Hooked In Hove

A Glimpse of Stitch

2011-02-23T21:55:00.000Z

Among my many, many unfinished projects is what was going to be a Christmas present for a friend. Erm, Christmas last year, yes. Today, I had a rummage in my embroidery case and took it out. Terrible, terrible picture, but you get the gist.

This Buddha is from Jenny Hart's pattern "Om sweet om". It is (partly) stitched onto raw yellow (yes, that is yellow in real life!) silk from my curtain sample collection.

Looking at it now, I am not at all happy with the stitching, so will probably start over. I was thinking of layering the silk square onto another fabric and making it into a miniature wall hanging. The original idea was to select three patterns (Buddha, Lotus Flower and one other) and join them together in a wall hanging.

I guess I could do the same thing but make a small bag or cushion? Anyway, it is her birthday SOON so hopefully I'll get it done in time and she will actually get it at last. I'm away for the weekend, so will have some time for some relaxing stitching.

Will post a better picture when it's done. I haven't forgotten about the tatting, just can't quite get past the basic stitch and picot yet!

I went to the craft show and I bought...

2011-02-13T17:33:00.000Z

Today was the last day of the Creative Stitches and Hobbycrafts show in Brighton. I went along with my self-imposed budget in cash (with a back up debit card of course!) and hit the stalls. Actually I was quite restrained this year. Partly because there were not many crochet / yarn or fabric stalls (very disappointing) and partly because I was good and gave the bead stalls a wide berth - so hard!
I went up and down the aisles, settling at the Decopatch stall because in my head they did a matt glue/ varnish that I wanted. However, I must have imagined that because they don't. Not to be perturbed I made a mental note to look it up on the Internet later and bought some more papers and a little kit with a notebook to cover.

I fell in love with the tatting at the Ring Of Tatters stall and a lovely lady (whose name I sadly don't remember) showed me how it was done and then let me have a go, talking me through it. I bought the starter kit, a bargain at £5, including an instructional DVD and booklet, information on the organisation, list of suppliers and two shuttles with thread. I'm going to have a go at this and hopefully show you something later this week. I'd love to know if any of you have tried this and see your work!

I also ordered a clover soft touch hook 4mm (my favourite hooks by far) and did an enamelling workshop run by the guild of enamellers . I made this keyring:

I apologise by the way for the poor photographs, the light here is terrible.
Until next time xxx

Are You Still There?

2011-01-17T19:26:00.000Z

Service Will Resume Shortly... :-)

Thank you for your patience blog friends, and a belated Happy New Year!

Last year was not a good year for me. I must have broken every one of the resolutions I had made so there will be none this year!

I will be blogging again soon
xxx

Open House

2010-05-20T20:20:00.002Z

Every May and December, Brighton and Hove hosts the “Artists Open Houses” festival. Homes, gardens and studios across the city (and beyond) open their doors to the public over the weekend to show a huge range of arts and crafts produced by local people. This May, a staggering 243 venues opened their doors to passers by.

To be honest, I find it a mind boggling exercise to choose where to visit. Houses often show a number of artists work including paintings, prints, needlework, sculpture, crochet and knitting, jewellery and much, much more. The quality does of course vary and not everything will be to everyone’s taste. But this is part of the appeal and is a welcome change to mass produced, mainstream ~~crap~~ stuff that you often see for sale elsewhere. It’s a bit like having walk in Etsy stores with the added bonus of getting to look around other peoples homes!

So last Sunday I went to the shop and gallery of the Sussex Guild at Southover Grange in Lewes, having been seduced by the prints of Annie Soudain. I ended up buying three cards of her prints - but I would have loved to have taken home a full size original (one day!).

Annie was actually manning (womanning?) the shop so I managed to have a chat with her - a lovely and talented lady.

Southover Grange is a beautiful 17th century building with wonderful gardens. Across the lawn is a gateway into a floral garden through which runs the river Ouse.

It reminds me of The Secret Garden. I hadn't even known this place existed before and will definitely visit again (when the weather is nice).

I did take a couple of flower pictures, but they didn't come out too well, so I'll leave you with one of my favourite flowers:

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Ooh La La!

