Bears & Blankets...

This week I have made a Holly bear - she sold within 2 minutes of being in my Etsy shop...

...an Otis bear - he's still available, but not sure for how long...

...and completed the lacy crochet blanket that I have been working on over the past few weeks.

 The blanket is also in my Etsy shop.

Currently on the easel is another bear painting, although at the moment it is just the background whcih has taken me a week to finish - tomorrow I start painting the bear, yay!

Finished!

After weeks, nay months, of work in the evenings, this crochet blanket/throw is finally complete.  It has turned out beautifully!  I knew when I bought the yarn cakes that I wanted a stitch to show off the fabulous colour mix and luckily a simple zig-zag did just that.

I wasn't sure about putting tassels on the points, but decided to give it a go, using the brighter colours in the same order as the stripes, and it was the right decision.  This is such a lovely blanket, even though I say so myself.  It will be for sale in my Etsy shop soon - I am having difficulty getting decent photos of it due to bad weather and the sheer size of the thing!  If you'd like to nip in and get it before I list it, just give me a shout!
 

In other news, I have been sewing yet more Otises - these three are already spoken for and I have further orders to complete.  What started off as a silly experiment really snowballed and I have lost count of how many stuffed bears I have made over the past 3 years.  Thankfully I still enjoy doing them!

On the drawing board - I am now booked up until about Christmas.  I am currently painting a couple more Otis trinket boxes that have been commissioned and I have three bear paintings to do.  The first 2 are for the winner of the American Travel Guide magazine's summer competition - the lady couldn't decide which bear she wanted me to paint so has commissioned me to paint a second one so that she can have both!

It is great to be busy once again - the summer was dismal, both weather-wise and mentally and my creativity almost disappeared.  Being 'forced' to paint and make things to a deadline has kicked my backside back into action, haha!

It Seemed A Good Idea At The Time...

I've been working on this blanket for weeks now - I bought some gorgeous cheap yarn cakes and thought I'd try something different from the usual granny square throws that I've been making.  This is a very simple stitch to do, but as it is in dc (sc for the US) it takes forever!  It also eats yarn, so I have had to buy some more yarn cakes in order for this to be a blanket of a decent size.  It might be finished round about 2022...
 

Bears & Blankets...

Last year while the pandemic was in full swing and we were in strict lockdown, I found it comforting and stress-relieving to crochet giant granny squares for throws.  I think I made four or five and ended up giving them away to friends and family.  Stress levels are fairly high again at the moment for various reasons, so I am crocheting like crazy in the evenings once more.  This is the latest blankie - the camera has not done justice to the colours unfortunately.  It will be for sale in my Etsy shop once I take some decent snaps.

I'm also back to making Otis stuffies - they seem to sell before I have even finished them!

I must sit down one afternoon and cut out some more fabric for them - that is the worst part of making these, the mess and the coughing up of furballs afterwards!

Once the cutting out is over and done with, the rest of the making process is quite fun - I wish I had kept count of how many of these I have made!

One the easel...well, it's the lid to a trinket box, but I am painting Otis as well.  Nearly finished.
 

Blues...

I've found the whole lockdown/pandemic has affected my creativity quite badly over the past few months.  I've managed to paint during the day, but the time I used to spend knitting/crocheting/sewing in the evenings has taken a bad hit.  For one thing, I just do not feel inspired.  For another, I tend to pass out in front of the tv by about 8.30 and spend the rest of the evening dozing - perhaps it is my body's way of escaping!

I have found that crocheting throws using varigated yarn cakes has helped though - they are mindless, keep the hands busy, and at the end of it you have something pretty and useful with not a whole lot of effort.  This is the latest one in shades of blue.  Once it has been washed, it will be for sale in my Etsy shop - winter is on it's way and there is nothing more comforting than being wrapped up in a woolly blanket!
 

Crochet & Bears...

 Among other things, I have still been using crochet as a comforting activity in the evenings - this is the third throw I have crocheted (not quite finished yet) since being in lockdown.  I used another set of the wonderful Papatya yarn cakes in a rainbow mix this time.

I've also had this sweet commission - it's a repeat of a painting I did last year, but thankfully that was long enough ago for this not to be boring.  Interesting to see the difference in colours used this time compared to last time when I had cataracts.

I think you can say my colour vision has improved a little!

Crochet...

Another one of these crochet throws completed.  I find them very soothing to make, no thinking required.  Once I can get them photographed properly, they will be for sale in my Etsy shop.

Stressbuster...

Finsihed this yesterday - three weeks worth of crocheting furiously in the evening.  It's been therapeutic and thankfully has also turned out very pretty!  Will probably end up in my Etsy shop at some point.

Keep Calm & Crochet On...

We are currently living in very worrying times and with my daughter having Downs Syndrome & very susceptible to chest infections, I'm having a hard time keeping things in perspective.  However, when I am nervous or fretful, it always helps me to either paint or craft.  I've not really been able to concentrate much on painting but have got some done at least.  In the evenings I have been crocheting throws like a mad thing - the repetative movements of the granny square stitch are very soothing and also stop me fiddling with my face!  I'm using Papatya wool cake yarns - the pink & blue one is called Unicorn and the teal/brown one is Spirit.  Goodness knows how big they will get in the end!

Stay safe people!

Lacy Throw and an Ambitious Project......

A few weeks ago when I was going through my black dog stage (!), the creativity mojo was on vacation in the craft department as well, so I started a simple throw which didn't require any deep thought or effort, just nice repetative soothing knitting! It knitted up really fast and I've completed it as well as getting on with other projects around it.


It's knitted in a rather nice cotton mix yarn which is slightly slubby and has flecks of colour throughout. The lacy pattern combined with the size of needles used has produced a lovely stretchy throw, just right for either arranging prettily on your sofa or pulling around your shoulders to keep warm on a cold winter evening. It is currently for sale in my Etsy shop.


Never one to do anything the easy way, I have embarked on a new painting using a fantastic photo given to me by a very kind client of mine who went to Namibia last year. This is the second attempt at sketching it out - first was abandoned due to choosing a rubbish paper which left smudge marks when pencil was rubbed out. I'm about a third of the way through sketching - still more zebras to put in and as for the stripes........well, wish me luck! This will be a watercolour painting eventually.