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29 March 2013

Oh my I got the urge to Hop! It must be Easter!!!! Lets make a Bunny....link to a 60min bunny make..

Spring should be in the air...it is just difficult to see it under all the snow!

Well I am flirting with another blog site and have been a media tart and posted there as well if you fancy having a look...I  have managed to post photos... click on this link -

http://piskycove.wordpress.com/

See what you think.  Would LOVE some feedback, good bad or ugly everything helps!

Also I have brought myself up to speed with technology after my netbook got a bit moody, i'd ask it to do something and quite often the answer was ' computer says no'!!!!

So I am working on a (drum roll please) a Sony Vaio Tap 20" ... it is amazballs a home computer and a giant touch screen as well it is like being in Lilliput when you use it as a tablet!!!!



To go with this I also, after being coached*  by Quinton Wench to do so, bought a digital SLR. I had to be very careful because the main enemies of these cameras are water and sand so living by the sea that really was an issue but I found a pentax k-30 which is weather and dust proof  RESULT! Double result is it comes in white! Actually it is also available in black, red and blue really nice to have a choice.





Must admit I am slightly in love with this camera but I don't understand all it can do...yet!  The manual is VERY thick! (insert your own jokes here!)

Here is one of my new photos..



Anyway that's my week so far....hope yours has been ok too.
(Dont forget to pop over and take a peak at the other blog if you get the chance really would appreciate it especially as the banner is set to black but is appearing green on this computer! weird!

http://piskycove.wordpress.com/


Toodle pip!



* told off/advised :-)!

27 March 2013

Are we nearly there yet?.........



Well those of you who follow my blog will know that Eric the footballing yarn Pisky is complete and in fact the update is he is in the post complete with his own football...... which is actually a dog toy from a local pet store!  My furries got very excited when I walked in with it so I had to hide it quickly as pre-chewed was not the look I was going for!

Anyway that means an end to my self imposed exile from the spare room where all my projects are stored and a choice of what to finish next....

As I opened* the door first to hand were my set of extreme needles and bag of rag yarn... decision made....(drum roll please)...I AM GOING TO FINISH MY KNITTED RAG RUG.


 
 
 
This was started about 3 weeks ago and had to be put aside whilst orders were finished!
 

 

Ok, so my fellow yarn crafters reading this will being doing so with a rye smile knowing only to well that a new project/distraction is  just around the corner and tomorrow is another, creative, day of possibilities.

Hang on though if we all finished every project before starting another we might not have anything to show on the 'work in progress wednesdays' blog which would not be good.  Therefore all those of us with partners who can't understand how we can multi-task projects or begin something without finishing another first simply refer them to:



However hide the bit about FO Fridays until You are ready to Finish Off! ... might see you there Friday with my rug 'cos I think I AM nearly there!!!!




*for 'opened' read leant, kicked, prised



23 March 2013

The making of a yarn Pisky footballer...yep this one's a boy!


Well despite the temptations of looms, extreme knitting needles and crochet hooks I have finally finished my Yarn Pisky Footballer! (slight pause whilst I complete a victory lap of the lounge! )

The Cove is proud to present 'Eric' a Yarn Pisky footballer




Half way through I remembered to take photos so here we go:



  • Body, legs and arms attached: All knitted in the round on 4dpn


Well this may look like a voodoo doll but it is in fact the only place I could keep my spare needle without losing it! But that isn't a bad idea...VOODOO DOLLS hmmmm


  • Measuring up for his kit


I realised that due to the small size of his neck and therefore the neck on his kit that I would have to do the 'fittings' prior to knitting his head.  This whole process was very much trial and error as Iwent along.  But was pleased with his 'footballers legs' and the fact he appears to have knees! Extremely freaky knitting and having these legs 'appearing'!

The effect of knees was achieved by taking a section of the stitches on the front needle - about 4 stitches and increasing a stitch between each one.


I knitted body etc in the round on 4dpn but decided I could get a better fit on his top by knitting the arms across just two pins and doing them both at the same time...this ensures a matching length across the two.





