Web Warriors - Iron Fist

Apparently there is a cartoon called Spiderman Web Warriors, with a character called Iron Fist.  You'd have thought that anything coming under the Spiderman franchise would have some merchandise, especially around Christmas but it would seem not.  So rather than have their little girl sorely disappointed this year, a thoughtful mum and dad asked if I could re-create Iron Fist in wool.  So I did.  I'm sure given a bit more time I could tweak this pattern further, but I think he will pass muster under the Christmas tree.

And The Sheepishness Carries On...

 Ever since I bought more of the vintage blanket fabric, I have wanted to design my own lamb toy rather than adapt someone else's pattern.  Admittedly, designing a toy for me is more like drawing the animal from a side view then cutting out the shape and adding a couple of gussets!

I'm quite happy with how this little chap has turned out though - everything seemed to fit together nicely and once he was stuffed, the shapes were what I was after.

He has a smart green bow with a rusty looking bell too!  If you are interested, he's for sale in my Etsy shop now.

Also for sale in my shop now is the painted egg.  Needless to say, it did not win anything in the competition at work as children were judges and as always, they went for the egg that made them laugh!  So rather than waste the amount of work that went into this, I thought it only right to see if anyone else would like it.

Suffering from a strained shoulder at the moment which makes everything to do with my right arm very painful - I do hope it doesn't affect my knitting.  Silly thing is, I have no idea how I did it so don't know how to alleviate it!

Upcycled Lamb...

Well hello, little guy!  I spent half of yesterday sewing this lamb based on a pattern in Abby Glassenberg's really useful book Stuffed Animals: From Concept to Construction.  I used the ram pattern but altered various bit and pieces to fit in with what I wanted to do.

I went to Unravel last Sunday, and part of my haul that I brought home was a lovely soft piece of vintage blanket - all white, slightly felted, and very cuddly.  I wanted to make a very simple toy to make the most of the fabric, something huggable.

Cutting the pattern was hard work - the blanket is quite thick.  Sewing was hard too, in some places the layers of fabric were almost 3/4 inch thick.  Happily, the blanket is so soft that a needle passed through like butter, I just had to remember to pull the thread really taut in order to keep all the layers together.

I'm not sure if he looks as 'lamby' as I wanted, but he certainly is cute.  There are a few things I would alter if I was to make him again, but I am definitely going to work in old blanket again, it makes for a very warm and cuddly finish.

Finding Time...

Here is the little rabbit compete with body.  This is such an amazing pattern, it is knitted entirely in one piece apart from the front paws, and stuffing is inserted through the hole between the ears before you sew it up.  I found that if I stopped knitting before the ears, I could put in safety eyes quite easily.  This took an evening to make - it would have been quicker without the embroidered face, but I always like to go the extra mile.

I used the free pattern called Henry's Bunny by Sara Elizabeth Kellner, which can be found here. 
I take my hat off to Sara - this is such a simple but clever pattern, the contours of the rabbit's head are perfect, and the shaped body just fits perfectly in the palm of your hand.

Now that Christmas is over and done with, things are slowly getting back to normal and I am finding the odd hour here and there to get on with oustanding commissions.  One of which is this portait of a greyhound:

Whist I love black dogs in reality, painting or drawing them is a nightmare - it's easy for the black to dominate and look like a gaping hole!  Luckily, this handsome dog is very shiny, so I can ensure there is plenty of contrast.  I am painting this using Derwent Drawing pencils with white acrylic and black ink to help with definition.  I am hoping to get some time today to carry on but have the suspicion I will be called upon to assist digging a pond.....

Now I Know How Much My Mother Loved Me!

My mum used to make me toys on occasion - I still have the rag doll she made me when I was three, a large, very battered doll called Arriety (from The Borrowers) that still smells the same as it did when I was little and evokes such memories.

I don't remember many others, but I do remember her knitting me a Clanger.  I loved The Clangers, so did she!  I found the original knitting pattern on the net, which must be the exact same one she probably sent away for from the BBC.  It is pretty basic - there aren't any instructions for sewing together at all and I had to wing it.