2010-05-03T21:46:00.001Z

Where did April go? I have evidence that there was sunshine - some rare sunlight is creeping through the nets in the above picture. The last few days have been overcast with torrential rain (I would expect nothing else on a Bank Holiday). There's nothing quite as Springy as a pot of narcissi don't you think? I'm not a big fan of yellow, but this April it was a welcome visitor to my home.

These cheery fellows (chrysanthemums?) lasted a good three weeks (oooh - I spy some crochet!)

Even with my blurry photos I love 'em!

But, perhaps even more exciting - pssssst, you will NEVER believe it, but today I found a project I liked the look of and did it! Yes, finished it! In ONE sitting no less.

Well, unless you're going to point out that in actual fact there is the matching pillow case to do....but you wouldn't be that mean to me now, would you? The instructions are on Cassie's blog and she has made them super easy to follow. Even better, she lists chocolate in the supplies - clever lady!

Cassie starts by showing how to make your own pillow case, fit for the purpose. I think I made life difficult for myself by using an existing case. I know, I know, this should have made it easier BUT - there was some stretch to the fabric in my pillow case and I didn't have the nice guide line that the hems would have given me (told you she was clever!). Still, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, although the initial blanket stitching with a loooooong length of yarn was a pig. Really.

So pleased, that as you can see I took photos for you without first ironing it. I have to admit, I don't really do ironing....life's too short. But I would have. Honestly. Just for you.

There's also an "On The Edge" flickr group where you can see lots of more colourful versions. I'm looking around now, wondering what else would like a crochet edging.....

Back to the Hook

2010-03-28T16:37:00.000Z

This weekend,I felt the urge to get back to hook and needle. I really want to finish my Lucy inspired Summer Garden Granny Square blanket that I began back in October last year. However, my attention span is not well-suited to big projects, so I will work on it little by little while I concentrate on some smaller stuff.

I really like this shawl patten from this book:

A bigger project than I had in mind, but the motifs are very simple to crochet. I made one up in some white cotton double knit yarn with a 4mm hook:

Then in a four ply with a 3mm hook (the size in the pattern):

Here they are side by side - quite a difference in size

I'm thinking it will make a nice table cloth (or runner!). I'll probably stick with white or cream (although I do like that pink shade a LOT) but can't decide which size to make (the larger has a diameter of 4.5", the smaller is 3" across - excluding corner loops). The bigger one would be much quicker to make, but the smaller one gives a more delicate effect.

If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you'll know how indecisive I am. Which version do you think would look best?

Printing Practice

2010-03-24T18:54:00.000Z

I couldn't wait to get going with the linocuts, so I delved straight in. I found it was much more difficult than I expected!

The fish was my first effort; I chose a design with simple lines and little detail to get the feel for cutting the lino. Far from perfect but strangely satisfying results. The colour is uneven and my cutting skills need a LOT more practice.

In fact, every step of the process, from coming up with a design (thinking about what will work in terms of negative space and cut lines), carving the lino out (I cut myself TWICE and still can't get a clean empty space on the lino), applying the ink (how much, how little?) and finally pressing the image to the paper (has it pressed evenly?) all require practice, patience and attention. Oh, and more practice.

I really wanted to try a design in black - so along came the tree:

Again, I wasn't dissapointed, despite the mistakes and imperfections. I can't explain it, but there's something about the process that separates me from the final piece, unlike painting or drawing an image directly onto paper. The mistakes (and lack of experience) seem less personal somehow, I don't take them to heart.

So, after getting two holes in the lino, two cuts in my finger and making a whole lot of mess, I have a pile of rushed practice prints

I have discovered that there is a fascination in this for me. Although I loved linocuts before, I can now truly appreciate the skill that goes into creating them.

NEXT time, I will do it at a table and not the floor and NEXT time I will take my time! I definitely want to continue to learn about this craft and to practice, practice, practice.

Brand Spanking New

2010-03-23T14:20:00.001Z

Oh- oh! I've been shopping.
What's in the bag?

Yarn?

Beads?

Not this time

Embroidery goodies?

Uh-uh

No, you will never guess.

I have found myself a completely new (to me) ~~way to spend money~~ crafty interest.

Want to look?

I'm going to have a go at lino cut printing!

I always love lino prints when I see them. There's something so satisfying in their simplicity on the paper. Just do a search on Etsy or Folksy and you'll see what I mean. I was inspired mostly by some prints I saw yesterday by Sarah Young and by seeing fellow blogger Mayaluna show how to make a stamp (clever girl also prints on fabric).

