tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43113449474853745232024-02-20T17:09:17.934+00:00Susie F HandmadeSusan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-79036527083669768912016-06-29T14:03:00.003+01:002016-06-29T14:06:03.827+01:00Roald Dahl handmade children's quiltsSomewhere in the midst of my maternity leave I made progress on a pair of matching Roald Dahl quilts for the kids. (With names like James and Matilda, it would be rude not to, really...)<br />
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Behold quilt number one!<br />
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Thing 1 seems very happy with it. <br />
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Unfortunately its twin is suffering from Second Quilt Syndrome. (Thing 2 is blissfully unaware of this as she hasn't got a big girl bed yet). But I really ought to get on with it. I've done all the hard bits and assembled the top and prepared the sandwich layers. All I need to do is quilt the damn thing. If only the allure of shiny new projects weren't so strong... <br />
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The idea for these came about after a friend drew my attention to Ashley Wilde's <a href="http://www.ashleywildegroup.co.uk/fabrics/roald-dahl-fantabulous-fabrics/">Fantabulous Fabrics</a> range.<br />
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Shortly afterwards I found a seller on eBay who had most of the range in stock, and I chose a selection from our favourite books - ranging from fat quarters to full metre lengths.<br />
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Once I saw the fabrics all together, I cursed the designer for her wanton randomness in the sizing and layout of the illustrations. I spent ages pondering how on earth to combine these into a coherent quilt design and then stuffed them in a carrier bag and forgot about them for the obligatory 4 months.<br />
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In the end, I decided that the best option was to create a set of regulation 10" squares from my stash, in mixed blues - then applique the illustrations onto these, to look like picture frames. So I cut out and assembled the illustrations and had a go at laying it all out ...and the rest is history.<br />
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As for wadding, I chose to use Dream Puff, which I particularly like for kids' quilts. It washes and dries extremely well and is very lightweight but has a nice element of cosiness. (In this case I used it single but you can also double it up for extra loft if, like me, you are fond of quilts with a high floof-factor.)<br />
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<br />Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-19508294609336376372015-10-11T15:34:00.000+01:002016-06-29T15:53:49.654+01:00More baby knits and a grown-up hatI'm finally clicking 'publish' on a handful of posts that I wrote ages ago and failed to put live.<br />
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This one is to share a flurry of hat and scarf knits... (I realise I may have a slight hat problem).<br />
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First up - I made this teeny little <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/susie-f/robins-in-a-row"><b>robin hat</b></a>.<br />
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This was inspired by a lovely lady called Ange Smith on Ravelry, who won a Coats competition to design a Christmas jumper. Her gorgeous robins in the snow design was turned into a free pattern that you can <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/robins-in-a-row">see and download here</a>.<br />
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Given that the chances of me knitting a whole jumper anytime soon are close to zero, I asked Ange's permission to make a baby hat inspired by her design - and she told me to go right ahead. So I recreated a down-scaled version of the chart in Excel, with decreases for the crown.<br />
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My hat is made from <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "lucida sans unicode" , "lucida grande" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Drops Baby Merino, a sport-weight yarn that's lovely and soft. Knitted on 3mm needles it turned out very cute but - alas - a bit too small for my 5 mth old, so it found its way instead to a newborn who arrived in December.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "lucida sans unicode" , "lucida grande" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Lots of people have subsequently asked for a copy of my amended chart, so I contacted Coats and they gave me permission to share it freely, on the condition that I make it clear that this is not a Coats design, but my own adapted work. If anyone wants a copy, you can <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3ibivZ5ex6mVFNHR1k1RlROTWs">download it here</a>. (Just bear in mind that it was created for my own use and has not been through a team of pattern testers).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "lucida sans unicode" , "lucida grande" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Next up is a <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/susie-f/baby-tassels-hat-4"><b>little angora baby hat</b></a> made from a gorgeous, floofy hand-spun angora that's been languishing in my stash for years. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "lucida sans unicode" , "lucida grande" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">I held the yarn double to get DK weight and case on 64 stitches and knit in the round. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13.2px;">The result is lovely and soft, like a fluffy cloud, but not too sneezy.</span></div>
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The ribbing is P2, K2 and the cable pattern is a very simple 6-row repeat of:<br />
- Row 1: <em>P2, K6</em> repeat to end<br />
- Rows 2-5: repeat Row 1<br />
- Row 6: <em>P2, C6F</em> repeat to end</div>
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You could easily upsize the hat by casting on additional stitches in multiples of 8 and knitting until it is as tall as you want.</div>
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Finish using 3-needle bind off and add pom poms.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "lucida sans unicode" , "lucida grande" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Next up is this <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/susie-f/baby-toddler-scarf"><b>stripey baby scarf</b></a>. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "lucida sans unicode" , "lucida grande" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Another weeny little knit that I couldn't resist making after I discovered a rainbow-hued multi-pack of tiny 10g yarn balls in Tiger.</span><br />
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It’s a fairly naff acrylic but what the hell. <span style="font-size: 13.2px;">I just cast on 20 stitches and striped the colours in a K1, P1 pattern, striping every second row. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.2px;">I ended up doing 18 stripes of each colour and used the leftovers to make tiny pom-poms.</span></div>
