2013 Upcycling Workshops

Dream catchers, great and small.

 Using salvaged roundy bits (like bits of yogurt tub [shown above], bicycle tyre and hubcap fastenings), reclaimed yarn, scrap fabrics and plastic bags, make yourself a dream catcher.  

Paper bead jewellery

Make elasticated bracelets and necklaces out of paper beads that you design yourself using monochromatic newsprint, or bright junk mail!

 Junk Modelling Free-for-all

I provide the tools and materials, you provide the creativity! Brilliant for drop-in sessions, younger and SEN children, get busy with card, plastic, sticky tape, hole punches, felt tips, scissors and see what you come up with! 

Above is a tank turret and submarine....

All these can be run at your venue, a 2 hour session costing £3/child, minimum 5 participants, or at The Green Place in Sileby, £4.75/child, minimum 10 participants.

Hot water bottle covers

Seem to be on a theme here, don't I? 

Hot water bottle covers where something I tried a couple of years ago, when going through my daughters baby jumpers. some where a little worse for wear, or too loved, to leave our household. I found some knitted ones, with stretchy enough necks for me to slide the water bottle through it, then I traced a hot water bottle onto the (inside out) jumper, and just sewed around that line. Bingo! 

I have made them from brushed cotton night shirts,

zip up cardies, and larger than baby clothes too. 

                                                                                                                                                                    some get the sleeves sewn in, so your hot water bottle can give you a hug:)

pink pillowcases

Just a quicky, about another pillowcase project.

These pillowcases where a commission for a young girls first full-sized bed. The fabric came from 2 super-king sheets off the bed she used to sleep in as a baby, that got torn. A fitted single sheet was also made, but that is a different story altogether! 

There was plenty of fabric to use for this one, so no buttons where needed for the back. 

The sheets where faded in places, and had been machine dyed at some point, so where splotchy, and I tried to cut the best bits, but you can see the graduation on the red pillowcase. Again, the sentimental value of the project means these “imperfections” just add character, and they where well received!

The set went for £30.  

sew what?

As well as all this knitting and beading, I do a fair amount of sewing. Well, some of my acquaintances would call it an unfair amount of sewing, but I'm happy either way! Well, due to an injury I have been less able to knit so far this autumn, and my creativity has been more aimed at my cooking and sewing, “sew” here is a recent project!

When I moved into my current house, the previous owners left us most of their crud. There where 10 or so bin bags in the back garden, and I couldn't just put them out as trash, I had to check for treasures, recyclables, and charity shoppable items. I got it down to a pretty low refuse count in the end, and reclaimed some bed linen, bedding, curtains and blankets. After a lot of laundering and airing (they where smokers, and I have sensitive smelling abilities as one of my super-powers), sorting, blah blah blah, I got to a single brushed cotton sheet with a tear. After a few years on the toddlers bed, tucked in various ways round, it then became redundant. But I did need some pillow cases...

you can get 3 oxford style buttoned pillow cases out of a single flat sheet.

Some will be a bit thin in places, but try to place these bits on the back of the pillow case.

So, I cut my sheet sideways into thirds. I lost 1 third due to the tear:( Inside out, layed it down next to another pillowcase for size guidance, and folded it so that the opening is on the top, with the larger side on the very top.

Pinned this all together, and sewed down the sides. The sheets edging will provided me with instant finishing for the flaps!

Turned this the right way out, and pressed. Measured how much wider my case was than the pillow that is going in it(this may well be a standard size?). Divided this by 2. checked the ends too, as they where a bit different. Using a rule on my machine, I then stitched a border around my pillowcase this wide.

I then popped a pillow in at this point to see whether I was happy with the closure. I wasn't. The pillow inside was bulging out a bit, so I sewed 3 buttons on to the top flaps border, then marked button holes on the lower flap, so they would button to the inside of the case and not be uncomfy if(when) the pillow flips in the night.

Sorted.

I find the children appreciate these upcycled projects I do, as they recognise the new pillow as being their old sheet that was useless, and love it even more!

To work or not to work, that is the question.