So, I'll go and have a play with my new toys and hope to show you the results soon!

Paper Play

2010-03-07T18:03:00.001Z

Hello all! Ever since I was very small I could often be found playing with paper. I'd usually sit snip snip snipping it to make snowflakes or paper people chains or some other intricate creation. Sometimes I would make things like newspaper palm trees or paper houses. There would usually be a trail of little snippets of paper where I had been. Well, not a lot changes. Nowadays it's making cards and an itch to create a collage.

So when I read Lucy's post back in November about Decopatch I filed the information away in the back of my head. Then in February I was at a craft fair in Brighton and came across the Decopatch stand ...so of course I HAD to get some bits and pieces. It wasn't until I was doing my blog catch ups last week that I found that Kinbles had also been inspired by our Lucy, shopped at the same stall as me and been busy busy Decopatching. You can see her results here, aren't they lovely?

So, here are my efforts so far. Please excuse the fuzzy photos!

This is Dippy the dinosaur, my first attempt. I used three different papers to cover the blank form. Tear, stick, tear, stick....so satisfying. Easy and quick.

Next on my hitlist was a mirror with an ugly broken plastic frame.

A hot glue gun, some torn paper and glue and it looks so much better (its even nicer in real life, trust me!) I also covered the fronts of the drawers in an Ikea wooden storage box. My parents bought me this years ago for me to decorate. It houses a lot of my jewellery making bits and pieces.

I'm not too keen on the bottom two drawers and may re-cover them at some point. My favourite is the top left drawer. I'm planning on giving the box a coat of paint to finish it off. I also have an old and rather tatty coffee table that I'm thinking is going to get the treatment. If I do it, I'll post a pic, I've already done a couple of patches on it to see how it looks (not that it could look worse than it did!).

Well, the weekend is almost over and I still have some birthday presents to start making for the end of the week so I will run along now.

Spring Has Sprung! (and about time too!)

2010-03-02T18:52:00.001Z

After torrential rain and mad gustiness over the weekend, the last two days have been lov-er-ly. The winter coat has been replaced with a lightweight, I am able to walk to and from work in daylight (hurray!), the crocuses are pushing up to say hello, the birds are singing, I have some sunny yellow tulips by the window and all is right with the world.

I like many things about winter but in January and early February I get the blahs. I just want to sleep and my energy, creativity and mood take a dive. Which is why there has been such a long gap since my last post. I have had no words and nothing to report on. Even getting myself in front of the computer was a struggle and my reading of other blogs (and my e-mails) dwindled from daily to rarely.

But I'm back now and need to get busy as there are some birthdays coming up! I still intend to include a little homemade something in the gifts so will be letting you all know how it's going. Can you believe that this:

is all the crochet I've done since I last wrote here? Maybe I was dreaming of spring, knowing that my spark would come back with the flowers.

So I will leave you all to some more yellow floweriness and hope that they give you the lift that they give to me!

Now I'm off to catch up with my favourite bloggers... take care

Lazy Sunday Crafternoon

2010-01-18T18:24:00.002Z

I hope you all had a good weekend! First off, I'd like to congratulate the wonderful Kate on her 100th blog post and the lovely Lucy on the safe arrival of Bump24 (now Teeny Man!). If you like colourful hooky goodness, please visit their delicious blogs: Kate (The Garden Bell) hooks up scrumptious blankets like no-one's business and also dyes her own yarn while Lucy at Attic 24 has inspired many a hooker (behave!) with her fab and colourful projects and easy peasy to follow tutorials.

Yesterday I had a lovely crafternoon with my friend Sarah. She visited to borrow my sewing machine and to have a crochet lesson. She brought over some yummy weight watchers chocolate brownie squares to share (good girl!) and I plied her with coffee and herbal tea while she worked on an applique cushion.

After experimenting on some scrap fabric with different stitches - Sarah decided to stick with a straight stitch.