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It’s being modelled here by my 8 month old but I doubt she’ll use it much until next winter, by which time she’ll be walking (and hopefully less likely to suck it to death or get tangled up in it). <span style="font-size: 13.2px;">I might try to make a little hat to go with it - it would be so cheering on a grey, winter day.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "lucida sans unicode" , "lucida grande" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Last, but not least, is this <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/susie-f/s23-42a-fideli-hat"><b>fair isle hat</b></a> that I made for myself!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "lucida sans unicode" , "lucida grande" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">I used Drops Merino Extra Fine, which is lovely and not at all itchy (hooray!). The pattern is also based on a Drops one called Fideli, but I took a few liberties with it and amended the fair isle every now and then to show off my colours better.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "lucida sans unicode" , "lucida grande" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">I am very pleased with it and so far it's had loads of wear through the cold months.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "lucida sans unicode" , "lucida grande" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></span>Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-75981784515456090042015-03-02T14:18:00.000+00:002016-06-29T15:37:35.882+01:00Knitting for Thing 1 and Thing 2Dear blog, I seem to have gone into total crafty overdrive recently. I'm not sure what's going on but, somewhere between being pregnant again and having a few reclusive days off work, I seem to have rediscovered my creative mojo and have barely restrained myself from compulsive making.<br />
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I'm using this post to share a pair of Nordic style mittens that I made for Thing 1, and a couple of little hat designs that I've been working on for Thing 2 (the girlbot who's still cooking in the oven).<br />
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First up - here are the mittens. <br />
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These were made at speed during such a cold week in January that I really wanted to get them finished and onto my son's fingers as soon as possible. I used a pattern that I found on <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/susie-f/child-mitten---traditional-pattern">ravelry </a>that forced me to pay close attention to charts for a few days.<br />
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The main challenge was that the pattern is charted for a light background whereas I was working with a dark background, hence I constantly wanted to knit white when I should have been knitting grey and vice versa. In the end I had to print a negative copy of the chart, just for my own sanity! <br />
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Also the mitts turned out pretty big, so they're held on with elastic and I reckon they'll do the boylet for a few years if he manages not to lose them (suffice to say they are tied into his coat!) <br />
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Moving onto Thing 2, if there is one certainty in this yet-to-be-seen life, it is that she will never be short of hats. Not only will she inherit a stash of hats that I made for Thing 1, but I can't seem to stop making and designing new ones for her.<br />
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First up is this simple little fair isle hat, which is a variation on a hat I designed for the boybot when he was in my tum. (His was stripey). At some point I'll put this pattern up on ravelry as a variation of the free pattern that's already there.<br />
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Secondly, I have had some fun designing and charting this rather thick and woolly farm-themed hat. This test knit has shown me that there is scope to reduce my charts a bit to make a less tall and floppy hat. So I will probably share the charts and pattern on ravelry once I've perfected them<br />
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I've popped back and edited this to show the hat on baby's head! Still haven't got round to writing up and sharing the chart. Tsk!<br />
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<br />Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-89879225616955775542015-02-01T11:51:00.000+00:002015-02-01T11:57:42.599+00:00New baby quiltHaving a couple of days off work this week was a luxury that enabled me to do something I've been meaning to for ages. Behold my new baby cot quilt!<br />
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This was made using one and a half Moda charm packs and a gorgeous delft patterned cotton fabric on the back.<br />
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The wadding is a high loft one called <i>Dream Puff</i> and it is extremely light and floofy. I've also gone so far as to use the wadding doubled up in this quilt, just because I have a real soft spot for puffy, fat quilts. I know it's not to everyone's taste - I just have a nostalgic yen for the big, puffy eiderdowns of my childhood. My sewing machine seemed to cope ok with the extra puffiness on a cot sized quilt, but if I ever want to do a double bed one I think I'll have to try a quilt-as-you-go method.<br />
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I've got enough charm squares left to make a couple of little matching quilted pillow cases, which I'm dying to finish but I want to back them with the same blue fabric as the quilt and, alas, I didn't buy enough. So I have to wait for some more to arrive in the post before I can do the pillows. Tsk!<br />
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Thing 2 is going to be in a tiny co-sleeper crib for the first 6 months or so, so my plan is to use this as a floor quilt/play quilt until next winter, when she'll be old enough to move into a 'big girl' cot.<br />
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But here's how it looks when modelled on Thing 1's bed...<br />
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<br />Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-18063778345531609872015-01-31T15:07:00.000+00:002015-01-31T15:07:16.579+00:00Liberty Tana Lawn Baby BonnetsI once vowed to myself that, if I ever became pregnant with a girl, I'd make one of these adorable little <a href="http://www.purlbee.com/2013/11/24/corinnes-thread-winter-baby-bonnet/">Purl Bee bonnets</a> using Liberty Tana Lawn. <br />
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Well - the time has come, and I am one to stick to my guns! And it's such a lovely pattern. Crisp and fun and spring-link on the outside, but warm and snuggly on the inside.<br />
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As it was, I couldn't decide which colour of Liberty lawn fabric to go for, so I ended up making two...<br />
