Trekky gets Crafty!

C'est fini #2

2012-01-30T22:15:00.004Z

I finished my second Opt art baby blanket, all 99,012 stitches of it. I added my daily tally of knitting to my spreadsheet of the previous blanket, to compare how I got on.
The purple line is the previous blanket, and the orange line this blanket. This is a great project to do in winter (rather than summer time as previously), as it makes a great lap warmer! I did have a slight issue, when on day 51 I ran out of yarn. I really couldn't understand this, as I used exactly the same yarn as last time. So a small knitting panic ensued; involving rushing after work to one knitting shop only to leave empty handed, diverting on the way to a gig to another yarn shop, and then only when I was so happy to have a ball of Sirdar Snuggly in my hands, did I realise that the concert tickets were left at home!*
It did eventually dawn on me as to why I needed more wool, as I realised that I had used 5mm needles instead of 4mm. Yes, I am one of those people who never does a gauge swatch. The whole blanket took 53 days to knit (average rate 1869 stitches per day), however I only actually knitted on 37 days (so the true average is 2676 stitches per day). It took 2 days longer than my previous Op Art blanket, but this can be explained on the knitting trauma of having to buy an extra ball of wool. I knitted on more days than previously (37 vs 32), though the average number of stitches achieved daily, was lower (3094 vs 2676), this is explained by me having slightly less TV watching time (which is when most of my knitting occurs) as I have two jobs at the moment.
*Panic over, after a quick drive back along the M8 to pick up our Cornershop tickets, we manged to miss only a little of the support act - phew!

Nice and Accurate Prophecies...

2012-01-26T23:13:00.003Z

Craftster recently had a Good Omens themed swap. This is a book by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, about the birth of the son of Satan and the end of the world. Despite the rather gloomy topic, the book is very funny. For my craftster swap partner I made a journal of Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (that title will make sense if you have read Good Omens - I promise). Using coptic binding techniques that I learnt back here.
And from my swap partner, I received a crochet demon Crowley, complete with sunglasses!
Crowley is fallen angel (who sauntered vaguely downwards), he lives on earth, listens to Queen, and claims responsibility for the M25. You can see all of the Good Omens crafted goodies here.

Gingerbread men in the post...

2012-01-23T13:09:00.006Z

I was woken up this morning by the sound of a package falling onto the doormat. That noise is enough for me to scurry quickly out of bed, far quicker than I ever would if it was a workday! Delivered this morning was my prize from the asking for trouble blog giveaway. Kawaii notebooks, badges, gingerbread men & an uber cute bread slice charm. Thank you!
Back to my crafting, my opt art blanke t is finished and in the post, will share photos soon. In the meantime I have cast on some Wise Hilda socks for me, using some beautiful variegated drops yarn that I won from a playful day podcast giveaway.
The pattern is suitably simple, so that I can knit away whilst daydreaming or watching tv. And, I'd forgotten just how much I like using a variegated yarn, I find myself calling out the colours as I knit along "oooh, purple", "oooh, green!" :)

Almost there...

2012-01-18T19:43:00.003Z

Over 92,000 stitches down, less that 7,000 to go. So close.
My blanket may be a big project to me, but not quite as big as a crochet coral reef.

A very interesting TED talk from Margaret Wertheim, combining crochet with maths.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-22T21:20:00.003Z

Card stock, felt, buttons, and sponged snowmen. Wishing you all a very happy festive season!

Feeling Festive...

2011-12-20T21:13:00.004Z

The tree is up.
Complete with silver crochet stars, fabric acorns and felt guinea pigs! My knitting of late has been some cute booties and hat, using these ever reliable patterns. To top them off I used some super cute teddy bear buttons.
Currently on the needles is another Op Art baby blanket. In hindsight I had forgotten just how many stitches goes in to one of these (99,012), and decided it would be perfect from my friend expecting in the middle of January. Currently I am only just over 21,000 stitches, on the plus side, knitting a blanket is a great way to keep warm in the winter!

Perfect weaving weather...

2011-12-08T20:00:00.006Z

It has been a wild week here on the weather front. We have had clear skies, snow, hail, ice and today - Hurricaine Bawbag!
Perfect conditions for staying inside weaving. I finally finished my guinea pig tapestry. He is quite a cutie!

Lost in Lace

2011-12-02T18:14:00.003Z

Around the corner from the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Market, there is a wonderful exhibition being held at Birmingham Museum, Lost in Lace. The fountain of all knowledge (Wikipedia) describes lace as being "an openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work, made by machine or by hand". This definition encapsulates more than just doilies. The work was varied and outstanding.
One of my particular favourites was the mesmerising Forty Eight by Nils Völker.

Forty Eight from Nils Völker on Vimeo.

I was struck by the haunting After the Dream by Chiharu Shiota. Layers of random black wool trap white dresses. Claustrophobic and gripping.
The Crafts Council created this video to show how the work was created.

Chiharu Shiota installation at Lost in Lace, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery from Crafts Council on Vimeo.

The exhibition is free to visit and on to the 19th of February. I would certainly recommend it.

Crochet hills...

2011-11-28T21:01:00.004Z

So I didn't get all the way to the end of November with NaBloPoMo. A weekend away, catching up with friends meant that blogging took a back seat. I did craft though, as we drove down the M6, I wondered if Cumbria would suit a few extra hills?

A Rather Fantastic Mr Fox Badge

2011-11-24T16:57:00.005Z

Take one inspirational vintage waistcoat, some embroidery threads, a piece of 22-count aida, and a badge maker, and what do you get?
A rather fantastic Mr Fox badge. I drew up a chart, picked threads to match and got to work.
Covering a whole waistcoat would certainly take some time!

A Nice Sit Down...

2011-11-23T22:19:00.002Z

A relaxing evening of cross stitch and catching up on podcasts (A Playful Day and Caithness Craft Collective).
I will share my stitching soon.

From little acorns...

2011-11-22T19:06:00.003Z

... do Christmas decorations grow! After seeing these acorns on Knitty Gritty Thoughts I just had to have a go. Made using styrofoam balls, fabric and pins. Each acorn took about an hour to make, but was an easy project to do whilst watching the tv.
The only problem is that these two acorns took just under a packet of pins - now that is a lot of pins!
I need more pins to finish all six balls, plus I think my thumb needs a rest for a day or two, from pushing in all those pins!

Starter for Ten...

2011-11-21T22:53:00.003Z

My ten squares are finished for Robin House.
Can you believe these pictures were taken this morning before I left for work? Yep, the darkness is here.

A haiku for today...

2011-11-20T19:10:00.002Z

Awake at midday
Grand designs on the TV
Sit and knit away

A moment of calm...

2011-11-19T18:30:00.003Z

After a hectic day shopping (it takes it out of you!) a much needed sit down and a pause.
Enough of that though, better get out to the dancin'...

A wheek of Guinea Pigs...

2011-11-18T21:03:00.008Z

After the dizzying fame of how to make a felt Jeremy in this month's Guinea Pig Magazine, I thought I'd introduce my guinea pig story. It started with a trip to the SSPCA, and a father and son guinea pig pair. Their names soon became Norman Stanley Fletcher and Lennie Godber. After all, they were held behind bars, and Fletch slept on top bunk (well, on top of the cave).
Their story was sad, they had been found in a box in a park, along with Mrs Fletch and some female babies. Fletch was quite a character, like an overgrown big hamster.
Fletch definitely performed the alpha male role, whilst Godber being the teenage son sulked in the pigloo. Fletch had some rather odd health issues, and when he passed, it left a very lonely and needy Godber. Godber by now, had realised that humans are good for food and lying on laps sleeping. He was quite an affectionate so and so.
As a friend for Godber, we got a young boar from Lanarkshire small animal rescue. Continuing with the Porridge theme, he was Jim McLaren. It was love at first sight between Godber and McLaren.
As he was just a baby when we got him, we didn't realise that McLaren was a sheltie guinea pig, with beautiful long locks. Fortunately McLaren was a very good natured beast who didn't mind the occasional bum hair trim!
One night McLaren stopped eating, and before we could take him to the vets in the morning, he had gone. Godber was heartbroken - first his dad, then his best friend. Godber withdrew and hid in his house. A new friend was needed, again off to the SSPCA, where we found a beautiful guinea pig with a tragic back story, Oscar. He was found in a box, along with a rabbit and two female guinea pigs, along the side of the road. When he was found he was in a terrible state, underweight, with bald patches from where the animals had been barbering each other (probably due to lack of hay and stress).
Oscar came home with us, a friendly guinea pig who seemed constantly amazed by fresh food (he certainly wasn't picky at all!). Unfortunately Godber didn't take to him.
I think Oscars presence confirmed to Godber that McLaren wasn't coming back. Godber retreated even more, and eventually refusing to eat. He developed a chest infection, and sadly died. This left the newcomer Oscar, after his turbulent few months we decided he could settle in on his own and get used to the good life. A few days after this sweetcorn adventure, Oscar had a seizure and died. Now we were without guinea pigs. A break in pethood was needed, but then I found Tom and Jerry at Becklen rescue.
Two brothers needing a home. So since May, the artists formally known as Tom and Jerry (the names implied a hierarchy!) became Mark and Jeremy (of Peep Show fame). These boys are certainly the most athletic guinea pigs we have had, Jeremy especially, I suspect he thinks he is a ferret some days.
Mark is the braver of the two, although they are still suspicious of us, and any new food!
Here are all the guinea pig decorations together.
Apparently the collective noun for guinea pigs is a group, which is a little dull. I think it should be a wheek of guinea pigs or a collection of cavies. What do you think?

