365-Knit

I know this has done the rounds on some blogs already but I've just found some new (to me) images and had to share. Have you seen Siren Elise Wilhelmsen's 365 Knitting Clock? Don't you love it? I'm seriously coveting this wondrous thing :)

This fabulous creation measures time by length, knitting away the minutes and the hours, and finally producing a two meter long scarf after a year has passed. 

So cool... I'm looking forward to seeing posts in the future featuring interiors filled with meters and meters of beautifully knitted yarn twirling around the furnishings :)

 Norwegian-born Wilhelmsen graduated last year as an industrial designer from the University of Arts in Berlin and has already founded her own studio. You can see more of her designs on her website and blog.

via


p.s. sorry... forgot to mention... all my attempts to find where I could buy such a wonder were fruitless. I don't think they've been mass produced as yet... but yes, wouldn't it be perfect to actually own one? :)

My Creative Space - 101ing

Playing along with Kirsty's My Creative Space. Visit Kootoyoo to see more or join in.

I've been doing my own form of Crochet 101 all over again because I made a (for me) significant discovery... what I thought was a treble was actually a half treble... All this time I've been doing it wrong! ;)

My horoscope said I need to try something new, so I'm taking my discovery and applying it to 101 somethings new :)  Below is the Blackberry Salad stitch with half treble on top and proper treble underneath...

I'm trying out as many of the stitches as I can and will crochet them all together to hopefully form a kind of sampler blanket :)

Happy Creative Space day to everyone!

Holiday craft

The thing I love about holiday craft is the sense of time to experiment; to try out new ideas, a new technique or skill. This holidays I've been playing with a new palette, using embroidery floss to play with colour combinations...

... on an old but much loved design. I've been wanting to make up some more embroidered brooches for a while now. Here's hoping I finish these soon ;)

I also used the holidays to play with form. I tried embroidering without any plan in mind... just going with the flow... but still structure somehow imposed itself on me and I started experimenting with colour combinations again...

My eldest daughter thinks it looks like a Pac Man stuck in bow tie land ;)

There was also a bit of crocheting... going through the motif patterns... starting again each time I found I'd somehow got it wrong. 

I'm full steam into crocheting now (I'll show you soon). I've made some significant discoveries while playing with these motifs and have been using my new-found knowledge to start a new blanket. What have you crafted this holidays? Did you discover anything new?

Back again

Back from our mountain retreat and I'm missing this view so much.

I wasn't as active as the rest of the fam (a bit unwell) but I did get a lot of crochet and 

embroidery done in the perfect silence broken only by the occasional whip bird.

I went on some safe walks in the rainforest...

The girls had a few turns on the Flying Fox (you might also know it as a Zip-line) 
sailing 180m down the hill, 25m above ground...

... found hidden pools and waterfalls...

I found a new crazy bark to add to my collection... isn't it amazing? 

It was like a beehive honeycomb structure...

... and on the last day it rained and rained, which was kind of nice too :)

If you're on holidays too, I hope it's been a restful and happy one :)

Inspiration: Maria Ikonomopoulou

I'm not sure 'inspiration' covers it here... I am in love and in awe of the magnificent work of Maria Ikonomopoulou. The exquisite stitches on black + white photography, the irony and subtext in each composition. It's clever and witty and just plain gorgeous! :)

See more on her website.

We're off on school holidays for a week or so... and I could think of no better images to leave on my front page for a while :) 

So excited about the holidays... I'll be doing some reading, crocheting and maybe some embroidery too. I'll be teaching my big girl about taking black + white photography with a fully manual SLR (old school). Next holidays I'll teach her how to develop her B+W films. If you're on holidays too, hope you have a fun time :)

Giveaway winners

For the circle picture, the random generator has chosen Aušra and her blog is called Dreisena. 

And the random number came up for Kristina + Jason at Inaluxe for the ant farm picture.

Congratulations guys and many thanks to everyone for your support :)

Also, big thanks to this lovely blogger who has taught me how to finally do a buttonhole on my sewing machine! Yah! Thanks Jane :)

My Creative Space - Trying to Design

I'm playing along with Kirsty's My Creative Space this week. 

Visit Kootoyoo to join in or to see more spaces.

This week I've been procrastinating a lot. I haven't been sewing, I haven't been crocheting, I've done a bit of painting/drawing, but mostly I've been faffing about trying to decide on an Atomic design to burn a screen.

I've realised... 

(a) my blocks are falling apart and I just can't keep individually block printing the design each time (my poor thumbs!), and 

(b) that each time I block print the design it's all spur of the moment whimsy regarding placement... no two are the same!

So, I'm trying to decide on a final design... it's not going well ;)

So I've been amusing myself with making triangle patterns... 

Happy Creative Space everyone! I hope you've been more creative than me! ;)


I have a giveaway (below) too, if you're interested...

Thank you giveaway!

I'm so overwhelmed by your lovely responses to these pieces, I'm going to have a GIVEAWAY!

Let me know which one you prefer in the comments sections below and I'll do a random draw on Sunday 10th April.

I've decided the circles one does need to be cut in half, but let me know if you'd prefer the ant farm, sorry, the yellow and orange one full or cut in half, okay?

And thanks again for your wonderful encouragement :)

Not quite

New drawings... but I'm not happy with them. Is this first one an ant farm after a thunderstorm? It's too dark and heavy-looking anyway. The second is pure experimentation... trying to make things more graphic and less floral. Whatever - it doesn't work. Maybe if I cut them in half?

What to do... destined for the bin I think. 

What do you do with your 'not quites'? 

Tea towel love

Loving these new tea towels from Harvest Textile Studio in Melbourne. They've just opened their online store too :)

I know I'm not going to be able to resist these :)

Crafty Couture

Very impressed with the wooly hair creations at the Thakoon Autumn 2011 show.

It reminds me of the 80s - Doc Martens and big hair twirled into decorative dreds... 
Buffalo girl dance anyone? ;)

found via Hearted Girl