8-bit Super Mario Bedspread by Russ McAllister:

This blanket makes for a brilliant gift for any gamer, and is simple to make as it uses granny squares. Since this is an 8-bit pixel pattern, you could use any grid, Hama, Perler or sprite pattern to make anything you like! The pattern is available on Ravelry or Instructables and requires knowledge of ch, sl st, and double crochet (US terms).

Pac-Man Quilt by S0choice

This classic arcade game quilt was, unbelievably, the first retro gaming quilt project of S0choice (crafter from Roseville, California). I think it looks great, and she’s a girl after my own heart for winging this one without a pattern. You can find about more about this quilt over on Craftser

Crochet Doctor Who Tardis Blanket by Kirsti Rawstron

This super-geeky Doctor Who blanket was made as a gift for one of Kirsti’s friends (lucky friend!), and measures over 2 metres tall.

To add to the awesomeness of this blanket, the windows and light glow in the dark, and the sign was custom-made at an embroideries. See more pics and out more on Rainy Monday Tumblr

Space Invaders Crochet Blanket from Geekery by Emily

Made from granny squares, this blanket has been worked up using the same block pattern as the Super Mario one. What makes this blanket slightly more appealing to me? It was made in the UK You can catch up with Geekery by Emily on Etsy.

Super Mario star crocheted baby blanket by A Gamers Wife

This was made from an adapted Starry, Starry Night blanket pattern by Melissa at Inner Child Crochet and is great to give as a gift even when the parents aren’t avid gamers. It took a month to complete and you can read more over at A Gamers Wife Blog.

To take the edge off the cruel nickname, I decided to make a very basic Grumpy Cat coaster from Hama beads for the long-suffering namesake (or Perler if you’re stateside), and thought I’d blog it so you can use the bead pattern for your own Grumpy Cat worship:

I’m waiting for some extra-large Hama peg boards and brown bead variants to arrive as I plan to make a larger version of the miserable feline, which will obviously have more detail – perhaps we could present this to GC at christmas? or… perhaps not.

Some have asked whether I use software on my Macbook for beading, and the short answer is, since I use my iPhone for just about everything, I plan my hama projects on this and currently use the Bead It! HD app to plan patterns (£2.49), the HD version will also run on my iPad so is great for large projects – of course, I do miss the satisfaction of working out a pixel project from scratch, but time isn’t my friend right now, and needs must!

What Hama bead patterns would you like to see more of? Let me know in the comments below, or just say “Hi”

* I adapted this pattern from a grumpy cat Kandi perler pattern found here. *

As a social media professional, I had in mind to make some desk coasters featuring social media icons for some time and got around to making some up last summer. Facebook, Twitter and Digg were easy to design, but Pinterest and reddit took a little longer to perfect.

I thought I’d share the bead patterns for these so you can make them for your own desk, or perhaps you could take them to your next social media job interview as I did once – breaks the ice!

As you can see from my images, I only iron one side of the Hama project (the reverse side), this gives a better finish but you need to be sure to give the back a good old ironing!

Let me know what you think in the comments below, or give me a shout on Twitter.

The PlayStation 4 looks pretty good, as expected, there is a heavy focus on social sharing and streaming content – Sony have even built a share button into the redesigned controller:

(This image by me, reworked from Sony content)

We’ll be able to share video from the console to social networks with ease, and also use additional devices such as smartphones, tablets and the PlayStation Vita – which is bang on trend and what feels like a long time coming.

No images of the actual console design have been released so far, but I don’t see it will have a radical makeover judging by the new controllers – they have stayed much the same from their first outing with PlayStation 1 in 1994, with just a few tweaks to suit the generation:

I’m very excited at the thought if the new offering being in stores for Christmas (let’s hope this goes for the UK as well as the US), I’ll be one of the first in line.

They don’t take long to crochet, are really warm, and even pass the toddler ‘stay on’ test. I would however, recommend hot glue gun dots to the soles of these crocheted slippers as they can be very slippy on kitchen tiles!

The free pattern is available for toddler sizes 6-10, and Megan helpfully provides a link to the adult crochet slipper pattern too. Find both patterns here:

Crochet Mary Jane Slippers

There were plenty of other glittery sights to behold in the garden this morning too, such as this spider web, transformed into something magical by the frost:

How is the weather near you? Made any interesting snow figures?

