Showing posts with label design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label design. Show all posts

Saturday, 11 February 2017

Day Brighteners!

In sunny summer I had a great time at Yarningham and purchased two fabulously colourful skeins of hand dyed wool from Yarn Angels
I have been squidging and admiring the two beauties all through autumn and ideas for their use began to blossom!
'Neon That 80s Movie' just had to be hooked into an accessory that many fashion conscious trend setters (in the glorious ever changing 80s) sported - fingerless gloves!
Legwarmers were contemplated....but less.... practical?!
As I recall, some of the fingerless gloves were quite lacy so I consulted my stitch directory and settled on Peephole Chevron.


Just look at those zingy colours!


Can you spot my trusty TARDIS stitch  marker another goody from Yarningham by Owl about Yarn


They hooked up quickly and smoothly and the wool was a delight to work with  - many colour changes every row - when you have wool this exciting  its a pleasure to watch it grow and savour every stitch!




The thumb hole was placed off centre so the gloves can be worn low on the wrist


or high on the fingers


These were designed and made especially for a fabulous friend's 50th and have been well received!


With half a ball left I was keen to keep going....and to make the neon shine even longer!
Another amazing friend, celebrating her birthday is more of a 60s and 70s fan.....


Granny squares  - the perfect choice!


The dimensions needed tweaking a little so each square has an extra granny row down each side to make them wider. Once the first mitt was constructed the second was a breeze!


 Every alternate row is a jazzy neon!


I tried to join as I went, but preferred to stitch the squares together...also trying to reduce the number of ends to sew in I kept the neon in use... with a few extra chains, at the back, it could be incorporated into the next but one row chain space!



 The thumb holes are offset again..


Whilst working, I kept the squares and the cut ends on the arm of the settee...I think it took me longer to make both sets of mitts as they brightened the room so much I wanted to keep them a little longer!


Given as gifts, these gave me so much too - the colours and texture lifted my mood, the construction and design kept me thinking and the rhythmical stitching induced calm.

Thank you to Yarn Angels for such delightful yarn, Sarah for your fun stitches, Tracey for your initial mitt pattern that set me off...and to my appreciative friends x

Yarnistry stitch markers....Yarningham bought!
As I was on a roll, the ball of Bird of Paradise was immediately put to use...more rainbows in the next post!

Monday, 6 April 2015

Free(form) Bird!

It all began with a spiral....
after a conversation with my friend...
about her appreciation of my Easter makes...
and my love of freeform!



after a couple of prototypes the spirals resembled hearts...







Each is unique - no stitch count - just going with the shape...





















The tiny crochet triangle beaks took much longer than the heart shaped body...
...maybe it was the sewing!!

















 Each one unique!


All flown to new homes with Happy Easter wishes!
Happy Easter tweetings to you all!
 X

Sunday, 4 January 2015

O Christmas Tree....

... it has become a family tradition for our tree to be covered in just lights on the first and last night it stands in the house. 
It helps to gradually ease the senses into the shimmer of shiny bright festivities, and
towards twelfth night enables some quiet reflection as the season closes.
  As I type there is a strong pine scent and there are twinkles of coloured lights like warm house windows, winding up an earthy velvet dark green hillscape.

Christmas trees have featured more prominently this year as crocheted trees were given as gifts to local friends and family.
With an idea in my head, there were plenty of prototypes, ranging from three dimensional, top heavy, saggy bottomed, uneven, to unrecognisable!
Having wrestled with the tree idea for several weeks, and ready to drop it in needled frustration,  a calm suggestion from Mr RW made everything fall into place and the simple design was created.


An even strip of crochet, simply sewn up the middle!


Some with embellishments!


some with fancy stitching, many with two or more strands




and a fuzzy one!



Front and back!



These elegant evergreens are hooked from the most wonderful hand dyed British wool from  Wheeldale Woolcrafts, given to me by my fellow woolly wonder, Tracey!
It has an amazingly rustic rough texture and smells deliciously of.....wool!


In contrast, the base for the other green conifers is a softer nubbly British blend bought on summer holiday, specifically for this purpose, from Woolmouse in Barnard Castle.


The one on the far right with the red strip is the first, very experimental, sapling. It has an abundance of short rows (the others have two long rows)  and a variety of stitch combinations!
We pruned it a little, displayed it and have grown to love its earthiness, even if it didn't make the group forest shot!


Wishing you a treemendous start to 2015 with lots of hapPINEss!