Yes, i’m finally on it, I’ve got a fan page under ‘Hooked Yarn’ and I’m slowly figuring it out. I’m aware I sound like my Nan, but it really is like learning a new language but in some ways it is harder! You flick from page to page, finding some advice on one, reading it then flicking onto the next one and before you know it you’re 5 pages on and can’t remember how you got there so can’t find it again!
I am slllloooowwwwwlllllyyyy getting there, but on the plus side there is so much interesting stuff to find, and this morning I was chatting to a friends mum I haven’t seen for years - Hey Nita!
Right, I’m having a break from the screen and do some nice simple quiet crochet - before I get the monsters…
Edit
hopefully you can find me here:
Must stop experimenting…
I didn’t realise how much of a short attention span I must have, there’s me, complaining about my boys and their severely short attention spans and it turns out they must take after me. This keeping a blog thing has made me realise that I’m great at getting ideas, often turning them into reality (either by mistake or design) but what I am incapable of doing is following them through with further progression - its always onto the next idea.
So no more! I have ‘experimented’ with my last new idea, I am only going to explore ideas I have already set in motion, like this one I started yesterday…
Its made from scraps of Amy Butler fabric I’ve had for a while, a bit of an old dress, an old shirt and a favourite but broken necklace, and of course a bit of crochet, a double shell trim that I extended to fit the flap.
I boxed the corners and lined it with interlining to give it some stiffness so it retains its shape. I’m now envisaging a whole range of them, all the same shape but with different fabrics and crochet bits SO I’M NOT GOING TO LOOK IN OR WRITE IN MY IDEAS BOOK. I’m going to work on this for a while, and my curtain ring jewellery, I think that can go a lot further too.
So it is written down I am only going to work on those two ideas, although its half term next week so If I manage to do anything it will be a miracle!
On a last note, the latest issue of that fab magazine Beads and Beyond has a tutorial for my Miyuki earrings. Those flowers are what I made that evening necklace and my beautiful green bracelet from as well - ooh - another idea I need to pursue…
A cushion fit for a pin
I do think its nice to have nice objects around you, they inspire you, make you smile, remind you of those special moments. I have too many of these objects, I’m a complete hoarder of shells, stones, photos, bits of glass, old cotton reels,prints and of course various crocheted objects! Fortunately for me my boys appear to have inherited this too, much to my husbands annoyance - so not only do we have my special bits, all right, everywhere, so to do we have their equally special objects (though theirs do seam to feature lots of elastic bands…)
I have a range of beautiful crochet hooks, threads and scissors, but looking at my pincushion I realised that it is functional, definately not beautiful.
The perfect excuse to make a new one, though I got a bit carried away with ideas
So these will be going into my folksy shop!
Clicking and clicking
With hooks and mouse! First off today a bit of experimenting - with cassette tape, (an old Prodigy one from my long distant carefree youth…) I’ve had this idea to make oversized chains for a while but hadn’t come up with what material to use. While doing a bit of cleaning (we’ve got visitors coming) I saw a plant pot cover I’d crocheted in video tape a while ago, it was going to be a bag but it was too noisy - but perfect as a glamerous pot cover! One thing lead to another and they need a bit of fine tuning, but what do you think? And do you think The Prodigy would approve?
Next up, I’m going out! I know, can you hear the fanfare too? Anyhow, I got this gorgeous dress in the sales, bright emerald green, quite 50’s in style. I thought perfect occasion to wear my new glamerous necklace I made, the one with the wire flowers… but it doesn’t go.
So I made a bracelet that does!
Finally, I’ve also been spending, but not too much, honest! Thanks to the Craft Neutral Challange I’ve only bought some jump rings this year, eveything I’ve made has been from my stash, and that includes several necklaces, bracelets, earrings, scarflettes and gloves! And after all, we have to support the wonderful craftspeople we have!
So, after browsing through researching some of my favourites shops on Folksy I saw these gorgeous brooches by the amazing artist Amy McCarthy
They are recyled beer bottle tops filled with various found objects like shells, bits of old jewellery, shards of glass and set in resin. I think this one is my favourite
or maybe this one
Check out Amys other fabulous glass products in her folksy shop!
My stunning new necklace!
You know when the planets aline, the sun is shining, the boys actually listen (okay, scrap that last bit) but when everything works out exactly as you imagined it but better…
Okay, so no one has a green neck but it was the best thing I could display it on, and It doesn’t work so well on the clear vase.
