Minion Beanie Crochet Pattern

Ok I admit it I am a kid at heart. I love nothing more than a good kids movie and one of my new(ish) favourites is Despicable Me . I especially love the little Minions! So when I stumbled across a picture of a Minion beanie on Pinterest I just had to make one & I knew exactly who I could make it for, we have three little nephews who I'm sure will love them. So I set off in search of a pattern, but sadly I came up empty handed. So I decided to have a go at making my own pattern (I've made lots of hats just making it up as I go along but this was the first time I tried writing it down) & here it is :)

You'll need:
Size 4 Crochet hook
1 ball of 8-ply yellow wool
A small amount of white, black & grey 8-ply wool
Wool needle

Gauge:
Gauge isn't really important for this project. More on that later

Stitches used:
ch - chain stitch
htr - half treble crochet
tr - treble crochet
sl st - slip stitch

Special Notes:
This pattern is written in British Crochet terms. If you would rather it in American terms here is a conversion list.
This hat can be made in any size using the measurements in this table.

Age	Head Size	Hat Size	Hat Height	Flat Circle Diameter
0-6 months	13 - 15in	12 -14  inches	4.5 - 5 inches	4 inches
6-12 months	16 - 19 inches	14 – 18 inches	5.5 inches	4.5 inches
1 – 3 Years	18 - 21 inches	17 – 20 inches	6.5 inches	5.5 inches
4+ years	20 – 22 inches	19 – 21 inches	7.5 inches	6 inches
Women	22 inches	20 inches	8.5 inches	6.5 inches
Men	23 inches	21 inches	9.5 inches	7.25 inches

Hat
Ch 4 & join with sl st to form a ring or you can use a magic ring.
Ch 2 (counts as first htr now and throughout), 7 htr into ring, sl st into 2nd ch.
Ch 2, htr in same stitch, 2x htr in next 7 stitches, sl st into 2nd ch.
Ch 2, htr in same stitch, htr in next stitch, *2x htr in next stitch, htr in next stitch* 7 times, sl st into 2nd ch.
Ch 2, htr in same stitch, htr in next 2 stitches, *2x htr in next stitch, htr in next 2 stitches* 7 times, sl st into 2nd ch.
Ch 2, htr in same stitch, htr in next 3 stitches, *2x htr in next stitch, htr in next 3 stitches* 7 times, sl st into 2nd ch.
Ch 2, htr in same stitch, htr in next 4 stitches, *2x htr in next stitch, htr in next 4 stitches* 7 times, sl st into 2nd ch.
Ch 2, htr in same stitch, htr in next 5 stitches, *2x htr in next stitch, htr in next 5 stitches* 7 times, sl st into 2nd ch.
Ch 2, htr in same stitch, htr in next 6 stitches, *2x htr in next stitch, htr in next 6 stitches* 7 times, sl st into 2nd ch.
Continue increasing in this pattern until your hat measures the desired flat circle diameter (see above table)

Flat Circle 

Once you have reached the desired size:
Ch 2, htr in each stitch, sl st into 2nd chain.
Continue working in this manner until your hat is the desired height (refer to above table).
Finish off and weave in ends.

Eyes/Goggles
With black wool, chain 4 and join with sl st to form ring or start with magic ring.
Ch 3 (counts as 1st tr now & throughout), 11x tr into ring, sl st into 3rd ch. Fasten off.
With white wool, join using sl st.
Ch 3, tr into same stitch, 2x tr in next 11 stitches, sl st into 3rd chain.
Ch 3, tr into same stitch, 2x tr into next 23 stitches, sl st into 3rd chain. Fasten off.
With grey wool, join using sl st.
Ch 2, htr into each stitch, sl st into 2nd chain. Fasten off.
Weave in all ends.
Attach eyes to hat using matching wool. You can place the eyes however you want. I had two hats with 2 eyes and one hat with 1 eye.