I wanted the kit to be generic rather than representative of a football team. As Eric is being purchased as an Easter present for a friends son I followed his mum's suggestion of using the colours of his newly decorated room. 





 The crest was a bit of fun as was the number on the back and the 'KU' kids united on the front!





At this point Eric was now a headless body with oddsox and no shorts! It was time to make him descent and crocheted two black tubes, reversed them so the cast on edge became a stronger gusset and the shorts flared out nicely at the bottom.  To form the top of the shorts I simply crocheted around the front and back edge of the tubes leaving the gusset side to be sewn up when finished.  Hey Prestto Eric had pants!....now he just needed a head! So back on the 4dpn and his head began to appear..


One nose and two eyeball holes later and it was out with the crochet cotton to create a mouth, eyebrows and of course eyeballs!



Fun bit next ...HAIR... A mix of different textured yarns and a bit of styling .....



From the front you wouldn't know he was bald at the back still!!!!


Well after sorting his other sock, finishing his hair, lacing his boots, adding another stripe to his jumper  - it was abit short over his tummy - and crocheting shorts and top together  - no draughts around the kidneys! Eric is born....




Now to think about the voodoo doll...hmmmmmmmmm.......

Oooh and don't forget to pop over to handmade Monday to see what clever crafters have been up to!

http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk/


Eric Update.....



He has arrived at his new home and is ALREADY making himself at home!



Sam -  Enjoy your new friend x






19 March 2013

Eureka! A Blog Button .....and a headache!!!

Finally managed to create a blog button! Yippeeeeeeee! It may have taken hours and numerous attempts but its here please feel free to test it and let me know if it works, 'cos if it doesn't there is a drawing board with my name on it!!!


Firstly I had to create the button...

I used  fotoflexer photo editing package.  Really good fun! Free as well!

Then I tried to manually manipulate the code for the button.  I got the button to appear but not the grab box...sooooo back to google and after a few more searches found this :


It was a eureka moment as my blog button appeared with its code.

Hope this helps you if;

a - you are struggling to complete this process yourself
b- you did it manually and can help yourself to a a smug smile at my expense - clever clogs!

Anyway I should have been asleep 3 hours ago so toodle pip!

17 March 2013

Cor! What a whopper!

Have you ever heard of the term 'extreme knitting' ?


Well it involves the use of knitting needles the thickness of broom handles and loads of yarn all knitted together.

It isnt the practice of knitting in the most precarious place you can find as my husband would have you believe it is!  He may be a plonkka but he is MY plonkka!

Rachel Johns seems to be at forefront of this type of knitting and is launching her new website. So if this type of knitting appeals, as it does to me, its worth keeping an eye on her site......




Trust the Americans to go one better though...



Dave Cole  is certainly worth a look. He has created sculptures out of extreme knitting and even knitted a 'lead' teddy bear!!!


Anyway anything knitting can do crochet can do too!
I have purchased an extreme crochet hook to go with my extreme knitting needles and I cant  help it it just makes me smile ...


Just fab! As soon as I have been creative I will post the results..good or bad! At the moment I am knitting a footballer so am being very strict about not getting side tracked BUT it doesn't stop me looking and smiling at my giant crochet hook...

who ever said bigger isn't better had never seen extreme knitting and crochet!!

Keep smiling and creating it makes the world a better place to be....
Ps have just found this great blog hop handmade monday
Have a look

14 March 2013

New Mums for Beau and Delia!

Sometimes it is hard to let go of the items you make as each one has a little piece of you in them... and thats just the flower brooches! LOL!

So when a yarn Pisky leaves me it is really quite difficult to let go!....I know business plans and all that. The thing is that as you see them grow as you work it is almost like a magical process and they are never just an 'item'. 


But when Beau and Delia went off to be Mother's day Presents I felt very proud that they were going to be given on such a special occasion so it was lovely to receive pictures them in their new homes with their new Mums...




I feel a Yarn Pisky family album coming on.......




