tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15502940503708376242024-03-16T01:09:42.617+00:00After Hours...My life in crafts - What I like to do after work.
Crafty musings and recording creative ideas.Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.comBlogger296125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-91848933729509964882021-05-31T23:38:00.008+01:002021-06-01T00:15:55.339+01:00Sloths in Love<p style="text-align: justify;">Hello again. Where has the time gone? I promised to be more active on my blog and look, here I am falling behind with blogging new posts. Tut, tut, tut. Let's do a bit of blog catch-up.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This may feel like a blast from the past :) Here below is my crochet work I made for Valentine's Day 2021 - two embracing sloths :)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGc88QWy2e0kxtl9MoLmYWSXEpby7lf72X4op0b_HjXyOOt9hSrJjaCp-zi5rN9zvZAgtjg6Fk2G0XWk2giJ740MnP3ijjKVZPZ3ar35vfVhhISFOq5nxLWupVvzcoIBSH7u-5nE70yFg/s908/DSC00106a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="908" height="538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGc88QWy2e0kxtl9MoLmYWSXEpby7lf72X4op0b_HjXyOOt9hSrJjaCp-zi5rN9zvZAgtjg6Fk2G0XWk2giJ740MnP3ijjKVZPZ3ar35vfVhhISFOq5nxLWupVvzcoIBSH7u-5nE70yFg/w640-h538/DSC00106a.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYKf_ohMs5jADmOeftt5XskFsmgeWWNKLbcGEB4dxKClOMsI9s7ppmuYzlfRRsXtKHr_7oJT1TBH9zKXWPqXGEFDOu7sMVgfa1IE7tRBAAwPRaTchhK27DoKGcEsC8RLXq_uJNZi5_Ahyphenhyphen/s1024/DSC00110a+%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYKf_ohMs5jADmOeftt5XskFsmgeWWNKLbcGEB4dxKClOMsI9s7ppmuYzlfRRsXtKHr_7oJT1TBH9zKXWPqXGEFDOu7sMVgfa1IE7tRBAAwPRaTchhK27DoKGcEsC8RLXq_uJNZi5_Ahyphenhyphen/w640-h480/DSC00110a+%25281%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The moment I saw these two hugging each other, I knew I'd be crocheting them soon. I thought Valentine's Day would be a perfect occasion for it plus the fact that I'd never made a sloth before. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_37pzoHI4EjAoXcQL_bMg6uOrWcH_RfnDJGLql9muomGZi25gzXqHtYI8eHqGa-Vxqoz_exNbYLqn_MhL91QKshlS9BOfz5P50lubuSOA-LreFEGUefUB7zVzJMQZG-91Nya-kpWC9nAy/s876/DSC00127a+%25282%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="765" data-original-width="876" height="558" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_37pzoHI4EjAoXcQL_bMg6uOrWcH_RfnDJGLql9muomGZi25gzXqHtYI8eHqGa-Vxqoz_exNbYLqn_MhL91QKshlS9BOfz5P50lubuSOA-LreFEGUefUB7zVzJMQZG-91Nya-kpWC9nAy/w640-h558/DSC00127a+%25282%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Little did I know how much effort and patience of mine these sloths will take LOL. They look deceptively easy to make. The pattern I used to make them is by One and Two Company from Etsy. </div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktAs3Rs8ZBLlypKu2uF6-IEQ69XtMaoix9KsrIe9u2p88rfC0Q8meGqT-5Pzyc4aI4jzjQsXnXWQ4pyJj7ZWiSrK1t9ixBTL1P57QdsimRtz__QdbheaXopvRle2YFRKNsjEIvX1NlMZX/s1024/DSC00136a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktAs3Rs8ZBLlypKu2uF6-IEQ69XtMaoix9KsrIe9u2p88rfC0Q8meGqT-5Pzyc4aI4jzjQsXnXWQ4pyJj7ZWiSrK1t9ixBTL1P57QdsimRtz__QdbheaXopvRle2YFRKNsjEIvX1NlMZX/w640-h480/DSC00136a.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>What I like about it is that the girl sloth is made in a different, lighter shade than the boy sloth. What a cute idea. I followed it.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDpHLpIJ80EGivAll7vXncyTnSCJP7oHaaOYwqVv4eJOcnItqZlUkEoW38wjX4kpzKMQv5MUScg_roN1RyEnzSxxQM55wiPmGQw39KtQv1oMHizXRB_2P_7C4_B-1yDIhBlvCnHb8ld1Aw/s951/DSC00168a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="951" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDpHLpIJ80EGivAll7vXncyTnSCJP7oHaaOYwqVv4eJOcnItqZlUkEoW38wjX4kpzKMQv5MUScg_roN1RyEnzSxxQM55wiPmGQw39KtQv1oMHizXRB_2P_7C4_B-1yDIhBlvCnHb8ld1Aw/w640-h516/DSC00168a.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>For both I used Scheepjes Stone Washed and Yarn Art Denim Washed. The browns, beiges and creams work really well here and I love the "washed" effect. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvtgmxhrqojKr_BL-6evOk-J2SebHbjgRc4a5VVEo6wLOeMMrfJDfFsFQcn3E_DChhuhFXN4sjp0KdvMDD8g87B-W0PNeCi_t4sReKKRfdcNCVX2FGEx6njaolJCvyvpBDBWKtqgEp-iG/s1024/DSC00167a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvtgmxhrqojKr_BL-6evOk-J2SebHbjgRc4a5VVEo6wLOeMMrfJDfFsFQcn3E_DChhuhFXN4sjp0KdvMDD8g87B-W0PNeCi_t4sReKKRfdcNCVX2FGEx6njaolJCvyvpBDBWKtqgEp-iG/w640-h480/DSC00167a.png" width="640" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The sloths have extra long arms so that they can hug each other tightly. You can sew their arms together so the will stay in a permanent embrace or you can attach velcro patches to their paws so they are repositionable, which is what I did.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywHJZjPydpurD_brqdXl9pOPPCwtsB4ZS3BlWgjZjUXnHwmZMPqQi5FB9VxqHP7TyJhdeQ04r2AkbIQkGuuisZIFxUGp9W34W40V-srfVUraYAE10Oi-owol8D5SFhDiNpsIjlyqZtMjo/s895/DSC00140a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="895" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywHJZjPydpurD_brqdXl9pOPPCwtsB4ZS3BlWgjZjUXnHwmZMPqQi5FB9VxqHP7TyJhdeQ04r2AkbIQkGuuisZIFxUGp9W34W40V-srfVUraYAE10Oi-owol8D5SFhDiNpsIjlyqZtMjo/w640-h528/DSC00140a.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is where the "fun" started. At first I spent a long time crocheting all 24 small toes - 12 per sloth - onto their arms and legs. Fiddly job but me being me, I insisted on sewing them perfectly centred and in line. Huffing and puffing I plodded on, arm by arm, leg by leg until all toes were sewn on. Phew! Halleluiah!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5jmdyfoSTYqpbXcPOoyCjxgETF3ZIM2jYqGpZeL744uoAAKV4LxUud_bjuLRwfkUlWeFI_2b4etc04lPC1zIOxOczm6jaj530bIblOdsqwXEYpSSjOa09E0DOgm1sEGB0LYH7eXBCr4G/s894/DSC00146a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="753" data-original-width="894" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5jmdyfoSTYqpbXcPOoyCjxgETF3ZIM2jYqGpZeL744uoAAKV4LxUud_bjuLRwfkUlWeFI_2b4etc04lPC1zIOxOczm6jaj530bIblOdsqwXEYpSSjOa09E0DOgm1sEGB0LYH7eXBCr4G/w640-h540/DSC00146a.png" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then I discovered that the adhesive velcros wouldn't stick to yarn as much as I wished them so. So I tried sewing them on but this didn't work either. The needle gunked up and wouldn't pass through the fabric and the velcro. Damn! </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My last resort - hot glue! This is when the magic had happened. Well, nearly had. Because I discovered that I'd put the velcro patches on the outer side of the arms and legs of one of the sloths. Pants!</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDq-XTfRby4_GzxLGxu2faExf-vLHLRWzN61Sc6BBnpF0YclO0vRA4vltznILphE2c_1d0nwumvtTYLW7fveD9uf3miM6j3i8jn146At-bR8CFxyCRNrtijOd2Yca-Xbi1z5VHbn0hEtfF/s924/DSC00150a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="763" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDq-XTfRby4_GzxLGxu2faExf-vLHLRWzN61Sc6BBnpF0YclO0vRA4vltznILphE2c_1d0nwumvtTYLW7fveD9uf3miM6j3i8jn146At-bR8CFxyCRNrtijOd2Yca-Xbi1z5VHbn0hEtfF/w528-h640/DSC00150a.png" width="528" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Getting a little frustrated here and swearing under my breath now. I managed to save the messed up arms and legs by removing the bits of already dried glue with a warm iron. I re-did the velcros again making sure I'd put them on the right side this time. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later, I nearly sewed on the head of one sloth in a wrong position. I just realized that as I started putting the first stitches. The trick is that their heads need to be turned at 90 degrees to their bodies so the sloths are looking sideways while their limbs and bellies are facing front . Generally you really have to pay A LOT of attention to where and how you sew these pieces on. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtlxA_IzY_vA9d1_WORqX9F5GaVu_uXhi4UIjyaOZDidVKI8pCyDNpdzBB4uGZWabKhCK3MMsQdz6cn39Y8Z5bqNyQ9tDRK-qqdNAiFKsl-dEnEVyjM57Dnap0605aHDX4-qxBKQkv03K/s943/DSC00155a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="943" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZtlxA_IzY_vA9d1_WORqX9F5GaVu_uXhi4UIjyaOZDidVKI8pCyDNpdzBB4uGZWabKhCK3MMsQdz6cn39Y8Z5bqNyQ9tDRK-qqdNAiFKsl-dEnEVyjM57Dnap0605aHDX4-qxBKQkv03K/w640-h460/DSC00155a.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The way I sewed their limbs on allows the sloths to stretch their arms and even lie flat without pulling or stretching. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy112WzSzBlVktscJqZ5W_mbOAkkaWBhDOFmZeaJ43qI6CfLhDAMAJ0NSmUf8g5JeHlbNYlL_7NVbsLK3PiOQQH7t8E4jNM6_galZfsuEsa5rT6r5-63guv5hKFs0OP9IhjOuvBVEpFFUo/s940/DSC00161a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="765" data-original-width="940" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy112WzSzBlVktscJqZ5W_mbOAkkaWBhDOFmZeaJ43qI6CfLhDAMAJ0NSmUf8g5JeHlbNYlL_7NVbsLK3PiOQQH7t8E4jNM6_galZfsuEsa5rT6r5-63guv5hKFs0OP9IhjOuvBVEpFFUo/w640-h520/DSC00161a.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">There is a great deal of flexibility in their joints and you can put the sloths in various positions which is what I like in crochet toys. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzfudJgbLZx2n0hWHKuLe67gIY3d6ZWnxiClNw1AnKPC8IIv0lYevWPWSm_WipuPU4XDNsf9WHHxdb2oiDacE0RAeRXd0hM5QT4O4JlXX22_3Eflgve2zMInbd5i3lMKEuoAPnuk2W9WlQ/s991/DSC00159a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="991" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzfudJgbLZx2n0hWHKuLe67gIY3d6ZWnxiClNw1AnKPC8IIv0lYevWPWSm_WipuPU4XDNsf9WHHxdb2oiDacE0RAeRXd0hM5QT4O4JlXX22_3Eflgve2zMInbd5i3lMKEuoAPnuk2W9WlQ/w640-h428/DSC00159a.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">After all that bother with sewing up limbs and heads, all that was needed was just a nice photo session to complete the whole thing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8aB7ak_dzECgW7q2YKPwv7Ny-KWhul9Kol_XXxpMbnlUCfUF_IV_Jt6oYav5urCGIIyRagL8-WaiYrEFkay7FNlrBI5TvekDNJwRxxPjjBPjx6bxYCbYOsBSpTuVKOkDlMTjWKnEsDiT/s884/DSC00165a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="884" height="544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF8aB7ak_dzECgW7q2YKPwv7Ny-KWhul9Kol_XXxpMbnlUCfUF_IV_Jt6oYav5urCGIIyRagL8-WaiYrEFkay7FNlrBI5TvekDNJwRxxPjjBPjx6bxYCbYOsBSpTuVKOkDlMTjWKnEsDiT/w640-h544/DSC00165a.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">All's well that ends well. :)</div><p></p></div>Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-26108447086027375142021-04-10T21:08:00.000+01:002021-04-10T21:08:45.590+01:00Easter Chick<p style="text-align: justify;">Hello again :)</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Spring is in full swing now and although the weather is still a bit cold and windy here in the UK, I decided to have a colourful Easter indoor this year. I just needed these bright energizing colours in my life, sunshine, warmth, positivity especially now when there has been so much people's misery and sadness at work and around. I also cannot simply wait when the Covid-19 will be a thing of the past. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Roll on sunnier, happier days!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So, to put some sunshine into my life, I decided to crochet this cute Easter chick to add to my Easter decorations. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtHbfgu9HXCb8dGegJZ0nyvf7G31zcNAfTt5WzwuZ-BSWZDYHDBBKyMmG399foqjuTepQ0brTwaq2R2YbXWVs_sHfvMltbGPfKtnC4xBRF9Uo_Co12plt5DBh2RLOCaf5X4bfbN3jVTvcA/s918/DSC00106a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="918" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtHbfgu9HXCb8dGegJZ0nyvf7G31zcNAfTt5WzwuZ-BSWZDYHDBBKyMmG399foqjuTepQ0brTwaq2R2YbXWVs_sHfvMltbGPfKtnC4xBRF9Uo_Co12plt5DBh2RLOCaf5X4bfbN3jVTvcA/w640-h516/DSC00106a.png" width="640" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8LiFfIySKYUC4L7brWoldJpNqNsZUHDVK26V_dzTJIrvV4uWU5C8W8QEnb7RSw8nAeBmlZvnOc8Bb9ejw7WADi5AxZa_ljLHG43rFfXXMFCs6kuPkTiUF7Fdrx9ndR5_JD_n7Bnuss6Y/s1024/DSC00117aa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8LiFfIySKYUC4L7brWoldJpNqNsZUHDVK26V_dzTJIrvV4uWU5C8W8QEnb7RSw8nAeBmlZvnOc8Bb9ejw7WADi5AxZa_ljLHG43rFfXXMFCs6kuPkTiUF7Fdrx9ndR5_JD_n7Bnuss6Y/w480-h640/DSC00117aa.png" width="480" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_L2iCC_uYn7PGr70zxYG0fV4APKEczD-XVp_81kTQPpLBXbgx2uO00myUamdptLXxw_elY78YzguvIrL-eEilXWuZWfFuF53cQyaQIaUZhuEwf3NzU-SzzuokOBlt_v4oFHeUg9od0B2/s1024/DSC00115aa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="691" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_L2iCC_uYn7PGr70zxYG0fV4APKEczD-XVp_81kTQPpLBXbgx2uO00myUamdptLXxw_elY78YzguvIrL-eEilXWuZWfFuF53cQyaQIaUZhuEwf3NzU-SzzuokOBlt_v4oFHeUg9od0B2/w432-h640/DSC00115aa.png" width="432" /></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I'm pleased how he has turned out, sizewise and colourwise. I used Yarn Art Jeans yarn (my favourite recently!) and a 2.0 mm crochet hook. The chick is about 18 cm tall. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKawIlqzGFCQ5uPBnZ2twzUpLJLNPzsgnW-2LcOAWeyuJJzbKF5hN3Pb-G0Je1-xDzNzHaHjGFnyvAhC0QRrnhNd6tteUtz16LBTfwDMwCyVawW8Izh3-ETB8auHcMt37lYb610ffAfi_L/s968/DSC00158aa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKawIlqzGFCQ5uPBnZ2twzUpLJLNPzsgnW-2LcOAWeyuJJzbKF5hN3Pb-G0Je1-xDzNzHaHjGFnyvAhC0QRrnhNd6tteUtz16LBTfwDMwCyVawW8Izh3-ETB8auHcMt37lYb610ffAfi_L/w508-h640/DSC00158aa.png" width="508" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I used a pattern from Etsy - by Sandra Toy Designs. It was clear and easy to follow.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNTd4-t9S8s0F9KMe8uJfHigOwOnDPYTg5VkMBUYgIdjm95ndnXihE8MnIpC2JPTbbU2tskApeEQJGYcTftT3AwVsRB4eI2GCB6AxPq9LMVtPYM8wgo1LRR71KjOgVpc_rl1Wlea1lZSa/s991/DSC00148aa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="991" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJNTd4-t9S8s0F9KMe8uJfHigOwOnDPYTg5VkMBUYgIdjm95ndnXihE8MnIpC2JPTbbU2tskApeEQJGYcTftT3AwVsRB4eI2GCB6AxPq9LMVtPYM8wgo1LRR71KjOgVpc_rl1Wlea1lZSa/w496-h640/DSC00148aa.png" width="496" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I love this little fella and his/her cheekiness of wearing a bunny ears hat. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4oLn9FpEJzcErGZDBNrkdzzNXc1WbLoD1gd9WEQhWTptKDDw4OcR-F5VF9XmCuY9NP6it5UePKCp0kWVrHs3bN9fsLTuigRtJ6savBXuJ9umJ2DUIAhy7RIHcoxQdZn1ac2MP6QqrIyTz/s996/DSC00154aa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="996" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4oLn9FpEJzcErGZDBNrkdzzNXc1WbLoD1gd9WEQhWTptKDDw4OcR-F5VF9XmCuY9NP6it5UePKCp0kWVrHs3bN9fsLTuigRtJ6savBXuJ9umJ2DUIAhy7RIHcoxQdZn1ac2MP6QqrIyTz/w640-h494/DSC00154aa.png" width="640" /></a></p><p>I added some little tufts of hair on its head. It always makes a chick look extra cute, I think :)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTXnsLisX9JW_EMcwsP4MorBuOv075AW2gbOg8dN5PtRcnYH2k_lvdoD29ZFTXHmcuZeg7sSteXnN2Y8z5DHUsVtwxV-Q37m5kKxYDqSxSEV96cdvaVZ8RGZX_c4OiiXjYxc51L9f4yAG/s1024/DSC00147aa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTXnsLisX9JW_EMcwsP4MorBuOv075AW2gbOg8dN5PtRcnYH2k_lvdoD29ZFTXHmcuZeg7sSteXnN2Y8z5DHUsVtwxV-Q37m5kKxYDqSxSEV96cdvaVZ8RGZX_c4OiiXjYxc51L9f4yAG/w480-h640/DSC00147aa.png" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ovGzpd9kycfXkyKmtFhBek-pm3lRNbdyP3GUT2IFnXnwJ3YqJwrw4YxPjgQTJ9U3dXiWm5GzdWDRCwwGBcO_qTbOyj4sKpKijKop0EGWnWWyM1hRk6r7zk2yiYwJeiyml1TCqGlku-Si/s974/DSC00141aa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="974" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ovGzpd9kycfXkyKmtFhBek-pm3lRNbdyP3GUT2IFnXnwJ3YqJwrw4YxPjgQTJ9U3dXiWm5GzdWDRCwwGBcO_qTbOyj4sKpKijKop0EGWnWWyM1hRk6r7zk2yiYwJeiyml1TCqGlku-Si/w640-h484/DSC00141aa.png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I also opted this time for some black bead eyes instead of inserting plastic safety eyes, as I tend to. I'm quite pleased with the effect. A small neat pair of eyes were needed for this chick and all the safety eyes I've got are 5 mm or more. (Weirdly, you can't find easily small safety eyes under 5mm size complete with washers. Trust me. Been there, done that.)