My newest newphew Sacha was welcomed into the world on the 23rd of November!  A little brother for my niece Sofia to dote on.

I made this kitty soft toy for him a few months ago, in anticipation for his arrival.  I finally posted it over to him in New Zealand last week, and his Grandma and Grandad took it over to him yesterday.  I used a pattern from the lovely Meet Me at Mike’s book.

The face of the kitty in the pattern is quite different to what I ended up sewing.  I think my kitty has more of a traditional cat’s face, I like this more.

The pattern didn’t include a tail, so I fashioned one for the Sacha’s kitty.  I think every kitty needs a tail, don’t you?!

The main fabric of the kitty came from an enormous thrifted woolen skirt I discovered at a local Salvation Army charity store recently.  The mushroom print on the belly is from a piece of heavy Japanese cotton from my stash.

(The stitching on the side of the belly looks a little rough because of my dodgy hand-finishing stitches.  If I made this pattern again I’d use the tail opening as the turning-right-side-out seam to fix that problem).

Songs They Never Play On The Radio (Neo-acoustic and Guitar Pop 1984-98).  Home made compilation CD.

1. Hopkirk & Lee – Free Arthur Lee!
2. The Orchids – Peaches
3. The Boo Radleys – Lazarus (acoustic)
4. The Bachelor Pad – Meet The Lovely Jenny Brown
5. The Doctor’s Children – Me, September 24, 1983
6. The Enormous Room – Melanie And Martin
7. Andy Pawlak – Secrets
8. The Blow Monkeys – I Nearly Died Laughing
9. The Pale Fountains – You’ll Start A War
10. McCarthy – This Nelson Rockefeller
11. The Bathers – Latta’s Dream
12. Bourgie Bourgie – Change Of Attitude
13. Clive Langer – Even Though
14. Felt – Space Blues
15. The Times – Love Like Haze Or Rain
16. Rosemary’s Children – Southern Fields
17. Even As We Speak – Bizarre Love Triangle
18. Biff Bang Pow! – She Paints
19. Peter Astor – Submarine (acoustic)
20. James Young – Songs They Never Play On The Radio
21. The Triffids – Only One Life

This week I made a vow not to go out after work. Instead I stayed home crafting things. One of these things is the coin purse pictured to my left. I used a Sublime Stitching pattern (that I got for free (I’ve since bought more from their site) at Crafty Wonderland last year) and made up the rest of the patter for the purse. I ended up giving it to Rad last night, but at least I have a photo to show of it. It wasn’t difficult and I can tell I am getting addicted to embroidery. I keep thinking of all the different things I could make etc. If only I didn’t have that pesky job that pays my bills. Maybe I’ll start a Christi’s Craft fund (if I get a television show it will be called Christi’s Craft Corner… I’m thinking big!).

I’ve been crafting other things too, but I don’t want to put photos up just yet. Most of them are gifts and I don’t want people to see them before I give them out.

In other news, my scars are really healing up. I was a little freaked out a few days ago when I saw what looked like a bit of an infection on one tiny part of the incision site. I called my thyroid nurse and she told me to put neosporin on it, within a couple of hours it looked better and now I don’t see any white crap on the incision site. In a few more weeks you won’t even be able to tell I had surgery! Weird

New Handmade Cap.

POSH Felted and Beaded with Pearls and Rhinestones Flat Cap

Available at my Etsy shop:
Magical Laboratory of Fashion
© COPYRIGHT NOTE: All of my designs, photos and descriptions are protected by copyright. They may not be duplicated, copied, reproduced and/or republished without permission or notice. All rights are reserved.

I haven’t caught the flu, but I do have a bad case of the doings….

Doing things like:  Gluing pennies to a bowling ball…because once its out in the garden, it will be a faceted, sparkling, and very sturdy gazing ball.  I have seen them with two layers of pennies to hide the bowling ball underneath, but am wondering if grouting would be a better idea.  This is something I do just a little at a time, as the wet glue allows the pennies to slide if they aren’t right on top.   I have all winter.  