I crocheted 8 flowers in wire, using 2 beads for each stitch on the petals and used the tail ends to stitch them together. It is so light and soft and molds to your neck shape perfectly. I love it - can you tell!
Time for a spring clean
17th January 2010
Well, obviously not my house - I can think of a million better things to do with my time - for my website. I’ve had it about 7 months now, a great guy called Dave set it up for me how I wanted, but its time for a change.
So much has happened this last year, I set up a business, opened a shop on Folksy which has actually started selling stuff, I set up this site with a shop and a blog and I’m now writing every month for the magazine Beads and Beyond - who’d a thought it!
So, change. I have to say I do like change, and its time to change this. A bit. I want to keep things simple so I’ve decided I’m only going to sell through my folksy shop and my misi shop, (which I had completely forgotten about), and concentrate on promoting them. So this is basically just going to be a blog with some info down the side (hopefully!). I’ve definitely caught the blogging bug and it has helped me work - writing down ideas and thoughts in one place as opposed to various scraps of paper does help me clear my head and spur others ideas on. Plus I’m thinking about maybe doing some tutorials.
Anyhow I’m going to have a go and if it all dissapears hopefully Dave will find it all again. Cross your fingers I’m going in…
Romantic Bracelet
14th January 2010
Ta-daa!
My latest tutorial - Vintage Lace, a bracelet worked in wire with freshwater pearls, and on the front cover too! (If you squint!) I love this bracelet, it looks complicated but like all good things, is actually quite simple.
So if you fancy a go get the latest Beads and Beyond Magazine, and if you do, let me know, i’d love to see how you get on!
Log Cabin Crochet (and a pie)
11th January 2010
You know when your doing something, then you get an idea you just have to try right away?
I was having a productive day, working on my next submission for Beads and Beyond magazine and it was going well, then I ran out of thread for the last bit. Can I get any more - can I ******. Admitidly it was old, but for heavens sake, why do maderia have to regually change their codes and colours? So I got out my wool to just wollow in the beauty of the colours (everyone does that, don’t they?).
As I was making the pie for tea, filling was left over coq au vin from last night (makes the best pie, really rich and tasty) I started mentally putting together colours, then using the edge of the rolling pin to nudge them in groups, then I washed my hands and the pie got a bit side tracked.
But how exciting is that little bit of crochet!!
A bit of freeform crochet
31st December 09
Just a brief one today, I wanted to show you what I had a go of yesterday. My wonderful mum and dad got me a brilliant book ‘Freeform Crochet and beyond’ by Renate Kirkpatrick, as well as some new hooks and wool, but more about those later.
I finally got to play a bit yesterday. The pictures are really good, Istruggled a bit with the explainations though thats probably due to my left handedness - but there are some great idea’s and starting points. It’s certainly stimulated lots more ideas for me.
Anyway I had to have a little go
Crochet wings (lazy j stitch)
Bullion Knots
Spiral surface with loops
My sample square. I worked another lazy j stitch but carried on to make a flower and attached them all to a simple treble background. I love the raised sections of the lazy j stitch, though I think I ‘ve worked them ‘differently’ and the spiral without the embellishment is gorgeous, but the simple addition of the frill is a great idea. I have loads more I want to try - but the raised sections have certainly got me excited!
Not my New Years Resolution list
23rd December 09
New year resolution lists really wind me up, who actually Carry’s them on beyond February? If I’m being honest its the idea that you have to do it - everyone else is. WHAT THE POINT!!!
Having said that I have a list that happens to correspond the the chiming of the new year, purely because I’ve been mad busy making stuff for Christmas and that rush has finished, I now have time. That’s my reasoning and I’m sticking to it!
So, I really want to sort out my website. I’ve only had a couple of sales through it, they all come from Folksy, so I think i’m going to remove that bit. I also want to make it more atractive. Having said all this I have NO idea how to actually do all this, a friend set it up and I can’t ask them again, so make the most of it before I crash everything.
I also struggle with the light taking photos, our house is a long narrow terraced house with absolutely no natural light, well, not much. So i’m going to figure out some sort of light box - sounds good - again have no idea - watch this well light space!
Finally I’m not the most organised, I have bits of paper everywhere with ideas, patterns, notes, drawings, receipts. So I have started already. I bought a couple of books yesterday and spent a happy hour cutting and sticking with the kids (so it was justified)
Ideas book
Patterns book
see what I did there…there’s no flys on me I tell you!
And just to show I’m still crocheting, a pair of funky handwarmers for me.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS!