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The fleece lining used in the original pattern is an organic sherpa material that's hard to source in the UK, so I substituted mine with a very close match, using an organic hemp fleece from a UK supplier called <a href="http://www.ecoearthfabrics.co.uk/">Eco Earth Fabrics</a>. As far as I can tell it's almost identical, though possibly a bit more lightweight. It has a smooth side and a fleecy side and has worked really well with the pattern for a spring bonnet. It's also incredibly soft.<br />
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Once I have a tiny baby's head to put inside these bonnets I'll update the pics so that you can see what it looks like on. (For now, my ironing board is doing its best job at modelling!)<br />
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Amazingly, I also have some more knitting and quilting to share in my next posts... suffice to say it's been a mega-crafty month for me.Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-12910091977912614452015-01-31T14:46:00.000+00:002015-02-01T11:36:11.304+00:00Making a sewing kit for your pre-schoolerSomething that warmed the cockles of my crafty heart this morning was watching the Microbe's intent little face as he fed a huge plastic needle through the pre-punched holes of a little sewing kit that I'd made him. He wasn't very well today and it was a perfect activity for a sick boy on a rainy day.<br />
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He had his very first go at sewing at Christmas, courtesy of a <i>Mister Maker</i> hand-puppet kit and it struck me the that 3 1/2 is an ideal age to start gathering together your very first bits and pieces for sewing.<br />
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After a quick sift through 8,000 candy-pink kits on the internet, I decided that it would be more fun, and probably cheaper, to put together my own customised sewing kit for him, tailored to his interests.<br />
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Behold - the sewing menagerie!<br />
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I made these little animal kits just by cutting out shapes from scraps of felt and punching holes around the edges using a leather punch. Luckily I had a little stash of felt at home, but I noticed that Poundland also sells multi-packs of brightly-coloured A5 sized pieces. The stuffing is salvaged from a bit of left over quilt wadding, but you could just as easily use offcuts of yarn as stuffing.<br />
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The yarn in his kit is from Poundland. Not the nicest quality acrylic, to be honest, but it's ideal for this purpose and you get 3 balls for £2. I re-wound a selection of colours into tiny balls and have also supplemented it since with a handful of brightly coloured <i>Lion Brand <a href="http://www.deramores.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=bonbons">Bonbons</a></i>. (These are the world's cutest and tiniest sample-size yarn balls, discovered thanks to my highly enabling friend, Charlotte!)<br />
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The other thing I've added to his kit, thanks to a great suggestion from a friend, is a few sheets of plastic aida with large holes. You can leave them blank or draw shapes on these using a sharpie, for a child to sew along. At some point I might add some large-holed buttons too, so he can play with sewing those on. As for needles, you can get sets of children's plastic needles for around £1 on eBay or Amazon.<br />
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So far all of our bits and bobs are residing in a little cardboard box - but a lovely friend of ours has bought him this fab little animal-themed sewing box, which looks absolutely perfect!<br />
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So - if you know any tiny people that love to craft, I'd definitely recommend spending a happy afternoon putting together a little kit like this. Applique templates online can be a good source of ideas for simple shapes that will work in felt.<br />
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<br />Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-49594200356140946932015-01-31T13:38:00.003+00:002015-01-31T13:39:07.639+00:00Knitted fox and raccoon<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">Having a couple of weeks off work over our drizzly festive period, I somehow found my knitting mojo and made a couple of fun little projects for my son.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">Firstly, say hello to Mr Fox....</span></div>
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The fox is a slightly customised version of a pattern for an adult neck, using Sirdar Snowflake yarn. It's essentially a cross between a cuddly toy and a garment and, while arranging it around the boybot’s neck, I found myself wondering whether the effect was closer to Davy Crocket or Liberace. But he seems to like it, either way. The full details and pattern are on Ravelry <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/susie-f/mr-fox-stole-my-heart--mini-fox">here</a>. </div>
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Next up is Mr Raccon. He was commissioned immediately by the boy after receiving the fox "because I haven't GOT a raccoon, mummy!" </div>
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He's based on a pattern called Backyard Bandits and, once again, the full details can be found on Ravelry, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/susie-f/backyard-bandits">here</a>. He's supposed to have a cotton bandana around his neck, but a scarf seemed more in keeping with the English winter.</div>
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Happy crafting, all!</div>
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Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-31421195763375152892015-01-28T16:58:00.003+00:002015-01-28T16:58:59.928+00:00Little quiltsI've been meaning for some time to mention my latest fad, which is quilting! It started last summer when I made this fun farmyard quilt for my son's toddler bed.<br />
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This is what some might call a cheat’s quilt, in that the central panel of the quilt is a printed image, so all I had to do was assemble the quit with wadding and a backing and quilt around the animal shapes. The wadding is a nice high-loft one and the backing is a piece of pinstripe sheeting. I also added a border, to increase the size of the quilt for his toddler bed, and edged it with 2-inch bias binding.<br />
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This gave me the bug - so I decided that my second project would be a baby quilt for a friend's nweborn girl. This time I used a Moda charm pack to make up a patchwork quilt from squares.<br />
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Once again I added a border for added width and then 'stitched in the ditch' to quilt it. And, again, I used a fairly high loft wadding as I really like a quilt to have some ‘floof factor’. I made my own bias binding this time from some jelly-roll strips.<br />
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I’m planning to make a similar baby quilt imminently for my own little ‘Thing 2’ who is currently being baked in my tummy. I might even double up on wadding this time, for extra floof! I will be sure to post when it's done...<br />
