Beneath the Sea

I have just completed the Debbie Abrahams Mystery Blanket for 2010 called Beneath the Sea! So proud of myself for finishing another project and have been working on this every day to finish it.
We are going to the holiday house in Northern NSW tonight and I want to put the blanket down there as we are near the beach.
Well I have finished with knitting for this year and now have to concentrate on the crochet afghan as I have almost completed that too. Sewing that one together will be a major headache as there are 150 squares and they have to be slip stitched together. really want to try and get that one finished by Christmas.

Mystery Blanket Almost Complete

After a very busy October doing embroidery workshops with Margaret Light, I have finally completed the squares for the Debbie Abrahams Mystery Blanket. I have sewn them all together and now just have to knit the beaded borders. Hopefully that won't take me too long and I will have another project completed by the end of the year. I have really enjoyed making this blanket and have signed up to do another next year.

The two workshops that I did with Margaret Light were the 18th Century Jacobean Jewellery Roll and Part 2 of the Tree of Life. Really enjoyable as she is such a terrific teacher. I am looking forward to working on both projects over the next few months.

I have begun knitting a shawl for mum for Christmas in the Alchemy Haiku silk and mohair yarn that I bought from Prudence Mapstone. It is soft like gossamer and I know that mum will love it.

I had a fabulous week in October working at the Brisbane Craft Fair for Prudence Mapstone. I spent almost as much as I made but that's OK as I got 50% of all of her yarn. I hope she asks me to work for her again. I was tired but loved it!

Freeforming!

At last I have finished this beautiful necklace which I began at Koala Conventions in July. I did the workshop with Prudence Mapstone and finished all the flowers, buds, pods, and leaves soon after but it has taken me ages to get the motivation to block the necklace base and stitch on the shapes. I think because I have had a sore wrist and hand and James has told me to give the crochet and embroidery a rest to let my hand heal. I don't want to end up with RSI as 4 of my friends have done recently. Anyway that has been great in a way because it has encouraged me to finish some projects that just needed a bit of time spent on them. This is the first. I have finished 6 projects this year!

This necklace was crochet in a Japanese fibre called Gear Linen made by Habu. It is slightly stiff and so the shapes can be moulded and shaped. It is really nice to work with and goes with the broach which I finished at Koala.

This weekend I am doing a workshop at the embroiderers guild with Margaret Light. It is the Jacobean Crewel Jewellery Roll on black linen in fine wools.

Next week I am working at the Craft Expo for Prudence Mapstone so I have a busy time coming up.

Tree of Life Part 1

I can't believe that I have finally finished this crewel embroidery. I took the class with Margaret Light last October and just put it aside until about June this year. I worked on it a bit in July and then put it down again. In August I finally decided that I had to finish it as I have booked in for Part 2 and I didn't want this to be another expensive unfinished project! I worked on it every day and it it took so much longer than I thought it would. You look at a flower and think "I'll get this one done tonight and it takes 3-4 days. Also the light during the day was by far easier to work in than the evening where all the colours look different and even with the magnifying glass the stitches are harder to see. Anyway I am so proud of myself to have finally finished!! Part 2 starts at the end of October and if I can I will try and finish it straight away as I want to have the 2 pieces framed as two panels.

Good Golly Miss Molly!!

What a week! We have a new staffy pup. Her name is Molly and she is 9 weeks old. We brought her home a week ago and it was love at first sight for her and Harry our 18 month old staffy. They are so funny together and it is a joy to see. Chloe is keeping out of the way but is not as stressed as when we brought Harry home as a puppy.
Because I am settling in a new puppy I haven't been out much this week so am ploughing ahead with my Treee of Life Part 1 and have booked in to do part 2 at the end of October. I think that I will be finished before then.
I am also crocheting in the evening in front of television Prudence Mapstones "not your grannys blanket". Made in 16 different colours in Frog Tree from Bolivia. Gorgeous soft alpaca wool which hardly sheds. The nicest alpaca wool I have ever knitted or croched in!

A Gorgeous New Cushion!

After a crappy week where I didn't really want to see anyone or do anything I indulged in some retail therapy on the internet to cheer me up. I logged on to Etsy and found Renate Kirkpatricks' shop. Renate is a fabulous freeform artist and whist her pieces are similar to Prudence Mapstones, they are different in that she uses some felting techniques as well. Renate is another Queenslander, like Prudence, who lives on the Sunshine Coast. I am thrilled with the cushion cover and keep changing it around from room to room as it looks good in so many different places!

I have finished this months Debbie Abrahams Mystery Quilt and as I'm only 2 months from the end will begin blocking the pieces this week.

Rest in Peace my Ginger Boy Basil

I have had a horrible week. I had to have my darling boy Basil put to sleep on Monday evening. He was nearly 14 and such a faithful loving affectionate boy he was. Always near by either on my lap or on a chair in the same room and on the bed at night. He had lost so much weight and had not eaten for 4 days. The vet had given him some medication to try and stimulate his appetite but his poor kidneys just didn't want to work properly anymore. I always though that Chloe my other cat would go first as she has had kidney problems in the past. She misses him and Harry, my staffy keeps looking for him in his basket. A sad week and when his ashes come home next week he will sit next to Poppy ashes. I hope they are together in heaven.