All in the timing

After months of thinking "should I?"... "no, I couldn't"... "but maybe?"... "no, really, get a grip, I'm not creative / consistent / organised enough to have a blog"... I set up a blog last week - when I really should have been washing dishes.

The thing is, now I've started, I don't actually have any just-finished or even half-started projects to show... so - and I hope I'm not breaking any craft bloggers' code of conduct here - I thought I'd start with a reflection on craft projects past...

This dino softie was the first project I completed after buying a sewing machine a year or so ago. Our daughter has loved dinosaurs since she was tiny and regularly requested "dino" drawings from her parents - mine all turned out looking a bit like this - and one day I decided to turn the drawing into a three dimensional toy I could give her for Christmas.

It's wonky, and a little puckered in the nether regions, but she still loves it, and so do I.

I came to knitting fruit and veg after reading a parenting book late one night (in hindsight, I think sleeping would have been more useful) - and coming to the realisation that we simply did not have enough balls in the house to stimulate our child's visual and motor development (yes, I really should have been sleeping). Instead of visiting a shop (or sleeping) I decided to make one - and came across a pattern for a garter stitch ball (like this one - there are plenty more out there).
It worked, then the next time I made one, I noticed that it looked a bit like a banana when half-finished, then the next thing I knew I was drawing little diagrams, checking my maths and making a little collection.

I know there are better knitted food patterns out there, but mine are easier (for me, anyway), and I quite like the fact they are obviously home made!

This princess crown is my take on curlypops' excellent tutorial for superhero headbands - just a little more girly (and wrinkly). I made 3 in one night - thanks to this first one turning out a little wrinkly after some careless application of interfacing to satin fabric (I was going to my twin nieces' birthday party the next day). I'm happy to report that the birthday girls received smooth and symmetrical crowns - and ran around too much for a clear photo (thank goodness for teddy bears). I'm also happy to report my daughter doesn't mind the wrinkles at all!

It was looking at my huge bookmarked collection of tutorials and inspiration that led me to start this blog - in the thought that soon I might be brave enough to share my own tutorial and hopefully give someone else a little inspiration. As a previous blog lurker, I would like to say I'm really grateful to all of you who do share their knowledge and skills so freely.