Sunday 16 June 2013

ROSE in 3 layers with a HINT of TARTAN: HOW TO MAKE ONE.

The title of this post was initially: More GREY days with not a hint of Sun?But although that is a pre-occupation at the moment because it's so visual and impacts on moods etc, it is NOT what this post is all about, so I have re-named it.
This shows you the rose and provides the information to find the pattern and make one yourself.
 What a dreary grey and not even very warm and even quite WET at times summer's day. Summer? What summer?  I made this brooch yesterday in the afternoon, a silver anniversary wedding present for a lovely couple who are very keen and key players in Scottish Country dancing. I went to their dance party last night and it was such fun and hugely uplifting as the weather and the days are so dull and depressing.
 It's my own design and I incorporated tartan ribbons. You can find a similar pattern in Jan Eatons:'' Crochet Compendium'' page 115
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Compendium-Crochet-Techniques-Jan-Eaton/dp/1844484017/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371392216&sr=8-1&keywords=crochet+compendium

 but I used a Lesley Stansfield pattern from'' Adorable Crochet for Babies and Toddlers'' page 54
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Adorable-Crochet-Babies-Toddlers-Projects/dp/1843402696/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371392253&sr=1-1&keywords=adorable+crochet+for+babies

which I adapted. I used about 55 cm of 10 mm ribbon and 10 cm of 25mm ribbon to make the covered button.  I used a 15 mm button making kit but I think it needs to be a bigger button next time or maybe sit this one on a larger flat coloured plastic button?! For self cover button kits see this link:

http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/advancedsearchresults.aspx?query=hemline-buttons-self-cover-22mm


 If you use a larger self cover button kit you will need to buy WIDER ribbon, I think Hobbycraft have this.
http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/advancedsearchresults.aspx?page=2&query=berisfords%20tartan%20ribbon
You'd need to visit the store and get the one that is WIDER than 25mm.

The adaptation is that you add a row of dc ( sc in USA) round the biggest petals and include a ''buttonhole'' of 2 chains to feed the ribbon through.
 DK cotton and DK wool with a 4mm hook choose colours to match your tartan , at least 3 colours but 4 is even nicer. and a brooch back or strong fridge magnet to sew onto the back. Loop the ribbon across each lower petal from the centre out and over through the button hole and across the back back to the centre back and sew in place with sewing needle and sewing thread. Sew button on and sew brooch back onto centre back or fridge magnet bar but use a strong one as the flower weighs at least 15 grammes.
I tried to include a bit of dancing to provide an idea of the fabulous music from the Craichelachie band ( 6 strong!) and the joy of the dancing but the video will not upload.
So instead I have found a video, not of that party but of the last dance at the party in a social setting like our, our music was even better too but it gives a flavour of the necessary FUN that was had by all.





I have also had fun making very colourful granny squares:

 And a fingerless glove:
 And on grey weekends you de-scale the kettle don;t you?
 New haircut last week, but it only looked good for a day as it requires expert blow-drying which I don't do.
 An Allium caught on one of the very few sunny days thus far.

 And clearing up rooms I found this amazing shell! Very KF I thought.

 Which reminded me: from Glorious Inspirations I designed and made a spectacle case: in 1990:
 With a log-cabin back to offer an opportunity to play with colours:


The original books I had in those days:


 SECOND FROM TOP ON THE LEFT I have made that cushion. Ehrman kit in 1991.
 I absolutely LOVED this chair and was wishing to have a go, but could not find a suitable chair and we didn't have room in our North Wales ancient cottage on the hill.


 I loved these zig zags and even with my poorknitting skills I had a go using some boucle wool my suster had sent from Holland and I had not a clue how to use... It was quite bulky.
 I made a front and a back and finally gave up as it was too thick and unwieldy, I felted it in the nachine and made a bath rug!

 Much shrunk it's a soft and colourful bath mat.
I had a go at a similar ROWAN pattern like this too:
 It was a complex fairisle/intarsia jacket pattern and I spent over £100 on the Rowan yarns at Liberty of London and that was a LOT in the early 1990's... There was dk wool, dk tweed, kidsilk haze and  fine cotton chenille and on fine needles it was a nightmare keeping the yarns from tangling up!
As you can see I only got this far and then gave up. End of hand knitting for me. Moved on to needlepoint and eventually some machine knitting.

 This was the KAFFE FASSETT cabbage cushion also featured in his exhibition recently, except I added a burgundy striped background to go with our Rose and Peony Sanderson curtains and the green striped JL sofa with the burgundy piping in twisted satin cord. A symphony in greens and reds.
Back to my chores now and logging the yarn in my stash onto Ravelry as the weather is not nice.
There's more Kaffe Fasset to upload soon.

Sunday 9 June 2013

Where's the summer?

 Hi, back again briefly as it's almost midnight and I must get some shut eye soon as I had less than 6 hours sleep a night last week and it was NOT good. Am working full-time during the week now , just for a few months but it's quite a lot more than the hours I have been used to. As well as crochet classes to prepare to teach at the weekend. Lack of hot sunny weather helped me to make this pencil case - well for me it will be a hooks and crochet accessories case- this weekend. I'm not sure I like it really, should have done better with the colours, but hey hindsight and all that.
 The pattern was from Art of Crochet magazine. Theirs is in wool.
 I based my colours on this gorgeously wild piece of striped cotton that I wished to line it with.

 Let's get back to a bit more Kaffe Fasset?!



 A bit of programmed machine embroidery here, only 2 pieces in the show that were thus.
 This is the second one.




















 At the far corner of the knitwear corridor was a place to watch Kaffe travel videos and here were some paintings and tapestries:
 In the past I have preferred his textiles: taperstries and knitting over his paintings but these BOTTLE paintings were truly superb. SOOOOO shiny! AND I love the shapes and the colours.



 One of the videos was about a trip to India and North Vietnam and the Vietnam bit was most fascinating: this video was also being sold in the museum shop. It made me want to visit there.


 And there were designs for fabrics with the colour choices palettes below, lovely!

 LOVE LOVE LOVE these circles within circles.



 Of course I ADORE these blues!
 How I love this pencils design, so amusing and yet wonderfully linear? I'd want to WEAR it as a top or simple blouse. Or even a silk and viscose scarf?










 Such truly DELICIOUS colours somehow, I want to CROCHET with them!

And these beach huts remind me of bed, got to go now. More soon.