Strap
I'm not going to lie, this part is/was mostly guess work.
With black wool, ch until you have the desired length, you want it to reach comfortably from one side of your eye(s), around the hat to the other side. I think mine ended up being around 60 ch long. Add to extra ch (this will count as your first htr).
Turn, htr into third chain from hook.
Htr into each chain. Ch and turn.
Htr into each stitch. Continue until your strap is the desired thickness (remembering to ch 1 before you turn) then fasten off and weave in ends. I made each of my straps a different thickness to individualise my hats a little more.
Tack strap onto hat using matching wool. I tacked mine next to each eye, and then in the middle at the back.

Hair
This part is completely up to you. You can have as much or as little hair as you want and in any style. Simply pull pieces of black wool through and tie off.

Ta Da!!! You're done!!

Baking Day = Cancelled

Don't you just hate when you have the whole day planned, especially when it's a day of fun, & one silly little thing ruins all your plans? Today was meant to be baking day. On the weekend dearest hubbie bought a small box of bananas. Oh my it's been so long since I have had a banana, at at least $5 a kilo they are a luxury we can't afford, but this box was cheap! The only problem is now I have bananas coming out my ears! So I compiled a huge range of delicious recipes using bananas, so I was looking forward to all the delicious goodies I was going to make. So you can imagine my immense disappointment, when after getting all the ingredients ready for my first baked goodie (Banana Caramel cream slice *drool*) I realised I didn't have any butter. I always have butter in the fridge but apparently in the haze of moving house this week I had used it & forgotten to replace it. Of course it couldn't have been coconut or chocolate that I was missing, but rather the butter which I need for every single recipe. Now normally that wouldn't be a problem as I would walk to the shop but after the hideous heatwave we have been having today has been nothing but rain.

No way am I walking to the shop in that weather! Even if it is only 2 blocks away!

Weather like this also means that my house is filled with wet washing hanging in odd places in the vain hope that they will dry.

On another note, we moved house on the weekend. Cue happy dance! We lost one bedroom but gained a veranda & heaps more room. Plus we now back straight onto the bushland and right behind the bushland is the lake. Considering we only moved five houses up the street, it is so much more tranquil.

On that note I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon working on some Christmas presents, after all it's only 31 days until Christmas ;)

Ribbon & Fabric Flowers

Ribbons & buttons, they are my weakness. They are the reason I love craft, homemade goodies & the world of DIY right up there with crocheting. Therefore right after I mastered the art of granny squares, I moved onto ribbon, fabric & button flowers. They are still one of my favourite things to make, especially when I've hit a creative block & have a dozen half finished projects laying around the house. So here are a few quick tutorials for my favourite flowers :)

YoYo Flowers 


To make your yoyo flower you will need:
 a piece of ribbon, lace or material. The length depends on how full you want your flower (I tend to start with a really long piece or the whole roll & cut it when I am happy with the flower).
 Needle and thread
Button or other embellishment
Hot glue gun or craft glue

To start your flower simply create a loose running stitch along one of the long edges of the ribbon (lace or material). The smaller your stitches the more ruffles your flower will have. Don't tie off either end of you thread as you will need both ends loose to finish you flower.

When you have stitched the length of the ribbon gently pull both ends of the thread to gather the ribbon and create a circle. Now simply tie the two ends of thread together securely, making sure both ends of the ribbon are touching, and it is gathered tightly. 

Lastly glue you embellishment into the centre using you hot glue gun or craft glue. Depending on what you wish to do with your flower, you may want to glue a small circle of material (or left over ribbon) onto the centre on the other side.

Fabric Rosette

To make your fabric rosette you will need:

A scrap of material or felt

Scissors

Hot glue gun or craft glue

Round object (lid, glass, compass, etc)

Pen

Firstly you need to trace around you round object. Then using the outline as a guide, cut out a circle with a wavy edge.

Now simple cut the circle into a spiral, the thicker your spiral the bigger the 'petals' will be.

Starting with the outer edge of the spiral, roll the fabric until you reach the centre. Using you hot glue gun or craft glue to glue the last piece of the spiral onto the bottom of the rosette, securing the rosette together.

Ta-da!!

Ribbon Flower

To make your ribbon flower you will need:

8 pieces of thin ribbon about 10cm long (you can use thicker ribbon but you will need less pieces)

Needle & thread

Button or embellishment

Hot glue gun or craft glue

Lighter - optional the melt the ends of the ribbon so it doesn't fray

Firstly you need to place each ribbon onto the needle, piercing in the middle of the ribbon. 