Cosy knitting...

2011-11-17T23:47:00.005Z

A cosy night in, catching up on tv and knitting away for Robin house...
Ps) Do you ever get distracted by the internet? Does it prevent you from writing? Do you need a carrot on a stick? Or not a carrot as such, but the reward of a picture of a kitten for every 100 words. Purr-fect!

Wordless Wednesday...

2011-11-16T19:10:00.002Z

The C word...

2011-11-15T20:48:00.003Z

After the Guinea pig decoration post yesterday, I wonder if it is too early to mention the C word?
Are you planning any crafting for Christmas? Other than felt guinea pigs of course!
A great tutorial I saw today is from Knitty Gritty Thoughts who shared some beautiful fabric pine cones. They look beautiful - must get crafting!

Jeremy becomes famous

2011-11-14T20:14:00.003Z

Today is a special day. Jeremy is now officially the face of Christmas.
No Christmas tree this year will be complete without felt Jeremy adorning it. Today a magazine was posted through our letterbox, issue 5 of Guinea Pig Magazine in fact.
This contains step-by-step instructions on how to make your very own felt Jeremy decoration.
Mark Corrigan remains unimpressed.
You can order your very own copy of Guinea Pig Magazine here, plus have a look at the cute guinea pigs wandering along the web page!

Shetland wool

2011-11-13T13:59:00.005Z

Big news this week in the wool world, is that Shetland wool has secured protected designation of origin (POD) status.
Like Champagne, Camembert cheese and Cornish clotted cream; native Shetland wool has now made it on to the list of EU protected products.
This means that buying anything labelled 'native Shetland wool' guarantees that it is just that.
Interestingly this is the first non-food item from the UK to be given this status.
As the temperature drops towards winter, I have been making use of my Shetland wool pows, and my goodness they are warm! I suppose any sheep up in Shetland needs to ensure that they have a very hardy fleece, all the better for keeping my hands cosy.
Ps) These photos are from our trip to Shetland back in 2009.

Sew Saturday...

2011-11-12T18:35:00.003Z

Many tiny buttonhole stitches make slow progress on my holly...

Ode to Corduroy

2011-11-11T17:39:00.003Z

Today, amongst many other things, is the day that most resembles corduroy: 111111. I have a great fondness for corduroy; not as cliched as its cousin denim, nor as flashy as its sister velvet. Forever associated with geography teachers and indie kids, corduroy rules!
One of the greatest things I learnt when I attempted to learn Danish, is that jernbanefløjl literally means railway velvet. I have never looked at corduroy the same since.

Singer

2011-11-10T20:40:00.006Z

I usually take the train to work. The final destination for the train is at the base of Loch Lomond. On its way, it passes through a place, with a name familiar to any crafter - Singer. Isaac Merritt Singer neither invented the sewing machine or came from Glasgow. So why is Singer here?
Before industrialisation women were responsible for sewing the families' clothes, linens and reusing materials. The invention of the sewing machine speeded up this work. Household sewing machines also meant that this could be a source of extra income for the family, and gave women some independence. The first patent for a sewing machine was given to the British inventor, Thomas Saint in 1791, however a working model was never built.
Isaac Merritt Singer was an American engineer, he founded his business in New York in 1851. Singer wanted to expand his business into the UK and chose Glasgow. A branch office opened in 1856 close Queen Street station, with parts imported from America. The popularity of Singer sewing machines led to the first Singer factory opening outside of the USA, on James Street in Bridgeton. Incidentally James street is about 5 minutes walk from where I start my train journey.
Despite the Bridgeton factory, there were long waiting lists for owning a sewing machine. So Singer decided to open a larger factory, where all parts could be made on the one site. On 46 acres of old farm land at Kilbowie, just outside Clydebank, the largest sewing machine factory in the world opened in 1883. It was a very modern building, with sprinkler systems fitted, a 200ft clock tower towering over the plant, and recreation grounds for staff. An extra 2.5miles of railway track was added to link each department with the Glasgow to Helensburgh train line. At opening the factory employed 5000 people, with the workforce peaking in 1960 at 16,000. Singer at one point is reported to have made 80% of the worlds sewing machines. And during both World Wars the factory turned its production from sewing machines to munitions. It is even rumoured that the statue of liberty is modelled on Isaac’s beautiful wife Isabella Eugenie Boyer Singer.
The Singer factory in Clydebank factory closed in June 1980. Singer permanently leaves its mark in Glasgow with the name of the train station remaining. Singer station is beyond the stop I get off, maybe one day I shall skip work and head off there on an adventure.

Knit up for Robin House

2011-11-09T21:59:00.003Z

Despite the continuing lurgy, I am slowly making progress on squares for knit up for Robin house.
Normal service will resume shortly...

Lurgy induced silliness

2011-11-08T19:58:00.004Z

Lurgy is still here. If I can write this post without a big coughing fit, then I will be very impressed. As an interlude while I'm feeling poorly, here is a particularly silly picture from our visit to the V&A.
Fine art with a tickling stick. PS) I didn't make it to the end, without coughing - boo :(

Solipsistic Pop 4

2011-11-07T17:35:00.004Z

This NaBloPoMo stuff is a little tricky today. You see, I have a lurgy, I have work to be doing for the day job, plus I am part way through a mini trickle of gigs (Throwing Muse s tonight). All this means crafting and writing time is limited. So I thought today I would share some exciting post I have: Solipsistic pop 4 - a periodical collection of British comics.
The theme for this collection is maps. It features amongst other things, an amazing dust jacket by Katie Green. I have only had a chance to quickly browse through, but I can't wait to get an opportunity to have a good sit down and absorb it all. This trailer explains it better than I ever can.

If you want to support alternative British comics then check out here.

A beautiful seal for Silent Sunday...

2011-11-06T14:43:00.004Z

Seal Rising by Louise Scott, brought in Orkney.

A Rather Foxy Waistcoat

2011-11-05T14:14:00.004Z

Yesterday at Make It Glasgow, whilst I was getting started on my holly, there was an extra special treat for us all. Textile collector and historian Graham Hunter brought in part of his collection of 18th and 19th Century embroidered waistcoats.
These were amazing to view, the detail incredible. One particular item drew my attention, this beautiful fox waistcoat.
Repeated fox faces, complete with tiny beads for eyes, and little stitches for whiskers.
It would certainly suit a fantastic Mr Fox.

Stumpwork Embroidery Holly

2011-11-04T20:11:00.004Z

Today I spent a number of hours hard at work here...
At Make It Glasgow for a Royal School of Needlework stumpwork day class. I had never tried stumpwork embroidery before, it looked far too difficult to be attempting at home alone! Luckily tuition was on hand to talk us through creating a holly pin.
Admittedly mine is not finished, I still have hours of buttonhole stitch around wire still to do. Plus I need to finish my needle lace, which may take some very deep concentration! There were some amazing examples of what you can do with stumpwork, although first I better finish my holly...

When Guinea Pigs Attack... Knitting!