And, three guesses….more pins….

in a more subdued, winter white scheme

I took a group of pins to 212 Art Center for their Holiday Art Show/Sale….it starts tomorrow, Dec. 5 and runs through Dec 18.    There will be a wide variety of art at the gallery…jewelry, pottery, paintings, mixed media, fiber….I can’t wait to see what is there! 

The next “doing”  is something I didn’t make but must be included in this crafty blog post:

My mama sent me a batch of her hand knit dishcloths.  I know you all have used them in the past.  They are my favorite: sturdy, absorbent, stretchy, not prone to stinkiness…and these are made in delicious colors:

Mom  actually sent six of them, but Steph took her 3 before I had a chance to photograph.  Thanks Mom! 

So these are my crafty doings of the week….time to get busy with the Christmas decorating next. 

I love this bag certainly makes me want to explore more depth of shape within resists ,and embellishing on a machine

New Handmade Luxury Jewelry.

MADAME BUTTERFLY Fiber Felted Necklace in Purple

Available at my Etsy shop:
Magical Laboratory of Fashion
© COPYRIGHT NOTE: All of my designs, photos and descriptions are protected by copyright. They may not be duplicated, copied, reproduced and/or republished without permission or notice. All rights are reserved.

Here is a sneak-peak of one of the new items I have working on in time for the holidays. I think they will be perfect for resting my Eggnog on! 

Available in Sets of 4 for $28.00. I will have them available for sale at Bazaar Bizarre, so come on by and get some. Your coffee table will thankyou for it.

Handmade Felt Coaster Set.

Not only is this amazing, it jingles.

http://feltfarm.etsy.com

At last I have my flat felting tutorial written and can start to put up my felting kits for sale in my Etsy store!  It needed the craft fair this weekend to really focus me, not having access to a printer at the moment is a big pain but hopefully next week I can get out to buy a new one.  Eventually I have decided that each flat felting kit will include simple instructions  (with a more detailed version here online), bubble wrap, wool batts and some nice extra bits and bobs of fibre to add surface decoration and design to the felt.  This afternoon I am going to email the instructions to my good friend Jan and hopefully she will be able to have some printed for me to include in the kits for this weekend at Raheen Craft Fair.

Meanwhile, the weather has been very dull this morning, rainy and cold, so forgive my photography skills if these images look a little bit grey and lacklustre.   As promised here are the two nuno felt scarflettes made using the same silk, one with turquoise and the other with hot orange merino.   

Detail of orange nuno felt scarflette

 

Detail of turquoise nuno felt scarflette

I love the surface texture of these pieces, the silk seems to be a little thicker than chiffon but not as thick as ponge, I’m not sure exactly what it is but I think the end result is nice!

Here are some ideas for Christmas decorations….

the above have to be my faves!
old ugly necklaces from the second handshop made into fab beaded strings for the tree.
I used clear fishing line for the “string”
made about 4 years ago now.

above… childrens decorations.
My kids made these at preschool – except the start thingy at the top of the photo.

1. Cut out star, get child to paint it then stick their photo to the front and laminate.
2. draw angel shape, get child to colour and cut out the angel themselves.
3. Cut out a tree, punch heaps of holes into it (maybe child would like to do that) then colour/glitter and string up with wool

more past home made decorations….

1. santa faces and blue ball are on my tutorials page
2. cut out felt shapes, bear, star, heart, snowman and sock then sew together and stuff.
3. x-stitch some designs onto Idia cloth

Wreaths:
cut out a circle out of cardboard box then cut out some holly leaves and berries from coloured cardstock (I used gold red and green).

or

If you have some of last years christmas decorations that have fallen apart glue stick them onto a stiffened large fabric scrunche circle type thing. lol

I hope I’ve inspired you to make some decorations.

Happy Christmas!

I had some tinsel from last year and I put a normal thomas the tank engine below the tree this year…. even though it has not stayed like this at least I have a photo! lol (don’t you love it when the 2 yr old pulls things apart as quickly as they put it up).

 
Three Hipster Holiday Ornaments made with Vegas Yarn.

Vegas Color Swingers, Pink Champagne, Flying Elvis and Black Jack.

I added whipped stitched a felt back to this ornament and a small amount of poly-fill.

