I’ve got a brand new mini kit for you today – and he’s quite a fun-gi! Allow me to introduce Mr. Mushroom Man.
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Back in August I got to see my first ever Fly Agaric mushroom in the wild, it was a very exciting find! Arguably it’s one of the most iconic toadstool species, with its white spotted red cap, but I’d never seen one in real life despite all my many walks in woodland.
It inspired me to create a little mushroom character – and weirdly I think there has been something in the air since then, as there seems to have been so many mushroom inspired crochet designs recently, by lots of different crochet designers.
Much like the previous released mini crochet kits (see all the mini crochet kits here along with a big kit) this one was released at the October Crochet Sanctuary. I attended as a guest but was kindly allowed to bring a pop up shop to share with the other guests with a range of my KCACOUK, Yarnybobs and Dear Ewe products.
It’s becoming a little bit of a tradition to create a new kit for the Crochet Sanctuary pop up’s I attend and I have to say I really enjoy the creativity of coming up with something new. And I’m excited to say I have some new Christmas themed mini crochet kit baubles coming soon – so watch this space.
So show a little love with the crochet Mushroom Man! This adorable little fellow, with his tiny hand held mushrooms, would make a cute addition to your home or you could make as a gift to someone special.
This slightly larger kit comes with 130g of Scheepjes Catona, 2 x 6mm black safety eyes, a small amount of black embroidery thread, a bag of craft moss, 20g bag of stuffing and a log slice for your mushroom man to sit on. The only thing that it doesn’t come with the kit is a glue gun, which is optional for you to use to stick everything into place.
There’s also the optional tool extra, via my Etsy shop, of including up a premium bamboo 3mm hook (US approx. size D/3) if you don’t have one of those to hand.
I get so much love for these mini crochet kits that it’s an absolute delight to keep coming up with new designs for them. What do you think will come next? Or what would you love to see a mini crochet kit for?
If you have been working on a pattern from one of my crochet kits I hope you’ll share your WIP and finished project photos with me on social media (facebook, twitter or instagram), or as a project on Ravelry – I love to see what you make! And finally you may wish to sign up to blog (below) and / or my mailing list to get a reminder when new blog posts, discounts or new pattern releases are available.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Disclaimer: I received two free press tickets to attend The Knitting and Stitching Show from the show organisers. However I have not been financially compensated by the company to write this blog post. All opinions expressed are my own and based on my own experiences of my visit.
This year the show, which is held over four days, was on 16 – 19 November 2023 held at the Harrogate Convention Centre. After am early start and rather an epic journey (3 trains later) mum and I arrived into the city just before midday. After dropping our bags off at a nearby Travelodge we made our way straight to the show.
Have you ever visited a Knitting and Stitching show? For craft lovers it’s like a little slice of heaven! So much to see and do and featuring hundreds of retailers selling fabric and patterns, yarn and thread, sewing machines and equipment, accessories, crafts kits and gifts, from well-known global brands to small artisan companies.
I don’t know why but I wasn’t expecting the Harrogate show to be quite as big as the London shows I’d visited previously (read about those here and here). But it was actually quite huge! Held over 4 large rooms (Halls A, B, C and M) with several places to get refreshments dotted along the way.
As we were going to be there for two days we resolved to be fairly systematic in our approach – we decided that the first half of our day would be spent mainly looking at what was on offer, and the second day would be more purchasing. Now it didn’t work completely like that, as there was some buying on the first day, but it seemed like a good way to see the show.
Show guides were priced at £5 and were available from a show merchandise stand at the start of the show. This handy programme included details of events and workshops and list all the vendors – great if you want to plan out what you are going to see before you start walking around.
There was about 150 plus vendors, which in the guide were themed for things like yarns, craft supplies, fabrics and buttons to name a few, Though it is kind of fun to walk around and come across new stalls I found the guide particularly useful later on when we wanted to backtrack to a stall where we’d seen something that we liked.
The first day we arrived was the Saturday, which as you can expect, was very busy. At times, just because of the amount of people, it was a bit slow going to get through the crowd, and to see a stall if there were people around it, so we did do some doubling back at times. But we worked our way through all of the rows looking at both sides, through each of the buildings and I would say we took about 4 hours in total – as we were oohh-ing and ahhh-ing over things we spied as we went.
As we were browsing the stall and we found ourselves at Tanya’s stand from The Woolly Tangle. Tanya has been our stall neighbour a couple of times when we’ve been out on the road with Dear Ewe. It was really nice to catch up with her and hear about her experiences of the show – and I may have rescued some yarn from her that needed to come home with me.