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLWAVgmHpvW0WrNQrUq58U6JyhnfetrC3ItMDRr1ALvKBGiqIhyaPVsQIEM-niqJkjkL1t7bRo_E1DZQV2NHihzldYq5N9grUJ3NUT_HWluZR7i190tAckspZYdxvdM8_bDy9-uKGjG3X/s1024/DSC00142aa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLWAVgmHpvW0WrNQrUq58U6JyhnfetrC3ItMDRr1ALvKBGiqIhyaPVsQIEM-niqJkjkL1t7bRo_E1DZQV2NHihzldYq5N9grUJ3NUT_HWluZR7i190tAckspZYdxvdM8_bDy9-uKGjG3X/w640-h480/DSC00142aa.png" width="640" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEjSs-Sm7INXkYsTOrDCnrk9Okf7S2kr74Be0ZrLz-yDMmnMdqbRXzpJB4IBpHCbCLLrec9OrAPAD9GBlgwlyBqQrV4gABcv7KxAQbK3X-0Q7x3-9VPWlk53dAISFZPr8pgPn4AGqsikUP/s1021/DSC00129aa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1021" data-original-width="680" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEjSs-Sm7INXkYsTOrDCnrk9Okf7S2kr74Be0ZrLz-yDMmnMdqbRXzpJB4IBpHCbCLLrec9OrAPAD9GBlgwlyBqQrV4gABcv7KxAQbK3X-0Q7x3-9VPWlk53dAISFZPr8pgPn4AGqsikUP/w426-h640/DSC00129aa.png" width="426" /></a></p>And just look at these green booties - one of my favourite details! :)<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_nEI72tREgUBIJ96TlrNPwisVktffN70-P9Tx_GKjQjrP0s6NfshOogBfNU1_gL6iBSTbFVA1LCbHgwDzs7qS4hykNEspiyffqQgAozlM-x_374z2CKEy3LIolqDYsDro7hxLoWZAP6U_/s1024/DSC00144aa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_nEI72tREgUBIJ96TlrNPwisVktffN70-P9Tx_GKjQjrP0s6NfshOogBfNU1_gL6iBSTbFVA1LCbHgwDzs7qS4hykNEspiyffqQgAozlM-x_374z2CKEy3LIolqDYsDro7hxLoWZAP6U_/w640-h480/DSC00144aa.png" width="640" /></a></div><p>I added a little tail of my own... For some reason the pattern didn't predict it. I had to improvise a bit.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5-w4dAEYEr99k6OqoyO21rCUtJ_yyKEQh607OEOa-m6EmrUgFSEPMQaCcfBs4oVVkV4aFbPTl7AYbp42lM93Ca-H6hG-KOrGVzkqE8Ke33DAfaGZHhhAIf8zbUcIjiguoKy9iGiGeDq1/s960/DSC00140aa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5-w4dAEYEr99k6OqoyO21rCUtJ_yyKEQh607OEOa-m6EmrUgFSEPMQaCcfBs4oVVkV4aFbPTl7AYbp42lM93Ca-H6hG-KOrGVzkqE8Ke33DAfaGZHhhAIf8zbUcIjiguoKy9iGiGeDq1/w512-h640/DSC00140aa.png" width="512" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I love Easter, do you? Everything is new, fresh, baby flowers and baby animals. Life is waking up again. There is hope. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihosrlw5iDks91h-ypcz1VFCTGIRYV7-qGKjPvcR86jutPVmTmVpdiaRUhd1ylEa4BQ1DO0VsyT7hJ5CRlbuV2THJCi7GW_oTW8S2l2JSw_SJPr9BQg3arOvLWtDScy938T4-9Eso9zo6h/s791/DSC00134aa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="791" data-original-width="707" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihosrlw5iDks91h-ypcz1VFCTGIRYV7-qGKjPvcR86jutPVmTmVpdiaRUhd1ylEa4BQ1DO0VsyT7hJ5CRlbuV2THJCi7GW_oTW8S2l2JSw_SJPr9BQg3arOvLWtDScy938T4-9Eso9zo6h/w572-h640/DSC00134aa.png" width="572" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;">So my place at Easter is always full of eggs (I've been collecting /making these over time), baskets, doilies, spring flowers, porcelain figurines of ducks and bunnies, decorated trees.</span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLqBVwTWa6rq8wlVKKcmav1Yy63eKSO2nw8Sbwp1gimNnbiIwZbiEvhybNvdWJuvRLbG-y1He3xwoMeVDbt1ev6lz1dFH3lt3-ZY0oUWf7MDuRWCRbfA4x0WLFTwv-lVIk-jWja4s63z0/s994/DSC00128aa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="994" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLqBVwTWa6rq8wlVKKcmav1Yy63eKSO2nw8Sbwp1gimNnbiIwZbiEvhybNvdWJuvRLbG-y1He3xwoMeVDbt1ev6lz1dFH3lt3-ZY0oUWf7MDuRWCRbfA4x0WLFTwv-lVIk-jWja4s63z0/w640-h496/DSC00128aa.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAUcDW4RrUrzIfTdyheVgFarV9zZvWAIxnJoldcL8xBM0RSmw8NvaMwPORb4hidEPCI-iqK1Z_fkHno6lNYUJoH2dmZDC3hJhcXkKJCuX54F33i9nVRXaslhsMfIrUJJBNo0-HvvukbpAj/s1024/DSC00122aa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAUcDW4RrUrzIfTdyheVgFarV9zZvWAIxnJoldcL8xBM0RSmw8NvaMwPORb4hidEPCI-iqK1Z_fkHno6lNYUJoH2dmZDC3hJhcXkKJCuX54F33i9nVRXaslhsMfIrUJJBNo0-HvvukbpAj/w640-h480/DSC00122aa.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhnQlrItWDjUo2Yz1h7nEKXK_8Wn7k8g6nn0B2I3AB_P0lCwpEdSsxu2k5PRV4WQjHln1Ok_4hyphenhyphenjrbzgKSknWmvOC8XbbwG7liCzNJzN3VPRrkcJ2f071plzXPnwu4Rj8klEM3kgbDKHM/s975/DSC00120aa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="719" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhnQlrItWDjUo2Yz1h7nEKXK_8Wn7k8g6nn0B2I3AB_P0lCwpEdSsxu2k5PRV4WQjHln1Ok_4hyphenhyphenjrbzgKSknWmvOC8XbbwG7liCzNJzN3VPRrkcJ2f071plzXPnwu4Rj8klEM3kgbDKHM/w472-h640/DSC00120aa.png" width="472" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hope you all have a lovely Easter break. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Easter blessing to you all! </div><p></p>Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-7604043337732328442021-03-30T21:52:00.000+01:002021-03-30T21:52:01.394+01:00Pandas with panditude<p style="text-align: justify;">Time to present my further crochet creations from February this year. Meet Pickles and Pandora - two cheeky pandas with a full-blown "panditude" :D</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaRrFZE-W2lAen2P70BxZkAQB99Wlac8-2lZGlVldWtKrWNTXKG9HDqiJuv9FqKO1OH8vFMyGYxjAMin50haTDB1DavSX83lSLdRmdMKuz68hlJ_dthTZLeTVE4mYpD9qTTF8Jn44g7U1/s942/DSC00109a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="755" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaRrFZE-W2lAen2P70BxZkAQB99Wlac8-2lZGlVldWtKrWNTXKG9HDqiJuv9FqKO1OH8vFMyGYxjAMin50haTDB1DavSX83lSLdRmdMKuz68hlJ_dthTZLeTVE4mYpD9qTTF8Jn44g7U1/w512-h640/DSC00109a.png" width="512" /></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">These two panda bears have been crocheted using a pattern from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kornflakeStew" target="_blank">Kornflake Stew</a> - a lovely and talented designer who has created many wonderful crochet characters. Check out her website. You will find yourself browsing her Etsy store sooner than you think!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVbHXwsycIKuT2l_bXDwwCvWypTr-h_k3ULsq-M47VyFsXvA7gdj6zAQiAcgI9pOj6B0xKjnzEev_3Z7yuX0vAe2yt-ErCv-LDIlJ0PEaefhhOL8QieNq8Gum2h9HzLxJ_7TfIoWFIiBc/s970/DSC00110a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="970" data-original-width="746" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVbHXwsycIKuT2l_bXDwwCvWypTr-h_k3ULsq-M47VyFsXvA7gdj6zAQiAcgI9pOj6B0xKjnzEev_3Z7yuX0vAe2yt-ErCv-LDIlJ0PEaefhhOL8QieNq8Gum2h9HzLxJ_7TfIoWFIiBc/w492-h640/DSC00110a.png" width="492" /></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I am a big fan of her "tall animals" series and these two are a part of it. I like to call them "hunchbacks" because of their slightly hunched postures. I just love the quirkiness of these characters.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuij7lZGE97X1jJoQrdpwGdoYy_yPXdsZA23z52jDE-Z53CfhWUFovLRXH3_08hx8gjL5FYPqG7dsGWKSo12dM6n0ObzQYTNVzDFXNVfkOaukHPRZeOvvClWecczHxDA_MnZzAaAwfnMIe/s1001/DSC00117a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="758" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuij7lZGE97X1jJoQrdpwGdoYy_yPXdsZA23z52jDE-Z53CfhWUFovLRXH3_08hx8gjL5FYPqG7dsGWKSo12dM6n0ObzQYTNVzDFXNVfkOaukHPRZeOvvClWecczHxDA_MnZzAaAwfnMIe/w484-h640/DSC00117a.png" width="484" /></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Their square-ish heads are mounted in a slightly unusual way most crochet toys have, which gives them a characteristic part grumpy, part dreamy look. They are movable up and down and slightly to the sides so you can arrange them in different poses.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjva4Gosj0h_BqIrJAcRoUzHxFdoV1xkjZyXslCPRtXQJlDkTAo1fakmHiBr7trQSTtcT-q3zYAnRtgLWCF9CowDQe7unff88b7olmlEBgFiNXivE9zPL0IAqqb0-iqjNNuzNmFJbiKponb/s968/DSC00113a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjva4Gosj0h_BqIrJAcRoUzHxFdoV1xkjZyXslCPRtXQJlDkTAo1fakmHiBr7trQSTtcT-q3zYAnRtgLWCF9CowDQe7unff88b7olmlEBgFiNXivE9zPL0IAqqb0-iqjNNuzNmFJbiKponb/w508-h640/DSC00113a.png" width="508" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Add the droopy eyelids to that... :) (I love these sleepy eyelids! One of my favourite details!)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGE84hH0erm88YgE80PGO5tlRuoT5A6_RFtVfNh5mGB6McqqrqIBmAvM26CPxjRskEctBiss46mnE_WRxaLstidwfCckX9tB9yJWoM4xh94JDOjjSoggP-jLOPB4sAKFW8kmuoH4KBfi_/s1024/DSC00120a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGE84hH0erm88YgE80PGO5tlRuoT5A6_RFtVfNh5mGB6McqqrqIBmAvM26CPxjRskEctBiss46mnE_WRxaLstidwfCckX9tB9yJWoM4xh94JDOjjSoggP-jLOPB4sAKFW8kmuoH4KBfi_/w640-h480/DSC00120a.png" width="640" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8LDxDX1xS4gHyeaGPxz-_DGRZUq-e1vFePvcDC9PxHAkUNWyT8M88hzTlIVBlo9eIlsO_Q5T2WjYk1sJDOfxqH0wMk3F1036bvzRpm0k0XxNAhEBb-UfG1r0arLK3wqZs1AETeFqf8Q0e/s1024/DSC00119a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8LDxDX1xS4gHyeaGPxz-_DGRZUq-e1vFePvcDC9PxHAkUNWyT8M88hzTlIVBlo9eIlsO_Q5T2WjYk1sJDOfxqH0wMk3F1036bvzRpm0k0XxNAhEBb-UfG1r0arLK3wqZs1AETeFqf8Q0e/w640-h480/DSC00119a.png" width="640" /></a></p><p>Doesn't that "panditude" show now, huh? </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oc3INnRUDzVo1jVMAKSbKz_BJkmFv-f9VmXF623_mym0ki1Y0EJP3mJxgWhizKObG9cK24i7qqMoT-Sa3EdMXAtyDXU8uUtBkrH_zQL28DHgrZO0qObHQMv5O1w6Fc8iVRYj3zORY3L7/s1024/DSC00127a+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oc3INnRUDzVo1jVMAKSbKz_BJkmFv-f9VmXF623_mym0ki1Y0EJP3mJxgWhizKObG9cK24i7qqMoT-Sa3EdMXAtyDXU8uUtBkrH_zQL28DHgrZO0qObHQMv5O1w6Fc8iVRYj3zORY3L7/w480-h640/DSC00127a+%25281%2529.png" width="480" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisE0EePNakkRYEBRSx7B64WgsebTQbUJKg9W7xqBrw2FS7vHJuzSNVOSrRYBUeNFdYkZxavz2O0pfvgJVbrph7G0sIEoV_0bia-Urpn6xbOrjdqrwFIXauSEO4N8iRNmTlNOnKlg40ZRRc/s2048/IMG_20210209_123321a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1311" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisE0EePNakkRYEBRSx7B64WgsebTQbUJKg9W7xqBrw2FS7vHJuzSNVOSrRYBUeNFdYkZxavz2O0pfvgJVbrph7G0sIEoV_0bia-Urpn6xbOrjdqrwFIXauSEO4N8iRNmTlNOnKlg40ZRRc/w410-h640/IMG_20210209_123321a.png" width="410" /></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Both pandas were made using Scheepjes Stone Washed yarns (Moonstone, Ruby and Amethyst shades) and a 2.5 mm crochet hook producing a 35 cm tall toy. I decided for non-standard Panda colourways 'cause I was curious what they would look like in pinks and purples :)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtRvnn0JIQt640hQMpkysvmR1QaMvBTEdYOhXEKYGHoHok1iOuxoYbO3DKJ3sURbHX49cvm74IQ6P-v4T_PASx6fU02NPa1mrKvlYZsmsXc0QzlneLp9JhyphenhyphenL99MdZx8KikxXDh5xgLxqMH/s2048/IMG_20210209_151850a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1274" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtRvnn0JIQt640hQMpkysvmR1QaMvBTEdYOhXEKYGHoHok1iOuxoYbO3DKJ3sURbHX49cvm74IQ6P-v4T_PASx6fU02NPa1mrKvlYZsmsXc0QzlneLp9JhyphenhyphenL99MdZx8KikxXDh5xgLxqMH/w398-h640/IMG_20210209_151850a.png" width="398" /></a></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The stripy socks, wooden belly buttons and little bob tails (pandas do have tails, you know!) are my own modifications. I like to make things a little mine :D</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDxmMXzgM5YAECrd_wiEju5ddV5bHS0k3YlvmbZQC5fu_6Cv0ei7x004Bg-CxSjFKBfDp00kWZhLFWhKBJyXPSVPqnB-Ud9a83PKfIh0su3XByY8ey57HIbmZ-BF3Si8aAd8gn6HuWdXua/s2048/IMG_20210209_123555a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2037" data-original-width="2048" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDxmMXzgM5YAECrd_wiEju5ddV5bHS0k3YlvmbZQC5fu_6Cv0ei7x004Bg-CxSjFKBfDp00kWZhLFWhKBJyXPSVPqnB-Ud9a83PKfIh0su3XByY8ey57HIbmZ-BF3Si8aAd8gn6HuWdXua/w640-h636/IMG_20210209_123555a.png" width="640" /></a></p><p>Really enjoyed making them. They were easy and fun to make and they turned out quite cute. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Fa1RXxgg03vDftORl0GKQCGAF8sRxRIOqXKynOz_ngHY_BvCIZS9AfmNAwMrtVMXacOrmTH-8f2tAhLCuUCURzu6TdE5VpMKC_Iqo3TTGARfwl9Gc-s3iBM3TltV1XlZ85pM79dwM0Q9/s2048/IMG_20210209_152604a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1798" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Fa1RXxgg03vDftORl0GKQCGAF8sRxRIOqXKynOz_ngHY_BvCIZS9AfmNAwMrtVMXacOrmTH-8f2tAhLCuUCURzu6TdE5VpMKC_Iqo3TTGARfwl9Gc-s3iBM3TltV1XlZ85pM79dwM0Q9/w562-h640/IMG_20210209_152604a.png" width="562" /></a></div><div><br /></div>A group photo with my another Kornflake stew character I will blog about later. <div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dus6pImMaox2HEwXo41A6Ms6H6jjV6xEdge1Gl1qnJ59Pr7LMbBw-HGIdUEGf9MlI6xvZPhTeqwY_gLRsKYFp8SeJ_6T_VptJVtcBCuUY5enVWvVt5CZ9DDvPpjTWbFRS3v50taQLJPA/s2048/IMG_20210209_152217a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2022" data-original-width="2048" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8dus6pImMaox2HEwXo41A6Ms6H6jjV6xEdge1Gl1qnJ59Pr7LMbBw-HGIdUEGf9MlI6xvZPhTeqwY_gLRsKYFp8SeJ_6T_VptJVtcBCuUY5enVWvVt5CZ9DDvPpjTWbFRS3v50taQLJPA/w640-h632/IMG_20210209_152217a.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">More Kornflakestew crochet to come in the future. I promise :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Have a nice week!</div><p></p></div>Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-44354797637430999132021-02-28T21:36:00.007+00:002021-04-10T21:18:12.704+01:00Llewelyn<p style="text-align: justify;">As promised, I am back here again to share more up-to-date crafty stories. It's 1st of March tomorrow. In Wales it is a nationally celebrated St. David's day. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to crochet a dragon toy (the red dragon being the national symbol of Wales). </p><p style="text-align: justify;">So here he is. Meet Llewelyn :) </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaopE4YqW3eSZCQHK5q5ySJsIlvivSl-rVLkcT19W-9GR3aBVX7oXHTgHv1RdqIk9h1x9rNjiOPHzYumQHH6d7RU9zM2SeJW1Oaz1b9sGdlP1GhqTjkJ2vNRMFW6d3a2-eQaGt82d-Na3X/s1008/DSC00106a+%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="647" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaopE4YqW3eSZCQHK5q5ySJsIlvivSl-rVLkcT19W-9GR3aBVX7oXHTgHv1RdqIk9h1x9rNjiOPHzYumQHH6d7RU9zM2SeJW1Oaz1b9sGdlP1GhqTjkJ2vNRMFW6d3a2-eQaGt82d-Na3X/w412-h640/DSC00106a+%25281%2529.png" width="412" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">He received his name after a medieval Welsh ruler - Llewelyn the Great. A Welsh dragon needs a good old Welsh name, won't you agree? :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88B6pW0seAswIbVagwI8ULorEZ53GRiEg_S77ob_US7dYxLvhboOf-wRve8h71jOS0D6b-VSCmDLvskPv7Q7jfSWziGNk0ae5anBDJC9tP48kz0_8_MJ9-8WL5jrROjLo6KvS8BQiLy2y/s1024/DSC00120a+%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88B6pW0seAswIbVagwI8ULorEZ53GRiEg_S77ob_US7dYxLvhboOf-wRve8h71jOS0D6b-VSCmDLvskPv7Q7jfSWziGNk0ae5anBDJC9tP48kz0_8_MJ9-8WL5jrROjLo6KvS8BQiLy2y/w480-h640/DSC00120a+%25281%2529.png" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To make him I used a pattern from Kornflake Stew. Originally he is Django, the dragon. But my aim was to make him as Welsh-looking as possible :)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxbbOut2VeTBHA8I51Qv6peDt445kBZ6_3ztZZS-i_KSkZATThd3-mRoVLI8iQmXKR1NhI4l-eT3sl7hllZZ2tiu-ysLyEIYNGNhC8yGqLZa7knDAQ1Zadz6iVlqC0_obQLi8FfaKSLXV/s1021/DSC00110a+%25282%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1021" data-original-width="712" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxbbOut2VeTBHA8I51Qv6peDt445kBZ6_3ztZZS-i_KSkZATThd3-mRoVLI8iQmXKR1NhI4l-eT3sl7hllZZ2tiu-ysLyEIYNGNhC8yGqLZa7knDAQ1Zadz6iVlqC0_obQLi8FfaKSLXV/w446-h640/DSC00110a+%25282%2529.png" width="446" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I decided he will be made with <i>Scheepjes Riverwashed</i> yarn, shade: <i>Nile</i>. This two-tone yarn is just perfect to make a red dragon. The cotton red core of the yarn is blended with some yellow/orangey fuzz giving it a fiery look. Its yarn weight is <i>sport/baby</i> so it gives a nice size. The toy is about 35-36 cm tall. Not too small and not too big either. Just right.