2011-11-03T17:56:00.004Z

Yesterday whilst watching Kirstie I got started on knitting some squares for knit up for Robin House. A project being organised by Luce Events to create knitted blankets for the children's hospice. Helping me knit some pink squares were Mark and Jeremy.
That is Mark being brave, with Jeremy hiding away, just poking out his nose and a foot. Mark did at one point have a little nibble of my knit pro needles, just checking in case they were tasty. I don't think he was particularly impressed...

New Improved Super Action Hero Fingerless Mittens!

2011-11-02T18:59:00.002Z

Almost 2 years ago I shared my original Super Action Hero Fingerless Mittens, and after an incident with the washing machine they were no more. I finished my replacement Soft Shetland mittens today, and made them slightly longer than my previous pair (no more cold wrists for me).
They feel ever so slightly tight on, but I'm hoping they will stretch with wear. And can you believe, I've managed day two of NaBloPoMo! PS, Fancy a super cute free desktop calender for this month? Step over to Geninne's Art Blog. The very talented Geninne has a desktop background featuring an owl and a pirate ship - what more could you possibly want?

Home Sweet Homo

2011-11-01T19:27:00.004Z

Remember the sneaky peak of a cross stitch. Well here it is in full:
A house warming gift for a friend - who happens to be a gay man, he has cats & likes a drink. I used images from Jo Verso's Cross Stitch Year. Who knew a cross stitched ironing board would come in handy? My blog posts have been a little less frequent of late, this is due to me taking on two jobs, and trying to squeeze in the time. To get my blogging mojo back, I've decided to take part in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). The aim is to post every day in November, one down, 29 days to go!

Booze in cross stitch form...

2011-10-25T20:23:00.005+01:00

I have been busy working on a cross stitch, although I can't share it just yet. But I can give you a sneak peak. Anyone fancy some gin?
Or how about some Buckfast?
No, not in the mood for drinking. Why not clean the kitchen instead?
All will be revealed shortly. In other crafting news, I have had a disagreement with the washing machine. Or rather, my super action hero fingerless mitten s have, after I accidentally put them in the washer. They have become rather felted, and are only capable of warming a finger, rather than my whole hand. So I am making some more, using some lovely Jamieson's Shetland Soft, that I brought in Lerwick, back on my holidays a couple of years ago.
Now, to keep these clear of the washing machine!

Knitting & Stitching & Prizes!

2011-10-12T21:26:00.005+01:00

An overnight coach at the weekend took me to my folks house. From there yet another coach along with my mum and nan to the Knitting and Stitching show.
With a huge array of things to see and buy, I was relatively restrained with my purchases. A pair of extreme knitting needles (24mm x 700mm) from Rachel John. I'm not quite sure I'm up to 1000 strand knitting yet though!

I also brought a let's felt instruction guide from Piiku. Hopefully this will encourage me to find the time to get felting again. My mum and nan got some rather fancy yarn, from the aptly named Fancy Yarn specialists. Back on the coach again, and homeward bound. To my delight when I arrived home, there was a package from the lovely A Playful Day podcast, as I'd won the donation giveaway - whoo hoo!
Four balls of drops fabel, in beautiful blues.
Plus five shell bead stitch markers from A Little Bit Sheepish. These are very luxurious, they are very smooth to the touch, and one even is a lobster clasp for marking crochet.
Plus, some uber cute sheep stitch markers from The Lollipop Stop. Once again, I am truly spoilt. And I think my old stitch markers (plain plastic rings) will have to go into retirement!

Preparing for chilly weather...

2011-10-06T18:32:00.004+01:00

Today, the UK has had its first snow of the winter. Preparing for the cold weather ahead, I have finished knitting yet another hat for myself. A Noro spiral one skein hat no less. I'd been admiring the colours in Noro yarns for a while, so when JL had a ball reduced I snapped it up.
My one complaint regarding the Noro Silk Garden is that the yarn thickness fluctuates quite a bit (at least in the ball I had). From big fluffy clouds to a tiny skinny thread, this yarn had it all! Ps) And yes, those CDs are in alphabetical order!

London town...

2011-09-30T22:17:00.004+01:00

This time last week we were in that there London. As well as catching up with friends, we got to visit the Power of Making exhibition at the V&A. A fantastic array of different crafts on display, though it was extremely busy! A trip across the city took us to Kate's crochet market, a tongue in cheek crochet homage to the supermarket. Great stitching and I particularly like the yarn puns.
Back home in Glasgow now, it is very sunny - maybe it is time to knit a swimsuit?
A kitsch 80s charity shop find. Not quite sure it is the way forward though!

Orkney holiday knits...

2011-09-28T20:26:00.003+01:00

So I said I would share my gift knitting that I did in Orkney...
Two sets of Saartje's booties and two simple baby hats. One set in newborn, and one set in baby size, using Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino. Soft & very cute!
Now with autumn here, time to knit another hat for me!

Holiday Hat!

2011-09-20T16:50:00.009+01:00

Good news! My hat was finished in time for my holidays! Bad news (well bad might be pushing it) is that it is a little big. I mean it fits, but you wouldn't want to wear it on a windy day. Good news though, as it is wool, I am hoping a hot wash will make it a bit more snug. Though there is always the risk that I might shrink it too much, and it will end up as a hat for the guinea pigs. They, of course, do not wear hats (it would mess up their hair). Also do you realise how difficult it is to take a picture of a hat whilst wearing it. After much trying, and many pictures of me frowning, I decided that the blurry picture was the best.
Holiday to Orkney was lovely, I'll let these pictures speak for themselves.
I did manage to do some holiday knitting (after all what is a holiday without knitting?). And will share this with you soon. Ps, Wacky Wendy Woo sent me a link to the most amazing thing - a knitted garden! You can read more about the project here.

Gentle knitting...

2011-09-03T17:26:00.006+01:00

After a busy few weeks, time for some gentle knitting. Firstly off the needles my second herringbone rib sock. The first sock was finished last November!
They really shouldn't have taken as long as they did, though I managed to lose them in the abyss that is the spare room, which is my excuse and I'm sticking to it. If I hadn't had such a long break whilst making these, I'm sure I would have found them much easier. The pattern is well written and relatively straightforward, however it took me a while to get the herringbone rib pattern memorised. And then by the time I'd remembered it, I then put the half-finished socks away for months and months, so that by the time I looked at them again, I had forgotten the pattern!
Because of this there are a few holes, or shall we say - personal design touches? But as they are for me, I really don't mind. Next on the needles is another project for me. I'd read some great reviews of The Gentle Art of Knitting by Jane Brocket, and I also enjoy reading her yarnstorm blog, so I treated myself to the book. After admiring the many lovely patterns, I've picked the simple squishy slouchy hat to start, using some Patons Moorland Tweed DK that my mum gave to me.
The pattern is nice and simple, perfect knitting whilst watching the TV. And the yarn is quite pretty, with flecks of colour throughout. I wonder if I can get my hat finished for my holiday?

If tears could build a stairway...

2011-09-02T23:15:00.006+01:00

I recently made a cross-stitch for my mum, based on a poem she saw on a plate.

I used KG-Chart for cross stitch package to make the chart, and am happy with how it turned out. I have attached a pdf of the chart to my craftster post here should you want to do something similar.

6 years and counting...

2011-08-25T18:29:00.005+01:00

In a bright, bright box lurks a secret.
A project started 6 years ago, when we lived in a cold, cold flat.
Now I've found out this work in progress - shall I finish it by this winter? Is 6 years a record for finishing a crochet project?

What is the colour of...

2011-08-19T17:16:00.006+01:00

Colour is such an emotive interesting thing. We all know the colour of a russet apple...
But what is the colour of freedom?
I saw the link for the color of program on iHanna's blog. It is such an enjoyable site and it is fascinating to see the colour build. Maybe this is what synaethesia feels like?

Magic Feather project...

2011-08-15T11:23:00.005+01:00

My aim yesterday was to take part in a day in the life, organised by the lovely Frayed at the Edges. However, I overindulged on Saturday night, which meant that I spent the majority of Sunday snoozing in bed. My craft mojo took until Match of the Day 2 to appear, when I read about the Magic Feather project.
The project is organised by Spirit Cloth, with the aim to collect 1000 stitched feathers from around the world. She asks that the cloth is recycled, luckily I have lots of fabrics that I just can't bear to throw away. I picked this kitsch fabric, it was a top that I wore until it fell apart, beyond repair.I like the bright 70s inspired pattern. For my feather, I picked a plain brown embroidery thread to match the print. My feather can now fly away to New York.

