Plum Poppy Package

Recently while searching for Calico Critters crochet clothes patterns, I found this free crochet dress pattern by Felt Magnet. It was exactly what I needed to make a cute little top for Plum Poppy. I started with a multi-coloured mint green yarn which was lovely. Next I made a red one with white trim for Christmas then carried on making seven colourful tops in total - one for each day of the week.  

After finishing Plum Poppy's wardrobe, I pulled out my crochet cotton and tiny hooks to make dresses for our granddaughter's Calico critters. My Mom supplied tiny dome snaps for the back of the dresses. Working with a needle small enough to sew through the teeny tiny dome holes was a fiddly job indeed. 

I made three different multi-coloured dresses in two sizes - larger for 'mother' and smaller for 'sister'. Never having seen a Calico Critter, I guessed at sizing hoping they fit.

I took photos of all the clothes and Plum Poppy modeling a few of her outfits before packing everything into a box along with a few extra things like crochet dishcloths for our daughter and a Canadian-themed Christmas tree ornament for the family. A special Plum Poppy Package bound for Boulder, Colorado.

This Plum Poppy Package was mailed on a Tuesday with tracking. It arrived in less than a week, even sooner than expected. 

Giving crochet creations is one of my favourite things. I call it "sharing crochet love". Our daughter shared videos and photos of our granddaughter opening her Plum Polly Package ... so sweet.

Happily our granddaughter loves Plum Poppy and the dresses fit her Calico Critters perfectly. 

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A New Blue Bunny

I finished a New Blue Bunny last week. This bunny is similar to one I made for a friend in June. If you missed it, you can read all about that bunny, aptly named Dr. Bobbo Bunny, here. 

Just by changing the colour (robins egg blue instead of taupe) and the position of the ears (upright instead of floppy), I've created another one-of-a-kind Christmas gift for a special little two year old we know. I hope little B likes his New Blue Bunny. 

I rather like the look of this little bunny posing for frosty photos.

For the crocheters out there who might like to make their very own Blue Bunny, I followed my Boo Bear pattern for the legs, body, arms, head and hood. 

For the ears and tail, I loosely followed the rabbit ears and tail in Vanessa Mooncie's Crocheted Wild Animals book decreasing the size to fit this bunny. 

Tail - decreased by half. 

Ears - starting chain of 20 and 7 rows instead of 8 

Eyes - stitched using brown yarn

Yarn: 

Mary Maxim Ultra Mellowspun DK 50 gm, 1 3/4 oz

1 ball - Cotton (head, hands, tail, mask)

1 ball - Robins Egg Blue (body, outer ears, arms)

Unlabeled DK Yarn from stash

light pink (inner ears)

dark brown (eyes)

Hook sizes: 

3.0 mm 

2.5 mm (inner ear)

Mask Instructions:

Stitches:

ch - chain

ss - slip stitch

sc - single crochet

hdc - half double crochet

blo - back loop only

Chain 20 (enough to cover width of face)

R1 - 2 ss, 2 sc, 12 hdc, 2 sc, 2 ss, turn

R2 - ch 1, blo (2 ss, 2 sc, 12 hdc, 2 sc, 2 ss) turn

Repeat R2 until mask is big enough to cover face

Chain 30 (to fit around ear), ss down side of mask and across bottom, chain 30 (to fit around other ear), ss across top of mask and finish off, weaving in ends

If you decide to make one too, please do send me a photo. I love to see crochet creations inspired by my patterns.

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Introducing Miss Plum Poppy

Allow me to introduce Miss Plum Poppy. Plum Poppy was happy to pose wearing her fancy green top over her base layer white shirt and purple pants. I plan to make a few more tops before sending her off to her new home in Boulder, Colorado. 

With ongoing border closures, it could be many more months before we finally get to visit. Who knew a global pandemic would mess up our plans for 2020? It's been more than a year since our last visit. We miss seeing our grandchildren. Online photos and chats are great, but can't replace proper in-person visits.

Miss Plum Poppy is a gift for our granddaughter. I'm sure they will love each other. I have to say I'm a little envious that Miss Plum Poppy gets to see our granddaughter before we do. 

I started crocheting this doll a few years ago, but she sat half done in a basket until I felt an overwhelming urge to finish her this past weekend. All I had to do was complete her head, hair and clothes. The fun, fiddly bits which add flair and personality are truly my favourite part of the process. I'm not sure why I didn't finish sooner. Oh well, I'm happy I finally got round to it.

Introducing Miss Plum Poppy - another unique crochet creation.

If you would like to make a similar looking doll, I loosely followed this pattern by HJ-Handmade - translated by CrochetWawa. The pattern now costs $5.99 USD. It was free when I found it in 2016. 

Note: I used black pipe cleaners inside the legs and arms to make them bendable. 

The white top and hat are sewn in place. The purple pants are intentionally tight and difficult to change, while the fancy top and scarf are easily removed. I think a rainbow of colourful tops including a red one for Christmas would be lovely. Oh my, only four weeks till Christmas. I better get back to crocheting. Luckily these tops are quick and easy to make. 😊

For the fancy top, I followed this free pattern for a shell stitched dress. The purse was made using my mask pattern as the base. 

Use your imagination, be creative and you too could crochet a special one-of-a-kind doll for someone you love. 

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After the Rain

We enjoyed watching a thunderstorm blow through earlier this evening. It was a heavy downpour with thunder, lightning and winds. After the Rain, I wandered around snapping photos in our backyard. I love how everything looks dripping in water droplets. I also love using my 'new' camera. 

I got a Fujifilm X-E3 camera almost a year ago for my birthday. My recent obsession with our backyard owls has prompted me to finally figure out how to use the manual focus feature ... such fun.

Sadie followed me on my After the Rain backyard photo shoot ... such a sweet devoted little poodle.

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COVID Careful Canada Day

My husband and I are celebrating a COVID Careful Canada Day this year. We spent the day together just the two of us. We enjoyed a mid-day bike ride together just the two of us driving our bikes to Hyde Park Road and 9 Mile Road to avoid city traffic. The wind and heat made for a challenging, but fun ride. I was happy to get back in the car after 50 km. My husband added more distance biking home on his own.

The rest of our day was spent recovering from our ride, eating, swimming, gardening and taking a few photos in our garden.

When I jumped in the pool this afternoon, I was pleased to find one of the young owls hanging out in our small maple tree down by the pool. I rushed to get my husband to take more photos of this adorable little owl posing so perfectly for Canada Day.

My husband also snapped a photo of Sadie keeping a close eye on me in the pool.

He caught me enjoying a refreshing dip in the pool on this hot and humid Canada Day.

Our Butterfly Weed is budding and almost ready to bloom.

My husband is doing a great job with our new vegetable garden inspired by our friend Fernando's garden in Cuba. He planted beans, carrots and tomatoes plus a few zucchini plants in pots. Thanks to our son for taking out the old overgrown juniper bushes last fall. It's a perfect spot for a garden.

I practiced taking a couple shots of our potted pink begonias using manual focus. I think I'm finally getting the hang of this new camera - my birthday gift from last year. 

Happy Canada Day to all our friends and family near and far. I hope you too are enjoying a COVID Careful Canada Day 2020 😊

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