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMq7y6hUi5Uq10s11oAryQTURtXwBmZi3UiZMrJ5jstp4ltCaVV3pNgwR0mR6gCsgksDL9Qj_dgWV5OKcvXe2YutXcwUmuGUOG6vVySM50QjMQpQr_DFRZQA_XII1Ck5vbCilKpKld6_mR/s1019/DSC00129a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1019" data-original-width="676" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMq7y6hUi5Uq10s11oAryQTURtXwBmZi3UiZMrJ5jstp4ltCaVV3pNgwR0mR6gCsgksDL9Qj_dgWV5OKcvXe2YutXcwUmuGUOG6vVySM50QjMQpQr_DFRZQA_XII1Ck5vbCilKpKld6_mR/w424-h640/DSC00129a.png" width="424" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Red dragon of Wales despicted on the flag is all red but I didn't want Llewelyn to be entirely red as it would be a bit bland. I wanted some contrasting horns, spikes and wings but at the same time not to be diverting from the Welsh colours either. Another <i>Scheepjes Riverwashed</i> yarn, shade: <i>Seine</i> has worked really well here. The core of the yarn is red but the outer green fuzz gives a nice contrast. So this way I could have my cake and eat it :D :D :D</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohnXiITWeAfcxutfw9LMOABeU9ZRITVqyOzsQyeiiyaly_eAKRL-v5HZY4dXOFXIREB51m0PMY7rFcQBYxl7_-E2GJSJNGGdhPJsa2aqzQACdD3LOB00m3XFHtjzufawUbzD2MXHAT3pv/s1024/DSC00128a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohnXiITWeAfcxutfw9LMOABeU9ZRITVqyOzsQyeiiyaly_eAKRL-v5HZY4dXOFXIREB51m0PMY7rFcQBYxl7_-E2GJSJNGGdhPJsa2aqzQACdD3LOB00m3XFHtjzufawUbzD2MXHAT3pv/w640-h480/DSC00128a.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I was pleased to see how these two shades work well together in this dragon.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8Hg9kpR2veJEieWj4gJBjLFT-zUthAeoN0QAsFmFLYnZ2ZiB-qDwz9vgr2auYlr7Sv_gZOO51HJ6pVvw7GfEqmVCGx7jF4Fq6_60Zvj2JrByWhJ3XrJL74P1AFTNYq30ZbULIp-bXUWU/s1024/DSC00127a+%25283%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT8Hg9kpR2veJEieWj4gJBjLFT-zUthAeoN0QAsFmFLYnZ2ZiB-qDwz9vgr2auYlr7Sv_gZOO51HJ6pVvw7GfEqmVCGx7jF4Fq6_60Zvj2JrByWhJ3XrJL74P1AFTNYq30ZbULIp-bXUWU/w640-h480/DSC00127a+%25283%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I modified his wings a little. I made them a bit larger and one row longer. I know they are meant to be grotesquely small and this is part of his charm but those in the pattern were way too tiny for him.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj7kSN1wld1mKRJgD1MZ60dnjMkWx5SLEwmFSkiAb2o5d22N_CNjkurL5fnuEjhRUExB7yb3VdUCN3oimgdF7cW1_etKLqwLuQ9dG9hilzR9ByLvEshxQjgfH41x7ZsBrKtalfO9Vq6VHM/s1024/DSC00126a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj7kSN1wld1mKRJgD1MZ60dnjMkWx5SLEwmFSkiAb2o5d22N_CNjkurL5fnuEjhRUExB7yb3VdUCN3oimgdF7cW1_etKLqwLuQ9dG9hilzR9ByLvEshxQjgfH41x7ZsBrKtalfO9Vq6VHM/w480-h640/DSC00126a.png" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>A little tag attached. The crafter's signature, saying "mine!" :)</div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqIzz9QS6fuJKfU_8A9AL9_qZRgqLcfBMkXGiSA0SoETkxb1Rlt_oK1Nc7NB789IVMIojX2fScYohgmBxCshPNKinwb_QYWpeNcIoU7tDe8Vy11VF9mGwel48Mgcdq3diIKU5GjU5rkRsP/s1024/DSC00123a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqIzz9QS6fuJKfU_8A9AL9_qZRgqLcfBMkXGiSA0SoETkxb1Rlt_oK1Nc7NB789IVMIojX2fScYohgmBxCshPNKinwb_QYWpeNcIoU7tDe8Vy11VF9mGwel48Mgcdq3diIKU5GjU5rkRsP/w640-h480/DSC00123a.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The Daffodil pin - another symbol of Wales. Love daffs - the sign the spring is on its way! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6enQfouta_8IIQrxr_AQOUakt0rqte-wLHW_7rhAUvC0knjrRIWhgawe-ySDeNpbqQMDLhCQh2DEfTgIiLLFaj4tmajOlG4nSpan6awKfyENT3rV3tUBgNr4wzGXWH_8ks9eZ1SmzNqZ/s1024/DSC00119a+%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6enQfouta_8IIQrxr_AQOUakt0rqte-wLHW_7rhAUvC0knjrRIWhgawe-ySDeNpbqQMDLhCQh2DEfTgIiLLFaj4tmajOlG4nSpan6awKfyENT3rV3tUBgNr4wzGXWH_8ks9eZ1SmzNqZ/w480-h640/DSC00119a+%25281%2529.png" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>His feet really amuse me LOL They are more like trotters than dragon's talons :))))</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIIEEDL0wSkhzDj3V4JZbhb1IztXZisrd6OkONCi0ftX-vY5HgSPkTfEiCjyV2GBqkMBTpajUQkEWKbMMOjJHp3aU_c_s1TFPvnCsuIPnr578Bhv9Y-k2CtUsF7-ti2H9Nf1K31EIRExBY/s1024/DSC00124a+%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIIEEDL0wSkhzDj3V4JZbhb1IztXZisrd6OkONCi0ftX-vY5HgSPkTfEiCjyV2GBqkMBTpajUQkEWKbMMOjJHp3aU_c_s1TFPvnCsuIPnr578Bhv9Y-k2CtUsF7-ti2H9Nf1K31EIRExBY/w640-h480/DSC00124a+%25281%2529.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Thanks to his feet and a short tail he can stand on his own!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6euLxbATpL1OSx4VByURhasEx9WC4-J8K4hBauWfZO4h6GlNvNTaKT_GoMquSYj9qByS2k5kv_SEr12ThBM8-Vd2K9PL2kd-LzZt4cldqICmzYUh3IAPrSBd1MHCBHntx3PlASWM2tuY/s1021/DSC00112a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1021" data-original-width="660" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6euLxbATpL1OSx4VByURhasEx9WC4-J8K4hBauWfZO4h6GlNvNTaKT_GoMquSYj9qByS2k5kv_SEr12ThBM8-Vd2K9PL2kd-LzZt4cldqICmzYUh3IAPrSBd1MHCBHntx3PlASWM2tuY/w414-h640/DSC00112a.png" width="414" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Oh dear, I think he is a bit sad...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgONz8CrY6BK6PZa4fKLAfgdPr-TYSoVEfuvbDuc2VaQe9Zo1c1pAdzprLD7EGGuizQZVagTOD1FKBLZOKRyu8Po0TskFZ1UI7Rq7zsdQhEkKRLw7ZFjnhW36-A-G5_1Uuw6RnPAcxVOHLG/s1024/DSC00129a+%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgONz8CrY6BK6PZa4fKLAfgdPr-TYSoVEfuvbDuc2VaQe9Zo1c1pAdzprLD7EGGuizQZVagTOD1FKBLZOKRyu8Po0TskFZ1UI7Rq7zsdQhEkKRLw7ZFjnhW36-A-G5_1Uuw6RnPAcxVOHLG/w480-h640/DSC00129a+%25281%2529.png" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Now with his mates :) Better.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAUHFIFhMMqql8gunX_aj1fObBpKZfvWywTroZRhQoTDAjqE3kFX12wdR4WH1nFNlMCnjzO-jrHLgARVvQ0lm-Gn8bfZbSxmSbZ6duPOkkTdQcQOhmUfa1ErFXr7495Xjt9O9_AcJovnu/s1016/DSC00147a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1016" data-original-width="712" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAUHFIFhMMqql8gunX_aj1fObBpKZfvWywTroZRhQoTDAjqE3kFX12wdR4WH1nFNlMCnjzO-jrHLgARVvQ0lm-Gn8bfZbSxmSbZ6duPOkkTdQcQOhmUfa1ErFXr7495Xjt9O9_AcJovnu/w448-h640/DSC00147a.png" width="448" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0e_Sg0LPqgPKy7agu9ALtAxIraZs1XSEpqLCOK4BzdRMSw2_86PLHlrrSY5RvbRkgPjaPyddlfaWXskQ4muwKCOh85NbM6OhYMdFt_AdveY1EMnzsE8QJp8_yaxcD_rYRtOuFtIX0KH0R/s753/DSC00141a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="753" data-original-width="687" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0e_Sg0LPqgPKy7agu9ALtAxIraZs1XSEpqLCOK4BzdRMSw2_86PLHlrrSY5RvbRkgPjaPyddlfaWXskQ4muwKCOh85NbM6OhYMdFt_AdveY1EMnzsE8QJp8_yaxcD_rYRtOuFtIX0KH0R/w584-h640/DSC00141a.png" width="584" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The End</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Have a nice week and don't forget to say hello :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">New projects in the making! Coming soon!</div></div></div>Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-12783400267463695192021-02-21T22:19:00.004+00:002021-02-21T22:41:44.304+00:00Oleg, the bear<p style="text-align: justify;">Hello world. Wow, it's been ages since I came here to post and so much has changed since. I must admit I feel a bit guilty about neglecting this blog. But... It's a new year, new beginning. Let's see if I can keep this blog going for the next months! Wish me luck! </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Well, I am into crochet now. <u>Very much</u> into crochet. The past two years I've been honing my crocheting, learning new techniques, pushing my skills forward and trying new things. And I am so loving it! It is truly amazing what you can make with just yarn and a crochet hook. And it is so rewarding too!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">2020 may have been a c**p year for many of us but for me, weirdly, it was also one of the most intense productive years, devoted entirely to crocheting. Many new crochet pieces have come about and I'm intending to show them here in a form of "a blast from the past" blog posts with a little story behind them. I will be blogging about my current work to keep it up to date. </p><p>Here we go, my first crochet piece of 2021 - Oleg, the Polar bear.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTt76FpXGCVGisG3H1NzOGeF54x2OlzvMGqrz_VZKB6m6XjjhR85abJSMNDEcJ7SahMflA5vFtMnWpo46RN13_oR8ZgKcBZl-s_sxm9Tr_Li8S51upKE3okxsJTl_2PW_XM55_urPbY3r7/s996/DSC00138a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTt76FpXGCVGisG3H1NzOGeF54x2OlzvMGqrz_VZKB6m6XjjhR85abJSMNDEcJ7SahMflA5vFtMnWpo46RN13_oR8ZgKcBZl-s_sxm9Tr_Li8S51upKE3okxsJTl_2PW_XM55_urPbY3r7/w494-h640/DSC00138a.png" width="494" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;">There is always the first time for everything and this is my first crocheted polar bear :) I named him Oleg because of his Russian "ushatka" hat, which makes me think of frosty winters in Siberia.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixm_M1oW4C2_WiiV3SkUMIkVsxuRc5Mtt3c2rsgdmaFpBn0pzD8tydQKTI4D8fJTcYFOZIjZGer43NVQMOmTHSDo7vhk0PsEwxezdaueeOFBxUuPnbBsGA_X_c3pwj34axh8rVENNkhNlF/s978/DSC00115a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="978" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixm_M1oW4C2_WiiV3SkUMIkVsxuRc5Mtt3c2rsgdmaFpBn0pzD8tydQKTI4D8fJTcYFOZIjZGer43NVQMOmTHSDo7vhk0PsEwxezdaueeOFBxUuPnbBsGA_X_c3pwj34axh8rVENNkhNlF/w640-h502/DSC00115a.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Originally this bear is called Girolle and the pattern for it comes from Kornflake Stew designer from Etsy. As far as I know, it was published as a limited edition in a form of a Crochet Box a while ago and it was also published as a pattern in Crochet Now magazine, issue 51, available only digitally now.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjC8E8_wI7lS9IqtnBiKuDWo8Y5f9nc9I0MmtQbYkpULsd3Q69pCG0OZdouJbyAK4O96OdHGmUIQ7hNCAgZlE4a8bDIJzvtIeLyEHB61yEdAU3AsyvZvimgy-ByiSxi-671DSnBlePeVr/s1024/DSC00124a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjC8E8_wI7lS9IqtnBiKuDWo8Y5f9nc9I0MmtQbYkpULsd3Q69pCG0OZdouJbyAK4O96OdHGmUIQ7hNCAgZlE4a8bDIJzvtIeLyEHB61yEdAU3AsyvZvimgy-ByiSxi-671DSnBlePeVr/w480-h640/DSC00124a.png" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The original pattern recommends using some Bergere de France yarn but there was no chance of me finding it online or spending a fortune on it. I decided to find my own replacements and it worked out well. I used <i>Drops Safran</i> cotton yarn in exactly the same colours. Voila! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5TdWgm3sCec6qxtUZDpVRek8vsuqdv6CuLfflqxyLu4bXlfDZfI9Yr1jvjTlXqco3My-sHrrtKh0OdTHFDN9oByWemohdw-wGHIbHgyF5hKp9ahfCkQA99WXZT_UnpMcjZ69oui2G90O/s1024/DSC00139a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5TdWgm3sCec6qxtUZDpVRek8vsuqdv6CuLfflqxyLu4bXlfDZfI9Yr1jvjTlXqco3My-sHrrtKh0OdTHFDN9oByWemohdw-wGHIbHgyF5hKp9ahfCkQA99WXZT_UnpMcjZ69oui2G90O/w480-h640/DSC00139a.png" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">I loved working with this cream coloured cotton yarn and combining it with the oh-so-trendy mustard and teal. As it is <i>fine</i> in yarn weight, the bear turned out small and cute. About 15-16 cm in height.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTB6IY6Qm0T5hTcqH8iZoQG0chX04X0Ysnz6ZXfnhaLzjt9ujpuR5idv3dol_KUew9q69No16bGB86XMdbm1mEIE8lt5QIiyYVZqGGxCIzzglBzdE9JPO4u_L0wRCpsxIoPTgtPqVSXmd/s899/DSC00121a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="899" height="546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFTB6IY6Qm0T5hTcqH8iZoQG0chX04X0Ysnz6ZXfnhaLzjt9ujpuR5idv3dol_KUew9q69No16bGB86XMdbm1mEIE8lt5QIiyYVZqGGxCIzzglBzdE9JPO4u_L0wRCpsxIoPTgtPqVSXmd/w640-h546/DSC00121a.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">For some reason the pattern for this bear doesn't tell you to give him ears! That cannot be! A polar bear with no ears! I decided to give him a pair of small ones even though he hides them under his hat.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy4HA4xYB1F41hIKfujea-YHI3jyHa-ZSyoA5OktLrDsniKhrFk657UqiOwL-vJ3uI4fWI56CI6G3pGJYkVtDvM9wT7udhh19vf04288_jY9wTHCzt56UzPAsSPSkgribGKqRciIIbNfju/s1024/DSC00111a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy4HA4xYB1F41hIKfujea-YHI3jyHa-ZSyoA5OktLrDsniKhrFk657UqiOwL-vJ3uI4fWI56CI6G3pGJYkVtDvM9wT7udhh19vf04288_jY9wTHCzt56UzPAsSPSkgribGKqRciIIbNfju/w480-h640/DSC00111a.png" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Quite pleased with the final result :)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijDwI55YvBkbxSwwqHRP8gF1y62i89rrqNzp5G6cTIpW3sauPdThyphenhyphenDA2KXZvxsO24XZqzz1MPC57NCToA3k0LzzSjveqC_7TV8bPsBgQsXWYPL68Nlkygm00ilhD0uShV1jn0TRgr1Ww9Y/s973/DSC00127a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="973" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijDwI55YvBkbxSwwqHRP8gF1y62i89rrqNzp5G6cTIpW3sauPdThyphenhyphenDA2KXZvxsO24XZqzz1MPC57NCToA3k0LzzSjveqC_7TV8bPsBgQsXWYPL68Nlkygm00ilhD0uShV1jn0TRgr1Ww9Y/w640-h506/DSC00127a.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As this is such a sweet design, I'll probably be back to this pattern sometime as I already have a certain idea for it. Oleg the bear will be back, but in a slightly altered form :)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj321ze3RJWYB15z39akyv4vLUC3-jn1v83eGKOxdG8Jrq4krXVPpUQmd0Nkp14MJbN5sMLGGmWuyj3y0E-0d4LNCePydH1XPWcfquQgQWZRebUUxHlA5JVc4TGX-9t8lbnrVX7GA0bToci/s1024/DSC00142a.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="735" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj321ze3RJWYB15z39akyv4vLUC3-jn1v83eGKOxdG8Jrq4krXVPpUQmd0Nkp14MJbN5sMLGGmWuyj3y0E-0d4LNCePydH1XPWcfquQgQWZRebUUxHlA5JVc4TGX-9t8lbnrVX7GA0bToci/w460-h640/DSC00142a.png" width="460" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>If you wish to find out more about this bear and other beautiful Kornflake Stew designs, join us in <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/2637449979863259" target="_blank">this Facebook group</a></b> for the fans of K.S. patterns! :)Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-61368841243126234402017-08-26T22:32:00.002+01:002017-08-26T22:32:18.768+01:00Saying "Hi"<div style="text-align: justify;">
Golly gosh! It's been ages since I blogged on here. Virtual dust settled down and cobwebs spread everywhere. Does anybody still come here? I wonder. </div>
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I am alive. I still create, though at a more relaxed pace. Life goes on. It always does, doesn't it? There are good days, there are bad days. Gladly, there are more better days than bad days. Oh, and of course time flies...</div>
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It's hard to share all crafty news in one post so I'll stick to one at a time. This year I've been invited by a Polish friend of mine, Monika, to cooperate with her and run a shop on Etsy for her. With this step I basically became a trend-spotter, Etsy account manager, translator, advisor, advertiser and an admin, all rolled in one. I hadn't had any experience with selling online especially on such widely known websites like Etsy, Craftsy and the like before and wasn't sure how marketing things are done. Neither hadMonika. So me and her are taking our first steps and learning as we go. The Etsy shop we have specializes in selling cross stitch charts in a form of digital pdf patterns (instant downloads) for stitcher of all levels. Monika designs the charts, I put them in her Etsy store. We enjoy our work and cooperation. </div>
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Come and visit us in our Etsy store. You can always ask us a question or just say hi.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/LittlePolishNeedle">The Little Polish Needle</a> </b></span></div>
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All stitchers welcome.</div>
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We keep adding new patterns regularly and frequently. Here are some of our newest charts.</div>
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The collections of seasonal trees:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenDbog2QgrdkAGmLLAA0iWj2hGdKjHxfvVXm0PFhMeqOs6t-mFWDMp6nqLi1S7z1aQVaXIHXLf4lDFv1LMbNdwtWJ1ItW4vUetAwyfkFuPAUG5v9dAULrMY7pQg4O9iYIbRio_DICb-7B/s1600/4seasons2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1105" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenDbog2QgrdkAGmLLAA0iWj2hGdKjHxfvVXm0PFhMeqOs6t-mFWDMp6nqLi1S7z1aQVaXIHXLf4lDFv1LMbNdwtWJ1ItW4vUetAwyfkFuPAUG5v9dAULrMY7pQg4O9iYIbRio_DICb-7B/s640/4seasons2.jpg" width="441" /></a></div>
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Lots of Polish folklore - beautiful vibrant designs for all.</div>
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Polish "wycinanki" style</div>
