Category Archives: Planet Penny Cotton Club

Planet Penny Cotton Inspirations:Week 2

Hello… I’m back again, hoping to be inspiring! If you spotted last week’s mid-week post you will know I have been keeping my eye out for pretty little things which can be made using the gorgeous Planet Penny Cotton rainbow and trying out the patterns so I can recommend them to you.

This week’s beautiful pattern come courtesy of Craft Passion, the African Flower…

…and you can find the pattern here…

I have made a start on a patchwork style cushion using the Planet Penny Cotton…

Obviously very much a WIP at the moment, but I’m enjoying making it, and planning the colour combinations. It requires a bit more concentration than the basic Granny Square but it uses basic single and double crochet stitches (and trebles too for UK readers). It all fell apart slightly last night at our Knit and Stitch Group, (chatting with a glass of wine at one’s elbow does not aid concentration!) It’s written using US terms so bear that in mind if you are used to UK patterns.

There is also a pattern for a beautiful bag if you are feeling really ambitious…

I’ve added this to my ‘Wish List’ , I really do need that extra pair of hands!

With that in mind, I’d better get back to work. I hope this has given you some ideas, I’ll be back soon….x

Planet Penny Cotton Colours

I’ve been feeling the need for a little colour fix just lately, of the rainbow cotton variety, to counter balance the Christmassy slant which my creativity has inevitable taken.

There’s no getting away from it, robins are basically shades of brown with red, and although it suits them very well, it doesn’t press all the buttons for me, colourwise. So off to the Planet Penny Cotton Colours shelves…

and POW!

… oooh, I feel better already!

What started as a very tentative foray into importing something from Europe which I couldn’t actually purchase in the UK is still going well, and I’ve had great feedback and repeat orders from people who have been so happy with not only the gorgeous colour range but the quality of the yarn. (If you are a new blog visitor you can find out the beginnings of the Planet Penny Cotton Colours yarn here and here)

There are only two areas where I feel I’m letting the side down, and the first only is completely out of my hands. It’s so expensive to ship outside the UK! I’ve pared down the packing to the minimum, (and the girls at my local Post Office are impressed that the parcels come in just below the point where the cost goes up to the next band!) so I do apologise to anyone who feels the shipping costs are high, and I really appreciate the loyal customers who buy despite the Royal Mail’s costs. In fact someone in Australia emailed to say she loved the yarn so much she would have paid double the postage rate!

And really the other area is out of my hands too, unless I can magic some extra hours in the day! I’d like to produce more patterns, but is a very time consuming affair … Coming up with the idea, making the item, writing the pattern, typing the pattern, then following the pattern whilst making it again to check it works, etc. etc. you get the picture…

So my plan is to research other peoples patterns, to find pretty ideas which can be made up in the beautiful Cotton Colours and then giving you the links to the websites to try them for yourselves. It also seemed like a cheerful thing to do as Winter approaches and nature makes things a bit dark and monotone. You’ll find plenty of inspiration too, if you visit me on Pinterest!

And this is the first pattern I found…

Aren’t they pretty? So easy, and compulsive to make. At this rate every one will be getting one for Christmas, including the boys!

This has been about for a while and appears to have originated on a Danish blog, but I found a great crochet blog called Hooked on Needles where there is an English version of the pattern

Check out the shop for the yarn and the patterns, and also for the new limited edition, Christmas Crochet Collection…

Which includes the PPCC ‘Snowdrop’ yarn, hook, buttons, ribbon and the pattern for the Christmas Crochet bunting featured in the Winter Simply Crochet magazine, and the heart and snowflake patterns to make tree ornaments or a garland.

And while I was looking for the links for this pattern I found another one…where are those extra hours in the day? I’ll be back with more ideas very soon…

Christmas Crochet for Handmade Monday

I sincerely apologise to those of you who find it hard to think about Christmas in September, but I’m afraid those of us who hand craft seasonal bits and pieces have to start early or we run out of time! I could really do with an extra pair of hands, as I haven’t yet worked out a way of crocheting whilst needlefelting! I’m back with the crochet hook at the moment because I have just had a new delivery of Planet Penny Cotton Club yarn, and this time I have just a few packs with Christmas crochet in mind, lovely Snowdrop.

It’s perfect for the Crochet Christmas Bunting in the tutorial here, which is featured in a magazine published in a few days time, Simply Crochet.

I’ve been experimenting with my own ball of ‘Snowdrop’ to come up with a couple more patterns to use this lovely yarn. Would you like to see? There are crochet snow flakes…

…and crochet Hearts…

and Snowflakes and Hearts…

Christmas Crochet Packs of yarn, crochet hook, buttons and patterns will be available in the next few days in the Etsy shop…

Re-assuming my needlefelting hat, I discovered a fragment of old lace in a box the other day (you see how I’ve benefited from all that boring tidying up I’ve been doing?) and combined it with a new twig heart. I had been a little wary of it, because the wire shaping was so noticeable, (I presume it was made with florists in mind) but I’d raided my Mother-of-Pearl button box and it made all the difference…

And there was still that last dyed top to transform…Remember this?

A rather uninspiring blue/grey… But then I remembered some beautiful binding I bought in France over two years ago…

(… it was lovely to revisit the occasion on Planet Penny via this post – blogging is a wonderful thing!) and with some matching buttons came up with something which I am very happy to have in my wardrobe…

(The camera is lying about the blueness of the dye, BTW!)

There will be a short ‘break in transmission’ over the next week or so as I’m going to be away. Excitingly, I’ve been invited to a book launch in London on Wednesday for Buttonbag’s new craft book, closely followed by a trip to the South Coast to visit the family so there will be lots to tell you about when I’m here again (note to self: charge the camera battery!)

