Some time ago I signed up to this swap, as I have a bit of a crush on Scandinavia. For my big item I knitted a Fair Isle cushion. I realise that Fair Isle is actually a Scottish island, though it has a rich Norse history. And the Fair Isle style of knitting is similar to that seen in Scandinavia.
This is actually a cheat's Fair Isle, as the hearts were made with a variegated yarn.
The pattern was by Jane Burns for Simply Knitting. Full details can be found on my Ravelry project page. My next project was some felted coasters, inspired by these by adknits. I made circle shapes from crochet using some 100% wool yarn. I then put these in the washing machine and crossed my fingers. When the spin had finished, I pull the coasters out and reshaped them. You need to tug really hard to get them back to a circle shape!
Once dry, I used some merino roving and a felting needle to add spiral shapes (watch your fingers at this point, as felting needles are really rather sharp!).
I then found my old Danish textbook (Dansk for hele verden - Danish for the whole world) and scanned in some pretty line drawings. Using paint.net I cleaned up the images, added colour, and then printed on photo paper to make some unusual cards.
For a final treat, I made some cross stitch badges. Using this pixel Viking image as a starting point, I made a Viking, heart, snowflake and a star.
It was good fun creating all these items, and I am certainly braver at trying more complex Fair Isle knitting now. I'll share what fantastic goodies my swap partner sent me soon!
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 mittens 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!
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.
This is actually a cheat's Fair Isle, as the hearts were made with a variegated yarn.
The pattern was by Jane Burns for Simply Knitting. Full details can be found on my Ravelry project page. My next project was some felted coasters, inspired by these by adknits. I made circle shapes from crochet using some 100% wool yarn. I then put these in the washing machine and crossed my fingers. When the spin had finished, I pull the coasters out and reshaped them. You need to tug really hard to get them back to a circle shape!
Once dry, I used some merino roving and a felting needle to add spiral shapes (watch your fingers at this point, as felting needles are really rather sharp!).
I then found my old Danish textbook (Dansk for hele verden - Danish for the whole world) and scanned in some pretty line drawings. Using paint.net I cleaned up the images, added colour, and then printed on photo paper to make some unusual cards.
For a final treat, I made some cross stitch badges. Using this pixel Viking image as a starting point, I made a Viking, heart, snowflake and a star.
It was good fun creating all these items, and I am certainly braver at trying more complex Fair Isle knitting now. I'll share what fantastic goodies my swap partner sent me soon!