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Polish folk embroidery in Kashubian style:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUERrKDMWoINPWkljb-O9P_sKR7BjuTBijzw21to0O0PyrS7F3EoAVAWCVytnCrb6Nv0qQXylR0wRBoshdIhqLQuN0kSimFuUkaQ5WaLciLdWj6Dv7lLrJ-1M0I-y-ZnssF6FGm1ZHLr3/s1600/bookmarkscollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="1600" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUERrKDMWoINPWkljb-O9P_sKR7BjuTBijzw21to0O0PyrS7F3EoAVAWCVytnCrb6Nv0qQXylR0wRBoshdIhqLQuN0kSimFuUkaQ5WaLciLdWj6Dv7lLrJ-1M0I-y-ZnssF6FGm1ZHLr3/s640/bookmarkscollage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOjItnkngXD96Ah8PN0EG_-PzKLM-IWIxr7RbISTUDpTABUEgrQYmtGqOwvT6FoaJNY01KKOTvUm5Rc63mq-uG5IN3HhyzLNdazDRWZrOqfCio96m2VUTgbqucjEwJv2AQLUreV94lL7l/s1600/kashubian+embroidery+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOjItnkngXD96Ah8PN0EG_-PzKLM-IWIxr7RbISTUDpTABUEgrQYmtGqOwvT6FoaJNY01KKOTvUm5Rc63mq-uG5IN3HhyzLNdazDRWZrOqfCio96m2VUTgbqucjEwJv2AQLUreV94lL7l/s640/kashubian+embroidery+collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Kurpie region style:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1CnpWv_D4IaN1nPnZ7l0DfcONnOJc4s_eHbh5pDALKOosn__GysbRCVaR7Weu1RVxv8MpGCe35GiHjUFHp957AjxYle4b0U6A7m57LsqeB0xbe1EDghlv67x-z13fTFmH19Hn2560BAa/s1600/iPiccy-collage1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1415" data-original-width="1600" height="563" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1CnpWv_D4IaN1nPnZ7l0DfcONnOJc4s_eHbh5pDALKOosn__GysbRCVaR7Weu1RVxv8MpGCe35GiHjUFHp957AjxYle4b0U6A7m57LsqeB0xbe1EDghlv67x-z13fTFmH19Hn2560BAa/s640/iPiccy-collage1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Seaside themed cross stitch designs:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjboPjdIEYxGuPku4p2V3a_JtuAMtq6XjLU6NMKDkOZZloQhR3cvFapanHQQgGh1Zf92KOjelBbmQeooRWUR2SfDZ9a7CCmrtaohuNkX_s0C8R54krxKlBqC2PUUraUtV0AdAEY2M0MPp_b/s1600/marine+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1417" data-original-width="1600" height="564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjboPjdIEYxGuPku4p2V3a_JtuAMtq6XjLU6NMKDkOZZloQhR3cvFapanHQQgGh1Zf92KOjelBbmQeooRWUR2SfDZ9a7CCmrtaohuNkX_s0C8R54krxKlBqC2PUUraUtV0AdAEY2M0MPp_b/s640/marine+collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Gorgeous alphabets in various styles:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRlqJWNbBX-mP1HeQXpwZRHZasf3OZUXUXgNDZuMPaep0nSFVqzvg_v1T2m2f6syggc_p_b6euZaE4orhVOcPo9Wb9v3OVlwZpkddaCgxXKhE6Ap1ON_1D9q5VkUyTTnXG9KIUoEr0cgw/s1600/alphabets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1436" data-original-width="1600" height="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRlqJWNbBX-mP1HeQXpwZRHZasf3OZUXUXgNDZuMPaep0nSFVqzvg_v1T2m2f6syggc_p_b6euZaE4orhVOcPo9Wb9v3OVlwZpkddaCgxXKhE6Ap1ON_1D9q5VkUyTTnXG9KIUoEr0cgw/s640/alphabets.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Fantastic Felines for cat lovers:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLNhtKFaQqQelHSp4GiwYmnPzMxpInuTdmtIog1SnDaqCc83kZvigpe96Tccd3OKR3EBWa-mK0oPbE2SH57l9RLJKAbdIHyorg7tyPin3ihmo-HqPdCSRfvKgk7ZTUHxxdnxUReVNtg1P/s1600/cats+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLNhtKFaQqQelHSp4GiwYmnPzMxpInuTdmtIog1SnDaqCc83kZvigpe96Tccd3OKR3EBWa-mK0oPbE2SH57l9RLJKAbdIHyorg7tyPin3ihmo-HqPdCSRfvKgk7ZTUHxxdnxUReVNtg1P/s640/cats+collage.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>
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...and many more to discover and try. Do come over :)</div>
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The Little Polish needle is also on Twitter and Facebook:</div>
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Meet us on <b><a href="https://twitter.com/MonikaBlezien"><span style="font-size: large;">Twitter</span></a></b> :)</div>
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Visit us on <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/IgielkaMB/"><span style="font-size: large;">Facebook</span></a></b>.</div>
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See you there! </div>
Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-32622830075763177332016-01-31T22:03:00.002+00:002016-01-31T22:03:18.220+00:00Trick or Treat - finished<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's been a while since I was here. Again. Time flies, eh? I hope everyone had a good Christmas. Mine was brill and very busy too so I didn't have much time for festive crafts. Not long before Christmas I finished my cross stitched halloween project - <em>Trick or Treat</em> by The Prairie Schooler. It hasn't been framed yet and it's awaiting a right picture frame. I'm thinking of something dark, perhaps sculpted, embossed, textured. This detailed project definitely deserves a quality frame. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIXgS4U6NTkA308pvHoJULaS4bzutMXhlyW_BS_KCH5VE47S47XAy3Fnyri4mNRMFaZj0u5Y3fL61UpBQN_GOg-fb1gWNSUoGXfSoH0vTdC7BsCYtsu7RdEFTqpxSVlobyWaxepv2_tpW/s0/DSC00262a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIXgS4U6NTkA308pvHoJULaS4bzutMXhlyW_BS_KCH5VE47S47XAy3Fnyri4mNRMFaZj0u5Y3fL61UpBQN_GOg-fb1gWNSUoGXfSoH0vTdC7BsCYtsu7RdEFTqpxSVlobyWaxepv2_tpW/s0/DSC00262a.jpg" height="640" width="486" /></a></div>
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Details: </div>
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Cross stitch chart: The Prairie Schooler, Booklet nr 188
"TRICK OR TREAT"</div>
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linen: 32 ct, <i>antique white, </i>DMC</div>
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threads: DMC</div>
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design size: about 22cm x 16cm</div>
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The beauty of this design lies in the detail. There are lots of tiny details that add to the overall halloween charm. Obviously, I'm loving the orange accents here too - the pumpkins, the jack-o-lanterns, the halloween sweets... </div>
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Lots is happening here. The witches and bats are flying, the pumpkins and cats are celebrating and trick-or-treating. the moon is chuckling eerily. Add the settings to this with the haunted mansion on the hill in the background, ghosts flowing out of chimneys, scary-looking owls watching from the dramatically twisted branches and voila! Halloween in full progress. </div>
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It's scary and spooky but in a friendly way, of course :)<br />
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I thoroughly enjoyed myself stitching this project. I'm looking forward to more Halloween projects of this sort in the future. I also loved stitching with a darker thread on a white linen. It was like drawing with a black marker on paper :) You can see your progress instantaneously. </div>
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Well, that's it for today. Have a nice week everybody. Thanks for stopping by. Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-63325161713034560562015-10-31T23:53:00.001+00:002015-11-01T00:06:22.468+00:00Happy Halloween<div style="text-align: justify;">
Oh dear. I haven't been a very good blogger this year being offline more than ever. I should really try harder to come online and update my blog more frequently. Sorry about that if you are the one to be waiting for a new After Hours blog note.</div>
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So....It's time for a catch-up. As it's Halloween today and I've been in that nostalgic autumnal mood for candles, pumpkins, spices and all, I thought I'd show you what I've been working on for the past few days: a Halloween project from the Prairie Schooler called <i>Trick or Treat</i>:</div>
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It's been taking me long hours to work the cross stitches on this very fine linen but I'm loving all the fine details cross stitch and blackwork create as I'm slowly ploughing through the project. This is how the stitching progressed:</div>
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I started with a little witch girl going trick-or-treating...</div>
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Then I gave her 2 companions, a black kitty and an owl :)<br />
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It is getting more and more interesting as more characters are popping up on the canvas :) Finally I've stitched the spooky haunted house on a hill. It took me two days to stitch it but at last all the details are in and it does look grand as it is a significant part of the project. </div>
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I'm really enjoying this project. One of the things I love about The Prairie Schooler designs is that many of them require only a few colours to stitch and yet they achieve such great detail and originality. There's a little designing genius behind these designs, don't you think?</div>
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More work progress soon! Tonight I'm going to work a bit on the background :)<br />
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Today I'm celebrating Halloween with a glass of cold cider on ice and some spooky treats. Hope you have had a good one! :)</div>
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HAPPY HALLOWEEN and thanks for visiting and leaving a word behind x x</div>
Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-87122376313867548832015-07-30T23:34:00.000+01:002015-08-02T18:32:03.764+01:00Christmas in July<div style="text-align: justify;">
Did you know that LEON Day (Noel spelt backwards) falls on 25th July - and marks the halfway point to Christmas? For some crafters it's time to start thinking about what hand-made stuff they want to make / sell for Christmas. So I decided to do some pre-Christmas planning and reviewing. As a multi-crafter I usually have a few projects on the go and mid-summer is the right time for me to think and plan what I would like to create for Christmas. Lots of projects like cross stitch or knitting stretch over time and require some planning and systematic work so I will have to keep up a good crafting to complete them by December.</div>
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This year my Christmas crafting will mean finishing some old projects and trying a couple of new ones. Perhaps you remember me knitting all <b><a href="http://marthaafterhours.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/nordic-julekuler-54-5555-grande-finale.html">55 Scandinavian Christmas balls</a></b> by Arne and Carlos. Well, this year I would like to knit some more and they are going to make an Advent calendar. There are 24 balls to knit. I'm going to embellish them with some ribbons, little bells and hand-stitched cross stitch tags with numbers so they look like a calendar. I've already knitted two advent calendar balls that need stuffing. 22 to go :)</div>
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Next on the agenda is this beautiful festive sampler I started last year. There's still much stitching to go ahead and I'm looking forward to finishing it. It's going to look splendid with all that sparkly silver thread. Stitching it on a dark background slows it a bit though but it's worth in the end.</div>
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And finally the 3rd project to finish off is "<i>Nordic Holiday</i>" from The Prairie Schooler. 4 tiles stitched, another 5 to go :) I'm really loving these primitive folk motifs The Prairie Schooler treats us to every year. </div>
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So much for the UFO's (reads: UnFinished Objects). Now onto the shopping bit :) As a part of preparation of Christmas crafting, I've treated myself to some new cross stitch patterns I spotted online. Looks like JBW Designs released some new Scandi-style patterns. I'm hoping to lay my hand on them too!</div>
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Oh, and of course I still have the two sets of cross stitch cards from the previous year to make. That's my Christmas cards 2015 sorted :)</div>
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And here are my new Prairie Schooler charts I've bought this month. They came all the way from the USA. I've fancied these charts for a while and I'm dying to start them. <i>The Reindeer Roundup</i> and the <i>Sleepy Christmas Village</i> will have to wait for their turn though...</div>
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... because I'm so in love with this pattern - <i>Evergreen</i>. This is the newest release from The Prairie Schooler. I loved it this instant and I rushed to the shops to get my own copy. I also managed to buy a nice piece of sage-coloured linen in preparation for the project. Really looking forward to starting this one! Excited! :D</div>
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<i>Evergreen</i> is a beautiful collection of 9 festive tiles, each different, yet all coordinated in style and colours. You also get two extra tiles to stitch separately as add-ons. The genius of The Prairie Schooler designs is that details are achieved just by simple cross stitches, minimal backstitch and with only few colours of stranded cotton. Perfect for me! :) Roll on Christmas!</div>
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If you also like to think about Christmas in the middle of a hot summer, do tell me about. I'd love to hear about you future festive plans and preparations. </div>
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Cheerio x</div>
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MarthaMarthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-18046572915719310632015-05-31T22:44:00.000+01:002015-05-31T22:49:19.551+01:00Folky Eggs<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hello my dear blogger friends. Hope you all are doing ok :) Been busying myself recently with some knitting and crocheting. Wanted something folky for the house decor so I knitted these:<br />
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Five knitted eggs with floral a motif :) I used the knitting pattern from Arne & Carlos book <i>Easter Knits</i>.</div>
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Originally it meant to be only 3 of the eggs -a red, orange and a yellow one. But they are highly addictive and I ended up knitting a pink and a blue one too!<br />
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I used Norwegian yarn to make them: Heilo and Falk of Dalegarn. These yarns are always a pleasure to knit with as they are 100% natural wool and they are good for smooth knitting and ironing.</div>
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I'm very pleased with how they turned out. Particularly I love their whiteness and freshness. Lots of Scandinavian artefacts features bright colours, white being most of them. </div>
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Good weather and sunshine put me in a playful mood with a camera :)<br />
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Eventually I attached the crochet chains to the eggs and now they are decorating my seasonal tree :)<br />
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In the meantime I'm having a go at my first fair isle knitting on flat needles. It feels so different to DPNs I'm so used to. I'm knitting a cosy for one of my gadgets.<br />
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It is slowly coming on! :)<br />
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Have a good and creative week. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a trace behind. Always pleasure to hear from you. Love x </div>
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Martha</div>
Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-46593231028865730292015-04-27T17:22:00.001+01:002015-04-27T22:49:57.620+01:00Caspians<div style="text-align: justify;">
