April already - surely not

No it's no longer April it is May! How did that happen?

Trips away, happy visitors and the general ebb and flow of life mean I haven't been quite as productive as I would have liked. The usual story of good intentions and any excuse to do something else.  That said I am happy with what I have achieved and although this post consists mainly of hats I have been busy making other 'stuff'.

I have knitted a few more hats with my hand spun wool.  I enjoy this activity and it is transportable. 

 

This hat is quite thick but fun with a mixture of sari silk, thick and thin hand spun wool, hand spun with glitzy bits and some with slubs.  I hadn't predicted that it would end up this shape so it was a pleasant surprise.

 

 

The thickness of the wool makes a difference to the shape as the next photo demonstrates.  Hand spun wool again and the same pattern and size of circular needle but more of an aran weight than chunky.

 

 

I have also been playing with felted woolly jumpers.  A bit like the knitted hats I am not always sure how they will turn out.  I need to learn to plan as at the moment they evolve as I go along.  This approach can involve unpicking stitches from time to time.  This hat had two different bands before I settled on a thick rib taken from the front of a large jumper.

 

 

 

It sits like a beret on an actual head but you get the picture.  I am still thinking about putting a button on the centre at the top.

 

The next hat wasn't quite finished when I took the pictures.  I was unsure whether to put a band on it.  In the end I finished it off by edging it with buttonhole stitch and some pale grey hand spun wool.  I am tempted to keep it.

 

 

 

 

There are a few more but that's enough of hats.

 

And now for something completely different - spinning wheels.  I love my spinning wheel.  I have had my Ashford Traveller for 25 years or there about.  Still my thoughts wander from time to time to something different.  eBay made the purchase of spinning wheel number three (I'll describe number two in my next post) relatively easy.

 

 

As I said in the previous blog the new wheel is old, Swedish and missing one vital component - well two but the double drive band is easy to replace. 

 

 

 

What I need to source are some bobbins.  The regular Ashford bobbins I have aren't the right size.  I am hoping that my other half can adapt one or two, if not I will need to have them made.  Another more novel approach might be to buy another spinning wheel of a similar style and vintage with bobbins, or at least one bobbin.  I have noticed that there are a couple on eBay with a different seller.  I have a few days to think about it.  Guess I better run the idea past the other half?  Who knows it could work out cheaper than having them made and then we would have spares. 

 

 

The spinning wheel I have purchased has a not so well done mend on the wheel itself which may be sortable (is that a word?) but I am happy with it as it is.  The timing was perfect as it all fitted in with a pre-planned trip south.  A family member happened to be visiting friends near Dunblane just days after the purchase was finalised so they collected the wheel and we then picked it up from them.  It was meant to be and I am sure bobbins will be found (one way or the other).  It lends itself to spinning finer wool whereas wheel number two is good for chunky art yarn. 

 

Well key rings, hair clasps, brooches, hats and scarves won't make themselves and I have a line in fridge magnets to explore.  Anyone for a felted fridge magnet?   I also need to tackle the mound of washing we produced during our last trip away in the camper van.

 

Cheerio

 

 

 

 

 





 

What do you do with your odd balls?

 How time flies right enough.  Thanks to Blackbird for the timely reminder that March is almost at an end.  I have been busy but that's no excuse for not keeping up with my blog.  So where to begin...?

In response to a request for a slim, hand knitted scarf that could be worn all day in the same way as a cotton or silk scarf, I headed off to my stash of odd balls of commercially produced yarn that lives in my craft store room.  I enjoyed a good old rummage  and got quite excited by the different colours and textures.  Unfortunately I don't have a picture of my first effort but it was well received.  An order for a second one, with hat to match, has been placed.  

I  booked a space at the table top sale held on the island in early March.  This event provided the gentle nudge I needed to try out some of the ideas I had been toying with since the beginning of the year such as key rings and hair slides.  I also decided to knit a few of the narrow scarves to add to my woven selection. 

The scarves are knitted using 4mm or size 8 knitting needles, 15 stitches and stocking stitch.  They are roughly 77 inches in length and have the obligatory buttons at each end. 

 

I use various postcards as inspiration in relation to the proportions of different colours and textures/mood, for example this fun lively scarf was influenced by a card I have with hens on it. 

