Getting Creative in the Craft Room

Posted on October 26, 2015 by thecontentedcrafter

I’ve been busy making light catchers for the first wonderful customers who wandered into my shop and decided to start their Christmas shopping right there and then. Thank you all so very much!

They are all finished now and on their way to new homes around the world, and as my friend Bruce says ready to ‘catch the light’ wherever they land.

Here is a bit of a glimpse of some of them

I was issued a challenge – to create something using oranges and shades of green for a beloved mother

and hot on the heels of that, another using fiery oranges, amber and blue

Aren’t these brights just wonderful!

Then I returned to a softer palette and made one for a friend – it should be with her by now ……..

And another one for a swap – this one destined to hang in a limery ………… which is a lime version of an orangerie.

I’ve made some that can’t be shown just yet and I have one more to make – for a Christmas Giveaway. Stay tuned.

Somewhere in the middle of this playing with beads and sparkly things, Siddy had his hair cut.

Later that day he saw there was some cheese being eaten …… Siddy is very fond of cheese!

Siddy had some cheese.

Orlando was not allowed cheese and was therefore not amused

And the garden makeover is continuing slowly ………. So slowly there is nothing to show you yet – except chaos……….. Soon you know order has to emerge, right?

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

Starry Nights Light Catcher

Posted on October 15, 2015 by thecontentedcrafter

This is a recent photo, taken one evening on the sofa – Orlando is being cuddled with – not sure if he is enjoying it …….. but he stayed. Siddy was exhausted after a busy day and his mumma wasn’t sitting still, so the kitty had to do.

Mumma was busy. Making light catchers for my customers, another one for a friend, another [really special one] for a Christmas gift. I’ll show you most of them in another post, right now I want to show you what I’ve just finished.

If you have been popping into my store in recent weeks you may have noticed that most of the light catchers have ‘SOLD’ printed across them in big letters. Which is not a good look for any store is it? So I’m off to clean up my shop as soon as this post is up!

Any way, having woken with a bit of an inspiration yesterday morning, I set to and made another one.

For this one I had two colours in mind that I wanted to play with. Blue and purple.

I chose the beads. I chose the bead caps and the little extras – and started to thread.

Almost immediately Don McLean began singing in my head. ‘Starry, starry night, paint your palette blue and grey …………’ and then I began musing on starry nights and dreams and wishes. the beads grew and the strands multiplied beneath my fingers as my mind wandered through wishes and dreams and the magic of the night that grants those wishes and dreams……………..charms began to appear dangling from the charm strands – a unicorn, a fairy, an angel sitting in the moon. Harbingers of dreams coming true were placed, a bell, a crow, the word ‘miracles’, a heart, young lovers………….

And I found I had made a light catcher for a dreamer, one to make wishes come true.

It’s not quite as deep a blue as the photos are showing – it is a softer hue of lilac, pinky purpley blue …….. unfortunately seemingly impossible to photograph with my skill level.

I think it’s really pretty!

What do you think?

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

September Update

Posted on September 18, 2015 by thecontentedcrafter

Well, I’ve managed to let another twenty odd days slip by without a post. So much for good intentions!

We’ve said ‘Farewell’ to YD’s beloved Stanley

No longer the beautiful chap pictured above just 18 months ago, time had taken it’s toll quickly as it does with our pets. In such a short time Stan became aged and worn out and emaciated – it was time to let him go. It was a hard decision for YD to make and I am so proud of her that she was able to hold him and tend him in his final moments.

Two days later I celebrated my birthday with a five day pyjama party with my daughters. We don’t often get to spend time altogether, just us and this five day hiatus seems to have become an annual event. I love it!

Every winter I go through the same old routine of wishing for something I don’t have. It’s all got to do with independence and stability and even while I know what causes it, it is difficult and challenging to endure the dissatisfaction that rises up with the results of the choices I have made in my life. While in the throes of these unresolved emotions from the past I forget that I am taken care of and have a perfectly habitable home to live in and that I am loved and cared for far more than I have any right to expect.

