Impossible Knitting Situations

It's hard enough to knit when you have a small child 'helping' by playing with and unraveling your ball of wool but add to that a cat as well and it just becomes impossible! I have given up for now and will reattempt the knitting later when the cat and child are sleeping 

Nearly May and I haven't posted a thing since February. This does not mean I have been idle just occupied else where :) The crafts have still continued I have been doing a little book binding, jewelery making, cross stitch, knitting, pyrography, quilting ....... I think that's it oh and marbling which was a lot of fun. But I have been sadly lacking in the photo department I shall have to remedy this in the coming month.

I am hoping to get finished a pyrography project and a knitting project in the next month. I will also try to post some photos of long term projects in cross stitch, knitting and quilting and shall shortly start a new post of a necklace I made over the weekend :)

Febuary Over Already??

Tomorrow is March and I'm a little shocked the year is yet again flying by. I have completed only one project which I think I forgot to photograph there's the baby brain setting in for you. Pregnancy can surrrtanly take its toll on the creative side of things, still all worth it in the end.

A New Year

Back from an enjoyable Christmas with family it's straight into the new year. With many a new project and a few old ones not yet completed bobbing around in my head it looks like it could be a very interesting year. I also had my birthday between Christmas and the new year and was given a copy of extra curricular which I have thoroughly enjoyed and am going to see which back copies I can find ( felt has from issue 4). extra curricular is a magazine about crafty stuff for crafty people :)

The Thread Organiser

For mums Christmas present I made her a thread organizer. I used a small cross stitch pattern I had done in an afternoon/evening. The cover is leather as is the scissor holder which I made to fit stork scissors.

Front cover

 
The cross stitch pattern is from Joan Elliot's Bewitching cross stitch. The rest of the design I made up as I went along. The closure is Velcro and the whole thing is stitched around the edge.

Inside the organizer

  The Inside has a scissor holder and pin/needle holder plus replaceable thread organizing cards. The pin holder is close cell foam covered with the calico lining, there is a thin card board layer between the lining and outside leather. The cards are folded around wires.

Cross Stiched Foot Stool

Last year I made my mum a cross stitched foot stool. the cushion on the top was cross stitched and my husband made the stool which did not turn out the way he wanted it to and he is going to remake it..... eventually. I havn't included any photos of the stool its self just the cushion.

The pattern is a combination of a boarder i found in a book and a pattern off of the internet at www.crosstitch.com

Finished cushion

Close up of chekins

Close up of boarder

I don't remember how long it took me but I think it was a couple of months. The design is on buff 18 count adia.

Wood Working

I have also dabbled in a little wood work this last couple of months. I made 4 lucets, a medieval tool for making cord, If you are familiar with making rats tails where you use 4 prongs to make a hollow cord. This is the same thing except with two prongs.

Here are the four lucets two of which are the same. The swan I did two of  I also have a design for a dog and a dragon that I haven't yet finished

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These two photos show the swan heads. this is where you work your thread
in a figure of  eight type pattern in to a cord which you thread through the hole in the bowl of the tool.














The wood I used for the lucets is rimu. I used a pyrography tool to add more detail to the carved heads and finished the tools with danish oil.

Close up of the Horse heads

Whole tool

 I will post photos of the Dragon and dog heads as I finish them.

Close up of the pyrography on the bowl of the tool

Whole tool

These tools fit neatly in the palm of the hand and are turned as you work the thread around to create a cord.