Silver Darlings!

2011-08-11T20:33:00.004+01:00

Another call from the fish exchange - this time for the Isle of Skye Bonnie Boat event for the year of the Scottish Islands.
This time the fish need to be sparkly, to welcome the Celeste into Portree harbour. In my yarn stash I found some white acrylic with a silver thread running through - perfect!
I used the same pattern as before, but only 20 rows of 40 stitches in the middle, to make it the required size.
For full details of the project see here and here. Now to send the fish to Skye!

Guinea pig wash cloths...

2011-08-08T11:51:00.007+01:00

I have been knitting away creating more baby washcloths for gifts using this pattern from Kris Knits. And then I wondered, could I make a different picture? What to do, what to do, I wondered. And then a brainwave, being a cavy slave - a guinea pig!
I made a chart of the even rows, and got to it. The green dots indicate to knit, purl on the blanks and purl on the red dots (I just put the eyes and ears as red to highlight them).
And the result... It is not perfect, but trying to pixelate a guinea pig is quite difficult, what with them being essentially furry potatoes.
I should point out that this guinea pig wash cloth - is not for washing the guinea pigs! As they really wouldn't appreciate that!
This week I am mostly attempting to get organised. So far I have only managed to get my sewing threads in order... Wish me luck!

My ode to Kapp'n

2011-08-02T11:17:00.005+01:00

The lovely Heart & Lungs zine had a request for stories from the sea for issue 2. After a wee thought, kapp'n came to mind.
Kapp'n is a turtle who appears in the Nintendo game Animal Crossing. In the Game Cube version, when you attached your GameBoy Advance, you got access to an extra island, and kapp'n would gladly take you over on his little boat. He would sing sea shanties as you made your way across, about love or cucumbers (or ocassionally both). This morning Heart & Lungs issue 2 landed on my doorstep, and amongst the beautiful illustrations, interviews and stories, there inside is my ode to kapp'n.
You can purchase Heart & Lungs here, and even have a sneaky peak inside here. Go on.

The sensu-wool world!

2011-07-28T22:37:00.005+01:00

On Monday morning I had a very pleasant surprise, I discovered that I'd won a giveaway from A Playful Day - a skein of Super Knits Bessie in Kate Bush.
The Playful Day podcast has been going for a few months, and I have become an regular listener. It has a great mix of yarn reviews, knitting news, greentrianglegirl's knitting progress, food & drink and general playful fun! Super Knits is a lovely yarn company based in the West Midlands. When it was first mentioned on A Playful Day I spent some time drooling over the website and admiring the colour names - she studied sculpture anyone? So I was super happy to win a skein of sock yarn. Gemma from Super Knits kindly got in touch to ask if I wanted it sent as a skein or wound in to a ball, and for all I love the look of a skein, I do get a bit tangled, so I asked for it as a ball. It arrived this morning & it is very pretty. 425 meters of 75% superwash blue faced Leicester & 25% nylon. And most importantly I can confirm it is super squishy!
Close up yarn porn picture next....
Now to get a few projects finished, so I can settle down and make myself some socks for when I go running up that hill!
I spent ages thinking of the Kate Bush pun that is the title of this post. If you can think of anything better please let me know...

Sunshine & finger puppets!

2011-07-25T11:56:00.008+01:00

Yesterday was the last day of the Merchant city festival. I must say with the sun shining Glasgow scrubs up pretty well. There were stalls, music, a parade, pole vaulting, plus a caravan being pimped!
We saw comedian David Kay (see the very funny Freedom) in Make It Glasgow. It was very civilised with tea and scones, and afterwards we all got to make our very own finger puppet of David Kay!
I think mr crafty captured his hair perfectly! Also this week I sent in my very first entry for write in for writing' sake. By giving a topic and a deadline, they help to inspire writers. The title was headhunting, and you can read my entry here.

Ribbon woven QR code

2011-07-23T19:48:00.008+01:00

I saw this QR-3D project on Rockpool Candy's blog and wondered if a ribbon woven QR code would work. Firstly I created a QR code here (for this very blog!), and transferred the code to squared paper, so that I could follow the pattern easier. QR codes are made up a grid of 33 x 33. So I laid down 33 strips of white ribbon, and set to work weaving the black ribbon in.Finally finished! Interestingly the ribbon woven QR code doesn't scan, but a photo of it does. I wonder if this is because at a smaller resolution it hides the imperfections? I quite like the look at the underside - a QR code in negative.

Cows & Cross stitch!

2011-07-18T23:16:00.005+01:00

At the weekend I went to MK, to take part in the Midnight Moo. A 10 mile, female only walk around Milton Keynes to raise money for Willen Hospice, a very very worthy cause. The walk passes Milton Keynes's most famous residents - the concrete cows!
Whilst down south we popped to MK Gallery. This is a beautiful building, it really works well with the surrounding city centre. And mr crafty was even wearing matching clothes!
The show currently on is exploring the work of eight artists who come from MK. One of the artists is the very talented Mr X Stitch. His spam email cross stitches are great, and I just love the use of the hoops as frames.
I also really enjoyed Emma Wilde's meticulous drawings of MK roadsides and Lauren Keeley's haunting paintings. And now, I really must rest my legs after all that walking!

Zines and new arrivals...

2011-07-13T21:14:00.007+01:00

This week I have been reading zines. The lovely Heart & Lungs, a joyful collection of illustration, information, advice, bears and beards.And the delightful Green Bean, a super pretty insight into Katie Green Bean's new house, cake recipe, book reviews and super cute piglets.
I have also been knitting baby washcloths, from this great pattern from Kris Knits. As I currently have six pregnant friends, and there are only so many blankets and booties I can knit!
Speaking on new arrivals, on the roof of the tenements opposite, I have been watching a little seagull chick getting a little bit stronger and braver each day.
Surely it is time to fledge soon?

An ode to silliness...

2011-07-04T08:23:00.008+01:00

On ravelry in the British Knitters group there was a thread regarding the new Astounding Knits book (see ten projects here). A few people felt that this did nothing to inspire knitters, that this kind of thing gave knitting a bad name and that they disliked knitting with no practical use. I for one, am just the opposite. Life can be pretty tough and harsh at the best of times. So I am all for a little bit of silliness or whimsy. I think these projects do inspire, they help to push the boundaries of what you can do with needles and yarn. And to the idea that they have no practical use, they do have function - they may make us laugh and think. Surely these are important? Being a little silly is very important. I for one, have spent the weekend using my knitted fishy as an air guitar or kipper tie (thanks to mr crafty for being my model).
Watched jousting and seen a little medieval craft.
And finished reading issue six of oh comely magazine. A magazine that describes itself as 'about people and their quirks and creativity, rather than money and what it can buy'. What a nice sentiment, now if only the rest of the world was like that.

A day on Lindisfarne...

2011-07-03T19:25:00.007+01:00

Lindisfarne is a very special place. So rich in history, and so very pretty too.
As well as looking at the fine scenery, I was on the look out for textiles. In the Lindisfarne centre was a quilt by Joan Tunstall, depicting a page from the Lindisfarne gospels.
Within Lindisfarne castle, some fantastic textiles, and a very fetching original William Morris sofa.
Also on the island I couldn't help but notice some sheep, who seemed rather relieved that they had lost their woolly coats. Now I wonder if the fleece is off to make something special?

Textiles at Bamburgh Castle

2011-07-03T18:16:00.005+01:00

This time last week we were in a very hot car, on a very hot day, on our way to Bamburgh - a very pretty village in Northumberland.
A trip around the castle revealed some wonderful textiles.
Tapestries.
A curtain made by Russian prisoners, from their uniforms, during the Crimean war.
And an embroidery, similar in style to the Bayeux tapestry. Beautiful!

There is something fishy going on...

