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.

NATIONAL NEEDLEWORK ARCHIVE 'CHRISTMAS EXHIBITION'

This is my selection of items which are now at The National Needlework Archive, which has just moved from Southampton to Newbury. U.K. I was asked by The NNA at the knitting and stitching show if I would like to exhibit at the upcoming 'Christmas' exhibition. Entitled ‘Felicitations and Decorations’ it runs from 3rd November to the 12th December. The directions to the exhibition can be found at the following website address...(http://www.nationalneedleworkarchive.org.uk/html/whats_on.html)

These images were quickly taken at home, more will be taken at the exhibition, as the shoes will be placed on a plinth. Hopefully I will have the time! to make more of my flower kits which will be available to buy from the Needlework Archive shop. The following explains a little about the idea behind my work and as well as future workshops the shoes are able to be commissioned.

“A play on a Christmas Flower...”
As a Christmas theme, the humble well known Poinsettia was a fabulous inspiration point for hand knitted brooches, with crochet detailing. However this is not a stagmentation.....the basic flowers have a plethora of combinations, making each individual make a one-off. The flower patterns can be used in a multitude of ways...from the decoration of the said shoes, to humble brooches and bag or clothing decorations.....Other unusual idea and inspirations are given via workshops including alternative fibre uses of Ecological ideal themes.

Back view of the shoe featuring a knitted Holly.

Comparison between the old and the new!

“Story of the unloved...”
“Women all over the world love us; we create joy and fulfil a basic female need. But I was once one of the few; the unloved shoe, bought, never worn and left under a bed with my soles kept clean. Then like the ugly Duckling to the Swan I was rescued and given an on-trend Christmas vibe, ‘make over’ and so here I am to show myself off with feathers preened in pride.”
Over loved and worn out or unloved, shoes/boots/sandals, you name it; can be given a fun revamp using basic knit and crochet techniques. This can be basic & simple or OTT, the choice is yours....workshops involve techniques and advice on how to produce ‘Quirky party shoes’ from scruffy old shoes. Inspiration is given on the use of Eco-fibres and ‘Make do & mend’ ethos.

'AFTER ALISON' DRESS.....

Ode to Alison! During the Knitting and Stitching show I demonstrated the art of free-form crochet using yarn left overs. It resulted in this cute very wearable on -trend dress, which I have named after my lovely friend Alison Friday (knitsandpearls blogspot) This is because she is an expert at free-form and the colours I thought were very her. Funnily enough at the same time she has created a number of items in these said colours...go check her out.

Close up of some free-form style patterns within the skirt...question is can I ever be truly free-form? Since when working on this I used my dictionary of patterns I have collated over the years in my head! So can it only be free-form if it is random stitches and not pre-documented patterns even if this is from memory?

Making use of the patterns as a window to frame the other side of the skirt of the dress, where the photography focuses on the inside of the dress.

Side view showing how the thicker crochet pattern emphasizes the bust and waist.

The dress used mainly Acrylic and Mohair yarn left overs, which were put together to graduate in colour, the cross over between colours was formed by mixing more than one yarn strand at a time.

The dress is quite full at the hem, so it billows out and is longer at the back than front. It is ideal to wear over a top and leggings/jeans/coloured tights.

The front fastening made use of some of my pre-made brooches since I finished this dress on my stand at Alexandra Palace. (More brooch kits will be available at the Harrogate Knit and Stitch show) I was quite cold in the first few days but while sat making this dress I was much warmer.

The back has cross over strap detailing.