Crafts thread

[Englishgremlin1]

You should be professional - that is wonderful.

[Blaadyblah]

Ace, I'm working on a Dora Xstitch pattern for a kiddy with William's Syndrome & a broken ankle - your's is a great image.

[shen]

Ok, so i thought i'd show of my attempt at fancy craft and cooking! I made some truffles for OH.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3218/3642086382_e043595611.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3408/3642087748_170e8cd1d2.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3621/3641278587_d8bde76ac5.jpg

I made the box myself, with some thick card and torn up paper. It was pretty fun to make the chocolates too.

[hannah]

ooooooohhhhhhh

I want shen's box of truffles!
That looks brilliant shen! All posh and fancy, and totally drool-worthy

[Frankles]

Both cake and truffles look awesome! Well done Shen, you're really talented

[ombili]

Hey Mat, I'm listening to "Papillon" right now - I think it's very well written and well produced, too. I've been checking out all the music you have up and I like it. I'm not sure what my favorite song is of the ones you have up. Impressive stuff.

You also inspired me to post a link to my new website so you can check that out too - I just finished it. http://www.sbethmay.net will get you there.

[Frankles]

I've had a good old listen to Ombili's music, which is really great. I love the dischordant staccato sounds and percussion, that is difficult to pull off and very impressive! I have limited musical knowledge, but I recognise features from Britten and Messiaen. Likewise, Mat's music is cool, funky and very well produced, a step up from most MySpace pages! I wish had just the talent you guys have in your little fingers

[lil_miffy]

Iv started tapestry. Its the type where the image is printed onto the canvas and Im finding it really relaxing and addictive. I could do with some more wrist support and some knuckle support as my hands and wrists dont last as long as i would like but i'm really happy i took it up as a hobby. Its making me turn to the needle and thread to repair clothes and I have already sat and rethreaded all the buttons on one dress, sewed up the hole in the crotch of some leggins and even threaded up my naff wrist supports where the foam between the thumb and index finger keeps splitting.

I have a cross stitck kit to and will have a go with that when i have finished the tapestry. I bought a little plastic thread organiser that has lots of sections and hundreds of the plastic retangular thread bobbins to wrap the thread around to keep it organised.

I'v also bought a book of graph paper so i can create my own designs and plan on making some bookmarks (ooo sudden idea of hmsa ones).

Yesterday i also bought a kids whool craft kit from wilkonsons. It has a few balls of whool/yarn, a pair of knitting needles, a crochet hook and something else that i have no idea what it is lol. I had a go of basic crochet stiches yesterday and love how easy it is, much easier than knitting.

Anyone else a sewing/whool fan? Got any sites to recommend for pattens and ideas?

[Englishgremlin1]

I do a lot of fibre craft - cross stitch, tapestry and weaving. Ther are a lot of sites about and magazines to get ideas from. I find is really relaxing and do my own desings - based on anything that takes my fancy. You can buy the blank canvas (no picture on it) and trace your own designs onto it.

I found the kits very expensive som have gone the DIY route, even using things I have done on the computer with clip art and line art as a basis. A lot of the desings on the internet are a bit boring to me - will have a think about sites I know though and let you know.

[Finarda]

I've started knitting and crocheting. For knitting so far I've started one afghan (blanket) based on one that my mother-n
in-law made for my husband but in complementary colours. It's going to take me a long time to finish even though it's pretty simple. The other one I made I used "Quick Sticks" - they're size 25mm (as opposed to my other afghan which uses 5.5mm. The quick sticks one also knits 4 strands of wool at a time.

The crochet projects I've done (and I think this is the first time ever that I followed a crochet pattern since I last crocheted 30 years ago!) was a series of little animals. They were easy to crochet and my kids loved them. Now I'm crocheting a blanket for my daughter's bed using 100 octagons and 81 diamonds with a flower in the middle of each one. My friend has a website that has some knitting designs that she made but I believe she charges for them plus they're probably for more experienced knitters than I am.

Fiona

[lil_miffy]

my friend has lent me a bundle of knitting needles and crochet needles. going to have a internet hunt for tips and patterns.

1 excellent tip from her (she has cfs/me). use circular needles, the ones that are attached with flexible plastic. These let you rest the wool as you are knitting on your lap and need less movemnet.

[Finarda]

I've been using those for larger projects. Another tip someone gave me was to try bamboo knitting needles and they are really nice. They're light, warm to the touch and just seem easier to hold. I've also been experimenting with different needle sizes to see if any of them are easier to hold, I have everything from a 5mm right up to 25mm.

For crocheting, I use an ergonomic base that just screws on the individual sized hooks - I love it! You barely need to grip it and can hold it in several different positions and are less likely to cramp with it. I just wish it was easier to screw the hooks in but I generally use the same size plus they've loosened up and are easier to screw in nowadays.

For free patterns, go to each of the wool companies and check out their free patterns. Lion Brand, for example have a search engine where you can type key words of items you want to make or tools you want to use - there are hundreds of free patterns. Paton are another well known brand - haven't checked their website yet though.

Fiona

[shen]

A wedding cake I made in 3 days.


(click on the thumbnail )

[Englishgremlin1]

stunning

[Englishgremlin1]

a bit of fun I have just finished