2011-07-01T14:37:00.008+01:00

The Museum of Scottish Lighthouses are currently having a knautical knitting project, as part of the fish exchange with Deirdre Nelson. I decided to join in the fun and create a fish.
Those with eagle eyes will notice that fish photo shoot involves a bread knife - as vegetarians we don't own a fish knife! This was the pattern I created for my fish, using double knit wool and stockinette stitch. Start knitting at the tail by casting on 32 stitches. For increases I used pfb and kfb, for decreases k2tog and p2tog.
The fish outsides don't look too fish shaped, due to them curling up, but once sewn together and stuffed, it becomes a beast! My fish measures approximately 47cm x 17cm. Earlier on in the week we went on a boat trip around the Farne Islands, I'm sure some of these birds and seals would appreciate such a large fish - however I'm not sure the stuffing would taste that great!

Forth Valley Open Studios

2011-06-20T13:22:00.007+01:00

On a rather drizzly Saturday we got in the car to head off to visit some open studios in central Scotland. With the help of the brochure we had a route planned to try and see as much as possible.
We started off at West Moss-Side in Thornhill. A beautiful space hidden at the end of a single farm track. I particularly enjoyed Anthea Naylor's willow pigs and chickens, these would be a fantastic addition to any garden. Whilst Charmian Pollok creates handmade papers in conjunction with found objects to create thought provoking work.
Nearby, we went to Diana Hand's studio, there were vibrant printed velvets, printmaking and a very impressive horse sculpture. Our next highlight was over at Delta Studios in Larbert, here was the showcase exhibition, with work from all the artists taking part displayed. We finished our day the other side of the Firth of Forth in Alva, looking at the fun textiles (and cute dog!) from At 4 below, and captivating tapestries of Louise Martin. These open studios really highlight the wealth of talent in the area, it is just a shame we didn't have time to visit more. I forgot to take picture of the studios - you will have to click on the links, though I did manage to take a picture of this curious cow!

Comics and Crochet

2011-06-17T16:03:00.006+01:00

When I was little, me and my brothers were avid readers of the Beano and the Dandy. Pocket money was spent on the comics and Christmas time meant that we got the annuals. I was even a member of the Dennis the Menace fanclub (D.I.N.G...). As we grew older these comics started to seem childish. Whilst my brothers progressed on to Marvel comics and the like, I was left with cheesy comic strip photo stories in Jackie magazine. So by the time I was in my teens, reading comics just wasn't for me anymore. In more recent years, film has got me reading comics again. Ghost World, American Splendor and Persepolis are all great graphic novels that have crossed over in to film. One of my favourite books that I have read this year is a comic strip (Psychiatric Tales by Darryl Cunningham if you are wondering). And yet girls and women don't really talk (at least not in public) about reading comics. Team Girl Comic is a local all-female comic collective trying to get more females (young & old) creating comics. On Tuesday as part of Glasgow Comic Con they held a workshop asking 'what do women and girls want from comics, and what are we going to do about it'.
It was a really interesting event, and produced quite a bit of discussion. From a bit of the history of girl comics throughout the years, encouraging comic reading in the curriculum, comic book stores, to creating comic strips as a way of communication. An encouraging statistic was that 40% of the Dandy's current readership is female. I must admit on my way home I had a quick flick through the Dandy in WH Smiths (yes, I do realise that I am going to be 32 next week!). Desperate Dan has had a makeover, and Harry Hill has his own comic strip - things have certainly changed!
PS, I think I have finally figured what a double and what a treble is! :)

Crochet after the rabbit hole...

2011-06-14T11:38:00.003+01:00

After a weekend spent Doune the Rabbit Hole, I was pretty darn tired.
Some easy crafting was needed. I managed to get some crochet squares done for Homemade Hugs. They are collecting 8x8 inch squares (knit or crochet) to make blankets to send to Japan to help people affected by the earthquake and tsunami. They hope to send the blankets to a children's charity, see here for more details.
I get quite confused about crochet stitches and patterns. Probably due to the fact that the stitches have different names each side of the Atlantic. Using my trusty stitch directory (a wonderful charity shop purchase) I am determined to finally get these stitches remembered.
I think the key is that British stitches should sound one step longer than the equivalent American stitch. So a double crochet in the UK is actually a single crochet in America. I think anyhow!?!

C'est fini!

2011-06-09T19:56:00.007+01:00

The Op Art baby blanket is finished! All 99012 stitches of it, at roughly 110cm square.
As the pattern calls for an increase of 4 stitches each row, my inner geek created a spreadsheet so that I could keep track of my progress. Column 1 contained the number of stitches in each row (n+4), column 2 was the cumulative total and column 3 to add the date I achieved that row. And now I can plot a graph of stitches vs time!
Beautiful! The whole blanket took 51 days from cast on to cast off (average rate 1940 stitches per day). However, I only actually knitted for 32 of those 51 days (a Trekky has to rest you know), so my true average is 3094 stitches per day.
I enjoyed this knit, the pattern was very well written and easy to follow. The first couple of rows were fiddly, but after that it was nice and easy. I used 3 pink stitch markers to tell me when to increase, and a blue stitch marker to tell me to increase and switch stitch (from knit to purl or vica versa).
It was a great TV knit, as you can stop at any point in the row with no stress. As well as in front of TV, this blanket was knitted on the 42 bus, at the Yarn Cake, at Glasgow Central Stitch 'n' Bitch, on the train to Helensburgh, whilst listening to A Playful Day podcast, whilst going along the M74 (I was in the passenger seat) and even whilst watching the Eurovision song contest in Lincolnshire.
And this is just the start of this blanket's adventure, as it is now off to Berlin!

The rabbit and the hair...

2011-06-08T16:21:00.005+01:00

Mr Rabbit was worried when he saw this fluffy object arrive in the flat, "not another guinea pig please" he muttered.
Fear not Mr Rabbit, this ball of hair - is exactly that. A hair ball from some very pretty creatures at the Campsie show.
The highland cows had their hair brushed immediately before going to the judges, although I'm not sure they kept the style for long!
I was thinking that this hair may come in handy for felting or spinning. Although I think it might need a wash first, as it has that unmistakable aroma of cowpat! Also at the show was a stall from Fairly Beloved Rabbit Care. They are doing some great work promoting rabbit welfare and helping unwanted rabbits to find homes. If you live in the Glasgow area and are thinking of having a bunny, I'm sure they would love to hear from you.

Making origami bookmarks

2011-06-05T23:27:00.004+01:00

My usual bookmark is a receipt, train ticket or flyer - nothing very special. I saw these cute origami bookmarks in issue 9 of Making magazine. They are easy to make & look super cute! I used some scrap wrapping paper and an old Cath Kidston magazine. Much nicer than a tatty old receipt!

Summer Sunprints

2011-06-01T20:58:00.005+01:00

The first of June and summer is upon us. Time to create cyanotypes.
I note that the packaging stated the paper will go almost white after 1-5 minutes in the sun. They have obviously never been to Glasgow, as it took a generous 20 minutes!

A feel good phone story

2011-05-31T17:48:00.008+01:00

I once had a very sad phone. Its cover was boring and black, scratched and scuffed.
The phone being very clever, and full of internets and wizardry, told me about a new magazine called Mollie Makes.
The phone knew that the magazine had a special free gift - all the things you needed to make a very pretty phone cover. The phone set to work, hinting that maybe I should make this cover.
After all even birds wearing berets made this cover.
The phone knew that I liked felt, bright colours and buttons - so it didn't take long to persuade me. So I set to work, adding purple felt and using pinking shears. Everyone knows that pinking shears are far superior in the scissor world and not just because of their rather grand name, but because of their perfect zig-zag ridges.
Now the magazine provided a button and a nice button it was.
However the phone wanted the button to be more than just nice, it wanted it to be perfect. It tried out many buttons before deciding on its favourite.
The phone then supervised the stitches, making sure they were not too long, not too short, but just right.
And then when it was all finished, the phone popped inside to try it out.
Now my phone is much happier, in its cozy cute cover. Thank you Mollie Makes!

Picasso inspired pen holder?

2011-05-26T22:56:00.006+01:00

Long ago last November I did a supplementary weaving course at Stirling Castle. Creating extra warps offers opportunities to create 3-D shapes and organic forms. It can be a little fiddly, and at times I wished I had another pair of hands. Here are the two samples I created finally finished. The first looks to me like a Picasso face!
It could be used as a rather elaborate pen holder! The second sample has supplementary warps overlapping, and reminds me of a door bolt.

Llamas rule!

2011-05-25T22:47:00.004+01:00

Imagine if Llamas could write...
It looks very tiring. This fantastic llama font was found over on one sheepish girl. In my little dream world, I would have a menagerie full of guinea pigs, llamas, alpacas and capybaras. It would be amazing!

