During this tute you'll learn how to form the iconic granny stitch, and you'll make a teeny, tiny granny stripe blanket!
I'd love to see pictures of your finished work, please leave comments either here or on You Tube, or the Facebook group (Mrs Bee's Emporium). As always, I'm happy to answer questions, give clarification or advice - just ask!
Happy hooking!
Claire x
Here is the third video tutorial in the series - in this episode you finally get your hands on the yarn! Learn how to hold the hook and yarn, how to make a slipknot and how to make chain or foundation stitch. Don't forget your homework!
Please let me know what you think in the comments below - I'm new to this and want to get it right! All suggestions appreciated. If you require further clarification I'd be only too happy to help too - and don't forget to share with me pictures of your work, so I can shower you with praise and appreciation! We're all in this together!
Claire x
Happy
new year! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are buzzing with enthusiasm
for 2013. All was lovely here - Florence's first Christmas was relaxed. We
spent a lot of time with family and we also lazed around and ate far too much,
but that was fab and just what the doctor ordered. Father Christmas bought Florence her first tooth, which
arrived, without fuss, on the 28th. All I can say is "ouch." I'm
still breastfeeding. Just.
Since
a lot of people like to take up new hobbies in the new year, I thought it'd be
a great time to put together a project for those who want to learn to crochet.
In 2012, I met several people who were keen to start but said that even the
most basic tutorials assumed that they knew all about yarn, etc. This is a real
beginner's guide. As the weeks pass, we'll make a granny square blanket,
or a cushion cover if that's your preference (you start in the same place and then decide which project to follow half way through.) All you need is 6 balls of DK
(double knit) yarn and a 4mm crochet hook. If that sounds like gobble-de-gook,
then watch the movie where I explain alll about it. You can just buy one
ball of yarn if you're not sure you'll like it, and see how you go.
I hope the
tutorials will be part information and part support - learning any new skill is
a challenge and I want to be there to assist, reassure and pass on experiences.
My own personal challenge right now is losing weight and I am a *total*
exercise novice (embarrassingly so), so I empathise with the new crocheters. If
you're an experienced crocheter and have any advice you'd like me to pass on,
then please email me. I'll give full credit to all contributers.
So, here we go.
All feedback appreciated:
medium from Claire Boynton on Vimeo.
If the embedded video player isn't working, there's a problem with Typepad. You can find the video by following this link: http://vimeo.com/57356957
Online Yarn Recommendations:
For this project, I'll be using Debbie Bliss Rialto, as I
have it in my stash already. However, the following would also be good. I've given a brief guide to price according to which yarn you choose, too.
Lovely - http://hejhog-uk.com/debbie-bliss-rialto-dk-c-170_181_224.html
(cost approx £25 for finished blanket / cushion)
Gorgeous - http://hejhog-uk.com/artesano-dk-c-170_252_258.html
(£22)
Luxury - http://hejhog-uk.com/debbie-bliss-cashmerino-dk-c-170_181_231.html
(£25)
Bargainous luxury merino - http://hejhog-uk.com/wendy-merino-c-170_382_393.html
(£14.70)
Mid price Acrylic / merino blend - http://hejhog-uk.com/wendy-mode-dk-c-170_382_412.html
(£8.82)
Stylecraft Special DK is a nice acrylic
in several colours that comes highly recommended. I've not used this yarn or
this company, so can't recommend personally. Word on the web, though, is
they're good: http://www.countrycrafts.org.uk/special_dk.htm
(£8.94, but that's for double the amount of yarn, so you could make two
blankets!)
RICO Creative Cotton - have used this
yarn and this supplier. Would recommend both. The yarn is similar to string and
can be a bit splitty, so buyer beware, it could be tricky for a newbie. That
said, it's a good price for a natural material: http://www.first4yarns.co.uk/rico-creative-cotton-705-c.asp
(£11.40)
Hope that helps - as I say, that's just some suggestions for those who are feeling overwhelmed by their first yarn purchase, there are thousands of other options especially now it's sale
time. Just check its DK / double knit and can be machine washed (superwash).
I'm very happy to take a look at your potential yarn purchases, just PM me.
I really like www.hejhog-uk.com as their prices are
reasonable and their customer service second to none. They don't pay me for
recs though, lol, so feel free to shop elsewhere. A note of caution about Kemps
Woolshop - their prices are excellent and I've always received parcels quickly,
HOWEVER their search engine is a total PITA. I've just searched DK yarn and the
first few items are not DK weight. If you plan to order from Kemps, I'm happy
to double check that you have the right weight yarn.
Good luck!
With love
Claire x
Just a quick post tonight, as its late and I am exhausted. Its been a busy day at the cottage. The baby fed, quite literally, all night and I woke with a sore back from twisting around her slightly in bed. Thankfully I feed her lying down an night, so I managed the odd doze. I awoke late, so Charlie was late for school and, because I'd had to wake her abruptly (and she hadn't had enough sleep either,) the baby was grumpy. Just as I'd poured myself the first cup of tea of the day, Jonny appeared and said he'd missed the school bus. 15 minutes later I'm driving us all the 15 mile round trip to school.
