Closure

I crochet things sometimes. Usually things without button holes. And then I decided I would like to button them. I've invented (?) a solution for this problem. It's a little piece of chain, maybe 2" long with a nice big lobster clasp at either end. Now you need is two buttons with a shank into which you can fasten the lobster clasp. The buttons can be as big as you like because it's only the clasp that passes through some convenience space in your crochet - then you attach the buttons. It also means the buttons are interchangeable.

I've made other fastenings in this style by attaching the shank of the button to the chain with a jump ring. This makes a kind of giant cuff link. The downside of this is you need a hole large enough for the button to pass through and the buttons are attached for keeps, not interchangeable.

A difficult thing to describe in words but a very useful invention - or unvention as Elizabeth Zimmerman would say!

An awfully big adventure

We had a lovely adventure in the Scottish heritage village Luss today where the Scottish soap opera 'Take the High Road' was filmed. Here's my take on Luss.

Cast off

The finished product. I enjoyed it so much, I have another pair on the pins already.

The finishing touches

I've finished my latest pair of fingerless gloves. The recipient of these likes a bit of pzazz so I decided to fancy them up with a crocheted flower on the back of the wrist. The flower shown without a button is the more realistic but it stands quite proud and I would be afraid that it might catch in sleeves and be a pest.



The flower with the button is simpler and can be unbuttoned and taken off if the need arises. I'll go with that one.



Ohhhh goody! A new project looms!

Dressed for the occassion

Thought I'd share with you some more of my vintage crochet patterns. I think it's amazing how contemporary the handbag models look and how I have survived so long without one of these aprons I will never know.

Edgy

A neighbour kindly shared with me her crochet inheritance when her Aunt recently passed over. Fabulous crochet pattern from the States circa 1947. The first one I'm desperate to play with is all about edgings. It cost 10 cents way back then and suggests we make crochet edging for our handkerchiefs, towels, linen and lingerie, not to mention the shelves on which they sit. Some of these guys reproduced in wire would make awesome jewellery. Can't wait to get started.

Two right hands

Spotted the 'deliberate' mistake yet? Apart from this slight thumb misplacement blip this, my first foray into magic loop knitting has been a big success. I always thought a magic loop was a piece of equipment. Did wonder why I never say them for sale anywhere. But no, its a technique for knitting small diameter circular items on b-i-i-i-g (as in distance apart) circular needles.

I had asked for a set of interchangeable circs for my Christmas and they are so beautiful I was desperate to use them. I found this lovely lady on Utube and the mysteries of magic loop were revealed. I'm definitely a convert. I do suffer from needle dropsy and am forever rummaging under car seats and down the sides of couches. I often come up with some interesting and stick finds - but no more! My undroppable circular needle has made a new woman of me and with a little bit of frogging, I'll soon be magic looping again. Great free pattern by the way.

hook up

I was doing a bit of nocturnal reading last night and all that was to hand was The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller. It's a how to crochet book. I always look for the minimum time possible at the photos of hooks and hands and then jump straight to the patterns. Reading it last night was very interesting and suddenly crochet makes a lot more sense to me. Would recommend it to any crocheters who like me still have their L plates on.

When talking about the history of crochet she says that sometimes the employers of these poorly paid crocheters would require them the supplement their income in the age old fashion. Hence the name hookers, she suggests.

Spoke too soon!

My good buddy Gill recently suggested I download Picasa 3 when I asked for her advice about photo editing software. Little did I dream what exciting possibilities it would offer! Thanks Gill.

Why is playing with your webcam so fascinating? It'll be video next. Oh no, too scary. Anyway, here are my crochet chart reading attempts so far. I finished my current jewellery making schools project yesterday. A possible puppet making venture looms. Will let you know if it comes to fruition.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water....

I've been fighting my way through my shark infested computer with the help of my very dear online chums and it looks like we're back in business. Caption a bit small and only semi-legible but I'll get there.

The photo is a guy who joined us on Christmas and New Year's Day as we tried to escape the festivities by taking the boat out. It was a privilege of play with him/her.

Lost in space

Is buying a new PC such a great idea? I'm a bit of a technophobe on the quiet and am still struggling to get all my bits to talk to one another. In the meantime I've been trying to figure out how to read a crochet chart. Now, I am a woman. Women, map reading, you know what they say. I've been up several creeks without a paddle proving them right.



Crochet maps. Are they more accessible to the directionally challenged? I'm working on it. Why don't you work on it with me?

Xmas cards

Decided to make cards this year from the scraps that the school kids had rejected. One man's meat.....and all that. I always go through the bins after workshops. Great stuff to be found.

When I was a little girl this was called being a midgie raker and for some people it was a full time career. Today it's called recycling. Hurray, permission to scavenge!

Next step, the sewing machine

Irresitable

We played with disperse dye in higher art school today. Don't those paper doilies make great resists? Sometimes the doilies looked so good once painted that we deliberately bonded them to our fabrics too. Makes a change from errrr 'bonding' them because the iron is too hot!
Because our fabrics were synthetic they melted very obligingly with the soldering iron allowing us to melt them together in a kind of non-stitch applique. For some people it was their first time out on a sewing machine. It's just like driving I told one girl. Fast with the feet and slow with the hands. She looked at me with a terrified expression. I don't drive.

She does now!

African inspiration

I have a splendid book with which to inspire the would-be jewellery makers in my next school. I particularly love the thing that looks like an irate hedgehog. Seemingly every time two people came to an agreement they drove a nail into this figure to seal the deal. Must have been some peaceful place man with all that harmony going down!

Quick on the Draw McGraw

Big Draw was indeed a big draw at a primary school on a local island this week. 41 kids and parents squashed into a small room and did their thing with sticks and feathers, bits of card and candles. At the end of a happy evenings drawing we played Quick on the Draw. You draw something, I guess what it is. I kicked it off by stepping up to the blackboard, chalk in hand and saying 'I'm going to draw something very important to the people on the island'. Before I had time to squeak my first mark the answer came en masse. The Ferry!

Show and tell

Couldn't you just eat them with a spoon? I could. They were the most delightful, well behaved, interested children I've worked with in a long time. They boys willing to model the jewellery we soooo sweet! This is going to be a fun project.

Begining again

Wow, is it really three months since we last spoke! I'm kicking off the winter season with three nice schools and projects and I will do my best to bring you progress reports. They are
1. Big Draw
2. African Jewellery
3. Higher art student extravaganzas.

Watch this space!

Whose that lady?

Sadly my bro has gone home but he leaves behind him a wonderful talking point. Makes me think of the moving finger writes, and having writ, moves on. I have a comments book in my shop in which the many people admiring the mural are writing their comments...and you can add yours here of course!

I've included some close ups of her jewellery. It was made by embedding beads in wood filler. We started in a very orderly fashion becoming a bit chaotic towards the end. I do love the result though. Here's a link to the range of jewellery that inspired the project.