Zeens and Roger

I’m making a crochet doily

May 24, 2015May 24, 2015crochet1 Comment

I bought new yarn with some birthday money. Usually I use double knit or thicker so this is a new thing as it’s much finer. I got it up the road at the garden centre! It’s DMC Natura cotton. There were a lot of colours to choose from but I narrowed it down to my favourites. I bought the book from Amazon a year or so ago and it has some beautiful patterns.

I started my first project from the book yesterday; a rectangle doily. If you’re into crochet then surely, you’ve got to make at least one doily? I’m now very much on track with old ladying the front room anyway.

It was fiddly to begin with because I’m not used to using the fine yarn but it got easier. I don’t know how well I’d do if I used proper lace making thread. I thought I’d ease into it gradually, rather than go straight to crippling my hands with a teeny tiny hook and teeny tiny thread.

It is also only a little doily, so it has been nice and quick to work up.

The book has been translated from Japanese and I thought that it showed in the awkwardness of the writing. Some basic crochet language is left out and replaced with more literal prose. I definitely needed the pictorial diagram to go with the step by step instructions.

I’m nearly done. Just the final round to go and then it’ll need blocking to stretch it out and neaten it up. Thinking of a round doily next… However, I still have to crochet these together:

Will I get round to it this week? I managed to sew in the ends last week and that’s the worst bit.

Playing with picture frames

May 21, 2015drawing, illustration, vintage1 Comment

On what was a bit of a weird weather day, I decided to try something I’ve been thinking about for ages. Over the past couple of years I’ve been risking jumble fingers by collecting loads of old picture frames from jumble sales and junk shops.

I have now got too many lurking in drawers and other nooks and crannies so it was about time I did something with them. Mostly, the pictures inside the frames are not that good and it won’t be too hard to chuck them away. Sorry Kylie.

I bought mount board and a cutting tool thingy from Amazon ages ago but have only just got round to playing with them properly. I’m not very good. Not sure I’m keen. I quickly gave up on the bevelled edge as my lines were wonky and I was in danger of slicing off a finger. I will try again but I’ll take a break first. Will give it a go in a couple of weeks. I’ve got a lot of frames to get through.

I had a bit of trouble deciding on which picture to choose. I don’t know why, because ultimately, I will be able to frame an awful lot of pictures. Any way, I went for one I’d drawn myself as that is what I fancied. I do have lots of old books to cut up too though. I love old illustrations, especially from children’s books. I’ve got a good collection of them, some of which are waiting to be chopped up!

I’m not sure I even did it correctly, but I’ve played around with it and hopefully stuck it in the frame securely. I used the old picture as the backing and wodged it in tightly. I have avoided buying any pins/nails and hook type things, relying on what is already stuck in the frame.

This is the picture I chose. It looks crappy unfinished, with no colour, but I got my colouring pencils out and I’m actually very pleased with it. Most of the time I’m not really sure what I’m doing, but I know that it’s fun and I’m enjoying playing pencils! Such a dweeb.

I was inspired by the woodland bluebells I saw in Dorset a few weeks ago and I used one of the photographs I took to sketch the scene. Not exactly a replica…hmm.

I’ve got to work on the angled edge of the mount board, I think it’ll make a difference in the presentation. But, I might just be being fussy. The only thing now, is to work out where to hang the picture! And all the others (whenever it is I get round to doing those too).

Granny shawl number two!

May 17, 2015May 22, 2015crochet, flowers, garden2 Comments

I have finally finished and blocked my second shawl. I like it a lot. So far neither of my shawls have made it out the front door, I am not quite brave enough to go out wearing one yet. Maybe up to school and back? I’m not sure. The farthest I have ventured is into the back garden, floating about around the flowers pretending that I am not in a terrace of houses and that the neighbours aren’t there wondering what I’m up to.

It looked a bit iffy before I blocked it because I went rogue with the pattern. It’s the second time I’ve used Made by Leen‘s April Flower Shawl pattern and I will probably be tempted to make it again. But not any time soon because I have a very long list of other things to make besides shawls.

Once again I went for a different edging. That way, you know no one else has the same. I used Edie Eckman’s Crochet Borders book again (pattern no. 22) but changed the pointy bit. In retrospect I’m not sure I should have tinkered with it so much, but I did and once I’d done it, I wasn’t going to unravel it all!

These colours are much more me than the first crochet shawl although I do love them both. It’s the same stuff; Stylecraft Life DK. It has wool in it so it is nice and warm. I have loads left over which will go towards making a flowery blanket, that is somewhere on my to do list but nowhere near the top.