A pendant was added to this ornament. The Vegas colors used: FlyingElvis for the trim and Pink Champagne for the crochet circle.

I secured beads to the center with super glue after lightly felting with warm water. The yarn colors used…GhostBar for the crochet circle and trim and Flying Elvis for the star.

 Here they are on the tree!

I was lucky enough to see Seussical a couple of weeks ago at The Academy Theatre which is one of the oldest community theatres in the US and is located in Hagerstown, MD . Subconsciously I was inspired by the color and fantasy of this musical, which by the way, adults can also enjoy. My thoughts went from bizarre color combos from the musical to retro 60’s attitudes, hippie, yippie and all the rest to hipster holiday. Now that you see how this all came together, I hope you’ll enjoy this quick crochet project made with Vegas yarn and a few simple ideas to embellish. I chose Vegas because I like the way it feels, it’s varied in texture, has some sparkle and there are enough fun colors to chose from. It also felts quite easily in warm water in your sink or baking dish.

Felt using warm water, enough to cover ornament and swish around gently in a dish until you have the desired look. Remove excess water with a towel and let dry overnight. Embellish and hang on your tree, use it as a package ornament, or a holiday gift.

I used the basics…making a crochet circle, slip stitch, single and double crochet and a size H crochet hook.

My basic stitch is double crochet, but you can also use single crochet if you prefer. I added a trim, a five pointed star, beads, and a pendant that I had. Feel free to use a favorite crochet trim or any embellishments you like. You can also try making them different sizes.

The trim I used for the red (BlackJack) and the blue (GhostBar) crochet circle goes like this…

Once you’ve completed your last round of the circle, slip stitch into the first double crochet (or sc if you choose) and chain 5, single crochet in third chain from your hook. Chain 2, skip one stitch and join with a slip stitch to next stitch. Continue around in this manner for the whole circle and slip stitch into first chain.

Make a small 5 pointed star:

Chain 4, slip stitch into first chain to form a circle and crochet a round of trim 5 times (you will not be skipping any stitches, however) Arrange the points and attach securely to your crochet circle with yarn or glue.

 
There are many ways to make a star. I chose this way because it was a more relaxed style and went with my trim. Use the method you feel comfortable with or choose another shape if you like.

For the pink (Pink Champagne crochet circle) I added an additonal trim around by chaining 5 and slip stitch around the point of the first trim.

I’m including some helpful links for your crochet questions. This is a free form, happy go lucky project to get you thinking and creating so have fun with it. Consider using non-traditional holiday colors, recycled embellishments and whatever you have handy. Use fabric stiffner if you like – I liked the softer look and didn’t use it.

Dr. Seuss Quote…
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.
Dr. Seuss

Resources for you…I found these links that are excellent for this project.

How to make a double crochet

The basics of making a crochet circle any size you need.

How to make a crochet circle.

This is your free form crochet project for December. If the project isn’t my usual structured pattern it’s because this is your chance for experimentation. Use recycled and/or reuse items in the home and take a chance on trying new embellishments. Enjoy, play and wonder, what would little Cindy Lou Who do? 

Marg (dreaming in color)

I’ve been superbusy all week making lotsa these little stuffs for the market on Saturday. Got a few more done tonight and will do more and upload’em soon.

I think they’re pretty cool, hope everyone else likes’em too!

My fave outta these is the pendant, the felt and the chain together look pretty sweet.

Going to work on the labels and things now…

Just a quick post today as I continue preparations for Saturday’s workshops and Sunday’s craft fair at Raheen.  Yesterday I made two sweet scarflettes using some of the gorgeous printed silk that I bought recently at Threads of Green in Kilkenny.  The print is in a light turquoise and rust so I was debating whether to use turquoise for the wool on both of them or try a totally different colour on one as an experiment.  Eventually I decided on turquoise for one and a hot orange for the second.  Hopefully the weather will be fine in the morning and I will post the results so you can see the difference, it is astonishing how the same fabric ends up with a totally different look!

