'WHERE FOR HEART THOU?' bag

Today's job done! This medium sized bag is made from some white acrylic (had bought 100g a long time ago for a panda!) and some left over black cotton which seems to have been on the go for at least 2 years! Originally bought to make some gloves. The main is simple treble crochet work with the top edge folding back on itself and self sealing to form a strong neat edge. To the reverse side is a mobile phone pocket made a little more interesting by the applique bobble stitch heart motif.

....the strap consists of crochet tubes linked together, this forms a very strong crochet chain which is also soft on the wearers shoulder.

It has a strap style fastening, which originates inside the back phone pocket, works its way over the opening and finishes at the centre front as a loop over a white pom-pom.

..The strap is of a good length to go around the shoulder leaving the bag at hands reach. I originally intended to have 2 short straps but it just seemed to work better in this option.

The front also has a bobble crochet stitch heart motif, which is a secret pocket.

Front heart in use as a pocket.

The sides are treated to tie crochet chains which terminate at two cute pom-poms. The chains are tied in a bow after threading through the sides to gather and create a side pleat. This and items like it can be found at Alexandra Palace London on 8th-11th October :)

MY ROWAN PRIZE FINALLY ARRIVES...

A few months ago I blogged about my success at winning knitting magazines Rowan vintage competition, with my 'After Dolly' eco friendly design. This was based on vintage crochet lace and inspired from the film '9 to 5' where Dolly Parton wears several lovely knitted dresses.

....yesterday my prize finally arrived in a big box, leaving me wondering what it was because I had forgotten all about the actual prize!

...I won 2 packets of yarn which are felted tweed chunky and milk yarn. The felted is something which I would not neccessarily buy to sample and develop work with, but this is a good thing as I will probably discover something new with it. The milk yarn as I have said lots of times is my favourite yarn, it just happens to be in a pink though! and I love pink which means my work as of late seems to be becoming pink....its something I was objectively trying to move away from.....so this may mean I will finally make my daughter something instead of only working towards my stock for once.

....the dress itself is yet to be photographed and will appear sometime in the future in knitting magazine along with my pattern. This to me IS the prize as it's one more step up to my goal of being a selling pattern writer. The dress it has been agreed will be returned to me temporarily, in order for it to be displayed on my stand at the Twisted Thread show...

....You can find me and the dress at Alex. Palace, London between 8th and 11th October 2009, in the resource centre, stand Rcc11.

...This is one of the books which was included in my prize along with a rare addition of the 10th anniversary publication for Rowan.

DEADSTOCK YARN MINI BAG

After my meeting with Kate from 'The Makery' I have been developing items made from recycling and ones which can be translated into short workshops. Hence this little bag. It is made from left over deadstock yarn. I bought some Wendy yoyo yarn for a crochet dress and because it has lycra a bikini, in relation to design/pattern writing in time for next fashion season. I used to knit with this yarn years ago and have never been able to find a on-par alternative after Wendy discontinued it.

...The lot of yarn has gone so far! I have enough left to make more bags and jewellry! The fastenings were made from 'grandma's' button tin buttons and the sparkle from left over lurex yarns which seem to have a never ending end!

...The mini-bag is entirely crochet, using mainly doubles in a stepped technique and some shell work. The flap fastening wraps over the opening and seals with a crochet loop around the buttons. The same method applies to the strap fastening. allowing for shortening of the strap.

...The bag features embellishment, which is a feature to be used on my workshops at 'The Makery' (website links to follow)

Close-up of the left over yarn flowers and old buttons.

Close-up of the double crochet stepped stitch.

WHEN EXPERIMENTS GO WRONG!

Some years ago I made a large lighted sculpture from PVA glue and some string! The overall look worked so well, but unfortunately during the 4 day art exhibition, with the unusually extremely hot weather the shape started to sag. Ever since I have regretted not covering the mould with crochet and brushing the PVA onto that in order to create a hard skeleton....

...so recently I have been experimenting on this on a smaller scale.... This worked well and I was pleased with the outcome until...

I made the silly decision to experiment with yacht varnish. The thought behind this was that I had used this very high gloss, hard drying varnish on some bags previously and it worked well. I was looking to form a harder coating around the globe and wondering if I could bypass the PVA and create the form from crochet coated in the varnish. However, disaster! coating the now dried PVA with varnish caused the two to react against each other, and thus ended with an almost curdled effect which remained soft......

Next step will be to experiment with the crochet and varnish minus the PVA glue.

(The original light sculpture from PVA glue and string)

CHUNKY CROCHET SLOPPY JOE

...This is a work in progress....Crochet using chunky and D.K yarn in cotton and unusually for me some Acrylic. I am working on staple pieces to embellish with my Harajuko style dolls heads for the Leeds Fashion show 2009. The sampling has seen use of crochet ribs and stocking stitch knit using variable needle sizes.

... I found how to create mock cable in crochet by use of bobbles and relief crochet chain stitch for the lower top.

The upper egding makes use of a overturn shawl collar; which again has crochet rib and mock cable. I am happy with the textures created, something a little different for me from my delicate knits, but need to work on the silhouette now....to be continued!

....I will be launching my designs at the forth coming Twisted Thread, Knit & stitch shows 2009. http://www.twistedthread.com/pages/exhibitions/listExhibitions.aspx

GRANDMAS LEGACY

(Quick sketch I did of Grandma from a photograph)

I guess it all began with grandma...

My earliest memories are of sunday afternoons at Grandma and Grandads......in a small bungalow in a small village in West Yorkshire........

We would spend it eating meat or tuna sandwiches and have tinned fruit and cream..........

My sister and I would pass the time always being creative, either colouring or painting or making models, once I remember she was decorating and we got to draw on the bare walls before the new paper went up.......

This is where I remember my Grandad sitting patiently with yarn wrapped around his hands while Grandma spun it into a ball....I also remember her 'knitting stool'! I was the smallest and therefore it was my place , my very own seat and I loved it! It was soft and just my height (just like goldy locks) It was padded to sit on with no arms to allow the user no annoying arm catching incidents and padded so you could stick a pin or two in it. It also had a secret box underneath (magical when you are 6!) which was to store all the knitting gear in the world.

It was at Grandmas when I was 6 that she taught me how to knit and crochet and I was hooked, pardon the pun.

I later inherited her knitting equipment, which I imagine is now truely vintage........