It Runs In The Family

With all the goings on over the past few weeks, I completely forgot to show off one of my best Christmas presents. My elder sister lives in Greece and has access to two amazing bead shops in central Athens. She is also very handy with needles, both sewing and knitting. In my parcel was this wonderful hessian shoulder bag sewn, appliqued and embroidered entirely by her. Cute!


She's lined it and made a pocket too! I can't wait until the warmer weather when I can use this for summer outings. There's more, because inside the bag was this treasure trove....


She has obviously thought very carefully about which beads I would like as I love them all, particularly the ones like little birds' eggs...and the cats....oh, and the shells.....
I don't know what to make with them yet, but very soon inspiration will strike I'm sure.

It's been a difficult week for arts & crafts this week - due to the extra exercise walking through the snow as well as going back to work, combined with a still-mourning-and-restless-at-night dog, I keep falling asleep in the evenings after I've eaten! The lace shawl has made a bit of progress, I've nearly finished a hat, and the one piece of artwork I have done this week is in transit to it's new owner and I can't show it until they've seen it first - it wouldn't be fair. Perhaps now the snow is rapidly melting (hooray, I could drive to the supermarket!!) and things are getting back to normal, I may be more productive over the coming week. But for now, I'm off to lie on the sofa with a cup of tea and the new Yarn Forward magazine.....

Still Snowbound....

Outside it still looks like this.......


........figs on ice anyone?



Inside, some crafting has been going on. I've been working on this lace shawl for a couple of weeks now.


However, it is like knitting with gossamer as it is just about the finest yarn I have ever used - some pure Merino picked up at the IKnit Weekender last year. I'm really happy with how it is turning out, although pre-blocking it always looks like a crumpled rag. It has to be knitted sporadically though as it is so tiny and fiddly it takes all my concentration to keep it correct..no mistakes so far!


In the meantime I knitted this little chap - I've used Sirdar Snuggly Snowflake (fitting!) Chunky, which has meant he came out slightly larger than these dogs normally do, but still only 5 inches tall.


I couldn't leave him without a coat in this weather, so he has this snazzy little number knitted in acrylic yarn with snap fasteners and tiny white buttons.


Sorted! As soon as he has his bed & accessories, he'll be up on Etsy looking for a good home.

I'm also working on a painting but that's to be kept under wraps for a while until it's done - watch this space, it's a cutie!


And so another day of dealing with the snow ahead - heartily fed up with it now. You never know how much time you save by being able to jump into your car to nip and do an errand. I've also discovered just how much 3 tins of dog food, a pack of flour, some coleslaw, cherry tomatoes, shampoo and a newspaper weighs when strapped to your back for half an hour while you attempt to remain upright on the slippery slope home....if nothing else, I'll be fit by the time it thaws!

Psychopomps......

No, I'm not freaking out since my dog's demise, I had this painting in mind way back when I took the reference photos in Boston and had it sketched out at the beginning of last week. I'm just an avid reader of Stephen King, and the reference in The Dark Half to sparrows being guides to the afterlife for the souls of the departed has always kind of stuck in my mind....but then I'm the person who had screaming nightmares after reading The Mist & Pet Sematary, and don't get me started on 'It'!

Anyway, enough with the slightly worrying glimpse into my subconscious!

At one of the exits to Boston Common there was this big flock of sparrows fluttering and chattering in a bush, tame as you like and I rattled off a couple of photos (while checking all around that I wasn't going to get hit by a truck or knifed in the back...no, not really!) and have been waiting all this time to have a spare couple of afternoons to paint them. This has been painted in watercolours, using a very annoying wobbly sable brush and a strong magnifying glass to try & get the detail from the photo. Initially, this drove me nuts and there was a lot of swearing and dropping of things - I paint with the drawing board resting on my lap and the addition of a magnifying glass to the hand holding the palette caused overload. However, it did cause me to paint in a much looser style which I quite liked, so persisted with the discomfort!

As the school is still closed due to the snow, I have yet another free day but had better do some paid work!

The 24 Hour Hat!

