Long Time...

...loads of yarn craft a-doing! Well, the knitting is on and off, worked mostly in between lots of projects on various hooks. I'm finding the sticks a little hard going. This is mostly due to the fact that I can crochet so much faster than I can knit & so my attention span is so much shorter with the sticks. However, practice, they say, makes perfect, so I've started working on knitted scarves for everyone ready for Christmas.

I'm pretty tired right now, having spent the best part of my afternoon off work with 3 strangers attempting to catch a lost and very scared collie dog running amok around my locality. The one chap in our group of Dog-A-Teers managed to get hold of the poor thing's collar (after 1 hour of coaxing) and take him home with him (nearby) to keep him safe until he could get help.
I was so angry... I had called the RSPCA from my mobile phone: NUMEROUS pick an option options on the phoneline, 10 minutes on hold and fleeced £8 off my payg later, the RSPCA officer told me he couldn't help us and I should call the local council's dog warden. Did he have a number for me? No, he did not. Could the dog warden help us? No, because it was a flippin answering machine as the department was (by then 4.30pm) closed.
ANYWAY... the chap who took him planned to ring a local vet for advice and maybe find out if the collie is chipped. Fingers crossed for the poor dog.

Had a fantastic weekend just gone. Mum came up to stay and we had a lovely girls weekend: On Friday evening we shared a delicious meal at Lochfyne; Shopped & dropped on the Saturday around Newcastle; Gave Mum the 'Yo, Sushi!' experience which was fun (except for the powdered Japanese chilli that made the right side of my face go numb); Chick flicks and after dinner walks; A lovely pootling browse around the Quayside market on Sunday morning; then I treated Mum and my friend Irene to the 'Afternoon Confectioners Tea' at Jesmond Dene House Hotel on Sunday afternoon which we all thoroughly enjoyed - scrumpdiddlyumptious! Mum bought me these beautiful flowers:


I introduced Mum to the joys and wonder of Ravelry, for which she is awaiting an invitation. I've apparently spiked her creative verve and she is itching to learn Entrelac. I posted off two patterns for her today, one of which is the hugely popular 'Lady Eleanor Entrelac Stole' design by Kathleen Power Johnson from the wonderful book 'Scarf Style' by Pam Allen which I have on loan from a friend. I'm currently in the throes of pattern lust for this book. I will be so jealous when Mum masters it. I just got really confused when I had a go and my yarn got really tight on my needles which made it very hard before I gave up and frogged it. Maybe not such a good idea for a newbie knitter eh? I am hoping though, that Mum will teach me Entralac when I go home for my Summer holiday in July. Mum has oodles of enviable knitting skill.

Hmmm. What else? Oh yes, I just HAVE to tell you about the most gorgeous yarn I bought from Ring-A-Rosie a few weeks back. It is Noro Shikisai (35% cotton, 22% acrylic, 15% silk, 15% kid mohair & 13% wool). It is in variegated colourways of brown, turquoise-greens & hints of purple. Probably sounds gross, but it is really lovely (colour shade 10) and feels so light and soft. I started the Midori scarf I have queued on Ravelry, which I then frogged (got bored with the slow growth) to turn into a crocheted late Summer keep-the-evening-chill-off scarfy wrap type accessory which I have designed myself. Will post pics soon. For some reason the yarn seems to crochet up softer than when knit. I love it though and can't wait to finish and show you.

Also, on the jewellery front line (yes, the passion remains at full throttle), I'm currently working on a funky and frankly girly-gorgeous collection of handbag jewellery and brooches. Again, pics will be posted soon. I've just joined pinkdoodle.com with a view to (if I can get myself into gear) eventually selling my wearble art pieces in their market place. Fingers crossed.

Finally. I am in the process of hopefully commencing a Bsc (Hons) in Continuing Professional Studies affiliated with my full time job. So, there is a lot on my plate, but I'm really looking forward to the many creative challenges in the upcoming months.

Bye for now.

Fun Circles Bag

FINALLY! After a few frustrations with the original colour batch of Noro, I changed to this colourway. The Project only took two afternoons to complete & was very satisfying to work on. This bag is for my Mum, but I'm thinking of hooking up a few more for birthday presents.

Comment of the day is from Coronation Street, the nations' favourite soap...it's ok to have a glass of wine, it's nearly grapes isn't it? So that counts as one of your 5 a day. Classic!

Day Of Positive Creative Energy

I'm writing in orange. Bold, warm, vibrant, demanding, zingy & happy. Originally of safflower, Dragon's Blood tree, and of madder. A wonderful, yet rarely celebrated colour.

Today, I have not thought intently. Today has been a day of doing. No procrastination. No hesitation. Just pure doing and completion. It is a great feeling to have actually started and finished two creative projects in the same day. I'm trying to make the most of this new found discipline. I hope tomorrow will be just as rewarding.

Firstly, when I popped into Caffe Nero for my daily caffeine fix this morning, I realised that tomorrow would be James's last day. How quickly time has passed. All the staff I know at Nero are great people. Their friendly faces and warm spirits have more than helped quell any depressions of mood whilst I have been off sick. So thankyou to Jamie, James, Chris, Erin, Charlene & Magda...You have been appreciated and I think of you all as friends. Anyway, back to James, who is leaving tomorrow to go and manage Caffe Nero in Hexham. Good luck and all the very best. I thought some form of customer appreciation was due, and so crocheted him these Noro Kureyon fingerless gloves (it is bitterly cold here at the moment).I just thought it would be a nice little leaving gift.
I believe that people working in customer service industries are not thanked enough. Two syllables that can turn somebody's day into something positive, something to smile about. Two syllables that are so rarely uttered. More thank yous from everybody please! We seem to have so many, often obscure, 'days' in this country, why can't we have a 'Thankyou Day'? ANYWAY....


The second creative wonder of today is my GREEN SEA GLASS NECKLACE. Remember the Whitley Bay sea glass expedition from yesterday? Well, I couldn't help myself, I just had to get the wonderful idea from my head into three dimensional form. I spent a while wrapping some of the sea glass with silver plated wire, then made up some other components using items from my 'seashore treasures' shoebox. I added some crocheted mohair chains and interwove some gorgeous seaweed-like funky fibre around my shells and pendants. I am very proud to show you the delicious fruit of my labour:You are unable to see it very well in the photo, but the piece of sea glass I used for the central pendant must have been two separate nuggets at some point as there is a piece of net fused inside the glass in a cross shape. It was a lovely suprise find and very apt for this design.
I love working with natural shapes and organic textures. I like to try and create unusual, one of a kind pieces of wearable art. Although I tend to follow similar themes in my work, no two items are ever exactly the same.

The next photo shows how the piece looks when worn.Despite the suggestively, weight-adding components of this necklace, it is suprisingly light and very comfortable to wear.

Although it is not really required on this sturdy ball ended torque base, I have added a barrel clasp to decorative sterling silver chain at the back, for additional wearer security.

Back to the crochet tonight!