I've tried to work today, honestly I have, but the darkness and the horrible, cold rain has conspired to prevent me from being too motivated. I cut up some paper, and finished my hand and footprint tiles, which I will share with you another day. I am pleased with them. Then, right on cue, Florence woke up and I spent most of the rest of the time baby wrangling. Or baby wrestling, as my friend calls it. Florrie's a big, heavy baby now who won't sit still. She's prone to suddenly arching her back and flinging herself around. Wrestling is an accurate description.
Still, the baby went into the sling and that gave me chance to work on the next stage of the Christmas alcohol - home made Limoncello and Blackberry vodka. I spent a relaxing couple of hours mixing up sugar solution, sterilising jars and pottering about.
The now sweetened lemon vodka will now retreat back into the fridge for a week to infuse some more, before I strain the lemon zest out and bottle it.
Here's the recipe in case you fancy having a go. There's still time before Christmas
Limoncello
6 small unwaxed lemons
1 litre bottle vodka - cheap will do
750g caster sugar
750ml boiling water
1. Wash and sterilise a large Kilner jar by putting into a cool oven for 10 mins (gas mark 1/ 140 degrees C)
2. Wash the lemons, then grate the lemon zest finely, taking care not to take the pith (ha!)
3. Put lemon zest into sterile jar and pour over the vodka. Secure well and store in a cool, dark place for one week. Shake everyday - it looks like a snowstorm of yellow snow (nice)
4) After a week has passed, measure out the sugar into a large bowl. Add freshly boiling water and stir carefully until the sugar dissolves. You can tell when the sugar has dissolved as it goes clear, and if you put a spoon into the mixture, you can't see or feel any granules on the back of the spoon. Stir the lemon infused vodka into the sugar syrup.
5) Wash the Kilner jar, along with another of the same size, and sterilise both. Pour the combined mixture of lemon vodka and sugar syrup into the jars. Store for another week, shaking every day. Strain the Limoncello through a clean muslin cloth and decant into pretty, sterilised bottles.
Store in the freezer and drink neat, use in cocktails or pour over ice cream.
The blackberry vodka is proving to be more of a challenge as we've gone a little off piste with this. We wanted to use the blackberries left over from the railway jelly, so we bundled them into a demijohn and added vodka. I've been keeping notes. I'll share them with you at a later date.
I also wanted to share this little dude with you. Well, dudette. It's Cactus Jacqui!
How I enjoyed making her! The pattern was free, enjoyable to crochet, and I made her up in a night! a perfect project. You can find the pattern here.
Cactus Jacqui is part of a gift I've made for a handmade Secret Santa. I need to post her tomorrow, hopefully the postman will deliver her safely to her new home on the other side of the country.
Well. That wasn't quick, was it?! Thanks for hanging out with me again, though, its always fun.
Claire x
Christmas has a touch of the Marmites about it, I think, you either love it or hate it. My husband hates it with a passion. He thinks its overpriced, enforced consumerism - which, I suppose it is. I tend to swing, like a pendulum, between the two extremes. I think it is important to punctuate the year with traditional celebrations, as they are cast-in-stone ways of ensuring that we keep up with our friends and family. I think I actually prefer the concept of Thanksgiving, though. I do not have a strong (public) religious belief, and I do not actually believe that God cares all that much whether you pray on special or ordinary days - so the religious aspect of Christmas does little for me. I like the idea of noticing, and appreciating the good things that surround us all. Christmas, all too often, can become an exercise in The Wanties. I am not exempt from this myself.
I am starting my series 'This Woman's Work' with Christmas, as I think its an excellent example of the hard work that women do that often goes unnoticed. My husband is a 21st century man, he does a lot of housework and believes that relationships should be 50:50. However, he does have a tendancy to arrive at Christmas expecting that everyone should have thoughtful gifts chosen, made or bought, beautifully wrapped and delivered on budget. He does the food shopping, but I do most of the cooking. He couldn't care less whether Christmas cards were bought, written and sent, or who is invited and what type of food is served when they arrive, but he doesn't want anyone in the family to feel that we don't care about them. Work commitments mean that he can't attend school plays and decoration afternoons, magic shows, pantomimes or school fayres. So he doesn't get involved with finding costumes, raffle prizes, taking the children to various Christmas events and making sure they don't get too much of a sugar rush, visiting Father Christmas and encouraging the suddenly stage-struck child into the grotto, or helping clear the classroom of PVA glue and millions of pieces of paper from the classroom carpet. Nor does he think of the classroom politics of ensuring that everyone in the class has a card, posted into the right box and addressed in the right way, and of remembering other children in different classes who invited Charlie to their birthday parties over the year, and ensuring that anyone we might have left out has a card written and delivered the very next day. My husband is amazing and I love him, but Christmas really is MY work. He's busy doing the important paid stuff.
