We have a wedding coming up and I was in the world of 'I haven't a stitch to wear!'  I always want to have something a bit different, and usually end up making a dress, but with a mountain of crochet to do there just hasn't been time.  So a quick thrift shop, a dress for £4 and a raid of my craft stash and this is what happened.

All you need to do to make this very pretty floral collar is sew from the back, through the center of your flower, thread a bead on and sew back through the center and out the back - the bead will keep your thread from going back through and also look loooovely.  I used faux pearls in pink and cream, and also a vintage glass buttons to add some sparkle.

You'd have thought I'd have had enough by now, what with The Book and everything, but weirdly once you start making you think of even more to make and it just keeps going.  So right now I have hats in my head, and moccasins, and baskets crocheted of string.  Maybe over the summer holidays I'll get some done, but here was a quick crochet hat with little integral bear ears that happened this morning...

In know it's been months since the sea cow, but I have been crocheting like a demon to get all the collections made and written for the book deadline - which is today!  Ta daaa!  Everyone asking when they can buy the patterns I've had to take off Etsy, the book will be out March 2015 (fingers crossed, white rabbits, any other superstitious phrase that ensure it all goes to plan) and you can buy them again then. Here are a couple of sneak previews of some of the new patterns that will be in it - clearly these were taken in my VERY messy craft room with my extremely unprofessional children, but I present to you - crochet hero costume, crochet fairy costume, crochet cowboy hat and crochet Frozen costume.  There are MANY more....