The Craft Circle meets weekly to work on individual craft projects including jewellery making, knitting, crochet, scrapbooking and more. They share skills and ideas during the session and also enjoy lots of chatter and a good laugh. They are more like a Circle of Friends, and offer encouragement and advice particularly to new comers. Here is a selection of the wonderful craftwork that they have recently produced.
New craftwork collection: Term One 2026
Paula – crocheted blanket for my dog
Paula – crocheted blanket 1 for my family
Paula – crocheted blanket 2 for my family
Paula – Term one has been spent crocheting rugs for my dog and family members, using up all the odd balls and scraps of wool collected over many years.
Mary – new skills beginning
Mary – Inspirations from others and a chance to just try amongst other “crafties”. I’m using the paper piecing quilting technique – not sure what the completed work will be at this stage.
Ann – trouser suit
Ann (aka Crafty ANNG) – a sewn trouser suit with matching top made using printed satin. Shown as a perfect fit for dressmaker model “Diana”.
Liz – quilt
Liz – I attended a quilting workshop in Lancefield led by Kim Riley and during the session created this quilt. The workshop was a great experience.
Lyn M – knitted beanie & scarf
Lyn M – I knitted a beanie and scarf for my daughter-in-law for her to wear when she walks her dog on chilly mornings in the Adelaide Hills.
Chris F – Dulcie’s knitted blanket
Chris F Work in progress – a knitted blanket using wool left over from other projects. I didn’t follow a pattern, just made it up as I progressed.
Rina – knitted house socks
Rina – I received some thick Icelandic wool from a friend and used it to make these house socks.
Liz – knitted blanket
Liz – Knitted blanket completed using a border pattern shared by Annette – a very popular border within our group
Lee – knitted blankets
Lee – Two knitted blankets with a crochet edging and completed with a border using a pattern shared by a fellow crafter, which her mother used. Once completed the blankets will be donated to the Wheelchair for Kids initiative
Rina – repaired jumper: before and after
Rina – A friend asked if I could fix a hole in a jumper. Removing th band from the sleeves, I used a little bit of the wool to repair the hole, then used the remaining wool to knit the bands back on to the sleeves.
Rina – crocheted blanket
Rina – using wool I received from a friend, I made a blanket.
Zoe – Quilt & Cushion
A lady reached out via a sewing group I’m in on Facebook. Her mother had passed away and left an unfinished quilt. She asked if anyone would be able to take on and finish the project. I put my hand up. Her mum had done all the hard work of assembling the circles, I just machine sewed the squares together and hand stitched the small circles on. I the got it professional quilted before I put the binding on. With one square remaining, I made a cushion to complement the quilt. The completed project has been returned to the family.
Quilt completed with materials supplied by a member of another group Zoe is connected with
Close up of quilt finished for a family whose mother started it but passed away before completing.
Zoe – Embellished postcard
Using a postcard, I embellished it using embroidery thread to make a card for my daughter, who recently moved into a new house.
New craftwork collection: Term Four 2025
Chris F – Big Top blanket
A large blanket knitted in moss and garter stitch, using my signature gaudy colours. This one reminded me of childhood visits to the circus, so I named it “Big Top”
Mary – crochet evening clutch bags
Paula – seeded knitted blanket
Using seed stitch (alternating rows of knit and purl stitches) I made this snuggly blanket as a gift for my grandson.
Rina – couch throw rug
The rug is crocheted using Paton Sierra 8 ply. After completing the rug, I gifted it to my son who has recently moved in a new house.
Diane – embroidered scented sachet
The photos show the front and back of a lavender filled sachet worked on canvas with fine embroidery wool. Great for drawers or hanging in a closet
Copenhagen Blanket – Zoe
Starting in July 2025, I began knitting “Copenhagen” using yarn I had at home. Of course I added a few colours as I went on! I stopped at 24 houses and after blocking them all (wetting them and pinning them to size), I arranged a layout I was happy with. Five months later, after stitching them together and adding a crochet border, Copenhagen was finished.
Now onto my next project…..
Term Three
Bed of Roses Blanket – Chris F
I don’t work from a knitting pattern, but I do knit in strips, squares and rectangles to create the final sized blanket. I think of it as “patchwork knitting”. This piece was originally going to be called “Snow Gums” because of the woody hues against the white wool. On completion, I felt it needed a “pop” so I made the roses from simple strips of garter stitch with a a running stitch gathered to form a loose rose – and promptly renamed the blanket “Bed of Roses”. I love creative knitting!
