The crochet continues, we are now onto week 2, I was a bit late starting.
I am finding lots of odd balls of wool around the house now that I am looking for them.
A bit of Kogin. Because of 'habit' I always write an evaluation of each class I teach with the aim of improving it. I think I have another project here.
I find that my recovery from my last illness is slow. I have a feeling it is all the drugs they gave me. However, time and tide wait for no one so I am working at assembling the kits for my last teaching workshop. I am teaching "machine finishing for embroiderers" in this class and I am finding it hard to draw a line under what has been a large part of my life for nearly 40 years.
I am 'thinking about' making it into a series of videos. I personally think it is rather basic but my past students tell me it is one of the most helpful classes they have ever done, so we will see.
And there was another bear given to a friends grand daughter. Glad to say she loves him.
I now have my art space properly set up on my patio. (Along with all my housekeeping tools.)
Matting, in case of spills and a thick plastic cover on the removable table top along with a small set of drawers to keep my art things separate. (I think I might get a second one of those.) Bear likes the mats I have outside the doors so I got some proper door mats as well. (Finally got some roses.) What I also need is a blind as the sun can be hot, this is a problem when using inks in printing.
And printing, I have been using my gelli plate. I have started on water-colour paper to test the process. Lots to learn about how this all works.
But I learnt some tricks along the way already and with a bit more work I will be able to use all these pieces, probably in cards and I want to try machine embroidery on some of them.
I auditioned this last one to see how it might look for one of my book covers.
With addition of ribbons, lace, buttons and embroidery it shows promise. Now I have to try and replicate it on fabric. I have a whole collection of old laces and ribbons, along with lots of old pieces of embroidery from my travels all around the world. Non of the embroidery is very useable on it's own but could be used in this kind of collage.
Just to do something different I also designed a new Kogin pattern for my pin and needle keepers.
The printing on fabric is my next goal.
I am not sure I would have embarked on this crochet project if I had realised that it would take over my life! But, there is no turning back now. I have decided that it will make a great throw to go over the chair in my bedroom so I am in the process of making it a bit wider.
This chair is old and very well used and should really be thrown away but it belonged to my husbands aunt of whom I was very fond. It is a leather chair and the leather is very cracked and worn . I have it set up with a booster seat cushion and back support so I can stand with out pressure on my back. (I have broken a number of back vertibrae in the past which are now starting to cause pain.)
It is a bit 'hotck potch' because I am using all the left over wool and I find that I will probably run out of the green background yarn so I will have to solve that problem.
I just can't settle to stitching at the moment so have decided to do some printing.
I bought this kit a number of years ago and I found it unopened and covered with dust. I'm glad I didn't throw it away because although it is designed for paper printing I am going to print on fabric with it using acrylic paints. I found a cheap on-line course to learn the basics.
I have done other courses with Carla on-line and have found them very clear and easy to understand. I need to get some more supplies before I progress to the next class including a cover for the floor of the patio where I work. (I am so messy.)
This fabric will be for use in my book cover project I have been working on this year.
There has not been a lot of sewing due to visitors but my crocheted throw is progressing.
Bear thinks I am making it for him!
And my grand daughter complained that she couldn't find her bag with her clean underwear which hangs in my wardrobe because "my clothes" get in the way. So I made her a new bag to suit her new "grunge image".
Red handles, so it will be easy to find.
The front pocket is where her new trainer bras are kept. M for Monique.
I am starting work on my Kogin bags but am bogged down on selecting the fabric for the cuffs. (I do procrastinate over some things.)
I still don't have a suitable drawing program so it may be some time before I post these Kogin patterns but I will eventually.
The crochet goes on and on. I am up to joining the flowers together and so far the width is what I had estimated, but it is slow going. I think I will try to complete and join 9 to 10 flowers a day, although that might be a bit ambitious. (Will I ever get to the end of it?)
And I try to do a little of the applique each day, so what is finished is only a couple of leaves.
I have a beginners class this week end coming so have prepared all my kits and bib and bobs in preparation.
The crocheting continues and I still have another 40 flowers to crochet row 3 to. Each flower ends up as a hexigon but I have to finish row 3 first.
And I have a little bit of applique under way.
I couldn't buy the Moda towelling anywhere nearby so have had to send off for a kit. I am going to make a couple of modifications to the pattern. The main ones being omitting the lining and interfacing. I want this runner for the patio table so those things are not necessary. I was sent a complimentary pattern with my purchase so I might need to stitch this as well.
And the last Kogin bag for the experiment on how to make up the bags.
No set design here, it is just making up it's own way how it wants to go.
When I looked at the pattern for this 'Spring-along' I see I am going to need 270 flowers. I have done 2 rows of the first 100. Some way to go on this. But then I had another look at it and realised that I am not using the same wool as they are using and that I was aiming for a single bed quilt size.
So I stitched up some flowers with the next row crocheted in place and measured this against a single quilt. Comes down that I only need another 30 or so flowers, so this is well under way.
The Kogin stitching progresses at it's own pace.
This stitching is a 'stress buster', just so relaxing.
Not much to report, just a bit of knitting.
I am still ploughing through the cleaning up after all the Easter visitors. Sixteen extras, plus 3 extra dogs, keeps you on your toes and kids just can't help making a mess. They managed to bring heaps of sand into the house and someone dropped something on my polished wooden floors that I just can't repair. Looks like I will have to buy a rug to cover it. It is the washing that seemed endless. Everytime they went to the beach they took a fresh beach towel and then a new bath towel when they had a shower.
It was days of endless cooking. My son cooked the breakfasts but there were morning and afternoon teas lunches and dinners that just kept going on. And then there were the blow-ins who didn't stay just visited. The cafe was closed and no one thought to check this would happen, so Mum just kept cooking.
Oh, and a lot of birds thought they might get a feed here as well.
Still this is what memories are made of and those children will take them through life with them.
I have got carried away with the Arne & Carlos videos and am knitting Easter Eggs with my scrap wool.
Arne knits the European technique which is beyond me but Carlos knits the English method, thank goodness. I would never have thought about knitted Easter eggs until I saw this video.
I am also having to do my own housework as my cleaner has Covid, that is so time consuming.
I have pairs of reading glasses all over the house and can never lay my hands on a pair when I need them. I had thought about buying a lanyard but came upon this tutorial from Amy Barickman to use an old Tshirt and button to make one. Now I'm hooked, but, I need more old Tshirts, so I need to visit the Op shop.
I am preparing this as an activity for my next Patchwork group meeting. If you would like to make this there is a YouTube tutorial
There you will find a downloadable PDF with all the instructions.