My kitchen is beautifully scented this afternoon as I have just finished making 36 bath bags to add scent and colour to my display on Sunday.  It was really difficult not to make any more felt but I am totally determined to try and sell a lot of what I have already made and get a bit of space free in the studio and around the house.  Carmen is up to ninety getting everything organised and hopefully the Fair will raise loads of funds for the Raheen Family Resouce Centre.  Please pop in at any time during the day if you are within striking distance of Wexford and make sure to introduce yourselves to me, it is always a pleasure to meet any of my blog followers!

This weekend is the big design fair here in Oslo, and I am nowhere near as prepared as I should be… swine flu hit our house in a bad way, and I have either been ill myself or nursing sick children all month (the last one heads back to school on Monday). Such is life and family comes first. Having the children home, and their watching me make and make and make etc.. They have been asking for something for themselves of course!  So we took a little time off and made santa hats for each of them.  (post continues after the photo)

handfelted merino wool felt with rabbit fur "nisselue" 50cm tall

Once the show is over on Sunday, I am looking forward to taking some time and making purely for giving. It is such a great feeling. I am really hoping the children will enjoy it.

Well.. back to work..
Cyn

So I’ve been working on an interesting knitting project, the French Press Felted Slippers, by Melynda Bernardi of French Press Knits. She’s having the sort of success fledging pattern designers dream of – in less time than it takes to conceive, carry and birth a baby she designed a knitting project, started selling it in an Etsy shop, and then published the pattern on Ravelry.  It immediately ricocheted to the top of the bestselling/most queued patterns list, and she’s riding a wave of happy-happy-joy-joy-down-in-my-heart popularity only the geekiest of knitters understand. I am convinced, as always, that it is all about the photos. Her photography is dynamite, she built her brand correctly (start with the blog, open the Etsy shop, sell stuff, publish the pattern, and soar), and the pattern is easy, well-written, and pretty to look at. I like pretty. So do most other people.

Anyways, after reading a bit about her in her blog and posts and such, I got warm fuzzy feelings for her and decided I should bite the bullet and knit the pattern. This is the first project I’ve ever fulled (and yes, I do mean fulled, not felted, just look it up), so I’m intrigued as to how it will go. I will state that my confidence comes in part from the sound advice I received from Emilyof Skyline Chilly just a couple of weeks ago. I received yarn in the mail absolutely coated in smoke – it was expensive, pure silk stuff that I had spent a lot of money on. After much research and many questions to different fiber experts, extensive bitching on the phone to my best friend about the idiocy of bad sellers, and a phone call to my local dry cleaners, my best advice came from Emily. She suggested actually using – gasp – a washing machine, and her very thorough instructions paved the way for me to actually submit my yarns to the powers of the automatic rinse cycle. It was freeing. The yarns came out perfect. Two rinses, a couple days of carefully turning them, drying them, reskeining when necessary, and  I feel like I can do anything. Therefore, the next obvious way to use the washing machine must be the process of fulling my yarn! Ah ha!

So now, in my third paragraph, I return to my original point. I am knitting a pair of slippers. It is an “interesting” project not just because I am fulling for the first time, but also because I am sort of … winging it. I have this great Shetland fingering weight wool that was handdyed for me many months ago using different jellies “stained” into it. Unfortunately, Shetland wool is rough as all get out, and the yardage I own isn’t great. But I couldn’t just swap away this pretty yarn that was custom-made for me. I thought this slipper pattern would work well, because I could just double or triple the fingering way to achieve the thickness I wanted. Ha. With that method, I discovered, I would very quickly run out of yarn. Very quickly. Like, after the first strap. So, after a bit of rummaging around in my stash, I pulled out the rest of that Knit Picks Telemark that I used for the aforementioned cat’s paw lace sampler, and away I went. Somehow, my green jelly-stained  yarn has turned into a pair of white slippers. I used white mohair and white sportweight yarn held with the original jelly yarn for the sides of of the slippers. The straps are made with just the sportweight and the mohair, while the bottoms have been knit with the mohair (as always) alongside two strands of white, worsted weight Cascade 220. White slippers. Dear God. Somehow I sense that these slippers are going to become a goft for some lucky soul, unless I can design a better bottom. The last time I wore white shoes was in the 4th grade for Easter, and I destroyed those patent leathers faster than you would believe. I actually recall climbing a tree in them. I did it carefully, because I didn’t want to get them too dirty, but I still climbed. Anyways, while on one hand I am sure I won’t be climbing any trees in these, I also know that there is a lack of carpet in my home, that I enjoy traipsing around in my slippers everywhere, and that I still have a propensity to get ink on my fingers and food on my clothes. White slippers. Oy.

