How to knit a very quick scarf.

So it was more out of boredom than anything else, and the fact that I wanted to use the super bright orange yarn I had, that I made this scarf last night! (yes, that is my toilet behind me... sooo maybe I haven't quite got this whole blog photo-taking thing down just yet...)

It honestly didn't take me more than a couple of hours, but I think that was mostly due to the video tutorial that I watched to learn it. So here it is!

(Huge thanks to CyberSeams for posting the tutorial, it's so clear and easy to follow!)

If you are a knitter, it can be a little un-nerving dropping the stitches off the needle (well it was for me anyway). But once you get going it is so easy, I hadn't even realised when I had finished it, and almost made it too long.

I think it looks really great in neon colours, but I bet it would look amazing in dark or pastels as well.

Like I said, it was mostly boredom that prompted me to do this, and since Summer is in full swing here I don't imagine I'll be wearing it anytime soon. But at least it's something to look forward to in my Winter wardrobe :)

Childrens Cartoon Animation

This is a little transitional clip that I animated for a children's show, it was really fun to make. (p.s. the audio is rough)

And here are some of the sketches if anyone's interested... :)

Crochet Kitchen Floor Rug

My flat doesn't have a separate kitchen area, so when I cook quite a bit of mess gets on the carpet..... We decided that we needed a rug, but instead of going out and buying one like a normal person, I decided to try and crochet one.

After spending days looking around the net for a pattern I liked, I chose to wing it and see what I could do! The basic idea was to make a chain about 40 chains long, and then crochet around and around, with increases at each end.

It took a while, and a few un-do's before it began to lay flat, but I got there in the end. If you make too many increases, your rug or circle will become wavy, and if you make too few, it will begin to form a basket. 

I'm really very pleased with how it turned out. If I could do it again, I'd probably make it out of a tougher yarn, as it is really very soft and I usually don't even realise I'm standing on it!

This is the yarn I used, it's an 8 ply with variegated browns, grays and tans. I doubled it up with a black 8 ply acrylic and used a 5mm Size H hook.

All in all it didn't take long to make (if you don't count the un-do's and re-starts :/) and I'd love to make a bigger one in the future. Definitely cooler than just going out any buying one... and cheaper too :)

Chilli Progress!

Photo progress of my Chilli seeds.. (this a been a seriously fun learning experience!)


Sown 9th Jan 2014:

They sprouted on the 17th of Jan but I didn't get a picture.

Tall leggy seedlings on 27th Jan. They had been left by a sunny window under a plastic bag for a week or so while I went on holiday..... Bad I know.. But they survived!

I re-potted them on the 29th Jan into plastic cups with holes in the bottom, and I buried them as deep as possible to counteract the legginess.

And now on the 3rd Feb they seem to be loving the new arrangement!

I've been experimenting with putting them under a lamp at night....

But I can't tell if it's making a difference, or they are just growing faster since they were re-potted... Either way they seem to be happy. I lost a few of the seedlings that struggled more due to the mold that developed when they were under the plastic, lesson learnt for next time.... AIR FLOW!!!

All in all pretty happy with them, now to just wait a few more weeks and they should be ready for their bigger pots.

Lumpy Space Princess Crochet Hat and two Mug Cozies

Just a quick update, I've been on holiday visiting with my family the past few weeks, so everything's a bit of a mess at the moment. It did give me a chance though to give my parents and sister some gifts I made for them over Christmas.

I made these mug cozies for mum and dad, and now that I look at them they seem a bit childish haha... but they said they loved them.

For my sister, I spent months making this Lumpy Space Princess hat. I couldn't find a pattern, so pretty much made it up as I went. You can't really tell from this pic, but I gave her hands as well.

There are maybe a few things that I'd do differently, but overall I'm happy with it! If you don't know who Lumpy Space Princess is, thennnn watch this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1nTTDZSz4s

Planting Chilli Seeds - Hungarian Yellow Wax and Jalapeno

My seeds arrived today!

Two things I have learnt since beginning my garden:

1. You can't grow everything from seedlings (even though I think it's sooo much easier)

2. You can buy seeds for almost every type of plant on the internet, so why not try something different!? :)

So I ordered some Jalapeno and Hungarian Yellow Wax Chili seeds. It's early Summer here at the moment and quite hot, so hopefully they will do well.

I'm using the bottom half of egg cartons as seedling trays, with old takeaway cartons to hold the water. 

I read that since chillis need to be really warm to germinate, I'm covering them with plastic wrap and keeping them in the hot water cupboard. I'll check them every day and take them out when they start to germinate.

Again, if anyone is reading this and can see something that I'm doing wrong, please feel free to comment below!

Random Character Drawings

Just a couple of characters I drew when I thought I would try and do the 30 Characters Challenge back in November.

You can find the challenge here:

http://www.30characters.com/

Really hope to give it another go next year!