Little Penguins

    

  

  

The little penguins decorated the window at Can Do Books in 2015.  Three of us made nearly 100 of the little sweeties.  They are crocheted and stand about 12cm tall or smaller.  I had a lot of fun dressing them in different ways.

Scottie Dog Pincushion

This is the little scottie dog salt I bought in Geelong the other day.  I made a little Harris Tweed  cushiony bit and now he is a welcome addition to the many pincushions on the craft table.

Meet Charlie

  

  

Charlie is a Parsons Jack Russell, a tall Jack Russell Terrier.  He is my friend Janette's best friend.  I was playing around with dog skeletons and wire and it ended up becoming Charlie.  Covered in knitting and embroidery, standing about 14cm tall.

2nd Hand Finds

  

  

Nice little group of finds at the Antique & Collectables shop in Geelong yesterday.  Wooden bobbins, threads, old buckles, a little crystal scottie dog, hair pins and old packet of needles.  I'm going to turn the scottie dog, which is a salt, into a pin cushion.

Advent Calendar

Christmas of 2014 I made an advent calendar for the window of Can Do Books.  The second photo shows the wrapped balls before each was revealed as December counted along.  Stephanie would take off the calico wrap.  I was so excited about making this that it only took one month to make.

Big & Little Houses

  

  

I'm working on something that is not ready to share just yet.
Thsese houses were made quite awhile ago.  The first two photos are a doorstop I made Mitchell.  The base of the house is from a jumper that my Mum knitted my Dad .  The second two photos are of a little wooden house.  I printed photos of the doorstop and attached them to the wooden house form, then knitted a roof to fit.  The doorstop is about 30cm tall, the little wooden house 13cm tall.

Little Pear

  

Decoration on a present for a new baby arriving in the new year.

Budgie Christmas Cards

This year's Christmas cards are a little budgie.  I took a flock of knitted budgies to Scotland with me on holiday, gifts for my cousins.  I thought I should keep the budgie theme going in the cards.  Not really a card as they don't open, a little pyramid of budgie.

Different Kind of 3D Printing

Since the first way didn't work, let's try something else.  Little cube cars.

3D Printing

I went to Officeworks yesterday hoping to get one of my little cars 3D printed.  I was interested in what could be done, how it would look, a bit of fun really.  Unfortunately, the scanner isn't good a picking up black or shiny.  There are black wheels and bumpers and shiny lights and revision mirrors.  There were big holes in the scan.  It was worth a try.  Now I know what can and can't be scanned.  The rest of it looked good as it picks up textures.

More Baking

Dulce de Leche Banana Bread.  A recipe from Patti Jinich, Mexican Table.  Brought on a discussion with Mitchell about why it is called bread and not cake.  The method and ingredients are cake.  A Google search did nothing to clarify either.  It came down to when the Americans came up with the recipe it was called a quick bread and it stuck.

Tree Topper Apparatus

  



This is my first tree topper I have ever made.  How to attach it to the tree?  I did a bit of research and fount the main two ways are a spike and a coil.  I ended up buying a tree topper that I was happy to remove the decoration.  I snipped off the loop at the top and initially covered the whole thing in a tube of knitting.  When it came to attaching the fairy I removed the spike part and put on a small disc platform.  At first I pinned the fairy to this to see if it would work.  But the coil did the coily/springy thing and the fairy was very unstable.  I made a larger disc platform and secured it further down the coil a bit.  She was still a little unstable, but once on something secure is fine.  I made a cone that fit under the coil for the fairy to stand on while not on the tree.

Fairy Tree Topper Info

I used some other designer's patterns for the little fairy.  Her hands, body and head are a Kerry Lord, Edward's Menagerie pattern, with modifications.  The sweet little shoes are from Knitted Animal Friends by Louise Crowther, with changes to the strap to accomodate the buckle.  The dove is my own pattern.  Feet, hair, top, wings, etc, I made up as I went along.  The yarn used in the cardigan is from The Noble Fox Yarn Co.

Fairy Tree Topper

  

  

  

  

This is what I have been working on, a commission for a fairy tree topper, delivered yesterday.  Inspired by the lovely lady's daughter.  Standing about 34cm from base of spiral to top of head.  The fairy is crocheted, the dove knitted, the wings are wrapped wire, and the mistletoe crocheted.

Even Smaller Christmas Gnomes

      

    

    

      

I transported these little gnomes in a bowl to Can Do Books the day we did the shop Christmas decorations, and they stayed in the bowl.  On a stool near the register.  These little ones are about 8cm tall and cost $10 each.  There are twelve designs and four of each design in the bowl.   If you are interested in buying a gnome, or anything other decoration, contact Stephanie, Paul or Duncan via their website:   www.candobooks.com or phone 1300 308 261.  Or go to their lovely shop, it is located at 39 Clifford Street, Huntingdale, Victoria 3166.