I thought it wouldn't take me long as most of it was straight stocking stitch - how wrong I was!  The ears were a nightmare - it didn't say they were supposed to be folded in two, I had to work that out for myself.
The fingers are supposed to be pipecleaners but I knitted them with Icord, a much safer option.

The tunic was difficult too - it just said to cut out felt shapes, embroider them and attach them together to make the tunic.  Argh!  I had to search for images of Clangers on my Kindle and keep checking that what I was doing looked OK.

However, for all the messing around, it was definitely worth it.  This one is for sale in my Etsy shop - I do plan to make some more at some point in the future, or if you would like to place an order, feel free to do so.

Whistle-hoot-toot!
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It is one year to the day since we were in Boston on holiday and got caught in Hurricane Sandy.  This year we are at home over half term and yet there is a predicted hurricane here in the UK, due to hit us overnight.  Hmm, it's a bit windy out there but the sun is shining and my washing is drying nicely.  I don't want to tempt fate, but I suspect our 'hurricane' won't be quite on a par with Sandy....I'll let you know tomorrow if we are still here or if we have been blown away!

Hephaistos, The Magician's Cat

With Halloween approaching, what better time to make another black cat, this time with his own accessories and to be for sale in my Etsy shop.


Hephaistos is a smooth haired black cat, knitted in simple acrylic yarn but with the same demonic red eyes as my last witch's cat. He has wool jointed legs which mean he is poseable, a set of black whiskers and a crystal hanging from his red collar.


He has his own book of spells, an orange bowl with a picture of a bat on it, and a tasty fishy for dinner. His bed is black felt lined with red & white starry fabric. If you look closely at the spell book, not only is the cover hand embroidered, but there are paper pages inside with actual spells written in - they might not work though, bear in mind they were written by a cat.


This was a fun little project, although with the fish being less than an inch long and having embroidered scales, I think I need to get out more......


I'm just about to put him on Etsy - I'm willing to make more of these if necessary!

Moo!

Here she is, after a week's hard work, Daisy the Cow finished and complete. I love it when someone gives me a commission which is completely outside my comfort zone, because after the initial panic and thoughts of 'Oh God, what have I agreed to? I can't do that?' it is lots of fun to work out exactly how it can be done.


Daisy has been knitted in acrylic yarn, with safety-backed plastic eyes, a red ribbon and little cow-bell. She has wool-jointed legs so is fully poseable...when she feels like it!


She has curly grey horns, lovely black markings, and even a set of (non-functional although wouldn't that be fun!) udders.

I have sort of written down the pattern for this as I went along with a vague idea of either being able to knit another cow should anyone want one, or selling the pattern at some point on Etsy. I haven't decided yet, but if you fancy owning a cloned Daisy, do let me know - she will cost you £20 plus p& p.


And as the sun is actually shining here today, I have been able to get a decent photograph of the gazelle painting in which the black is black and the colours and light are correct. This is how it really looks!

Well, Hello Giselle!

On a whim a few weeks ago I bought some giraffe and zebra felt from HippyChic on Etsy, but I only bought three sheets of each in case I didn't like it......
I had the idea to make giraffe and zebra head purses, so I started out with the giraffe, struggling to make my own pattern using scraps of an old shirt and tracing paper. As usual with me, once the main shape was made, it turned into a bit of an epic. The eyes became stuffed to look bulbous like a real giraffe's and have a pupil, light shine, eyelid and long curly eyelashes. The horns, ears and mane had to be realistic as well, and when the head was finished it didn't want to be just a purse, it was crying out for a body.


I'm new to this design-your-own-toy lark and it's all a bit scary. So I added a neck.....then wondered how on earth to make a body and legs out of the one and a half sheets of felt I had left. This took two days of pondering and walking off to do something else. Eventually I bit the bullet and cut out some pieces and hoped for the best. The legs are a bit spindly and she can't stand up, but she does look remarkably like a new-born giraffe. There are things I would do better next time (next time???) but on the whole she's a little character and is going up for adoption on Etsy very shortly.

Just a note, if anyone would like to buy anything they see here but are intimidated by the Etsy system, do please e-mail me - I do sell a lot of my work privately, it's just that Etsy are so brilliant at taking the hassle out of it all.

