How to Customise your suit case

Take a charity shop doily and an old boring blue suit case.
10krs for this funky doily Uk £1

Then either with fabric glue or in my case(pun)
Some sewing cotton and a pin.

I hand stitched the edge, that was a little tricky but manageable.

And Ta dah!......
Funky case, bargain price!
Alice (In Wonderland) up date!
I have begun the sleeves and finished the square neck, so far so good. But I am extremely board of yellow.

Knitted poncho

I actually made this around two years ago,

But the summers here in full forse
(Sunshine demands I unpack my summer dresses)
And when I pulled out my summer supply there it was,
teamed with memory's and demanding to be worn.

So today I did exactly that!
I wore it
Proudly!
And it is such a satisfying feeling, when people stare!
(In a nice way, checking out my poncho!)
It is a lovely poncho,
I know that I'm the only one in the world wearing it.

How do I know this?
I made it!
I designed it.
I stitched it together.
And choose the ribbon, all by my self;-)
My early birthday gift to my self.
Breakfast at Tiffany's "Holly go lightly"
Blythe two(neo)
My Cappuccino Chat aka Holly
Cute Blythe baby pink Converse (lookalikes) they are the size of my thumb nail.
E bay purchase.

Knitters sell off replica village

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8017671.stm


Click on and have a look at what a little knitting group from Mersham started 20 odd years ago. The idea began so they could raise funds for the local village hall.

Amazing details and a very cute project, I love the red phone box.

The cottage image is taken from google images, I could in bed the you tube type news article. So it will probably only be up for a few days, so take two minutes make a cup'o'tea and take a look.

Knitted shawl production line

I always use a basket per project and I seem to have ran out, so the washing basket will suffice.
Shawl two on my patio.


It's easy I like the pattern and I think that it could have a lot of potential.

I have lots of odd balls of yarn and the triangle shape that it should in the end become I could in fact join some together to make bigger wraps instead of just a small shawl.

So in true my style of work, I have started three at once, today I'll post shawl number two.
Shawl two is made from
Charity shop yarn, 30krs each just under £3.00 each colour (Bargain) Flax?

I think that's 100% cotton or maybe flax is Linen? or just flax!.
I need to check my knitting research.

Garden knits

I tried yet another pattern! (And I may just have got it!)

To be fair it probably is the most simplest in the world but here goes Shawl
5mm needle
Acrylic green
Cast on 3 stitches knit 2 Yo knit till end
continue until shawl is the desired size.
Yo?
I used the magic "You tube" a 1st for me to master a technique and 1st hit a lovely lady showing you just what to do!

Fantastic ;-O

And I'm off, this could actually be the 1st pattern I complete, don't hold your breathe.

Below project Alice
My Alice in Wonderland dress, yes yellow not Disney blue. Inspired by the BBC re-make Alice actually has a yellow dress.

When I Googled early inspiration, she too has a yellow dress! It seems Disney made her image blue(god dam them!)
My progress so far;-)
Crochet
knit
Crochet that's the plan so far.

My space

My space

To be creative happens anywhere sometime in the strangest places.
You decide to knit new bark for a tree!
(Post knitted graffiti, Rainbow Bark)

But what ever the inspiration,
I like to take the time every now and then to look through the things that
I have made.

Check my techniques
My designs
(To sort of see where I'm going and where I have been)
The stitich I most favoured at the time.
Or in my Re-do 2 pick up where I left off!, Vogue Buttons a good example.

Also the memory's, the time, when and where. Most of my large projects have a travel story involved in some way or another.

My knitted memory's
My crocheted thoughts

Spoiled in my rented swedish home, I can sit with a Cuppa in my art space.
Surrounded by my stuff!

On return to the UK it will be standing room only in what used to be my front
room/living room,
(Shrine space, British people usually have to host/drink tea).

Instead of the regular ornaments and candle holders, I will now have balls or yarn on the shelves and lots of knitting needles and crochet hooks my easels and not forgetting my three mannequins!

Vogue (Alien) Buttons, Compleated

With all the little adjustments made, the two piece is complete.
Around a Uk 10/12 a model figure would be required with long legs!
So I wont be wearing it!;-0

I love all the colours, especially the Yellow green mixed
(chartreuse I have been told!)
This with the pink, very nice.
The Denim cotton Blue at the edge of the short skirt, really sets the hem off.

The top as several charms and beads hanging in random places, a cute little pink skull too also a glitter ribbon.