Tools of trade. We, crafters can't go without them and if they are somehow special to us, it makes the whole thing - crafting - even more pleasurable. Personally, I'm a real sucker for good quality craft tools. I'd rather have a few quality ones than a bunch of cheap and unreliable ones. It's not a secret that card makers have their own favourite papers, punches and stamps, crocheters have their own favourite crochet hooks and finally knitters have their own favourite yarn brands and knitting needles. I'm no different in this respect. Caspians from knitpicks.com - is a luxurious collection of knitting needles and crochet hooks I've been wishing for months. Finally an Amazon packet carrying two types of Caspian knitting needles made its way to my door :) I'm on cloud nine! </div>
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Naturally when buying them I couldn't decide which set I wanted more. I'm using DPNs (<b>d</b>ouble <b>p</b>ointed <b>n</b>eedles) more at the moment but I've always wanted to have a go at circulars too. So I gave myself a real treat and bought both :) </div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">They are beautiful and I'm so excited to use them. They arrived nicely packaged in the clear pouches with the American and European sizing on it. </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">A nice surprise was also the fact that Knitpicks give you six dpns in each size set rather than 5 like most producers do. Just in case if you lose or accidentally break one ... somehow but it is rather unlikely to happen. These laminated birch needles are so durable and with a a bit of TLC they will last you a long time.</span></div>
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The circulars look really intriguing with all these extras included. Everything is nicely colour coordinated. I will have to learn how to assemble and disassemble them. The shiny metalic elements give the Caspians a nice luxurious finish. </div>
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This Caspian wood is so nicely polished, warm and pleasant to the touch. The yarn doesn't slip off it easily yet it slides along nicely as you knit. Oh and the colours! Gorgeous aquatic hues, just as I love!<br />
This is how Knit Picks describe their product :)<br />
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<i><b>Oceanic waves of sea green, teal and marine ripple across Caspian</b> - the
newest addition to the Knit Picks Options family! Boasting the same
<b>strong and smooth layers of laminated birch</b> that you know and love,
<b>Caspian shows off a sea-inspired colorway</b> along with <b>a distinctive
emerald cord to complement its oceanic hues.</b></i></div>
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<i>* * *</i></div>
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<i> The <b>burnished surface</b> of Caspian delivers just the <b>right amount of grip</b>
to easily manage slippery yarns while <b>warming quickly in your hands</b> for
<b>hours of comfortable knitting</b>.</i></div>
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In a nutshell - poetry! :)<br />
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So below here is my little private premier league of the knitting needles :) KnitPro Symfonie and KnitPro Karbonz and now the Knit Picks Caspians too :) I just love the knitting / crocheting experience with these quality products. KnitPros are very similar to KnitPicks, I'd say, a kind of European equivalent of Knit Picks in America. Their range is great so do check their websites for some lovely knitting tools.</div>
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I couldn't wait and switched to my new needles straight away :D Now the pink bunny is being knitted with Caspians. Doesn't he look a bit creepy with his head open like this? ;)</div>
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Alongside I'm also knitting a beige bunny. Sometimes I need a rest from sweet pink colours :) It's coming on slowly :)</div>
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For this spring season I'd also like to knit some new spring eggs and balls :) Patterns printed out and ready. These are always joy to make. I'm hooked on knitting these balls and thanks to who? Arne and Carlos from Norway.<br />
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And here is my latest bargain shopping from The Works :) I love all sorts of craft bibles and this quilting one is a particularly tempting one. I'm not ready for taking up quilting yet but it's my dream to be able to quilt and patchwork in the future and of course a good reference book will always come in handy. As for the second book - Mollie Makes series of books I just love to have :)<br />
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Have a good week folks :)</div>
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Greetings x x x</div>
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Martha</div>
Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-11322204696808639532015-04-05T21:24:00.001+01:002015-04-05T21:24:53.250+01:00Happy Easter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Celebrate this Easter with a heart filled with love and peace. </div>
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Have a blessed and wonderful Easter!</div>
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As for me, I'm celebrating this joyous time in a folky style ;)</div>
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These wooden horses and the cart were brought to the UK from the Ethnic Museum of Countryside in Lublin. They keep reminding me of my country, Poland :) I thought they would make a nice folky display for my knitted eggs.</div>
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Hope you all have a great spring break. The weather here in North Wales is just perfect - sunshine, warmth, daffs and blossom. Gorgeous!</div>
Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-22582878183443821402015-04-02T23:55:00.000+01:002015-04-03T00:48:22.959+01:00Mishmash :)<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hello. A few things to blog about today. When the latest issue of Cross Stitch Card Shop came through with the post last month, there was a letter attached for its subscribers. Basically the publishers dropped a bombshell announcing that they are stopping publishing this magazine due to marketing difficulties. I'm gutted. I really am. I liked it. Entirely devoted to cross stitched cards and with a variety of motifs to choose from. One of its kind on the market and now taken away while other similar mags still sell alongside. I will miss this mag definitely.</div>
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However the magazine itself doesn't mention a word about closing off. What's more, there is even a preview of the next issue. I do hope I'll find it in my mailbox 'cause I really love those cute cards with pink and orange owls :) The attached letter says The World of Cross Stitching will be taking over the ideas and it will be sent out to those subscribers whose subscription of Cross Stitch Card Shop hasn't finished yet. </div>
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While Cross Stitch Card Shop is soon disappearing from the Brititsh magazine market, a new magazine has turned up on the shelves - <i>Total Crochet Amigurumi</i>. This is a nice mag full of crochet projects in form of amigurumis. I managed to get hold of the two first issues. I especially love the crocheted bunnies and teddies featured on the cover. The overall style of the magazine differs a lot from the British ones and one can easily guess it is not a product from the UK. It must be American, Candian or perhaps Australian, not sure.<br />
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The nice thing about this magazine is the fact it doesn't feature any advertisements (yay!) as opposed to the British craft mags that are excessively padded with paid adverts and wasted pages, which really gets on my nerves sometimes. It contains written crochet instructions followed up by numerous photos which makes it easier to work through the projects. I hope it lasts on the market and we will draw many interesting ideas from it.</div>
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My dear boyfriend-o has recently treated me to some Easter craft goodies :) Bless him. Here is what I brought from Hobby Craft - some cute wooden block stamps and springy ribbons. </div>
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I particularly love the ribbons. They are cute and I could adorn my knitted bunnies with them :)<br />
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Apart from the stamps and ribbons, a few balls of DMC Natura cotton made it into my shopping basket. The juicy green and the slate grey balls came from eBay though. </div>
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I'm especially craving for something fresh and this juicy grassy green is particularly attracting my eye.<br />
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In the meantime I'm knitting a pink bunny :) Currently I'm working on its arms and head :) It's coming on! Bit by bit. I'm thinking of giving it to a little girl who adores everything sweet and pink :)</div>
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And here is what has happened recently to my cross stitch project - a disaster. I'm gutted as these were supposed to be the cards finished for February and now this major setback with the threads has cropped up. After washing the stitches in lukewarm water and drying them out on a towel, the red Anchor thread discoloured and left the pink stains. I am really mistrustful of this brand now. My fault, I should have pre-washed the Anchor cotton first. For comparison, I've never been let down by the DMC reds. </div>
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There is no other way than to stitch the background over with a white thread and hope for an improvement. So it's DMC this time. No more Anchor for me please.</div>
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Well, I went even a bit further and experimented with a colour catcher. Nope. It didn't really help and it even altered the remaining colours. Will have to stitch this motif again. </div>
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Well that my experimenting with washing the cross stitch done. I always wash my stitches no matter how small they are. Whether it is a motif stitched for a card or a large sampler. I just like to know it is fresh and clean. I just couldn't bear a thought is was stitched, touched many times and just left grubby. </div>
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So, what do you do for your stitches? :) </div>
Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-13842915281966658442015-03-21T21:54:00.000+00:002015-03-21T22:42:28.014+00:00Minty, the rabbit<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've been into knitting lots recently. Now that Easter is approaching I thought I could knit some bunnies. Perhaps you remember my <b><a href="http://marthaafterhours.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/1-and-12-rabbit.html">first knitted rabbit</a>. </b>The pattern taken from Arne & Carlos book <i>Easter Knits. Eggs, bunnies and chicks with a fabulous twist</i>. Time I had a go at another Easter bunny :) Actually I started knitting this minty green rabbit months ago, I just couldn't finish it for a long time until one day I told myself: <i>That's it! No more UFOs! No more leaving the unfinished stuff behind.</i></div>
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So here he is! Minty, the rabbit :) Finished and ready to be adopted by a soft toys loving kid :)</div>
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All I had to do is to help him out of his rabbity "deafness" and knit him a pair of ears as well as his jumper :)<br />
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I'm pleased. I think he came out quite well. The stitches are smooth, the yarn knitted well, the colour looks fresh.</div>
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Doesn't he look happy, this little soft fella? :) I'm also happy with this tiny cute stripey jumper :)<br />
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Minty has quickly found his companions - the rapping bear from Muller Rice and Monkey from PG Tips :) If you watch the British adverts you must surely know these advertising characters. </div>
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They have even had their photos taken at a photographer's :D<br />
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Cool, huh? :)</div>
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Have a happy crafty weekend x x x</div>
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Martha</div>
Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-86027535081885665972015-02-28T15:06:00.001+00:002015-02-28T15:06:39.448+00:00Scandi-style knitted bags (2)<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hi all. Hope you are enjoying your weekend :) I'm trying to catch up with my long overdue blog posts so here is another one, this time about the knitted bags I made last autumn. </div>
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Perhaps you remember <b><a href="http://marthaafterhours.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/knitted-bags-scandi-style-and-knitpro.html">these</a></b> - my first ever 3 knitted pouches from Arne and Carlos crochet / knitting book. I found them very enjoyable to knit so I made some more! Floral theme is definitely my favourite and I just fancied seeing some colourful patterns on them. </div>
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I tend to knit the bags in threes then take a break and move onto something else as I get bored easily and need frequent changes in my crafting. This time I made 3 floral ones and one extra pouch using my own pattern and colours. I was very pleased with how they turned out. </div>
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I used various types of yarns to knit them - <i>Vipe from Dalegarn</i> (mercerized cotton), <i>DMC Natura</i> (DK Cotton), <i>Sublime</i> Egyptian cotton and a mercerized cotton yarn called <i>Wendy</i>. They all give slightly different textures and thicknesses. I like to see these knitted pouches in various colour combinations. </div>
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<i>DMC Natura</i> cotton seems to be working really well for these kind of knitted bags. The thinner yarn, the better because as it always happens in colourwork, the thickness doubles depending how many colours are used in the pattern and it's just nice when a bag is nice and flowing rather than overly thick and puffed up from the yarn. </div>
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For the knitted bag below I used the well know Marius pattern and combined it with my own colours. Sort of wintery hues. The Ivory shade of DMC Natura looks so ... natural here and I like how it combines the with ashy blue shade.</div>
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My mum ordered some of the pouches and some have already been sent home. They have so many uses. You can store anything you like in them.<br />
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There is always a dilemma for me: should I crochet a string for the pouch or just use a ribbon. Actually I like both ideas so I do a bit of both. </div>
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These seashells in the photos make me really want to go to a seaside now! :)<br />
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In the meantime a new knitted pouch is coming on on my needles. To be seen soon on my blog! :)<br />
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Have a great weekend and enjoy your crafty time. </div>
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Thank you for your comments and feedback. </div>
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Martha x x x</div>
Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-8382604499956374042015-02-21T23:40:00.003+00:002015-02-21T23:40:35.579+00:00Christmas Cards of 2014<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hi all. I'm alive but still struggling to find more time for blogging but hey, here I am here today with some more crafty news. I know, I know it's way past Christmas and most of us are already thinking of Easter days but I still wanted to show you my festive cross stitched cards into which I had put lots of time and effort so it would be shame not to mention them. </div>
