Our Creative Spaces - 2 Triangles + a Brooch

I'm playing along with Our Creative Spaces this week - visit the site to sign up or see more spaces.

 

As you can see, there are more triangle cushions being crocheted in my space. Even some variance and experimentation with the triangle designs...

[this cushion actually looks better in real life - the black doesn't dominate so much]

That's because I've been avoiding the job of figuring

out how to make them into cushions ;)

I saw a great post over at Thea's about sewing needlepoint into cushions. I got all excited and then the worrying set in... can you sew crochet like that? Is it really advisable? When I look at the crochet cushions I have of Karen and Renilde, I see that they've hand-sewn them... 

So, this is my latest act of procrastination... figuring out how to cushion crochet. Until I do, I think I'm going to just keep on crocheting more triangles :)

On to happier news... my brooch arrived from the Flowerpress fabulous brooch swap! Isn't it beautiful? You should see the divine stitchery up close (it makes me ashamed of any felt brooch I've ever made!) It's the work of Moira Millman and you can find her blog here. Thanks Moira! and thanks again to Susie for organising the swap :)

Loving Phat Knits

Thanks for all the great comments on the Postmodern Granny. I do see what you mean... it is still fabulous regardless of its 'fakery'. But for me, my kids actually summed it up by quoting Mighty Boosh "Elements from the past and the future, combining to form something not quite as good as either!"

Anyway.... a new find for you. Something I think is totally fantabulous... Phat Knits.

Now this is what I call innovative and exciting... I guess it's still 'elements from the past and the future' but I think it really works. Gigantic knittery... I want! :)

They were specially created by artist Bauke Knottnerus (I have a feeling there's a pun in there somewhere!) for the Unravel exhibition at the MoMu Fashion Museum in Antwerp, which runs until 14th August this year.

Can't you just see yourself lazing around on this?... oh and having the kids dive bomb you every five seconds of course... maybe I don't want it after all! ;)

Found via

Postmodern Grannies

With all the media about the 'craft boom' of late, I guess it's hardly surprising that craft has been appropriated by manufacturing. 

I saw this rug yesterday in a mag... yes, it's a rug, made of wool and linen but printed to look like a granny square blanket.

The rugs are by Kasthall designer, Gunilla Lagerhem Ullberg, who crocheted the design from leftover bits of yarn. The pattern was then transferred onto the rugs. She called the design Karin after her grandmother.

It is great that they love granny square blankets enough to use the design, but I'd prefer a hand crocheted granny blanket any day ;)

What do you think? Is this *wow* for you? Am I being too old-school?

You can find the rugs here.

Inspiration: Nuria Mora

Everywhere I look at the moment, I'm obsessed with colour combinations. So, no prizes for guessing why I did a complete tumble turn when I saw these lovelies. 

Spanish-born Nuria Mora is a street artist who works internationally, wowing urban landscapes with an explosion of colour and form.

See more of her work on her website.

Found via

Mish mash

This is my mish mash for June. 

I'm loving the molecular unit I bought on Etsy from CathodeBlue.

I'm thinking of my friend Sally who made this button circle for me 

and wondering when I'm going to make the effort and ring her.

I want to start screenprinting and blockprinting again but 

I just can't tear myself away from crochet.

I'm loving having flowers in the house :)

I'm thinking of my dad and how this little boy would have been 78 this month.

I'm loving that the Mr and my Little One love their guitars and that they have marmalade sessions together... you know, not quite as good as jam? ;)


Oh yes, and I've been obsessed with triangles this month.

Hope it's a lovely weekend for all :)

Inspiration for mishmash from the original misher-masher, Renilde :)

Our Creative Spaces - Triangles (Again)

More triangle cushions, this time inspired by the Nani Marquina Digit Rugs. Some lessons learned about representing pixelisation too... it really doesn't work unless you're using tiny squares ;)

The first one took forever, playing around with placement. I ended up having one of each colour in the rug (it didn't really work but I like the rainbow freshness of it). For the second I took the main colours and tried to show the gradation.

I found a cork board and have been pinning my completed triangles there to get a better sense of what I have and possibilities for colour combination.

