It's winter so its pattern writing time :)

Why the cold weather comes as a surprise every year I don't know but its here and with a good coating of snow. I do like the snow it makes everything look bright and clean, but its when it turns to slush I'm not a fan.
An advantage of the cold is staying in keeping warm and completing the patterns I have had on the go for several years. Patterns I keep saying to myself I just have to add the photos or a few lines of text and its ready and which I somehow seem to put aside for another day and start on something new and never finish.Well this year I am determined to finish as many patterns as I can. So here's the completed Celtic Knotwork Hearts Chart Collection It contains eight charts (some can be purchased separately). They are available on Ravelry.com as an E-Booklet and its is at a special price for a limited time.




 I like traditional white and off white filet crochet pieces, but sometimes its also nice to use a colour so here's one of the charts from the Celtic Knotwork Hearts Chart Collection made up using a dark pink cotton :)
The other filet crochet piece is from the first of a new set of booklets I have been planning so several years (hopefully writing what I am planning here will make me complete them quicker) the first ones called Ogham Love Charts. I will post more about it adn Ogham soon.

Happy New Year 2013

A Happy New Year 2013 to all, filled with lots of happiness, good health, prosperity, yarn, fabric and the crafts and things you love.

Am I the only one who thought 2012 went by way to fast?
Lets hoping 2013 is a little slower. My New Years Resolutions this year are the same as last year, finish off the mountain of projects living in assorted bags, including writing up and testing the patterns if needed before starting any new ones and give a little more time to blogging.

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.