Hasn’t arrived.

Entry plonked in Life @ 11:23 pm

This is a nice gallery:

Entry plonked in Amigurumi • Art • Bookshelf • Crochet • Dressmaking/Costume • Embroidery/Stitching • Gallery • Interior Design • Knitting • Life • Other Sewing • Pi's Stash • Quilting/Patchwork • Reviews • Sashiko • Weaving @ 3:05 pm

Earlier in the week, our stint of sunny weather was temporarily interrupted by a few days of cloud, and the slight scent of sulphur on the air made me suspect that a little of the ash plume from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano may be drifting down to the ground all the way over here. One particular morning, the light was a little strange; everything seemed to have the golden tone that I generally only experience as evening approaches in summertime. Another thing was that the critters up in the trees seemed to go silent for a few minutes. Being outside in the daytime hadn’t felt that eerie since the last solar eclipse – they went quiet like that then too. Very odd, but could be my imagination, of course.

Still, the sun came through to encourage us into the garden this weekend. Do your eyes deceive you? Why, no! They do not: pictured above is indeed a pan full of ‘The Famous Chattelay‘! This time, the dainty dish has been prepared with forsythia, daffodil and vinca petals. Delicious! (Probably. Don’t eat this.)

Now, I learned two things with the girls this afternoon: first, I always assumed that daffodil trumpets grew separately from the petals, but they in fact form halfway along the sides of the trumpet; second, if you carefully remove the petals and pinch off the end where the stamen is rooted (these were full of insects – yeek!), you can stack one into the next with very attractive results. The girls added a vinca leaf to top it off (see the foreground of the first picture, above) and later set it into the middle of the Chattelay as a beautiful garnish. My thoughts were starting to wander…

Yes, it’s inevitable.  Sewing.

I think this stack contains about four daffodil trumpets. Facing down, it reminds me of those fantastic, swirly-hemmed gowns that I often see professional ballroom dancers wearing (behold a bright, daffodil-yellow one on this page!). The other way up, a bodice with a gloriously-frothy, off-the-shoulder neckline in chiffon ruffles or feather trim. Sheer decadence.

As for colours, I fancy something bright and cheerful with my golden petals and sulphur today. I like the periwinkle shade the girls put with their yellow trumpets and I think I’d also go for some obvious choices: azure or cerise. If we are talking drama, it would also be wonderful with black, of course. Very slick. …I really do like bright yellow and black together; I used those colours to grab attention when I used to sell on that auction website – lots of black, and just enough gold to add zing (the products themselves were very mundane: small household gadgets). Gosh, I had forgotten all about that. Well, either I was lucky or the design worked to encourage buyers into the shop, because everything sold very quickly even though there were two other sellers undercutting me at the time (including my US-based supplier who jumped into the UK marketplace after he saw what was happening – bah!). So, yes, black and gold can be extraordinarily good in design.

As far as that ruffly neckline is concerned, I do fancy trying that sometime when I have an occasion dress to make, preferably for me!  ;o)

Entry plonked in Dressmaking/Costume • Life @ 4:51 pm
Tagged thusly: colour schemes, design ideas, inspiration, ruffles

With less than a month to go until Flame’s 8th birthday, I thought it wise to sit down and plan what to do. I had grand ideas of a purple and gold cake with a paisley design, but then came back to reality and thought Flame would probably prefer something with flowers and butterflies. I’d like some of the design to be three-dimensional, so the plan is to roll out some icing and then use cutters to get the shaping right, with a little bit of tweaking to get them to stand proud of the cake surface. I found a set of different butterfly cutters on eBay this morning, and so I have a starting point.

This evening, I decided to see if I might be any good at making flowers… Er, without any tools whatsoever! I think the result looks passable for a family cake. I am also bearing in mind that the recipient doesn’t have high hopes thanks to my disastrous attempt at making a Powerpuff Girls cake for her birthday one year (very long ago, and yet she still hasn’t forgotten!). I bought supermarket cakes for a few birthdays after that so we could all get over the negative experience!!

