My creative space, throwing it to the wind!

My creative space is a revisit of an old creative space.

Do you have something that irritates you just by the sight of it? -a half done project that sits there and mocks you every time you see it? Secretly giving you the evil eye and whispering ‘you’re never going to finish me!’

I have discovered recently that the very best thing to get past this is to take the item and throw it to the wind.

A number of years ago we bought a very very expensive piece of exercise equipment. That we couldn't use. (We live in an old Queenslander house, and it wobbles ominously on it stumps if you get up a rhythm anything higher than swift walking speed) the truth is in all likelihood, we wouldn’t use it if we could. It was one of 'those' purchases, a purchase you regret, that you should never have made. -Every time I see the machine, (and I see it all the time because it’s a huge monstrosity and takes up a full quarter of my art room!) I get a sick feeling in my stomach because of how much money we wasted on it. I recently made the decision to sell it at a criminal loss (less than 1/4 of what we paid for it, even though it’s unused) but funnily, the decision to let it go, even whilst 'losing' so much money has lifted a weight off my shoulders. I am no longer tethered to the negativity that surrounds the purchase, I've accepted it as a mistake, taken ownership of the lesson -and let it go.

Well this is like that, but to a much lesser extent. I don't regret starting these squares, not at all, I love the crazy juxtaposition of 70's style colour, its just I have become somewhat of a yarn snob of late -I will only use 100% natural fibres. And I don't see myself taking a step back on this new attitude. The fact that these are 100% acrylic -whilst ideal for some situations means that the reality is, These little babies will sit unfinished for ever. I'm not going to invest the time to finish them, and even if I did, I wouldn't use anything made with them as they're acrylic.

So, I am letting them go. Would you like them? There are over 50 of them complete, and yarn enough to do another 200 or so I am sure. I will post them anywhere in Australia,-the pattern for the motif, is the circle in a square pattern. I got from quarter of an inch.

To enter the giveaway, in keeping it positive, I am going to ask for a tip - something you do to keep your space happy. To stay positive in your environment - or your mind environment.

Leave your comments below and I will pick my favourite on valentines day, and send this little parcel of love on its way. - be sure to be sure I can contact you.

xB

For more creative spaces, head over to Kirsty's.



My creative space

I've been very productive over the past couple of weeks. You'd be amazed at how many spare hours there are in the day when you don't watch TV. Add to that the fact that you can use ibooks on your iphone to take patterns with you ANYWHERE!!! you can knit/crochet in the most inappropriate places. 5 crocheted soakers and a couple of pairs of lacy crochet knee high stockings from a pattern I found on the web but have since lost!! (and just found again!)

I've knitted 3 baby jumpers, including one of my own design and one with raglan sleeves. Made many unsuccessful attempts at longies (I am yet to master the knit in the round joining part....my last attempt saw me cut the cable of my circular needles down to 10cm trying to get the stitches to fit but still to no avail -something to work on!) But I did learn, long tail cast on, M1, SKPO and a couple of other random abbreviations which when translated to actual stitchery aren’t as complicated as they initially sound.

I've also been dabbling in water colour, felting using resists, oh, and crocheting a blanket in a pooey bile kind of coloured pure wool which by all reason should be on the top ten list of most fugly colours, but which, for some uncanny reason, I can't help loving....I know its ugly. I just can't help myself.

Excuse the picture quality, Its pretty gloomy here at the moment and the lighting really does nothing to demonstrate the delightful ugliness of that shade of...70's yellow, ocre, goldy....whatever.

For more creative spaces, pop on over to Kirsty's.

xB

Un-Pattern Pants

I am almost incapable of reading a pattern. I do much better using a diagram, I think my brain just finds it hard to convert the 2D into 3D whereas a diagram is somewhere in between. For that reason, I find that I am advancing much faster in my crochet skills than I am my knitting. I have a number of unfinished projects in both mediums because I have come to a part of a pattern that I just can't 'get'. I've been fiddling and faffing lately and have come to realise (well in crochet for the most part, not so much knitting) is p-easy to pretty much make up your own pattern visually as you go along. Then you don't have to worry about reading anything and trying to convert the 2D directions into the 3D realm of existence. 

As I am making most of these projects for our future babies, the hardest part is gauging size. I can measure most by using my one year old niece as a 'template'  (ie. too small for one, too big for one...mmm that means some where in between, that'll do!) This is my latest adventure. I am calling them the Unpants. Unpants because they were never a pattern, and because I deliberately made them a bit short, so they're not quite shorts, not quite pants but somewhere in between. These little babies were made out of a super soft Merino Cashmere blend yarn. (Just 2x50g balls) Delish.

I do plan to draft an actual pattern from these so I can do some more (now that i know how without a pattern) and I will share it for anyone interested once I've committed it to writing. Pardon the action shots, such is the life of a one year old.

My Creative Space

My creative space this week has been crazy packed full of doings and goings on.

