Hanging On The Telephone.......

I've come to the conclusion that all those years as a child spent constructing dolls house furniture, making dolls clothes and feeding fairies (acorn bowls, chestnut porridge and even being allowed to fry a tiny sparrow's egg that I found on the ground*) are finally paying off.  When I am asked  to knit something in miniature, it sets the cogs in my brain to working and the ideas just seem to pop out. I knew how I could make a tiny telephone, it was just the actual base beneath the knitted part that was a bit tricky when it came to assembling it.

I knew how I wanted to make the curly wire too, but it was a challenge finding the right materials - just because I want thin fabric piping in dark brown doesn't mean to say it is available in our local shops!  In the end I bought gold, made the wire and painted it.  The dial goes around too.....

The miniature lacy shawl was a doddle - the only sticking point was that most patterns I had for a triangular knit were a bit large, but by knitting this in crochet yarn on needles the thickness of cocktail sticks, I think it's come out OK.  This is 8 inches wide.......

I found a book on Amazon called 75 Seashells, Fish, Coral & Colorful Marine Life to Knit & Crochet - of course I had to have it!  I had time to play with making a seahorse - not terrific, I was tired and barely able to see straight after finishing the phone.  I wish I had some spare time to play some more, but there are bulldogs and lamps and salmon to knit - yes, you read that right, salmon.  Maybe I can adapt that from one of the new patterns.......

*No, I didn't eat any of the fairy meals, I wasn't a stupid child!  The fun was in the making.

Let Me Show You....

Here are the three paintings for Derwent that I have been working on for the past couple of weeks.  Generally I work in quite a leisurely fashion, quickly but at my own pace.  This time I had to really get a move on!

These are for exhibition in an educational supplier's to show just what Derwent Inktense pencils and blocks can do.  I have tried throughout all three paintings to use the colours in as many ways as I could - as pencils, as paint, with washes, dry brush technique and even splattering.

This last one was very tricky indeed - usually such a detailed and complicated animal would take me about a fortnight to complete, especially mapping out those spots.  I managed to do this in five days....my eyes are still aching!

I'm taking a couple of days break from drawing and painting, but still have plenty to be getting on with.  There are enough knitting commissions to keep me busy this week - I'm working on a very small telephone at the moment - watch this space!

Daisy, Daisy.....

Now little Daisy is finished!  She's a mini replica of a dog I painted a portrait of last year - I hope I managed to pull it off!

I'm not sure the real dog is kitted out with a pink bed and bowl, or even a green coat, but I do know the little girl this is going to and am pretty positive pink was the right choice!

As far as the leopard is concerned, I have admitted defeat, cancelled the lessons I usually teach this afternoon and will devote the time to finishing it off.  I think I can......

Wide-Eyed & Legless.......

It took over THREE HOURS to put in all those spots - my eyes are aching even after a night's sleep. Thankfully neither the phone nor doorbell rang and apart from forays to the kitchen for tea and biscuits, I could work undisturbed.  Now it's time to put in all the deeper browns and shading in order to flesh this leopard out.

I was so tired at the end of the day, I only managed to knit the front legs of this little lady - usually it would have taken me an evening to finish her completely.  Never mind, tomorrow is another day....

Seeing Spots Before My Eyes.......

This is the final painting for Derwent and I have three days in which to fill in all the spots!  Am I panicking?  Just a little - it seems that the world and his wife want to talk to me on the phone or come round my house this week, so getting some uninterrupted work time has been tricky,  So perhaps it's time to take the receiver off the hook and hang a 'do not disturb' sign on the door.......

On the needles this week: currently knitting a mini replica dog for a little girl's birthday.  Next is a telephone which has to be only 2 inches wide - fun!  And I have just landed a very interesting knitting job for the coming months, my first professional design commission!

Looking Like A Dog's Dinner.....

The name of the animator who has been keeping me busy knitting the weird and wonderful for the past  year or so is Sarah Simi, and she has another string to her bow.  We share an interest in our dogs and Sarah takes it one step further by being passionate about dogs' nutrition and has started a very interesting blog on the subject.  It is called 'Dinners in the Dog' and is well worth a visit - I think Clovis would like to get his paws on the tasty bones and treats on view there too!  If you are a dog lover and would like to feed your dog the natural way, go on over and take a look.

This week I have been knitting this chunky cowl from a Louisa Harding pattern - I made it a while ago in a delicate yarn which was pretty, but for the cold winter blasts this chunky yarn stands up much better.

It can be worn like a polo neck.....

.....or pulled up for maximum warmth!

Perhaps heading this post as I did and then putting a picture of myself with it wasn't very bright...didn't think it through........

Hi Cutie!

When I was told by Derwent Pencils that one of my commissions was to be of a monkey, my heart sank a bit - I've not had much success drawing primates in the past to be honest.  But this little guy sems to have acquired a life of his own on the paper - I love it when that happens.  Everything just fell into place when I sketched it out and as for that face, so cute!  I just can't wait to get back to it - that's how work should be!

Phew!

This little item has been more problematic than any of the past knitted animals and furniture items for the animated film.  It's a tiny chandelier, a mere 4 inches square, with real light up bulbs.

It's been constructed from florists wire, blutac, florists tape, crochet yarn, buttons, beads and a great deal of blood, sweat and tears!

The little bulbs are LEDs that are supposed to be inserted in balloons and are for one use only - therefore the little crochet holders are made for easy bulb change.

This made the cuckoo clock's construction seem like a walk in the park!

Still painting every spare minute of the day - one down and two to go with 10 days left ticking on the clock.........

