My First Crochet Cardigan

I couldn't be more pleased with the results of crocheting this cardigan pattern.  It turned out a perfect fit and took three weeks to create.

I crochet this using Lion Brand Wool Ease yarn which was nice to work with and would use again.  I used 7 balls of yarn 

When it comes to following crochet patterns my experience isn't always a good one.  I particularly struggle with some companies like Drops Design.  However, this pattern was designed by Sara Delaney and she talks your through every stage of the process within a video tutorial over on the Craftsy website.  You have every chance of being successful when you can follow this way!  

What was really helpful was her formulae for getting your sleeves to perfectly.  With her guidance you know how many increases to do over how many rows and how frequent.

The main elements of the cardigan were crocheted using half double crochet stitch which was made in the back loop of the stitches in the row below.   I created a faux ribbing effect around the edges of the garment by crocheting front and back post stitches.

The buttons are little elephants and were purchased on Etsy.  

Mrs and Mrs

Today's wedding cards were made for a civil partnership and the card toppers are from Kanban called Mrs and Mrs. 

The three toppers in this set were a reasonable size and oval in shape so the challenge I had was finding a die to sit these on.  I have some half dies from the Crafter's Companion Die'sire range and used the Garden Party die on this occasion for all three cards.  

These are the cards I made:

This first one was made in two stages, I cut one half of the die out very carefully then placed the die next to it so it would be cut as one whole piece.  If you have a Gemini die cutting machine from Crafter's Companion it is possible to stop the machine and put it in reverse which means you don't squish the half that has already been embossed.

This second card I actually did cut the die out as two pieces and then joined together on the back before adhering to the cardstock.

I used the Die'sire fancy card blanks for this card so the edging die was put on outer edges and pink cardstock was stuck on the panel behind making the lacework stand out.  

These card blanks work really well with these Create-A-Card dies as you can put the dies through the machine without any worries of squishing your embossing.

This card opens out and has a sentiment in the centre.  I did mean to put the topper in the middle but hey, I forgot!

Beautiful Bride

Beautiful Bride is the name of the topper set I have used in the following two cards.  These are from Kanban.

I really didn't know how these were going to turn out or whether or not I would be pleased with the results.  I took my time over the design.  Trawled through images in Pinterest to see what others had done with these toppers to find some inspiration.  I decided that I would place them on stepper cards and once I got this far the mind began to pull together some ideas.  Both cards needed flowers to lift the images and I had the idea on one of the cards to make the bouquet look life-like by adding small paper roses and using some dry gypsophila.

As I said, I am very pleased with the results of these two cards, so I hope you enjoy viewing them.

This first card reminds me of the bride, before she heads off to the church.  She is in an eloquent room with floral wallpaper and she catches a glimpse of herself as she makes her way out to the church.