A Coptic Cavy

2011-05-23T12:53:00.005+01:00

This weekend I went on a coptic weaving course at Stirling Castle with the lovely Louise Martin. Coptic weaving was great fun and I particularly liked learning how to make loops and different joins.
It was my first attempt at using a linen warp (rather than my usual cotton). I am finding that I have a tendency to warp up quite tight, and I soon learnt that the linen was not quite so forgiving - leading to some rather sore fingers! Leading on from the coptic sample, I decided on a design. Inspired by images of coptic rabbits, I settled on a guinea pig. I realise that guinea pigs were on the wrong continent for coptic weaving, but I like this mishmash. Also as guinea pigs have much smaller ears and generally a big round squidgy body, I think they will be easier to weave!
Here is my progress with the gp template from my guinea pig Christmas tree decorations - I just knew that template would come in handy one day! Speaking of squeaky beasts, our new boys now have names, Mark and Jeremy (of Peep Show fame), and a new cozy bed.

Tapestries and Trees at Hopetoun House

2011-05-19T22:35:00.012+01:00

Today I went on an adventure to Hopetoun House for a regional meeting of the British Tapestry Group.
Hopetoun House is a grand property with lavish gardens. Textile conservator Alison Docherty treated us to a behind the scenes look at the how the tapestries are cleaned and conserved. It was fascinating to see how the tapestries are restored to improve appearance and help to prevent any further damage.
After a very pleasant lunch, in what was originally some very fancy stables, I went for a walk around the grounds. The estate is vast, varied and quite spectacular.
When I see bluebells carpeting the floor, it makes me think of the The Magic Faraway Tree books by Enid Blyton. And I wonder if this table and chairs are for a teddy bears picnic?
I love the contrast of the landscape with the forth road bridge in the background. A bridge I can not look at with out thinking of the 39 steps!

New friends and knitting progress

2011-05-17T20:30:00.002+01:00

On Sunday we collected two new cute guinea pigs from this great rescue. The boys (formerly known as Tom & Jerry, but currently nameless) are settling in and providing great entertainment whilst I knit away.
The end is almost in sight with the baby blanket. I have just started the penultimate colour band. Each row is now over 700 stitches, with 46 rows left to do, I have passed the 62,000 stitches mark.
Must keep knitting!

Crafts in the East Midlands

2011-05-17T11:52:00.009+01:00

At the weekend we went down south and saw this beautiful swan on the way.
A trip to Sleaford took us to the hub, where there was an exhibition of the best craft and design talent in the East Midlands.
Delicate floral stitching from Kumi Middleton.
Porcelain origami from Michelle Arieu.
Organic swirling willow forms from Laura Ellen Bacon.
Textured fused glass from Ann Povey.
Using acrylic as a construct for weaving from Jennie Merriman.
And an ethereal flowing headdress from Sarah Cant. Also in the hub I found a very detailed knitted version of the local church.
In the local mill I found some more traditional crafts - some corn dollies.
I remember attempting to make these at primary school. I think that it is a pagan custom to make a corn dolly with the last sheaf of cut corn to please the corn spirits and to ensure a good harvest each year. There is a Guild of Straw Craftsmen to try to keep this craft alive.

My very first handspun knitting!

2011-05-10T19:10:00.008+01:00

Learning to spin has been on my to-do list for a long time. So when I saw that Make it Glasgow were having a free workshop on learning how to use a drop spindle as part of voluntary arts week, I just had to have a go.
I arrived not knowing one end of a spindle from another, and left with my very own yarn! Tuition was provided by Ashley, who talked me through the process. We were using some lovely undyed Shetland from Scottish Fibres.
Getting used to feel of turning the spindle took some practice, but I got there.
It was quite relaxing to stand and spin, knowing that you were creating a unique yarn by a method that has been used for thousands of years. In the end I had managed to create a small ball of yarn.
And as with most things, this ball looked better with googly eyes.
As this was my first attempt the thickness did vary quite a bit, but when I plied the yarn together, it became much more uniform (though not completely!). I used the 2-ply yarn to knit a swatch.
The resulting fabric is very strong and rugged, quite like a Shetland sheep really.
My efforts this afternoon have created a 5cm x 6cm piece of knitting. At this rate it may take some time to create a jumper from handspun!

Keep calm...

2011-05-07T19:33:00.004+01:00

Oh the fun you can have with this. In other news I am now past the 40,000 stitches mark in the Op Art Baby Blanket.
Also the lovely Made in the Shade peeps have created a fantastic guide to Glasgow - with even a few places I have yet to visit!

Flemish Baroque Guinea Pigs!

2011-05-05T13:44:00.007+01:00

For my UWA I needed to look at some northern baroque art. Off I went on a sunny day to Kelvingrove which has a large collection of Dutch art.
I wandered around trying to pick a painting to look at in detail. There are wonderful pieces from Rembrandt, Ruysch and de Lairesse to name a few. However it was a collaboration piece by Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Brueghel that caught my eye.

Rubens and Brueghel - Nature adorned by the three Graces, 1615
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow

A classical inspired statue of a multi-breasted mother nature, surrounded by mythical characters and a huge garland of fruit and vegetables. Standing in front of the painting I noted the variety of produce - pumpkins, peaches, plums, artichokes, cabbages, carrots, turnips, wheat, apples, pears, lemons, oranges, cherries etc. Also painted are a monkey, a squirrel, a parrot and in the bottom right hand corner two guinea pigs! Firstly I wasn't too sure of it was guinea pigs, but there are definitely no tails, and the body shape is right, and they are sitting eating podded peas.
The painting is from 1615, at this time Amsterdam was a wealthy port. Guinea pigs were first brought to Europe by traders after the discovery of the Americas. They were popular exotic pets for the upper classes, a sign of fruitfulness and apparently even Elizabeth I had a pet guinea pig. I should point out that Brueghel would have painted the guinea pigs (rather than Rubens - who painted the figures), and apparently Brueghel has painted pairs of guinea pigs in other paintings too!
Currently we are without guinea pigs, as poor Oscar had a seizure and passed away. But it seems even when I go to the gallery I am automatically drawn to them!

Craft Scotland Unite Exhibition.

2011-05-03T21:30:00.005+01:00

Craft is alive in Scotland. Currently on at the Collins Gallery is the Unite exhibition. Thirty eight makers living in Scotland display their work. The textiles obviously caught my eye. Though I should mention the fantastic ceramic books of Wendy Kershaw and the bright resin jewellery of Carla Edwards. Here are some photos to share:
Textured echo weave fabric from Cally Booker's loom.
Emma Shannon's woven brutalist architecture tower blocks.
Tapestry weaves from Fiona R Hutchison with delicate colours and an array of textures, created by using a range of fibres: cotton, linen, paper and sisal.
Strong lines and great colours from Ingrid Arthur.
And finally amazing tapestry from Joan Baxter. One piece 'The White Boat of Winter' was so inspiring and so beautiful. Whilst 'Winter Skyline' made clever use of aspen twigs. It is brilliant that the Collins Gallery continues to support craft. On a negative note, the Collins gallery is currently under threat. Let's hope that the university change their mind and keep this resource open and alive.

Moving the goal posts...

2011-05-01T23:21:00.005+01:00

The Op Art baby blanket is coming along. 29,000 stitches down, only 9,000 more until it is at the finish of the smaller size. So far this project has been quite easy. Admittedly the first couple of rows were fiddly, but now it seems plain sailing.
Increase at the stitch markers, alternate knit and purl each row. It is one of those knits you can squeeze in a bit here and there. You can do half a row and put it down, come back a while later and carry on - all without even checking the pattern. You can knit it on the bus, on the sofa, at the Yarn Cake or at Glasgow Central Stitch'n'Bitch.
With this in mind, I have decided to continue knitting to the bigger size. I think a baby would soon grow out of the smaller size, a larger blanket could be used in the toddler years, and then could be used as a throw or lap blanket thereafter. So there, I have moved the goal posts.
From an aim of 38,364 stitches to 99,012. And then once I reach that number of stitches, all I will need to cast off the 888 stitches on my needles and weave in the ends. Doesn't that sound simple? So now it is 29,000 stitches down, only 70,012 to go...

How much yarn is enough?

