Whosies and Whatnots

Becky has kindly allowed me to test out the patterns for her lovely bunny and owls. They are very quick to make and very cute. You can see more pictures of Smappy Bunny, and the owls over in the Flickr pool (once I put them there!).

For now here's Wilma and Wilfred. I recycled them out of some old jeans and a checked shirt (underside of wings). I really liked the bodies out of denim but it was quite hard work sewing the wings on, the layers of fabric were getting a bit too thick!

My Smappy bunnies were made out of a recycled dress and t-shirt. The stretchy fabric makes them wonderfully soft and cuddly. I'm not sure how long t-shirt fabric would stand up to children playing roughly and pulling the ears etc but the thicker velour seems much sturdier and the nap hides any little untidy handstitches!

There are a pile of great tutorials on Whosies blog and some lovely stuff in her etsy shop, so do stop by for a look if you haven't already. :)

Koumori

Finally found time to photograph the bats that are taking over the attic.

There are now inhabiting my Folksy shop.

Little Bird Too - Congratulations!

My daughter has decided that Bean is the perfect name for the little pink rabbit. :)

She'll be on her way soon. x

Big Knit

I was reading Bugs and Fishes from Lupin's blog the other day, and she reminded us all of the Big Knit campaign run by Innocent Smoothies every year. (You should see all the little hats she had made!).

I didn't get mine posted in time last year, but I still have them, so I think I'll gather up some scraps of wool and add to the collection and actually send them off this time.

Here's the details - http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/thebigknit/

Plus there are free knit and crochet patterns on the site if you are stuck.

I'll be treating myself to a smoothie tomorrow, just to check my hats fit of course. :)

No Eyes, No Energy

I'm miffed. I'm also exhausted.

I ordered a bulk amount of eyes for my amigurumi over a week ago. I hope there is just a delay at the supplier end and the Royal Mail hasn't eaten them.

It's very frustrating, and the postman must beginning to think I have a crush on him or something since I throw the door open every morning, delighted to see him (hoping on those eyes).

Maybe tomorrow.......

Of course I'm back at work tomorrow so even if they do come I won't be doing much with them. I will probably need a nap before I go to work at 4pm the way things are going. I can't stay awake!

So far I've come up with one daft reason after another to explain it. A lack of oxygen in the attic? The weather changing (autumn is sneaking in, it's been pouring and it's no longer bright at 5.45am when I have to get up). Caffeine withdrawal?

Truth is I've no idea and make up reasons to stop everyone worrying. Watch this space, and if nothing happens I'm probably asleep again!

A Good Idea

whosies--written whatnots: Brown Paper packaging Tutorial

I'm saving this for potential future use. :)

Lady Pawsha (finally!)

It seems forever ago, but here's the picture of Lady Pawsha outside of Stirling Old Town Jail.

She had a good day out there, as did the rest of us. The tour guide is a brilliant actor and I'd highly recommend visiting. I so want to go on his Ghost Tour now.

I need a name! GIVEAWAY

The bunny family have moved into my Folksy shop, apart from this little one who no-one could think of a name for.:(

Can you help?

Please leave suggestions in the comment box and whoever makes the best suggestion will become the new owner of this little rabbit.

You have all of August to think of something.

Life Gets in the Way!

How has almost a month past without me posting?! Scary.

This is what happens when you put things off until later/tomorrow I guess.

I should probably be proud of myself that it isn't longer!

So what have I been doing? Em.........

The quick answer seems to be not much but that isn't strictly true. I've been at work and the kids are still on summer holidays so we've been doing 'things'.

Bowling, cycling, a ton of extra housework, friends visiting, trips to Ikea and the like, workshop at the BBC. I've even been ironing!!!

A 16th birthday and the exam results are finally out (I'm a very proud parent now).

I'm also the very pleased owner of a brand new time machine.

I never imagined they would be pink and white, but I will admit defeat and sometimes it's nice to be reminded that I'm a girl (and not just mum).

Best thing is that the time machine works! I love it!

Whizzing into town, down the canal to work, with a little smidging of exhilaration thrown in.