Next you need to take one end of the top ribbon, fold and place on needle. Do the same with the other end of the ribbon. Repeat until all ribbons are on the needle. It should look like this. (Sorry if that's confusing!! I can't think of how else to explain it!)

Pull the needle all the way through (so all ribbons are now on the thread). Carefully place a stitch through the centre of the flower. Both ends of the thread should now be on the under side of the flower. Tie thread together (I usually do about half a dozen knots) securing the flower together.

Using you hot glue gun or craft glue, glue you button or embellishment onto the centre of the flower & you are done!

These little flowers can be used for any range of things, from headbands or hair clips, to embellish bags, pillows, lampshades or whatever you're little heart desires! I hope you enjoy them :)

Christmas Wreath FTW!

Just FYI it's only 44 days until Christmas *cue jaw drops & scared facial expressions*
So what better time to move house? With only one weeks notice no less! (Yes we are slightly crazy). So what does one do when the house is a right off, we have a week to pack (lucky we are only moving 5 doors up the road! lol) & you have a list of jobs as long as your arm?? You do some Christmas craft of course!

Ok so it wasn't really a spur of the moment decision. I have been planning this creation (and tutorial) for just over a week now, I spent a few days collecting supplies and a few days looking at my supplies and mulling it all over. But here is the finished product. My very own Christmas Wreath :)

So here it is just for you!

Christmas Wreath Tutorial

Ok for your Christmas wreath you will need:
Pool noodle (you can use a foam ring or wreath form but the pool noodles are so much cheaper and work just as well! I got mine for $5 from our local discount shop)
Duct tape
Wool (I chose green but you can use any colour that takes your fancy!)
Scissors
Hot glue gun or craft glue
Materials for you flowers, ie, ribbon, lace, fabric, buttons, needle & thread. You can find the tutorials (& lists of materials) for the flowers I made here :)
Ribbon

The first thing you have to do is turn you pool noodle into a ring, so it looks more wreath like & less like a kids toy! Simply duct tape both ends of you noodle together as neatly as you can.

Ok here is the time consuming part, seriously I had no idea it would take me as long as it did. So be prepared, maybe have a good movie on & some snacks & drinks to keep your energy up...just kidding!! Kind of ;)
Using your wool, neatly wind it around your wreath form until you have covered the entire form.

When you get toward the end, you'll notice that it won't line up perfectly. That's ok, it'll all work out & I just made sure to add my embellishments over that section to cover any imperfections.

When you get to the end you can finish it off any way you like. I used a wool needle to tie the wool off (joining it with the beginning) & then weave the end in, but you might like to simply use your glue to secure then end. This seriously took me about 3 hrs (with several breaks) but if you aren't as ridiculously pedantic as me it probably won't take anywhere near as ling!

Now you have to make you flowers for the wreath. You can make as many or as few as you like, they can be any size or styles. I made a selection of different sized flowers like in our tutorial.
When you have finished making your flowers, simply lay them on your wreath until you are happy with the way it looks. Then simply use you hot glue gun or craft glue to secure the flowers to the wreath.

When I had finished that I looked at my wreath & felt that it was missing something. So using some thin ribbon & my hot glue gun I added some 'writing' to add a little something extra to the wreath.

Lastly I braided a length of wool and tied it around to top of the wreath to use as when hanging it.

And you are done! Hang it on your front door, in your house or anywhere that takes your fancy & admire your great work :)

Rainbow Cake

Now I'm not usually one to jump on the bandwagon (ok so I've gone a little Keep Calm poster crazy of late, and I'm a huge Harry Potter & Twilight fan but I fought those crazes for ages, I swear!). But seriously, Rainbow cakes? How could I resist? I am well & truly obsessed. I mean what's not to love. They taste great, they look great & that moment of 'WOW' when you cut it open is so worth all the hard work & mess that went into making it.

I've been asked several times for the recipe for my rainbow cake, so here goes. I personally make my own cake batter from scratch using the butter cake recipe from the Women's Weekly Birthday Cake book but you can also use the 69c packets from Woolworths or Coles (or any vanilla or butter cake I guess). I made a double batch of this recipe & used about 3/4 of it.

