Absent .........................

Well not been on as been recovering from hospital ... anaesthetic which never agrees with me ..even more so with the ME/CFIDS - but at least this time allowed home (unlike last time)
Taken me a week to stop zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzing n wobbling all over the place - but a bit more stable now

Hence silence

Started on a flower patch style small blanket ...........pics to come - when not too sleepy ......... and written up a pattern for a moebius cowl
My friend saw it and demanded pattern ......... now for the other designs
So lots to catch up on

Will post some pics asap

Hope wherever you are weather nicer than here .....been pouring with rain and windy - ugh - grim!
Ohhhhhhhhhh for Spring and sunshine and warmth....................... but crocuses in the garden ...............so its on its way ... HURRAH HURRAH !

More snow

Yesterday woke to dazzling crispy whiteness - liek a heavy dusting of icing sugar and today even more dusting of the white stuff .....between snow showers (when cant see across the green) is sparkling sunshine. Would bizarrely swap from one to other in a moment - one min sunshine next wildly swirling snowflakes ................ All I know is it makes me wilt alarmingly (legs just go)- the M.E.,  and my arthritis complain - bitterly!

Today a BIG BOX parcel arrived from one of my bestest friends - with my wedding album and birthday pressies in!! Underneath all the scrunched up paper of former travel magazines (another story there) Album all scrapbooked with flowers (crocheted and paper) and all sorts text and of course lots pics ..................... I shall of course have to take pics of it and post! Also a bunch scrummy smellies - soaps n bath fizzies from LUSH inculding my fav - Karma! So shall soon be off for LONG hot Soak in lots lovely smellies .................. ideal for my aches n pains
& A handmade funky eggcup with toast rack and spoon rest - which we both saw when Christmas shopping together at a street market .....had totally forgot about that!
So all in all a lovely surprise!!

Now onto more crafty things - thought post something I made last Summer - to remind me of all things bright, warm and colourful ........see I do colour as well.

This is a rug I made for the bedroom - but its in the loo now
I picked out the colours in the fabric (yet to be made into curtains for bedroom) - so its all pinks, peaches, greens, purples and lavenders matching the flowers n leaves in the fabric ( a Chinois pattern of trailing vines and flowers on a black background - in lovely cotton sateen) - you can just see the roll of fabric at top of pic
I need to make another rug but BIGGER

Hot House Rug

Made in carpet wool (80/20 wool) - so should last for many years!

Just made 2 scarves in stripes for sonny-one - black and dark teal (boucle wool so warm n cuddly - like he is) and other in a variegated shades of bright blue (bright n cheery like he is). These for his birthday later this month.

Well better get something achieved for day !

George Spencer Fabric - hand quilted then beaded wall hanging

Well bit late - sorry but was my birthday this weekend and other such excuses .....
Here is work in progress - a quilted and beaded wall hanging

Here it is unfinished with ragged edges

The work has taken me a month to do - so far
It will go in spare room to act as a headboard. All this work ...just for the spare room!

The fabric is unusual being a print sample of the block from the designer 'George Spencer' - so it is just the one section that would be repeated
I have co-ordinating fabric of the same print in subtley different shades some on cotton,  glazed cotton or on linen so will be challenge - again colour print run samples to make a bedspread or curtains - not sure which yet!

I sadly didnt think to take pics before quilting and after quilting but before beading
But here it is beaded - but not edged yet

I hand quilted each leaf then shadow quilted where the pattern would have been repeated in cream thread, to put it all in context.
Then beaded in co-ordinating colours - green, brown and cream beads - some very kindly given to me by my good friend Diana!!

So many, many thanks Diana ............ certainly added the finishing touches!!

She also pattern tests for me - for my crochet patterns - she a very talented lady who knits, paints, beads, crochets, quilts ..........all brilliantly - a real artist!