I start to plan Christmas in the preceeding January. We are both from quite small families, but that means that we need to buy presents for everyone, adults included. This may not be what other families do, and some of you will think that this is excessive and that the adults can do without gifts. Not so for our families. This is one of the unspoken challenges of Christmas that women deal with. Do you give to receive? What happens if someone turns up at your door with an unexpected gift? Do you have a few extras wrapped and ready under the tree for such eventualities? What if you buy a present for a person who can't afford to buy one back for you - is this a treat for them that they can't afford themselves, or are you encouraging them to reciprocate your gift unnecessarily, leaving them out of pocket? Do you buy things of equal value for all relatives? Or do you make sure that people have an equal AMOUNT of gifts (I especially struggle with this one with the children. It comes from Jonathan's younger days, when he had a friend with extremely generous parents. "Why does Father Christmas love Mark more than me?" he cried. Ouch.) What happens if you buy someone a gift in the sale? Does that mean you buy someone else a gift of the same amount that you spent, or the same amount that the gift is worth? And on, and on and on, Ariston.
Women try to work out all of this emotional, hidden crap. I am sure men do too but, in conversations with men I know, I find that they tend to care less what other people think.
I make gifts because I like it, and because it makes my money go further. However, if you make to sell then this is not a great use of your time. It doesn't make sense, from a financial point of view, to make items if the cost of your labour, plus the materials, is worth more than the amount you would spend on a gift. Besides which, do your friends and family actually LIKE handmade gifts, anyway? I once made a handmade blanket that cost almost £100 in yarn and hours upon hours of my time. I could have cried when I saw the disappointment on my recipient's face, and they said (much like Andie Macdowell in Four Weddings) "Oh. A blanket."
This year I AM handmaking gifts for some people but not others; I have learned the hard way! Besides which, it gives me the opportunity to experiment with some new ideas for my newly re-launched Folksy shop that I plan to give an overhaul to in January 2013.
So, the picture above is a note book for our lovely Aunty Pauline. She's hoping to move in 2013 and is a great maker of lists. She's buying a house that looks much like this so I tried to interpret it in fabric. I REALLY enjoyed this project - fabric books are fabbity anyway, but trying to represent a home was lovely. I'm going to have a go at doing ours once I've finished the Christmas presents, but I intend to frame ours. I really hope she likes it.
SO, sneaking the Christmas joy where I can, then, with the odd bit of crafting, and some Christmas spirit (and chocolate. Oh, yes.) I'm trying not to worry too much about the other stuff.
Claire x
Blimey, it's chilly here today. I've taken to wearing socks again but, to be honest, I'm quite tempted to light the fire this afternoon. My hands are like ice! I might warm them up with some crochet in a bit.
As the weekend approaches I wanted to share with you a couple of the Little Picasso cushions I've done recently of which I am proud.
You may remember that my Little Picasso cushions are embroidered copies of a child's drawing, with patchwork to match the colours used in the illustration. The actual process of making them is a closely guarded secret (if I told you I'd have to kill you, mwahahaha). I'm very proud of the way they turn out. And I LOVE working from children's drawings, it really is the most fun.
The hand embroidery is time consuming, but is my favourite part. It takes, on average 4 - 10 hours per cushion.
This one was from a little boy for his Frampy, who owns a Harley Davidson. Isn't it the coolest thing?
I tried really hard to make sure that the fabrics I chose were appropriate biker fabrics - sometimes choosing cushion fabric for men can be a bit challenging. This was OK though because it contained red and orange. I'm LOVING red and orange at the moment - it's part of my year long orange fetish*
The back of Frampy's cushion was plain, with a zip:
By contrast, here is a Little Picasso by a girl for her Aunty Janaya. Possibly picked because, again, it indulges my love of orange:
Being more girly, this one has the patchwork frill, and is fastened at the back by a large orange button. I love it's four mismatched corner buttons too.
You see, THIS is why I love working with children's drawings. Not only are they unique and effused with love, but who would have thought about putting orange with lilac and blue? But, blimey, I love it and I will certainly use that colour scheme again in the future.
I hope you have a great weekend! I'm in the very unusual position of not having any orders, so I think I shall spend my time making Roman blinds for my kitchen/diner. I've only had the fabric for, umm..., four years, so I really ought to get a wriggle on!
Lots of love! Speak soon!
Claire x
* the colour orange. Not Conservative politician orange fetish. Obviously.
Well hello lovely ladies and gentlemen of Blogland - it's nice to see you again. I've been away much longer than I intended.
It took four days of intense crafting to get the secret project into something that could be given as a gift - an hour before the party started! My fingers were sore, my back bent and my eyes crossed. The gift was held together with wonderweb and had a (smallish) key ingredient missing, but it was good enough. Dominic was thrilled. I was thrilled. Everyone was thrilled. It was all good. I shall post pictures tomorrow, if it's sunny. We've not had much sun, although this afternoon was nice. Fingers crossed.
I did not want to post pictures here until it was finished properly but, hoorah, I put the last tiny handstitch in yesterday! There was a good few days of behind-the-scenes hand sewing left to be done, but thankfully it is now complete.
I got a blog block. I feel a bit silly now I've just properly got on and JFDI, but there it is! I did not want to post until I could do my 'Taa-daa' post, and it took much longer to complete than I expected. I have also had six orders to make for Mrs Bee (three hats, one newborn hammock, one bookmark and one beehive sponsorship). I've also had a bit of an ME flare up which took a couple of days out of the equation whilst I slept / lazed around feeling sorry for myself.