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I also happen to have enough Liberty squares stashed to make a full size patchwork quilt for my bed, but I'm not yet sure whether my regular sewing machine will be able to cope with the bulk of a big floofy quilt. Hmmm. Maybe a bit ambitious!<br />
<br />Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-60279601736566172692015-01-04T15:25:00.000+00:002015-01-28T16:43:41.121+00:00Silver Clay Flower Pendant<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Well hello there, dear old blogspot. Do you remember me? </span><br />
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For anyone curious, metal clay is essentially powdered metal (in this case silver) held together with a binder that makes it behave like a clay.<br />
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You can buy it in tiny little quantities of 5 or 10 grams and make your own custom jewellery items such as pendants, charms, rings and even bracelets. You can also get it in syringes for fine work and in paste form, which is useful for making repairs and 'glueing' bits of clay together before firing.<br />
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When it comes out of the packet, you'd never know it was made of silver as it's a greyish white colour and behaves a lot like an ordinary clay. You can roll it out and shape it into anything of your choosing and I suspect anyone who's good at sugarcraft would find metal clay a breeze. (I used sugarcrafting tools to help with the cutting and shaping of this piece.)<br />
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A word of warning is that it does want to dry out very quickly. I found the trickiest element overall was having to model my fiddly flower shape at speed.<br />
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Because I was making a pendant, I punched a hole in the middle of the flower so that I could feed through a sterling silver wire, which was attached at the back to a silver hanging loop. These were secured in place to the main flower shape using silver clay paste.<br />
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Once I was happy with the flower shape, I let it air dry on a piece of mesh before firing it on my gas hob for a few minutes.<br />
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Incidentally, I advise NOT dropping it en route to the hob. This stuff is more fragile than an egg-shell and I ended up making so many repairs to my piece with watered-down silver paste that I might as well have started again.<br />
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Firing is where the magic happens. The binder burns away and, before you know it, your clay has turned into a piece of solid silver. (For those who don't have a gas hob, you can also use a blowtorch).<br />
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You can't tell that it has become silver straight away, as it still looks white and chalky, but as long as you've followed the instructions and fired for the right number of minutes, have faith and take it off the hob. I picked my piece up with tweezers and left it to cool for a few minutes before burnishing. If you drop it at this point, it will go "clang" like a piece of metal (ask me how I know)<br />
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Burnishing is the final step. This is where you rub the fired piece all over using a metal object, which can be anything from a special burnishing tool to a large paperclip. As soon as you start, you'll begin to see the silver sheen revealing itself, which is rather exciting.<br />
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The more you burnish, the shinier your finished piece will be.<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Once mine was polished to a high shine all over, my final touch was to trim the piece of silver wire that was sticking out of the front so that it was just long enough to hold a freshwater pearl bead, which I secured using jewellery glue and this now forms the centre of the flower.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">I must confess that it's been a year or so since I sent my metal clay and its paraphernalia up to the hobby graveyard (aka the loft) but </span>I fully intend to get it back out again at some point.</span>Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-54913056580016826622014-12-07T17:06:00.000+00:002015-01-28T17:12:53.702+00:00Adventures with Lino PrintingThis is just a quick post to share some little lino prints that I made using <a href="http://www.twenty-twenty.co.uk/gifts-and-cards/block-printing-kit/prod_876.html">this lovely kit</a> that my partner bought me for Christmas.<div>
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I'd been meaning to have a go at lino printing for years, having often admired other people's work, and it was great fun to finally get stuck in. </div>
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For my first go I carved an image based on one of my own paintings from years ago, and ran off a few prints. </div>
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For the second image, I tried something new. I had the idea that planning out my design using white chalk on black paper would feel as close as possible to the creative process of lino-carving - (i.e. if I can get it to work using white chalk, then it ought to work as a carved out piece of lino... yes?)</div>
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As it turned out, the theory was quite right and I'd recommend it. However I did make a few clumsy cutting errors in this one that stopped the final image from being quite as successful as I'd hoped. Lino is nothing if not unforgiving!</div>
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Now I have the bug - I just need to find the time to do some more... </div>
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Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-72911657525539008372014-11-22T19:36:00.004+00:002015-01-28T16:43:32.328+00:00Honeycomb tissue paperHello dear old craft blog. Here's a rapid fly-by just to mention my recent discovery of honeycomb paper... <br />
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I presume this is the stuff that paper xmas decorations are made of, but I hadn't realised you could buy it in sheets for crafty shenanigans. Good old Pinterest enlightened me and the microbe and I have had a go at using it today for a trio of children's 'pop-up' birthday cards. <br />
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If you're in the UK and fancy giving it a try, you can get honeycomb paper on Amazon and Ebay. (Mine came from a seller called <i>Lyndie's Craft</i>).</div>
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The sheets are a bit smaller than A4 and it seems as though you can cut out pretty much any shape in cross-section in order to get a 3d effect. I expect you could use it to make a garland of paper spheres too.</div>
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Well... that's it. A fly-by as promised. Toodle pip.</div>