Then September arrives and the fog lifts as mysteriously as it arrives. When I was young I used to struggle with depression over this time, now I just get somewhat vaguely dissatisfied with what is. It dissipates really quickly. My birthday marks the return of contentment and I can settle into another nine months of perfect happiness. Isn’t life strange!

Any how, once we get to September the urge to nest where I am becomes strong again and I usually have a big move around and clean up and refocus.

Yes, that is the rear end of Siddy lying in his new favourite position where he can keep an eye on the street and growl softly at all passers by. Orlando’s cushion is unoccupied as he is currently sitting in the tiny courtyard garden getting some vitamin D.

As part of my resurrection this year I made the double wall art you see here

I painted the edges of some old unsuccessful canvases, pasted a panel of wallpaper down the centre of them and collaged cut out parts of the wallpaper to one side. The other side is taped with some fancy tape and stippled randomly with a leaf template and some matching paint. It’s quite effective and hides to a great degree the tired interior of this rented flat.

Orlando, who thought the canvas was a splendid new seat, has left his mark permanently beneath one hanging……. After this photo was taken the cat was evicted and another thick coat of white paint was applied and left to dry ……………

I returned some time later to find this

………….. footprints marked his progress over the canvas and the kitchen counter tops and the cooker top and the window sill …………….

So as you can see I have not been entirely idle – it does want to be Spring after all, even though old Father Winter keeps doubling back for a last roar. I’ve started planting my flower garden at the front door.

For those of you who know us well, you know we live in a tiny house with an even tinier out-door space. Last year the tiny courtyard garden had all the press – the even tinier front door garden has never existed before and this is the start of it

As you can see there is not a drop of soil to be seen so everything will be growing in tubs, planters and pots. Most of what is laid out here ready for planting comes from the local garden centre including the planted up and ‘trellised’ jasmine. I love jasmine – I think you can never have enough of the beautifully scented stuff. I am proud to say the ‘trellis’ is entirely the result of my ingenuity fiddling about with a $10 assortment of plasticised tomato stakes. Hopefully it will stay stable as the Jasmine winds her way up it!

Yesterday the temperature was 21 C we went for our morning walk and Siddy checked out the daffodils that now cover the bank between the park and the petanque club.

And I’m so thrilled – I’ve had some orders for light catchers. The next few days are going to be focused on bead creations.

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

A Postal Woopsie & A Winner

Posted on August 13, 2015 by thecontentedcrafter

Thank you all so very much for the many and most helpful comments on the new shop window – I spent the ensuing days making changes as fast as I could and I think the perusing and information gathering is much better as a result. There are still a few additions and changes to be made, but nothing major.

I even made a sale which thrilled me no end – even though there ensued a most embarrassing postal misadventure as a result…… Do you want the whole story?

I was super busy and trapped at home waiting for the super-fast broadband installation scoping man to arrive – and surprise, surprise he didn’t…… [that’s a whole other post!]

I had a pile of mittens still waiting to get to the post office, the raspberry and yellow light catchers to get off to their new homes and a mounting sense of frustration that I was going to miss the post again……

Enter Stage R the most amenable and helpful Youngest Daughter, Official Photographer and newbie blogger, Danella Joy. Already stressed to the max with the health of her aged and ailing cat, an upcoming week away and what to do if dear cat’s demise and week away collide and needing to get to her night shift on time after a vet consultation, she still volunteered to visit the post office along the way and get my parcels sent off.

All but one of the packages were wrapped and addressed. One, a set of three mittens and a card from the last giveaway, needed it’s own postal envelope and the address to be written on said envelope.

Hastily I tore off the small pad page that had some addresses written on it, ripped off the unneeded address, threw everything into a handy tote bag and off she raced.

I didn’t realise that the small pad page had an address written both sides, both perfectly framed within the torn off seam.

You know what happened don’t you

Two days later DJ remembered to give me the pile of postal receipts and the card she had not seen in the bag that needed to go with the mittens until it was too late and as she handed over the torn pad page with the address on she froze, turned it over and asked “Where were the mittens going?”

