Crochet around Inverleith...

There are a few crocheted bits and bobs around my little home. The first year of learning to crochet was mostly spent constructing an enormous granny square for a bedspread. It looks lovely draped across my armchair now! Yum, so cosy for the winter nights, and great for snuggling under when I get up in the night to feed the baby. These hearts are so cute, I love this bunting hanging high above my baby's crib. He loves looking at the colours. The pattern was from this gorgeous blog by Julia Crosland, so thank you! http://http://juliacrossland.blogspot.com/2010/03/teeny-tiny-heart-bunting.html


This pattern was from Attic24- I just love Lucy's tutorials, especially this little bird hanging from my son's crib. See her tutorial here: http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/birdie-decoration.html

And here is a lovely star garland I worked up when I was in labour! I still need to block this out and press it, so it has been languishing in the bottom of a yarn basket for six months. Perhaps Christmas is the ideal time to display it!

The pattern is from here:-http://theroyalsisters.blogspot.com/2009/11/grandma-twinkle-tutorial.html

And here is a lovely Instagram image of my cushions- the round one is just a flat circle from Attic24's bird tutorial again, just made larger and the square one is from the lovely Yvestown blog. Lovely stuff!

All of these have been worked up in Sirdar Luxury Soft cotton, which are in gorgeous colours and is nice strong yarn and soft too. I loves it. I still have quite a lot so I'm going to work up a ripply cushion to match these too and maybe some bunting for the bathroom we're in the middle of decorating. More of that later. Happy hooking!

Crochet!

Thanks to my very patient friend Amy teaching me, I now know how to crochet. I was a very slow student to be honest, I don't think dexterity is one of my strong points. However, Amy persevered, I perservered and I take great pleasure being able to create beautiful and unique things for myself, others and my home. My latest project is this scarf, which I finished on Wednesday night whilst watching Fry and Laurie on G.O.L.D.
It's simply nine Granny Squares joined together on-the-go, with tassels ties into the gap where the chain between each cluster of treble crochets go! I based it on this design I saw in Accessorize http://www.accessorize.com/scarves/crochet-large-panel-scarf/invt/78745388/?bklist=icat,4,shop,coldweathershop,coldweatherscarves so I just plain copied it. Shameless, eh? Here is the process as captured in all its glorious Instagram technicolour!

I worked this up in nine rounds on a 4mm hook in Stylecraft Special DK yarn, which is lovely to work and very soft for an acrylic yarn. Dirt cheap too! Also in here are some Bonus DK yarns which are slightly bulkier than the Stylecraft yarns, which means my squares were slightly uneven sizes. But I am SO pleased with the finished result I just keep wearing it around the house! Next up I will be working up a scarf in the same colour but this time in a Grany Stripe, a la Lucy at Attic 24's blanket design. Hopefully it will be something like this http://www.peopletree.co.uk/products/crochet-scarf/. Maybe I'll have a go at some of those toasty wrist warmers too!

Hello world!

Hello! I'm Kath, I'm 28 and welcome to my blog. Inverleith is the name of my house, a gorgeous period property we're trying to sell to get a bigger place. I'm a writer and stylist and proud mum to my baby son, Albie. He is six months old already, with teeth and one hell of a personality. You'll hear all about my adventures in motherhood no doubt. This new life of mine has taken some adjusting to, I can tell you. I love music and writing and in my pre-baby life I edited a music magazine, wrote for several fashion and lifestyle magazines and was in a band. Now I spend my days playing with Buster here (as he's now affectionately known as- he's very cheeky and incredibly strong and indeed strong-willed), planning yummy dinners, baking as often as I can and spending as much time as I can hooking...crochet that is! I have been crocheting about 18 months but only since I have left work have I been able to really get stuck into a few colourful projects around the home. I love to take pictures, but I'm not terribly good yet I'm afraid. However, a couple of apps on my swanky new iPod Touch enable me to take apparently stunning images- Hipstamatic and Instagram- a kind of Twitter for photos. You can follow me if you have Instagram (katheastoe) and we can share pictures. It's a great way to share 'instant' snapshots of the world. Like this picture I took with Instamatic earlier wearing my new crochet scarf. The lovely effects disguise the terrible breakout my skin had today!
Today has mostly been concerned with thus:

My Magazine addiction. This consists mainly of Country Living, Country Homes and Interiors, VOGUE and Elle. I love Vogue, especially 'More Dash than Cash' and any Tim Walker shoots. Just sheer fashion fantasy and escapism. Today I am enjoy Country Living, with lots of bright Christmas decoration ideas and some lovely homemade Christmas gifts. I make gifts gifts every festive season, as soon as I start on this year's haul I'll write a new post. Here's what I love and what you can expect from me: Crochet, books, cooking, baking, mummydom, my wonderful partner D, baby Buster, vintage fashion, retro homewares, Cath Kidston, Kirstie Allsop, Laura Ashley and Nigella Lawson (in fact, any slightly bossy woman telling me how to live a wonderful domestic middle-class life), crochet and taking slightly rubbish pictures. And music. Oh, I love it. I am listening to Lily Allen while I type but mostly love lo-fi indie rock. Arcade Fire, the National, She & Him especially. Right, that's probably enough about me. Happy fridays!