-care sussed. That was before the Break Out, when he hefted his 8 kilos plus frame out of the crate just as I was juggling with a used earth tray (YUK!) and got out outside!!
To cut a very long story and traumatic story short, he got out, panicked, ran under the neighbour’s car, got up inside the car while we searched elsewhere. Reappeared several hours later when the neighbour started the car and belted down the garden on three legs and vanished into the undergrowth. Hours of fruitless searching and calling later I gave up for the night, hoping he would creep in via the catflap under cover of darkness. The next morning my mum went to look for him inside…no sign… By now it was raining, and I went back to search, dressed in waterproofs and wellies…convinced that he had displaced the pins, caused an infection, had soggy bandages, was lying somewhere in pain and unable to move and it was all my fault…
The neighbour came out and suggested starting his car again, just to make sure he hadn’t gone back underneath, and, just on the off chance before he did, I went back inside just to check Clovis wasn’t inside. And there he was, on the bed in the spare room!!! I couldn’t get near enough to check him over, so I shut him in with food, water and a tray and left him alone over night to recover his nerves, as the following day I had to catch him again and take him to the vet.
Against all the odds he was absolutely fine, I meanwhile have aged 10 years….
Tomorrow of course, I have to catch him again for the next vet visit, please wish me luck!
However, I have still fitted in some creativity, the first being a little ‘Granny’ project with the Planet Penny Cotton. It’s fun making all the little bits and bobs with the rainbow colours, but I wanted to make something pretty for the home…
This small remnant of beautiful vintage Provençal Print was crying out to be a cushion back…
…and I was pretty pleased with the front too!
I can’t get away from pussy cats though, while my back was turned Henry decided to give it a quality control check!
…it passed!
And the crochet mice?
Well, after my last post about using different yarns and hooks to change the size of the mice on the Mouse Patterns, I had lots of comments via the Planet Penny Facebook Page about the cuteness of the teeny tiny mice made from Coton Perlé using the Planet Penny Mini Mice pattern. I’ve raided my embroidery basket to make some pretty little crochet mouse hair slides…
and have now bought a mini rainbow selection to have a play with using this much finer crochet hook…
Very happy colours!
I hope you’ve had a slightly less exciting time where ever you have been over the last week. I know I’ve given the impression with my photos lately that Norfolk has been having the summer no one else has had, but we’ve had our share of wet days too. It’s St Swithin’s Day today, and this is supposed to happen…
‘St. Swithin’s day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin’s day if thou be fair
For forty days ’twill rain nae mair.’
So far around here it’s been dry, so fingers crossed!
I’ll leave you with the usual link to Handmade Monday over on Handmade Harbour where you can find lots of lovely blogs to visit…
See you soon …x
Silent Sunday
Size Matters…
…or does it? I’m talking about crochet hooks here, I don’t think that qualifies as any sort of discrimination!
I’ve been having the occasional email from people about the size of hook I use to make up the Rainbow Mouse patterns so I thought a short blog post about hooks and yarn was in order.
Any one who knits and crochets and has made garments knows that there is a stress on making your tension squares initially just to check that your style of working produces the correct number of stitches and rows to the inch/cm. Obviously size is crucial when it’s something has to fit and look good, but it’s not as desperate when you are making little toys and Amigurumi creatures. What is important then is getting the correct hook for the yarn you are using.
The Planet Penny Cotton Colours yarn is supplied to me as double knitting weight, but it is quite fine for DK, although still thicker than 4 ply. If I’m using it to make something which requires a little drape or movement, such as a throw or cushion cover, then I use a 3.5mm hook. However, if I’m making a mouse which requires stuffing then I need a denser fabric so the stuffing doesn’t show and then I use a 3mm hook.
But the Rainbow Mouse Pattern, and the Mini mice patterns are just that, patterns to tell you which stitch comes next. If you are not using the PP cotton yarn, you can be adventurous as you like with the yarn you use as long as the hook suits the yarn. You will usually find the recommended hook size printed on the yarn binder, just go down a size to make sure the fabric is has no little holes in it.
With this in mind I have been experimenting with size and differing yarns.
This is the Rainbow Mouse Pattern made up in Planet Penny Cotton, using a 3mm hook. He’s about 3 and a half inches/9cm long excluding the tail…
The Mini Mouse Pattern made up the same way is 2 inches/5 cm long…
However, when I use cotton embroidery thread and a 2mm hook, the mini mouse gets a teeny tiny brother, who is only an inch long…
and conversely, making up the Rainbow Mouse pattern in Aran yarn using a 5mm hook results in a fat cuddly friend who is 5 and a half inches/14cm long and perfect for a baby’s first toy (no beads for that though!)
So be adventurous, and you’ll be amazed by the possibilities. I’m going to put a brooch back on the teeny tiny fellow, but he could equally well go on a hair clip or head band for a little girl, or decorate a pencil case.
Meanwhile, because I know it’s not always easy to get the correct size of hook to make up the Rainbow Mouse and Mini Mice patterns, the pack now include a 3mm hook so you can get going straight away!
The Planet Penny Cotton Colours yarn and patterns are all available through the Planet Penny Etsy shop, there’s a link here, and at the top of the page.
If you’ve made your own mice, do share them on the Planet Penny Facebook page, or just come along to ‘like’ it and see what else is going on!
Back soon…x
Hearts and Flowers and a Nurses Hat for Handmade Monday
It’s been touch and go whether I would actually get this post written today. Wearing TWO nurses hats has been rather time consuming, so this post is going to be light on text, but I hope the pretty, colourful photos of hearts and flowers make up for it.
Thank you all so much for your good wishes sent in Clovis the cat’s direction. It’s been a little dicey over the last couple of days, but I’ll leave an update until I have concrete news to report. Please keep up the positive vibes for our trip to the vet on Monday morning!
I’ve been working on a new pattern and although I said I wasn’t going to post pictures until the pattern was ready to publish, well, what the heck! Just bear with me, and it will be ready in a week or two.
I can think of lots of pretty ways of using this pattern of hearts and flowers. Strung across a dresser, used as curtain tie backs, interwoven with fairy lights (thank you, (Marigold the Goat!) and individually as a key ring, bag or phone charm.
Anyone with any other ideas? I love to know what you think!
I’m leaving you with the usual link to Handmade Harbour and all the creative people who take part in Handmade Monday. My message to them is to send apologies if I don’t have a chance to visit anyone this week, but I hope all my other lovely readers will make up for my absence!
See you soon…x