It was nice to see the dedicated ‘The ‘Yarn Village’, section of the show, it was a place of small-scale specialist retailers who were offering a selection of unique, high quality yarn and accessories, not found on the high street.
As a fan of all things yarn I wouldn’t have been sad if ‘The Yarn Village’ section was even bigger and included even more yarn and things for crocheters and knitters, though there was a very nice selection to be had from the vendors that had their stall there.
A highlight of the show were the fabulous textile exhibitions that were a delight to walk round. Even if it’s not your particular craft I don’t think you can fail to appreciate the artistry involved in the work -and they are incredibly inspiring! This year’s Textile Galleries featured exhibitions by Art Textiles: Made in Britain (Illuminate),
As well as stalls and exhibitions there are also demos and workshops that you can choose to take part in. We didn’t actually catch any of the Creative Living Theatre shows this year – though there were several free daily demonstrations. We also decided not to do one of the workshops (though there were several that looked really fun) as we decided we were going to do something else that Harrogate is famous for.
As we’d walked our legs off at the show we decided we needed a bit of a rest so we headed off to find Betty’s Tea Rooms! Betty’s is quite a famous tea room that has been serving irresistible treats in Harrogate for over 100 years. I’d had the opportunity to go once, possibly about 15 years ago, but mum had never been so we decided we needed to make a visit whilst we were in town.
You don’t have to book for Betty’s but you do have to be prepared for a bit of a queue. We waited for about 10 minutes and were provided with a menu to peruse whilst we were waiting. We opted for the festive afternoon tea option and it didn’t disappoint!
Our sandwiches consisted of things like Wensleydale with red onion and cranberry chutney, and then we had mini cakes like chocolate cubes. Our favourite though had to be the cranberry and orange scones which were absolutely delicious! I would definitely recommend a visit to Betty’s if you visit a future The Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate.
The next day we walked back to the show and enjoyed a closer look at some of the beautiful textile exhibits before finding our way to the stalls we’d earmarked the day before. It was a little quieter on the Sunday so getting around to look at the stalls was much easier.
We got to have a lovely catch up chat with Sara (and Steve) from Black Sheep Wools. You may remember that Black Sheep provided yarn kits for the last two crochet-alongs and it was nice to chat about what’s been happening and possible future plans.
As we were walking round we also bumped into one of the winners of the giveaway for tickets for the show and had the opportunity to chat to them which was lovely. That’s one of the really nice things about visiting the shows, it’s the catching up with people, meeting new people and of course finding new things you didn’t know you needed in your life.
We did an awful lot of walking that weekend, I had turned on Strava (an fitness app) on whilst walking round the event (and Harrogate) and over the two days we walked over 12.2 miles (19.6km) so it was great exercise whilst enjoying ourselves! Then before we knew it, it was time to catch the 3 trains and a tram home again.
Between us mum and I managed to pick up things for 13 new projects – 10 of them were mums, but she’s very much of a multi-crafter so she picked up sewing, cross-stitch and yarn items to use.
I bought some yarn and several lovely pom poms, one to re-make a hat pattern I want to re-release. I also bought some beautifully soft DK brown alpaca yarn, with no plan other than I wanted it. Then we both bought some bits to make some wreaths which I’m looking forward to doing on a crafty afternoon with mum sometime soonish.
Like all the craft events I’ve attended the show is not only about the pretty things I have the opportunity to buy it’s about the people and the experience. If you get the chance to go to a future Knitting and Stitching Show I can thoroughly recommend it.
I’d like to say a big thank you again to the shows organisers for offering me the opportunity to visit and for offering the special deals to my lovely KCACO.UK readers!
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s a brand new mini crochet kit swooping into my Etsy shop, allow me to introduce the Hero Hamster. Wearing his red cape and his masked disguise watch him go from a normal hamster to a full on superhero!
If you have seen me in person at one of the pop up shops I’ve done this year, either at The Crochet Sanctuary or Wool@Jct13, then you will already be familiar with this little guy where he met with a really positive reception. However life, as it often does, got in the way of me adding him to my Etsy store until now so you could make him too.
The pattern was actually inspired by my lovely stalker friend Laura who had a very special emotional support hamster called Bernie. He will always be remembered by everyone at The Crochet Sanctuary as a Bonio (dog biscuit) loving cute chap – and after a conversation I sort-of-kind-of promised I would commemorate him in crochet. But little did Laura realise, Bernie had a secret identity…whenever he is needed, you just have to call and with a flash of red he’ll turn into a superhero ready to fight crime against crochet!