 





 

 

The scarves fit quite well with my hand knitted hats.  I have sold the hat on the right.  These hats are knitted with my hand spun wool.  I aim to knit some in the same commercially produced yarn as the knitted scarves.

 

 

I am also enjoying making key rings with small pieces of felted fair isle patterned jumpers cut into a heart shape.

 

 

 





 

 

The key ring here is embellished with a bit of needle felting, beads and some cross stitch.

 

 

 

 

I have already sold a few of these. 

 

I am also pleased with these hair slides made from felted jumpers embellished with needle-felting, hand embroidery, beads and buttons.

 

 

 

 

 

On a slightly different but related note - I have bought a spinning wheel from eBay.  It's old, Swedish and in need of some bobbins.  I am really pleased with it.  Pictures and stories to follow. 

 

Well that's enough for now.  Lots of crafting events planned for the summer so I better get on with it.

 

Bye for now folks, see you next month.

 

 

 

Wooly jumpers, bags and hats

It is February already.  So ... have I meet the challenge I set myself at the beginning of January and finished my collection of unfinished projects by the end of the month?  The short answer is no.

Once I had finished the rag rug and safely delivered it to its intended owner my thoughts turned to the other unfinished projects stashed away in boxes and bags.  A hooked rag rug and a wall hanging to name two.  However, I got a bit distracted by competing thoughts of making bags and a new selection of hats from felted jumpers.  The hats and bags won out with the following results.

I made this bag from a felted v neck, 100% lambs wool, cardigan with pockets.  The cardigan was in a sorry state when it came to me.  It's previous owner had been a bit careless when washing it (lucky me).

 

I cut off the buttonhole and button band then sewed up the front of cardigan using my sewing machine. This seam became a side seem so that there was a patch pocket on the front and the back of the bag.  I also sewed up the bottom edges incorporating the rib into the design.  I cut out the sleeves and squared off the armhole and the neck edges.

I used the button whole band and a button to make a fastener for the pockets.  These was hand sew in place.

The handles for the bag are integral to the main structure and I applied three rows of straight stitch which was both decorative and strengthened the edges. 

I did consider using a bolder colour but on balance felt this subtle grey colour was better.  The bag can be used as a shoulder bag.

Rummaging through my stash of felted jumpers and parts of jumpers brought hats to mind with the following results.

 

 

There are so many exciting knitting, weaving and felt projects to be getting on with I am going to have to write a list and carry out a prioritisation exercise.  Having attending a spinning  day on Saturday I now want to have a play plying commercially prepared wool with material like cotton, silk, threads and hand spun wool in order to produce an art yarn.  The possibilities are endless.

Oh for more hours in the day.

Happy days and speak soon

Felted hearts and other stuff

As I mentioned in the previous post, I made felted hearts before Christmas.  They are embellished on both sides and I attached them to various Christmas gifts.  They also made a lovely gift on their own.

 

My aim for January is to finish the unfinished projects I have stored in various boxes and bags. There are a few aborted knitting projects and one or two wall hangings/rugs made from rags.  It may be a case of taking a few things back and using the material for something else. 

 

One such project is a rug that I started a year ago.  The process isn't difficult or time consuming, I just get distracted sometimes.  Rags and Remnants by Lizzie Reakes is a lovely book which sets out 25 step by step projects including crocheted, knitted and hooked rugs.  I have a rug which I crocheted some time ago.   Having used chain stitch as the foundation I then worked back and forwards in rows using a single crochet stitch and a 8.00mm crochet hook.

 



 

I also have one constructed of knitted pieces sewn together to make squares.  The squares were then given a crocheted border before being sewn together. The completed rug was then given a crocheted border. 

 

 

These rugs have been down on various floors for the past five years or so and wash well in the washing machine.  That said the crocheted one appears harder wearing and I prefer this style.  

 

The rug I am finishing off is made from old cotton curtains or cotton/polyester bedding - washed of course.  The curtains below were donated to the cause by a friend.  I lay the fabric out and cut a 1" wide (or there about) strip of material.  I cut the material until I am roughly half an inch from the end and then turn and make another cut parallel to the first in order to make a continuous strip that is as long as possible.  I clip the corners where I turn making them more rounded.

 

 

Here is the newest model in the making.

 

 

 

 

 

The ends will be sewn in.