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So here they are. Ta Dah!</div>
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A set of 6 Christmas cross stitched cards. Patterns for the motifs come from an archival issue of <i>Cross Stitch Cardshop, issue no. 81</i>. I liked these as soon as I saw them and knew I'd have to stitch them one day.</div>
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It takes at least 6-8 hrs to stitch a single motif. There are satin and metallic threads in them too. They give those nice shiny light effects. Buttons add an extra dimension too. A few close-ups:</div>
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I think the Christmas tree with tiny cute buttons is my favourite in this card collection :) I may feel tempted to stitch this motif again sometime.<br />
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The elf boots are sweet too, I think.<br />
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All in all it has taken me 2 years to finish these cards. I lost my motivation and patience half way through and came back to finish them off 2 Christmases later. I'm very pleased how they turned out.<br />
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I obviously couldn't resist embellishing the aperture cards as well. Not too much though otherwise the embellishments would overshadow the cross stitch itself.<br />
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And this is what they looked like when put on my still festive window. They look quite good as a group, don't you think? :)<br />
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In the meantime I couldn't stop myself from starting another big project - a gorgeous Christmas sampler. This one will be stitched throughout the whole year and hopefully finished by Christmas 2015. </div>
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The canvas is navy which means stitching this piece of work requires a great deal of sunlight and I can only stitch it while I'm sitting in my conservatory without risking an eyestrain. Too cold at the moment but it will be more pleasant later in the year and I'm really looking forward to see how this sampler is coming on. The pattern requires a lot of Anchor Reflecta metallic thread so I predict some battles with fraying threads. The stitching with metallic threads is slow but the design is stunning so eventually it will be worth all the effort. </div>
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Currently I'm busing myself with knitting some Easter bunnies as gifts and a bit of crochet too. I'm thinking of trying some new projects, some being a little out of my comfort zone. Lots in plans, just need to stretch my day a bit... by a few hours at least ;)</div>
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Hope you are all ok and thanks for stopping by here x x </div>
Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-67208887726098908302014-12-31T23:04:00.001+00:002014-12-31T23:04:16.834+00:00Scandi gift tags. The last blog post this year.<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hi!!!! I'm alive and I'm back. It's going to be the last post of 2014 and I didn't want to miss this opportunity to write a few words to you. I hope you all have had a magical, cosy and warm Christmas and looking forward to the New Year. </div>
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Looking back, it hasn't been a particularly good year for me and that can explain some periods of silence on my blog as I've had not much blogging motivaton but I do hope that with the New Year some bright sunny days will come too and my creativity will be back. </div>
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In the weeks coming onto Christmas I stitched these cute Scandi-tags from the Cross Stitcher magazine. My kind of thing - little, quick, easy and cute :)</div>
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And what have you been up to recently? I've got so many blogs to visit for some catch up :) Hope to see you soon x<br />
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And for the coming New Year 2015 I wish you all lots of health, happiness, plenty of love and joy and sunshine, days full of creativity and may all your dreams come true in 2015! </div>
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Hugs, x x</div>
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Martha</div>
Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-60019504049038791932014-08-21T22:44:00.002+01:002014-08-24T18:56:48.202+01:00Knitted Bags - Scandi style and KnitPro Spectra Flair<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hi everyone. It's been a very "knitty" week for me as I've been working hard on my current knitting projects and trying to finish them asap. Today I have finished my 3rd knitted bag and they are ready to be presented to the public :) So here they are: the three Scandi-style knitted ... bags ... pouches ... favour bags ... gift bags, name them all...</div>
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The knitting pattern for these pouches comes from <i>Knit-and-Crochet Garden</i> book by Arne & Carlos. I've kept my eye on this knitting project for months and finally I got round to do it! I even managed to buy the recommended yarn - Vipe from Dalegarn. It's a thin mercerized cotton with a sleek satin touch. It knits well and smooth and creates that nice knitted pattern so typical of cotton yarns. I just love it! </div>
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I'm pleased with how they turned out. When knitting your colourwork, you have to stretch your knitted fabric every so often so that it doesn't pucker on the surface when you've finished. I tried to avoid that at any price otherwise the pouches wouldn't look nice. </div>
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The bags are knitted on double pointed needles. It took me well over a week to knit all three with 2-3 hrs knitting daily. They are about 12-13 cm in height and larger than the Christmas balls (julekuler) I knitted in the past. The Vipe yarn is thinner than Heilo wool and there are more stitches to work through but all is done in almost the same way as you knit the balls. The pouches are finished off with a crocheted frill on top and a string / ribbon drawn through the yarn-over loops. </div>
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I really love the floral designs on these bags - they are my favourite and there's a Scandinavian vibe in it. It's the whiteness and simplicty of the design I love in them most.<br />
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This what the bags look like when spread flat. You can use a crochet chain or a decorative ribbon or even a tape according to your preferences.<br />
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These cute bags are very versatile. You can use them for many purposes. They can be scented pot pourri bags, seed bags, jewellery bags, gift bags, favour bags, Easter treats bags, bags to keep coins or beads or spools in or even any beach treasures - sea shells, stones, sea glass etc. In my case, they are going to hold my jewellery pieces safe. I already know I will be knitting more of them. Would love to try out new colour combinations and perhaps use different patterns on them. Oh, I may even try knitting some festive ones and give them away at Christmas. My mum is a keen gardener and a fan of scented sachets, she's likely to ask for a couple of them too!</div>
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I really enjoyed knitting those bags. It was great fun trying new yarn and working out the new patterns. There will be some more coming in the future.<br />
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Now on the shopping-tool front line, this is what my postman left for me today in the mailbox - a set of 5 funky pink double pointed needles! :) I love them! So girly.<br />
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They are the <i>KnitPro <b>Spectra Flair</b> Acrylic</i> needles :) I love all KnitPro products.<br />
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I didn't even know such existed! I only came across them as I was browsing through eBay offers searching for some 9mm dpns. This is my first acrylic needle set from KnitPro and my first acrylic knitting needles ever. Hope it knits well with them. If you have got any of these yourself, please, feel free to share your opinions in the comments. I'd love to hear from you.</div>
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Girls love pink. I'm gonna have fun knitting with them! :D<br />
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Thanks for reading and even more thanks for your comments x X x<br />
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<b><a href="http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/handmade-monday-182.html">Hand-made Moday Blog Hop no. 182</a></b> :)</div>
Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-73197226228690224592014-08-18T23:36:00.001+01:002014-08-18T23:53:47.638+01:00Arne and Carlos - Knitting Scandinavian Style - a new book! <div style="text-align: justify;">
This is a great news for all Arne and Carlos fans - their new book <i>Knitting Scandinavian Style</i> (the English edition) is out on the market and can be purchased on Amazon. When Amazon had sent me their email saying that the A & C book is on its way, I was on tenterhooks for the next 3 days checking out my mailbox a few times a day! Finally last Friday my postman brought me this:</div>
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... a package from Amazon with my long-awaited copy of the book. Woohoo! <u>It really made my day</u> :)<br />
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This is a paperback and as all Arne & Carlos books, it is published by Search Press. It's the fifth book by this Scandinavian duo and as a great fan of A &C I'm lucky to have all of them including their Advent Calendar and a magazine with some Easter eggs, both published in Norwegian.</div>
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Looking back, the whole Arne and Carlos mania began for me with their first book: <i>55 Christmas Balls to Knit</i>. I even learnt how to knit on dpns just for those gorgeous festive balls. This is also the moment when Arne and Carlos became the knitting stars in Europe (esp in The Netherlands, Germany and the UK), obviously excluding their own country where they have been known for years now. Each of their books is full of vibrant, colourful projects to knit or to crochet. Many projects have lots of child-like and dream-like character and perhaps this makes them so attractive and tempting. There is also that Scandi flair looming in the background in each of their books, which I just love and I'm always amazed at the abundance of the Scandinavian patterns and colour combinations. Lots of their projects is based on double pointed needles so if you know how to knit with them, you're half way there! These books are rather for intermediate and advanced knitters, beginners may struggle a bit as sometimes their instructions are not entirely clear and straightforward. I remember how I struggled with knitting the bunny's heel, the bunny being from their "Easter" book. In the end I worked it out but it required a lot of patience, trial and error method, consulting some other knitting books and a bit of frustration and swearing from my part. Anyway, with a bit of will and persistence you will be able to work through their patterns and instructions. </div>
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Now, back to the new book. For those who are interested in this book, here are some photos of what you can expect inside. Prepare yourself for lots of photos :)</div>
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The contents:<br />
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<i>Lice sweaters</i> - this one made me laugh and cringe at the same time. What an awful name for such nice knits! I googled it to find out what this is all about and Wikipedia says that <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lusekofte">lusekofte</a></b>, the Norwegian name for this type of sweater translates as lice jacket and it refers to those small single dark stitches scattered over the knitted fabric and reminding the Norwegian people of insects. Ewwww! </div>
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Here below Arne (on the right) is modelling such a lice sweater :)<br />
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More "lice" patterns, they are really nice and so detailed.<br />
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With this book you are in for a cultural treat - there's plenty to read about the knitting traditions in Norway esp about patterns from Setesdal region. Arne also goes back to his roots reminiscing about his knitting grandmother from whom he learnt his skills. </div>
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There are female and male jumpers to knit :)<br />
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Plenty of pillow covers to knit. Personally, I just love this red and white pattern. Would love to have a go at knitting this cushion cover sometime.<br />
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There is also an absolutely sweet teddy to knit. Doesn't he look great in those knitted patterns?<br />
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Expect also hats and mittens, all with beautiful geometric patterns, so characteristic of the Scandinavian knitting tradition.</div>
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Another pillow to make. Simple patterns and great colours make a lovely project.<br />
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Just love this cosy hat and mitten set!<br />
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Can you already feel the Scandi atmosphere of a wooden house by looking at these pictures? :)<br />
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Knitting mittens and socks is always what I wanted to learn. I hope this book will finally motivates me and gives me confidence to take up the new knitting challenges.</div>
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And another lovely pillow to make :)<br />
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Aren't they just beautiful? Pointy shape, lovely pattern, cosy yarn? :) Get your yarn stash ready guys!<br />
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There's also a quilt-type blanket to make. This one has got unusual colours. How do you like it?<br />
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More cosy geometric goodness :)</div>
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I just love this hat. So cosy, so warm, so distinctive. How do they do it? The Norwegians, I mean...</div>
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Another great pillow to make. I feel temped to try it sometime in winter :)<br />
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Another great pillow to knit in interesting colour combination :)<br />
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And how about this draught excluder? Isn't the pattern beautiful?</div>
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There is also a smaller project to knit - a tea cozy with cheery pompoms. Could you resist that?<br />
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Socks, socks, socks... fabulous colours and patterns.<br />
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They would even look good as Christmas stocking hung by the fireplace :)<br />
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Some gorgeous redness to knit :)))<br />
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Perhaps a project for the festive season?<br />
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A Christmas tree skirt - if you want to celebrate in Nordic style from the top to the bottom :D<br />
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Snuggly, cosy, warm, bliss... Roll on winter!<br />
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there are also cowls and wrist warmers to knit :)<br />
