A colourful wrap at the end of a rainbow

A while ago, I came across this very colourful wrap in the magazine "Let's knit", issue 72 (Christmas 2013). I fell in love with the colours and just had to knit it. I bought the yarn that was suggested : King Cole Riot Chunky, a wool and acrylic blend. It took a while to knit, I found the garter ridge pattern a bit boring and I didn't like the yarn that much, although it has a soft and not too acrylic feel. But hey, I love having this colourful wrap, it's cheerful !

Felted painting, somewhere in Yorkshire

On a family holiday in 2012, I spent a few weeks in one of the most beautiful landscapes in Europe: Yorkshire. With the help of a photograph I took there for inspiration, I decided to try to recreate this sense of beauty in a felted landscape (yes, it's all wool).
I worked on it in different stages until reasonably satisfied. And this is the result. I nailed it onto a piece of wood and now it can be hung on the wall.

Real wool to dye for

(apologies for the pun…)
I bought these five skeins of homespun yarn (100% wool) from an acquaintance. After following a workshop in wool dyeing, I continued dying them at home.
I used onion peel to make five dye baths varying in colour strength. This way you get five different tints of yellow.

Making the dye                                                                                      one of the dye baths (hot)

the onion peels have done their job!

let them soak! (some skeins are dyed twice)

5 different skeins !! 

Stephen West's Purl Ridge scarf

To me, the unconventional colourful appearance of the designer Stephen West is fascinating. I really wanted to knit one of his designs for my bestie, so I chose the Purl Ridge Scarf, a circular scarf that knits up quickly in the round. It is a simple pattern, and it's free. You can find it here on Ravelry. I enjoyed knitting this, just garter and stockinette, while watching some nice detective series! The yarn is Uncommon thread lush worsted (merino-nylon-cashmere goat), very soft and luxurious! It was chosen by the recepient (whose knit-worthiness is 10/10), in the fantastic yarn shop Loop in London. It's got one downside, though, because the knitted fabric pills quite easily. But it's soooo soft!

still on the needles:

She says she's fine

Towards the end of 2017 I joined a textile art group. We meet every fortnight to explore the  possibilities of textile art, and the results of last month's work are exhibited in late August and in September (details at the bottom of this post).
My piece has grown organically : it consists mainly of embroidery with scrap materials (ribbons from T-shirts, plastic and metal bits, embroidery thread, rope) on white cloth stained with blue ink.

An anxious woman (We are all her, at some point in our lives), Expectations and demands (not in the least our own) are high. The feeling of failure, lost chances, being misunderstood. Sadness, the isolation of loneliness, brooding. Music and lyrics keep nagging at our brain. Eyes to the ground, lips tight, a sigh. The whirlpool of our minds.
But also a hopeful reference: the red mouth, talking with each other, conversation that clears things up.

I loved this way of being creative, without limits, without pattern or expectation.

some details :

The making of :

And everyone is very much invited to our exhibition "Women's portrets" :

(and to bring a friend :-))

My Calm Cowl

This is the Calm Cowl by Suzana Davidovich. It's a free pattern on Ravelry (you can find it here). My Calm Cowl is not as wide as the original pattern. It's an easy relaxing crochet pattern. I used Evie Sublime Yarns in 3 subtle colours, purchased at Social Fabric in Totnes, a delicious shop which, as mentioned in a previous post, sadly doesn't exist anymore.

Blackbird collecting the mail

This rather large flat dish I crocheted from self-made t-shirt yarn. The leaf and the branch are knitted, the blackbird is needle-felted. Bird, branch and leaf are sewn onto the dish. It's perfect for collecting the mail!

Protectors of the pans

This was a fun travel project : while travelling by train last summer I crocheted 2 pot holders. We use them now as protective layers between our pans when they're stacked up. The pattern is called 'the Cook's Pot Holders' by Purl Soho. You can find the link to the pattern here. It is ideal to use up leftover yarn.
Purl Soho is a New York based shop, with gorgeous collections of yarns, fabrics and patterns, wonderful designs and a passion for natural fibers. It's so high on my list of "would like to see, would like to do, would like to visit"... Perhaps I'll get there one day....

Another booklover

Here is someone who totally agrees with Jane Austen, who declared that 'There is no such enjoyment like reading'.

You wouldn't want to disturb wool-felted bear Humphrey, lost in a book!

Boho bag number 2

First, I knitted two pieces of fabric, inspired by a pattern for legwarmers in the Dutch book 'Breien en haken met dikke naalden' (p.56). The yarn is Sirdar Kiko, a wool-acrylic blend.
Sewn together, this knitted fabric has become the outer bag.
For the inner bag and the carrying strap, I used a well-loved old shirt of my husband.
I added a zipper, a ribbon with a hook for wallet and a small pocket for my phone.
To finish up, I added a beautiful wooden button I bought at Bunyip Beads in Exeter (great shop, very friendly people!). It's a bit smaller than the first one (check it out here), but still perfect for a city trip.