From the side view, the top looks as if she is pregnant with little aliens attached
The tentacles work, but they do look a little Sigourney Weaver.

The title Vogue Button's is because it actually has five vogue buttons on the back of the top.

I need to think of a famous person to wear this, I usually have one in mind!
But not today.......
Any suggestions?

Under arm holes!

Arm holes in the process of being filled;-)

Vogue Buttons
Currently in the process of being up-dated

I have high lighted the tentacles, stitched all the ends in.

Aptly named for the Vogue Buttons that fasten the back of the top to the waist band of the skirt, today I finished the arm holes.

Originally the ribbon tied under the arms, but once I put the gold side panels in I ended up with larger arm holes than anticipated.

Using a 5mm hook and a basic crochet stitch, I circled the chain as a filler for the gaps. My sleeves are finally complete.

Train trip Crochet

This part I knitted on the train.

I joined my seams and stitched in the ends, sitting on my patio with a cup'o'tea.
Below Mabel Blythe, already wearing my little free-form construction she just couldn't wait to try it on!.
It has to be said, I never waste a train journey;-)

My daily trip into town on the tram followed by the train was just enough time to construct this little Blythe Skate Board style dress, I set out fresh with a small ball of funky stashed acrylic and two hooks a 5mm and a 3.5mm and went from there.

I used the 5mm for the dress, cast on 26 stitches. The 3.5 hook I used to construct a plain chain, so that the dress could be laced and fastened.;-)

If ever a graffiti Knit was needed!

If ever a graffiti knit was needed?, it was for the day I went to Haga Parken
(Stockholm beautiful butterfly house)
They have a a themed garden and this lady was one of the key pieces that rest there.

My 1st thought on viewing her was that she was in big need of a Graffiti knitting team.

She was life size and very naked with an awful lot of natural detail.........
(I don't mind naked, but there is a time and a place)

If the park wasn't so public, it would be hooks and dawn
(Well opening time!)
And I'm sure given an hour I could wip up a little Tankeeni, as I think she maybe a little past a bikini;-)

Octopussy/Gold Finger crochet

Gold part is a side panel(newly added)
I have edged the tentacles with green/yellow and beige mohair

Octopussy/gold finger crochet

The re-work re-do 2 (patient)
Here it is so far I added green/yellow on to the treadrils/tentacles
and then i have put a Shirley Bassy(gold finger)

I think the right singer, right song, Bond not one of my specialitys. And after all I'm only using all these names to talk about a gold crocheted panel, strange tangent I guess but hey hoe.

I have put a second layer in gold acrylic under the tentacles.
A front panel and two side panels in gold and then joined the back part of the original Vogue Buttons.

Blythe hot pants

I had some left over Denim Blue Cotton and so I used the same amount of stitches that I cast on the make the waist band for the maxi dress and a little production line of denim skirts followed.

On the third attempt, I decided to make it a little shorter. Added a crotch panel, shorts.
(Well more likely described as hot pants)


Naked Blythe!;-)
Up close my very little hot pants.
I used some red cotton 3.5 hook and a chain stitches to make the belt and ties. I threaded a few of my New York seed beads to prettify the belt.

Knitted Tentacles

Well crocheted actually!
Oops I confuse the two so often, I bet I really annoy some peep's(Sorry)
Here is my Vogue Button's that I decided to re-visit. Not really having any thing particular in mind other than just to much is never enough!(with this project)
I'm high lightening the tentacles and I may even join the skirt to turn the two piece into a dress.
Maybe......

Sun shone on the patio, yet more happy garden projects grow.
poetry

Titled Mary Mary Quite Contrary

Mary Mary quite contrary
How does thou knitting grow?
With knits and purls
And gorgeous yarns
And happy bamboo sticks, all in a row.

Gr8 gear
My daughters knit machine
I meant to post this earlier as I decided to have ago at using it, as the idea is to make continual rounds (leg warmers/hats)

I thought that it would make light work of the long sleeves for Jelly!

Oh how wrong can one be, after spending half an hour with a 12 year old giving me step by step instructions, and I mean step by step.
I began
and began
and began
4th attempt and believe me I tried!

I really thought I had it! and then same thing happened again.

The stitches fall off ,in random places and the sample holes............;-(

I gave up and knitted them by hand moaning about the two housrs I wasted trying to cheat.

