A Felted Pincushion

I'm in the middle of making a pincushion for my mum's birthday. I only have a few days to construct it so I'm using the Easy Daisy Granny pattern, rather than attempting the very sweet but unfamiliar Japanese pincushion pattern that I blogged about two posts ago. My idea is to make a little pillow shaped pincushion ~ inspiration came from nikkishell.
So far I've crocheted a single square and felted it to make it sturdier.

Here's the daisy square before felting:

...and here it is after felting:

I'm going to make a pillow out of light olive green wool that I'll crochet and felt. I'll blanket stitch the daisy square onto the pillow and then I will probably crochet an edging to finish it off.

I'm pleased with it so far...and I know my mother will love it (regardless of what it looks like!)

*Edited to add a link to the pattern for the Easy Daisy Granny Square.

Poppies

I don't haven't made as many crafty things as usual to show this week. My creative energy of late has been spent singing. I've just performed a concert with my choir. Here, thanks to my fellow chorister Katrina, is a picture of the night:

The gig was fabulous. Music really is the ecstatic art.

For now, on the art and craft front, I'll share two photos of poppies (how I love these flowers)

...and a less recent sketch of poppies drawn with pencil and pastels.

Patterns

I've been adding to my pattern collection.
I have just purchased Fawne from The Wool Shack, a ripple cardigan by French Girl. (Incidentally, The Wool Shack are selling all their French Girl patterns at half price right now.) Here's a beautiful example of Fawne by the talented Rina, of Red Crochet.

I've also been deciding which project I'm going to make first from my new Japanese crochet motif pattern book (there are so many cute patterns to choose from) and it's going to be one of these little pincushions:

I think they're so sweet!

Happy weekend everybody.

Joy

I like to think positively.
I love finding writers who celebrate and nourish feelings of gratitude.
I adore Sarah Ban Breathnach's book Simple Abundance and I often end the day by writing a list of five things to be grateful for, a practice that Sarah commends.
I also have little affirmations scattered through my home...adhered to my bathroom mirror, placed on my fridge, pencilled onto little pebbles that sit by my sink...

The gentlest and quietest of things often bring me the greatest joy.

In the spirit of simple abundance, I'd like to share a link to a delightful piece of writing by Jane Brocket of Yarnstorm, and her readers.
It's called Small Pleasantnesses.
Enjoy...

It's Here!

My Japanese crochet book has finally arrived!

I bought it so that I can make the beautiful hexagon blanket that's being crocheted by a lot of people in blog land. The book has lots of other lovely patterns too.

Incidentally, the granny rug the book is sitting on is one I found in St Vincent de Paul's last summer...and the crocheted object behind it is a little buttonhole bag that I am going to felt.

Just In Time

I've finished my Shelly scarf, just in time for the last week or two of cold weather.

I wore it out today. It's nice and warm. I'm going to add some pompoms to the ends, but that can wait until next Winter.

Embrace Sweetness

Here's one of my altered photos for the Creativity Challenge:

This was created using Photostudio software, 4B pencil and Micador pastels.

I feel like I'm just at the start of finding my feet as I alter photos...discovering effects I like and images I can work with.

Creativity Challenge

Magpie-girl is hosting a creativity challenge. Twice a month, she's inviting people to play with new art techniques. The first challenge is to alter a photograph...so I've been writing and drawing on printouts of some pictures I've taken in the garden with smudgy, tacky Micador crayons. It's fun! I think I'll be ready to put some up on line soon. In the meantime, here's an image I've been drawing into ~

a fragrant posy of freesias, sweet william and snowflake daisies:

I love Spring time.

Growing

My daisy blanket is slowly growing.

Here's a detail of the border:

...and here it is in it's entirety. You can see just a few of the many ends I'm going to be weaving in when I finish crocheting.

I think I'll do about twenty more rounds, probably in muted light pinks and greens, and finish off with a picot edging.

If you haven't already got it, you can find the pattern for the daisy square in the middle at the Warming Families site.

One Skein Scarf

Here's a One Skein Scarf I crocheted:

The pattern's from Debbie Stoller's Happy Hooker and can also be found, for free, here. I made this with Paton's Jet, an angora/wool blend. It's beautifully soft to wear next to the skin. I've also crocheted one, in cream, for my mother. She loves it, bless her.

Nan's Geraniums

I love geraniums. They have such modest, pretty flowers.

When I first moved into my home and started planting my garden, my sister shared a whole host of cuttings that were given to her by her grandmother~in~law. (Thanks Queeny! =P)
Here is a smudgy oil pastel sketch of one:

...and here is a photo of another:
(I love the delicate, graded colouring.)

Spring

It's Spring here in Australia. The soil is warming and my garden is awash with flowers. I've taken a few photos , to capture the loveliness, and I wanted to share them.

Here are some purple freeway daisies:

...and close~ups of the star jasmine that I've brought in to my kitchen.

The perfume has flooded through my home. It's so delicate and beautiful.

Being in my garden replenishes me and helps me to make peace with the world.

...and, speaking of loveliness, I've just ordered some small art prints of a beautiful image, called Remember your Beauty, that was created by my talented friend Leonie. If you scroll down a bit, you can see it here. I am so looking forward to receiving and framing this ~ I love her photographs.