We still have snow....today it looks like this! But the sun is not generating any heat, it's just making everything look sparkly and extra white.


For those of you concerned about my daughter's cold head during this weather (she's such a neglected and under-privileged young lady....) she now has a nice warm woolly hat to keep her ears warm. I knitted this in under 24 hours actually - an evening and a bit - it would have been quicker except Madam insisted on having bobbles as in the pattern rather than easier-to-make tassels.

We gave it a trial run this morning and walked up to the town for a bit of shopping - what should have taken about an hour took us nearly two as the pavements were lethal and there is no escaping a hill before the shops. Interesting just how much shopping can be jammed into a rucksack, although I am praying the roads are clear before we run out of tinned dog food! I saw one enterprising lady pulling four big bags of shopping home on a sledge...hmm, I wonder if I could rig up a dog-pulled sledge by the weekend.......

Here We Go Again.......

It started snowing again last night, but we were all home, safe and warm, so no reason to panic. I believe some people went a little crazy in the local supermarkets yesterday buying up tons of canned goods and generally preparing for winter in the Yukon rather than a few days snow in the UK....I bought a couple of extra loaves of bread, but figured if we get low on food I can just pull on my wellies and walk.


So we awoke to this scene of destruction in the garden - there's going to be some work needs doing when it all thaws out! Schools are closed, so no work for me today - a completely free day at home, it's like a belated Christmas present!


I dragged my daughter out for a walk with the dog as soon as it got light - the snow was up to the top of her wellies in some places, so we took it slow and didn't go too far.


Somebody had a wonderful time running full tilt up and down - good job he has long legs!

Thanks to all of you who passed on condolences over the loss of Jasper - I really appreciated your kind words. An update on the other dog - he's now sleeping at the top of the stairs at night rather than in the kitchen and has stopped howling so we have had three nights unbroken sleep after a week of misery. Today he even ate his breakfast - he's barely been eating since losing his best mate - so I think he is coming to terms with being an only dog now. I've also been taking him on some high-speed route marches to wear him out and also give him something else to occupy his mind which has helped - good for me too, working off some of the Christmas excess!

I have a few arts & craft projects on the go, but nothing completed for now. Yesterday I realised that despite knitting all the stuff for my Etsy shop, for myself, and commissions, my daughter does not possess a single woolly hat that fits her - oops! I am very ashamed of myself and gave her free rein to choose any yarn from my stash and any pattern, and I spent most of last night trying to finish a hat in an evening....nearly did it but not quite. She should have it before she ventures out into the snow again hopefully!

Thank Goodness For Glue Guns......

This has to be the tiniest bunny's water bottle ever...constructed from half a glitter tube, and knitted ends, all held together with glue. Yes, that is actual water in there - I need to get out more......

Time to Get Back to Normal

What with one thing and another over the past fortnight - snow, Christmas, pet demise - I've not done very much arts and crafts. I can show the wonderful sewn stocking made and given to me by my daughter for Christmas though. This past term she has been attending a craft workshop at the local technical college once a week and had hand-made gifts for all of us for Christmas. I'm very impressed with what she has made, as her fine motor skills are not great so I understand just how much effort she has had to put into each and every gift.


This little knit rabbit set has been made to order and is just about ready to be sent off to his new home...I've been trying to figure out just how to make him a knitted water bottle, have come up with an idea which has to be implemented today. I'm hoping I've not tried to be too clever and that it will work!

Just to let you know that now I only have one more potato illustration to do, I am open to commissions once more so if you feel your child or pet needs their portrait painted, check out my website and maybe I can be of assistance!

- 0 -

Further to my previous post, not only are we having to deal with our own grief at losing a beloved pet, but our other dog has taken the loss incredibly hard. Last night was the fifth night of him howling all night when put to bed in the kitchen. I'm very, very tired! I've checked out the relevant chapters in my doggie books, looked it up on the net, and we are doing all the right things to help him but it seems we just have to wait for time to be the healer. Any (sensible!) suggestions would be gratefully received!

- 0 -

Finally, I'd like to wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year - this year, please leave a comment if you visit my blog, I'd love to hear from you.