Snowflakes

Spoonflower Snowflakes Fabric Contest started yesterday
Here's my entry, "Floating Snowflakes" There are lots of entries this time and the voting is on until the end of this month so pop over to their site and have a look and vote for the ones you like :)










Luckily the samples have already arrived for this design and they have printed up very nicely. The design is in 2 sizes the larger size is the one in the contest.

Sugar Mice and all things Nice

This weeks Spoonflower contest is "Sweets" (scatter print) Fabric Contest - The theme of this contest is fabric designs depicting sweets that use small-scale repeating motifs that are non-directional, or scattered. So this is my entry Sugar & Mice and all things Nice
:) I had fun with this one even added mice, sweet sugar ones that is : )
Have visit to their site there are lots of great designs in this week competition vote for your favourites

Gift Tags, Samples and New E-Book

Its been busy since my last post.I have added a new e-book to ravelry "Christmas Baubles Charts" It has four new matching charts with different patterned Christmas bauble and another e-book "The Christmas Chart Collection" includes a selection of free patterns from the NezumiWorld Website, Christmas Tree with Angel, Twas the Night before Christmas, Reindeer, Snowman and Merry Christmas with an improved Poinsettia chart. lots of people have emailed and asked for these in pdf form and have been willing to pay so I included some new charts only available in this e-book. The 3 new patterns are Candles, Christmas Pudding and Bells Charts. A total of 9 charts
And continuing with the gift tags theme from my last post (the filet gift tag chart), this time it fabric and I have entered Spoonflower's current weekly contest. It is for Gift Tags - the brief was "The theme of this contest is gift tags that can be printed on fabric or wall decal material, then cut out and used by anyone" this is my entry (if you like it pls vote, there are lots of others to vote for also worth a look)











I am also very happy my samples arrived in time super quick, so I could test the gift tags out, mine are cut and sew. I have a few new flowerbird cut and sew fabric prints in pink and purple also new are cut and sew pincushion mice in the purple and green spiral crocheted flower print, plenty to keep me busy over the next few weeks :)





I discovered Spoonflower are also doing for a limited time wrapping paper here's a sneak peek at some of my designs as gift wrap :)

Christmas Gift Tag

 With Christmas coming I decided to make some different gift tags
This is the chart for the Christmas Bauble Gift Tag. It could also be used as a tree decoration.
The chart can be used not just for crochet but also knitting, cross stitch and beading weaving, beaded crochet/ knitting, tunisian crochet, embroidery.....
I made my sample in 4ply cotton so it a little big but is easier to photograph, the real one will be in N0.10 cotton thread :)

I recommend a 1X1 filet crochet
Chain 27

turn, chain 3 (this will count as first treble crochet (UK)/ first double crochet (USA) of first row), 1 treble crochet (UK)/ 1 double crochet (USA) into the 5th chain from the hook,treble crochet (UK)/ double crochet (USA) in next 2 chains to

complete bottom right solid square of pattern.

Continue following pattern for the first row reading the graph right to left. After completing first row, chain 3 to turn to start next row.Continue following graph until all rows are complete.

At end of row 19 fasten off.

Decreasing in filet crochet

Fabric inspiration for Spoonflower Contests

I have been inspired with some of Spoonflowers latest fabric designing contests and have entered into a few up-and-coming ones. I think it can be a bit addictive, plus I really enjoy seeing what the other designers have created. 
This is for the current contest  "Holiday Cocktail Napkin Set Fabric" 
My design is a set of Ivy leaf shaped cocktail napkins. A fat quarter makes 4 double sided or 8 single sided cocktail napkins. Recipes include Ginger punch, Eggnog, Orange & cranberry fizz and Mulled wine. I ordered some fabric and it is somewhere in the post I'll make up my napkins and post some pics here. Hopefully before Christmas (my post is really bad)

This is for the contest starting on Thursday evening Spoonflower are partnering with Mollie Makes Magazine for this one. Its called Flights of Fancy and has a restricted palette, the brief was - Create a bird or flight-related fabric design (repeating) that uses the following palette grey, light teal, apple green and pale yellow. I have created a design We Fly with lots of humming birds (I have always liked humming birds), again this print is also somewhere in the post.