The pictures are a bit fuzzy because I felt a bit silly taking photos of her while she was sewing "Ohh, hang on, stop there, let me get a pic of you sewing....no, no we'll have to switch the machine off so the light isn't on it" etc. I think it must be very annoying to try to sew something (especially fiddly sewing) with someone doing that, but she didn't seem to mind at all. This is the result:

Again, the pic doesn't do it justice. It's a cushion cover with the name "Maya" appliqued on in a gorgeous gingham crepey cotton. This material was also made into a curtain for the kitchen. Much chatting and drinking and eating of chocolatey things went on and time quite ran away with us, so no crochet this time round. It was fun though, definitely something to do again!

The end is in sight

2010-01-12T06:43:00.001Z

So, just over a week ago I make a resolution. A PUBLIC resolution no less, to update my little blog more regularly .... and then I disappear. What can I say?

You will see though that something has been happening.

Hmmmm, exhibit A: itty ends of yarn on the arm of the sofa. Does anyone ever DO anything with these? Looking further along I see this

A little stack of granny squares in two colour combinations

Yes, it's yet ANOTHER hooky project. Actually, I started this before Christmas and am hoping to finish by the end of the weekend. There are sixteen squares (eight in each combination of blue and white). I've just started joining them together. I decided to do my blocking when the squares are joined (this will work right?)

I'm planning on a four by four central square and then I'll keep adding borders until I'm happy with the size. It's going to be a little blanket for a little person (a new baby boy) to give as a gift. I've used Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino which is lovely and soft and nice to work with.

About half way through hooking the squares I began to have doubts about the whole thing - are granny squares alright for babies? Will their little fingers get stuck? Oh well, I'm hoping it will be ok.

Sorry for the terrible photos by the way - the light is AWFUL (these are actually the best pics I got out of I-don't-know-how-many-attempts). I'm also tired and I've decided I need to upgrade my camera to a digital SLR. It's all so confusing though - any advice is much appreciated (I need something that I can more or less point and click!)

2010

2010-01-02T17:48:00.001Z

Happy New Year! (a day late I know, but that's me:) )

Has any one made any new year resolutions? I never have, stubbornly refusing to do so every year. THIS year however, I think is time for a few. I'm not talking the lose some weight, exercise more, sort out finances sort of thing here - I make those resolutions weekly!

No, my goals for this year are craft related. Partly due to the fact that I didnt make ANY Christmas cards for 2009 OR handmade presents* and partly due to the fact that I have not finished a single project on the blog so far, I came up with these:

In 2010, I will try my best to:

Finish some projects - aim for minimum of one a month and having a big project on the go (aren't I brave setting a figure like that?! Note the "aim for" get out clause)
Make a home made gift and card for each female birthday that I would buy a gift for
Start wearing / showing my creations
Make Christmas cards in advance
Take more photographs for 6
Update blog regularly
Take a class / learn something new

So, now you have them down in black and white - I'll review them at the end of the year. The above picture has no relevance -I just don't like to post without pics! (Hmmmm - although it is another WIP)

I'm hoping the blog will keep me motivated - so please feel free to leave comments, they're always most welcome (I get ridiculously excited to see them to tell you the truth)!

Bye for now

* Actually, I did manage to crochet a last minute hat for mum, something I'd promised months before!

Snow!

2009-12-19T23:58:00.002Z

I woke up on Friday to discover it had snowed in the night. Proper, on the ground snow. No buses running, trains badly affected. So - I walked to work. It wasn't that cold (though I was wrapped up nice and warm) but hard going at times. I decided to make the most of it and walk along the seafront into Brighton.

There's something magical about snow - especially on the beach.
When I eventually got to work, I found it had been all locked up as there was no electricity! I had to walk back again, but I'm not complaining; it was beautiful :-)

A Quick Hello

2009-12-07T20:58:00.001Z

Boo!

Yes, yes, I know - I haven't been around lately, and thare is SOOOO much catching up to do with my favourite blogs! Just wanted to say hello, I'm still here.
Life is pretty busy right now - and probably will be through Christmas. I probably won't be posting much, if at all until the New Year now. But I promise I will be back in the New Year, hooks blazing!
Until then, wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and New Year, however you are spending it!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Theatre Night

2009-11-01T20:39:00.002Z

Hello! I've been neglecting the blog a bit lately, things have been busy at work and there hasn't been much time for crafting or blogging. Last night though, I went ona long awaited theatre trip to London with my friend Susie. Susie is the only person I know who doesn't mind - even likes - driving in London, which meant an easy door to door journey there and back.

