So, I have also been crocheting lots of swallowtail butterflies, some directly from and some variations on this basis Megan's Swallowtail Butterfly Pattern

I have made a lot of different sizes and used them for a few different things, the most notable has been on my sister's birthday card

These next two are photos of the same little tiny guy who I crocheted from some very cheap machine cotton that's a bit poor quality for using in the machine (snags it up horribly, tension gets upset etc.) but works nicely with a 0.65 mm hook.

I have done another one in lilac of the same batch of cottons, but the photos I took didn't turn out very  well.

Then here is a whole menagerie. One the same size as on the card, some in embroidery cotton I had left from years ago (it was a really good set which made some lovely fishes from when I was about 8) and the fuzzy one is in lace-weight thread, which was a pest to crochet with; think that's going to become tatting thread!  There's a couple of the easiest flower pattern ever on there as well, I love that pattern, I adapted it from the old butterfly pattern that I have used before, 5 sets instead of 8 sets and away you go.

These are the ones from the card before they went onto it.


I am hoping to make a whole load of them to attach to cushion covers, possibly do some as hairpins as well, they are very cute!

Crochet!

I've been inspired by my great friend Emi to take up crochet.
I started out last January just before I succumbed to De Quernan's Syndrome in my right hand - which is basically completely ruining the tendons that run through your wrist and into your thumb through over-use (stripping wallpaper and failing to rest at all when I got tendonitis).
With the stupidity of my GP (I've swapped since), the length of time waiting on specialist appointments and physiotherapy, I finally finished my treatment at the end of November.
So, I picked crochet back up properly in the lead up to my TOPCIMA exam (for relaxation purposes in the evenings) and after mastering the basic stitches with the aid of some great videos online,  I've managed to learn how to do Butterflies

First Butterfly I ever made!

...which I adapted to make a 5 petal flower too (no photos yet)

Tiny Whale hiding behind my husband's ear

Then there's also this little fella (the mini-whale, not my husband!)














He's for my Nephew because that's what he asked me to make for him when he saw me finish off the second butterfly (not featured here).
I think the eyes are a bit wonky, but it's difficult  to get them sorted if you put them on when the pattern tells you to. Those were made from one nice flat shiny bead and one tiny black bead.

My Dad asked for a dragon, so that's going to be one of the next projects I think.
In the meantime, I'm going to make lots of small flowers from the fine crochet yarn that I have so I can use them for card making and suchlike.

Big thanks to my Mammy for all of the ends of wool that she's donated to me from her knitting ball-ends, I'm really enjoying all of the different colours and will be making lots of different flowers and butterflies with them.

Stay tuned for Owl Biscuits!