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<br />Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-1276929785433025072014-10-12T16:03:00.000+01:002015-01-28T16:43:19.185+00:00Adventures with ProMarker PensThis post is dedicated to my discovery of some great little pens that are a joy to draw with and can be layered almost like watercolour paint.<br />
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These Letraset Promarkers come in 1001 colours and are really marketed at graphic and comic-book artists, but a local painter named <a href="http://www.stephaniewilkinson.co.uk/swpatterns01.htm">Stephanie Wilkinson</a> showed me how you can use them with high grade watercolour paper to get quite a different result.<br />
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It was in her workshop that I did this sample piece, using a style that she refers to as ‘pattern painting’.<br />
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Unlike graphic paper, which gives you a flat, comic finish, the watercolour paper sucks the ink straight out of the nib, giving a deeply saturated and almost painterly effect. Admittedly you get through twice as many pens this way, but I guess that's the price for such a vivid finish.<br />
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You can also layer them and, because they flow so well, I've found them very enjoyable to draw with. It's also a much more casual affair than getting out my paints and easel and so on, meaning that time-poor people like me can enjoy doing impromptu little sketches far more often than before.<br />
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After my session with Stephanie I had fun banging out this series of informal little sketches at home, mainly to amuse my animal-mad son. I'm sure I'll be playing with these pens some more, when the urge next hits...<br />
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<br />Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-9312317626034685052014-04-06T16:16:00.000+01:002015-01-28T16:43:02.606+00:00Customised Toddler T-shirtsLast weekend I had the idea of making customised t-shirts for my son, which started with a brief flurry of activity using special printer paper that you iron onto fabric such as t-shirts and tote bags, and ended with applique.<br />
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For transfers, there are two types of paper available - one is designed for ironing onto white fabric and the other for dark fabric. The white version works by printing in mirror-mode. You have to prepare and print your image as a mirror version of your end result - then you simply place your printed image face down on the t-shirt and iron over it.<br />
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This worked pretty well, and I made three animal-themed shirts, all of which went down very well with the microbe...<br />
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The dark paper works differently. You print in regular (non-mirror) mode and then peel off an (almost impossible-to discern) backing sheet before ironing the image onto the shirt through a layer of silicone paper.<br />
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I'm afraid to say that this stuff was a total flop for me. It seemed like I had to hold the iron over it for a <i>decade</i> before the image would think about adhering to the t-shirt and, even then, it transferred so thinly that the colour of the t-shirt showed through. I don't know what I did wrong. I was sure I'd followed the instructions - but perhaps my iron is just not suitable.<br />
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After this failure, I had a much better idea - applique! I'd never done this before but decided to have a go using some of my Liberty scraps.<br />
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I used an approach that gives you nice neat shapes with no raw edges. As a first step, you draw your desired shape freehand onto a piece of interfacing. Then you sew it together with a fabric scrap, with the right side facing inwards, stitching all the way around your drawn outline.<br />
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As a last step, you cut a slit in the interfacing and turn the while thing inside-out and iron it flat, leaving a lovely applique shape with no raw edges, ready to sew onto the t-shirt. (I attached mine simply by zig-zagging all the way around the edges on my sewing machine)<br />
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I love the results of these applique experiments and I'd like to do more. Next time I might see whether it makes a difference to use iron-on interfacing, to get the applique fully adhered before sewing around the edges.<br />
<br />Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-29449984297415767872014-01-31T14:31:00.000+00:002015-01-28T16:42:35.362+00:00Gretel beret - knitted at last!It's hard to believe but I actually knat something to completion last week. <br />
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We shall not talk about the HEINOUS number of UFOs that continue to languish in every cranny of my flat. It turns out that, if I want to actually complete something, hats are where it's at. <br />
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So - here be Gretel... only 3 years later than intended.<br />
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Made using Rowan Silky Tweed in 'Bolero', purchased on a whim thanks to the highly-enabling post-Xmas sale at Black Sheep Wools. As always, full details are on <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/susie-f/gretel">Ravelry</a>. <br />
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When I added this pattern to my queue in 2010 I imagined I'd make it in grey, as with every other thing that I knit for myself. But in the end I rather like it in pink. And pink goes with grey... right?<br />
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I decided to use some of the leftover yarn to make a curly scarf to go with it but the finished product isn't quite hitting the spot for me. I think it wants to belong to a small girl, really, so for now it's languishing on a wardrobe shelf.<br />
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Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-63791453393151929932013-12-17T17:16:00.000+00:002014-09-08T14:37:51.843+01:00Quick, easy and festive birdseed cakesDo you fancy feeding the birds AND doing something fun with a small child?<br />
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This is a quick fly-by to share <a href="http://smilemonsters.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/bird-treats.html">this brilliant and easy recipe</a> for birdseed cakes. I followed this lady's instructions and it worked perfectly and made a gazillion of them.<br />
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All you need is bird seed, flour, water and syrup - and something like a cookie cutter to mould them in. You can make any shape but as it's December I have made mine festive.<br />
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Now I just have to find a cat-proof place to hang them! Hope the birds like them... <br />