Bedsides all this, it's half term. We've been quite lazy (again!) despite good intentions, but everyone is so tired at the end of each school term that it seems foolish to run headlong into big chores. So, we've been a bit lazy, eaten out a lot, seen friends, done some crafting.
Charlie made a stained glass 'window' and did a very good job of it indeed! He meticulously painted every bit (it was painting by numbers, but he didn't stick to that!) I helped a little too. I have put it away carefully and will frame it as a birthday present for my Mum.
Today we went pottery painting! We go to a cool place near York called Langlands which has the most delicious restaurant, and some pretty lovely things to look at. We had hot chilli chicken wraps with homemade chips and they were deee-licious. We love going to 'Pottery Painting with Claire' (no, not me!) and this is one of our regular holiday activities. It's well worth a trip out if you're local.
This was Dominic's mug, he was very proud of it:
He has been spending a lot of time spinning honey this week, so the bee mug was very apt. He has reserved it for garden tea.
I had in mind a hand painted striped affair - wobbly, uneven lines, but thin, in shades of blue, white and pink. Oh fate, how you laughed at me:
Each time I got somewhere near what I wanted, the table wobbled, my arm got knocked or I just plain buggered it up. When it's fired these powder tones will become ultra bright. Even so, it looks a bit, urm, special, doesn't it? I have said I shall reserve mine for those times we have no guests. My fugly mug will be banished to the back of the cupboard at moments of celebration and sharing. Pottery painting fail.
Charlie looks rather pleased with his robot 'piggy' bank, doesn't he?!
He did a good job, but whizzed through the painting and had to be encouraged to go back and add more coats and touch up the white bits. He had a veeery long wait whilst Dom and I got stuck in and pretended we were there for Charlie's sake. Ahem.
I'll collect them in a week or so. I'll take some photos then and show you how they came out. Even though I wasn't overly thrilled with my efforts today, we had a lovely family afternoon, which is what counts I think.
Hope to see you again soon
Claire x
Well, here it is, my first set of pictures for children's rooms!
I've been thinking about redecorating Charlie's bedroom for some time, but I wanted to get it right so I haven't rushed into anything. He's a bit of a girly boy at the moment (well, I say at the moment, but this phase has lasted several years so far...) and I keep expecting it to fade into a riot of Doctor Who and Transformers and the like. I'm not sure whether to decorate now, whilst I still have the chance to buy something I adore, or to wait and not risk him insisting that his room is too babyish / girly.
Anyway, all this dithering has made me think about having semi-permanent features in children's rooms, be they bedrooms or playrooms. This is where the idea for the pictures came from.
Although they are framed, the pictures have no glass so that they can safely be touched. As well as using a bright colour palette, I wanted to use a mixture of textures so that they are interesting and inviting to touch. The gnome's hat has a bell, to add a multi sensory element. This is something that I'm keen to develop in future projects.
This first series is called 'Homes.' The idea originated from pondering on what makes children feel safe and secure. Home gives a sense of permanence and comfort, which seemed appropriate. Alongside the word 'Home' is the home of a gnome (how does he fit through the door of the magic mushroom?) and a bluebird. As well as being pretty I hope it will serve as an opportunity to open up discussion about the child's home, as well as the different homes of others. I also hope it will be the inspiration for much impromptu story telling and imaginary play.
So here they are:
Wow, that got a bit serious, didn't it?
I think it's important to convey some of the thought processes behind the products; I hope I don't sound too grand. I do think about these things and try to respond in a thoughtful way, that's one of the elements of crafting I enjoy the most.
Speaking of Charlie's room, there was much excitement over the weekend. The new big bed arrived!
Until now, Charlie has still been in his cot bed. I wondered whether I should mind, especially as various relatives started to comment. However, he still fitted in comfortably and so it seemed silly to buy another bed until the first one was no longer fit for purpose. I was quite sad to pack away the cot. I doubt we'll use it again, and it's been part of our family for such a long time.
Can you see the wall behind the bed? That's the one I want to wallpaper. If you have any suggestions, please let me have them as I'm running short on inspiration. We had to move the bookcase in order to fit the big bed in, which is why there are now holes in the wall that need filling.
Charlie was quite insistent that he wanted a Princess Bed. In fact, he wanted a pink bed. Given that he's not likely to have another bed frame until he leaves home, I was a bit reluctant to say the least. In the end we compromised - a gender neutral bed with a pink pillowcase (made by moi) and a pink undersheet. His duvet is white. He insisted on the flowery blanket, but I like it too so who cares? He's happy and that's the main thing.
The opportunity to have a shuffle round in his room means we got to make this:
A reading corner! Woohoo! I am very, very excited about this as we are a rather bookish household. I intend to cover that chair. I also intend to make a series of textile pictures themed around reading. Oh yes, that sounds good to me!
Love
Claire x
PS. I've just found Annie The Felt Fairy's 'A Make A Month' project, which I've joined. This is my make for January. Click the icon if you want to join too, it looks fun.
