Cute and Easy

Everyone*  loves Nicky Trent's book 'Cute and Easy Crochet'.  I think it's the colours more than anything - a baby pastel palette that seems to 'log in', somehow, to the collective brain of contemporary woman. This is the woman, by the way, who's got past 'ladette' and thinking more in terms of house and home. It's girly and it's got baby stuff in it, and there's a dash of vintage about the whole thing.

For sister in NZ

After discovering some very pretty pink superwash wool in a posh charity shop in East Dulwich at a pound a ball, I set to and made Ms Trench's fingerless gloves. She was right - it was easy, and quick, oh, and they are cute. I packed them off to my sister in New Zealand for her birthday in late March, coming as it does at those latitudes, at the end of the summer, she'll be needing them soon as she counts out the small change in their ice cream shop on Napier harbour. 

But not before my mother spotted them, tried them on, begged for some of her own. Not a problem! Care of another pound-a-ball bargain basket, this time in Hobbycraft in Croydon, she received them on Mother's Day, where, here in England, it is still chilly enough to get some use out of them before this winter is finally through.

For mum 

So now I'm back on the baby blanket, from the same book as it happens. Each square is very small and doesn't take long but there's an awful lot of weaving in of ends and it's slow going. The baby's due in April so I really had better get a wiggle on. I've already joined some of the little squares together and the finishing seam in cream seems to transform them. It IS really pretty. I've got lots and lots more squares to go and I didn't help myself by making a few with the wrong size hook when I returned to the project after the fingerless glove break. It was only when I looked at my notes (meticulously made in an Android App) that I realised my error.

Android App? I hear you mutter. Whatever next? Well, yes. It was a free download from the Android marketplace to my HTC Legend mobile. It's called 'CrochetCards', but anyway, I'll be talking about Crochet and Technology in my next blog….

*(all my crochet students that is, oh and my mum) .

For baby