Yes indeedy! Two beautifully written addresses – take your pick. There was a 50/50 chance I guess that the wrong one would be right side up when she scrabbled in the bag to find it and send the mittens away across the ocean. At least they ended up in the right country!

Now I have to get poor Jem to readdress and resend a package she should never have gotten and reimburse that as an added, extra postal cost….. sigh! And Jenny, dear, patient Jenny, you will get your mittens sometime soon 🙂

***************

But now, to happier times.

And what could be happier than a giveaway I hear you cry……….

The names were all written out on strips of carefully cut paper

Piled into my favourite drink dispenser

shaken

stirred

scattered

‘Can we go yet?’

and – chosen!

I’m exhausted says Orlando – these are all winners!

Congratulations Kerry from Love Those ‘Hands At Home’

Which one do you want?

The pink or the blue?

Thank you to everyone who took part – we love giveaways here in Contented Land

and there is sure to be another soon.

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

Creating a Light Catcher

Posted on July 12, 2015 by thecontentedcrafter

When I showed off some of my latest light catchers in the last post there was a small amount of interest in seeing how I made them. Not having a video camera capable of recording the process I did my best with my point and shoot and, with a bit of help from our Official Photographer when I ran out of hands, there now exists an as-good-as-it can-get photographic record of the process.

So, here we go:

First I rifle through my stash and gather together a pile of beads in my chosen colour. I was feeling ‘green’

I look for interesting shapes, a variety of shades and include glass, semi-precious gemstones, crystal, acrylic and facets wherever possible. I like using gemstones for their power and meaning, facets for their bling factor, shapes for interest and texture and crystals of course are the major source of light refraction. Acrylic beads are also very handy for keeping the weight down – these things can get heavy! I may, or may not, use all of my selection. It just depends.

I choose the hanging chain, recently I have discovered a particularly nice one which I am hoping to use in all future catchers. You can see it lying across the top left of the first photo. You can click on the photos twice to biggify – get the close up view for real!

Tools:

These four pliers are my go to essentials. The most recently added in is the one on the right, a split ring opener. Prior to that I used the pokey tool [official designation] seen at the top right and my finger nails. My left forefinger is covered with scars from puncture wounds – a proper tool was sought and finally found. My life has changed 🙂

Beading wire [I prefer ‘Tiger’s Tail] and quick dry adhesive to help secure the wire ends. Excuse the blurry photos – I find it a real challenge to snap photos while in the creative process – it is often an afterthought and is done on the fly ……….

Here we have the first length begun, I chose a pretty gold speckled green glass twist interspersed with small polished agate rounds

And the second string started, these beads are all acrylic and used for shape and texture. The wire is threaded through the crystal ball and up through the beads. It is pulled through a split ring, wrapped around itself two or three times and then threaded back down through as many beads as possible. These are tiny beads, so it can’t go too far down. Where the wire is poking out and at the top, fast drying adhesive is added to help secure wire and beads together. When the glue is dry I snip off the excess wire and attach the length of chain. If the glue doesn’t catch, or is peeled off, the wire can slip out and the whole thing will eventually collapse – it has happened and I try hard to ensure it won’t happen again!

Next I set about making half a dozen or so tiny little dangly bits. This is a selection of faceted glass or crystal beads for bling factor. I use long eye pins and snip them down as necessary. I make two different sets, three in each.

Split rings are added to both ends

I chose glass pearl balls and faceted hearts to hang at the bottom of three of the mini-danglers The hearts, due to their thickness, have to be hung using chandelier bow ties. These things are the bane of my light-catcher-creative life! They slip out of place whenever the catcher is moved and while I know where and how to put them back in place, the new owner may not. The only alternative I have is to use a large connecting split ring which looks ungainly – so I prefer not to go that route. If you have an alternate suggestion please, I would be so grateful should you care to share it.

Tiny crystal hearts are are attached onto the other mini-danglers and then the two strands are attached to a heavy brass ring.

I thought I had finished and left the catcher hanging above my work table for the night.