We went to see Inherit the Wind at the Old Vic inspired by the famous Scopes 'Monkey Trial'. It's been a while since I visited the theatre and Iwasn't disappointed. Kevin Spacey and David Troughton gave wonderful performances; quite mesmerising. If you get the chance I'd recommend it. No pictures to show I'm afraid.

I really must start going into town more often. Last time, a few months ago, I went up to the Natural History Museum. I absolutely love this museum - the building is as interesting as it's contents - a real cathedral to the natural sciences. These pictures are all taken in the main entrance hall (don't forget you can click on the pictures for a better view) - with dippy the diplodocus centre stage and Darwin looking down from the stairs.

The ceiling panels are botanical illustrations (wouldn't they make wonderful embroideries?)

There are carvings on the pillars:

This is probably the link my brain just made to Inherit the Wind: Man or monkey?

Yes - I really must go again SOON!

Kaleidoscope fun

2009-10-27T19:28:00.004Z

Ohhh This is so FUN! Spotted today on The Garden Bell's blog

Granny squares look so good like this. Thank you for sharing this Kate!

Sew!

2009-10-20T16:20:00.003Z

Hooray! I got this book from Amazon today

I can't believe I carried it around all day with me at work without peeking! Just as well, or no work would have got done. I'm busy looking through all the delightful pictures and projects right now. The book even comes with pre cut CK fabric to make the cover bag. At first glance the projects are well thought out. They look simple enough and incorporate applique, quilting and patchwork. Something for everyone I think from kids stuff to household items and my personal favourites - the bags!

So please excuse me - I'm off to devour more!

little things

2009-10-13T20:13:00.001Z

Remember the beads I bought at the Knitting and Stitching show? Well, I put them to their intended use this evening to finish off some dragonfly wings. Thing is, they were the wrong size! I was trying to be so good at not buying beads (my first love) that I rushed the purchase.

However, I am extremely proud of myself for not succumbing to all the pretty glittery strings and sparkly vials of beads that surrounded me. Very proud indeed. You see... I have to confess I am a bit of a magpie. OK, more than a bit. I have had to check myself on more than one occassion in grown up company for exclaiming "Ooooooh SHINY!" or "SPARKLIES!!!" with a slightly mad gleam in my eye and a dazed grin on my face when something sparkly catches my eye. Can be very embarrassing. Still...

Anyways, the dragonfly. About two years ago I bought some of Eliza McClelland's beaded tapestry kits. I am ashamed to say that I never finished them. Unfortunately, I don't think Eliza has a website, but if you google her you will find some of her things around. Eliza is an actress who took up beaded embroidery as a way to pass the time in the waits between sets and while sitting in dressing rooms, on tour etc. She appears at many craft shows (yes - she was at Ally Pally, sorry I didn't get time to talk to her again). Eliza also gives talks on beaded embroidery - and her talks are wonderful. So here are some pics of two projects in progress

You can see where the beads are too big on the dragonfly wing on the left. He's also missing a leg...but only because I haven't got that far yet! (Does kind of look like he's waving doesn't it, or putting his hand up in class"Miss! Miss!" ) The butterfly is almost finished (see where just ONE bead is missing in his body? Just need to think of what to do with it when done - I was thinking of a book cover.

I also made up some quick flowers ( I just wanted to play with my new buttons!) while I was waiting for my computer to fix itself

And here are my granny squares in progress: I decided to stick with the grey after all and so far am working on every colour combination with a yellow centre. Then I'll make a batch in every combination with a red centre, and so on before stitching them together.

I have read through and corrected more typos than ever tonight - it's just one of those days I think; so please excuse any outstanding errors. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be a bit more with it :-)

Crafty shopping

2009-10-11T11:40:00.002Z

Hello! I've recovered from my mega shopping trip in London yesterday. Like I said in my earlier post, I ended up spending waaaaay too much money! But then, I knew I would, heehee. That said, after uploading the photos it doesn't seem a lot. But ohhhh what fun it will be to play with these. I also made my first mosaic - hope you like it.

So....what do we have? (Don't forget that you can click on the images for a better look!)

Working left to right along the top row - I got myself some new tools that I've been wanting for a while.