This triangle thing is going to go on for a while I think. Visit the Our Creative Spaces sign up page to see more varied wares ;) Thanks to Kirsty for making it all possible.

Old Mods...

Did I ever show you the finished Mod cushion and blanket for my Little One? 

I don't think I did.

 I've been thinking about how I'm going to do the backing and filling of my triangle cushions and realised I hadn't washed and pinned her cushion and that it needed finishing too...

So I washed and I pinned...

I have a cushion like this that the lovely Renilde made. My Little One desperately wanted one, and a blanket, in the same style so this is the result. 

Not as good as Renilde's but she loves it :)

I pulled her Mod blanket off her bed for a showing too.

Noticing...

Winter in Brisbane is so beautiful - the harsh sunlight of summer is replaced with a softer haze that has me daydreaming and noticing everyday beauty.

I think this was an orchid. I rescued it from the garden where it had been broken off from it's roots. It lived happily in the vase for ages and then the flowers died. It took me ages to notice though because a spider had so beautifully spun its web around each blossom...

... even when they fell from the stem, they couldn't go far. I watched Spiderwick with my Little One yesterday and now I'm thinking the hanging blooms are like the petal fairies :)

Hope you had a lovely weekend too :)

Inspiration: Crochet

I have so many unfinished projects waiting for completion at the moment, but I just can't stop crocheting. In some kind of spooky synchronicity, I keep finding amazing crochet goodness that just keeps inspiring me to continue.

Inside Out  magazine had the image below at the back of their last issue. I think I literally *gasped* out loud. Aren't they incredible? Crocheted antimacassars... so cool:) There was no mention of who's work it is. I'm hoping it was a teaser for the next issue.

And then I came across these lovelies when I was doing some blog wandering. Crocheted knee-highs! Needless to say it's high on my list - must have a crack at this one ;)

I found these images on the site of a French yarn store, Belle Laine. My french is a tad rusty but I'm guessing these lovelies are patterns from the Japanese craft book below (yes, it's on the list too!)

Joli fil de lin

Aren't they amazing? Has anyone attempted crochet knee-highs/socks or antimacassars before? I'd love to see them - leave a link if you have please :)

Belle Laine discovered via Flora Douville

Goodies

My parcel of goodies from the US arrived in the mail yesterday. It felt like Christmas :)

Gorgeous yarns in colours and thicknesses I couldn't resist and amazing textures like the 100% silk 'straw' yarn below. Both from Purl Soho.

I seemed to be obsessed with metallics at M&J Trimmings... I'm thinking of ways I can combine metallic trimmings with my silversmithing work.

And then there were the books... Purl Soho had an amazing selection of Japanese craft books. I'm not sure how I managed to limit myself to just two, but here they are... two crochet titles, Crochet Cushions for Stools and Mini Doily Lacework.

Purl also had some felty things I couldn't resist... have you ever seen felt buttons? 

I was totally smitten :)

On the fabric front, I found this incredibly soft green tulle and giant ric rac. I am so in love with this colour at the moment.

... and I just had to have this tea towel from Anthropologie. 

I plan to use it as the lining for one of my bags.

So, there you go. Goodies from my travels. I didn't go too overboard after all but of course when you're travelling every purchase is weighed by 'how am I going to get all of this home?' ;) What was your favourite travelling purchase?

Inspiration: Nanimarquina Rainbows

We ran away for the long weekend to our mountain retreat. Lots of walks in the rainforest and cups of tea by the fire. It was so cold and rained a lot... just delicious :)

We saw so many rainbows and double rainbows... it felt like being in a fairtytale. With all the crocheting I was doing I started to get quite inspired by the rainbow palette.

Thinking about the very inspiring Digit Rugs designed by Cristian Zuzunaga for Nanimarquina in Spain.... aren't they stunning?

I'm thinking the next round of crocheted triangles will have very little white in them... 

I'm going to try a pure explosion of colour for the senses.

I'm quite partial to this sumptuous combination too... 

stay tuned for some magenta and yellow crocheted triangle cushions ;)

Find out more about Nanimarquina here.