 

Well I better get on - writing this blog won't put rugs on the floor and this one is heading sooth for a special little person's bedroom.

A new approach ...

a little and often ... well that's the plan anyway.  

I thought I would start the year by posting some pictures of the Christmas stocking I made at the end of last year for a special wee person I know.  I felted/fuelled a woollen jumper and embellished it with pieces of felted jumpers, some coloured fleece, needle-felting, hand embroidery and some buttons.  The holly was green but it appears blue in this picture.  A white background and more light would have been better.  I did take a few photographs with it hanging against a white door however, I took them with my phone and it died a few days ago taking my pictures with it (not an iPhone).  A lesson learnt - send pictures to a different device/place, either that or get an iPhone.   

 

 





 

I used a bit of hand spun wool to make a loop for hanging it from the mantelpiece.  Yes it is quite large.  When I said I was going to make a stocking for another special person a request was made that it wasn't too small.  I took this request on board and probably made it on the larger side.  The first stocking was made with hand spun wool knitted into a large oblong then felted and sewn into a stocking shape.   I did have a couple of pictures on my phone but .... anyway they needed to be similar in size.

 

Speak soon

 

 

Show day on Shapinsay

Tuesday 6 August was show day on our small island.  Perfect weather for showing cattle, sheep, horses, ponies and poultry as well as family pets.  The Horticultural Show took place at the same time and the school hall was filled with an assortment of crafts, jams, cakes, biscuits, fruit and vegetables.  Sadly I forgot to take my camera.  I'll ask someone if I can copy their photographs.

I won four prizes for the following exhibits - three 1sts and a 2nd - fair chuffed.



This bag is made out of some wool I had spun and knitted into a jumper.  I wore it for a while but it was never quite right - the jumper that is not the bag.  I have used the bag.  I think the picture is a bit too bright.  I really must get to grips with a good editing package.

 

 

 

The hens featured in this batik belong to a my friend Sian from Graemsay.  Obviously they are not this colour but I took a photo, enlarged it then traced the hens.  Easy when you know how.   I made the batik when I was doing the Applied Textile Design course at Orkney College.  I embellished it with hand embroidery and beads more recently but wasn't sure what to do with it after that.  I did look at various frames but nothing seemed to work.  The Show spurred me on to do something and I ended up stretching it over an artists canvas.  It has worked quite well although this picture doesn't show it fully.  Sian has an interesting blog about life on Graemsay - I recommend you take a look.  http://sianthom.blogspot.co.uk/ You'll find pictures of her hens, cake, sunsets, views towards Stromness, more cake and Buttons plus much more.  Buttons has four legs. 

 

This bag was made from a long piece of machine knitting which was then felted.  My love of making things out of felted knitted wool began at Orkney College. 

 

My last offering was a watercolour of Domino (on the left) and Dindy, two lovely cats that are no longer with us.

 







 

I am already thinking about what I might exhibit next year.  I wont leave it so late next time.  Well I say that now...



'Made in Shapinsay'

What a talented bunch we are on Shapinsay.  June saw 16 adventurous, arty, crafty souls take our wares to town where we had booked the Venue for a week in order to have a pop-up shop.   Sorry about the reflections in the glass but these snaps from the street give you a taste of our exhibition.  We took over  two windows.


Window 1 - Information about Shapinsay and a live exhibit


A few of us spent some time in the larger window demonstrating our craft.  Pat the artist painted, Louise did some needle felting and I did some spinning, others also contributed to the display.  It could get a bit hot in the window and we weren't in there all the time.  It was a fun experience though and we certainly got the attention of people walking past

The second window was the window of the shop area.

Window 2 - looking to the left of the window

Window 2-looking to the right

The majority of us were able to do a stint in the shop. The week was successful on a number of levels, not least the opportunity to promote Shapinsay as a place to visit. 

Some of our goods have been taken down to Tomb of the Eagles to be displayed on a 'Made in Shapinsay' shelf in their shop.  Exciting times.

At the suggestion of a friend I have been experimenting with the brooches I make from felted jumpers.  Instead of sewing on a brooch clip I have threaded them through a coloured wire.  I bought some different coloured wires from Bead Pop in Aberdeen.  I am happy with the end result as they sit quite nicely.  More fun to be had with this idea I think.

I still have earrings in mind so watch this space.