out of hibernation...

So this bag is one that I would have made a few years back. Definitely before I started blogging, anyway.

Yes. There was life before blogging!

So it's been in hibernation for quite some time. Again, all it really needs is 'finishing off'... a lining and some embellishment should work nicely.

I'm not all that jazzed about the stripey lines going across the middle. They obviously seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I'm not so sure. Hopefully I will be able to add something to the bag, to draw your eye away from the lines. And how about that colour??? Bit bland for me, isn't it?

Make sure you pop back next friday... for FINISHED OBJECT FRIDAY... to see how it turns out.

And if you don't see it next friday, BOMBARD me with messages demanding to know why it isn't done yet!!!

finished object friday...

Okay...

The craft room is still not entirely sorted out. I'll get there - just not today!

What has really surprised me though, is the number of unfinished projects (UFOs) that I have come across while cleaning up.

Maybe I shouldn't be surprised.

I mean, it's not like I don't know that I have a tendency NOT to finish things...

But there was SO MUCH left unfinished.

So instead of complaining about it, I am declaring all fridays will now be known as FINISHED OBJECT FRIDAY... and each week, I will commit to finishing off a project.

Earlier in the week, I came across this top which I had started for my daughter:

The bulk of the work was already done, but it was left lying around because it hadn't been embellished yet.

So I got stuck into it, and it took less than an hour to finish off.

I've just looked over the pattern and realised that I made a slight change. When it came to the finishing off instructions, I ignored what was there, and simply worked a row of sc in the purple yarn - all the way around. Then I switched to the burgundy yarn, and with the wrong side of the work facing, I worked all the way around the cardi in slip stitch.

And I made two little flowers, one for the cardi and the other for the hair. The cardi fastens at the neck with a couple of press studs behind the flower.

Oh... the ACTUAL pattern might be useful to you!

It is the Bebop Cardi from Lion Brand Yarn and available free online if you click here. Actually, now that I think about it, you probably need to sign up as a member on their site first. Which is free to do anyway, and gives you access to a world of free patterns.

So... Little Miss Five LOVES the cardi... and was more than happy to model it for you all:

have you any wool?

I picked this book up from the local library this week...

and from what I have seen so far, I LOVE IT!!!



Mostly, I am happy to just flip through a book and look at the pictures. I mean, I know it's really lazy... but that's all I can be bothered doing. I just look at the pictures for inspiration, and that's it.

But this book makes me WANT to read it!

Every page I turn has another fascinating photo on it. They're not just "oooh... nice!" kind of photos, which you look at for a second and then flip on to the next one.

They're more along the lines of "oh my goodness!!! I love it... why didn't I ever think to do that... this is fabulous... I can't believe I've never seen anything like this before" kind of photos.

And they make me want to devour every written word in the book... to really be able to get into the author's mind, and see the world through her eyes for a while. To discover exactly what she did, what motivated her and how she approached it. I am intrigued...

Off to do some quiet reading, and I'll share some more about it soon...

here's the details for anyone who might be interested:

• title - Have You Any Wool?


• author - Jan Messent


• publisher - Search Press

doodling...

sometimes I just like to doodle...

what a beauty...

Here's something really special which I forgot neglected to blog about earlier...

This magnificent crochet hook was hand carved from Australian Red Gum... by Jimbo the extraordinary whittler!

Jimbo sells his hand carved treasures over on his blog here... and every now and then there is a GIVEAWAY.

Well - I was fortunate enough to be the winner of this piece of art!



Pop over to Jimbo's Front Porch (the story is just below the photo of the hooks) and have a read about the struggles Jimbo had with this particularly feisty piece of timber... it would seem that this hook really is a one-of-a-kind, as he won't be tackling red gum again any time soon.

It may have been a nightmare to create... but it is a spectacular piece. I especially love all the 'character marks' within the wood.

Oh yeah - and it's a DELIGHT to work with! Thanks Jimbo

valentines bear

this delightful bear is available for sale here



Over at Crochet Lovers Victoria, we had a Valentines Day Competition...

The idea was to design and crochet a gift for a loved one, and to incorporate a heart somewhere in the design.

As always, I left it until the last minute. Not because I wanted to, but just because I couldn't think of anything interesting enough to enter.

In the end, I decided on a very mainstream piece... and designed my interpretation of the standard Valentines Day Bear.