The zebras are progressing nicely - I think it's 12 down, three to go, but I will have to take a break from them for a few days to do a portrait commission. I also have a couple of pairs of very interesting socks commissioned.......more on that another day.

At Last!

Finally, the finished horse! It hasn't really taken me this long to complete, I just had to wait for the eyes I ordered from e-Bay to come - the first lot were lost in the post and I had to wait for replacements.



He's a bit wonky, and the angle of his ears make him look a little bolshy too, but I'm quite pleased with my first attempt at this type of toy. Next time (if there is a next time!) I will use an easier-to-sew fabric - the faux suede was very tough both on the sewing machine and my fingers.

Doves, Dogs & Disappointment..

I had a couple of bracelets to make as a commission (not shown) and then as all my lovely boxes of beads were there in front of me, got carried away using some adorable little vintage brass dove charms from My Vintage Charms. I have made a necklace with gold-plated wire and purple glass beads together with small faceted AB glass beads. The charm on the necklace is a pair of doves holding a tiny heart. For the matching earrings, I have used separate doves with purple glass hearts. Very pleased with how these turned out - very delicate and sparkly! Necklace £15, earrings £5 both + p&p

I have been making these little chaps this week. The first one is in a grey chenille yarn and he is quite small having been knitted on size 14 needles (those of you who knit will be sucking in your breath - yes it was very fiddly!) He has a blue leather collar with shiny ID disc. The second dog is made with an incredibly soft eyelash yarn which feels like down. He does have the jointed legs somewhere under all that fur! I trimmed the face carefully in order to sew on the features and was pleasantly surprised to find that some very authentic looking doggy eyebrows appeared! He also has the leather collar and ID disc, and both of them will be sold for £15 when they have their baskets, blankets, coats, bowls and toys as usual.

Finally found out today about the David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year Exhibition - my painting didn't get accepted. Very disappointed, and wishing the lady on the phone hadn't raised my hopes irresponsibly!! Never mind, keep plugging away....let's hope one of my other 'hopefuls' is successful.

This is the 199th post on this blog - the next one will announce a giveaway. Only one of you has suggested a 'prize' - it would be nice to hear some other ideas! Come out of the shadows and leave a suggestion, go on, I dare you!

Saggy Baggy Elephant

A week's work and this is the result...I'm in two minds about this. It does NOT resemble the photo with the pattern, the pattern was wrong in places so there are a few minor errors, and the sewing instructions were appalling which meant I pretty much improvised. On the other hand, he does have an attractively pathetic air about him so anyone with a compassionate streak may well fall in love with him. Should you be that person, this elephant goes for £15. He is about 12 inches from trunk to tail, very squishily stuffed with kapok, and knitted in a chenille type yarn which ends up feeling like soft towelling. He has plastic clip-in eyes and the flower in his trunk is removable.

Still waiting for news on the painting situation - I may not last the distance as every time the phone goes or there is a new e-mail in my account my heart skips a beat!

Gone to the Dogs.....

Here is the result of a couple of days planning and sewing - a felt model of my own dog! It's loosely based on my saluki, using an adaptation of the large felt dog pattern I made a while ago. I slimmed down the body, gave it a deeper chest, lengthened the muzzle, legs, tail and ears and gave the tail and ears fronds. He has the daft little 'melon seed' eyebrows, and a very smart leather collar with the obligatory tassel that all salukis must have! I'm really pleased with how it came out although if I were to make it again I would slim the face and front legs down even further as salukis are very delicately made.
This is a more lifelike pose for a saluki - running like the wind!
Until I put a few anchoring stitches in the ears, they were horizontal like a bird's wings which is how they go when the dog runs, but it looked a tad silly when just sat there!




And this is generally the dopey expression I'm greeted with!!











I made this little Jack Russell mascot as well, but this was from my recently acquired book, slightly adapted as I added the patch and made the ears a bit more jaunty. This is going to be a brooch - I'd wear it, don't know about anyone else........ SOLD - but I will take orders...








I do have a million other things to be making, but I feel the felt dog obsession taking over.....commissions undertaken!