CUSHIONS!

First things first...bit late I know but needed to get this on here. In my office we had a Royal wedding hat competition and guess who won? hehee....well would be slightly embarrassing if one of the designers didn't really...so here it is; a knitted and crochet Fascinator with sculptured W and K (mmm guess why I didn't go with C for Catherine), pictured with my prize....a Royal wedding mug of course!

New seating area in my livingroom. Much needed take your shoes off in comfort space. Sirdar big softy using a mixture of textures including cables, leaves and basketweaves.

Sirdar Big Softie purple.

Sirdar Big Softie pink.

Sirdar Big Softie turquoise.

I love this yarn because its chunky and knits big and quick in colours which match my needs.

More crochet shoes much easier to walk in than the others!

IT'S ALL GONE A BIT "PETE TONG"

A fabulous find! Just so me , just bought and worn at "The Knit Show" Stoneleigh 2011













Ok so a few weeks ago "The Daisy tearooms "opened at the end of my street, it's very shabby chic; celebrate the war style, opened up on the thee wedding day of the year and my children were amazed at real sugar cubes! comes complete with crochet doillies!














Spoke to the lovely Ruby who runs the place, and we are now planning a knit club on weekday evenings......place to be-when and where to be confirmed...














This leads me to my now project...a "HOME" crochet bunting to welcome her to the village of Mapplewell......not quite sure how it will turn out yet but hey loving the freestyling.















MMMMMM but the first home "O" not good so a work in progress......














Beginnings of a "H" for home but needs to be redone me thinks; too gathered!














MMMMMM so sunday we went to knit cafe, Wakefield.
Started by my Sirdar work pal Nessa at Neros......










..so there we were 3 weeks in the planning to turn up at the right week and it was only us! (Nessa , me and my daughter) but hey all is needed for knit cafe is knit and a cafe, right?



















So what was my project?.....flowers for my crochet shoes because although love them not sure about the bows.
















Nessa and her Sirdar baby garment.


















And so to more cushions (Lol it's been a busy ol week)
Some of my furniture in my move back up north got a wee bit damaged so I am trying to make quick mends, as in cushions, to cover up the damage and utilize seating areas...
...hence cheap Ikea cushions and wee bit of creative knit

Yarns used on my WIP...to be continued!

IT'S FEELING A LOT LIKE SPRING...

(OK so yeah I know it's been a while! So after a good long rest following the knit & stitch shows I have been busy on the commissions which I gained from those shows...then everything changed! I finally managed to get the job I worked so hard for as a in-house hand knit designer for Sirdar Spinning, so me & mine upped sticks and moved up to Yorkshire).

New beginnings..New year...New house equals new knitted soft furnishings

A knitted lamp in Bonus dk using fan & feather stitch

A textured crochet cushion using Sirdar Soft Cotton & Click

Those fabulous Bonus dk colours strike again

livening up my very green sofa with a spot of

lilac, mauve and purple.

A sculptural knitted cushion

GRANDMA'S GIFT

About 44 years ago my Grandmother bought a then normal set of drawers when my sister was born. These drawers used dovetail joints and real wood. They stood the test of time until I was born, when as we shared a room we shared the drawers.

Over time they were painted in various colours and when I left home I inherited them. When my son was born they were made to match his nursery and as he grew were decorated with his own hand prints. And still they stood steadfast and sturdy as other 'build it yourself' drawers came and went to the big drawer in the sky.

Despite the travels of a now military family set of drawers they remained intact.

Now once again they have a new identity and have passed along to my daughter, this time with patch work decorpage and handknit handles....who knows what their next incarnation will be, but no doubt at this rate they will pass on to the next generation

TIME FOR SOME MEN...

Illustration work for menswear from ages 0-100plus in Sirdar Click, Tweedie and Balmoral. Inspiration...The Ash Cloud...colours and shapes.

. The Intarsia Hoody.

Liked by both teens and my dad!

The Fair Isle Tank top.

The Intarsia and Fair Isle Polo shirt for all ages. This pattern can transgress from being reapplied in the appropriate yarns for babywear into yarns for the older man.

Images and patterns for both babywear and teens to follow in future blog.

BREAKING INTO PRINT....my pattern

This summers 'Knitting magazine' for 'Dolly' dress vintage pattern in Rowan Eco- cotton. Index page.

Main image pages.

Yikes! Thats me! Design explaination....

Example of the written pattern which covered over 5 pages.

Extra image views.

A SHOE FOR KIRSTEN...

For 3 weeks at the end of November, following the Knitting and Stitching show at Harrogate (I'll be in the Textile Gallery) I will be exhibiting some of my work at 'The Barn Acre' gallery in Henley-on Thames. Kirsten Jones runs this gallery and has fabulous works, including printing. She likes my work so much that to wear at the opening evening party she has commissioned a ruffle long sleeved cardigan, roughly based on the 'After Dolly' vintage competition dress previously blogged (Pattern will be available in 'Knitting magazine' approx. May 2010)

She also loved my 'Poppy Rose' dress which consisted of neon pink and acid green combined with crochet flowers, and my idea of shoe revamping......So to wear with her cardigan on opening night, she commissioned these shoes. The original shoe was black patent, slight platform with a slingback. The other revamped shoes so far (See Christmas exhibition at The National Needlework Archive, starting on Tuesday) have always been wedged and so this gave me a new challenge. Covering shoes is not as easy as it would first appear, sealing (Finishing), wearbility practicality and fixing the knit to the shoe are all very important considerations.

The base of the shoe was treated with a 'Astrakhan' Stitch and plain doubles, with circle discs to emphasize the heel.

Kirsten wanted the shoes to be OTT, a bit mad! So I embellished with several crochet flower patterns (Available in kit form, hopefully at both Harrogate and Barn Acre) Even the 'Last' (Instep) shape was covered to allow for that flash of underneath of the shoe, the viewer gets when the wearer is walking.

Loose crochet discs were finally attached to the strap which will give movement.