Brittie Unique

Finished Betsy and Buster as I am calling them. Based on a wonderful pattern by on ’s site. It’s been so much fun to make these guys for a set of twins, a girl and a boy. Hopefully, they will love them. I’ve stuck them in the washing machine to get them spit spot, as Mary Poppins would say, and to set the bow tie and little flower. I love them.

When 90% of the yarn for a new commission has arrived and you can start! So exciting. Can you guess the colour scheme? Finishing one commission today to start this one. I can not wait.

So many ways to wear a brooch. Wish I had a smart black hat to stick it on! Might have to make one. I have loved making this and though it looks nothing like the ideas in my head, it was a brilliant way to: learn how to crochet round wire; balance a brooch; work in a non uniform, more organic crochet style (very unusual for me!); and figure out what I want to achieve. I didn’t write a pattern as each petal is different, just like in the natural world. This brooch will always be very special to me as a result. Wearing it with pride. Now off to research the flowers of my very multi cultural heritage. Which shall I start with first, the flowers of the Seychelles, Norway, the US, India, Africa or good old Blighty?

Well, my prototype has been a challenge and a huge learning curve. It’s a bit big, even for me. And I need to collect some vintage buttons and beads for the centre or even some semi precious stones. I’m really pleased with how it’s turned out. Just need to put a brooch back on it. I used stuff I had in the house but would definitely use a mercerised 2 or 4ply next time to give it a lovely sheen. It was fun to felt the centre too.

When you have nothing but an idea in your head and no pattern to follow. I’ve had to live in the creative moment, no plan in place. Very unlike me. It has been so challenging but I have loved it. Sometimes, you just need to let yourself be free and create. It’s coming along.

Today is designing day. Got an idea bouncing round my head and just have to give it a go. I’m excited.

I was particularly moved to post this poppy off today. There is something very special about sending this mark of remembrance to someone in Germany. Both sides lost so many, people and animals, in both wars. We must never forget.

My favourite part of amigurumi is embroidering the faces on. She looks so cute! Can’t wait to finish these loveys for the babies who are receiving them.

Just took delivery of my business cards, printed by . They are lovely, just what I wanted and biodegradable too. Delighted.

All finished. Now off to road test it. Originally, I was going to make them round but corners are great for cleansing around the eyes and nose. I figure that a square means that you can use different areas before having to put it in the wash. One cloth used when you might have used four cotton wool pads. Let’s see if my hunch is right.

Well, my suspicions were correct. This Natural +cotton is a delight to crochet with. I am making a reusable cleansing cloth to be used with water or in place of cotton wool. The yarn is so incredibly soft that I have used seed stitch to add some texture to make it more efficient at cleaning the skin.

In setting up my business, I want to be as sustainable as possible, so I will be focussing on using yarns that are better for the planet. Hence, although I will be using up the synthetic yarn in my stash, don’t want wastage, I will only be using natural yarns going forward even though they are more expensive. However, even natural yarns have issues. Cotton is one of the thirstiest plants on the planet and demand for it has led to the draining of an inland sea in Kazakhstan and the loss of wildlife, communities and culture. So I am constantly on the lookout for ways to reduce my cotton yarn use. I’m excited to try these yarns that I bought from . The Naturals Bamboo + Cotton is 60% bamboo and ridiculously soft. from .zpagetti is made from sustainable eucalyptus trees and uses an environmentally friendly production process too, apparently. They are both ridiculously soft so I am looking forward to testing them out. I need to stop using cotton wool in my skincare so will be designing some reusable pads with them. Ooh, I do love discovering new yarn. It makes me so happy!

Managed to finish the pouch on the flight home. The pattern needs a few tweaks and I need to sew a button onto this prototype. My daughter loves it. At least, her headphones won’t get tangled anymore.

After two years, I finally made it to Italy to see my family. Had the most wonderful time and I taught my sister to crochet. She’s hooked now too. Hurrah! Another addict to talk yarn with. She took me to a yarn shop so that I could teach her how to tell the difference between a yarn that is easy to crochet with and a splitty yarn, the crocheter’s nemesis. That was a mistake. I spotted this beautiful mercerised 4 ply cotton and HAD to buy it. On the train to my mother’s, I started to design a headphones pouch for my daughter.

A pile of poppies for my orders. Been trying to get these finished before I go away. I am very pleased with them and can’t wait to see people wearing them. They are very special to me as my father in law served in WWII. I wish that I had met him.

It’s been such a busy week with appointments for my daughter, my self and my dog. I haven’t managed to crochet as much as I wanted to. I did manage to revisit my poppy crochet pattern and make some tweaks. I’m animal mad and purple is my favourite colour so I might just need to focus on the red ones honouring the people this week! I am, however, delighted with my replacement button. I think it is going to work beautifully after all. I’ve decided to donate to the from red sales and to from purple sales.

After a hideously stressful morning thanks to , I have finally managed to sit down and start a commission for twins. I’ve had to frog a couple of rounds when I remembered that I am not hooking . These are meant to be softer but the muscle memory is strong! It was great training for safety so I know my comforters will be safe for tiny hands. Having a mostly black dog when crocheting with white yarn is a bit of a problem though. I did not think that through. Bless her.

Poppy production has begun. I found these beautiful buttons a few years ago at my local department store, which has since closed. It is the perfect heart for my poppy design. I was at a loss as to what to replace it with. A recent trip to haberdashery brought so much joy when I found them there. Alas, I had to pay retail price but I did find out the supplier. I trawled through their website today, only to find it’s discontinued. So I have 19 and then it’s onto the gorgeous replacement I found but the original will always be my favourite.

When you are sorting your yarn out and come across four flatties that you forgot you had made for . Must get them off to the babies!

The most fun part of a commission is shopping for yarn! This is perfect for a baby comforter. So gentle on little hands. When you are hooking up for twins of the opposite s*x, who needs to stick to pink and blue when beautiful variegated yarns like this exist?!

More whimsy. The bestie asked for a woolly hat with ear flaps. That's what she got. She loved it.

I do love a motif. I got the pattern from a Simply Crochet magazine. These need blocking. Am yet to decide what to do with them. The original pattern was for a blanket but they are so cute, I might use them as coasters instead. Or I could make one more and sell them as a set.

I do love a variegated yarn and this woollen yarn was so beautiful and soft, I had to make myself a cowl. I couldn't give it away. That's a yarn addict for you. We can be selfish.

When I said I do whimsical, I meant it. This yarn was crying out for some creativity so when I got to the end of the cowl pattern, I added a frilly edge which looked gorgeous on my daughter's slim shoulders.

I used an Erika Knight pattern to make this bobble stitch snood for my sister. She lives in Northern Italy where a woolen snood comes in very handy in the winter.

When you have god daughters, it's really special to be able to gift them something hooked with love. They loved these.

Brittie Unique updated their business hours.

Here's a throwback to my first ever ponchos, six years ago. I call mine 'the green thing' as it can be worn in many ways, so not only a poncho. It was a challenge to make but it has lasted the years and still looks beautiful. I was relieved to find that the silk blend yarn I used was made with tussah silk so no moths were harmed in the making of my shawl.

The shawl I made for my daughter was not such a success. I made it in the car on the way to Cornwall for a holiday. We had set off very early and I made a mistake in the pattern. This piece taught me to always go back and correct mistakes when you see them.