The girls and I now have our little studio space set up in the loft. It's been put to good use already and I wish I'd been this organised years ago. More pink but maybe it's some sort of magic colour as it seems to be infiltrating all the positive things in my life right now. :)

Perfect Bouquet

It's not all that often I get given flowers so it's always a surprise. It's always great if they are 'just because' flowers, and this was a really thoughtful gift. (Thank you if you are reading!)

It's full of lovely flowers and leaves and although it's incredibly tempting to jump straight in and make something, I'm sure they will turn out all the better for waiting and taking some time to find the best wool and best colours etc.

Unless anyone would like a lurid pink daffodil?

Lady Pawsha of Argyll

Lady Pawsha was waiting on my doorstep on Thursday morning when I left for the train station (my parents have been visiting, hence the delay in posting).

Since I hadn't heard the postman and only found her on the way out of the house, it meant she had to accompany us on our trip to Stirling. Just as well Hotdog had thought to pack her some lovely surprise dog treats!

Lady Pawsha looked the part swanning around Stirling in her boa with a little organza bag full of gold sparkly treats glinting in the sun! :)

She visited the castle but was too scared to get her photo taken on the wall. She was afraid she might tumble off and end up lost in the undergrowth about 5m below.

She did however get some pictures taken outside of Stirling Old Town Jail (which looks a bit like a small castle).

Sky and Louie aren't quite sure what to make of the new doggy addition to the house. I think they feel a little jealous of her Sock Dog pedigree. :)

Pawsha on the other hand is lording it over the house from her shelf in the bedroom. I did catch her rummaging through the odd sock bag though, so I think she may be a little lonely and hoping for a sock pal.......

(I'll pop the photos up once they are off my daughter's phone).

Lost and Found

I also found this little guy discarded on the street. I can't remember his name, but I dare say he's escaped from a Happy Meal or something similar.

He was lying on the pavement for 3 days so I've brought him home and added him to my Lost and Found box.

Eventually he'll probably make his way into a collage.

My Lost and Found box is just a collection of objects and interesting 'things' that I've found discarded or lost, and thought I could use in some future art project. I always make sure the object is there for a while before I bring it home, just in case someone comes looking for it. Mostly it's tickets, bits of notes, unidentifiable things, broken parts of toy etc; urban flotsam if you like.

Not The Real Spike

Here's the real hedgehog, finally got some photos of him. None of them are brilliant, but I did get an opportunity to have a good look at him, see his little bulbous nose, canine teeth and little black paws. I also got a good look at the insect life that inhabits him; a dubious added extra! :/

Buttons

I also received my button order from incywincy stitches.

Not quite sure what I'm going to do with them yet but I figure I'm allowed one impulse buy now and again and those elephants were too much to resist.

Off now to read her blog, and drink my hot chocolate.

My Very Own Hotdog!!!!

It seems I've won my very own hotdog by naming a little sock dog in Hotdogandme's blog competition!

Amazing, and it's totally made my day!

So this is Lady Pawsha of Argyll and hopefully she'll be moving in soon. :)

Flower Owls

Butterbur has some friends now, and I've just added them all to my Folksy shop.

Today's mission is to finish some rabbits and add them too.

Next week I'd like to get a fox or two made, and I'm hoping to get some photos of the fox that visits work every night.

I'm a 2am finish this Saturday so fingers crossed. He strolled right up to the window last time and looked right in. Of course it might depend who I'm on with, I can't imagine everyone will share my enthusiasm for the little orange guy who rummages through the bins and makes the magpies squawk at ear piercing volume. :)

Sad and Homeless Bears

Here is my currently nameless bear. Doesn't he look pathetic and desperately in need of someone who will love him?

Still no hedgehogs, and I can't say I've seen a real live bear anywhere but still....... more bears coming soon.

More Hot Dogs

How uncomfortable does Sky look? She flaked out after her walk this morning and it's obviously still too warm to lie curled up in her bed.

Ignore the dust on the floor please but at 7am I wasn't about to break out the hoover!