Hello gang, how are you doing? Well I hope? Quite a lot of my friends seem down in the dumps at the moment, I'm not sure if it's just that January feeling. I really wish I had a magic wand. Me, I'm doing quite well actually. I don't feel ill right now, just completely knackered. However, there's no shame in having a leeetle daytime rest is there? Good. I might take you up on that later ;o)
Today's opening picture is called 'anticipation'. It really made me smile. I found it on Sunday. Charlie's school have introduced a breakfast club where one can go for a half hour play before school plus juice, cereal and toast or a yoghurt. All for a bargain sum of 50p. Charlie was so very excited about having his breakfast at school and found it very difficult to wait. I was very touched to notice he'd written "tomorrow" on the school letter, unprompted, as he was counting down. And a heart. So sweet.
This week is a very special week for me, and I wish I had a bit more energy for it. My Doctor Who scarf is blocking, my orders have been made and posted and so I have that very rare combination of some time to myself and nothing to do. So I have been playing.
I have been pondering making textile pictures for some time. My notebooks are also very popular. It was natural that I would use these media to play with, I think. I've also been considering doing some craft fairs, and I suspect they're the sort of thing that would sell.
Looking for inspiration, I asked my Facebook friends for their favourite lyrics or film quotes. I got loads of brilliant ones, and have tucked away a few for future reference. Then, completely by chance, my friend Deb put this as her status update: "Wish I had a money tree so Andy could work less hours. We'd love to see more of him and his beard!"
Which inspired this:
It gave me a chance to play with my newly found love of machine embroidery - bliss. My favourite bit is the texture on the trunk and the apple button that's fallen off the tree. The sentiment is for my lovely husband, Dom.
The back of the notebook can't be plain. So look what fell out of the sky of inspiration:
I suspect we'll be seeing more of that apple motif. I'm quite taken with it.
I wanted the notebook to be practical too. So I made three flaps for holding folded paper, tickets, photos or postcards. Plus two business card holders - one for your cards and one for other people's.
What do you think? Do you like it? I'm planning to spend the whole week playing - it's a really liberating experience. I'll post the fruits of my labour - good and bad - as I go through the week.
If you want to help inspire the creative tangle in my head, please drop me a note with your favourite lyric, film quote or saying. I'll happily credit you with the inspiration and add a link back to your blog, if you wish.
Sending you lots of creative vibes
Claire x
Saturdays are a lazy affair at The Cottage, especially in winter. Jonny always goes to football training, so often Dom goes with him taking a flask of coffee and reads in the car.
Today, Jonny was at a friend's house for a sleepover. Instead Dom, Charlie and I rolled out of bed late and trundled down to our local garden centre, Sandhills, for a mug of tea and a bacon sandwich. Yum.
Sandhills is one of those places that sums up our weekends. It's a pretty relaxed, run down even, sort of place but the food is good. I like to spend an hour wondering amongst the flowers whilst Charlie plays in the play area. They have pet sheep and chickens, giant rabbits and a pet shop next door with parrots and tortoises. You don't need to dress up, or wear make up, and everyone is polite but distant enough for early morning anonymity. Just the place for a young family to enjoy mooching.
This afternoon I will finish the tassles on my Doctor Who scarf and block it - the taa-daa picture will come soon. I had an order last night for eight metres of pirate bunting, so I have a date this afternoon with a mug of tea, my sewing machine and radio 4.
Dom will clean out and feed the chickens, check the bees are OK and get on with some DIY jobs around the house.
Saturdays here are a quiet, home based affair. I'm glad we don't go shopping or other traditional Saturday pursuits; there's something very lovely in marking time in this slow, domestic, cosy way of ours. Soon it will be time for working in the garden; I'm enjoying the chance to laze around whilst it lasts.
Claire x
PS Lucy at Attic 24 has a fab recipe on her blog for cheesy nibbles. I may have a go at baking these this afternoon.
My lovely little boy has very much been his own character since he was born. He's uncompromising. He's also fun, creative, kind, loving and well mannered (most of the time, but we're working on it).
Right now Charlie is rather obsessed by handbags. He has one of his own that he likes to take out of the house with him - a boxy, velvet evening bag with a beaded clasp. It's mainly a mode of transport for Pippy, his favourite bunny. However, you can often find tissues and sweeties in there too given half a chance. However the handbag obsession doesn't end there - he draws and designs them, cuts pieces of bag out of the scraps in my scrapbag, and has a good go at sewing them up too (he has a good go at running stitch. We're not quite there yet, but he's only five)
Anyway, do you think it's wrong for a boy to have a handbag in public? Part of me thinks if it makes him happy then booyasucks to everyone else. However, I have this nagging doubt at the back of my mind that it's something I should discourage...
It's been the most gloriously sunny, ice cold day here in East Yorkshire. The sun has been low and dazzling and the shadows long. What a welcome relief to see you again, sunshine! And how thrilled am I at the prospect of starting to see more of you?!
