It's Oh, So Quiet . . . .

I can't believe that it's been nearly 4 weeks since I posted anything!

Despite the lack of this, I have actually been about as busy as I can be, health permitting - and it's all things that I'm crafting for my daughter, either as presents for her, or for her friends, and so I'm unable to post anything on here, in case she sees what she shouldn't - well, until she comes here for a visit and sees the stuff for herself, anyway :)

I've finished the majority of the little bits & bobs I was doing for her, and have been concentrating for quite a few days - with even more of them to come before I finish - on one particular present for my daughter, but it's a surprise for her, so all I can say is 'Mascot', and that's all I am saying! Lol

I've been looking through all my girl's latest photos - she's a keen picture taker and, as she's working at every major festival this year, she's had plenty of subjects to photograph. As I can't be there with her, it's lovely to see the fun she has been having, despite all the hard work :)I spoke to her last night on Facebook, and I found out she's going to be going back to the Burning Man Festival, with the Firework Collective, this year! Excitement! :)

As I can't put up any pics of my work, I thought I'd share a few pics of my very hardworking girl. They're not in any particular order. :)

Brex with Slamboree, Eden Festival

Brex with Pyro Celtica, Eden Festival

Brex on Fyre!

Brex with Ashley Dawn Clarke, Glastonbury

Brex chillin' at Beatherder

Hear Brex Roooaaar

Getting on with my crafting . . .

It isn't easy, most of the time, to do what I want to do, let alone what I should do but, especially where crocheting is concerned, I find it difficult at times to do the things I want to do. Not only because of my health, to be fair, but also because I'm still learning so much. With my health being so unstable, this affects what I can do for the majority of the time and, at this moment in time, it's holding me back something awful :(

It's got to be around 3 weeks since I posted my last blog and, normally, I manage to crochet at least 1, but normally 3, things a week. For this last few weeks, I've managed one main project - a new pattern that I was asked to trial, and which, after I had learned a new stitch, has become one of my favourites :)

The item was a Laptop case and, as I hadn't made one for myself yet, I decided to make it to fit my own laptop. The pattern writer is Candace Glabas, who is the 'Crochet Dans L'air' part of Crochet Dans L'air and The Grey Lady :)
Their facebook page is:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crochet-Dans-Lair-and-The-Grey-Lady/131901040286310

Here's a couple of photos I took of my laptop case, but you will have to contact Candace privately if you are interested in purchasing the pattern.

I used 3 different yarns for this, crocheting them together - except for the carrying handle, where I used 2 yarns, but to the same thickness.

The main purple colour is a Red Heart Super Saver 100% acrylic yarn, called Amethyst - I used almost 2 x 198g, or 7 oz, worcester weight skeins of this. 
I also used some of my favourite Double Knit 100% acrylic Dusky Lilac yarn - one 100g skein. I then added some Robin Double Knit 100% acrylic yarn, in a lovely, light, Lavender - one 100g skein. 

Having made 2 cases before, one for my mum, and one for my daughter, I hadn't thought of putting a carrying handle on either, so I wasn't sure whether this would handle the weight of my laptop but, to my surprise, it did so, and easily - with the handle being wide enough to be very comfortable on my shoulder as I carried the laptop around the house in it :)

Because it's been hard to make anything major, i've been occupying myself with some small projects. My daughter goes to all the festivals, as she's in the band called Slamboree (http://www.slamboree.com), and is also a member of the Fire Performers, Pyro Celtica (http://www.pyroceltica.org/).

When she was last visiting, we were talking about her last time at the USA festival Burning Man (http://www.burningman.com/), last September, and she was telling me about some of the things they found were needed, but were in short supply, so I decided that I would make this a little side project of my own, and am crocheting all the little bits and bobs she had told me she needed. I won't show them on here, though, as they are a surprise for her! :)

Anyway, that's all my news for now and so, until my next post, Keep Crocheting!

Keeping on with the crafting, no matter what!

It's been a very strange week for me this week.

The ME has been really playing up, and I've been sleeping some very strange hours - to the point that I have to look at the date and time on my laptop to know what day it is, and when.

This sleeping thing always seems to come in waves, as though the Fibro and ME have an agreement to take it in turns so that, one minute I'm sleeping all the time, and the next I'm lucky to get a few hours. A real pain, whichever one it is, although I do get more crochet work done when it's the Fibro! :)

I have managed to make a couple of things though, despite the oversleeping. I managed to make a second outfit for my friend's doll, Muriel. I had already made a red riding hood outfit for her, and so I decided to make her a more summery outfit, and in the peach shades that my friend prefers.