More of a close up

Detail - One of the Brown Leaves

Detail - One of the Green leaves

Some the pattern being extended by shadow quilting the leaves with cream beads to put teh printed section in context

I have more fun with odds and ends of fabric than by buying co-ordinated lengths
Just love the challenge of making somehting out of nothing ......................
So give me a bag of scraps and 'hey presto'  something is created

I made a lovely strip quilted pillow out of the trimmings from a pair of curtains - maybe post that tomorrow!

Today it is grey wet and snowing ......... very grismal!

Didnt do anything for my birthday as DH didnt feel v well .......poor chap

Anway at last min he bought me a digital photoframe, as he had no idea what to get me - so now I can upload and look at all the hundreds pics I take! :-)
We did go on Sunday and see the film Avatar - which was v enjoyable but left me exhausted so slept all evening on the sofa ........................ The ME/CFIDS can be the very devil's plague!

Lacy Ascot Scarf , Houses and quilts .......................

Been busy cleaning n doing final clearance of house - so it can be rented out ...... almost done
Soooo dispiriting - my lovely little home with its designer kitchen (beech birch and stainless steel) and bathroom.............. and polished wood floors and cream wool carpets (no kids, no pets no man to mess  things up!)
Just hope tenants look after the house!

Then weather has been so grim grey n grismal ....................... not exactly uplifting to the spirits

Anyway ..... onto things creative ..... :-)

ASCOT - which has a wedge shape at the back with two tie ends, so you can wear it with the wedge V at front (with ends at sides)  or the wedge V at the back making the ends longer so you can tie it at the front

It took 1 ball Crystal Palace Kid Silk and a couple of evenings to do - if do again be shorter as will not have to work out the pattern nor make changes ..which of course I did
Pattern was :  Janetta Ascot Scarf  - a vintage pattern dating from 1920's

Tied so V wedge at front with wedged ends at sides

V wedge at back .................

With ends tied at front

Made this the other week ....soft light lacy fluffy merino - nice delicate haze
Very feminine - really nice on my coat and can be worn several ways - so versatile as well!

Tomorrow will post pics of another project in progress - a quilted and beaded wall hanging - anyway more about that tomorrow ...................

Shawls - different shapes and sizes primer

Today is dull, grey n grim ...fog ....need I say more

Having just joined the "10 Shawls in 2010" on Ravelry........so thought show a few shawls I had made - basically to illustrate how different they can be in shape not to mention colour and of types wool used .stitch sued and pattern another entity entirely!
So the shapes are of course

• triangular
• semicircular
• winged
• serious batwing
• wedged
• circular
• rectangular
• square
• freeform
• 3 dimensional - e.g self ruffled Irish crochet

Gosh that makes 10 types of shawl without even considering yarn weight/colour or stitch  or anything else!

Though at times from a pattern it can be difficult to discern which shape you will end up with ................. so thought try and shed alittle light on some of them

First a basic triangle

This is the South Bay Shawlette - pattern Lion Brand

This is a straight triangle in a lacy stitch and very easy to do

You start in the centre back - so you can make it as big as you like or until your wool runs out

The increases are in the middle and at the side 

I modified it with a  picot edge

Batwing - extreme

This is an extreme batwing shape in a nice lacey stitch that creates a nice texture but not obvious rows 

You start in the centre back - so you can make it as big as you like - or until the wool runs out

It increases in the middle and at the sides to create the winged effect

This sits on your shoulders without sliding off

Its a long lean wedge so not so much shawl over your arms to get in the way - can easily be tied as it has long thin points

This is the Butterfly Wing shawl by Holly Hunter

Batwing - normal

Another batwing - less pointed in shape

Sits on your shoulder without slipping off

This has discernable rows in a repated shell pattern that takes several rows to complete the sequence  

You start in the middle and increase at either side of the centre and inside the edges