Remember Levi? Devil dog next door who bit Joseph twice, John once and almost everyone else in the immediate locale..... the dog who is meant to be leashed and muzzled all the time....... he was running loose yesterday, terrorising the neighbours. It was a bit of a commotion, lots of squealing and screaming and that was just the adults!

It seemed to me that they were antagonising him, not on purpose of course but the poor dog was wanting to go home and couldn't get into his house because no-one would get close enough to open the door.

I decided to do my good deed for the day, so armed with the lure of a female dog, out I went. Lots of comments about me being brave, lots of comments about wasting my time, lots of anticipation that I was about to get mauled or have Sky set upon.

Just as well I have more faith in myself than everyone else had!

Levi didn't even bark at me. He had a sniff at Sky, was worried I was going to leash him so didn't stay still enough for me to catch but he kept lying down in the grass so it was obvious he was hot, tired and wanted to go home.

So after finally persuading someone to open the bottom door from the inside (just a tad of course until they got safel back inside their own house), Levi duly went in the door and let himself into his own house with no fuss whatsoever.

Adventure over and Joseph now thinks I'm Supermum. :)

Yummy Hotdogs

How cute are these sock dogs?!?!? I'm in love although I can't quite decide which one I like the best; they are all adorable.

Every Pocket Tells A Story

Also found this today - http://thesockgarden.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/everypocket.pdf

Sounds like fun and something even the kids can take part in. Maybe put that sewing machine Santa brought to good use at long last. Closing date isn't until December so plenty of time.

Basic details -

• Make a pocket A6 size out of anything
• Add a little story/anecdote/conversation etc inside
• Send it off to be exhibited at Charnwood Museum in 2010
• See it on V&A website

I haven't read it through in detail yet so no idea if you can sumbit more than one pocket, but it sounds like a great idea anyhow.

Faerie Magic

retro faerie store news: recycled bag finished

Take at look at this project, I'm in awe! I'm totally intrigued as to how the bits of paper all go together and totally terrified of how long it must have taken to make!

Must search the web for tutorials just to satisfy my curiosity. I can dream about making something, but it will never happen. :)

EEE

I've a scaphoid fracture - crocheting is torture! Going to clinic tomorrow morning for more scans and to find out if it's healed enough before discovery, or if i need this cast for the rest of the summer, or worse; surgery.

Really fed up now and need to find something crafty to take my mind of things.

Oops

My hedgehog mutated into a bear! The initial little hedgehog shape became a little head, which then found a whole body and accessories!

Grey bear is quite little and I'm out of embroidery thread so he doesn't quite look like I want yet. I had to make him a nice warm scarf to give him some comfort until he gets a face! (He looks like Rupert the Bea now).

I'm currently making a bigger version which I attached eyes too but I have a feeling that this one isn't going to be right either and I'll wish I'd embroidered eyes instead.

Back in the hedgehog realm, I had a look at various other toy hedgehogs. There's a lot of fake fur involved generally and cute though they are they are all too similar. I am hoping my idea works so that my hedgehog is definitely original but definitely still a hedgehog.

I'll need to finish bear 2 first as I'm determined not to have a pile of half done things any more. (Ha!)

Butterbur Owl

This is owl mark 2 and I'm now happy with the pattern. This one can be stuffed like normal instead of having to make an inner piece, he stands up just fine and his eyes are very expressive; with just a little manipulation he goes from grumpy, to worried, to happy.

Now he just needs some owly friends to keep him company before he goes to Folksy.

v_@,

I love my camera! :) Snails must be the perfect wildlife to photograph, you can get right up close and they don't run away!

Snails Are On The Menu

Yummy snails available on my Folksy page :) Click the link at the side of the page.

What Time Is It?!

3am saw a cup of Horlicks in an attempt to get back to sleep.

By 4am I gave up and put the kettle on for coffee!

However, I think really early morning is my most favourite time of day. The world that everyone else doesn't see is out there moving around, living and just a fleeting glimpse into that world makes the whole day worthwhile.