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<i>(NB: the recipe suggests corn syrup but if you are in the UK it's easier to use golden syrup and works just as well.)</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2901847/?claim=666ysfmcpnk">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-8879279821801830172013-12-12T14:33:00.001+00:002015-01-28T16:43:51.824+00:00Toddler's Own Christmas TreeA little while ago I was inspired by <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/154177987216888166/">this link</a> on Pinterest for a toddler-friendly Christmas tree that little ones can decorate and un-decorate at will, so I decided to have a go. (Essentially it's just a giant fuzzy felt tree - how hard could it be?)<br />
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I decide to make a stiff one with a cardboard skeleton, so that I could hang it on a panelled door, so I started by cutting out a tree shape from the side of a large cardboard box...<br />
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Next I went on the lookout for green felt. After a bit of googling I discovered that there is such a thing as sticky-back felt - hooray! You can get it at various places but I eventually ordered mine online from <a href="http://colour-full-felt.co.uk/">here </a>and also a mixed bundle of coloured felt squares and some spotty felt from ebay.<br />
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Once the felt arrived it was just a case of sticking it on and cutting out bauble and present shapes. I glued the presents around the base with a glue gun but the baubles and the star are all designed for maximum toddler fiddling.<br />
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I think the microbe likes it...<br />
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(The only trouble I'm having now is getting it to stay on the door using white-tac - it keeps popping off, so I'm thinking hanging it on a picture hook instead.)<br />
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<br />Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-69813291353240832662012-10-06T12:49:00.002+01:002014-01-21T15:41:35.497+00:00Book Release - ta-daaa!Hooray! After an <i>almost</i> craft-free year of toddler-rearing, I am excited to announce some actual crafty news. <br />
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Readers with a very good memory might remember me mentioning that I took on a small job with Dorling Kindersley last year to author the soapmaking chapter of their new all-round Craft Book. <br />
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Fast-forward by 12 months... and ta-daaa! The book has just been released in time for Christmas 2012.<br />
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As you can see, they have gone for the same 'vintage-style' cover design as the partner book entitled <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1409384632/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1409384632&linkCode=as2&tag=susflopaiandf-21">Dressmaking</a>. <br />
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It was such a lovely surprise when my copy landed with a heavy thunk from the postman last week. Now that I've had time to take a good look through it, I'd say it's looking like an ideal book for multi-crafters and anyone who likes to try their hand at different things. The crafts include a very wide range of pursuits, including furniture-painting, wirework, sillk and glass-painting, metal-clay moulding, patchwork and lots more.<br />
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Each chapter starts with a clear step-by-step how-to guide on the craft in question, followed by a series of specific projects to make at home.<br />
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Does anyone fancy a sneak preview of my soapmaking chapter? Here are snapshots of a few of the pages... <br />
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In case anyone out there is inspired enough to want to buy the book...<br />
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<li>UK readers can buy it from Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1409383903/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1409383903&linkCode=as2&tag=susflopaiandf-21">here</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=susflopaiandf-21&l=as2&o=2&a=1409383903" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> </li>
<li>US readers can buy it under this slightly different name: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1409383903/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1409383903&linkCode=as2&tag=susflopaian05-20">Craft (Dk Crafts)</a></li>
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Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-43210022817087210432012-02-08T21:40:00.002+00:002012-02-08T21:41:28.431+00:00And now for something completely differentWell hello there! I've been living in a crafty vacuum since Microboy was born, but I might have developed a very slight Pottery Cafe habit of late. Today I picked up these two bowls that I painted last week. <br />
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No idea what I will do with them. Apparently they are 'baby bowls' but - really? Who on earth gives ceramic bowls to babies? I suppose they might make a brief but appealing sight as they go frisbeeing past my head. Personally I think they are more realistic as cereal bowls. Not that I need any new bowls at all. Oh well. I might find a use for them somewhere.<br />
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In more exciting news, this week I received the sample layouts for my soapmaking chapter in the new craft book. The photography looks really nice. I'm still not sure when the book will come into the shops, but I'll be sure to post an update when it does.Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-55341854452254530902011-10-21T16:45:00.002+01:002011-11-03T16:29:40.098+00:00News! And what I have been up to...Yeep! It's been ages since I updated. But in fact I have been ludicrously busy on the craft front and I have two things to mention...<br />
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First of all, I am a lil bit excited to announce that I've been doing some handmade soap projects for another craft book that is due to come out soon. I'll post more details once I know the release date, but for now I can say that it is going to be along the lines of a <i>big book of mixed crafts</i> (not dissimilar to <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1853919632?ie=UTF8&tag=susflopaiandf-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1853919632">Complete Craft</a>)<br />
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I have to confess that there have been times in the last couple of months when I've cursed my own hubris for taking on this piece of work alongside a tiny baby. Having to stop constantly to feed, change or entertain a baby means that things that would normally take me a day to accomplish have taken weeks... and some days have been spent in a sort of fug of baby and soap, trying not to get bits of soap into the baby or bits of baby into the soap. BUT - the copy is now written and last week I attended a two-day photo shoot where all of the step-by-steps were shot for the projects. Hooray!<br />