I’ve knitted, crocheted, sewed, felted, and even managed to complete a number of things! So, I might sneakily keep a few up my sleeve for future less productive creative spaces.

I discovered this pattern through ravelry and I LOVE it. It’s a crocheted soaker (nappy cover) pattern and it crochets up beautifully and easily and feels scrumptious. We’re planning on having our first baby next year so I am making up a stash and hoping that wool won’t be too hot around little bums in QLD. Techniques learnt: Front and back post crochet.

I also made up a little kimony style top –Freestyling…here is a sneak peak…

I plan on putting the pattern up here once I’ve finished drawing it up. It came together in the space of a couple of hours –and I am slow, so it’s a quicky. Do you love the wool? Its 8ply Rustic Pacifica from Bendigo Woolen Mills (who have all their yarns and slivers on sale at the moment) I’ve just ordered a stack of their luxury 8ply and alpaca for two jumpers I’ve got planned for Adam – my first foray into the world of knitted adult garments!

More creative types over at Kirsty's.

My Creative Space. Never. Again.

Remember this?

Well, it finally became this.

Just in time for my nieces 1st birthday. She loved it, so it was all worth it in the end, but what was I thinking? Crocheting the top was enjoyable, -making the custom sized cushion inner and cover....a little frustrating, but on the whole, not entirely irksome. ...hand stitching the crocheted top to the cushion cover? My poor fingers are still suffering from the shock!

That's the only picture I have at the moment, I'll post some more as I get them.

I am in the process of doing up a tutorial on my home wool dying exploits over the weekend using food dye, so stay tuned! Hope to get it up tomorrow.

For more creative spaces, pop over to Kirsty's.

Was once a knitted scarf

Is now multiple crocheted cleaning cloths ready to be felted.

My Creative Space

It’s been a slow relaxing last few days, early nights after work and a do nothing in particular weekend. The do nothing in particular part came more from a feeling of 'eh' (that is, total indecision) I felt like crocheting, but wasn't keen on the conformity of a pattern. So, I picked up an old pure wool scarf -which I must say, was particularly difficult to unravel, and began to randomly crochet. -The larger of the two bowls is what resulted, and I am pretty happy with the results. -I just used alternating rows of double crochet and single crochet, increasing and decreasing depending on how the bowl was shaping.

Once felted, it is still pretty floppy - it holds its shape once blocked, but has no real rigidity. So I did a take two with the smaller red bowl -designed specifically to house my keeper, in earthy tones and reds. This one I used single crochet for most of it and it is much more rigid than the larger bowl, .. But still not quite ‘there’.

Even so, I am especially happy with the way they've felted (my rainbow slippers here, being an epic fail –I think they’d been through the wash too many times prior and had lost a lot of their inner fluff) I started them off by hand and then chucked them in the wash with a load of towels. I think next time though; I will use a double strand of wool for extra, extra rigidity.

For more creative spaces, pop over to Kirsty's.

My Creative Space

Crocheting a pillow top for a floor cushion for my niece -its about a metre across, I need to make a cushion and backing to finish it off yet.

Last day to enter my give away before it is drawn tomorrow.

For more creative spaces, pop over to Kirsty's.

My Creative Space

My creative space this week (amongst many things) has involved the construction of a compost bin...and the beginnings of a granny square blanket. It's made using pure wool, and it feels divine. The colours aren't quite captured correctly, they're more muted, neutral shades to capture the essence of winter.

And after turning my back for 5 minutes....granny's and hooks to the wind, and we have a queen of the castle....

And of course, the dirty rascal.

For more creative spaces, pop over to Kirsty's.

My Creative Space

Jute string pot planter hanger thingys for my herbs.
I'm not using a pattern, just 6 chain sl into a loop, 12 double crochet, 3up then 2 doubles in each space.  I think I did a couple of rows of 3 double crochet in each space but it hasn't seemed to make a difference in size. Its quite elastic and seems to stretch to fit the pot . Well the smaller ones anyway.


And a grocery bag that may yet become a beanie. I started out by using a pattern on the lion brand website (they have some great free patterns) but I got bored following the pattern and decided to freestyle it...hence why its probably evolved into a beanie more than a bag. I cant seem to master the art of 'growing it outwards'....then again if I had a stronger inclination to follow a pattern I possibly wouldn't have such issues. Ah, living dangerously. Sometimes I even colour in outside the lines!


Venture on over to Kirsty's for more creative types.

Te-hee-hee clever little me!

I am completely taken with myself, I could do a little dance. (Can you tell?) After only learning to crochet a few months ago, I just turned out these little perties. They're a pair of pants for my niece.(Or at least they will be when I finish them, I just couldn't wait to share.) Made out of a reclaimed vintage sheet and the crocheted trim I just invented as I went, done in Soya yarn. Its very much like cotton or bamboo -it has that starchy crunch about it, but its a little softer than cotton. Hey, simple pleasures, simple accomplishments. Snaps for me!