I used a little wodge of ready to roll fondant icing to try out this rose. I rolled an egg shape in my palms, made it a bit pointy at one end, then impaled it on a skewer. Next, I squidged petal shapes between my fingers and gradually wrapped them round individually to make the flower. It looks chunkier than I’d like, and there’s a lot of icing gunked up at the back, but then I was only using my fingers – if I got a proper set of tools and maybe some petal cutters, I’m sure I could do better. I’m not going as far as to do all the petal veining as I think that would be overkill for a complete beginner like me.

So the plan is to do a simple white cake with the sorts of flowers we have in the garden. I’m probably not going to do roses on the cake after all, because I want to concentrate on the kinds of flowers that little girls pick and bring to their mums, like forget-me-nots and pansies. Having said that, I will have to see what’s available at the sugarcraft emporium… I’d really like to do dandelions, but I bet I can’t get cutters for that, with it being a weed and all!

Anyway, I won’t post anymore on this topic until after the birthday candles are all blown out, in case Flame looks over my shoulder and discovers my secret plans…!

Entry plonked in Life @ 8:50 pm

When you have lemons, you can always make lemonade; when your garden is abundantly filled with dandelions about to go to seed, you can take out a frying pan and make Flame’s ‘Famous Chattelay’ (definitely French-sounding!). It looks like there’s going to be some sort of stew for pudding too…

We spent a sunny day mowing the lawn, replacing some worn parts on the swing and exploring the woodland next to us. Some branches I had used to mend a hole in our fence had gone missing last year and I was worried that someone had taken them away so they could wreak havoc in our garden, etc., but it turned out they had been snaffled by persons unknown (although I have my suspicions!) to make a shelter in the middle of the spinney. They’d done a pretty good job actually – shame they didn’t have any good foliage to make it waterproof too! As a response, I’m going to put some more big prunings by the fence to see it they want to enlarge the shelter with it.

It was so great to have a picnic in the garden and go barefoot again. All my fruit trees are blossoming too. Ah, I love this time of year.

Entry plonked in Life @ 9:21 pm

I think I’m starting to get it. The problem with my previous attempts at cake decorating was that I didn’t think very carefully before I started, and I didn’t allow much time to do the actual work. Although today’s fare was quick to produce, I had been thinking about what to do for some time. I made two versions: the first was fully loaded with sugary stuff and the other was decorated with just a few scattered flowers. Today’s question on The Know Your Blogger Show: Which cake do you think I would rather eat?

Flame’s birthday is coming soon, so I need to think about what I am going to do for her birthday cake, and make sure I have everything I need to make it (including the skills – I must practice!) in plenty of time, or things will be, well, how shall I put this? Less than perfect. No, this will need planning down to the smallest detail, and enough time has to be left to make a second one in case the first attempt has to be thrown across the room!

Rather than being obsessed with (my apparent lack of ability in) cake decorating, I’ve actually been interested in looking at how various crafts approach detail for some time. I like to look at couture sewing books for guidance on proper construction, knitting and crochet stitch references to see what is possible, quilting books to see how the various layers of a quilt are arranged and fixed together, and so on. For the past few weeks, through, I’ve been very preoccupied with detail not from a constructional point of view as I was before, but more as an attractive embellishment such as a little embroidered motif, and particularly on the smaller types of craft where everything is scaled down and thus likely to be scrutinised more closely because of it. I have gone from hats with crocheted motifs down to the small beaded basket I made for Lam the other week. I’m definitely scaling down my crafting lately.

Also, now we are having the occasional very sunny day, I’m getting the urge to sew again. Sewing is summer to me. I want a pouch for my crochet hooks, and a roll or folder for the knitting needles. I’ve got some linen and plan to sew it with some cute cotton prints, maybe with a small bit of appliqué or embroidery. I haven’t got time to do it right now, as the Birthday Season is well under way and I have a lot of things to make, but as soon as I have some ‘me time’ again, this is what I’m planning to do with it.

Oh, and in case you were wondering which cake I ate, it was the one decorated with flowers – I don’t like icing very much…

Entry plonked in Life @ 10:43 pm
Tagged thusly: cupcakes, fairy cakes

This new hat is all summer and sunshine. I love it to bits!