Two Clover soft touch crochet hooks (4.5mm & 5mm); a yarn cutter pendant - also by Clover; a silver coloured scissor chatelaine (for embroidery) and some AB beads for an unfinished project (more about that in another post).

Then there are some new buttons

(now living in my Cath Kidston button tin).

Then we have three new stitchy projects with everything included in the packs.

First off is a little boxy zipped bag kit - I thought this would be good to keep projects on the go in. Then, the most gorgeous seahorse silverwork embroidery kit. It doesn't show up well in the picture (theirs or mine!) but they had a sample on display and it was truly beautiful! When I get started I'll post pics as I go. Then there's a crewel work kit of a pink rose. All three of these projects will introduce me to a new thing - inserting zips, silverwork and crewel work.

Along the bottom row is - a stack of colourful felt squares fron Blooming Felt.

These are pure wool and approximately 4mm thick. I've been wanting to do something with felt for a while now - but aren't they just pretty to look at stacked like that with a bow around them?

Then quite a little hoard of buttons from the button company.

The two little bags were pic n mix, then there are some lovely coconut buttons (top left), cute little gingham printed buttons, pastel shades of a larger button and colourful flower shaped buttons. Irresistable!

So it will be porridge and beans on toast for me now until Christmas; but that's alright because I've got plenty to do!

Ally Pally

2009-10-10T17:44:00.000Z

Today I went to

The Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace in London.
It was hot...
and crowded...
and I spent too much money....
And now I'm exhausted!

I'll unpack the bag and show you my goodies tomorrow when I've got my energy back!

I Love Blocking

2009-10-07T06:01:00.001Z

Yes I do.

Blocking has an almost magical effect on crochet, transforming mishapen blocks into wonderful pieces. Even if you start with an ok looking granny square for example, blocking will improve it. What I like even better is the feel it gives to a piece. I'm not sure how this happens... and maybe it's just my imagination; but a blocked piece of crochet feels softer, more fluid, it just wants to be handled. Best of all blocking is oh so simple to do. If you have never done it - please give it a go. I promise the results are worth it.

There are apparently special blocking pads that can be bought. Some people make their own. Most people, myself included, use whatever is to hand: mattresses, sofas, cushions...even the carpet! I mostly use a small cushion. Just spray the piece with tepid water and gently ease and pin it into shape. Wait for it to air-dry and job done! If you're more of a perfectionist, you can use paper templates or draw squares to ensure each piece comes out just so. (I did this piece in a rush to see if I could like it again joined together and blocked - these won't be the actual squares I use)

Joined squares sprayed and pinned out;

Left overnight to dry. Unfortunately I can't show you a pic of the result yet because it is too dark here at the mo (I did try but it was yuck). However, the finished article put me back in love with the colours - even the thundery looking grey I wasn't sure about. So no doubt there will be plenty of pics to follow! (Oh, but I do LOVE hexagons now too!!!).

Magical.

Ahh, I LOVE blocking :-)

Granny Madness

2009-10-05T14:26:00.007Z

Yes, a bad case of granny madness has broken out here. You can probably tell from my last post that I'm still feeling under the weather, and although I enjoyed making up the crochet squares and hexagons, the colour combinations were driving me doolally.

So today (still off sick) I decided to take a break. Not from hooking you understand, oh no, just from the project. So, what will keep my hook busy, give near instant results but most importantly not need my brain working properly? I did a LOT of browsing and decided on this crochet rose pattern. You'll need to sign up to access the site but it's free. Flowers were the original reason I wanted to learn to crochet, so it seemed fitting.

This little beauty is only two rows of crochet which you then coil up and stitch together. Simples! I used an Aran weight yarn and a 5mm hook. By adding a pin or a barrette you have yourself a nifty accessory to attach to your clothes, bag, hair or anything else you care to! I couldn't resist pinning it to my new winter coat for a touch of colour

Another thing I like about this particular pattern is that the rose has real dimension to it. This doesn't show too well in the (dark again - sorry!) pics. Here's a side view

It looks a little odd like that, admittedly, but in real life it 's beautiful. And just the kind of pick me up I needed today :)

Trial...and Error

2009-10-04T15:32:00.002Z

I've had a lazy, lollopy sort of weekend. I wasn't feeling at all well on Friday so took the day off work and have spent most of the weekend lounging and hooking. I did make a trip to get some yarn yesterday. I wanted to be in and out and back home quickly, but had great difficulty choosing yarn shades, despite having pondered over the sample cards.