Ingredients
125g Butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup castor sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1/3 cup milk
Food colouring (I used the individual 99c bottles from Woolworths or Coles)

Method

Make sure butter is at room temperature (if it's not your life will be hell, trust me, I learnt this the hard way!). Beat butter with vanilla until light and fluffy; add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in half the sifted flour with half the milk, stir until combined.
Add the remaining milk and flour, stir in lightly, then beat lightly until mixture is smooth.

Now you have to decide how many colours/layers you want in you cake. I baked 6 layers (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple) but you can have as many or as few as you like. When you have decided how many layers you need, evenly divide the batter into separate bowls. Add a dash of food colouring to each bowl and mix until you reach your desired colour. I found that my purple came out too dark, so be careful when adding your colouring!

Now you need to grease & flour you cake tin. Pour the first lot of batter into tin, smooth it evenly & bake until it springs back when lightly touched or skewer comes out clean. Let the cake cool in tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack. Wipe out tin, then re-grease & flour. Repeat until all layers are baked. While the cakes are cooling you can make the icing, I used white chocolate cream cheese icing but you can also using buttercream icing.

Icing
455g cream cheese (not the low fat stuff)
170g white chocolate
10 tbsp. butter, softened
3 cups of icing sugar

Beat the cream cheese until soft & smooth. Add butter and icing sugar and continue beating until smooth. Melt white chocolate and add to cream cheese mixture.

Once the cakes have cooled, level the tops if needed. Now is the fun part (haha). Decide what order you want your layers to go in, then just start stacking them, with a thin layer of icing in between. Make sure you try to line the layers up neatly (otherwise you end up with the leaning tower of cakes, once again trust me I know!). When all the cakes are stacked you can ice the outside of the cake, you should probably start with a crumb coat, then I final layer, but I was naughty and just iced it all in one go (Shhhhh don't tell anyone!). Once that is done you can decorate it with sprinkles, or M&Ms or leave it plain, whatever takes you fancy!

Last but not least, cut & enjoy. Trust me the WOW factor is so worth it!

Something to always remember

Wedding Day Fun

Today I stole a fantastic idea from Kelle at Enjoying The Small Things and made a Instragram photo dump/collage to show off some of the pics from the weekend :)

It's Wedding Season!

And I'm ready!

We have had four weddings this year (well three gone & one tomorrow) & I have to say I am loving it! I am a sucker for the gown, the flowers, the suits, the music & all that love in the air. I love the laughter, the friends, the family & feeling so special that these people I call my friends & family want to share their special day with me. I love admiring all the hard work that goes into making that day oh so special, all the personal touches, all the DIY & handmade items which have taken months to finish. I remember the stress & craziness of trying to get everything organised & finished in time & love seeing that look of relief on parents, friends & family who have been helping tirelessly, when it all starts & things run according to plan. And I always start to reminisce about my own special day. Sharing champagne with my girls, looking at my dress hanging in the lounge room just waiting for me, watching my nephew get dressed by brother & entertain himself quietly while we did all the boring stuff.

I remember that special moment, after climbing into the car, when my Dad turned to me from the front seat & simply said, with a smile on his face, 'Are you ready?'

I remember the moment when all my bridesmaids had gone in & I was trying to fit myself, Dad & my train into the entryway & having my brother take my train from my hands and say 'Do you want me to hold that?', walking down the aisle to see the look on Samuel's face, especially when I quickly poked my tongue out at him. 

I don't think anyone will forget the moment when our minister began talking about sex & pleasing each other in marriage, I certainly won't forget the look on Samuel's face! And that first kiss as husband & wife.

And that final moment when our closest friends & family greeted us as husband & wife!

But this time it isn't about us. So far this year I have had the joy of watching a close friend from University marry her highschool sweetheart, a childhood friend marry her lovely fiancée & my Brother-in-law marry his wonderful fiancée, thus welcoming another person into our ever expanding family. Tomorrow is another very special day with my oldest friend marrying her lovely partner. And I can't wait! 

My dress is ready, my shoes are out, the card is picked & I've got the tissues packed (Yes I'm a crier at weddings!). Did I mention that I love wedding season?!?!