I've mentioned before that this doll is an awkward size. At 21" she's too big for all of the crochet patterns I've been able to find, and so I decided that I'd do what my mum always does when she's given a doll to dress - and I'd make it up as I went along!

Now I've done it, I can understand my mum's enjoyment of creating an outfit in this way :)

Anyway, here's the outfit I crocheted freehand:

Muriels Peachy Summer Outfit

Muriel's Shorts

I made a vest top, a skirt, a pair of shorts, and a headband to match :)

Muriel's Right-hand side

Muriel's Left-hand side

A close-up of Muriel's necklace and bracelet

I was really pleased with the way the outfit turned out and, when my friend received the parcel with doll and outfits in it, she was over the moon with what I'd made (I hadn't told her what it would be).

After I'd sent Muriel on her way back home, I wasn't quite sure what to do next, until I went onto Facebook, and looked in on my fellow Discworld devotees, where I saw a knitted version of Terry Pratchett's Death of Rats.

As soon as I saw it, I wanted to make one myself - not for me, but for my daughter, who is just an avid a fan of the Discworld as I am :)

The trouble is, I couldn't find a decent crochet pattern anywhere for it, and so I decided to be brave, and make it up as I went along, just as I'd done for Muriel's outfit :)

After some trial and error, this is what I came up with:

Death of Rats - the Grim Squeaker!
I used white pipe cleaners to make the hands, feet and tail.

I used a black pipe cleaner, & kitchen foil to make his scythe :)

I used blue buttons to give an impression of the wink that Death and the Rat used.

DOR's cloak. I used a black pipe cleaner to edge it, to make the shape.

As I hate to be without a project, I also completed this month's Crochet Crowd challenge. This month it was a circular motif throw and, for a change, I actually managed to complete it in a few days. The pattern itself was a little complicated, especially for someone like me, who had never tackled joining motifs together as I went but, once I'd got the hang of it, it was made up quite quickly.



There were 27 large motifs, 16 middle motifs, and 16 edging motifs, and I crocheted them in different colours - Hunter Green for the large, Windsor blue for the middle, and Real Teal for the edging motifs. I think they all went very well together :)

I gave this as a present to a very good friend of mine, as she's just getting her crafting studio together, and needed something with a bit of colour to put on a plain white chair she had in there - it can also double up as shawl, in case she feels the cold while she's working :)


So, as I've finished all if this, I decided to get on with some items I'd promised my daughter I'd make for her . . . . . . . and I'll show you them once I've finished :)

To Yarn bomb, or not. . . . . .

I have just read an article, posted by Michael Sellick in his Blog, The Crochet Crowd, and it really got me to thinking about how I viewed crochet. Did I think of it as a nice hobby or, as Mikey does, do I believe it is an individual's artistic expression?

I really didn't have to think too hard for the answer, though, as it is the inspiring work of people like Mikey, that has encouraged so many people, like myself, to take up this amazing craft. His work is always colourful, zany, incredibly inspiring, and as near to a brilliant work of art, as I've ever seen!

In his article, Engaging Others: Food For Thought, to be found here:

http://thecrochetcrowd.com/blog/967-engaging-others-food-for-thought.html 

Mikey tells us that some people have accused him of being wasteful with yarn, when he creates his fascinating and exhilarating yarn bombs. Pardon? Who in their right minds could call what he does 'wasteful'?

Being a newbie to the crochet scene, it has been his inspirational work in this form of artistic expression, that excited me enough to be determined to work hard enough, to gain the skills needed to attempt this sort of project. I doubt if I will ever attain the same level of skill with crochet work as Mikey has, but his work has encouraged me to be the best that I can be!

So, if his artistic expression does anything, then surely it can be said to be a great example of something we can all work at to achieve - and is in no way a waste - neither of Mikey's time, labour, artistic expression, nor yarn!

I find it totally sad that there are still people who value art so little that they can only see it's expression as 'waste!




When you see a picture, such as this above - a tricycle that Mikey yarn-bombed for Canada's largest consumer Craft show, held in April of this year - surely you can see the thought, time, energy and, especially, the artistic value that he put into it?

Mikey's whole ethos is about inspiring as many people as possible to take up this craft - or any other for that matter - in order to express their own creativity. As far as I'm concerned, he's doing it right, and I hope he will always have the energy to keep on working at his yarn-bomb pieces, so that they can keep influencing ever more people to take up this wonderfully expressive, age-old craft!