2011-04-30T21:26:00.003+01:00

If I had enough yarn to knit for 46 years, three months, and eleven days I would be very happy.

Wise words from Liz on this wonderful video from The Panoptican.

Patterns...

2011-04-27T18:30:00.004+01:00

At the Anni Albers exhibition there were displays of her sketchbooks. Pages of carefully crafted patterns giving an insight in to how she worked. There were pages filled with repeated typewriter letters, meticulous shapes drawn on graph paper and holes delicately pricked with a needle. On first glance these seem easy to do, but having the creativity and the plan to create compositions of these takes real skill. I attempted recreating some of these patterns, I really like how the direction that the paper is pricked creates a different effect. Beautiful and effective.

Googly Eyes!

2011-04-24T21:22:00.006+01:00

I saw this fantastic thread on Craftster, where objects had googly eyes added to them. It seems to me that this makes everything look better. I was inspired to dig out some eyes and join in the fun.
Some of these photos are from Doune castle of Monty Python and the Holy Grai l fame. Nearby we saw these adorable lambs.
And the Op Art baby blanket... It is coming along, I have switched to the 80cm cable and am now about 15,000 stitches in.

8000 stitches down. 30,000 plus to go...

2011-04-21T21:57:00.006+01:00

On Saturday I cast on for Op Art baby blanket by Melissa Dominguez available from Knitty, as a gift for some friends and their expected new arrival. The first two rows are quite fiddly - what with working in the round, increasing stitches, changing colours and all with only four stitches cast on. It soon gets much easier, and with 4 increases each row it is rapidly growing.
However I am now at the point where each row is 250+ stitches, so it is starting to take a little longer. I calculate that I have done over 8000 stitches.
To reach the small size I need another 30,000 stitches, and for the big size another 90,000 stitches! I can see why many of the reviews of the pattern on Ravelry suggest that you get sick of the blanket towards to end. I am using Sirdar Snuggly in Pixie and Baby bear colours as it is for a little boy. I started out using Pony double pointed 20cm bamboo needles, but have treated myself to Knit Pro interchangeables from the lovely Yarn Cake. The circulars are making life much easier and hopefully I will get the blanket finished before their baby is due!

New Lanark

2011-04-20T22:44:00.003+01:00

New Lanark is a special place. Robert Owen was ahead of his time, one of the founders of socialism and the cooperative movement. His influence can be seen today in education, health, well-being and workers rights. The Falls of Clyde are as magnificent today as there were when Turner and Wordsworth viewed them. A very inspiring visit.

Mr Lemon compliments you!

2011-04-14T23:00:00.006+01:00

In a wander around Plan B books a comic entitled 'I love dinosaurs, and they love me' caught my eye. It is by the very talented Lizz Lunney. I found myself purchasing another of her titles online and got a rather fetching free sticker!
PS, if anyone ever spent their childhood drawing silly glasses and moustaches on newspapers and magazines, then the annotated weekender is for you.

A-maize-ing!

2011-04-14T21:32:00.003+01:00

Today Oscar had some sweetcorn.
I took far too many photos.
And Mr Crafty showed me how to sew it all together.
Enjoy!

Anni Albers exhibition

2011-04-12T20:56:00.006+01:00

Anni Albers was one of the most important textile artists of the 20^th century. From her early days studying at the Bauhaus, to her printmaking in later life, Albers created exciting new works, pushed boundaries and evaluated how we look at objects around us. As the first ever weaver to have a solo exhibition at MoMA, Albers also helped to raise the presence of textiles as art. Last month I visited the Dovecot gallery in Edinburgh to see the 'Inspired by: the legacy of Anni Albers' exhibition. This exhibition itself contains two separate entities. Firstly an introduction to the work of Anni Albers. An insight in to her methods of working, examples of her textiles, prints and jewellery. The samples and sketches fascinated me, a real peek into her starting blocks for creating.

The second room, looked at how contemporary textile artists are inspired by Albers, confirming her lasting legacy as an innovative and inspiring artist. There was an amazing triaxal weave by Laura Thomas. The complementary colours of yellow and aubergine draw you to this piece and it reminded me of quilted tumbling blocks or entralac knitting.
The bold colours of the Wallace Sewell cloth jump out, it is as if Paul Smith and tartan have collided.
Whilst an installation called Sanctums by Fiona Mathison distorts the senses. A forest of vertical poles with horizontal wrappings fill a space, whilst boxes on the wall contain small tapestries and mirrors.
As I looked closer to the tapestries, I found myself feeling as if I was a contained within this special place. And, inspiringly, it made me want to find the time to weave.

Darkly Crafted Fairytales...

2011-04-09T22:46:00.004+01:00

If you go down to the Virgina Gallery today, you're sure of a big surprise... An amazing show inspired by fairy tales and folklore. Including some wonderful crochet creatures by Judy van Button. A spider sitting on its web, a wolf, an owl and even a sloth!
Check out Judy's website for more fantastic crochet. Also on display was a beautiful knitted lace red riding hood by Ashley Holdsworth of Make it Glasgow.
The show is on till the end of the month, check it out if you can!

Good advice...

2011-04-08T18:52:00.005+01:00

Last night we went to see the very funny & very lovely Josie Long. She not only gave out free zines with some great advice...
She also finished the gig in a beer garden nearby after running over time. Now that is being honourable.

Bunny Power (plus a little guinea pig power too!)

2011-03-31T18:50:00.003+01:00

The amazingly talented Carla Sonhiem has a 5 second tutorial on her blog to create Easy Tombo Bunnies! I just had to have a go. Using watercolour paper, a black felt pen & a brush...
I like how the different colours come from the black pen; blues, greys, purple. Now my bunnies may not be anatomically correct, but I think they look happy enough! Though maybe I should add whiskers?
Of course, I couldn't have rabbits without guinea pigs, so here is a cavy...
And yes, I realise he doesn't have any legs, but most of the time guinea pigs look like furry potatoes anyhow! Check out Carla's tutorial and share your bunnies!

Alone...

2011-03-28T22:55:00.005+01:00

One of my favourite things to do on my days off work is to go out for lunch on my own. Just me on a Monday or Tuesday, and the company of a good book. Daydreaming whilst watching people busy about. There is a feeling of luxury about this, peaceful, definite 'me time'. This video from Tanya Davis and Andrea Dorfman sums up that feeling perfectly.

Speaking of alone, more guinea pig trauma. Godber passed away on Friday. Sudden, unexpected. Died of a broken heart.
So for now it is just Oscar, alone.
We shall let him settle in properly before thinking about a friend.

The Spreull Family and their knitted stockings

2011-03-28T11:38:00.008+01:00

Every time I go to the Hunterian Art Gallery I am drawn to a painting by David Allan of The Spreull Family.

David Allan - The Spreull Family, 1793
Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, Glasgow

Not because of the size (though at 117cm x 154cm it is huge), nor the detailing of the landscape, nor the expressions on the sitters faces, nor the little girl sitting on the floor staring into the distance, not even the gun dog on the right. I am drawn to this painting because the older lady has in her lap on double pointed knitting needles the start of some socks! Actually they are probably stockings, as apparently socks were rarely worn in the 18th century.

The artist David Allan (1744 - 1796) studied at the Foulis academy in Glasgow. Allan spent ten years living and painting in Italy, before returning, firstly to London and then back to Scotland. He became renowned for his genre paintings or conversation pieces, usually of families in informal settings (such as this painting). The family were the Spreull family, the father is James, graduate of Glasgow University, City Chamberlain and Superintendent of the Clyde. With his bright red hunting jacket, the vast landscape and size of the painting, this is all about James showing off his wealth and power. His wife Margaret (McCall) sits with their three eldest children (records show that they went on to have ten children in total). And to the very left of the picture, looking rather sternly, with knitting in her lap is Hannah (Park), James's mother.