It was such fun to come up with this little guy, we always had hamsters at home when we were kids (Honey, Bramble, Bilbo and Broccoli may you RIP) and I love the idea of them being superhero’s.
It’s becoming a little bit of a tradition to create a new kit for these pop up’s and I have to say I really enjoy the process of coming up with something new. In fact a brand new kit, launching this weekend at the Crochet Sanctuary will hopefully be hitting my Etsy store sooner than this one did! If you follow me on social media you might have already seen a sneaky peek reel that I’ve shared.
This slightly larger kit comes with 40g of Scheepjes Catona, 2 x 6mm black safety eyes, a small amount of black embroidery thread, a small amount of yellow thread and 10g bag of stuffing. He’s also sold with a piece of felt you can personalise the tummy of your hamster with a lightening flash, an initial or other symbol.
There’s also the optional tool extra, via my my Etsy store , of including up a premium bamboo 3mm hook (US approx. size D/3) if you don’t have one of those to hand.
So show a little love to the little Hero Hamster! This adorable little project would make a cute addition to your home or as a great gift to any hamster fan.
If you have been working on a pattern from one of my crochet kits I hope you’ll share your WIP and finished project photos with me on social media (facebook, twitter or instagram), or as a project on Ravelry – I love to see what you make! And finally you may wish to sign up to blog (below) and / or my mailing list to get a reminder when new blog posts, discounts or new pattern releases are available.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
I have to say that this year feels like it’s moving very fast – I can’t believe we are nearly in May and I’ve not had chance to share a crochet new kit I’ve just added to my Etsy shop! My best laid plans of sharing it in February didn’t happen, but that’s okay, you just have to do what you can do don’t you!
But now allow me to introduce my newest mini crochet kit for the Love Gnome!
Much like the mini crochet kits I released last year (see all the mini crochet kits here along with a big kit) this one was released at the February Crochet Sanctuary where I was kindly allowed to bring a pop up shop to share with the other guests a range of my KCACOUK, Yarnybobs and Dear Ewe products.
It’s becoming a little bit of a tradition to create a new kit for these pop up’s and I have to say I really enjoy the process of coming up with something new – in fact a brand new kit, launching at the April Crochet Sanctuary will be coming soon!
So show a little love with the crochet Love Gnome! This adorable little gonk, with his hat pulled over his nose, would make a cute addition to your home or you could make as a gift to someone special.
Each kit contains 30g of Scheepjes Catona, the 16mm wooden bead, an eco cocktail stick, a small amount of white acrylic yarn for his beard packed in a reusable heart shaped bauble. The kit also comes with 10g bag of stuffing in small reusable organza bag (separately from the heart as it wouldn’t all fit in) so you have everything you need to your little Love Gnome.
There’s also the optional tool extra, via my Etsy shop, of including up a premium bamboo 3mm hook (US approx. size D/3) if you don’t have one of those to hand.
These bauble crochet kits have always proved popular at the crochet sanctuary and I’ve seen lots of lovely examples now of projects that have been made from my mini kits.
If you have been working on a pattern from one of my crochet kits I hope you’ll share your WIP and finished project photos with me on social media (facebook, twitter or instagram), or as a project on Ravelry – I love to see what you make! And finally you may wish to sign up to blog (below) and / or my mailing list to get a reminder when new blog posts, discounts or new pattern releases are available.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
December is moving far too fast for my liking and I just haven’t had a chance to tell you about a crochet new kit I have in my Etsy shop! I don’t know about you but I could do with another couple of weeks until Christmas – I think I always forget how busy things get at this time of year.
But I do deerly love the holiday season and so I’m going to squeeze in telling you about a new little crochet kit that I hope you will find quite reindeering!
Okay, it might be time to rein in the puns a little….if you haven’t already guessed the kit is for a reindeer hanging ornament. Much like the mini crochet kits I released last year (see all the mini crochet kits here along with a big kit). This one was also released at the latest weekend Crochet Sanctuary where I was kindly allowed to bring a pop up shop to share with the other guests a range of my KCACOUK, Yarnybobs and Dear Ewe products.
Add a touch of festive cheer to your home with a sweet hanging reindeer ornament; it’s that happy bit of handmade hooking which will add that personalised reindeer touch to your Christmas Tree.
Each kit contains 30g of Scheepjes Catona, the pattern, a length of black embroidery thread, a silver jingle bell and a length of twine all in a reusable christmas bauble! There’s also the optional tool extra of picking up a premium bamboo 3mm hook (US approx. size D/3) if you don’t have one of those to hand.