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In other news, I am pleased to introduce Microboy's latest hat! I knitted this months ago, but it is only now that it fits and I am entirely delighted with it.<br />
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Full details of pattern, yarn and so on are on Ravelry, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/susie-f/flakey-baby-hat-with-pompom">here</a>.<br />
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And now that I am done with the soap, I really must try to post here more often...<br />
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</span></span>Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-2996815464484206662011-09-05T09:59:00.000+01:002011-09-05T09:59:08.302+01:00Tassel head strikes againSo... when I said that an Englishman can never have too many hats, I wasn't kidding. This is just a fly-by to show off Microboy's latest, using the same free pattern that I published last week. I thought he could do with some hot colours this time... and I <i>love</i> the fact that I can have such a thought, and a few hours later the hat is finished. Instant gratification! (The sharp-eyed amongst you might spot that his hat matches the cardie that was made for him by my talented knitty friend Maxine).<br />
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Anyway you might think of this as a sort of insurance policy for when he becomes a horrible teenager... lets just say I am building up quite a library of photos. ;-)<br />
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</div>(Full details and pattern link <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/susie-f/baby-tassels-hat-2">here on Ravelry</a>).<br />
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Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-37614791758332968582011-08-24T18:50:00.003+01:002011-08-24T21:05:48.312+01:00New free pattern - Baby Tassels HatI've been meaning to publish the pattern for this simple little baby hat for ages. Well, today is the day that I've finally got round to it!<br />
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This hat was the very first thing that I made for my little Microboy while he was still resident in my belly. It was an improvised project to use up some leftover aran weight yarn and to exercise my yen for tassels. But the resulting hat turned out so cute that I decided to write up the pattern in case anybody else fancies having a go.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4WOR5xjJDvSeDU-yfqdn-SYKMSRG16it2Dyr5H6oI9I1zdfFtBHJ2_FlwSlub2PpAZydNGU0SlLZFR1EXM6-qzZtoCCG8wawFSHG_7YmoMIfaln9RmBIxZrRwPPOFOBfh3F-EdHJqg60/s1600/tassel+hat.jpg2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4WOR5xjJDvSeDU-yfqdn-SYKMSRG16it2Dyr5H6oI9I1zdfFtBHJ2_FlwSlub2PpAZydNGU0SlLZFR1EXM6-qzZtoCCG8wawFSHG_7YmoMIfaln9RmBIxZrRwPPOFOBfh3F-EdHJqg60/s320/tassel+hat.jpg2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I used Amy Butler Belle Organic yarn, but you could use any aran/worsted weight yarn in a baby friendly fibre. The pattern can be <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-tassels-hat">downloaded as a PDF file here</a>. (I've also added a permanent link on the right hand column of my blog)<br />
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Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-87119736227178166962011-08-15T11:40:00.000+01:002011-08-15T11:40:53.348+01:00Knitting for MicroboyThe other day I woke up in a state of certainty about one thing... this baby needs more hats! <br />
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This was fuelled largely by the tragedy of Microboy outgrowing his owl hat (boo hoo!) but also by the realisation that my new lifestyle as full time milkmaid does not leave a lot of room for large-scale hobbying. Thus, in order to get my frustrated creativity out of my system, I predict an influx of teeny-tiny knitwear.<br />
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Anyway this little hat was knocked up in a couple of hours in front on the TV. <br />
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Iz cute, no?<br />
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I made it from Sirdar DK Crofter yarn, using a free pattern found on Ravelry, (As always, full details of the pattern and yarn, etc. are on Ravelry, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/susie-f/lyric">here</a>.)<br />
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Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-24375069182074417642011-07-01T16:03:00.000+01:002011-07-01T16:03:32.046+01:009-month craft projectWell - I thought I would pop in and show off my latest FO... <br />
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This one took 9 months to make and is now 11 days old. He's called James, and he is keen to model some of his knitwear, so here goes...<br />
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<b>Minutes after being born</b><br />
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<b>Three days old, in his owl hat</b><br />
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<b>Five days old, in his jiffy bag</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5073/5876456399_df7382958b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="327" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5073/5876456399_df7382958b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-14152503622550818522011-06-11T18:30:00.001+01:002015-01-02T08:32:45.966+00:00Jiffy bag for a baby<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A little while ago I blogged about my <a href="http://susiefhandmade.blogspot.com/2011/01/in-praise-of-french-knitting-design.html">love for French knitting patterns</a>... </div>
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This holds especially true when it comes to patterns for children and babies. I tend to find that French childrenswear combines an element of fun with a great sense of style. It avoids being overly twee without going to the other extreme of trying to look like miniature adult wear and often takes the form of simple blocky shapes, adorned with pom poms, stripes or tassels, in colour palettes that veer between chic neutrals and quirky brights... or to put to another way, you don't see many French babies clad in peach acrylic matinee jackets. </div>
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Anyway... now that my own little alien is 4 days days overdue, I am pleased to announce that I have finished my small homage to French babywear in the nick of time. Behold the baby sleep sack... (or, if you like, the glorified jiffy bag!)</div>
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This is made using a pattern called <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/confortable">Confortable</a>, which originated in a French magazine and has since been translated into English by a brilliant lady on Ravelry, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/excuse-me/1462596/1-25#8">here</a>.</div>