Knitting and crochet – by Mary
Knitting and crochet – by Rina
Knitting and Crochet – by Paula
Knitting – by Lynn
Winter Warmers – Annette
Beanies, scarves and a collection of mix and match squares. The squares are for the volunteers of KOGO to join together, making into blankets for adults and children. KOGO (Knit One,Give One) donate the items to people throughout the community.
Woven Table Mats – Ann
Both mats were handwoven on a rigid heddleloom using a combination of fabric strips and cotton thread. The Vietnamese coloured mat was warped with cotton using a 10 dpi reed (40 ends er 10cm) for a 15 inch wide mat. On completion, the mat was a gift to a neighbour as a thank you for her kindness with baking goodies. The golden beige mat was warped with a 5 dpi reed (20/10cm) with fewer warp ends to feature the fabric weft. The finished mat is 12 inches wide. Warp = length, West = width.
Fabric Bags – Zoe
A collection of bags sewn from fabric sourced overseas. The bags have many uses including for travel, holding charges, craft projects and more! Zoe’s label “wee3” is named after her children, each letter being an initial.
New craftwork collection: Term Two 2025
Mary – Knitted shrugs
The first knitted shrug is made using moss stitch. I decided to make a second shrug, so changed the stitch to rib. The shrugs were easy to make and are remarkably cosy and warm – just the ticket for winter!
Mary – crochet flower decorations
I decided to test my crocheting skills and made flowers as an experiment and just for fun. I’ve now made them into brooches and clasps which I’ve used to decorate scarves and shirts. I’ve also made a couple of crochet raffia clutches which I’ve decorated with a crochet flower.
Chris F – knitted blankets
I enjoy knitting so I decided to make a couple of blankets to donate to charity. The first is coloured lines separated by solid blocks. The second is a bit like stained glass. I made up the patterns as I knitted with both having a ripple border, which I enjoyed knitting, to finish off each project.
Zoe – quilted blankets
Quilting is my therapy. The first piece here is a pixel rose pattern that I sourced online – it’s machine pieced and quilted. The second blanket is a Lucy Boston quilt using fabrics from my stash. It’s hand pieced and machine quilted the quilts now decorate the sofa and are perfect in the winter weather.
Ann -yellow and red table runner
The table runner is woven in cotton on the Rigid Heddle Loom. I made this runner for my Burmese friend who I met through the AMES Home Tutor Program. The runner was made to decorate her coffee table. I replicated the straight lines and colour variations from the floor mat design using red, white and yellow organic cotton from India The finished runner is 34 inches long x 14 inches wide. After the woven fabric was taken off the loom, all ends were sewn in before the runner was washed and dried out flat.
Paula – crochet golf club covers
My present craft project is crocheting golf club covers for my “family of golfers”. Some of the designs for the animals are from pattern books whilst others I had to work out the pattern myself from animal photographs. It’s a fun project and one that I’m sure will be ongoing.
Paula – crochet purses and flowers
I crocheted the flowers using embroidery thread whilst spending several months supporting my daughter through a recent medical procedure. It was important for me to remain busy whilst waiting around and the making of the flowers was very engaging and somehow very calming. At the time of making the flowers I had no plan as to what I intended to do with them but am now finding that they are a very decorative addition to some of my other craft projects such as crochet purses.
Rina – knitted socks
Over the years I’ve enjoyed knitting a lot of pairs of socks and then passing them on to family and friends. These socks are made with Bendigo 4 ply wool using a stocking stitch. I have made these as a gift for a dear friend’s 60th birthday.
Lee – squares for my grandchild’s blanket
During COVID I had a craft idea of making blankets for my three young granddaughters. I already had some wool but as the project evolved, I ordered more supplies from Wangaratta and Bendigo. I knitted 96 squares in different shades and a few patterns. Using these squares, I made up three blankets during the COVID lockdowns. I wanted to finish them off by doing a crocheted border but I didn’t know how to crochet. With the help of a neighbour and my daughter, I learned the basics. I joined the craft group at the beginning of 2024 to learn more and I completed the task of crocheting around the three blankets. I became a grandmother again in July 2024 to another totally unexpected baby girl so I needed to make another blanket. I am close to completing the 32 squares required to make up the blanket and then will begin the process of joining each square and then crocheting around the blanket. I have loved learning to crochet and be part of the craft group. Watch this space for the completed blanket!