Doorstops & Pincushions

 


These decorated the first Christmas window I did at Can Do Books six years ago.

A Pile of Christmas Gnomes

Getting things together to decorate Can Do Books.  I haven't made anything new this year, going to use reindeer, gnomes and the big green wreath.  This pile of gnomes needs to be sorted and priced.  Decorating on Friday, so photos to follow.

Something Different

A spot of knitting.

Protecting My Fingers

working the thread and wire I have been pulling the stitches quite firmly.  I was getting friction cuts on my index and little fingers.  A trip to our first aid drawer and got some stretchy bandage, cut a couple to strips.  This gives the fingers a bit of cushioning and unlike bandaids, doesn't leave any sticky residue.  I can also easily remove and reuse them.

Sausage Rolls

I made sausage rolls for dinner last night.  I reminded me of our first night of our UK holiday.  Getting in late, we stayed at a motel close to Edinburgh airport.  We wanted something to eat.  The motel didn't have room service, but you could order food at the bar and take it to your room.  A sausage roll we thought would be good, not too big a meal.  What turned up were sausages in a roll.  Something lost in translation.

Wire Work

Using wire and thread in the latest project.  Hmmmmm.

Embroidered Eyes

I need eyes for my current project.  The safety eyes were really quite dark because there are no whites to those eyes.  So I embroidered some eyes.  This photo is quite zoomed in, you can clearly see the weave of the linen fabric.  These eyes are an improvement on the safety eyes, they still need to be happier, more smiling eyes.  The hair in the eye has been removed by the way.

The Jardineire

This sweet little three legged pot was on a shelf in the bar ar the Ruthin Castle.  I love it's shape, colour and character.  Julie Arkell talked about how she started working in paper mâché to make a vase she had seen and wanted.  Sounds like a plan.

Wire Dog

  



My birthday present this year was doing the workshop with Julie Arkell.  To have something to open on my birthday Piers also bought me this sweet little dog.  He bought it at the Ruthin Craft Centre shop.  It is by artist Sarah Jane Brown.  He now is very happy among the other creatures in the craft room.

Dachshund Kit

A lovely delivery yesterday, a needle felting kit from Domenica More Gordon to make a Sausage Dog.  It will have to wait though, too many things on the craft room table at the moment.

Mice & Clowns

  

Over the last few weeks I have been working on our photo album.  I used to use iPhoto, but on a recent update I was locked out of that app.  Piers was able to salvage the files so they could be moved into Photos, but each year had to be moved individually.  We have taken a LOT of photos over the years, so this process took days to do.  Once they had been successfully moved, it became obvious that for some reason (and the no duplicates were selected on the move), but not with all photos, there were duplicates, sometimes five copies of the one photo.  It has also done that face recognition thing and made new photos of all the faces, even background ones.  It didn't just make little thumbnails of these faces, they are now new photos, and again duplicates and multiples of all the faces.  I have now had to work my way through and basically select every second photo to delete.  This is a very slow process as it takes hours for the computer to delete the photos, and if the computer goes to sleep, the process has to start again for that selection.  As you can tell, its been a long drawn out process and I am over it, but not finished yet.
On the up side, I have been looking over all our photos from the years.  There have been a lot of cake decorating ones.  These two were from when Mitchell was at primary school.  The little mice are cut up lollies on coconut balls and were sold at one of the fetes.  The clowns on chocolate cupcakes were for Mitchell's fifth or sixth birthday.

Little Shoe

I made a shoe yesterday, and as small as it is, it needs to be smaller, and different style.

Two Hands

Finished the second hand.  The pattern is from Kerry Lord's Edward's Crochet Doll Emporium book. I have wired up the fingers and arms.  This will be a Christmas decoration, not a doll to play with.

Cupcakes and a Crocheted Hand

  

That's what I made yesterday.

Mister Finch

  

  



When we were at Yorkshire Sculpture Park Mister Finch's (British textile artist) Perilune was in the gift shop.  (Sorry the photos aren't great, the light was a bit contrasting.)  A lovely hare sculpture.  I was so happy to see his work up close.

New Book

  

  

Yesterday was the first Sit & Stitch in ages.  Lovely get together with some lovely women.  Came home with this sweet little book, lots of clothes options to play with.

Meet Jacob

  

Jacob the dog is finished.  Jacob is a rescued dog, with quite a lot of issues, that has found a very safe and loving home.  The family are expecting their first baby.  The pattern is from Kerry Lord's Edward's Menagerie Dogs book, and I have added embroidered details.  Jacob the crocheted dog is not quite soft and squishy for a baby, but is certainly young child safe, minus the scarf.

Paws & Claws

The basic pattern for this dog is a Kerry Lord one.  I'm taking it further to give him detail to look like a particular dog.

Latest Project

Fi
nished all the parts of my new project. It’s a dog by the way.

Cookie Cutters

While on holidays I couldn't help but add to my cookie cutter collection.  Big tin of circles, musical note, snowflakes, a little flower, and squirrel.  The second photo shows how big the new tin of circles is, the one on the right is the old set.