Childs Crochet Scarf Pattern
Notions:

• 1 ball of the yarn of your choice. I used Stylecraft Brushstrokes Chunky in Ocean Splash.
• A crochet hook suitable for the yarn weight (check the yarn band if unsure). I used a 6mm crochet hook.
• Optional embellishment. I used a wooden ‘Nephew’ button.
• Tapestry needle for weaving in ends.

R1: ch until you have the length of scarf you require.
R2: tr in each ch, ch1, turn.
R3: repeat R2 until the scarf is wide enough to suit. As a guide, 7 or 8 inches should be plenty wide enough for a 4-8 year old child.
Fasten off and weave in ends.
Add embellishment if desired.

I also made several pairs of cute Mary Jane crochet slippers which I’ll be posting the free pattern for next. Hope everyone is having a lovely festive season!

The crochet terms used throughout this pattern are UK, if you want to convert into US crochet terms, please see my crochet abbreviations and conversion guide. This project is worked in rounds.

Hook: 3.5mm
Yarn: I used Kool Kotton DK in KK01 for the head, James Brett Top Value in plum 8423 for the body, and in black 8430 for the hair.
Skill level: medium/advanced beginner.
Notions: yarn needle, stitch marker, cross-stitch threads, toy stuffing, tapestry needle (or plastic craft needle).

dec = decrease
inc = increase
dc = double crochet (UK terms)

Head

Work in rounds.
R1: 6dc into magic ring, sl st.
R2: ch1, dc in same, 2dc in next 5 dc, sl st.
R3: ch1, dc in same, 2dc in next dc, 2dc in next dc, dc in next 3 dc, 2dc in next dc, 2dc in next dc, 2dc in next dc, dc in next 3 dc, sl st.
R4: ch1, dc in same, dc in next 3 dc, 2dc in next dc, dc in next 4 dc, 2dc in next dc, dc in next 4 dc, sl st.
R5: ch1, dc in same, dc in next 3 dc, 2dc in next dc, dc in next 6 dc, 2dc in next dc, dc in next 3 dc, 2dc in next dc, dc in next 6 dc, sl st.
R6-8: ch1, dc around, sl st.
R9: ch1, dc in next dc, dec, dc in next 6 dc, dec, dc in next 3 dc, dec, dc in next 6 dc, dc in next dc, sl st.
R10: ch1, dec, dc in next 4 dc, dec, dc in next 3 dc, dec, dc in next 4 dc, dec, dc in next 2 dc, sl st.
R11: dc in next 4 dc, dec, dec, dec, dc in next 3 dc, dec, dec, sl st. Stuff head with toy filling.
R12: dec around, fasten off. Stuff with more toy filling if required, then stitch closed.

Put amigurumi head to one side, and make the body.

Body

Work in rounds.
R1: 6dc into magic ring, sl st.
R2: inc around.
R3: * inc, inc, dc in next dc * repeat around.
R4: * inc, dc in next dc * repeat around.
R5-8: dc all around.
R9: dc in next 13 dc, dec, dc in next 13 dc, dec.
R10: * dc in next 5 dc, dec * repeat around.
R11: * dc in next 4 dc, dec* repeat around.
R12: dc in next 8 dc, dec, repeat around.
R13: dc around, sl st. Fasten off and stuff with toy stuffing.

Making Up

1. Sew the head to the body using a tapestry needle or plastic craft needle.
2. Use yarn for the hair, you could make fringing and then sew, but I chose to sew the hair straight from te ball of yarn. Basically, I left a long loop of yarn after each stitch into the head and made a tight stitch after to secure. To ensure there were no gaps in the hair, you can just make stitches in the gaps.
3. Stitch the facial details using cross-stitch threads.

That’s it! Enjoy your new amigurumi doll, or give as a gift.

I’d love you to share your creations with me, leave a comment below with details!

The cup cakes were made by Mrs Crumbs the Baker of Rugby, and featured:

• Cauliflowers
• Carrots
• A flower basket
• Potted cherry blossom
• Flower sprays

I think they’re fabulous, lets hope the clients love them too! What do you think? Leave your comments below.