I’ve been very busy lately with new ‘on the hook’ things. Lots of happy crocheting moment this week. It looks like my ‘to do’ list or ‘wish to do’ list is getting too long. Though my table looks amazingly yummy these days.DSC_6714wb DSC_6714wb1Not just my table, actually it’s all over the place. So many future projects on my list now that I think I can sit here for weeks or even months without going out. BUT, as I have many hours with my kids during my days, it’s just happened that I have few portable boxes and bags that I can take with me out, or put next to me on the sofa or on the living room table, allowing me to crochet while the kids are jumping and playing around. While going out to their afternoon classes like football or horse riding, I grab one of these little crochet bags and bring it to the car with me (don’t want to miss any time slot for crocheting, any minute of time is an opportunity… if you know what I mean).IMG_20151201_224250wbIMG_20151201_234112wbInside one of my afternoon bags, I have this gorgeous popcorn square, it is a one colour work with not much to carry and a very easy going pattern to work on while waiting at my kids’ activities. Found this very easy to follow diagram provided by the By Haafner website here. It calls SMITTEN PATTERN. Once you get the idea, you don’t need the pattern next to you, and you can just keep on crocheting your squares.
DSC_6731wbThis work makes me feel, once again, so lucky for being a crocheter – crocheting this gives a huge amount of pleasure, and a special moment is waiting there, every time you finish a square. Not to mention the magical moment when you put out a few of them just like in the above picture, one next to another. These squares up here are not yet blocked, so they look a little fluffy now. I will block them soon and after that… can’t wait for connecting them. Thank you By Haafner for this very easy to follow diagram you have created.
DSC_6719wbIf you happen to visit her beautiful site, there’s another square pattern that you might like to try. One more project on my list. This is made with colour Sage by the way.
IMG-20151125-WA0006wbToday, and the day before and actually from a little before last weekend, I have been busy, happily busy, unstoppable busy, crocheting a bunny. I started crocheting the bunny legs and body a few weeks ago and just couldn’t find the time to get my hook and hands back on it. At first I called it a bath bunny, as I have a little bath bunny I bought in France years ago and still have it in our kids’ bath.
IMG_20151211_145709wbI thought it would be a bath bunny because my idea was to make it all plain and naked, just like the one I brought from France. But as I put it there on my studio shelf, just to take a little IG photo while it was cold and rainy, I wanted to dress it up.
IMG_20151212_162519wb Here I crochet at my parents׳ house on Friday eve. My sister is sitting right next to me giving me some design advises :).IMG_20151213_150725wbI made quite a few trials until I found out the right way to crochet such a small pants and this tiny stripey sweater. Without a pattern to follow, I had to do and redo back and forth until I found it. Until it looked right to me. I came across this amazing Parisian lady, Isabelle Kessedjian, on IG. She has crochet dolls and animals books with patterns that I think I’m going to order. She is an artist and her work is very naïve and colourful. Just saw her dolls and fell in love with them. I did my bath bunny and dressed her up without any pattern, but was very much inspired by Kessedjian’s stripy sweater and booties. I am very curious to see her actual pattern or instructions. Thanks to Kessedjian’s work, I made my bunny a stripey sweater and booties so she will not get cold during these winter days.
IMG_20151214_101619wbCrocheting and dressing up a little bunny/doll is really a different state of mind, a different state of hook. It usually has to be crocheted with a small hook. In fact, I even tried my 1.75 mm hook for the first time. I find it very similar to watercolour painting, using your finest brushes, for the finest details. Feels very similar.

Well, my love for bunnies is well known by now. I have a special ‘bunny love’ board on Pinterest and not long ago created my ‘Yvonne Pretty Bunny’ pattern and workshops. I already mentioned here how I admire Julie’s work from Little Cotton Rabbits – her work is so finely detailed and her dolls are so huggable. Her work has inspired me for a long time. Always loved her piles of animal’s heads and sweaters inside of a basket.bunnytraywbDoing all this bunny mess on the living room table, sofa, and carpet, it was just a matter of time before I created my own little bunny box, where I could place everything I needed for this bunny making. Keeping in mind that I started a little new bunny journey here. So I have this portable tray now, it sits right next to me, on our living room table/sofa/carpet. This tray became my joy box. See the amount of joy that jumps out of it? This is my treasure now, my portable desk. I’m crocheting and writing and undoing, and then writing it up again, it is definitely going to stay here with me for a while. What are your joy boxes, what do they look like? Do you have one at the moment?
IMG_20151213_212728wbIt was hard to decide on the height of her booties. I haven’t cut the Spicy colour yarn for hours and took gazillions of pictures of her laying on my four seasons chevron blanket – till I decided how high her boots should be. And don’t be mistaken, at this very moment, my kids made this list and every night one of them, by his turn, have it snuggled with him/her under their blankets. They kiss her and hug her like she is their new sister. She is adorable. My brother in law just told me that this little bunny made him want to start crocheting; I’m telling you she is so sweet that nobody here can stand her.IMG_20151218_131327wbIMG_20151218_133948wbIMG_20151218_134259wbFor my third bunny I needed these slippers to complete her ‘pajamas look’, these were actually the hardest. I made 3 – 4 pairs of slippers before I had the right ones. Now I have the final pair as a written pattern on my sketchbook, and I’m very happy with it, these slippers are cute and chic, just like my ‘pajamas bunny’. The dot sample on her pants is made out of a variation of tapestry crochet.DSC_6732wbAnd this is how my bunny box looks now, after last night, with this VERY busy ‘midnight creation’ I had. It’s the tree of them now. Looks like they enjoy being laid there together, each bunny and it’s special character. I just can’t stop making them. Now I plan to make few more, ’til I have a step by step written pattern for my bath bunny, which by the way will probably get a new name soon. Have to think of names for each of them. I already have some in mind but would love to hear your ideas. I’ll be more than happy to get your advice on names for these cuties, if you have the time, leave me a comment, tell me what you think.

Now I’m back to my sweet bunny box, back to my cozy sofa pose again. It’s a rainy day here today and with a cup of tea it is going to be a perfect crochet time.

See you soon, xoxo Mo