Crochet Good Times

I want to share in all the fun people are having with crocheting. 

I have a problem though.

I am incapable of following black and white instructions in books - you know, the ones that have simple 'easy-to-follow' diagrams guiding exactly where to place the hands and how to start the stitch. I had this problem with knitting. Does anyone else have this problem? 

I am a very visual person so I would have thought that following diagrams such as these, particularly with their headings 'easy-to-follow' would be easy. But no. I try and I try to no avail.

The solution? Video. Those simple, 3-minute explanations which run through exactly what you need to do in the form of a video. 

Ok, so I admit, I do not 'get it' straight away. I often have to watch the video dozens of times until it clicks. But I do find it soooooo much easy than diagrams. 

After numerous attempts a few weeks ago I learnt to 'cast on' my knitting. Today I finally worked out how to chain stitch crochet. These skills may seem easy to some but I never learnt anything like this from the older females in my life. 

To help the naive like me I have attached here the two videos that have started me off. I hope they are of as help to you as they are to me. But then, maybe you don't need help and you can teach me instead!

Casting on your beautiful knitting

Loving your lovely chain stitch

xxx

Obsessions with things

My obsessions with things is never ending - toys, trinkets, baubles and bracelets. I am starting to love dolls. No, sorry, I have always loved dolls! I was never a tomboy and never will be. 

This is a lovely little doll my gorgeous boyfriend got me from an op shop - I think he scored a bargain as we looked it up on the internet and it is quite old! A little German dolls house doll.

And this is another little antique doll, again given to me by my boy. 

My parents gave me this beautiful doll from Italy a few years ago and I love it dearly. I want more but have not seen them since.

I couldn't help but buy this lovely Norwegian style doll for myself at Christmas time this year. 

And finally, this is my trinket collection - my ruby red Dorothy glitter shoes, earrings, crystal necklaces, kewpie doll. 

No wonder I am always broke. 

I am always curious to know...what are your favourite things???

xxx

4D New Media Resource - ARTEXPRESS, DET, COFA and Wollongong City Gallery

Here is a link to the education kit I helped with. It has been awesome to work on this and it is good to see my writing out there. The exhibition was in Wollongong last Thursday night. It was a great night except for the $110 parking ticket I got. 

Click on the link below and scroll down to the bottom of the page. This is where you can download a PDF of the document. You can also download and view the 4D works discussed in the resource - the works are fantastic.

 4D New Media Resource - ARTEXPRESS, DET, COFA and Wollongong City Gallery

Purple

My purple scarf...

My first ever proper knitting project. I started this scarf on Friday night and it is now Wednesday morning. Sadly I have run out of wool and will have to get some more tomorrow. 2 balls so far - probably one more needed for it to be finished. I have only about three holes in this scarf and it is so thick and wide that you can barely notice.

In the meantime I have begun to sew little silver balls along the bottom. Beads left over from my obsession with making earrings. As you can see from the pic my sewing skills are worse then my knitting skills but then, I have never been an exceptionally neat and tidy person and unfortunately my perfectionist tendencies do not translate into my art and craft. 

Never one to shy away from immaturity I must admit I have been knitting with children's needles. These are little and cute and hold enough room for a chunky scarf easily. I am looking forward to wearing this scarf with my fushia paddington bear jacket and will post pics when done.

xxx

Knitting dummy

This one's for pearshaped - ha, someone finally got me to learn to cast on!!! I was not going to learn knitting for the poppet below - was gonna try and get around that one but the urge kept growing and growing and growing. As much as I like the look of this 70s book, I could not understand the simple instructions to cast on. Embarrassingly my flatmate could. I was determined so I googled.

Ah Google I love you. http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/learn-to-knit was awesome. So, I have learnt a new skill and I may even use my beginning piece for my poppet. Pearshaped - does that mean I am a good thesis subject?

Some of the most simple skills can befuddle me.

Bless

xxx

My Object

My lovely friend Pearshaped is doing the most wonderful project. She says:

"(I am) looking at story; community; memory and imagination. It compares participants’ responses, looking for similarities, differences and/or patterns. I'm interested in how objects, and our bodies are repositories for cultural and personal memory, and in how these "stories" are passed on inter-generationally in a non-verbal way". 