These quiet, still days of January are a blessing. I am trying to exercise my creative brain and think of new spring and summer ideas - it's quite a challenge! At first it feels like dragging a sledge across grass, but once it builds up momentum, oh boy, it's hard to stop! It's hard to capture spring and summer properly when it's so dark and chilly without resorting to cliche. This year I'll take more photos!
This morning I spent a blissful couple of hours clipping magazines and seed catalogues for inspiration whilst listening to Woman's Hour on Radio 4 and thinking it must surely be more contemporary now than it was in my mother's day! My sketch book has been glued and annotated to within an inch of it's life and the blurry fug of ideas are becoming more refined each day. I really, truly want to make things completely original and unique, which is a fine line. I'm inspired by others; I don't clip individual artists or crafters because I'm scared of over borrowing their ideas. Who knows where the things I see end up in my head and where they come out.
My crafting hours are currently taken by a custom order for a scarf like Tom Baker wore on Doctor Who. My goodness it's taking some work! However it's all a simple garter stitch which let's me flow with it's rhythm without having to concentrate too hard. The colours are masculinely autumnal - not my first choice I thought, at first. But do you know, the more I have worked them, the more they seem so right together. Reds and golds, purples, khaki and stone - it has a mood of it's own and it works well with the golden, bright sunshine of a winters afternoon.
Speaking of which, the boys are home and I have a cup of tea waiting and a new copy of Country Living to peruse. Next time I get gloomy about winter I'll look back on this post and remember it's not all so bad, whilst keeping my eyes peeled for daffodil shoots and tree buds and the birds singing in the trees...
I am not the world's most organised person. I mostly like to sit around and make things and do stuff that I enjoy. I don't think so much about the stuff I don't. My home is prone to untidiness, much to the irritation of my slightly OCD husband. I am also rubbish at getting jobs done, and very talented at procrastinating. If it were an Olympic sport, I would represent England.
The only way I can cope with it all, to be honest, is to make like Nike and have a JFDI week from time to time. I used to call them OOTS weeks (out of the sh**); slightly more descriptive, but the idea is the same.
This week I WILL get those irritating jobs done that I like to put off. I WILL return the broken Soda Stream that led to a disappointing Christmas day. I willl freeze the casserole and roast the pork. Most important of all, I guess, I have some personal things that are long overdue - I'm having a smear, I've got my hair cut and coloured (BIG sigh of relief), I'm going to the dentist and so on. None of these are much fun, and some of them are expensive. However, I'm thinking of JFDI weeks a bit like my annual MOT. I should probably get my eyes tested too.
I've made a cup of tea and I have some crocheting to do, so I'm going to have a leetle break for now, but I am going to JFDI, just mark my words. And if you see me anywhere on line, please give me a big kick up the backside. I thank you.
Claire x
Day 1 : Frog or Finish* Organise, Create
Well hello, Blogland. It's been a while, hasn't it?! I've missed you.
It's been a strange year 2010, pretty difficult but also pretty positive. I started off suicidally depressed and ended up, well, almost normal. I've made a lot of things along the way, and I've learned a lot about myself. I spent quite a lot of it in therapy, I got used to the discipline of using my Lady Shed / studio every day. From nowhere I've built up a lovely little business almost without knowing how it happened; I've just been doing what I love and what feels right. I've swapped the diagnosis of depression for that of ME / CFS (and I actually think they both were accurate) and I'm learning how to manage the CFS and am having more and more good days. I would say that I'm almost back to normal, health wise, except for the medication and crutches. However, I suspect I have invoked the Law of Sod as today I feel crappy. You've gotta laugh.
I feel the need to explain my absence from the blog in recent weeks. When I first crashed and burned I needed to understand what was happening to me - and the best way I could do this was by blogging. I didn't want to talk to others, you know - the real life people, and so it was great to analyse my feelings on here. Gradually more and more folks started to follow the blog and I got performance anxiety - I needed the blogland version of Viagra. When you hear that others are struggling too it feels wrong to just talk about the positives, and a bit... erm... depressing to carry on just about the negatives. So I wasn't quite sure what to write about.
Also - and I'm not sure if this is common with those recovering from depression - I suddenly felt the need to be very private. Much more private than I have ever been before. Like a fresh, naked plant shoots from the earth I wanted to protect myself and I wanted to be alone. This has been tricky for my extended family because I've not wanted to be with them either. Just me, my husband and my boys. And my fabulous online friends who have only ever accepted me for being me and have never questioned my absences or the times when I went over the top.
Anyway, right now 2011 feels a bit scary. I'm guessing it's the first time that I have properly planned forwards. Christmas was lovely in bits, and tense at times. I'm looking forward to time alone to look at my goals.
I'm not setting new year's resolutions because I am still doing the 101 in 1001 project. I'll review that here soon. However, I have chosen three themes to work on every day - I want to be:
Creative, Organised and Kind <3
Each day I will endeavour to do one of the three and take a photo.