Early the next morning I wandered into the room and started to play some more. Before I knew it, there was another strand, a new hanging option and a few baubles added – and never a camera to hand! Here’s what I ended up with:

I found the three ring gold acrylic hanger on-line somewhere and bought ten of them, not realising they were so very – um, gold – I need to spray paint them silver but need warmer weather to do that. It’s hard to see in the photo but there are now two faceted crystal balls and one large faceted crystal pear hanging from the bottom of three strands of beads and chain and assorted baubles. The pear especially doesn’t photograph willingly, but is a beautiful thrower of rainbows! Also no charms have been added yet – I add them especially for the person who will own the catcher.

Trying to show some of the magic with the aid of a cushion and the afternoon sun

Of course, there’s no magic without Siddy

And just for a change, let’s finish this week with the lovely Orlando who would like to offer a teaser – there’s a giveaway coming up………. stay tuned!

Any questions, please ask them. Any suggestions, please do make them.

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

………Two Months Later ……

Posted on July 5, 2015 by thecontentedcrafter

………. and here I am again. There are various reasons for the long break, not all of them completely acceptable to serious bloggers or even myself. Let’s just say “Life got in the way of blogging!”

It’s been a hard winter here in the Riviera of Antarctica. Part of my city is being claimed back by the wild southern Pacific Ocean or being flood damaged by this new set of climatic conditions. My dream of a cottage by the sea is on hold as it may no longer be a sensible place to consider putting down roots.

My art room has been partially given over to another and my painting hours have temporarily ceased. I have been knitting, crocheting and making light-catchers instead.

Crochet: One Bavarian Stitch Throw of the very giant variety, not finished at the time this was taken, but now complete and waiting for blocking to happen. It is so big it took 300g [6 balls] of yarn to finish the last round.

Mittens: A variety of Mimi’s and Bohemian Mittens are about to begin winging their various ways around the globe to those of you who are still waiting their winnings.

Light-Catchers: Here’s one photographed on a rare fine day in the garden before beginning it’s journey to someone special in the USA

I have made my light-catchers for a few years now – rather sporadically, as I enjoy making them especially for someone. They are my gift of good wishes, good fortune and a little bit of magic woven into beads and charms and crystals for someone special. I like to think of the person I am creating for, then I choose colours and shapes and crystals and charms especially for them. Then it all just weaves itself together.

Light-catchers are extraordinarily difficult to photograph – here are two simpler versions that just happened to be lying around on the work bench, coming to completion

They look nothing very exciting lying around thusly – but hang ’em up and watch the magic happen. A tip for those of you who have a catcher is if you hang them away from the window, maybe further out into the room, somewhere the sun’s rays filter in, even more magic happens!

I can’t leave you without a quick peek at the snoozing buddies – I’m under there somewhere. It took the better part of a year, but we are all together with harmony reigning at last.

Though there is so much more to tell you about, this is all the time we have for now – So, it’s ‘Good Night’ from Siddy

And ‘Good Night!’ from me. Thanks for coming by today, I’m so happy that you did.

On KAL’s and Snails and Beach Walks

Posted on May 8, 2015 by thecontentedcrafter

The second post on the Washington Meet-Up is still in the works – there seems to be too much else going on to actually sit down and finish it……….. but I will, I know you are dying to hear more!

But I did get this Lace Leaf KAL project finished. The second colour arrived and is the perfect complement – what do you think? I’m really pleased with this scarf, it’s knitted in bamboo cotton yarn and made to be part of an ensemble for my YD. This means I’ve also successfully completed my first KAL albeit a little late!

I knitted it a little smaller than the pattern called for as I wanted it to be just a scarf rather than a shawl – and oh, the fabric is so soft and gentle. I love knitting with bamboo yarn!!

I’ve also finished my lady snail painting – meet Ms Snail:

Ms Snail is about to begin a journey, via snail mail, to Claudia in the UK for her 365 Days of Snails. Follow the link if you are intrigued and have an artistic snail to share. I found it quite interesting making this painting – I ended up feeling slightly kinder to the snails who inhabit my Boston Ivy and Jasmine vines…………

I’ve also assisting my YD in setting up her first ever blog. An aspiring photographer and our official photographer here in Contented Land, she has bitten the bullet and decided to join in the fun at WordPress. It’s a work in progress, but there is already two photo posts published. If you are at all interested, pop over to ‘Let’s See What I Can See’ and see what you think about what she is seeing!

