Look who's soaking up the sun!

RW Junior put in a request for some more of the little monsters hooked a couple of years ago for his friends...
Here are the boys of summer 2014 -

having fun in the afternoon sun!

The chirpy chap below is shaking his tail feathers...

 

.. this smiler has a wibbly foot!

 On previous mini monster projects I have stuck to the pattern and counted religiously...
this time I just went with the flow...
multithreading in single spirals
with medium lengths
from my odds and ends bag..

the compulsory backside view...

Three have bushy tails, one has a hairy hobbit foot...
and one is a complete ball of fluff!

Each has needlefelted features,  all are stuffed full of short ends and happy hooky memories!

It was fun to use the fluffy yarn....
the floor is littered with tiny shards of pink and blue silky reminders!

They weigh in at a monsterous 83g -
a significant proportion will be the stuffing...
now my TUSAL jar is ready to be replenished!

A very Happy Accident....

.....one of the things on my to do list for a looooong time has been a purse for myself.

I eventually got round to it, and had in mind a drawstring design with a flat spiral bottom, that would be felted to cater for wear and tear.

Selecting two wools from my feltable stash I began the spiral....

..the two selected wools were different weights....

and it was tricky to keep the spiral flat....

 ...it grew quickly and was rather inflexible..

 it began to take on a different form...

So I continued going round in circles and made a freeform vessel.....

It seems to have found a place on a shelf that we see several times a day...

I love the knubbly bits on the edge!

So, this got me thinking.......

There were lots of sequins in one of the wools - but only a few are visible...the rest hidden between the stitches!

 

This sea inspired vessel is different from every angle - 

an ocean of photos follows, come for a paddle...

some sewn sequins for sparkle!

sunlight on the waves!

There are 17 yarns and threads in total - some singles and lots of combinations

This is a gift for a very special friend who spends holidays by the sea!

 Both randomeanderings have used plenty of wool!

The first wades in at 39g and the sea waves weigh 68g.

I loved the going round in random circles, 

freeforming is definitely my favoured hooking method at the moment very therapeutic and relaxing.

The purse is still on my list!

Off the cuff...

For holiday trips, one of the things that is always packed is my crochet bag...usually stuffed with more than one project, all my hooks and paraphernalia. 

So far though, it returns unopened...or has the occasional minor disturbance whilst hunting for a pair of scissors.

On a recent trip to visit family, the last decision I made was to leave the bag at home...

One of our nieces is fund raising for a charity she has been working with during the summer.

As I was there, I offered to crochet her some brooches...

Their market town is well stocked with everything a crafter could crave...so I could source everything* I needed quickly and relatively reasonably.

With two hooks, a ball of Stylecraft Harlequin, Yarnfair stripes,  Stylecraft Senses Lace, and some multicoloured thread (*the one thing that eluded me was sparkly thread!) 

I began...

There are 20 items in total, 

brooches with safety pin backs, 

and some hanging decorations...

no written patterns, 

 some remembered, 

some made up and some freeform!

In town there were some fab charity shop finds in the form of sequins and a bagful of sewing supplies - lots of coloured cottons and needles to sew the safety pin backs on!

My mother-in-law also donated a bag of  vintage buttons...

I made this for her as she had admired the crocheted colours and the stylish gold button, from her collection, really sets it off ....

.... as did the velvet button centre for this flower...that had started as a star!

We wondered whether the button had originally been part of some furniture...

There were a few happy accidents...

this also started as a star...I got the counting a little awry...and the silky acrylic curled beautifully, 

as it did for the inner petals (an attempt at a different flat flower),

the combination of the two 'mistakes' made one of my favourite items!

I learned a lot....

that twenty items can be made from less than two balls of wool -(I still have more than half of the thinner yarns left),
that I can finish things in a couple of days,

that relaxing, experimenting and going with the flow works wonders

..and that I should always pack my crochet bag!

Hoping they sell well!

More on happy accidents soon - I seem to be making a habit of them!

Daisy Daisy...

Earlier this week my friends celebrated their Silver Wedding Anniversary...

I have enjoyed looking back at the photos of their special day and remembering all the happy details!

My friend wore a beautiful lacy dress, 

in our delicate bouquets and hair we had small yellow roses, gypsophila, gentian and ivy.

My Laura Ashley bridesmaids dress had coiled white roses at the back.

The Orders of Service were bound in deep blue sugar paper and inscribed with the groom's beautiful handwriting.

I still cherish the framed coloured pencil drawing of an Ox-Eye Daisy drawn by my friend....

I have sent them my interpretation...

A wet felted background, loomed daisies with needlefelted middles and tiny crocheted gypsophila

Happy Anniversary R and A

Hope you have many more to come!

x

Pocketful!

Pockets  - I love them!

There are bulging pockets in all my coats and trousers...an often used phrase is 'There's something sticking out of your back pocket'

 I can leave the house without a bag sometimes - just filling my pockets with copious amounts of essential items! 

Then there are the precarious piles of tiny pieces of paper, change and tissues that are unceremoniously plonked on surfaces when the said stretched pockets are evacuated!

I am a huge admirer of Hesta's style over at Bodkin - and loved the way she gently pulled fluff to spin on her drop spindle from her pretty floral pocket!

When crafting I spread out - oozing over every possible surface - and often have several items on my knee (or in the case of tapestry needles disappearing between my thighs...and crochet hooks down the side of the settee!) when there is  a distraction requiring me to stand, everything has to be  laboriously decanted to another area - often at a distance as the near spots are already occupied. 

In summer there are  several seasonal issues -
 the excitement of al fresco crafting: the need to remember to take with you everything you possible could require, to eliminate the 'putting down of project matter, striding  back inside just as you had got started' manoeuvre.
Juggling to try to keep everything off the sometimes damp lawn.
Also the occupied sofa factor - its great having RW Jnr home in the holidays - but it cuts the crafting surfaces down by more than half - long legs straying over into my half....(which has to be the left hand side so I can crochet!)

To solve some of these niggles I have tried trays and biscuit tin lids in the past but had pictures of Hesta's flexible soft fabric pockets in my head.

A flash of inspiration one day led me to ask my mum, who has an eclectic collection of all sorts of practical gadgets, if she had a tie round the waist apron.

She did have a spare - one she beautifully handmade for a Brownie Pack Holiday

with gloriously 70s fabric,  brown (very apt for its destination) trim, practical pocket, and compulsory name tape!

 I imagine the kit list had specified an apron with a pocket...and everything had to be named!

I remembered this apron well - and was keen to give it a go in another role - 

it nearly reached comfortably round my waist!

Then the other day mum gave me a specially commissioned apron - made by a friend of hers! 

 It has a HUGE voluminous pocket - with two openings...

beautiful fabric: inscribed appropriately with

 'Oh what tangled threads we leave when first we practice to stitch and weave'

As its adult size it covers my knees with ease - and is very comfortable round the waist!

I set about making sure I would always have essential necessities to hand  - adding scissors and needles,

attaching them with a crochet cord 

fastened to the apron with a pin brooch.

Well, You've got to pimp a pocket or two boys!!

The plan is to gently cram the current project in the pocket whilst on the move, 

to spread out on my lap whilst creating,

 and to gather the corners up and transfer the contents safely from my knee when I need to stand up!

Now I am looking forward  to trying  it out!!

Thanks to Hesta for the inspiration

to mums friend for the amazing apron

and to mum - for the original apron,
all her encouragement and for gathering and wrapping me in pocketfuls of her creativity!