Creativity is important to me because I feel the urge, deep down in my soul, to make things. I also hope to do a textiles degree in 2012 (I need to save up first!) This year will be about experimentation and preparation for the bigger goal of my degree. Also, the creativity works it's magic and makes me feel happier, more relaxed and healthier. Therefore, it's currently a priority in my life.
being Organised is key to me achieving my goals. I'm not the most organised woman in the world. Hell, I'm actually spectacularly DISORGANISED. I find personal organisation really challenging. However, in order to reach my goals I know I have to get my head around it. This includes practical things - like organising my deadlines, my studio space and paying off our credit card so that I have more choices.
Kindness is very important to me too. I'd like to think I do a reasonable job at being kind to my family and friends, but I want to increase what I do. Also, hand on heart, I'm not always very kind to myself. So this resolution involves eating more healthily, exercising, getting my hair cut and looking after myself. It also involves giving of my time and resources to charity (note - not just giving money, but my time to being a governor at our local school, as well as donating things I've made and items to charity shops). Lastly, I want to be involved with random acts of kindness. Blessed is the hand that giveth.
So, this leaves 2011 with the fantastically abbreviated COK Project!
* Day 1, as you can see from the picture at the start, was a Frog or Finish day. Frogging is a knitting term - when you rip it, rip it, rip it back. I have lots of projects that remain unfinished (I like to do several things at once) so this is their ultimate fate. Either I finish them, or they get turned back to yarn and the needles freed. I finished this crocheted cushion - RIP the summer shrug. C'est La Vie.
Day 2 : Working on Charlie's Quilt, Create
Its been a year in the making so far, and it needs to double in size - and that's just the top. I will finish it in time for the arrival of his new bed sometime this year. This is an ongoing project.
Day 3 : Making Recycled Christmas Tags, Create, Kind (recycling)
Charlie and I cut up the old Christmas cards before recycling the backs, and made gift tags for Christmas 2011. I was rather proud of how they turned out, and remembered doing exactly the same thing with my Mum in the 1970s. Funny how these simple, cylical things can feel so good.
Day 4 : Tidy The Corner, Organise
You would not believe what a mess this corner of my studio had become with the rush of Christmas orders. This is where I store my yarn, buttons, ribbon and findings. Thankfully it's now restored to quiet calm where my creative juices can take hold.
Well hello there guys and dolls. I hope you are all doing well, and are not minding the shorter days too much? I love them, actually. I always think I love spring best and, much as I do love it, there is something so romantic about the changing colours of autumn, and the mists and dew and fruit. It's a throwback to school times, I think, but September to me really feels like the month of new resolutions and routines and commitments to be better. Usually, at this time of year the commitments are personal; to cook from scratch more, to keep the house tidier. I rarely manage the latter, but to hell with it. I keep trying, and that's what matters.
It's been a BRILLIANT month or so. I have felt so, so much better. The depression is starting to lift - HOOORAH! I have been willing it to lift for months, convincing myself that it was going and that it's departure could be measured. However, like you embrace the extra minutes of daylight in January and February, it seemed too long in coming and I feared I would never be right again. However, somehow over the summer, my eyes turned away from the depression. And now, like early March, I can definitely see that there's less darkness. It's not summer yet, but it's not winter either. And boy, am I happy to tell you that.
One (rather large) downside to my health issues is that I have recently been properly diagnosed with ME/CFS. However, I'm feeling upbeat about it. I do use crutches and I do have pain but, on the whole, it feels so much more liveable with than the depression and, dear Lord, am I grateful for that. I am still at the stage where I am learning what I can and can't do, and some days I can do precious little. However, that's cool. At the moment I can sit on the sofa and knit, which pleases my soul.
I'm knitting furiously for my autumn / winter season on Folksy. Part of me is chuckling because I really have missed the boat. However, if I can get my lines up my the end of the first week in November I will be pleased. Next year, I will start seasonal knitting MUCH earlier!
I have to stop now - we're having toad in the hole for dinner and it needs my attention. The darkness is drawing in and Dom will just have set off from work. Charlie is watching Ben 10 on television and Jonathan has just come in from playing football, all muddy and smelling of earthy grass and is heading up for a shower. I can't tell you how much I love my little family. It's just a deep feeling of happiness and satisfaction, warm and fuzzy like cocoa on a cold day. I am very lucky to live my life. It has its ups and downs, and its challenges, but I have such special people around me and for that, I am blessed.
Love to you all
Claire x
PS the picture is of my baby knotty hat, knitted for a friend and photographer. You can find it here.
In 1978, I used to love listening to my Mum and Dad's Abba tape with the shiny gold curtains shut and the standard lamp on. I used to convince myself that this was what discos were like. I had heard the word, and had some vague idea of what it meant, but no reality to base it on. Then again, I knew my parents had met at "a dance" and innocently imagined their mums and dads to be sat around the edges of the room, watching their children fall in love. The reality of nightclubs was disappointingly less romantic.
It's ironic that, some thirty two years later and at the same age that I was, Charlie now loves nothing more than putting the Mamma Mia DVD on and rocking round the room to the very same songs, in front of our vastly different looking television. Who says technology is important? We share a connection, through the generations, thanks to Benny and Bjorn. Charlie and I get to rock out together, and I get to ogle Piers Brosnan. Wonderful. Although I do occasionally worry who my mother ogled. Curly Fred, from Playschool?