These bauble crochet kits sold out when I was at the crochet sanctuary (though I’ve got some more stock now) and it’s been lovely to see some of the little reindeer that have been whipped up already from the kits.
Whether you’re super organised or more of a last-minute buyer, yule need to make a note of the following dates to ensure your pressies are (hopefully) delivered in time for the big day.
As we have had all the Royal mail strikes here in the UK I feel I’ve had no choice but to bring forward domestic Christmas posting deadlines to Friday 16 December. It’s been a fair old stressful time for small businesses with the postal issues (so please know that we do want our things to get to you as soon as possible but when it leaves us it’s out of our control). However I also want to continue to support the post office as I feel that it’s one of those that if we don’t use it, we’ll eventually lose it.
Need to send abroad? Not a problem – like Santa, I do deliver all over the world, however I cannot guarantee delivery will be in time for Christmas, but a gift of crochet is fun at any time of year right!.
Then as my children are breaking up from school also on the 16 December I’ll mainly be spending some quality time with my family until the new year – though I will be popping on, on Boxing Day as we start our Peppermint Pageant MAL.
If you make up a reindeer I hope you’ll share your WIP and finished project photos with me on social media (facebook, twitter or instagram) or as a project on Ravelry – I love to see what you make! And finally you may wish to sign up to blog (below) and / or my mailing list to get a reminder when new blog posts, discounts or new pattern releases are available.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Snow-way man! There’s a new mini crochet kit in town; snow prizes for guessing what the kit is – it’s a snowman!
You may remember that I’ve previously released some mini crochet kits (along with a big kit) because I find them really fun to design. It’s an enjoyable kind of challenge, working with a set amount of yarn and notions, to make something a workable project.
The new kit is for a Vintage Snowman decoration; inspired with a nostalgic nod to old-fashioned charm!
Create your own indoor winter wonderland with this adorable Vintage Snowman decoration. Wearing his blue top hat, matching gloves and a long textured scarf this snowman can be placed on any mantlepiece, shelf or windowsill to create a festive feel for your home. He also comes complete with a ornamental log slice for your finished project to stand on.
Each kit contains 45g of Scheepjes Catona (1x 25g of white and 2 x 10g of the different blues), the pattern, enough stuffing for the snowman, some small amounts of orange and blank for his nose and buttons, and of course the log slice all wrapped up in a small reusable organza bag! There’s also the optional tool extra of picking up a premium bamboo 3mm hook (US approx. size D/3) if you don’t have one of those to hand.
In snow uncertain terms this little snowman is so fun to make – freeze a jolly good fellow! Keep the magic of Christmas at home or gift to someone on your Christmas list, this cute snowman is sure to be enjoyed by all!
I hope you’ll share your WIP and finished project photos with me on social media (facebook, twitter or instagram) or as a project on Ravelry – I love to see what you make! And finally you may wish to sign up to blog (below) and / or my mailing list to get a reminder when new blog posts, discounts or new pattern releases are available.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
You’re pumpkin-dding me! There’s a new mini crochet kit in town, and I think it’s gourd-geous!
You may remember that I’ve been releasing some mini crochet kits (along with a big kit) because I find them really fun to design – and you seem to enjoy working on projects in a kit. This time I’ve created a set of teeny tiny pumpkins, because who doesn’t love a crochet pumpkin at this time of year!
Don’t let big carved pumpkins have all the autumn decor fun – crochet some extremely cute tiny ones to have on display instead! Big enough for all three, slightly different sized, pumpkins to fit in one hand, they will make beautiful additions to your autumn decor.
Each kit contains 4 mini balls of Scheepjes Catona, the pattern, enough stuffing for all the pumpkins and a cute pumpkin charm stitch marker all wrapped up in a small reusable organza bag! There’s also the optional tool extra of picking up a premium bamboo 3mm hook (US approx. size D/3) if you don’t have one of those to hand.
These are so fun to make, you can make the whole set in pretty much a day, so there’s still time to hook up a set to compliment your Autumn decor. So why not treat yourself, or the crochet lover in your life – the kit would make a perfect present for birthdays or Christmas as a little gift for crafty friends and family.
I hope you’ll share your WIP and finished project photos with me on social media (facebook, twitter or instagram) or as a project on Ravelry – I love to see what you make! And finally you may wish to sign up to blog (below) and / or my mailing list to get a reminder when new blog posts, discounts or new pattern releases are available.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Well it’s only taken me a couple of years…but I’ve finally got around to sorting out my Relaxing Ralph pattern. And what prompted me is today (1 Sept) is Ginger Cat Appreciation Day, a fun holiday that honours the gingers of the feline world.
