New Year, happy may it be!

Since my last post, which spelled a disaster for my camera, I have managed to find out how to link my Instagram photos to my computer. Which was just as well because I dropped my camera and broke the lens.

I also messed up my sewing machine sewing a sequin dress. Now I have a sparkly, new sewing machine too. A new year and a new me with new gadgets!

I've reopened both my Etsy store and Folksy shop and am starting to fill them up with winter warmers in the shape of shawl, cowls and scarves. As a preview of things to come here are a few of my favourite things.

I love triangle shawls and these are in both Etsy and Folksy

 

I've also knitted my favourite feather and fan stitch to make a few adjustable cowls. As you can see I've got a thing about mustard and cream right now.

Pincushions galore!

Those that know me understand why I've been away for quite a while. At last I have my own place and my very own internet and can post whenever and whatever I like. Oh, the power!!

This week I've been busy listing some of the pincushions I made for my book, '50 Pincushions to Knit and Crochet'. Here's a sneak preview...

Flora was inspired by the colours of a Mexican fiesta. The little flowers around the side are in fact ric rac so just have to be stitched in place.

Water lily is a multi-petalled and multilayered flower pincushion. The flower floats on its own little ice blue pond.

Daisy has hand sewn flowers on top and bottom and again the flower ric rac adds an easy finishing touch.

Ammonite is my personal favourite in this group. I love spirals and this one has a layer of grey metallic thread. It reminds me of the rocks on the coast that often contain ammonites. Just like the ones that I borrowed from the garden wall.

Better for bears?

Dot a dold. Not a good start of the year, especially as it's also pouring down with rain. As you can imagine I'm feeling bit sorry for myself.

Outside the gulls are whirling and gliding in the wind. I swear I saw one flying upside down. They look as if they're having real fun. Watching them reminded me of something I saw on Pinterest.

It's a good things jar. You start with an empty jar and fill it up with all the good or funny or positive things that have happened during the year. You can find out more details here. I shared the idea with some of the family and by the time they had heatedly discussed the idea I decided not to bother. On this wet, windy, cold ridden day I think it might be a good thing to do.

Some of the things I haven't shared are the pincushion samples I made for my book. Here's one to cheer the day. He's called Mr Bear and always brings a smile to my face when I stick pins in him.

Something blue

and pink and purple, red , yellow and green

or how to add something new to something blue.

My plain blue coasters have been in the back of my shop of too long. They needed a refresh and a remodel. I've added a pink, double crochet border and simple lazy daisy flowers with a few French knots.

 

I think they look so much better. They're back in the shop today.

The colours were influenced by Design Seeds pink flora.

A new me

After all the celebrations this year I thought it was time I changed my profile picture. I have to admit the previous picture was rushed and not thought through.

I think the new picture is just purrrfect. It's much more in keeping with my personality. What do you think?

A big thanks to Phil. You can find more of his work on his website

Falling back into place

I can't believe it's been so long since my last post. No excuses except that spring, summer and now autumn have all seemed to have merged into one. The weeks have gone by without any change. With the wind whipping up a storm, now seems an appropriate time to look at those autumn colours.

This season's new stock is in the shops. I have my eye on a lovely blue coat that I might just treat myself to this week. As usual Pantone has waxed lyrical about the new shades which it has called The Magic of Colour.


'From love potions and the magical hour of sunset to witches and warlocks, fantasy and illusion are inspiring designers this fall season.
With an unexpected mix of darks, brights and neutrals, they cleverly manipulate reality to transport consumers to an enchanting place, free from the stresses of everyday life.'

That makes for better reading that any shade of grey!

I hope you Etsy sellers out there are changing your colour tags. I changed last season's Pink Cabaret tag to Pink Flambe and my scarf sold within a week. It really does help.

I've put together a taster of some the gorgeous pieces from Etsy to brighten up those winter days. Whether you're into darks, neutrals or brights, there's something for everyone here.

'Pantone Colours Fall 2012' by Baban

A preview of this season's colours

Pheasant Bodice, ha... InnerWild $99.00	Minimalist Rhapsody... SandMwatch $33.00	Purple Scarf / Rhap... DottieQ $31.50	LA BOHEME Gray Purs... ikabags $89.00
antique beaded purs... LeMollusque $128.00	Chartreuse crochet ... DirtyLush $23.00	FRENCH ROAST OOAK a... eraberashop $90.00	Chartreuse Neon Gre... DeesByDesign $43.50
Dark Ultramarine Gr... TipToeThirty $11.00	Upcycled Linien Dre... EkoLuka $78.00	1980s dress / vinta... RustBeltThread... $32.00	Leather bracelet in... TheCraftyblack... $14.00
French Roast Brown ... necklush $42.00	Honey Gold and Fren... FirstLightGlas... $19.50	Ultramarine Neckwar... smittenkitteno... $45.00	Fingerless Gloves H... handknittedthi... $25.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Art Party - May

This month's Etsian Artists Art Party theme is cyberpunk. Cyberpunk is not a concept that I'm familiar with. Punk to me is the Sex Pistols, Clash et al, spitting and pogoing. Not easy to portray through crochet!

I watched Blade Runner, again, was very tempted to watch the Matrix but it still hurts my brain. In the end I came up with two creations. One was more successful than the other.

My eyebot was top heavy even though he's reinforced with metal legs. He's going to be minus legs cos that's the way he rolls!

My second is a little punky, goth, emo. You decide! You can find him here on Etsy

You all know my love of amigurumi. He was more fun to do. I might end up hooked!

