Tuesday 23 October 2012

Finished items!

Some of the works in progress are all done and ready to go!  Mostly the ones that needed stuffing.  The ones that needed some sewing done are still waiting.  But then, these are quite Christmassy ones, so it's sensible to get these on the shop ASAP.  I'm trying to make things that look mildly Christmassy but not overly so, so that they're still saleable after Christmas.  I set up a little pile of Christmas-looking bags and the tiny Christmas tree we forgot to put back in the attic last Christmas and hey presto!  Christmas birds!
Big Christmas bird.  You can see the gold sequins on the wings.

Small Christmas bird.  Again, sequinned wings and Goldfingering around the edge.  (I really don't envy the Strictly designers sewing on all the sequins they have to.  Fiddly in the extreme!)

Two little birds...

A silver sparkleheart, with silver sequins and little pink glass beads.

And introducing Lily the Hippoo!  I considered several different embellishments for her, and eventually, on the advice of Susan from Mary Jane's Tearoom, decided on a little flower behind her ear.  It's in a paler, slightly variegated shade of the teal-blue of her lower half.  Very pretty!

Lily, looking out into the garden.

Lily's flower.

These items will be going onto my shop as soon as I can manage it - before I have to go to work today, if possible.  You can find them here

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Thursday 18 October 2012

Works in progress...

I always seem to have a number of projects on the go at any one time.  And they seem to come to a close in batches too, somehow.  Right now, I have a batch of things that need stuffing and another batch that will need some sewing and fabric to complete them.

A group of danglies, made with Christmas in mind.  They'd look great on a Christmas tree, or just hung somewhere on their own.  The birds will probably have some sequins added - I got some goldy-bronzy sequins at the weekend.  The heart has a row of silver sequins and pink beads on either side, and all the items have sparkly Goldfingering yarn in them.  Some light stuffing and hanging loops and they're ready to go!

Another Hippoo to stuff.  I love these colours - it's in Rowan's Lenpur Linen, which is really cheap in sales now so it's great value.  These colours remind me of India.  I was tempted to do a paisley motif for the side of the Hippoo, but Hippoos don't come from India.  Do they?  I think she's going to have a flower or two stuck behind her ear instead...

This is from another batch of yarn I bought in a sale - Rowan Purelife Revive at £1.00 a ball!  It's a bit splitty to crochet, but it looks lovely worked up.  It's going to be a bag, a little longer than it is right now, with handles long enough to hang on your arm, and a contrasting design on it.  I haven't decided on that yet.  It will also have a nice lining to it.

Spot the difference!  Same pattern, more or less, turned upside down, ready to become a Hoot Hat.  Again in Lenpur Linen, waiting for its jersey lining, little felt beak and big googly eyes.  Time to get the sewing kit out!

This has been my car project for the last few months.  I really can't sit still with nothing to do with my hands, so I try to have something simple to work on on long car journeys.  This is just treble crochet in circles, with occasional stripes of double crochet and working into one side of the loop to give subtle stripes - nothing I have to keep my eyes on too carefully.  You can just see that at the top and near the bottom.  I've made straps which will be stitched to wide ribbon to prevent stretching.  I got four lovely buttons in a sale at the weekend too, to go at the ends of the straps.

I've got some lovely linen fabric to make a lining for the bag, and I thought I'd do a spotty design on the outside.  I've gathered up the oddments of yarn that look good with this variegated colour and I'm making circles of varying sizes, just playing with the placing before I sew them on.

This does mean that I'm going to need a new car project.  Maybe a new bag?  It's nice looking at my stash and wondering what I could create with the lovely things I've got.  I've got an idea for a bag using triangle shapes, so that might be in the offing soon.

Okay, lunch, then off to work!  Frankly, I could happily go back to bed right now, but I will drag myself off to work.  Wonder if anyone would notice if I just had a snooze in the corner?

~*~ZZZ~*~

Sunday 7 October 2012

Oh joy...

Hattie's brought a mouse in and released it in our bedroom. Just in time for bedtime.

Hearts and Other Warm Things

The pretty hearts are stuffed and decorated and all ready to go on the shop.  Pretty, eh?  I think they'd be perfect on a Christmas tree, but they're not so all-out Christmassy that they'd look over-the-top hung up somewhere all year round.  Just something bright and sparkly to pretty up the house!

I threaded fine white ribbon through the central line of this heart and left the ends elegant and long.  The original plan was to tie a bow at the base of the heart, but this looks so much better.  It would be a lovely gift for a wedding or for Valentine's Day or a birthday or...  I just love it!

Here's my Thistledown Scarf.  It's a long triangular shape, based on the idea of a shawl, but certainly not old-ladyish!  It's as light as thistledown and beautifully warm, with a toning sheeny, silky stripe.  Just right to keep your neck warm on chilly Autumn days.

And a Hoot Hat!  This is the largest of the three I made, and the other two are going off to Ever After, a new shop in Lincoln.  This one is adult-sized, because we're all kids at heart, yes?  Or is it just me?

Watching yoooooooooooou!  A lovely little spot of orange at the centre of the eye to match the beak.

Lined to keep the head warm.  Stretchy cotton jersey, hand-stitched to retain the stretch when wearing it.

All these will be going on my shop on Folksy here tomorrow morning, if everything goes according to plan.  *looks at ever-growing to-do list*

Off to watch Downton Abbey now!  I want to be Maggie Smith when I grow up.

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Saturday 6 October 2012

It was only a matter of time...

The arch that we put up in the garden wasn't intended for pretty climbing plants at all.  It's really a pussy-cat climbing frame!
Conveniently situated next to the bird feeder...


Hattie approves thoroughly!

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