I’m finishing up my second sole right now, and then hopefully tomorrow I’ll find the time to seam it all together. Then it will most likely sit for another week on my desk or in some other haphazard location until I decide its time to full the damn things. Exciting!

P.S. – For the record, I have never seen my cat Calle so bloody happy over yarn. She has a deep affinity for wool, and when I unskeined the Cascade 220 and laid it out on the bed, she actually rolled in it. She sat down beside it, sniffed it delicately, buried her face in the skein when she realized what it was, and then began stretching her body over it until, estastic, she just covered the entire length of it. There were a couple of dramatic sighs in there as well.

Yes, the force is strong with with one. Get in touch with your dark side with this felt case to keep your Blackberry safe from stray blasters.  The Death Star graces one side with Darth Vader’s Tie Fighter holding down the back.

“I sense something, a presence I’ve not felt since…”

.

Click Logo Above to take you directly to the “SnS Scrappy Special”

Felt & Wool

I really like this one…. I like how it is a cloche, or an Attitude Hat. It can be a tam or it can just be a cap. So versatile.

these new felt creations will be sold at the i heart market this saturday and all profits will go to the heart sticker revolution (another project of mine) to aid with postage payments.

and a random domino badge…

A while back, my friend Ines sent me a gift for no reason.  It was so perfect and thrilled me so much that I wanted to do something for her in return.  I thought about it for a little while.  Ines loves her iPhone and she has very clearly defined branding for her blog, Miamism.  iPhone + Miamism = tropical orange mojito phone case.

Well, in my head that all made perfect sense.

I traced around my iPhone, added a little extra for the seam and cut out my interior and exterior felt.  Then I had to do a little research on mojitos to learn I needed some lime and mint in there.  (I didn’t have my first mojito until later, happily with Ines!)  I thought it was better to suggest the color of the drink with embroidery floss rather than colored felt, since it’s a pale drink.  For a first attempt at a felt beverage, I think it went pretty well.  Ice cubes are tricky!

I kept an opening in the bottom so she could use her headphones while the phone was in its case.

And the reverse side features a Miamism “M”, traced directly from the her blog.

The opening is held closed with a couple pieces of Velcro.  I’ve made some more phone holders since, but I think the one for Ines was the most fun.  Doesn’t it just look happy?  No wonder people love Miami!

I was feeling creative today.

I pulled out my big box ‘o Christmas crap and started decorating. I wanted the house to feel warm and cozy, just like last Christmas. I couldn’t wait to get started. I searched through Martha Stewart’s website for inspiration but everything on their seems liked it would cost more to make by hand than to just buy.  Then I remembered this wreath I made in elementary school, and thought it might be cute to recreate it. I had all the supplies, so that was pretty much my only deciding factor. It turned out cute, want to see?

This simple wreath consists entirely of wire hanger and felt. I formed the hanger into a circle and cut the felt into strips. Then I tied each strip to the wire. Then, of course, I ran out of strips and had to add more colors to finish.

Not too bad, right? I might even lay it on my table and put candles in the middle of it as a centerpiece.

I’m going to try to make as many decorations this year as I can. So, more to come!

Today, this pin speaks to me of vulnerability — opening of the hands for help, opening of the hands to our own weaknesses, opening of the hands to silence, opening of the heart.

Traffic, Christmas shopping, a bustling Burlington Mall, Route 128, a quick Costco run — not exactly the stuff of quietude. Nevertheless, an underground sense of quiet — always a signal, to me, that we are close to the darkest day of the year.

An early phone call with a friend delivers this fruit — a definition she had heard a few days earlier — “… forgiveness is giving up all hope of ever having had a different past.”