And this one is for the Nasher/ Matisse Contest starting on 24th November. Spoonflower are this time partnering with The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University for a contest to design textiles that would look at home in a Matisse painting. Entries must use the specified colour palette (RGB hex codes: #DE8371, #C33855, #D1CC56, #2E486B, #FFFFFF). Please do NOT recreate a textile in the images but instead create a new design with this palette.So this is what I have entered it a Floral Matisse inspired design.

Spiral Flower - International Crochet Day 2012

Today is the 12th September so it's International Crochet Day, as in previous years here's a new free pattern a Spiral Flower. This is a fast and easy pattern, make the chains than only 2 rows super speedy, crochet, roll and sew.
Add one or more flowers to a bag, hat, shoes, headband, clothes, cushions or make into a brooch/ es, hairpin or necklace.
Play with the colours and have fun :)
Happy International Crochet Day 2012

To make this more international and includes everyone I have added the pattern using symbols also.
If  you are unsure of the stitches just click on the links under stitches used :)

Stitches used
ch - chain (UK and USA)

tr - treble (UK) / dc - double crochet (USA)

dtr - double treble (UK) / tr - treble crochet (USA)

Materials
Yarn - Double knit (DK) / Worsted weight in 2 colours I have called them colour A  and colour B. Pick matching colours or contrasting colours (you can use just one colour if you prefer)
4mm / G hook
Needle to sew together

(Pattern will work with other weights of yarn just remember to use the hook that matches the yarn thickness for best results)

Pattern (UK terms)
Chain 20 using colour A
Row 1: 2 tr into the 4th ch from the hook, [miss 1 ch, 1ch, 3tr into the next ch] X 8, change to colour B

Row 2 : 3 ch, 1 tr into tr, 3 dtr into next tr, 2 tr into next tr,[1ch, 2 tr into tr, 3 dtr into next tr, 2 tr into next tr] X 8

Pattern (American terms)
Chain 20 using colour A
Row 1: 2 dc into the 4th ch from the hook, [miss 1 ch, 1ch, 3dc into the next ch] X 8, change to colour B

Row 2 : 3 ch, 1 dc into dc, 3 tr into next dc, 2 dc into next dc,[1ch, 2 dc into dc, 3 tr into next dc, 2 dc into next dc] X 8

Spiral completed length of crochet loosely around, sewing into the back to hold all the layers together using the yarn ends.





For these who prefer to follow the symbols :)










Let me know how you get on with this pattern, I'll put a link to ravelry also so you can share your finished flower photo's

Busy busy busy summer update

I am trying to get as much done as I can before going back to teaching later this month, then paperwork will take over my life, or that's how it usually feels to me. The knitting, crochet & crafts course is running again also machine knitting, beaded jewellery making and photoshop. The last few weeks have flown by so fast but have been very busy and fun. I have been updating the NezumiWorld site new filet designs and how to's (hoping to add more also video's soon) getting away from the computer and into the "real" world I went to a few trade shows, including the jewellery show i'll post about that next week, visiting friends not just talking on the phone and making a few things for myself. 
I have entered a few of spoonflowers weekly contests zig zag cheater quilt (I did a Celtic woven zigzag design and ordered some of the fabric for myself to make up into a quilt, I'll post that as I make it) and the current contest typewriters (no colour just black and white only was allowed)  that brought back memories of trying to type when I was a child, the letters hitting each other, plus no spell checker!
I have had so many emails requesting PDF files of my filet charts, even though they are free people have requested and offered to pay. Well I have listened and have started to make more of my filet designs into PDF files. There are some already some of the most popular ones free on ravelry these new ones include new patterns as well as related old ones and have a small cost but I have tried to keep it affordable.The new charts added to ravelry so far use American terminology I am working on the UK terminology and hope to add them very soon. 
The files added so far are The Garden Collection this has the very popular 3 free patterns butterfly dance, ladybird ladybird and here come the bees from the NezumiWorld website but also includes a new matching chart dragonfly dance. The Garden Collection matches the fabric prints of the same name on spoonflower.
Apple chart and Peach chart both have small free patterns from NezumiWorld but also a larger matching chart.
And the first of a group of charts I have not released before "Irish family crest charts" this is the first one
Ryan Family Crest Chart it's a large chart with the classic 3 griffin heads.
More charts will added in the coming weeks including more filet charts, both crochet and knitted patterns. I'll post here as I add them not forgetting a free pattern next week to celebrate International crochet day.
Don't forget to check out the NezumiWorld food blog also as more recipes have been added there also :)