Having completed the Loose Change Basket, I was rather keen to get back to making those coasters I was imagining. Just one would be nice. In fact, I could make it a little larger and use it as a cake-stand-doily-thing. Or something. Maybe.

But, oh no, it wasn’t to be (again). I was happily crocheting round and round in circles, and it was getting all mindless and just how I like it when I’m making dinner at the same time, but then that crafty Craft Cotton started getting the better of me once more:

“Er, what are you doing? I thought we were just crocheting around in circles, nice and even?” I asked.

“Mm. Our plans have changed,” said the Cotton, “You shall obey me now.”

“Oh dear, not again. OK, what are we doing next?”

“You feel the urge to treble crochet. Go on, do it now.”

“But if I treble, I’ll have to increase, and that will spoil the pattern.”

“So don’t increase. YOU MUST TREBLE NOW!”

“OK, OK. We’re not making a flat thing anymore, are we…”

“Mwa-ha-ha!”

…And so it was that some more of that first skein of Craft Cotton became something other than a set of coasters. Ah well, Flame has a new hat, and she likes it very much. As usual, I’ve made it to fit an adult rather than a child because the drama of growing out of a much-loved item is completely avoidable with this type of clothing.

The Craft Cotton is fab for this sort of hat. I think it would make a great beach bag too, but I already have too many bag projects on the go to start yet another one now. Also, I’ve started to get a callous on my left index finger where the yarn has been rubbing, so I think I’ll switch to a softer one for a while to give my hands a break.

Anyway, as you can see from the back view, the hat did look good plain, but I think the starfish motif (Rowan Cabled Mercerised Cotton) just finishes it off nicely. That hat makes me want to go on holiday, and I’ll be off in a few weeks’ time! We’ve booked to go to the Isle of Wight (again) in June because it has become our annual Perfect Family Holiday. No rushing around at airports, no pressure to make the most of our time in a faraway place. Just buckets and spades, sandy feet and cream teas, discovering places to explore, creatures in rock pools, and a little caravan overlooking the sea. The girls are at the perfect age for this type of holiday. I remember going on the coin-operated rides, my mum trying to get sand out of my knickers because I was screaming, and my dad spending the evenings watching the shipping lane with his binoculars. Ah, such sweet memories! chuckle

And the coasters? Oh yes, the coasters. They are now on hold because I have lots of things to do for Flame’s birthday. Bah!

Entry plonked in Crochet • Life @ 6:07 pm
Tagged thusly: crochet hat, rowan cabled mercerised cotton, rowan yarn, starfish hat, stylecraft, stylecraft craft cotton, yarn

I started to crochet a drinks coaster with some Stylecraft Craft Cotton, but then I thought I would make a small basket for Lam to put his loose change into because he leaves it in a mess on the kitchen shelves. I put a row of treble crochet into the side to give the basket a cute pot belly plus some relief from all the single crochet stitches, and then I finished off with some seed beads that caught my eye at the shop the other day.

I really am enjoying crocheting with this Style Cotton; although it’s not that great on the hands, it gives a lovely, neat stitch and I love the texture of the finished piece. I fancy a few more baskets, perhaps with the same yarn, but finished with some fabric at the top instead of beads. I think it would also be useful to have some with lids on, perhaps for the craft paraphernalia that inevitably ends up all over my desk…

Entry plonked in Crochet @ 8:10 pm
Tagged thusly: bead craft, Crochet, crochet basket, seed beads, stylecraft craft cotton

As you can see, the sheep at the bottom of my garden had to have breakfast straight from the freezer this morning.

I woke up to freezing cold feet (must make myself some bed socks!) and the girls squealing about snow. Indeed, snow had fallen and settled much thicker this time – the second Weekend Snowfall in two weeks. Coo!

The first photo is of a neighbour’s garden. No, they haven’t splurged on a bit of Modern Art – it used to be a lovely bushy tree, but the other day, they came out with secateurs and such, and when they stepped back from their work, it looked like a big stick. They are super gardeners, so I’m sure the tree will grow shoots all over and be even more wonderful this year but, meanwhile, I thought it looked very striking in the snow and worthy of a photo…

By contrast, my back garden looks like a tangled mess in places. I had intended for us to go out in the April sunshine and have a wonderful family day of weeding, playing and possibly even picnicking. …But then I saw the snow, felt my feet, and decided that it would be much nicer to pull the covers over my head for the day. This didn’t happen though – I was raked out of my lovely warm bed to make pancakes for everyone.
Hurrumph.