I’ll leave you now with the usual link to Handmade Monday over on Wendy’s Handmade Harbour. Have a lovely week and I’ll be back before long…

Rain, Rain…

…go away.

As you can guess from this photo, I’m not in the studio this afternoon. I can’t hear myself think for the rain hammering on the roof, and I’m having to be inside to make soothing noises to a little dog who does not like thunder. It’s been the pattern for days, glorious sunshine in the morning and torrential rain and thunder in the afternoon. Unfortunately the mornings are when I’m busiest, and as I come to a breathing space, the thunder and lightening sets in.

Not to worry, I’m still managing to potter along creatively, if a trifle damply. If you remember last week, I was planning to make more of the Lovebirds in hearts. I tried trying out a slightly different style using a little wicker heart rather than the wool ones and I was very pleased with the effect…

I was pleasantly surprised to find it sold within hours of putting it in the Etsy shop, but rather annoyed that when I found these hearts to buy I only bought one as a sample, so it’s back to Norwich next week to for some more!

The Planet Penny Cotton selection has been selling well, and I’ve had to make a slight change in the range as the ‘Buttercup’ yellow was out of stock. I’ve replaced it for now with a really pretty ‘Sunshine’ (always pays to be optimistic!) yellow which is almost the same cheerful colour with a slight variegated effect…

I also spent some time rephotographing the Christmas Crochet Bunting from this tutorial. I have never been happy with the white on black image as although it show the Bunting off well, it looks stark, and not very Christmassy. So when I was contacted by Future Publishing Craft Division with a view to featuring it in a forthcoming magazine I knew I had to make it look more festive in the photos. I finally tracked down the perfect background for it in our local sewing store…

I’ll let you know more about it nearer the time, so watch this space!

Are you wondering how the Mad French Cat is faring after his recent disaster? Well, after the last check up with our lovely vet, he was given permission to come out of the crate, something Clovis has been working on for weeks…

He’s still on twice daily antibiotics for the next few weeks, and we don’t have a date for the pins to come out so we’re not out of the woods yet, but he’s able to prowl around my mum’s bungalow…loudly…ker-plunk….ker-plunk..

Ironically, his favourite place to sleep? In the crate! Ho-hum…

I’ve been meaning to share some shopping I’ve indulged in over the past few weeks, I don’t wan’t to be the only one led astray! The first was bought as birthday present for a close friend, but I’m soo tempted to go back and get one for me. Can you guess why?

You’ll find lots of other pretty things in their Etsy shop, Farrell & Holmes. My other impulse buy was by the power of Twitter! I was intending to do a little Twittering myself, but clicked on a photo and couldn’t resist this…

..could you? You’ll find more in the Etsy shop Miss Winnie Makes.

Well I’d better leave the laptop now and do something far more important, consoling Higgins. The thunder is still rumbling around, and he’s in a little shivery heap. He’s doesn’t want to be held, I suppose he feels out of control, so all I can do is make soothing noises. I hope it won’t be long before he’s back on form, working on the cuteness factor…

I’ll leave you with the usual link to Handmade Monday over on Handmade Harbour.

Hope you’re keeping dry, see you soon…x

Size Matters…

Tension, yarn weight and hook size, making it all match up

…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… Rainbow_crochet_MouseNoText

The Mini Mouse Pattern made up the same way is 2 inches/5 cm long…

Mini_Crochet_Mouse

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

Crochet Mini Mice for Handmade Monday

When I introduced the Mini Mice on a Handmade Monday Post a month ago I had just finished making them, hadn’t written the pattern and was in the run up to Open Studios etc. Definitely the last time I introduce something that isn’t in the final stages of going ‘live’! Since then I have been asked over and over about the pattern, the kits and when I would have them available. The thing is, I really want to get it right. I don’t want to disappoint anyone with a pattern that doesn’t work or a kit which doesn’t look like fun, which is why I’ve been beavering away all week to get things ready for this post.

As you can imagine, the Crochet Mini Mice kits take a little while to build, and I had to find a way to supply the yarn so it’s tidy, but also looks attractive.

I now have a new little windy gadget and some cards. Here’s the yarn in all it’s rainbow gorgeousness…

The Mini Mice kits will also contain the magnets, the stuffing, the eyes and noses and the all important pattern, enough to make 14 mouse magnets. All you will need is a 3mm hook and a needle and black thread. I think my next quest will be to source a supplier for 3mm hooks as I’d love to be able to add those to the kits.

The pattern will be for sale on my new Etsy shop. I’m sort of teetering in the middle at the moment between Etsy and Folksy. Because I have so many visitors from the US, Etsy seems to be more geared toward that market, while being very user-friendly for the UK and other places. Does anyone else have any thoughts or experiences about this? I’d love to hear from you if you do.

If you have previously bought a full pack of the Planet Penny Cotton Club yarns from me and would like a copy of the pattern, do let me know and I will send you a copy free of charge.

I will be putting the kits on Etsy this week at £17.50, but as an introductory offer I have 5 to sell at the special price of £15.00 on a strictly first come, first served basis. If you would like to buy one, please contact me through the Planet Penny Contact Form.

I was all set to leave you with the links to Handmade Monday over on Handmade Harbour where you will find all sorts of crafty goings on, but I embarked on a mini project today inspired by the lovely Penelope by the Sea on her blog L is for Love.

She has been Noticing Yellow this weekend so I popped out for half an hour to see what ‘yellow’ I too could notice. Quite a lot as it happens…

What a lovely sunshiney end to the week!

See you soon…x