Crafting without my crafting gear...

My husband and I have been crewing together on super yachts for the last 4 years.  In that time I have learn't to pack lightly when we leave NZ each time, otherwise it is really really hard to get all our stuff back home again.  It is amazing the amount of stuff you accumulate over a year.

Unfortunately packing light means no crafting gear.  I had to leave behind all my card making equipment, all my teddy bear making stuff, my cross stitch stuff and of course my sewing machine, patterns and fabric stash. 

So... I thought I would try something new and portable this time... crochet.  I have started to teach myself how to crochet.  I'm starting small with flowers and things, but eventually I want to be able to make a blanket, some Amigurumi, and also work with metal (the metal idea was inspired by Yoola's Etsy shop... go see, it is really cool).

So here are some of the flowers I have made so far...

This pattern is called Dusty Rose by Stitch Diva, and I found the free pattern on the internet here.  It is pretty straightforward, but takes me quite a while to complete, I think because I am using a really small crochet hook and I crochet quite tightly.

The next flower is just a plain round circle with some French knots in the middle.  I think I like these ones best even though they are quite plain. 

The final flowers are from a new pattern I have just found by Marte on the Shh, I'm Counting blog.  Click here to get the pattern.  These flowers are really quick and easy, although I must be doing something wrong as I find that my flowers go a bit lop-sided (see the dark blue flower on the bottom left of the photo) if I follow the instructions exactly, so I have to leave out a few stitches to get the five petals evenly spaced.

So, that is what I am doing to keep myself sane at the moment...  Well, that and reading other people's blogs.   I'm not entirely sure what I am going to do with these flowers yet, but I think they would make cute embellishments on jackets or tops or hats, or headbands, or doll clothes...

The thread and crochet hooks were my Granny's.  I'm not sure what the thread is, but it is quite fine, more like embroidery floss than wool.  The hook I use has 1.25 on it, (but I dont know what that means...) and it is metal.

I'm thinking that next I might try to get some bigger hooks and some wool and make a blanket.  I have just seen a pattern for a cute one here at Annies Attic (see pic below).

I have also purchased a super cute Amigurumi book from Superbuzzy that I would like to try.  But the book is in NZ at the moment.

So that is how I am getting most of my crafting fix at the moment.   Although I have to confess that I am also buying quite a lot of fabric online and getting it sent to NZ.  I will have a huge fabric stash to roll in when I finally get home to see it! 

Arabella Chickie in Greece