Entry plonked in Art • Life @ 7:45 pm
Tagged thusly: sheep, snow

I’ve been pouring over the yarny goodness on the Web, but there’s nothing better than a bit of yarn fondling at the not-so-local yarn shop. Unfortunately, you are unlikely to get much of a bargain there because they consider a 5p (less than US 10c) discount per ball/skein to be a fantastic offer, but I try to buy a few things every now and then because they cram a lot of stuff into that small shop – fabric, beads, yarn, cardstock, etc. – and it would be a real shame if they didn’t get enough local support to stay open.

The first thing I did was to look for all the yarns I had found on the Web, to see what they would be like in real life. A yarn I got completely wrong is Rowan Cotton Braid – when I first looked at it online, I thought of the similar looking yarns that feel like they’ve been spun from nylon fishing line, so I assumed Cotton Braid would be rather stiff, perhaps scratchy, and not very comfortable at all. In actual fact, it’s incredibly soft (next time, I’ll read the ingredients label and work it out!).

Cotton Braid consists of an approximately 1.5mm wide soft strand, loosely bound in soft zig-zags by fine chain stitches. The chain stitching is not joined widthwise, so they occasionally separate and then bunch together along the length of the yarn. Similarly, the chain stitching does not penetrate the wider strand and so there is some freedom of movement. The overall yarn width is approximately 1cm on the ball, but squashes down to less than 4mm because it is very ‘loopy’.

Cezanne (shade 358) is the lighest of creams, with a slightly darker chain-stitch binding. I can see this colourway as an accent, like a textural edging, but I’m going to have to tinker with it a bit before I finally settle on what to do with it.

Although I love the look and feel of this yarn, but I don’t think I will be buying any more because it varies in quality along its length – quite a lot of the zig-zagging has been pulled and scrunched, so I will have to steam and reset it before I can possibly use it. This is going to take hours because of the amount of damage. sigh The problem area is close to the centre of the ball, so it’s possible that something went wrong during the manufacturing process.

Ah well, serves me right for deviating from the usual twisted strands, but I still think this is a yummy combination of interesting texture and neutral shade…

Next, I fancied some mercerised cotton, so I picked up some Patons 100% Cotton DK as it looked like an incredibly tight and shiny twist – yes, a nice change from the roughness of the polythene I’ve been crocheting with lately! I went for the DK as I thought it would make for quicker results, but I’d like to do something in 4-ply cotton as well.

Anyway, then I noticed a tempting bit of rough dangling from a shelf…

…And followed it back to a skein called Stylecraft Craft Cotton. Ohmygoodnessme! Instant inspiration! I immediately wanted to take it home and make drinks coasters, dinner mats, jug covers, everything! I’ve wanted to do some household items for quite a while, but I had all but given up hope because I couldn’t find the right yarn for the job – the mercerised cottons were too smooth, hemp and jute were too rough, and I was beginning to feel like Goldilocks’ yarn-obsessed sister, unable to find something that was ‘just right’. No matter, no more, though; Craft Cotton is the one for the job – yum! yum! yum!

As you can see, we also picked up some seed beads. Flame found some in wonderful shades of teal and also a dark, sort of ‘oil on water’ effect. Generally, though, I was only interested in neutral/muted shades of anything today as I want to explore texture to a greater degree without being distracted by strong colours or patterns.

I definitely feel like I’ve got my creativity mojo at the moment (which is a relief because I spent a small fortune on things I could buy a lot cheaper online!), so we’ll see what happens now that I’ve stocked up a little…

Entry plonked in Yarn @ 11:56 pm
Tagged thusly: patons 100% cotton dk, rowan cotton braid, rowan yarn, ryc natural silk aran, seed beads, sirdar luxury soft dk, stylecraft craft cotton, yarn