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And something for home too - checkered pot holders...<br />
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... and pretty festive coasters with 2 patterns to choose from :)<br />
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Oh, and a knitted mouse pad. You haven't expected it, have you? :P<br />
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Well this is more or less it what you can find in the new A & C book. When compared to the previous books, this one is definitely more about the traditional Norwegian knitting rather than toying with some playful childlish projects. What I like about is that the fact that Arne and Carlos included both bigger and smaller projects in it. Some will require a good knitting experience, some will take you only a while to make. Everyone should be able to find something for themselves. So if you think this is the book for you, head to Amazon and treat yourselves to some Scandi love. </div>
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In the meantime as the book arrived at my doorstep, I have been working on a new A & C project from one of their books. This time it's not going to be a knitted ball or an egg. Shh.... I won't tell you yet. You will find out soon!</div>
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And the last piece of news - well, Arne and Carlos are not spending their time wallowing in the success of their previous books. They are already working on the next one! It is going to be a book about knitting cozy house slippers and this is what the Dutch edition cover is going to look like. I guess we will have to wait a while for the English edition of this book. In the meantime let's enjoy our <i>Knitting Scandinavian style</i>! </div>
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In Dutch:</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Arne & Carlos zorgen voor een warme winter met gebreide sloffen voor
jong en oud. In Arne & Carlos breien op hun sloffen passeren ruim
30 sloffenparen de revue, gemaakt met 1 basis breipatroon met hierop 3
variaties. Van hoge sloffen met pompoms tot sloffen met een Noors dessin
en in bonte kleuren; veel vormen, maten en motieven komen aan bod. Arne
& Carlos staan garant voor uren breiplezier. Brei de sloffen met
pure breiwol en vervilt ze vervolgens in de wasmachine. Het resultaat:
heerlijk warme gebreide sloffen. Inclusief stapsgewijze breipatronen en
sfeervolle fotografie.<br /> Arne & Carlos zijn bekend van hun
breiboeken en breipatronen. Het Scandinavische breiduo ontketende een
ware breihype in Nederland met hun eerste boek Kerstballen breien met
Arne & Carlos. </span></div>
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Google Translate:</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">Arne</span> <span class="hps">& Carlos</span> <span class="hps">provide a warm</span> <span class="hps">winter with</span> <span class="hps">knitted slippers</span> <span class="hps">for young and</span> <span class="hps">old.</span> <span class="hps">Arne</span> <span class="hps">& Carlos</span> <span class="hps">knitting on</span> <span class="hps">their</span> <span class="hps">slippers</span> <span class="hps">passing</span> <span class="hps">more than 30</span> <span class="hps">pairs of</span> <span class="hps">slippers</span> <span class="hps">in review,</span> <span class="hps">made with</span> <span class="hps">one</span> <span class="hps">basic knitting</span> <span class="hps">this</span> <span class="hps">pattern with</span> <span class="hps">three</span> <span class="hps">variations.</span> <span class="hps">High</span> <span class="hps">slippers with</span> <span class="hps">pompoms</span> <span class="hps">to</span> <span class="hps">slippers</span> <span class="hps">with a Norwegian</span> <span class="hps">design</span> <span class="hps">and</span> <span class="hps">bright colors</span>; <span class="hps">many</span> <span class="hps">shapes, sizes and</span> <span class="hps">designs</span> <span class="hps">are discussed.</span> <span class="hps">Arne</span> <span class="hps">& Carlos</span> <span class="hps">guarantee</span> <span class="hps">hours of</span> <span class="hps">knitting</span> <span class="hps">fun.</span> <span class="hps">Knit</span> <span class="hps">slippers with</span> <span class="hps">pure</span> <span class="hps">yarn</span> <span class="hps">and then</span> <span class="hps">felted</span> <span class="hps">them in the</span> <span class="hps">washing machine.</span> <span class="hps">The result is</span> <span class="hps">wonderfully warm</span> <span class="hps">knitted slippers</span>. <span class="hps">Includes</span> <span class="hps">step</span> <span class="hps">knitting patterns</span> <span class="hps">and atmospheric</span> <span class="hps">photography.</span> <br /><span class="hps">Arne</span> <span class="hps">& Carlos</span> <span class="hps">are known</span> <span class="hps">for their</span> <span class="hps">knitting</span> <span class="hps">books and</span> <span class="hps">knitting patterns.</span> <span class="hps">The Scandinavian</span> <span class="hps">breiduo</span> <span class="hps">unleashed a</span> <span class="hps">knitting</span> <span class="hps">hype</span> <span class="hps">in the Netherlands</span> <span class="hps">with</span> <span class="hps">their first book</span> <span class="hps">Knitting with</span> <span class="hps">Balls</span> <span class="hps">Arne</span> <span class="hps">& Carlos</span><span class="">.</span></span></span><br />
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<span class="" lang="en"><span class="">* * *</span></span></div>
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<span class="" lang="en"><span class="">Fancy some blog hopping! Join us here in <b><a href="http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/handmade-monday-181_17.html">Hand-made Monday</a></b> fun!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="" lang="en"><span class=""><br /></span></span></span></div>
Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-45676884503919279482014-08-07T16:44:00.000+01:002014-08-07T16:44:15.536+01:00Felicity Hall "Stitch Alphabets and Numbers"<div style="text-align: justify;">
This post can be a great news for cross stitchers who love stitching retro-looking stylized projects :) Not so long ago, in June, as far as I remember a new craft book came out on the market: </div>
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<i>Felicity Hall, "Stitch Alphabets and Numbers"</i></div>
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I got my copy on pre-order off Amazon and I love all the letter styles Felicity designed for us. I'd love to work through most of them as they are so vibrant and eye-catching that your project is bound to wow everybody. <b><a href="http://felicityhall.co.uk/">Felicity</a></b> is famous for her <b><a href="http://felicityhall.co.uk/prod1.asp?ID=281&title=Alphabet%20PDF%20charts,%20needlepoint,%20cross%20stitch">circus font cross stitch designs</a></b> and here the book offers you the whole alphabet you can stitch either in cross stitch or in needlepoint. I just love it!!!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqktboXkKvgiSeKgt4X1BM1cCu5cK3JSdrpaXE3rtOU45ib1AX-kvVr06e4Ct8TxE2qA-JjhjthjqxGHoRPoGzOOIB6G6jcwX5rKhHow0e3rThwBNg-kHgYVgWN2KIX4dKF5sa2bG_pI7/s0/DSC00262a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqktboXkKvgiSeKgt4X1BM1cCu5cK3JSdrpaXE3rtOU45ib1AX-kvVr06e4Ct8TxE2qA-JjhjthjqxGHoRPoGzOOIB6G6jcwX5rKhHow0e3rThwBNg-kHgYVgWN2KIX4dKF5sa2bG_pI7/s0/DSC00262a.jpg" height="640" width="492" /></a></div>
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This is what you can find in the book: (some exemplary photos)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZahJYD4MyJeN5SXb_iJf4nftBW1Ylxc9nMS3vEbrLnPdSlSzCMe89-FRMxMN8-NIOPJqLH73TP_aJ8Ave3LnBhA7wNPkZiJuZ0QCf-t6QubHNtgo1Bcjas5nEol-5j_25OGISMzvQ9Jk4/s0/DSC00263a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZahJYD4MyJeN5SXb_iJf4nftBW1Ylxc9nMS3vEbrLnPdSlSzCMe89-FRMxMN8-NIOPJqLH73TP_aJ8Ave3LnBhA7wNPkZiJuZ0QCf-t6QubHNtgo1Bcjas5nEol-5j_25OGISMzvQ9Jk4/s0/DSC00263a.jpg" height="640" width="476" /></a></div>
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This circus font design reminds me of my <b><a href="http://marthaafterhours.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/circus-alphabet-and-hand-painted-pegs.html">unfinished project</a></b> - a HOME SWEET HOME cross stitch bunting-to-be tucked somewhere in the craft boxes! I should finish that one first before I move onto these! Otherwise I will feel guilty of creating another UFO.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDt0VxjmxZ8dyW3NDCP1mlLqFzCWn3C0bE1RSqXJZwUlUDUojXVQF0eoDbfSZhrBZQZImjGKqoAz9wVeb3hYMR0oNilH_Gqb6xKT5JIpIuKCwACngdgbR9SVPVlX8orcUFhK3ySnq6TjoJ/s0/DSC00264a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDt0VxjmxZ8dyW3NDCP1mlLqFzCWn3C0bE1RSqXJZwUlUDUojXVQF0eoDbfSZhrBZQZImjGKqoAz9wVeb3hYMR0oNilH_Gqb6xKT5JIpIuKCwACngdgbR9SVPVlX8orcUFhK3ySnq6TjoJ/s0/DSC00264a.jpg" height="640" width="456" /></a></div>
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I also love the fact that Felicity included some great designs of stylized numbers. Now everyone can stitch their important memorable dates! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qrfwGT034Lwz3IM5PmVm0wndmzczPC1nxmB8v49z4Jx7c1DFpIqzdZS3iP8cyFJ8m4zTSPhof6sZvIdrOm3c6hH75azMLHvUgtYRM-HxxwkI8-Y-unJ-Rdx0L-28r1eyhw2O-ZsoBY2x/s0/DSC00266a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qrfwGT034Lwz3IM5PmVm0wndmzczPC1nxmB8v49z4Jx7c1DFpIqzdZS3iP8cyFJ8m4zTSPhof6sZvIdrOm3c6hH75azMLHvUgtYRM-HxxwkI8-Y-unJ-Rdx0L-28r1eyhw2O-ZsoBY2x/s0/DSC00266a.jpg" height="440" width="640" /></a></div>
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Love this retro take on the alphabets, these letters definitely make a statement! Add to that proper background and a fab frame and you end up with your own hand-made contemporary art.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6p7JvNHn2KkvOxxkAvswvgJWZQBi7UmNvPIv7l-qjSglnsigSScyFGc9dmEZRxuZo7jzMb0KbuoNc1qflj3fsCwk9aFmf3bkqUTM8wxb2cqahAcB490nEt9Ws6ns17Y5XW5Y00T5bN7gx/s0/DSC00267a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6p7JvNHn2KkvOxxkAvswvgJWZQBi7UmNvPIv7l-qjSglnsigSScyFGc9dmEZRxuZo7jzMb0KbuoNc1qflj3fsCwk9aFmf3bkqUTM8wxb2cqahAcB490nEt9Ws6ns17Y5XW5Y00T5bN7gx/s0/DSC00267a.jpg" height="460" width="640" /></a></div>
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on the back cover there are some other lovely book recommendations:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2HPI-fZPuq1bNPgIcT2K_FuHQ52vvej1F9PYu0r4eM6Ut4plIujdDVGlLLmKQA3ofIkqRmFj8Czxr-wAWplcvehapQa6Qn7YFdwrGaPvWR9D38T09RR1lyF617TriQ90taZKGSF5lLUV/s0/DSC00270a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2HPI-fZPuq1bNPgIcT2K_FuHQ52vvej1F9PYu0r4eM6Ut4plIujdDVGlLLmKQA3ofIkqRmFj8Czxr-wAWplcvehapQa6Qn7YFdwrGaPvWR9D38T09RR1lyF617TriQ90taZKGSF5lLUV/s0/DSC00270a.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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I actually own that <i>Knit the Alphabet</i> book already ;) and shall be blogging about it soon! The book with marine cross stitch designs is still on my wish list :) With that in perspective, I should really get my bookshelves sorted! </div>
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Cheerio! x X x</div>
Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-18001905534464402592014-08-04T11:19:00.000+01:002014-08-04T11:36:24.955+01:00Cross Stitched Birthday Tags<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hi all. Hope you're enjoying summertime. We are lucky this year with quite a lot of sunshine in the UK (so far!) I've got plenty time for myself these days :) So alongside with preparing for the driving exam (the less appealing bit!) I'm trying to do some blogging, photographing and of course crafting. I've got 3 projects on the go so I alternate them - a crochet one, a knitting one and a cross stitching one. Just a thought popped into my head: Is this way to keep a multi-crafter happy? What do you think?</div>
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Sothis is what I have stitched recently: a set of birthday tags. They were a freebie to the Cross Stitcher issue 281. </div>
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It's nothing much but I just fancied a small quick project in between the larger ones like Riverdrift House samplers for example :) It was good fun to stitch every of them.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulcbfjhXEau0BSGYrf_K9Qr-xIzg-QA4LDF4Uml9D13rEtkUqQJ1b6H0GmuLRtAbLVHLjSBaHkLKtnz68j4Ar4Dnq4H4IWIQ6pfmueICN0T-au4QO3oUN7FBA14TqjrEXj0hQEYUkLTYN/s0/DSC00269+(2)a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulcbfjhXEau0BSGYrf_K9Qr-xIzg-QA4LDF4Uml9D13rEtkUqQJ1b6H0GmuLRtAbLVHLjSBaHkLKtnz68j4Ar4Dnq4H4IWIQ6pfmueICN0T-au4QO3oUN7FBA14TqjrEXj0hQEYUkLTYN/s0/DSC00269+(2)a.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm pleased how they turned out. My favourite is the blue tit, strawberry and cherries. All perfect for summer birthdays. </div>
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Today I'm going to join the <b><a href="http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/handmade-monday-179.html">Hand-made Monday blog hop</a></b>, no. 179. Get clicking guys!Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-18120136905163949202014-07-22T23:57:00.000+01:002014-07-23T00:04:58.478+01:00Spring Sampler (4) Almost there! <div style="text-align: justify;">
Hi all. I haven't blogged here for a while. Sorry for being silent and not visiting your blogs, I'll be trying to catch up with you over the next days. Too many things have been occupying my mind recently that my focus of attention has shifted away from blogging towards priorities. But now it's summer! It's holiday! It's time to craft and enjoy the sunny days of freedom and this is exactly what I am doing right now. It's my second day of holiday as the Welsh schools broke up for summer on the 18th July. So let's enjoy!</div>
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Currently I am still working on my Spring sampler (the design from the Riverdrift House company) and I am trying to finish it off as soon as I can as we are already in summer! </div>
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This is what it looked like a few days back with still a "small" quarter to go. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWpDnd_s_5IvbXOHRA9_ZqEz2Ysxww0sM_JenDnkCxztALhehjKEPn4-iCfYTo2TRU5Hi3fM2kC0hNDzaLkB9hvJh-50o75ZcO3qDVw0YB5_3aksxWFoK0AK6smLaQszd4nrpBN1JPUDAR/s0/DSC00264+(2)a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWpDnd_s_5IvbXOHRA9_ZqEz2Ysxww0sM_JenDnkCxztALhehjKEPn4-iCfYTo2TRU5Hi3fM2kC0hNDzaLkB9hvJh-50o75ZcO3qDVw0YB5_3aksxWFoK0AK6smLaQszd4nrpBN1JPUDAR/s0/DSC00264+(2)a.jpg" height="502" width="640" /></a></div>
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Today I worked hard to finish off this sampler as I've got a new summery one waiting in queue to be stitched :) So today my working station looked like this: plenty of charts, needles, threads and cold drinks on the side...</div>
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Almost there! The spring sampler is virtually finished. In the meantime this is happening :) </div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Excited!!! Love the new hot summery colours! </span>More photos tomorrow :) Will keep on posting! </div>
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Cheerio! x </div>
Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-82634147209611521022014-06-08T21:51:00.001+01:002014-06-10T07:44:04.997+01:00Owl Mobile<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hi everyone. Hope you all have had a good weekend with plenty of sunshine. This is my latest craft project: the little knitted owls. My first knitted toy and the first owls I've ever knitted. I'm very pleased how they turned out. They had been on my to-do craft list but my work colleague motivated me to have a go at them as she couldn't read the pattern. The owls turned out to be easy-peasy to make :) I have a feeling I will be knitting more of them in the future!</div>