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Having taken advice from others, I made this a few inches longer and wider than the pattern recommends, in the hope that it will fit for longer. (For now I've delayed blocking it, until I see how well it fits little master newborn, when he arrives - but I reckon I could probably grow it a fair bit, if need be). </div>
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Anyway I would happily recommend both the pattern and the yarn. I used <i>Rowan All Seasons Cotton</i> in a silver grey colour. It has a nice sproingy twist to it that gives it some loft and makes the knitted fabric feel soft and comfortable. Hopefully boy will agree...<br />
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Full details of the pattern, yarn and needle size can be found on Ravelry, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/susie-f/confortable">here</a><br />
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EDIT: Since I wrote this post, baby has been born and he fits into the sack with room to spare... pic here: <a href="http://susiefhandmade.blogspot.com/2011/07/9-month-craft-project.html">http://susiefhandmade.blogspot.com/2011/07/9-month-craft-project.html</a><br />
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EDIT: I have had a lot of requests to share the English translation of this pattern, so I have put it online here: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3ibivZ5ex6mMVpBeTVZY1JLLVU/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3ibivZ5ex6mMVpBeTVZY1JLLVU/view?usp=sharing</a> (I assume this is ok, given that the original pattern is available online for free)<br />
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<br />Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4311344947485374523.post-13380902914406282322011-06-06T15:42:00.001+01:002011-06-06T16:11:36.390+01:00Look back in angora<div style="margin-bottom: 1em !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Dear Knitters, this is the story of a near death experience... I could well have entitled it "blockers beware!" </span>However I am pleased to say that it has a happy ending...</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Some may recall me <a href="http://susiefhandmade.blogspot.com/2011/01/just-girl-who-cant-say-no.html">blogging overexcitedly</a> back in January about this crazily luxurious Absolu Angora yarn that I had ordered from France...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4153/5394114934_41c7f1cddc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="291" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4153/5394114934_41c7f1cddc.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Well - after a minor dither about what to use it for, I eventually cast on for the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cedar-leaf-shawlette">Cedar Leaf Shawlette</a> by Alana Dakos. Left to my own devices, I would never have thought of this pattern, but I got the idea from someone else on Ravelry and it turned out to be very well matched indeed. Two balls of the Absolu is *just* enough to complete the project, with the main part of the shawl taking one ball and the lace border using up almost all of the second. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3522/5803785067_3855eed51f_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3522/5803785067_3855eed51f_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The knitting proved to be rather a delicious sensory experience. Although the yarn did shed a little during knitting, it was not as bad as you'd normally expect from angora - (e.g. it didn't shed as much as the Sublime Angora Merino blend that I've used in the past, or waft constantly up my nose). On the whole it is simply very very soft and as light as air as it slips through your fingers.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I finally bound off the edging a few days ago and spent an hour or so wafting around the house draped in it, pre-blocking, before declaring it to be the softest, finest and most beautiful thing I'd ever made... </span>and then I almost ruined everything with an act of crazy hubris. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Here is the cautionary tale. Because I fancied blocking the lace edging, I decided to risk putting the shawl through the handwash cycle on my washing machine. I've used this cycle many times before on fine yarns, including cashmere, wool and angora blends - effectively it simulates the act of hand washing and has never let me down before. In this case I even double-bagged the shawl inside a pair of lingerie bags for safety. And then I tried to ignore the niggly voice in my head questioning whether I really wanted to press the 'start' switch...</div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Suffice to say, when it came out of the machine - it felt like a moment of tragedy. I was convinced that I had felted the item to oblivion. The main symptom was that it appeared to have shrunk, and the stitches in the main body of the scarf had melded together into a more tight fabric than before. As for the lace edging... lets just say that it didn't look as lacey as I remembered it. </span>The only glimmer of hope was that the shawl seemed to have retained its softness and mobility, and hadn't become stiffened or thick. So I went into damage limitation mode and blocked it as vigorously as I dared, stretching it as far as possible and trying to open out the lace edging again. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">After a night on the boards, I am pleased (or make that <i>delighted</i>) to say that it seems to have survived by the skin of its teeth. It is a pheonix risen from the ashes! Yes - </span>it has shrunk a little bit and is probably now more of a scarf than a shawl. However it still flops and drapes as softly as before - and, best of all, the lace edging is still lace! </div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">As a finished scarf, it remains <i>extremely</i> soft to wear - as light as air and not remotely itchy. In fact I have even discovered a small bonus from the shrinkage... thanks to the closer melding of the stitches, the scarf no longer sheds and can be worn over my black clothing! </div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">So here are a few pics...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5804335824_d5be6f89b3_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="385" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5225/5804335824_d5be6f89b3_z.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">More pictures and full project details can be seen on Ravelry, <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/susie-f/cedar-leaf-shawlette">here</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1em !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">If you'd like a moral to the story - then my suggestion to anyone using this yarn is that you might want to refrain from washing it at all - either prior to blocking or afterwards. I suspect a light spritz with cool water would be sufficient for blocking, and then perhaps resort to dry clean only. (Unless you want to felt it, of course... in which case, um, I don't think you'll have to try very hard!)</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div>Susan Flockharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13931279681675866346noreply@blogger.com10