Manta Hueco Zig Zag

I had always intended to crochet a matching blanket when way back when I finished my souk style, cushion cover. I wrote about the inspiration for it in Invite to an Art Party. The weather has been so cold here that making a blanket seemed a sensible course of action. So here's my ta da moment!

Ta da!!

You can find a full description here on Etsy.

April Art Party

This month's Art Party for the Etsian Artists has been completed. Each month we are given a random word to interpret in any creative way. The random word for April was 'timelessness'.

I found this quite a challenge but my mind drifted towards the maths of crochet. The construction of circles and squares, the squaring of circles, spirals, linear patterns and repeats are all based on basic equations. The Archimedean spiral and the logarithmic spiral can all be found in nature both can be created in crochet. The technique of hyperbolic crochet was first discovered in 1997 by Cornell University mathematician Dr. Daina Taimina.

I admit I'm not a mathematician and most of the formula and equations I don't understand. Given yarn and a hook I can demonstrate an understanding of geometry.

Spirals can be made by a simple increases and it's quite fun to see them curl around themselves. Both the mustard brooch  and the pink brooch have been listed on Etsy.

My work in progress looks at concentric circles. Working with organic cotton I've knitted a shawl collared jacket with a matching beanie. I like the simple plain, purl pattern that gives a chunky feel to the cotton. The photos aren't the best. The drought has continued to break all record and it's the wettest April in a century. Today there are over 33 flood warnings and 158 flood alerts. The shortage of natural light doesn't show the shade at its best.

As an added bonus the shaping of the crown of the beanie produced a really interest pattern. I'm sure there's a formula to explain it but all I need to know is it can be achieved by diminishing decreasing on alternative rows!

IKEA hacking

It's a wild, wet, windy day. I've amused myself by watching Midsomer Murders and yarn bombing two IKEA clocks. From IKEA they are basic and functional not to mention inexpensive. With a little love and attention they can look like this and this

Pantone Colours

 Cockatoo Pantone 14-5420

It's sometimes good to window shop. You don't spend money and you take more notice of what's on offer. Yesterday I did just that. The sales are over and the shops are filling up with this season's colours. It might be -3 but does fashion world care? No!!

Wrapped up in winter woollies we can pretend days on the beach are not that far away.

When it's safe to come out of thermals I shall buy this season's blue. Cockatoo is not just turquoise. It's got a fresher, younger feel to it, a zingy blue green that's fun to wear.


Check these lovely items from Etsy.


Have a great week!

Pantone Colours

Bellflower 

Pantone 18-3628

A new year and new colours from Pantone. We've already looked at the colour of 2012, Tangerine Tango, a vibrant orange. Today I'm taking a closer look at Bellfower. Pantone describes it as,

fanciful Bellflower, a distinct ornamental purple, exudes uniqueness and creativity.

Creativity seems to be the prevail mood throughout the colours for spring. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute said that,

“Consumers look to spring for renewed energy, optimism and the promise of a brighter day. They have learned how color can help them alter a mood, while providing the vitality and enthusiasm that enables them to experiment with new looks and color combinations.”

In the dark days of January in the middle of a recession we need something to alter our mood and give us a lift. Here's what the good people at Etsy have to offer.

You can also check out my purple colour board on Pinterest

Have a great weekend everyone!

Colour of 2012

Tangerine Tango

This is one way to brighten up a miserable Sunday afternoon in December. Let's take a closer look at the Colour of 2012. In Pantone's own words,
 
Provocative Tangerine Tango, an enticing juicy orange, is a vivacious and appealing refresher to enliven anyone’s outlook this spring.
 
I've got to say it's mouthwatering in its appeal. A hint of tangerine with neutrals is probably the way I'd go. I don't really want to look as if I've been tangoed.
 
As usual the sellers at Etsy have a fantastic range of items if you want to try this out before spring. 

 

Enjoy!

Treasury Sunday

I haven't done one of these for a long time so here are two. Just like buses!

There are so many gorgeous handmade items available for Christmas that I can't see me trawling around the high street shops. After a shopping trip on Friday and experiencing appalling customer service I've decided to take the handmade pledge.

Here are two collections of gift ideas for bunny mummies and cat lovers. Chosen to appeal to different tastes I hope there's something here for everyone. Lots of my favourite people have been included. You know who you are!





Have a great week!

This week I have been ...

all yoyoed out!

suffering from RSI after making 648 said yoyos

really not wanting to look at a crochet hook for a while

busy cleaning (yuck)

getting to grips with social networking
(you're impressed now!)

I have signed up to the Folksy bootcamp. It's a lot less threatening than the Etsy version.

On Monday I grappled with Stumbled Upon.

On Tuesday I tweeted at Twitter.

On Wednesday I pinned at Pinterest.

Today I'm reinforcing my learning by doing all three but not all at the same time because that's just plain dangerous. I've also added the little buttons on my sidebar. Have a go. See where they take you!


I don't really get Stumbled Upon. I quite like tweeting. It helps if you follow people like Alan Carr. I'm addicted to Pinterest.

I've also stuck to my promise to list an item a day. I did have a slight wobble on Saturday. I got home late and Dizzy had been left out in the dark. Bonfire Night and cats are not a happy coupling. She was terrified and I spent the night with her in my arms like the baby she is. I was forced to watch Strictly, X Factor, X Factor Extra and series 6 of my Sopranos boxed set.

These are just some of the items I've listed

I know I've gone for Christmas overload but this is the first Christmas that I've not worked and I'm getting really excited. It's made me realise that all those year in education ruined Christmas for me. But not this year!

The little crochet hoop at the bottom has been chosen as a potential entry into the spring lookbook for Etsy Europe. I'll have to get more photos done.

I'll be back tomorrow with my favourites of the week. Have a great 10th!