It was a little hedgehog this morning that took Sky and I by surprise. He just sauntered across the path right in front of us. No rush. He almost looked like he should have had the morning newspaper tucked under his arm. :)

So, a hedgehog is now next on my list of things to make.

I haven't even done any sketches yet though as I've only just finished the first owl I'm happy with. Now I just need to hope that I can understand the scrawled notes I scribbled down in the process. :/

Better Late Than Never

I meant to post on Thursday after Joseph and I dropped more toys in Stirling (check The Toy Society page - it's been a busy few days around the world!) but I have an excuse in that I didn't want to type one handed!

Joseph somehow managed to knock me over while we were playing football and I've sprained my wrist. So both mother and son now have matching bandaged left arms!

It's not so bad this morning thankfully and he's gone off to school without his sling (no doubt on purpose).

Back to crafty things, I refound a site I loved - mypicot.com; it's great for learning more unusual stitches and patterns.

I'll be trying some later to decide what texture to use for my owls, although I did scribble down a pattern as I went along yesterday, I'm sure it can be improved upon.

Deery deer

Finally got a few pictures of mum and baby this morning too. Pity they were so far up the hill and I had my hands full of dogs! 

Lots of Toy Drops

The Toy Society: Drop # 387

Dropped some peas off at Falkirk Wheel, a panda at the other side of the tunnel, and then today I added some owls up at the High Station and some elephants when we were on our way back from Stirling.

Hope the toys have all been found and didn't get caught in the rain. I have 3 more lots bagged and ready to drop somewhere, just need to decide where! :)

Finally Cracked the Snail

After several nights of toying around trying different crochet stitches, I finally found the combination that I was looking for.

They are very quick and easy to make and it's nice doing something other than single crochet too. I've wrote down the pattern this time so I can make more another day.

The Toy Society

I've decided to get going on the gift drop. I have my freezer bags and I can give away those protypes and things I just made because I wanted to and are now accumulating in a box under the bed! 

 I just need to pick up some labels and we are good to go. 

Goats, Fawns, what next

Since we've seen a pair of little ones early every morning recently, a deer was next on the agenda.

I'm not 100% happy with him, so bambi mark 2 will be take better shape hopefully. 

I'd like to do a series of Scottish wildlife in natural colours and see how wool/acrylic compares. I love how acrylic keeps it's shape so well, but wool feels so much nicer to work with. Maybe a blend is the answer. 

Summersisle?

And a stray goat......

Blue Fox

I gave up on the 'fox' and made my own pattern up. I think he turned out much better. 

I'm going to make him a bit bigger next time, that way he should be much cuddlier and easier to give some character to. 

んあん です か

There's a reason animals have distinctive colour patterns. It's so that once they've been amigurimified you actually know what they are intended to be..

The one I'm making is a bit odd. Is it a - 

A pig? ブダ 

A bear? くま 

A dolphin? iruka (had to look that one up)

No, it's allegedly going to be a fox that I stupidly figured would look like a wolf if I made it in grey (couldn't be bothered going up into the loft for different wool). Maybe once he has a face he'll look more fox-like. :/

The legs in the pattern just aren't working for me either, they are way to clumsy looking. I'm going to try dropping a needle size and making different legs.

Koumori

Bats! I saw some the other night when I was walking my friend back to the train station. They were far to fast to determine what kind of bats but it was nice to see them all the same.

I remembered seeing an especially cute amigurumi bat somewhere a while back, but when I found him again he turned out to be knitted rather than crocheted. 

So I set about trying to make a crochet version. 

I think he turned out quite well. 

I'll put a pic in here later. 

Now all he/she needs is a name and somewhere to hang out. :) 

Work in Progress

So yesterday I discovered there are people worldwide gifting anonymously. They are more organised than me though and had the foresight to tag and bag their handmade toys and even provide a website for 'Finders' to leave a wee note. 

I've joined their group; it's surely going to be more satisfying than wondering if my little creations get taken home or left in a Lost and Found somewhere. :)

Today the idea really took root, grew arms and legs, some branches and leaves and all sorts. 

I have a plan (a big plan) so watch this space (but don't hold your breath as it won't be a quick thing .........)