Category: ideas & inpirations

A Tribute to my Sister…

I’ve dedicated this piece to my sister & to all who are travelling the arduous cancer road…

My sister’s courage, strength & inner grace… the inspiration;

Her unwavering faith in her God… my admiration;

Her ongoing positive, down-to-earth approach to life… my deepest love & respect.

Creating this piece has been bitter sweet but nonetheless, an absolute joy, not only because of my own personal involvement & the opportunity to express my love for my beautiful, courageous sister, but also because I had to work outside my comfort zone; as a fibre artist my preference is for bold, strong, gaudy, in-your-face colours & textures & working with these gentle pinks was a delightful surprise…

  • Technique used: Freeform crochet, Glass bead embellishments, Wet hand felting
  • Materials used: over 25 different yarns: pure wool, acrylic, cotton, metallic thread. Glass beads. Hand-carded fleece.

2012 World’s Best Tea Cosy Competition is an initiative of M.A.I.D., (Moving Arts Into Dogwood), with a partnership between the Miles Regional Arts Council Inc and the Western Downs Regional Council.

You can read more about the competition here

The Breast and Prostate Cancer Association of Qld Inc is holding a health information day for breast & prostate caner Saturday 28th July 2012, at the Leichhardt Hall, Dawson Street, Miles.

You can find more information here

Surface Embellishments – Crochet Tips & Tricks Update….

Surface Embellishment: is an important component of freeform, it’s a great way of bringing your personality, your style & your skills to your work & putting your own stamp on your project. There are 1000’s of ways to embellish & I have covered but a few basics that I hope you find helpful & encourage you to experiment…

Rummage through your buttons & beads. Have another look at your embroidery threads & don’t forget those cords & braids that you’ve kept forever & haven’t had a use for; try to think outside of the box; if you’re anything like me & keep stuff simply because you love the colour, texture, sheen or whatever, you won’t have any trouble finding interesting ways to embellish your work.  And, it doesn’t only apply to freeform. A drab pullover, scarf or beanie can sometimes be redeemed with a little extra bling…

So, to everyone who has contacted me asking how to add that extra something to their work, I hope I’ve answered at least some of your questions…

You will find the Surface Embellishment page here – enjoy!

Crochet Spot Interview with Linda Cee

Thank you, Linda Cee of lindcee who was the guest writer for Crochet Spot this week & invited me to do an interview.

~ Always an honour & much appreciated ~

It’s wonderful to see so much crochet interest & activity going on everywhere around the globe… &, no matter whether you’re making  scarves for your loved ones or delving into freeform, just keep your hooks & yarn working – enjoy!

You can read the interview here…

Silk & Seacell – A beautiful yarn.

Some time ago I came across this gorgeous Hand Maiden Sea Silk yarn… 70% silk – 30% Seacell – I’d never heard of yarn being made from seaweed before… intrigued & excited I had to purchase some & when my parcel arrived I wasn’t disappointed.

This yarn is so lovely that all I want to do is hold & touch. It has the most glorious sheen & was sheer pleasure to work.

So what is Seacell? This website will help explain it &, this is what Hand Maiden says & I quote “So we’ve got this new yarn for spring that I’m pretty excited about. It’s called Sea Silk, made from 70% silk, 30% seacell. I knew that the seacell is made from seaweed and that the yarn has a particularly seductive feel. (So much so that I’ve been taken to walking around my studio stroking it like a slippery mink). But when I looked into the actual process of turning the seaweed into the fibre, my brain did a bit of a back flip. This yarn has vitamins!? There is even a version with silver in it. Silver! Wow. Apparently it makes the fibre antibacterial. Silver yarn…. oh – I wonder how I would dye that…..”

Long story short…I made this gorgeous scarf using one the patterns from my, soon to be released, new book ‘Textured Crochet Lace.’

Now, the question is… do I keep it for myself or list it in my Etsy Shop… hmmmm… I’m yet to decide…

Random Crochet creates Side Show Alley (2)…

take your hook (3.50 mm US E) & with the gorgeous Mini Mochi yarn  crochet some random shaped motifs… arrange them on a template, any shape will do but, in this case I’ve chosen a triangle, then… with the beautiful  Noro King yarn, chain the pieces into shape. Presto! A beautiful shawl/wrap to delight the senses…

Of course… you can use your own choice of hook & yarns – the results will surprise you