Over this summer I have been keeping myself busy with an original commission from a brilliant client. Her friends had recently had a baby called Ted. She wanted him to have a gift that was truly original and had that retro charm for his Mum and Dad. And so, I spent my time knitting.... Superted!
You can see him, above, as a normal old bear. However, rip off his skin and he becomes a superhero! Two toys in one!
Taa-daa! Superted!
It's been brilliant making him. He's largely been created in front of CSI, as it's completely brilliant and I am obsessed, but also at the beach, the park, on the sofa, at the ball pool and all the other places we've visited this summer.
She also commissioned a Superted jumper!
I'm not very experienced at intarsia, so this was a real challenge for me. However, it's been fantastic! It was in no way as difficult as I thought it would be; experience does count for something - phew! It was made with gorgeous, handspun cashmere and merino yarn from Scotland. Utterly, utterly gorgeous.
The moral of this post is to challenge yourself. My mum always told me that she couldn't do colour work and I believed that, by extention, I couldn't do it either. My aunty used to make brilliant intarsia pieces and I loved them. I thought it was a special kind of witchcraft and one I could never aspire to. I am beyond chuffed that I have made an instarsia jumper. I am a KNITTER!
With love
Claire x
Wow, it really has been some time, hasn't it? Well all is well here, I hope it is with you too. The boys have all gone back to school today, so I'm not sure whether to be delighted and enjoying the peace and quiet, or a little doleful. Maybe a bit of both.
As for me, well I'm not the best. I've recently got the diagnosis of ME / CFS / CFIDS. I'm not surprised at all, I've been concerned it was this for quite some time. My main symptom is terrible pain, in both my joints and muscles. I need crutches to walk long distances. I also get very, very tired and struggle sometimes with even very simple activities. I sometimes have other symptoms like brain fog (this morning I couldn't remember how to do up my bra, or how to knit a knit stitch - thankfully that passed!), I have sore throat, headaches and bad moods. The moods are usually associated with the pain though.
The depression has lifted a bit over recent months. The anxiety still knocks about though and some days are worse than others. However, I'm taking a postive mental attitude to all this health crap - I'm exercising gently every day, I'm trying to challenge myself, and I'm trying to pace my activities. I find this the hardest of all! A year or two ago I would have loved someone to tell me I *had* to rest during the day, but guess what?! Doing nothing is harder than you'd think!
I'll be honest, I kind of got myself in a catch 22 about blogging. I didn't want it to be an online whinge. That's not good for you, nor is it very positive for me to do. However, sometimes I don't want to look on the bright side of life either. I just drifted away from blogging because, I suppose, I've been grieving a bit. I also started to get a bit resentful at all those "perfect" domestic bliss type blogs that I previously loved. I guess I was grieving for my old life, for simple happiness, for the freedom to do whatever I want whenever I want.
I am learning, though, that I have a different kind of freedom. I can learn things - I'm quite good at that. When my brain is too dulled for reading, I can knit (the physical action requires little concentration and appears to reside in a different part of my brain to the reading bit). I have a family that I adore, and looking after them gives me great pleasure. They also drive me mad! So I'm back with the complicated knot of feelings that exists in my head.
Craft wise, I've not stopped! I'm getting quite a few paid jobs now, which is absolutely brilliant. Do you see my monkey hat above? Doesn't Charlie look gorgeous? That was for a photographer in Leicester. I couldn't get the pattern right and it took about four goes before I was happy that the final result was an appropriate size.
We've had a crafty summer holiday. The boys have been a bit frustrated that I haven't been able to be as active as normal - we've had very few days out swimming, or out wondering around the coast. My legs haven't been up to it. Instead I've spent the time with Charlie teaching him how to sew, and we've face painted, made slime, drawn hundreds of pictures, painted, baked, chalked on the patio, cut out, made collages etc etc. It's been fun. And look at this - I am so proud of my naked sewing five year old!
That's all his own work, that is! He has a natural talent! I have high hopes for him!
I'll end this post with my favourite picture of the summer, Jess nestled comfortably on my bonkers blanket. I never did get round to taking a photo of it because I didn't completely finish it! Maybe I'll get back onto that, when I don't have a list of projects in my head...
Sweet dreams!
Claire x
Hooray <does happy dance>
I just wanted to share with you a sketch book I made for the lovely Laura. She wanted me to make something in my bunting theme:
So I had a good old think, and spent a few hours in the lady shed messing around with fabrics and embroidery. I came up with this:
front
back
side
inside cover
Do you like it? I absolutely loved doing it. It was a steaming hot summer's afternoon and I was having fun messing around with fabric. Thank you, Laura. If you'd like one, you can find them in my Folksy shop, button top right.
On a different note, I just wanted to check you were OK. I don't know what's in the air at the moment, but a lot of friends have been in touch to say they're not doing so well. Depression seems to be rife, as well as general poorliness. I wanted to send you a hug and ask you to take care of yourself. Promise, yes?
I've just started a knitting project, for me, with pure cashmere. It's bright orange! It's such a delight, both in terms of feel and colour. I'll share that with you next time.
Lots of love!
Claire x