Strawberry Plants

Last year we planted tomatoes and strawberry plants the tomatoes grew well and produced lots of mini cherry tomatoes that were very sweet and tasty, but the strawberry plants just looked small and sad and never produced any fruit. This year no tomatoes but last years strawberries are growing, not a giant crop yet but more flowers and little strawberries are appearing every day :)

Olympics

Living in London you can't help but notice the Olympics are here. The day of the opening ceremony I was in the garden and the red arrows flew over on their way to Stratford with coloured smoke so this got me in to the Olympic spirit.

I could not afford any tickets for the events but we went to watch the free outdoor screens in Hyde Park. It was airport security to get in, no food, water, suncream over 200mls, NO Crochet hook! there was a very long list of items that could not be brought in, plus a really good bag search and screening for metals.

Worse food I have ever eaten

The queues were large but well organised. We brought some mats and cushions to sit on and watched the athletics, there are 4 screens to choose from and all had 100's of people watching and cheering it was a very good atmosphere. The only down to it all was the prices of the food and drinks, a small diet coke cost me £2.50 but the weather was very hot and drink very cold and I needed it to take the taste of the worse food I have ever had but that's another story even thinking of the taste of that food makes me feel ill.



On the way out of the park we saw this very cute little grey squirrel he came over to say hello (or check us out for food)

Cogs the Mouse

Got my new batch of swatch samples this week still waiting for 1 final batch, its so exciting to see if they have printed correctly or not (so far its been good). Was very happy as this batch as it contained my new cut and sew little mouse patterns. I hand sewed this 1st mouse "Cogs". I may adjust his tail a little (add more seam allowance) but I am very happy with the outcome. Now to make his friend "Dandelion"

Spoonflower Contest

Spoonflower Mid-Century Cocktail Dress Prints Fabric Contest

Here's the brief for this contest from spoonflower - "The costume designer from one of our local theatres, the Cary Players, is looking for a print to use for a vintage pattern cocktail dress in an upcoming production of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. To help them out -- and because it's such a fun theme -- we're asking designers to come up with a print for a mid-20th century cocktail dress. Entries will be previewed at the scale of a swatch (8" x 8")"

So here's my entry for this week's contest, with an idea of how the fabric could be used for the a cocktail dress. Check out this weeks contest there are lots of great entry's :) 

Not forgetting NezumiWorld.com I have been adding some new pages including a new free chart Cogs & Gears, a little bit of steampunk Chart can be used for filet crochet, beading, fairisle, cross stitch.

New fabric design samples

Very happy got the first of a new batch of fabric proofs yesterday, Spoonflower recently changed their colour profile for printing, this is a good thing as hopefully there will be better reds and fabrics should print more like those on screen, but it also means that some old colours may now print differently. So far this batch have printed to the colours I was hoping. Two more batches to arrive soon so fingers crossed they will be OK as well :)

Viking Knitting

Been doing a little bit of viking knitting this week, its not really knitting more a weaving technique that looks like knitting. I usually use very thin wire (0.2mm/ 28 gauge) and twist the strands together to make a rope or plait, but this pretty purple thicker wire (0.6mm/ 22 gauge) had been sitting in my workbox for far to long and needed something nice to be created with it and was just flexible enough to work with although my finger are not so happy just now. I made the results into a bracelet with the help of some end cones and a T-bar clasp.

Eurovision 2012

EEEEkkk! time to come out of hibernation and back to the blog :)
Last night was Eurovision and this year it seems to have gone back to its crazy mix of slow, fast and just mad tunes with lyrics that make little sense, but that's why we love it :) The winner was Sweden: Loreen - Euphoria which was a good dance track although I really wanted the cute Russian grannies to win with Buranovskiye Babushki - Party For Everybody

Sweden's winning entry


Russias entry

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012

A Happy New Year 2012 to everyone filled with lots of yarn and creativity
 

And to get the year started I am planning a test design-a-long beginning with very simple fingerless gloves for knitters or crocheters (or both!) approx. start time is 22nd January 2012 I will list the details very soon :)