My beautiful specimen is in the photos above and I feel so honoured that I am able to take part. The object is about 20 cm high and is handmade in wax. I fell in love with the shape of my object straight away as it reminds me of a Russian Matryoshka doll. I am lucky too because my friend says that only some of them smell and mine smells divine. 

I am still working on her though and think I may have to return her soon so had better get onto it. I wanted to at first turn her into a Matryoshka but am lazy and thought of all the hard work. I have included text, because I love text in art and wanted to make it personal by including things about me and words I like such as leaves, love, light, atmosphere. My doll is very much a comment on nature - beautiful gold ribbon, yarn that Pearshaped supplied with the object and craft leaves from the art store. 

I don't want to change her too much because she is wax and the wax is so important! I could say heaps more but check out Pearshaped's blog (click on above) and also Messyfish another beautiful friend who is also taking part in the project. Messyfish had the foresight to photograph the stages of making but I didn't think to do this so will start from here.

Good work Pearshaped! You inspire me.

xxx

Wonderfully Lush Yarn

Check out lush yarn

I saw them today at the St Ives Heritage Craft Fair and their wools are so beautiful. I can't knit but it is on my 'to do list' and as soon as K-Rudd's check is banked I will get myself some. Australian Merino wool. Yummy. They have a website, a blog, and an Etsy shop which was featured in the Etsy Treasury. Now it is time to get someone to teach me to knit!

xxx

Bird and Fish

This is my first draft of a little story I wish to write and illustrate. Because I am a sponge for all things I see and hear I get concerned that there may be a story like this out there. If anyone can tell me that they have seen something like it then I will fix it. Any feedback would be good too.

Bird and Fish.

Bird knew the sky and the land but did not know the ocean. Bird knew the mountains and air, the warm, green places, and Bird knew the other birds who were his friends and family. Bird dreamed of knowing what was below the surface of the water but Bird could not swim or breath without air. If only Bird could somehow know what lay in the depths of the ocean.

Fish knew the ocean but did not know the land and the sky. Fish knew the hidden treasures that lay beneath the surface of the water. Fish knew the nooks and crannies, the dark, cool places and Fish knew the other fish who were his friends and family.  Fish dreamed of knowing the sky and the land but fish could not breath out of the water. If only Fish could know what lay above the surface of the ocean.

One day Bird hopped out onto the furthest branch of a great arching tree which hung over the water. Bird wanted to peek past the surface of the water and see what was beneath. Fish came to the surface to see what Bird was doing, knowing that Bird might tell him of tales of the land and sky. 

Bird chirped to Fish in Bird language, and Fish gurgled to Bird in Fish language. Neither Fish nor Bird could speak each other's own language but somehow they knew what the other was saying. Bird flapped his wings, and arched and dove and flew in circles at great speed. Fish jumped and splashed and swam in circles at great speed. They found a way to communicate by playing and chirping and gurgling. 

As their friendship grew from days of playing and flying and splashing, Bird and Fish slowly began to learn about each other. They learned what each other ate, they learned how each other played, and they learned about where the other came from. Fish slowly learnt about what was above the surface of the water and Bird learnt what was above it. No longer did the other long to be somewhere or something else. They had both found a friend who could tell them.

xxx

New Days of Winter

It has been a long time. A long, long time. Of not posting, of doing new things, of being busy busy busy AGAIN. Of not drawing. Sigh. 

However...In recent days the images have come forth again in a little black book that fits in my handbag and comes out when I need a break. Here are the pages of the little black book so far. 

It comes out when I am not studying - or meant to be studying, when I am not in Chatswood shopping, eating Asian noodles and buying delicious treats from the Asian bakeries, when I am not being caught up by everything else.

Much has changed but there are so many new things - a new house, a new flatmate, new cats, new neighbours, a new job, new friends, new places...and a new title for my blog. Froghopkins stays in my heart but Marshmallow Beanie is today, and it is here that new memories and experiences will develop. 

I hope you like it as much as I do.

xxx