Tuesday 14 January 2014

Felted hearts and other stuff

As I mentioned in the previous post, I made felted hearts before Christmas.  They are embellished on both sides and I attached them to various Christmas gifts.  They also made a lovely gift on their own.

 
My aim for January is to finish the unfinished projects I have stored in various boxes and bags. There are a few aborted knitting projects and one or two wall hangings/rugs made from rags.  It may be a case of taking a few things back and using the material for something else. 
 
One such project is a rug that I started a year ago.  The process isn't difficult or time consuming, I just get distracted sometimes.  Rags and Remnants by Lizzie Reakes is a lovely book which sets out 25 step by step projects including crocheted, knitted and hooked rugs.  I have a rug which I crocheted some time ago.   Having used chain stitch as the foundation I then worked back and forwards in rows using a single crochet stitch and a 8.00mm crochet hook.
 

 
I also have one constructed of knitted pieces sewn together to make squares.  The squares were then given a crocheted border before being sewn together. The completed rug was then given a crocheted border. 
 
 
These rugs have been down on various floors for the past five years or so and wash well in the washing machine.  That said the crocheted one appears harder wearing and I prefer this style.  
 
The rug I am finishing off is made from old cotton curtains or cotton/polyester bedding - washed of course.  The curtains below were donated to the cause by a friend.  I lay the fabric out and cut a 1" wide (or there about) strip of material.  I cut the material until I am roughly half an inch from the end and then turn and make another cut parallel to the first in order to make a continuous strip that is as long as possible.  I clip the corners where I turn making them more rounded.
 
 
Here is the newest model in the making.
 
 
 
 

 
The ends will be sewn in.
 
Well I better get on - writing this blog won't put rugs on the floor and this one is heading sooth for a special little person's bedroom.

Saturday 11 January 2014

A new approach ...

a little and often ... well that's the plan anyway.  

I thought I would start the year by posting some pictures of the Christmas stocking I made at the end of last year for a special wee person I know.  I felted/fuelled a woollen jumper and embellished it with pieces of felted jumpers, some coloured fleece, needle-felting, hand embroidery and some buttons.  The holly was green but it appears blue in this picture.  A white background and more light would have been better.  I did take a few photographs with it hanging against a white door however, I took them with my phone and it died a few days ago taking my pictures with it (not an iPhone).  A lesson learnt - send pictures to a different device/place, either that or get an iPhone.   


 
 


 
I used a bit of hand spun wool to make a loop for hanging it from the mantelpiece.  Yes it is quite large.  When I said I was going to make a stocking for another special person a request was made that it wasn't too small.  I took this request on board and probably made it on the larger side.  The first stocking was made with hand spun wool knitted into a large oblong then felted and sewn into a stocking shape.   I did have a couple of pictures on my phone but .... anyway they needed to be similar in size.
 
Speak soon