Stockings were worn by everyone and without the advent of lyrca or nylon, they were made to fit the leg, narrower at the knee and ankle, and wider at the calf and thigh. Very poor people may have had stockings cut from woven cloth, rather than knitted. These would not have stretched very well, and may have been uncomfortable, so knitted stockings were preferable. Stockings could be machine knitted, as a stocking frame had been invented in 1589 by William Lee. The story is that Lee invented it to get revenge on his girlfriend who preferred to spend her time knitting rather than attending to him! By the mid-18th century machine knitted stockings were commonplace. So much so that hand knitters of stockings would, despite knitting in the round, imitate a seam by adding a line of purl stitches. Usual stitches for stockings were stockinette stitch (I assume this is were it gets its name from) or 1x or 2x rib. Fancy 'clocks' (patterns or motifs) were knitted by use of purl stitches or embroidered on to the finished stockings. I wonder what Hannah's finished stockings were like? And was she just desperate to get back to her knitting rather than posing for a painting? Note: for an 18th century stocking pattern see here.

Post a Patch!

2011-03-27T13:16:00.003+01:00

I have lots of yarn. It is true. I get far too excited when I see some on sale or in a charity shop and I buy it. I put it away in the craft room (I mean 'spare' room) and generally forget about it. That is why knitting patches for great causes is a fantastic stash buster - plus you get the warm feeling of doing something good. So as well as at the moment knitting sqaures for Japan with Homemade Hugs, I also knitted four patches for the Post a Patch project from i heart... Knit or crochet 10cm x 10cm patches are turned in to blankets to help two fantastic charities Starter Packs Glasgow and So Go and Run Free.
As the patches are quite small they were quick and easy to do, and will be put in the post tomorrow. If you are ever trying to knit a square and unsure of how many stitches to cast on, try this method. You will get the perfect size square every time!

cast on 3
skip 1, k1, make 1, knit to end of row
repeat this until the side of the square is as big as you require!
knit 2 rows straight
skip 1, knit 2 tog, knit to end of row
repeat this until 3 stitches remain
cast off

Note the slip stitch at the start of each row gives a neater edge. Enjoy!

The tale of the corduroy and the chewing gum...

2011-03-26T15:07:00.005Z

So I once had a pair of corduroy trousers. Not just any corduroy trousers... M&S corduroy trousers no less.
Corduroy: the cloth of geography school teachers, hard wearing and functional. With its pleasing parallel lines. Note in Denmark it is called jernbanefløjl, literally translating as railway velvet. An understated cloth.
One day whilst wearing my corduroy trousers, I lent against a wall. Nothing too sinister there you may think, however when I went to move, I realised to my horror that I now had chewing gum stuck to my trousers!
Now chewing gum to any clothes is bad enough; but with corduroy's ridges chewing gum is its evil enemy.
Trying not to panic I followed every tip I could find to remove the gum. I froze the trousers, I chipped away at it, I washed the trousers, I added salt, I added fairy liquid - but to no avail. The gum was stuck. In a rage I cut off the offending lower leg of the trousers.
This was not a good look and one fashion trend that was just not going to happen. So I decided to turn the remains of my corduroy trousers in to a skirt. First I trimmed the other leg.
Ripped open the inner leg seams.
Trimmed any excess fabric to make a triangle shaped hole. Using some Ikea patterned fabric created two triangles to fit in front and back.
Zigzagged all the edges and sewed up. Finally I added a row of yellow stitching all around the hem of the skirt to decorate and help marry up the pattern with the plain cord. Gum fail = skirt win!

Party Rings & Custard Creams!

2011-03-22T09:57:00.006Z

On a wee trip to Edinburgh on Saturday I stopped by at Craft House Concept. A lovely shop featuring all manner of beautiful must-haves. I spotted this amazing print by Emily MacKenzie and just had to buy it. For so many reasons...
Party rings are an old-school classic biscuit, and so hard to come by these days. Malted milks for the great little farmyard scene on them. Bourbons were a necessity during my vegan years as a chocolate fix (as most brands are vegan). The humble custard cream... I could go on and on with my love for a fine biscuit! Some great biscuit related links are a nice of tea and a sit down and the rather inspiring, if a little silly, pimp that snack. Also spotted in the capital - Royal Wedding material!
My goodness, who wouldn't want to make an rather fetching outfit out of this stuff???

New Friend...

2011-03-21T22:25:00.003Z

A trip to the SSPCA led us to Oscar. A lovely little chap, though a little thin & hair nibbled. He had been dumped with 2 female guinea pigs & a rabbit in a box by the road. Hopefully him and Godber will be new best friends!

Papergirl Glasgow Exhibition!

2011-03-19T20:54:00.005Z

Remember the in bloom bicycle embroidery I did? Well it was sent off to be part of Papergirl Glasgow. A fantastic random act of kindness project, where art work is donated and then given out free by people on bicycles. See this video from the Papergirl Berlin project which explains it far better than I just did!

Paper Girl from BAM viral on Vimeo.

Anyways, last night was the exhibition launch party. It was amazing to see over 1000 pieces of art from over 100 artists adorn the walls of the LA Group, including my bicycle!
I was drawn to the other textile contributions, including some rather lovely cushion covers by Little Rhymes.
And some wonderfully stitched fabric disguised as lined paper by Lilllebe.

The Last Supper with Parrots?

2011-03-15T20:30:00.007Z

Imagine a Last Supper with parrots, buffoons, dogs, a nose bleed, drunkards and German soldiers. This would have certainly made the event more lively. Paolo Veronese (1528-1588) painted a huge canvas (17 x 42 feet) displaying just this.

Paolo Veronese - Last Supper / Feast in the House of Levi

Unfortunately the church were not too happy with this, and called Veronese in front of the Inquisition. The transcript for this still exists, and I can't help but chuckle at the thought of the Holy Office grilling Veronese on his painting. Although I am sure it can't have been much fun for him. Monty Python created a skit based on this very event.
The outcome for Veronese? He was ordered to improve and alter the painting within three months. Veronese did not do this, instead he changed the name of the painting to the Feast in the House of Levi. Veronese was a religious man, so was unlikely to have painted this to offend (interestingly Leonardo da Vinci who also painted an image of the Last Supper was apparently agnostic). Veronese's experience certainly raises questions about artistic license, and shows the power of the church at this time.

Putting things into Perspective...

2011-03-14T14:52:00.004Z

Yesterday afternoon we wandered down to David Dale Gallery. It was the last day of the Point/ Line/ Surface/ Solid from Alec MacKenzie and Dan Miller. I could help but think about my current reading for UWA. In the early 15th century, linear perspective was new. Brunelleschi and others pioneered new ways of thinking, using mathematical means and vanishing points. This was revolutionary then. It is strange to think of this as being unknown information at some point. As school children we learn about birds-eye & worms-eye views, and rows of parallel trees merging to one single disappearing point in the distance. I wonder what Brunelleschi would have made of Alec MacKenzie's large trompe l'oeil structures, with moving parts emphasising the perspective.

Alec MacKenzie - Oubliette 2011

Or Dan Miller's work concentrating on mathematical shapes, subtle colour changes and background grids.

Dan Miller - Arithmetic Composition 2010

Continuing on the putting things into perspective theme... Our day to day worries seem quite trivial compared to recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. My thoughts are with everyone affected by the current crisis. On Ravelry there has been a call for knitted squares to make blankets to try to help. See here for more information.

A Noisy alphabet & a Noisy Guinea Pig

2011-03-13T10:55:00.002Z

I found lovely illustration by Tom Gauld.
We lost McLaren yesterday.
It was a bit sudden. He was the nosiest guinea pig I have ever met. Always chirping & purring.

International Women's Day

2011-03-09T20:49:00.005Z

Yesterday the Tramway was transformed into a rainbow of stitches.
Knitted squares adorned everything.
I managed to find the squares that myself, my mum & my nan made.
And even the square made from the remains of my sock wool.
100 events to inspire & delight.
And even my embroidery with book, finally framed & on the wall.

I wish all TVs looked like this...

2011-03-07T21:01:00.002Z

Taken here.

The nude in the modern age...

2011-03-06T15:37:00.006Z

The Tramway currently has an exhibition by Keith Farquhar. More nudes in colour is a selection of flat-pack life sized cardboard sculptures.

Keith Farquhar - Bare Bum, Blue Sky

These are photographs of naked torsos covered in paint. The initial reaction is a bit of a childlike snigger. These are of course, bottoms and bits covered in paint. It looks like lots of fun, although few of us would ever strip down and paint some cycling shorts on ourselves.

Keith Farquhar - Marble Arse

The nude in art is intrinsically linked to the classical idealised body, and regarded highly. Yet these sculptures are made of cardboard, a disposable material and are given comical titles. A playful contemporary take on nude sculpture.