shawl 

Saturday night and the needles are hot

I've almost finished my triangle scarf in mohair and its not looking too bad. A long time since I did anything like this so I am pretty pleased it turned out ok. I've used Colinette mohair 2 earthy colours and its very muted for me. Also on the needles a scarf for Yule gifts in Colinette firecracker bright blues. Not sure on shade as its part of the bagful I got a couple of weeks ago. I'm looking for a pattern for a crochet scarf to maybe do also. I've decided gifts for family and friends this year will be as much hand made as I can. Partly from a cost level(well mainly that I suppose) but also that I love making things for people whereever possible. So on the production line apart from scarves are a throw for an elderly aunt in mohair crocheted, some fingerless gloves in Colinette silky chic for hwoever, a series of elemental dolls, some loopy cushions. After that if they do get finished before the Solstice then maybe start a sweater for the love of my life.

continuing the sun for Yule theme

Well it is done:) I've machined my sun, added beads and glitter and its as done as I want it to be. I want something to show the return of the light, a glow within the winter darkness. A ray of hope that spring will return. Making this I was thinking of people of olden days and why the winter solstice was such an important celebration. If you lived with the seasons then this time of year would have been awfully dark. Today we had maybe 2 hours of proper daylight here in England and rest of day has been dark and dismal. The thought that come December 21st we will start to get longer days is something to look forward to. I've made steak marinaded in lime and olive oil for tea. Slices of popes eye steak I picked up in Scotland yesterday while visiting a friend. Added them to a baking dish with some fresh rosemary from the garden, 4 cloves of garlic and a large onion sliced. To this the zest and juice of a lime and a large splash of virgin olive oil. Left it for a couple of hours then in to oven for around a half hour. Served it with mashed potatoes with the juice from the steak poured over. Delicious.
My knitting is slow, the triangle shawl hasn't been touched for 2 days while in Scotland but tonight I'm itching to get back to it.
Scotland was misty, we travelled up Wednesday morning with a tiny ginger kitten we were taking for our pal. We started off with it in a cat basket but the pathetic sounds coming from the back seat of the car melted my heart and Pan, as he is now called, travelled the rest of the journey cuddled up on my knee. All apart from one foray around the car to see what there was to chew on. I'd forgotten how small kittens could be. My two are now 8 months old and quite big. They were so pleased to see us come home even though our friend goes in twice a day to feed and cuddle them. We could barely take our coats off without them tripping us up.
Here are a couple of pics of the Yule sun.

Yule sun making

I started to make the sun today for our Yule celebrations. I want it to be small enough to place over the goddess altar but big enough to see. Started out with paper template approx 10 inch round. Cut out a piece from white cotton for backing then from yellow felt for main body. Felt is actually cleaning cloths from poundland. Got around 3o different coloured ones for the pound so great value for stitching. Who wants to clean anyway? I've topped this with various odds and asods of gold and yellow fabrics, anything from my handdyed felts to lame cloth, lace and vegetable bags. I've overlayed this with gold voile and tomorrow will machine all over to hold together. Then I've got a cirlce of crystal like fabric with glitter on very delicate and this will go in circle of sun. Then I think I may bead around the rays with tiny yellow seed beeds.
The snow we got yesterday morning has gone now, however the Lake District mountains are showing in the distance with their tops covered in snow. Started my traingle shawl in colinette mohair but its very slow Think i need to start something else maybe another shawl in point five

picture of throw and yarn stash from colinette

here is a picture of the crochet throw I just finished in aran. Picture a little pink due to night light and camera phone but hey it shows:)

Saturday night fever

Been cooking up a storm today. Have friends coming over for dinner so made chicken and mango curry to be followed by chocolate nemesis. Yummy. I'm making Saturday evening meals for a friends brother at the moment. Her mum is in hospital with brain tumour and her brother has Downs Syndrome so needs a bit of help with food. Just taken him some of the above menu and roads are very very icy. Its a clear night lots of stars to be seen and the motorway jammed due to them cutting down from 3 lanes to 2. My knitting is crochet at the minute. I'm making a throw in creamy aran wool. I got it from the under £100 ads in our local newspaper. A woman clearing her stash so many balls of yarn over a kilo for £6. Most single colours and I'll probably ebay it as I love my colinette random dyes, far more inspiring. But I thought a crochet throw in cream would be a challenge and its not as boring as I thought. My idea is to add some freeform scumbles over the top in a riot of colours but just tiny bits here and there. So they look as if they are escaping maybe. Been sorting out my stash from Colinette visit Thursday, will take photo of it as its so colourful and keeps calling me to come and play with it.

quiz what kind of princess

According to a quiz I just did I'm an evil princess:) I am a knitting one though so does that make it better? Just finished another scarf in firecracker by colinette will try and take picture tomorrow it was way too dark all day today. Going to visit Colinette Thursday and I love going there. The colours always inspire me
here is link to princess quiz

new fabric atcs made

Been making some ATCs (artist trading cards) for a swap I'm in and decided to try and make cards for each of the 5 elements in fabric using my hand dyed felt. I got totally inspired and I've made around 18 up to now. None for air yet but they will maybe come tomorrow. I'm uploading the water ones for now but the light has gone so will post rest tomorrow. I like the mix of scraps and machine stitching its so freeform. Just chuck it on and see what happens:) The ones for the swap are winter. I've gone with pale grey/whites and added some silk top I dyed with purples. I covered those with a piece of old curtaining in cream. Titled them winter moon seeing as the moon is so gorgeous this month. I'm listening to Carolyn Hillier Cave of Elders and Eartha Kitt. 2 brilliant musical artists.

tonights sunset in lancashire

November musings

I've just taken some gorgeous photos of the sunset from my art studio window. The sky so fiery and the sun just going down. Its inspired me to make a new landscape with my hand dyed felts and some stitching, or should I maybe knit some pieces to make my landscape from? Not sure but will have to see where my muse takes me. I've been admiring my Colinette yarn stash and thinking I'll need to start using some on something other than my dolls. Maybe another loopy scarf to start and I've seen a fabulous hat on a blog (woolly wormheads) that I'd love to try. One of my grandsons came today, the 7 year old. He was so proud of his picture on the front page of our local newspaper. He and his brother played the cornet at the rememberance service last Sunday and Matthew we think is the youngest person ever to play the last post at a service. He and his brother are so talented with the cornet and M can hear a tune and work out the notes and how to play it on piano, keyboard or cornet. Unlike his tone deaf gran who learned to play the cello at grammar school but gave up once I found boys:) Not cool to be lugging a big cello case around when you were trying to impress the boys.

sunday musings twas the night before Valentine's day

'Twas the night before Valentines day and I'm busy making a gift for my love. Its a tiny woman figure out of air drying clay. A symbol of my love for him a talisman to keep in his pocket to remind him of me, although this is a tad smaller:) I can't sculpt but I've had a go and although the boobs look a little lopsided its definately a woman. This is third time lucky for me. 2 bad mistakes and then the person I've been looking for all my life arrives out of the blue. I went to an open Ostara celebration 12 years ago and there he was. Do you know how you just click with some people? this was like that. It took me a long while to relax and just enjoy being with him. 2 mean horrible men dented my self confidence so badly I never thought I'd be able to lift my head.
He makes me smile, he makes my heart sing and he makes me laugh. He gave me the gift of being myself, something I'd never known before. A chance to say hello to the inner childm, the artist inside that I had always had to keep buried. Now I can make art and think "yes, I am an artist, my kind of artist who makes things for herself. " If anyone else likes my art thats a bonus.
When I can figure out how to upload photos I'll post a picture of my totem goddess.