Yesterday Siddy went to the beach on a gloriously warm and sunny May day – here are some shots taken by our official photographer

Siddy with sand on his nose

What a difference a week can make, we are totally enjoying some unusually placed hot summer weather here, the weather gods appear to be a little discombobulated……. I’m sure they will work it out soon, in the meantime Siddy and I are chasing seagulls, sniffing the sea air and wandering along the sandy shore. Happy Days!

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

Another Week – Another Update!

Posted on May 1, 2015 by thecontentedcrafter

Good heavens! It’s the 1st of May already – the year is racing away on me again!

I’ve got a post half written telling you all about the next part of the trip – but life and playing in my art room is getting in the way of my completing it ……..

Thank you for all your supportive words and shared stories around my hearing loss. It’s not 100% cured yet but is showing definite signs of improvement – an old, old friend from long, long ago read the last post and got on his white horse and galloped to my rescue. He is a homeopath in Germany these day [if you are there and need one just let me know, I can recommend him thoroughly] His suggested remedy appears to be working, I’m maybe only a foot or so under water now. On the chiropractic side my body has never felt more well oiled and smooth working – I’m very fond of my chiropractor too, even though he does inflict severe pain whilst aligning the bits!

Thanks Alexander, thanks Tat!! ❤

I’m painting – I did this one as my response to a Life-Book lesson published two weeks back with a most talented lady named Jenny Lee Wentworth. Her approach quite delighted me and I want to do more work with her in the future. I watched her lesson and a few days later sat down and started work without referring back. I still have to go back and see how far off the mark I was. Pretty far I think – but I liked the freedom it offered, even if I did come back into my own way of doing things really strongly….. This was a lesson in coming to form through layers of colour – no outlining or sketching involved. I am wanting to get to a closer resemblance of real people rather than this semi whimsical style – maybe I’m half way in that process………….

This painting is about half finished

Half completed ‘Ms Snail’

As you can see, it’s sitting firmly in its ‘ugly stage’ in this photo. You may be relieved to know she is already looking better, but has a ways to go still. It’s destined for the UK if I like where it gets to by the end – if not it will just get painted over and I’ll start again.

In really exciting news, I got suddenly and most surprisingly presented with a new phone by my YD a couple of days ago. It’s a Samsung Android, the one-before-the-very-latest version. Now I’m a modern woman ………. No more getting into scrapes whilst travelling and having no ability to contact my friends without it being a very long convoluted process involving texts being sent half way round the globe and back again – you know the story…….. I can do it myself now.

If I ever go anywhere ever again…….

It is not the latest super dooper-cooks your breakfast kind of smart phone, but it is an extremely clever and on-to-it kind of smart phone and is probably capable of doing way more than I shall ever require it to do – and it takes really nice photos.

Here’s Siddy peering into it – probably ascertaining if it is edible ….

Siddy King 30 4 15

Look at those eye lashes! And another one

this is his really serious ‘Whatyadoin’ Mumma?’ face.

Now I might actually get around to taking photos for the blog instead of getting where I’m going and saying “Blast, I forgot the camera again!”

If you are up with the play – and why shouldn’t you be? – you may remember I’m knitting a lovely pinkish lacyish shawl with a KAL [Knit-A-Long] group. I mucked it up a bit when I had to frog a row – then two – and oh dear, three …… I’d decided to gussy it up a bit by adding in a deeper pink for contrast along the edging and was undoing a row. Sigh! Now I am waiting for that other colour to arrive. In the meantime I got all carried away with myself and decided to use the Indian Silk on this pattern too….. This is where that is up to. It’s like knitting with a strand of cotton and will take, I am told reliably by Claire who knows about these things, double the amount of 8 row repeats to get a decent sized wrap out of…… but it will be so pretty and light and airy and just a little bit blingy too ….. I just might be spending the entire winter knitting it!