Happy Valentine's Day...

You won't find any hearts and flowers here - it's a very subdued Valentine's Day when your loved one is in another country, although I did get a couple of dozen roses a few days early.  Instead, what better way to cheer yourself up than to wear a sweater with a moose on it!  I finished this last night, washed and blocked it overnight all ready to wear today - I absolutely love it!  It's difficult to take a photo of your own chest, but you get the idea - thank you Knitty.com for such a brilliant pattern.

I've been struggling for days now with making a miniature chandelier.  This is to go with all the other knitted furniture for the animated film, but of course to knit a chandelier this small would be impossible.  What I have had to do is fashion it out of wire, find a way to join 5 very unwilling pieces together (bluetac and florists tape) then wrap the lot with gold crochet yarn.  The wrapping alone took me an hour as I had to do it in one long continuous length to prevent any lumps and bumps.  The bases for the bulbs (there will be real bulbs...) are buttons painted gold - try finding flat gold buttons with holes in the centre when you want them, it's not going to happen.  Next is crocheting the bulb holders and adding the crystal drops...or beads as we like to call them in the trade.  All those fiddly mini knitted animals, fish, chairs and the cuckoo clock seem so easy by comparison to this.

As well as the above, I am spending every spare minute painting......deadline too close for comfort!

Get On This Train......

Now that life has settled down a bit, it's time to get on with all those outstanding commissions.  This is an unusual (for me) little piece - I was asked if I could produce some travel drawings in the style of etchings.  I'm not sure if it has been achieved here or not - still awaiting approval from the client, but it was fun just using a pencil with a sharp point and nothing else.  This is quite small - A4 - but still took quite a few hours.

Now it's time to start those Inktense jungle creatures....

Smudge!

This only took a further half hour to complete.  Now Smudge is waiting to go to her new home with the real Smudge.

Just got the details of my 3 painting commission for Derwent - a tree frog, a spider monkey and a leopard....all to be done by the end of the month. Gulp.......

It Never Rains But It Snows.........

This is what I woke up to today.....not alot of snow, but enough to get me a snow day off work - hooray!  It couldn't have come at a better time, as with two sick family members at home and a pile of art work to get on with, I am exhausted!

I have had time in the evenings to complete this though - it's the same crochet pattern as the small teal scarf I made a few weeks ago but this time in Rowan Kidsilk Haze, which means it has turned out considerably bigger...and fluffier!

I'm also working on this, which will be a chunky tank top with a moose head on it!  Saw the pattern on this months Knitty edition and just couldn't resist - who wouldn't want a moose head emblazoned on their bosom?  Luckily, as it is in aran yarn, it's a fairly quick knit but very heavy compared to what I have been working on over the past months.

Smudge here is just about completed - I have to work on the front part of the legs and tidy up the background a bit, but that's all.  I have enjoyed this portrait immeasurably - I think it has kept me sane over the past fortnight.

As from today it is half term week here in the UK, which means no school, no day job for me - hooray!  It comes just at the right time as I have been offered a 3 painting commission by Derwent Pencils with a VERY tight deadline!

Nearly There....

I'm surprised that I have been able to do so much to this painting with all that is going on at my house lately (now my daughter has bronchitis - this has not been a good start to the year, 2012!)  In some ways, escaping into a quiet world of painting a sandy dog has been very therapeutic and none of my anxieties have manifested themselves in the picture.  Quite the reverse, I feel it is turning out to be quite a good one. 

Still left to do - the front legs and the detailing of the chest hair, and something has to be done about that shadow on the left of the dog's flank - it's there in the reference photos but looks hard and heavy in the painting.  But considering an acrylic of this size (A3) and detail used to take me months to complete, a few more afternoons to finish it aren't a problem.

Not All Doom & Gloom.......

Despite all the goings on at Chez Bletsis this week, there have been some pretty good things happening too.  For one thing, I have a big vase of blooming daffodils scenting the house while outside the temperature is -9... minus NINE!  I know this is small potatoes to anyone in Canada and Northern Europe, but for Hampshire in the UK, that's a bit chilly.

Last weekend, my son had an illustration in the Financial Times - considering he's only been freelance for a couple of months, this is quite a feather in his cap.  See it here.  A proud moment for all of us!

Throughout my worry over my partner, I knitted this cute lacy cowl.  It's a Louisa Harding pattern and I used some King Cole yarn which is an acrylic/wool mix with little sequins every few inches.  I don't think this one is of a quality to sell, but I will be making more in a heavier yarn later on - this one will do for keeping out the cold round my own neck.  By the way, knitting is a great soother in times of stress!

I've been looking at this coat on the La Redoute website for months.  It started off at £99....then before Christmas it was reduced to £69, still a bit excessive for my wallet.  I'm a great believer in waiting for what you want and nine times out of ten it works - bought it this week in their sale for £29.  Now that's a price I can't complain about!  Showed it to my partner who chuckled a bit and told me that when he was in the Foreign Legion (yes, indeed he was, all very Beau Geste...) he had a coat just like it... 

And to cap it all, the art & craft work is coming in at a steady pace - brilliant!  Although I feel that any spare cash will be going on the heating bill this month.....

Life Goes On......

Despite all the upheaval this week, there is still plenty of work to be getting on with.  I have squeezed in a few hours on the dog portrait and it is coming along very nicely.  I have decided to cut off the bottom couple of inches - the board is slightly too big and I don't see the point of adding the feet really when it adds nothing to the composition.

Life is returning to normal now and we are calm at last - what a week!