Welcome to the stork

Welcome to Quynh Anh / Livia: 3rd baby of the year. This time I put aside the knitting needles and courted my neglected sewing machine and made a baby bathrobe.

I used a big towel I bought and some stripped light cotton (did I mention I love stripes?). I really like this fabric and I was keen to use it on this project.

This project is pretty simple. Once the towel is cut to side, stitch the hood and cut enough bias to cover all the way round the towel. Fold the bias in two then each side in two again and mark the creases with a hot iron. Pin the bias and stitch it. The most difficult is to stitch the bias on both side of the thick terry towel.

I had some bias left, so I tied the little bathrobe with a cute bow. The Royal Mail the the French post did take their time to deliver it, however it eventually arrived. Phew!

Rolled-up bathrobe

Baby bathrobe

Ooooh, merino

Winter is coming fast and I'm keener to knit/crochet than saw. I've tried to extend my knitting abilities to something else than baby booties however my recent snood failure didn't help. Mind you, it meant I finished to watch NCIS's season 8 episodes and the cat has now been given a very comfy cover..sorry failed snood. Ahem...

The wool below will be used to make Milly the sheep. The pattern is available for free from  The Guardian. The balls are made of merino wool and silk. They're so soft and easy to knit with. I really enjoy using merino for booties since it can be cleaned at 30°C in a normal washing machine was.

With 3 babies planned before Feb. 2012, I need to get going!

Cosy merino and silk wool

Wee pause

The summer took its tool on me and I haven't updated this blog in a couple of month.

I haven't been twiddling my thumbs, I have been pretty busy: I finished the pencil skirt, done a baby bath towel (that got lost in the post), finished a wrap-around shirt, 3 stenciled t-shirts, given the unstretchy snood to the cat... I'm putting together some bunting, doing more baby booties for 3 babies in the making - from 3 different mums, not triplets.
I also managed to smash my camera's screen and I haven't really looked into either fixing it or buying a new one.
As soon as my move is over and the dust has settled, I'll get going again.

Lamp-work session

I guess one of my drivers in life is "if somebody can do it, I can" coupled with "if it was made, I can make it too". I do face set backs due to a evident lack of brute strength (I'm very petite) and wanting quick results.

Being a wee bit *ahem*geeky, I was keen on learning to make my own beads. I've followed somewhat distantly the Pandora/Troll/Chamilla bead craze since:

             1. I don't like wild-fire trends,

             2. The beads, bracelets, spacers are overpriced (all machine made too),

             3. It is in fashion, a charm bracelet is dangling from every female wrist,

             4. It is not original anymore.

Several months back, I'd been to a very friendly bead and wire workshop at Amy Surman's. She is a lovely lady and knows her stuff. Her workshop is now bigger and Amy can now hosts lampwork sessions. Lampworking is pretty simple, it is about melting glass with fire to shape it and mix it artistically. It is amazing the extend of options one has with respect to mixing colours, shaping, playing with different sizes, melting again, creating protrusions... The possibilities are virtually endless. I guess one of the drawbacks is the amount of kit required, from gas bottles, burners, safety googles, aerated room to oxygen purifiers to increase the flame efficiency. Not something you would set up in your living room.

Getting the hang of it is pretty quick and very regimented with respect to choosing colours first, setting all the tools then opening the gas and oxygen machine to lighting up the torch and starting the fun!

To make a bead, it is all about creating a big blob of melted glass at the tip of your glass wand. Then wrap it around a rod and even the shape out using warmer or cooler flame areas and gravity. There are many techniques to add other colours and shape.

You can also twist a tongue-shape of molten glass and make lovely pendants.

Add bubbles of air, add colours by spreading the layer below instead of adding another coat...

Foreground, L-R: rectangular bead with clear and mat green, oblong drop with ivory and green (I overcooked the ivory, however the darker smoky lines are fancy) and red & ivory round bead with 5 mm hole (I wanted to make very precise red spots however the melting point of the red rod was lower than the white...lesson learnt).

Foreground, L-R: spacer blue bead with white melted spots, 2 clear beads with dark shade of "spritz" (glass crumbles incorporated into bead) see below as earrings, big round dark clear blue bead with blue mat spots.

Lampwork marine beads earrings with Swarovski faceted beads and uncut clear diamond on sterling silver wire and hooks

Woolie ball pattern

I started to knit about 6 months ago. I thought I would behave and follow patterns for a while. Oops I did it again...

The ball is made up of 12 knitted triangles, knitted two by two. I also used leftover fabric to fill the ball. I used scraps of wool. 

The pattern is übber simple:

1. Cast on 10 stiches
2. **Stitch 10
3. Cast off 2, stitch 6, cast off 2
4. Stitch 6
5. Cast off 2, stitch 3, cast off 2
6. Stitch 3
7. Cast off 2, stitch 1
8. Stitch 2
9. Cast off 2 and finish off the last stitch**
10. Pick up 10 stitches from the bottom of the triangle and repeat steps ** to **.

10. Pick up 10 stitches at the bottom of the triangle

Once the two triangles are done, repeat 10 times. 

Once all the pannels are ready, stitch them together with a wool needle. I used a crochet to hide the ends on the inside of the ball.

Before closing off the ball, stuff it.

Pannel stitch on

 To start with I made this ball for the cat. He agreed to pose for the picture but refuses to play or even look at it. He goes crazy for paper balls, I have a eco-friendly cat!

Uninterested mamal

Pearls of wisdom

I have been looking for a simple and silver like pair of dangling earring with 9mm cream pearls.

I've looked and looked, but couldn't find what I wanted:

- closed loop earring (about 10mm)

- silver or white gold

- dangling pearls (paramount for dangling earrings)

- medium-sized cream pearl (non-dyed)

I looked online for the right loop and pearl size. Again I couldn't quite find what I wanted, all I knew it that I wanted it! Can one have a crafty single track mind? 

 Then I had a light-bulb moment - doesn't happen that often, let's hold the thought. 

Ok I may not have the exact size earring, however I have some leftover pearls.

Ok the pearls are drilled through and not half bore, anyway I wasn't keen on using glue, it is not that secure. I hear you whisper "Duh, do you know what superglue is?". I crowned myself Queen of the Superglue, it runs in the family, let is be known superglue can fail you! And it's great for suturing clean wounds (I insist on "clean"). I can use pins, I have tons of pins.

Ok the pins are plated and not sterling silver, I need to go shopping.

I have the tools, I have wire, let's put this together.

1st trial: Ta daaaa

9mm cream cultured pearl with twisted wire on sterling silver loops

 

2nd trial: re Ta daaaaa

I bought bigger loops and I'm waiting for sterling silver headpins. As you can see, the plated pins have already started to tarnish.

I will only do 1 or 2 twists maximum with the new headpins.

Fancy a tutorial about setting a pearl/bead on a headpin?

Tie me in with some light!

Last year I posted a picture if this pendant I made some years ago during a lovely silversmithing workshop.

The copper had tarnished, which was a lovely consequence with this metal. I cleaned it et voilà!

 I like the result, do you?

Sterling silver and copper pendant on snake chain