So, after much stacking and lining up and arranging of yarn, I chose these to take home. Apologies for the poor photography, the light hasn't been good.

Of course, once home I was already doubting my choice and quickly made up two sample squares

I was quite pleased with the first square (on the left).The idea was to have the third rounds in green and bronze to reflect the changing leaf colours.The grey came out much darker than I expected. It probably doesn't help that the deeper and darker colours are all together in one square; it's just that I wanted to use all 8 colours in the square samples, and that's how it worked out.

So then I wondered - what if I make all the leaves green and use the two brown shades to outline?

Hmmm, I think that looks better. That would mean using green for round three on all the squares, the two brown shades for round four and a random choice of the other four colours (omitting the grey now) for the central flower. Confused yet? I am.

But then....what if; what...if when they're all put together the grey doesn't look too bad after all? Have I been too hasty here? I coudn't work out how to do this with PSP, so did a mock up in Word which I now can't post here. Hrrmmmph!!! You'll have to use your imagination - but it did look better - honest.

Back to square one (excuse the pun). Any thoughts and opinions would be MOST appreciated. Before I give up completely and make hexagons instead :)

Getting Closer...

2009-09-29T18:03:00.002Z

Just a quick post today....
I didn't get round to finishing anything on Sunday as planned because LIFE happened (nothing bad, just general stuff). Oh well. However, the big granny square blanket continues to grow

Not a great pic, but you can see it's getting there now.

I also decided that my next blanket is definitely going to be made of smaller squares in the Rowan wool/ cotton that I mentioned in my last post. I've convinced myself that if I continue with the big Granny and also make up some smaller squares at the same time then its not cheating (does anyone else have self imposed rules?). I made up one of Lucy's Summer Garden Squares in some nearby yarn last night (as in literally reach out and grab some from a teetering pile near the sofa).

I just did it in two colours so that I coud get a clear idea of how each row looks and fits together. I'm liking the rich reds and purples, browns and yellows that you can see in the picture. Not all of them together....well maybe, still not decided (I'm rather impressed that I've made ONE decision on this yet).

But very definitely, almost, nearly, but not quite there yet, at a final decision on this one.

EDITED TO ADD: Oops, forgot in the rush to add the pic of the square and the colours that I mentioned - didn't mean to confuse you!!!

Decisions, Decisions

2009-09-26T15:03:00.002Z

This morning I was browsing the English Yarns- Online knitting Store over my morning coffee and thinking how useful it would be to have some Rowan shade cards to choose the colours for my next crochet project at leisure. A look out of the window showed it was a sunny day and as Shoreham is only one "station stop" (when did they start saying that?!) away from me I thought I'd pop along to their shop (Shoreham Knitting and Needlecraft) in person.

Ahhh, the weather was lovely, I so wish I'd taken my camera with me so I could show you the Shoreham houseboats (next time - I promise!). I took a walk back to Southwick for brunch at Carats Cafe on the beach, mmmmmmm lovely! before heading back home.

Once the giant granny is done my next big project will either be a ripple blanket or a granny square blanket (smaller squares stitched together). Although I love the ripple - I'm leaning toward the granny at the moment because I think it'll be more satisfying completing each square as I go (not to mention more portable and easier to handle). Yes, I can just imagine a growing stack of squares being made over the autumn months ready for putting together for a winter blanket (double bed sized).

Sooooo....what about the colours? Well, I bought shade cards for the Rowan pure wool DK and the wool cotton (click on the pictures for a better view).

I think I'm going to go for the wool / cotton mix. And depending on what squares I finally decide on (Lucy's summer garden, traditional granny or something from this book) I can choose the colours. I'm thinking warm, rich colours to snuggle up with. Decisions, decisions....

So, I will finish the giant granny while I ponder on patterns and colour combinations for the next blanket. No more procrastinating....hooks ahoy!!!!

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P.S. I haven't forgotten - I'm hoping to show you something finished later this weekend!

Bits and Pieces

2009-09-23T20:45:00.001Z

Despite having the week off work, I have come to something of a standstill.

Well - not quite.