It put me in mind of little Ralph; who you may recognise as a pattern I designed in September 2018 for The Crochet Sanctuary (read about it here). He’s a sleepy little ginger kitty who loves nothing more than kicking back for a nap in his hammock (details on how to make his hammock is also included in the pattern).
Well at the time I was sure I’d released the pattern in my usual format, in UK and US terms, and with availability in each of my pattern stores – but it turns out that I’ hadn’t! However I’m now delighted to announce that I’ve rectified that situation, and you can now pick up the PDF pattern via the links below.
The pattern is 5 pages long and I’d suggest it’s a patterns suitable for anyone with a bit of experience of working in the round and in making amigurumi.
For my kitty I used 1 ball of Scheepjes Stonewashed XL (Aran/ Worsted Weight) in Jasper (Shade 849), 1 ball of Scheepjes Stonewashed (Sport Weight) in Moon Stone (Shade 801 and 1 ball of Scheepjes Catona (4ply / Fingering Weight) in Powder Pink (Shade 238) with a 4.5mm (US size 7) and a 3mm (Closest US size D/3 or C/2).
” Cats are connoisseurs of comfort.” ~ James Herriot
If you do make up a Relaxing Ralph I hope you will share pictures of your cat’s on socials using the hashtag #kcacouk so I can see and share your wonderful work.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking, keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Please note that some of the links in my blog are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase via these links, but the price you pay is not affected.
Happy International Dogs Day! Today I’m able to share with you a fun puppy pattern; Parsley the Woodgreen Puppy!
You may recognise Parsley from a past collaboration with Deramores back in April 2021. With the closure of Deramores (in Feb 2022) I’ve been slowly working my way through any associated patterns to add to my pattern shops, however as this was a pattern was originally designed in collaboration with a charity it’s been a bit of a different task to sort out.
However I’m now absolutely delighted to announce that the lovely folks at LoveCrafts are going to host the pattern for the Woodgreen, The Animal Charity – with 100% of sales going to support pets looking for their forever homes!
Wood Green is a pet charity that makes a difference to the lives of pets and people across the UK. As a charity they help rehome pets into loving homes and also educate and supports pet owners, so that they can enjoy a mutually rewarding and happy relationship with their pets.
The charity helps thousands of dogs, cats and small pets, many who have been abandoned and neglected, to have a second chance at happiness – and no animals are ever turned away!
If you are a crafter you can help support this charity by creating the Parsley the puppy with the purchase of the digital pattern (approx. £3.60 / $4.24 at time of posting).
For my original puppy I used Deramores Studio DK in Ebony, Oatmeal, White, Chocolate and Peridot with a 3.25mm (US size D/3) hook, however you could easily substitute with Paintbox Simply DK in Pure Black (101), Taupe (75), Champagne White (102), Lime Green (128) and Coffee Bean (110). The finished result is a lovely cuddly puppy that you can make for yourself or a loved one.
If you do make up a puppy I hope you will share pictures of your pup’s on socials using the hashtags #kcacouk and #LoveCrafts so we can share your wonderful work.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking, keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
Please note that some of the links in my blog are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase via these links, but the price you pay is not affected.
You may remember that back in December I created a couple of Christmas themed mini crochet kits. I actually had quite a bit of fun creating them, so at the most recent Crochet Sanctuary I launched a brand new kit for a cute hanging heart ornament.
Show your home some love with a handmade hanging heart decoration. The finished decoration, with it’s mixture of crochet and wooden beads, will add a lovely touch to any room or be a perfect gift for a loved one.
Each kit contains 2 mini balls of Scheepjes Catona, the pattern, wooden beads and tassel all wrapped up in a cute reusable bauble! There’s also the optional tool extra of picking up a premium bamboo 3mm hook (US approx. size D/3) if you don’t have one of those to hand.
So why not treat yourself, or the crochet lover in your life, would make a perfect gift for birthdays, Valentine’s day, mother’s day or Christmas – it makes a lovely gift for any crocheter.
I hope you’ll share your WIP and finished project photos with me on social media (facebook, twitter or instagram) or as a project on Ravelry – I love to see what you make! And finally you may wish to sign up to blog (below) and / or my mailing list to get a reminder when new blog posts, discounts or new pattern releases are available.
Until next time folks! Happy hooking and keep calm and crochet on my friends xx