This is the garden that I’ve been floating about in. Actually, we have all been in the garden this weekend and no one did much floating about. The grown ups did digging, planting and building whilst the children played and partially destroyed the grown up’s hard work.

That clematis is only a few years old and looks pretty awesome already.

Look at the awesome!

Spring in the woods.

May 11, 2015May 21, 2015flowers1 Comment

Okay, this isn’t going to be about craft but I want to post these pictures because I’ve been to a lovely place and I took some photographs. We went to Dorset this weekend and went for a walk in the woods.

I’m feeling a bit peeved over the quality of the pictures I’m taking so this is me trying to practise. However, taking pictures of crochet or sewing on a dull day is a bit different to clicking away when surrounded by the beauty of the woods. Plus, these might still seem crappy to others…

We usually come here once a year to look at the bluebells and wild garlic and to have a family barbeque not too far away.

I love this spring. I am always tempted to drink from it. It probably gets deer and badger wee in it though, so it’s not a good idea.

This peacock butterfly didn’t move much, maybe it was dead?

Fairies have got to living somewhere around here, surely. I saw a massive deer but it spotted me before I saw it and bolted.

The above picture is where I spotted the deer.

Those trees upon the hill is where we were. It could be a fairy hill?

We are planning a camping holiday here in the summer. The children have never been camping before. It will be an interesting experience I’m sure!

Shawl making

May 6, 2015May 21, 2015crochet3 Comments

I have seen loads of shawls about in the last year, some really nice ones. It’s the ultimate Granny accessory. Naturally, I wanted one, so I made one! And now I’m making another.

Here is my first one. I found a lovely free pattern, the April Flower shawl on Made by Leen.

I changed the border as I fancied something a bit pointier, I used Edie Eckman’s book Crochet Borders to choose which I wanted. I also swapped to a different colour in the middle of the broad stripe but for the most part I have stuck to the pattern and I think it’s great! It was very to quick to make and now I am nearing the end of my next shawl using the same pattern.

I love the colours. They’re much better than the first one I did, where I grabbed colours without thinking. I’ve tinkered with the stripe on this one, just to make it different from the first one I made. I have no idea which border I’ll choose next but I have a couple of ideas. I might also stick to the original pattern for this one, it’ll make it softer.

I have used Stylecraft Life DK for both of these. I got it in the sale in my local shop. I bought more than I know what to do with, but that’s OK!

I’ve got loads of projects in my head but I should probably finish off the blanket which I started before the shawls. There are 100 crochet circles in a bag, hiding in the cupboard under the stairs. They are waiting to have their ends sewn in. Boo.

Sewing felt

May 6, 2015May 21, 2015felt2 Comments

For years I didn’t really get why people made stuff out of felt. I never really liked it as a medium. Then I realised it was because the things I’d seen were cheap and nasty and probably had glue blobbed over it.

I think it was last year when I decided to give playing with felt a try. I don’t recall what it was that made me want to try. I do remember thinking that the interest would wear off quite quickly though. But, what happened was I got more into it and more interested in adding details and seeing how small I could get things before the stitches frayed the teeny tiny pieces.

I’ve been trying to find examples of things I made first. This is the latest make:

It’s a needle case. It’s a present to myself but I haven’t swapped over any pins and needles yet because then, I might ruin it. It’s all hand sewn and made up from my head. I’ve made a few needle cases over the last year. They make nice little presents.

Mostly they’ve had different designs stitched on the front too. Here is one I made for my sister about six months ago:

This little mermaid was so lovely I made her twice. But because they’re handmade, the same design always looks different.

I think this badger brooch was an early make from two years ago. I still like him. I gave him to a little boy whose mum hangs it on her Christmas tree! He wasn’t the first felt thing I made but for now, I’ve given up trying to remember what was.

Hello, I’m new.

May 1, 2015April 17, 2018craftyLeave a Comment

I feel like I’m late to a party. Here I am. I have finally managed to work out how to blog! It’s something I started thinking about a very long time ago, I’ve been saying for at least two years I’d become a blogger. Now it is time. Hello!

It’ll take a while to get my head around all the computery aspects of it but I’ve been making and creating arty things for years and would really like to record my progression and the processes it took to get there. I love to make things for others and sometimes feel sad when I say goodbye to whatever it is I’ve made. A photograph is my keepsake of the journey ( a bit like a serial killer and their weird trophies). Knowing that they’re just saved somewhere on a computer file and not getting looked at is a bit depressing so, this is one of many reasons I have decided to actually do something about it.

I’m just a beginner, so bear with me. Things will be slow, or a bit wrong, but I will get there in the end!