Of course he is made using reclaimed yarns... the eyes are beads from a recycled necklace, and the nose is cut from a felted jumper.

I have a bit of a thing about stuffing though... it has to be new. I've experimented with recycled stuffings from inside old toys, cushions, etc... but I'm never happy with the quality of it. It seems to have deteriorated over time, and almost have a crumbly, powdery texture to it - that I just don't like, and refuse to use.

I know that there is the idea of using wool/fabric scraps as stuffing... but I just don't like the results I get from them.

Totally open to ideas though.

If you have a fabulous stuffing idea, let me know!

And if I ever come across one... of course you guys will be the first to know...

Meanwhile... this little guy won me the competition, and is now for sale in my madeit store.

I will be perfecting the pattern, and once it has been through the testing process - it will be available for sale as a PDF and also as part of a kit (including yarns, beads and felt for making your own bear)

I would think that we are looking at a time frame of around 8 weeks...

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meanwhile...



I'm not getting any sympathy at home for this injury... so I thought I'd share it here with you guys!

Yesterday, while performing my wifely duties in the laundry... I bent my thumbnail backwards - man, it throbs (STILL)... and you can see the crescent of bruising under the nail...

Worst of all - I can't crochet with the injury!!! Because I hold my work with my left hand as I hook with my right... it puts far too much pressure on the thumb.

So my scrappy thread project is on hold over the weekend... embroidery is another no-go zone... maybe I need to try some knitting...

Mr Goldfish doesn't understand my pain... it's not the throbbing that is killing me - it's having the time to craft, but not the ability! AAAARGHHHHHH....

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away we go...

So I made a start with that teeny-tiny hook and the embroidery thread leftovers...



I'm keeping all the knots to the outside of my work. The plan is to turn the piece inside out when I am finished, and then hide the knots with a lining.

But I'm starting to quite like the look of them... so that plan might change!

Still not sure exactly what it will be when it is finished... but I'm running out of thread fairly quickly - look how small the ball is getting already.

and now for the scraps...

If you have ever worked an embroidery from a kit before, then you will know that there are loads of threads left over when you finish. They've all been precut into lengths, so there's a limit to what you can use them for.

I used to keep them for any time I wanted to work up a small cross stitch, or to add embroidery details to another project. But not any more! I discovered how much fun it is to crochet with them...



So, I've collected all the leftover strands from my kit, and joined them together with knots. The only down side is that you need to use a fairly small hook... like the 1.25mm pictured here.

And what will I make with it???

Well...

Last time I used the scraps to make this little Easter surprise. I just kept all of those knots to the inside of my work, and you wouldn't even know they are there.



Of course, I don't really need another Easter chick...

What's need got to do with it??? I hear you asking

Well, it WILL need to be something small. Two reasons - firstly, there's not THAT much thread here; and secondly, nedd I remind you I will be using a 1.25mm hook???

So maybe a camera pouch, or a case for my sunnies? Not sure just yet. I'll have a play around and see what comes to life.

finished stitching

Well... the goal was to finish this by Christmas 2009...

a goal that I didn't QUITE meet - but I did FINISH - and that's the main thing!



Now that it's done, I will need to give it a gentle wash to remove any dirty marks and oils from my grubby little fingers... and then it's off to the framing shop.

The framing is always a really expensive process, and I've often thought that I should just learn to do it myself. But the results are so professional looking, that I've finally given in to just paying the price. Given the hundreds of hours (could it even be thousands of hours???) that I put into each embroidery, it's just not worth taking the risk.

If you're a local, and looking for a framer here in Sunbury... I can absolutely recommend the 'Art House Picture Framing and Gallery' here in town. The ladies there have such a keen eye for detail, and really focus on bringing your artwork to life - rather than just sticking with the latest trends, or the obvious choice. I've been using them for years and years, and would be reluctant to go anywhere else.

I was right...

I was right when I said:

it has to get worse before it gets better...
I've dragged everything out of that disastrous craft room - and the room itself looks great, but the lounge and hallway are a bit of a disaster

see for yourself...

store is finally open

my online store is finally open!!

CURRENTLY STOCKING SCRAP HAPPY SCARF KITS

- limited number of kits available -

selling ONLY for the month of february…

each kit is unique, so yarn and fabrics used WILL vary

click here for more details

new website

just a reminder to you all that you can now find me at www.laughingpurplegoldfish.com