Fluid Sculpture art from Charlie Bucket

I found this on the http://www.glittyknittykitty.co.uk a blog I have a look at every now and then.
Thought it was really cool, such a good idea this on a huge scale would be just fantastic.
So I wanted to share it, hopefully the artist wont mind;-).
Enjoy

Fluid Sculpture from Charlie Bucket on Vimeo.

Ladybird Maxi dress (Blythe)

CUTE!

Here is the completed Ladybird book 1975 maxi dress. I even made a little bag with the left over yarn that's sort of 70's looking.

Pink and Red is such a cool combination, not very 70's I need to do a brown and yellow/orange one. I think that I'll make a few variations as I made the strips up as I went along.

Where I have made the string with a crochet chain the pattern suggested Ribbon but being Easter I haven't been shopping and no ribbon in my stash. But I think the red acrylic chain worked just as well.
The bag was a red rectangle and a pink round, that I then attached together with a chain stitch and added a little crochet strap I was trying to make the horses shoe type of bag.

Adding the heart bead as an extra little detail.
(You have to look close to see the bead)

All in all 2 hour work with stitching all the ends in, that's no time at all.

Lady bird learnabout crochet, Maxi dress 1975

I have been having some knitted garden inspiration, sat in the sunshine Easter weekend.
This is a book that I remember having as child well I had some of the Lady birds, but actually not Crochet or knitting
(E-bay purchase)
Late bloomer as they say 30 something, before I picked up the sticks hooks etc!
But any how with having my new Blythe I figured, nostalgia I make her a 70's maxi dress, I mean she is a 1972 re -make so why not.

As you know I cant read patterns, well I read! its just all mumbo jumbo, I couldn't make head or tale.
A little disappointed as I really tried being a kids pattern and all.
But in the end, I did it my way. I just used the diagrams and made the rest up!
Here I have completed the skirt part.
Next step bodice! wow feel like an 8 year old with my lady bird book trying to construct a pattern.
Start with the basics, as they say!.

Blythe Knitted Graffiti (Yarn bombing)

Miniture Love
Headline read........Blythe commiting knitting Guerrilla acts!

There is just no stopping her, she has been out and about putting up lil Graffiti knits.

Not illegally(I can brake the rules, but can I allow my Mabel).

Its just my patio the same scene that featured the big love, I just love a juxtaposition and I think this is a good one.

Who knows this could be a whole new aspect of Blythe photography. I need to send this post to Gina Garen, see what she thinks;-)

Jelly

Jelly is complete
I think she has turned out a little similar to the dress I made that's called Angela.
Angela can be found on my web site and my ravelry projects.
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/knittingforart/angel
I guess the more you make, the more your style of design comes through in your work.
Signature quirks

The Red Heart Yarn is my favourite that being the thickest yarn parts the skirt. This is so strong I think that the stitch that it is made with could stand alone unaided and not need the mannequin.

The yellow and blue is ull (wool) my fluent Swedish coming out their!
Oj oj oj
It actually feels like chenille, this I doubled to also give it thickness so it would fit better against the Red Heart, but it wouldn't stand alone.

It's very clown like and fun, I'm not sure what occasion it could be worn for other than a female Jester .......................

Giant pink bunny!

http://www.gelitin.net/mambo/index.php?set_albumName=album14&option=com_gallery_proj144&Itemid=91&include=view_album.php

This is a giant pink rabbit that I saw posted on the http://outcastartists.blogspot.com

The 1st link (huge one) is the artist own and the why and where facts.

I think that I will defiantly be taking trip to Italy to see this magnificent knitted feet. When I think bunny, I think pink cute and cuddly that is what springs to my mind, not enormous and a little bit freaky!
But that's what's making me all the more curious!

Snapped Elastic

I made this dress at the end of summer last year. It was on show at Knit lab and due the fact that it sat in the window(the sun/warmth)

That elastics in the straps weakened and started to snap, they needed to be the strongest part as believe me this is a weighty dress.

I didn't make them strong enough the 1st go, so a little trial and error was needed. Because of course your everyday dress, is not constructed from rubber bands.

So finally I have gotten around to fixing the straps I strengthened the original with tripling the bands that I had originally used.
I think that I would also like to re work the skirt and some how give it a puff ball finish as that is my favourite type of skirt finish;-)
WIP

Love Grafitti on my patio

Love is finished, but not over;-)

I love love love it!

A little piece of my work that has defianlty been crocheted with love.



I sit and have my morning coffee on this patio, so I figured a good place to photograph it, would be the place that I crocheted a big part of it.