9 March 2013

Getting Sassy at the Cove!

Well yesterday poor Kev struggled with the Saori loom -named Sassy as my husband whistled when he saw her - but brought her safe and sound!  What a star....has asked me to 'go for lighter items next time please' lol!
Needed an orange juice after that bless him! Many thanks Kev.

So inside this box is a loom that I hope will be spot on for my free weaving style that I have read is the 'Saori Way' I hope I have an inner 'free weaver' or we may just be sat looking at each other Sassy and I!!

Right the next task was to drag the box into the lounge and have a look!


My boy Bill decided that it was officially a really big box and should be opened at once as long as it didn't interfere with his toy box!  so I did as I was told!

Mikki just wanted me to get on with it! I swear he is saying 'what's in the box mum whats in the box?'




At this point Billy tag teamed with Lola who took over the investigations into the contents of the box....


 I was getting really excited to get my hands on this new loom.....but my excitement didn't match the fun that the box was bringing to the furries...


Like in a big game of pass the parcel  the next layer of the box, really well packaged I have to say, began to tempt with its contents...
Seeing this mass of bits I crossed my fingers and hoped that it really was simple enough for me to understand and put together without getting frustrated...(glancing menacingly at my countermarche loom by the door).

Well I needn't have worried.  Apart from having to suss out the mechanism for moving the warp on within 5mins the loom looked like this....






Also in the box was a bag of bits and the all important Soari book.  It documents the philosophy and the many uses that the Saori loom can be put to....doesn't make a cuppa though! most disappointing lol!


Mikki took charge of the instruction manual....didn't have the heart to tell him it was upside down!




I have since read the book and I get it! Both the methodology and the usage!  Now I can't wait to get started only one thing left to do......WARP! oh man the downside to weaving has got to be setting up your warp threads.....Wonder if the Emperor needs some new clothes...no warp needed for those!




Oh by the way in the process of stocking my Esty store so I would love it if you would pop over and have a look! Ta!





6 March 2013

Hello ...goodbye!

Late Monday night Delia was finally born... it wasn't an easy creation as I wasn't happy with her eyes and had to experiment to get them right..........







So she is off to her new home already as a Mother's day pressie and has taken Beau with her!





Hiding in a cupboard waiting to be collected!

The next yarn Pisky has already got a job to do ...she is going to a local cake emporium to become part of a gorgeous display around a pastel rainbow wedding cake...so she is next on the to-do list..quite apt she is a 'to-do' ready for an 'i do'!

Might have a go at extreme knitting and crochet as well and I have an Easter bunny pattern in my head that is dying to get out!!!!

2 March 2013

By George she's got it!

Well it took a bit of tactical bidding and avoidance of sniper bids but I managed to get the loom I was after...

(Fanfare)

It is the Saori foldable loom....




Nope I hadn't heard of it either but a Google search led to some really inetresting websites and a completely new way of addressing weaving....Free weaving.. the story behind these looms is documented on different sites including the Saori site itself...

"The Saori movement was started by Misao Jo, a Japanese woman who took up weaving at the age of 57 after a 20 year creative hiatus (when her passion for teaching freeform Ikebana wore her out physically and she became ill). Her desire to create cloth that looked as if it had been made by a human being led to spectacular success in the pricey boutiques- and another kind of burnout, when her retail clients began asking her to fill specific orders, for types of garment that sold well. She then swore off selling her cloth, and began to teach others to weave. Saori weaving is, basically, freeform weaving on a simple two-shaft loom. There are special Saori looms available- apparently easy to warp and accessible to people with all kinds of physical limitations. On the foot peddle loom the idea is to  work towards creating a piece of cloth that gives voice to your own personal creative spirit. Changing colours, using the many variations of plain weave as it pleases you, not worrying about neat selvedges, and only being aware of the small section of cloth that is being created in the moment.

Soooooo ... it is a philosophy of not worrying about how neat you can get the piece but just 'going with the flow'  that really appealed.

Can't wait to get creative .......










 

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