Recent eneavours - or -make bags while the sun shines

Have been dabbling a bit with tapestry crochet of late, inspired by the amazing work of Carol Ventura and others on the net. While I have tried this before, I never actually made anything - just played about.

The order for a hat for Kosta was a perfect excuse to play about even more - Kosta is a VERY non establishment lad and my instructions were, 'make it as crazy as possible'. With this, I changed stitches and colours on a whim and even included a bit of TC.

Hey, that was fun, thought moi, must do some more of that. MMM...turtles might be a giggle- will just colour in a couple of boxes on graph paper and give it a go. Well it was fun, and a learning experience as well. Crochet stitches made by right handed folk slope right, right? Straight lines don't turn out straight, straight! Well the turtles danced and colours looked jolly so all in all, not too bad. Just a small question.... to felt or not to felt? Still, this is a dilemma.

A bit hooked on this designing stuff now, and getting really adventurous, thought to make a bag for the DD who is about to depart the shores of Oz for the ski slopes of Japan. Since she thinks, breathes and speaks very little other than cold white stuff on hills and planks on feet, the skiier motif had no contest. This one will definitely be visiting the washing machine for a good rumble about - or maybe I could just give it to the dogs to play with!

Last but not least, the promised wine carrier bag for Trev. Yeah I promised, and if it doesn't get made, he will not let me forget it. Thinking to make life a little easier for myself, I used one of Carol's motifs from her More Tapestry Crochet book. This one was lookin' good. Even dear old Dad could identify the orange dogs! Woops! On returning home after a wee adventure in planes and automobiles, the dogs had slipped their leads and the WIP had vanished.

Second attempt now in progress. This will be felted as I am sure that this would be much more sensible for the intended purpose.

So, loving the TC but not loving quite so much the achy hands and wrists that seem to result from extended hours (I wish!) of labour. Stay posted for the fully felted outcomes.

lotsa stuff with stick and string

Just to let you know that if you really have nothing much else to do, there is a bit more stuff that has fallen off the crochet sticks at http://www.flickr.com/photos/martini_qb/

yarns at curly

...just to prove that it really does happen! Yes I do sit on the beach and crochet. Yes people do look at me strangely. Yes I do get sand in stuff. But hey, with this view just down the road apiece, wouldn't anyone? (ok so don't answer that - I know, I know, I am yet to see another crocheter sur la plage)

Fulling around with felting

Here are the before and after shots (ok so one of the after shots is still to come)- taken with the phone as the camera charger is still in hiding somewhere. The Kureyon yarn (blue-ish) makes a much softer felted fabric. T'was a lot of fun, despite the fact that the washing machine lives in a deep damp cave.

new models old stuff

Right in the middle of Inspector Rex they arrived! Such poor timing! But, one can never let a chance go by. The beautiful models were immediately (well, almost) wrapped in crochet stuff and paraded before the camera. Ahhhh, how youth and beauty can do so much for the humble hooked hat.

This is Tess wrapped in black.

...and Tess the Purple Princess

...and a happily hatted couple

Gotta luv 'em!

5th generation Martinis - appropriately clad

The gorgeous Maya - and I still haven't met her!!

And who is this handsome lad?

It's not all about me.....really!

Just so you know that, given time, all things can be achieved. I have been meaning to share this information about the cushion from the southern rainforests for ages now, but life, love and the universe have been intervening. Now I have all that stuff sorted, here it is.

In the words of its creator:

This is the cushion cover I made en route from Kiama to Darwin, via Cairns, and then back to Kiama via Alice Springs. It didn't even begin as a cushion cover, but after visiting old friends near Innisfail, it evolved into Virginia's cushion, since she liked the colours of the 'square'

So, some of us are talented, but others of us are even more talented!

Two more FOs

Off to the post office to dispatch two more FO's. Finally put the finishing touches to that fulled bag for the cuz and have to admit, I am quite pleased with the outcome - just not the time it took to do those last few stitches. Love the outcome of the fulling when using handspun hand dyed yarns and the flowers - well gotta have 'em! (yeah and even though it doesn't look it, the flowers really and truly are totally symmetrical to the Corindi Beach standards of symmetry!)

...and what else I hear you ask...

Well, given that I have yet to meet her face to face I have constructed the jacket below for the newest of the Martinis. Made it with an acrylic yarn (machine washable, non irritating etc etc) and it was horrid to work with, but looks and feels quite quite nice thankyou very much. Hope she likes it cos I don't fancy having mashed banana thrown my way.

Being new to this blogging thingo, you will need to wait for the rest of the photos - have loads more stuff to figure out yet....but don't hold your breath waiting for the photo of moi - it will be a long long time in the adobe photoshop before it hits PUBLISH POST status.