The problem is that I have too many things that I want to do (plans for at LEAST two more crochet blankets - I blame the lovely Lucy !) and all that I have been doing is playing with embroidery (I blame the wonderful Jenny!). I think it's because of my new "don't start a new project until you've finished the one you're doing" rule. Oh, I HATE breaking my own rules, but oh well...
Ooooh, by the way - I just got Jenny's new book (now available in the UK at last!) and am loving it!

I just can't decide what to do the next embroidery on. Maybe a bag, or my jeans, or a t-shirt? So far, I am just ironing and embroidering some designs on some scrap linen that was originally bought for ~~a pair of trousers that I never got round to making~~ JUST that purpose! But hey - that's practising isn't it? And today is the only day I've really had to myself so far (spent shopping), so maybe it's not sooooo bad.

Ooh! Ooh! I forgot - I did crochet a hat at the weekend, but for some reason it came out too small (grrrr!)

Still ... I hope to have something new to show you by the weekend!

Finished Sleep Pillow

2009-09-13T11:25:00.006Z

Hello!

At last the sleep pillow is finished.The owl is from a Jenny Hart design, embroidered onto linen. Now that I've mastered stem stitch, I'm going to use that for future outlining; I think it looks neater. I have a growing collection of Jenny's patterns that I'm looking forward to stitching!

I made a small pillow case from a blue patterned patchwork cotton and sewed the embroidery to the front.

Inside the pillow case is a muslin pillow filled with a half and half mixture of dried hops and lavender, both renowned to aid sleep.

I decided to make the pillow case separately (rather then stuffing it) so that it is washable and the filling can be changed easily. I'm gong to make a few more to give as gifts.

Updated Crochet Pics, with Thanks!

2009-09-05T15:03:00.003Z

Hmmmm, well I haven't got much further on my projects in the last few days. I've been doing a lot of blog browsing though and got a lot of inspiration - as well as some useful info. I've never really got the hang of stem stitch....for some reason it never worked for me. It would either look spiny or just plain messy ....UNTIL I found this. I finally got it! Thank you Mary! Do go and visit her blog for some fantstic online embroidery demonstrations and lessons.

I also got some great photo tips from the wonderful floresita on the feeling stitchy website. I wasn't about to buy an expensive new camera or take a photogrophy course, but was struggling to get half decent looking pictures to share with you. Find the tute in the Crafty Blog School pages..

So ... ta-da!

Still not perfect I know - but just LOOOOOOK at that beautiful colour there :)

Want to see more? Oh, go on....

Now I'm ready for my close-up!

Incidentally, it was while taking these pics that another mystery finally resolved itself. I always finish at the end of a round. When I pick the work up again, I never remember which way round I'm working (a bit like how when I come out of a shop I don't remember which direction I'd been walking in!).

In fact it never crossed my mind as an issue until I heard someone mention about right side and wrong side of crochet. I couldn't tell the difference. One side - crochet. T'other side - yep, crochet again. But now see the difference between THIS:

and THIS:

You see it? Same bit of crochet - different sides. I'm still not convinced that it really matters... but now I know about it I'm going to have to take note of it. Actually, I'm now seeing where I have turned the work over in the above pic...a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing!

Hello

2009-09-01T18:04:00.028Z

Hello and welcome :)

I've been inspired so many wonderful crafty blogs, I thought I would join in the fun! The craft blogiverse is such an exciting and rapidly expanding place.

I love to crochet, sew, embroider, bead and make cards. Actually, there's not much crafty that I wouldn't turn my hand to. I would definitely put myself in the amateur class (although mistress of the unfinished project perhaps). I'm looking forward to sharing my projects with you - mainly crochet and embroidery.

One of my current WIPs is this granny square blanket:

The photo doesn't do the colours justice - that is the most gorgeous deep teal blue in the border. I still can't decide whether to continue the whole thing with one round of each colour (as in the centre) or as I have just started adding bands of solid colour. What do you think?

I'm also working on this embroidery from a Sublime Stitching patterm:

I plan to make this into a herbal sleep pillow as a gift. I'm going to back it with a printed cotton fabric and fill with dried hops and lavender.

I decided to stick to one colour (blue) and one stitch (split) for this project.

I'll post (better quality) pictures of the finished projects when they're done.