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The owls come from a lovely book <i>Baby and Toddler Knits made easy</i>. I bought it at my workplace from a bookman and it only cost me a fiver! Bargain! Funnily, this book turned out to be a selling hit among my colleagues and quite a few of us got their own copy. The book is published by DK - one of my favourite publishing houses. They are good at releasing handbooks and the instructions and photos in their books are always clear. There's also a knitting guide at the back of this book too. It's a hardback with glossy paper and beautiful photographs. Another lovely add-on to my crafty book bookshelf. I just love the knitted pattern on the cover!</div>
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The whole project is an owl mobile for a baby :) My owls are more of a key ring type. Actually I've already given them away to people at work. 3 went to my colleagues who have a special liking for owls and one went to an autistic boy who loves his book about baby owls - he always brings it to school from home :) </div>
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I had to take a few photos before I let them fly away :)<br />
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They came out pretty small, about 7-8 cm high. Very light as stuffed with polyestre. They don't take much yarn, literally scraps and some tiny amount of felt. They are also fast to knit. Just finishing off the bits may take a bit longer but I always like to get my details right :) I didn't have the same yarn as recommended in the book so I used grey yarn to combine with different colours. I think it combines very well with all sorts of colours. </div>
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I hung them on my seasonal tree just to see what they would look like:<br />
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This gave me an idea: I'm going to knit my own owl gang, just using different colours to match my mantlepiece decoration :)</div>
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A few photos outside :) I even made a crude rustic mobile for them using garden stitcks ;)<br />
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My cat Cookie aka Mr Nosey was "helping" me take the photos outside. He's got to be everywhere where something is going on. His job was to hang around the bushes and check if any stranger is approaching :)<br />
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But after 5 min. he was ready to take a chilling break :P<br />
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Cooling down with his leg sticking up in the air ha ha<br />
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Ready with my knitted owl gang for <a href="http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/handmade-monday-171.html"><b>Handmade Monday blog hop</b>.</a> Do join in and have fun reading about other crafters' doings. Have a good weekend and thank you for your comments. x x</div>
Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-38199858035176878972014-06-05T23:41:00.000+01:002014-06-05T23:41:17.484+01:00Hello Japan<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've had quite a few books joining my craft bookcase recently so this is going to be another post about a book :P Hope you're not bored to death:P Last Thursday this landed in my mailbox:</div>
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- a parcel from Japan! Inside a quite unusual book in Japanese:<br />
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And a lovely piece of origami was attached with a few words of explanation. How cute!<br />
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The book is a collection of simple cross stitch motifs - just as I like them!<br />
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Here are few exemplary projects to stitch.<br />
A nature-themed and home-themed stitches, lovely in natural greens and browns:<br />
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Something for the kitchen:<br />
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American style, sort of West Country look: (I love these!)<br />
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Rustic stitches for nursery:<br />
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There are plenty of botanical motifs in the book:<br />
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... in various styles...<br />
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Some projects for celebrations, cards and tags:<br />
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I spotted a couple of spelling mistakes. It's been pointed to me that the Japanese people are famous for misspelling English words and not paying much attention to it. Well, this book is a perfect proof of it.</div>
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Kitchen and food theme again:</div>
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Monochromatic samplers. I love simple stitches like these!<br />
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Floral borders:<br />
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Hearts and wreaths:<br />
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Sweet borders for various projects:<br />
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All the instructions are in Japanese, which is of course illegible to me. But I'm already familiar with the cross stitch techniques so I'll give these instructions a miss.<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Basically this book is divided into 3 parts. 1st part shows the ready stitches, middle part is all about the explanations and how to stitch and the 3rd part is black and white charts for these projects.</div>
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I really like this funny Japanese collection of cross stitch patterns. I'm hoping to use some of these designs in my stitching projects in the future. </div>
Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1550294050370837624.post-3367328997973719362014-06-03T23:56:00.001+01:002014-06-04T07:42:48.256+01:00Books, books, books... and a musical :)<div style="text-align: justify;">
The half term has ended. The time just whizzed past so quickly. I really don't know where it is flying. It was a good week with some good events, crafting and some nice weather. The biggest event of the week was of course when last Tuesday me and T. went to the Liverpool Empire Theatre to watch the famous musical - The Lion King. I've never been a big fan of ( esp. telly) musicals as such but this one was simply AMAZING!!! What a spectacular display of music, choreography, costumes, scenery and acting it was!. We were truly impressed and if I were to watch it once more, I would have goosebumps again too! If you ever get a chance to see it, do go. I can guarantee you will be impressed. </div>
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As we were waiting for the evening performance at the theatre, we also had a walk around the Liverpool centre and we found that nice second hand shop which we couldn't resist. It was a place like those many years ago - a stuffy dusty shop packed with the book shelves right from the top of the ceiling right down to the floor, stuffed with thousands of books. Perfect place for book hunters and bookworms. T. went to look for his books and I was rummaging upstairs among the shelves with crafty books. Here are my finds:</div>
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Each book was priced £2-3. What a bargain! What real treasures these book are I only found out at home when I had a chance to look at them closely, in peace and with a cup of tea :) These books are, as I like to call it: an older generation of craft books - big album-like hard-backs with a pretty much vintage stuff inside. Too old? Nah, "old" means stuff you can't find these days in modern craft books and anyway this vintage has got its own charm, doesn't it? So, very pleased with that buy.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Jóna Sparey: <i>"Icelandic Patterns in Needlepoint. Over 40 easy-to-stitch designs from the Land of Ice and Fire"</i> - when I spotted this book I knew straightaway it would be going home with me :) Anything about the Scandinavian heritage interests me :) I know of needlepoint technique but I've never tried it myself. This book convinces me to do so. </div>
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Here are the most interesting projects from this book. Have a peek :)</div>
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I'm loving these floral tapestries more and more. These folky patterns are really growing on me with time. You can see such motifs on national costumes of the Scandinavian people, particularly Swedish. I just love the way they are stylized. Plus the blue shades make it look so cool... literally too! </div>
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I also love the floral motifs standing out against the dark background. This seem to deepen the colours. It's a common practice in the Polish folklore too. </div>
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A tapestry in natural earthy tones? Why not? It all looks toned and in harmony. Very pretty design, I think.<br />
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I'm also loving this one too! Actually I'd love to see this one on my walls :) There's something appealing in these shades of purple. The flower heads are just beautiful. </div>
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Must not forget about the Scandinavian stars when talking about the Scandinavian heritage. This is one of my favourite projects in this book. I just adore how this eight petal rose (apparently a name for this type of Norwegian star) is stylized with the florals inside. If I don't get a chance to stitch it in the needlepoint technique, I will definitely stitch it in cross stitch. Notice the characteristic use of white and shades of blue, typical of Scandinavian art. Gorgeous!</div>
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The book features quite a few borders to stitch too! The cleverness of the folk people - amazing!<br />
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Book no. 2: Melinda Coss <i>"The Cross Stitch House"</i>. This book is all about creating a pretty vintage home with lots of feminine accents. Go for it if you like sweet pretty adornments :D</div>
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My faves from this book: a vintage rose bell pull:<br />
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Tablecloth and napkin adornments. Love especially the colour shading on the butterflies :)<br />
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Gorgeous folksy projects with birds. Love it! Love it! Love it! According the author this is American folk.<br />
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A nice way how to jazz up a bit plain beige curtains! :) Mind that picture in the background too! A perfect match! </div>
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A central piece for a shadowbox:<br />
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And the big picture itself! Don't they all look good together?<br />
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There are some stitches for the farm animal lovers too! This chicken stitched on a basket napkin reminds me of the Easter basket blessings straight away.</div>
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Can't stop at stitching just one hen! Get a chicken sampler with this lovely carrot border! How cool!<br />
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And a lovely tile clock for your kitchen. It is supposed to remind you the Dutch Delft chinaware but I find those snowflake motifs quite Scandinavian :P It would look great stitched in reds too! </div>
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The book no. 3: Dorothea Hall <i>"Cross Stitch. A Beautiful Gift"</i> I like a few projects from this book too. </div>
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Just love these 3 cross stitched characters!<br />
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Lovely rabbit, perfect for a rustic decor.<br />
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Tartan combined with a Nordic star, why not? I love how the Nordic star is stitched a few colours.<br />
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Gorgeous reds for your table! :) Mind that beautiful plate with the checkered border!<br />
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I just drooled at the sight of this border for a kitchen shelf. How beautiful it looks! Nordic stars again! I love how they used white ric-rac on it too!<br />
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And how about a beautiful basket cover? Not only it looks pretty, it also protects your yarn from dust and playful kitties :) Love the pearls added for more of a wow factor :)</div>
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Fragranced sachets as gifts? Who wouldn't want? Looks pretty and smells good!<br />
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The book no.4 is definitely my favourite among these 4. It just got me spellbound. Folk spellboud of course. <i>"Mary Norden's Needlepoint. Fifty Folk Art Projects for The Home" </i>I fell in love with it the moment I opened it at the shop. It's a book with American flair in it - vintage, folky and colonial.</div>
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When I see folky patterns, my eyes just go wide open, my jaw drops.... ooooooh! aaaah!<br />
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But when I saw these Nordic style photo frames my heart skipped a beat. ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! Must, must, must stitch them! I find these patterns so beautiful and the whole collection on the wall just looks STUNNING! Definitely a must-do on my craft list. </div>
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Again, notice the choice of colours, typical of Scandinavian art - lots of red and white with blue.<br />
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Gorgeous little bag to stitch:<br />
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And even more gorgeous pillow covers. This book has got me drooling, page after page!<br />
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Beautiful purses, gift bags, favour bags, name them all... they just look so pretty arranged on this shelf.<br />
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Or... hanging on a peg...<br />
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A pretty project for a cover. Kinda similar to those from the "Icelandic" book.<br />
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And the cushions are an absolute hit in this book! I particularly love this version with the dusty blue border.<br />
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A bit of retro here...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOj0IY4cKhdEmS5zrpzBR0Fc0kam-1XOtKmp3s3RP1iLlwc30NIB1VYjeQQdXfhcFgC_DpfQozMHjlzcFHL2H3JCYImcxpN_BXgoZFnEQhgQbtfs9OY4JhwxxEt9H07EVerj1Ry-f5Zuko/s0/DSC00334a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOj0IY4cKhdEmS5zrpzBR0Fc0kam-1XOtKmp3s3RP1iLlwc30NIB1VYjeQQdXfhcFgC_DpfQozMHjlzcFHL2H3JCYImcxpN_BXgoZFnEQhgQbtfs9OY4JhwxxEt9H07EVerj1Ry-f5Zuko/s0/DSC00334a.jpg" height="434" width="640" /></a></div>
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And a bit of the colonial style...<br />
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Mrs & Mr Washingon:<br />
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Now here's a question for million dollars: </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">When on earth am I supposed to stitch all of that? </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">I think this will do for today. I hope I got you interested in these books. Feel free to comment or ask. Or just feel free to head over to Amazon to order your own copy ;)</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Take care and thank you for your comments. x x </span></div>
Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00402493912227435890noreply@blogger.com3