This is the Seraphina Shawl by Donni

 Self Ruffling Batwing

This is a batwing with graduated increases to create a self ruffle

This is my own design

I wanted a shawl that fluttered out over my arms but nothing lumpen

Thrilled with it as did just what I wanted

Wedged

This is a wedge (4 sections) - they can be 8 or 10

They sit on the shoulder without falling off

Start in the middle

The increases are at four points and the edges

A simple pattern with a filet row on every third row

In this instance I added a ruffle around all the edge

This is the Eva Shawl by Milobo

Circular- Ripple

This a circular Shawl or throw in a 12 point ripple pattern

You start in the middle and make increases and decreases at set points

You can make it as big as you wish - until wool runs out or achieved desired size

Has distinct rows if using different colours for each row

You can fold to wear to turn it into a half circle

This another circular 12 point ripple but in a single colour in fine mohair

Freeform

This is a freeform shawl - currently under construction

Tore it apart and remaking it in a different shape

This is made in freeform modules which are then crocheted together

Can use up all sorts odds and ends

A few random thoughts ...............

All these shawls start from a  central point - which enable you to make them any size you wish - so less fear of running out part way through making it

For example if you start a basic traingle shawl on the long edge - you have already dictated the size .....so if you run short of wool before you get to the end point .....oops! The its a case of ordering more wool ........or starting all over again!

Different stitches show off some yarns better than others - a crisp yarn will show off complex stitchery whereas a fancy fuzzy yarn will not

Colours work better with some stitches than others - especially painted or space dyed yarns - so key here is to experiment!  A dark colour will not show off fine stitches as well as say a light colour e.g. Aran

Blue Shetland Wool Shawl ......................

Well just finished my latest project - for the brain dead .......seeing as my brain seems to have gone mushy on me - like the snow outside - soft, grey and mushy !!
Now I know there is a brain in there - sloshing about as had enough MRI scans to show there are a few of Poirot's famous 'ikkle grey cells' lurking in there ............it is just they are not working at the moment - on post Christmas/New Years strike methinks .............

So been crocheting this shawl .....dead easy pattern to follow ....but I changed the border (now scallops with picots) and added an inner edge to firm up the edges, why you may ask .......... cos thats the way I like it. Now its photographed wish made the border deeper - to frame the lace effect ............ ooh well next time

Here it is on my kitchen door

heres it little tail end

and heres the scallopy border with a picot

You can find the pattern on the Lion Brand site - and its called ' South Bay Shawlette'

Now to wash it - to remove the oils and the yarn will fluff up and colour will be softer

The green scarf I made has now beenw ashed and now drying - will post pics when thast dry - all fluffy now :-)

Meanwhile outside ...........snow still on all the fields .....but tis soft n slushy snow - the main roads seem clear  well what I can see outside our house! It will be a slow melt ............. and skies been grey n grim all day .. so I tried to clean the bathroom - as cant see outside in there ... didn't get very far as it take me soooooo long to do anyhting - but I did tidy up storage box of soaps n bath stuff ... but that took me ALL afternoon but something achieved.........

I try to do something no matter how small each day - despite the M.E. !!

I will not let it beat me .....but now I need to go lie down ......... groan as so very tired

A New Scarf and Felted Bucket Bag .............and yet more white stuff ..............................

Yup the snow continues in spates - but rather wet snow as it is all slowly melting
We can see tarmac at last as the packed snow gives way to slush ..... ohhh yes much slush

Been busy designing a new scarf .... now completed as taken me a couple nights crocheting - hurrah!
Its a metre long and comprises a series of interlocking scallops in two shades green shetland wool - just needs to be washed to remove all the oils in it, which also brightens the colours and then it will be nice and soft ......pics of before and after to follow
Then to write up the pattern and name it .....any ideas??

There it goes a-twirling around my bannister

The scarf end

The scarf and the two cones of Shetland Wool

Also pics of a small Bag/Tote I finished before Christmas - my friend thought it was a hat .. made it out of odds n ends of Phildar mohair a veritable Stash Buster!

Its a bucket bag - circular bottom with  repeating stripes of random and solids, with a inbuilt reinforced handle - felted so nice and sturdy

Oh and finally rescued the frozen snow covered wash off the line in the garden ................ now in process drying and being ironed ... such fun! ?