Happy Easter!

[A visit to a daffodil farm - hoping to go back when more plants are flowering!]

Wishing everyone a very Happy Easter!

Absence

I just want to stop by and say I'm sorry for my absence lately. I even missed posting a Tried & Tested last week, and I'm not entirely sure I'll manage a Photography post this week either.

I haven't been creating much at all. New medication led to insomnia, which resulted in sleeping tablets and my sleep pattern getting more messed up. And the medication is causing other issues which I just pray sorts itself out...!

The bad stuff has continued to loom over us, and who knows when that is all going to end.

I have however made a huge amount of progress in transforming my art room... Photos definitely coming soon!

ROAR! [Lion Card]

For my nephew's 4th Birthday :)

fluffy wool mane • cutting and sticking • fuzzy felt nose

ROAR!

By The River Dee

 

Mother's Day Cards

Yup, more butterflies!

I was thinking about the other painted backgrounds I have been working on recently (here, here and here), and given that my art room is currently being redone, I decided to experiment with watercolours!

I love the atmosphere that water colour can create when used like this, and I added some gold acrylic just to add some lift. I was going to leave the cards as they were, but the areas of colour reminded me of mythical creatures, fairies, dragonflies and butterflies, and I couldn't resist a finishing touch.

Tried and Tested Tip Number 27 [Ornate Crochet Butterfly I]

Included in my list of crochet butterfly patterns that I wish to try are several ornate designs from My Picot.

This particular butterfly is pattern #7006, and can be found within the butterfly section.

The butterflies in the patterns are ornate, detailed and beautiful. But they are also even more complex and fiddly than they look! They have not been quick and easy makes for me (I have tried two different designs so far, I'll share them all with you over time). Although, my difficulties haven't been helped by having to learn how to read crochet diagrams as I've gone along (I'm used to a written pattern), and discovering new stitches too! My Picot do have a great section on crochet terms and symbols, which has been invaluable reference! And... I may have altered the pattern slightly at times, when I thought there was an easier way to achieve the same look!

This butterfly is worked in a fine wool with a 2.5mm crochet hook, and measures approx 13cm across and 10cm high. As fiddly as I am finding these patterns, I am determined to persevere! I am sticking to this colour scheme, and I think they will look beautiful as a wall display when I am done!

Have you ever tried any My Picot patterns? How have you found them?

Works In Progress

Things are still very difficult around these parts... My health is still making it very difficult to write a sentence; our house is in progress; and I don't have a very nice week ahead of me. Finished projects aren't really happening around here just now, and my plan for 1 big project a month during 2013 has failed miserably thanks to everything going on. Sigh.

Anyway, to share something a bit more positive with you, I have two works in progress!

 

Yes, this is a Christmas stocking. Yes, it is March. I figured the only way I would ever even start to make it through my Christmas to-make list was to work on it all year round! A long way to go, though... And I'm going to be awfully cheeky and save all the finished posts until November ;)

Can you tell what it is yet? Seriously, cookies if you can work it out. Or Creme Eggs, maybe? The box is there to give you an idea of the scale this project is. It's big. And not even half finished. And yes, there are 6 sides big grey pieces. Rather boring to crochet ;) Very good for taking places though, as no pattern to follow :D Anyone want to block it for me?!

So yes, hopefully I will have more exciting stuff to share soon! There's definitely a few cards in the works...