Here’s a tiny shot of the detail – just casually snapped with my new phone you understand…………

And that’s kind of where we are at this week folks – it’s cold and dreary and already winter here in the far south of New Zealand. Orlando is sporting a magnificent thick white undercoat which I take to mean it’s going to be a cold one! When he comes down to ground level I’ll try and capture a shot of him showing his new winter coat ……

And here’s a little bit more of a Siddy-fix for those who love him

Until then – thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

About Pets and Blogging Friends

Posted on August 17, 2014 by thecontentedcrafter

I know, I know – it’s been a while…. I am a poor blogger, incapable of keeping to a schedule, or even regular posts. But as most of you know, this is supposed to be a blog about my arty-crafty output – and my arty-crafty life has been severely curtailed by a bouncy little fat puppy who LOVES the work room because his mumma zones out somewhere else altogether and he gets to rearrange and change up – or down – all he likes until she eventually becomes aware all is not well …….. usually by picking up on the fact that it has been Q-U-I-E-T for a long time…………

Last time I zoned out and was concentrating on a work in progress he removed all the paints from the shelf at the back of the easel. took them into the lounge and chomped holes through two of them leaving artistic stripes of blue and red – and therefore purple too – along the bottom of my lovely white door curtain……….. Oh, look – another excuse to change up the decor. 🙂

For me it has been interesting to discover that when I’m in the zone, artistically speaking, I hear nothing. I am totally immersed. Totally in the moment, totally zen 🙂 Who knew!

Right now I’m not though. Right now I’m typing this with a little round puppy sitting beside me doing his best Marx Brother impersonation with a chew stick poking out the side of his mouth which he is chomping on most enthusiastically while occasionally leering up at me and giving me a gentle nudge.

Don’t you love this photo? Does it make you smile or laugh out loud?

Orlando is asleep on the table which has become his new residence and which he shows no signs of being prepared to give up. Anything for a quiet life – I don’t host dinner parties any more any way.

Life these days starts with Siddy and me going for an hour long walk, which includes a good twenty minute romp at the dog park. Except for two or three mornings when the bitter cold Antarctic blast sent all us wimpy puppy owners running for home. While our usual claim to be the Riviera of Antarctica suits us pretty well, sometimes it feels like we are right down there at Scott Base!

Due to any outing being curtailed we must then come home and, after his breakfast of porridge, milk kefer, DE and savoury yeast, its a rambunctious game of fetch up and down the hallway. Then I can get on with my tasks – but always constantly accompanied by a keen and eager little pup – ‘Whadda we doing now?” “Where we going now?” “This way?” “That way?” “Where now?” “Whadda we doing? Whadda we doing? Where are we going?”

But I have to say yet again – he is probably the best little puppy in the whole world!

Here are a couple of shots so you can see how much he has grown – I know you want to know! It’s the same toy in both shots, the first one taken when he was about 9 weeks old and the second one today and he is now 19 weeks old.

We have had our up’s and downs since last I graced your lovely reading spaces – YD’s beloved cat Stanley became unexpectedly and quite seriously ill and was eventually diagnosed with feline aids, picked up many years ago most probably in a fight [he always was a bit of a bovver-boy] Stanley is a rescue kitty, adopted when he was grown and therefore most likely spent the first three years of his life living in kitty poverty. Nobody knows for sure. A cat of much charisma, great charm and friendly demeanour, YD had said a while back, ‘He is not the boy he used to be!’

It was devastating diagnosis. Getting medication into this cat has always been claimed by his mumma to be an impossibility. Our slightly raised eyebrows and quiet disbelief in this claim was blown completely away when we found out it took the vet and two practise nurses to hold him down and administer an oral dose. The vet was preparing us for the worst and I was mopping my baby girl’s tears. But Stanley is not a boy to take anything much lying down, including dying. He fought back and after three days was on the mend enough to go home. The vet whacked an intravenous shot of antibiotics into him and since then he has spent most of his time sleeping, waking long enough to eat – and eating more and more every day – then back to bed again.

We got lucky and have more time with this lovely boy.

Recently my dear friend from Serendipity Farm, the lovely Fran aka narf77 had one of her dastardly good ideas and announced that I was to become the proud owner of ‘A Dangler of International Happiness’ This all came about because I admired her dangler in this post. If you go on to read the comments you will see how she ~~coerced~~ encouraged our shared friends to take part.

A few days back I received a wee package from Hawaii with the first items enclosed. It was most fortunate that they got through NZ Customs who are notoriously anal about allowing foreign flora into our country in case it grows legs in the middle of the night and eats us all in our sleep …… and look, an original stick figure sketch from the BO exactly as they appear in this fabulous blog ‘Farmlet’ subtitled ‘Living cheaply and richly on an acre in Puna, Hawaii’.

Christi is a writer, married to the Bearded One, who, it appears, is master of anything that needs doing and cartooning as well. They recently relocated from Washington State to Hawaii and are busily involved with preparing to live as much off the grid as possible. These are good folks with huge hearts – I love them to pieces!

I have more for you too friends – take a look here.

I admired these on The Twisted Yarn ……………..

and next thing I know I am happily cutting threads with my very own pair of stork scissors sent all the way from the UK. Aren’t they gorgeous!! Phil made the pretty cover and I now have a sample of her so neat crochet work 🙂 If you are into things like crazy good knitting and yarn bombing go check her out and see what she gets up to when there’s a break from paying attention to her toddler twinnage, her day job or her allotment! I know you will enjoy her as much as I do!

I am working in my art room, just small projects that can be worked at without me losing track of the doings of one little puppy. I hope to have something to show you next week.

Oh, and just in case you are wondering how the detente is going – I now have a daily ritual of a purring cat on my knee with a quivering puppy trying very hard to contain himself beside us – and last night both of them were cuddled up in bed with me for about an hour. Orlando teases Siddy, Siddy ‘bites’ beautifully and usually gets wapped for his trouble. It’s great fun to observe 🙂

I’ve requested a ‘family portrait’ for my birthday. We’ll see.

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

Creating Bunnies – A Work In Progress

Posted on July 23, 2014 by thecontentedcrafter

It’s been a busy week. We had one of our favourite visitors who needed to be loved to bits especially because she always leaves a little treat 🙂 There were many walks to be taken. We went to the dog park and the beach. We made new friends and met up with some old ones too. We did training. And despite all this busyness and exercise, Siddy keeps right on growing. He now weighs over 4 kg. He is becoming a ‘big boy’. We’ve been concentrating on trying to convince puppy that jumping, biting, licking and whining at every one who enters the house is not a good idea. Cries of “No, stop, cease, desist!” just weren’t working so we were forced to listen to the training experts and do the whole tuck hands away and ignore procedure. It worked remarkably well and Siddy has learnt to wait mostly patiently for whatever attention or activity is about to be offered. Life is slowly gaining some order I thought to myself smugly. Then Siddy surprised himself – and me most of all – when he discovered he could jump onto the lounge chairs. Once he was on a chair, things that once were safe became decidedly at risk

Orlando is cool with it all though. He has his trusty right hook and knows how to use it! Wap, wap wap!! We have head butts and nose touches and even a little leaning in for a nuzzle first thing in the morning. Puppy has lowered his energy and is calm and quiet [mostly] around the cat.

In the evenings I have been busy learning how to make knitted bunnies for a project I am working on. [Teaser: The project is a very long overdue secret gift for two blogger friends!] As this particular creative process wasn’t anywhere on my radar until it was suggested, my crocheted mandala is still on the back-burner – well off the stove altogether if I am honest – as Siddy found the beginning rounds I had made and disappeared with them under the sofa, where I eventually discovered them chewed to a felted, matted mess.

The suggestion and pattern link was sent to me by my new friend Gallivanta at Silkannthreades I got the germ of a good idea and another great blog to follow 🙂 Heaven! First I made this bunny as per the recipe

So cute huh? You just knit a square, run a few stitches and voila a bunny 🙂 But way too big for what I have in mind. I wondered if a crochet bunny would do it – so I made this one

Sorry about the very poor shot – Suffice to say it didn’t work. The crochet left too many gaps and the bunny was still too big – and anyway this is what happened to him