So the new year brought in some changes for us, including my decision not to work so hard. It had got to the point I either had to put a LOT more time in to make a difference, or step back for a bit and let things evolve.
So they are evolving. Kids are happier to have more of me, especially the Boy, who finds it hard already to be clear about his feelings. I don't have any more pattern commissions in the works, and time slips by whilst I fail to do my own editing and writing, and go mildly crazy with lego building, laundry and the same book over and over and over and over.......

I am finding time to knit for pleasure though. Arboroath abbey by Annie Modesitt is a coolio pattern that goes from 7yrs to adult, and although a poorly edited magazine pattern, her design and little touches that have survived are all little "aha!" moments. Just make sure you really UNDERSTAND cabling, and can read your knitting, not just the chart.

Bubbles

Funky garments for boys can be a hard thing to get right. This pattern has a visually simple but engaging twisted stitch panel, and a very ”useful” seamless shape, knit in the round. Match this with a washable yarn in the “right” colour, and it is bound to be a hit, both to wear and create.

Bring it, Winter!

Knit on 4mm circular needles using James Brett Marble, this pattern is written in 3 sizes from 3-10 yrs.

£3.00

MTG

About 12 years ago I entered the world of high fantasy, with Dungeons and Dragons, Tolkien, Tad Williams, Marion Zimmer Bradley and Magic the Gathering. I enjoyed the flexibility of "Magic", a 2 player game in it's simplest form, multi-player options, or when a bored teenager, play-test your decks against yourself. I played for several years, before my contempories where spending too much money and too much time on it and totally outstripped me in there playing ability. Or maybe I got Laid. Anyway, my younger brothers where not very literate when we entered this realm, and it always confused me how something so complex as a rulebook, or deck of cards managed to teach someone to read. Thankfully, with the move out of toddlerhood comes the joys of educational concerns.

My siblings and I where/are home-educated autonomously, as was/is the Man. I put it like that because I don't feel education stops when a government has decided so, but continues throughout life, if you let it. I am certainly still learning in the same manner I was 15 years ago.

So this is where I come from in terms of parenting, but I still ponder on how the process works!

The Boy is now school-age. He plays Role-playing games, builds crazy Lego structures, and sews pullovers for his bears. But a strange thing is happening. He is Learning To Read. Because he wants to?! I surmise because he wants to do things he needs to read for. Like playing Magic. He has figured he is at a disadvantage playing open-handed with me telling him what his cards do. I am putting many cards with the same artwork in his deck, that aren't too complicated. So he is coming across the terms "Haste", "Shadow", and "Flying" fairly frequently. He started the writing of garbled letters in huge long lines, then getting literate people to read them for him(does everyone do that?). My heart melted.

If I then suggest we do something to advance his progress, he sees the connection to an interest he has and the activity I am offering, and he takes it.

So thankyou, Richard Garfield, for creating something that makes learning to read fun for parents, and is bringing my son closer into my life.

beading workshops nov-jan

I have been running beading workshops for about 9 months, from my home in Thurmaston, on a monthly basis. So far I have mostly been facilitating the participants own inspiration, helping with and suggesting new techniques, and sorting things out when they have gone wrong! I am now getting the feeling that some more formal instruction would be beneficial to these sessions, in terms of being exposed to new techniques and project ideas.

These sessions are now evolving, and need booking in advance, so I can plan the topic, and invest in the materials. The timing has changed too, to eliminate the lunch break that was always rushed, and took away precious beading time!

The main reason I have set an age limit on this group is due to the level of input younger students need. I teach in a hands-on way, moving round the group and seeing how each student is doing, and helping them move on. I notice that I invariably spend more time with the younger ones, even with this age cap, so I wouldn't want to extend the range of this group.

Thursday, 10-1.

Each session costs £7.00

17/11-Baubles

15/12-Tassels

12/1-Brick stitch chains

Please email me for a booking form.

Additionally, I am looking to run another regular session in the south of the city, so if anyone wants to host it I would love to talk to you!

You can also book me to run any session I have done before, for the cost of £10/hour, plus materials and travelling costs.

TOPIC DESCRIPTIONS

Baubles

jazz up an ordinary-looking bauble into something astonishing using seed beads and bugles. Some good examples can be seen in Julie Ashfords book .

Tassels

using seed beads, sieves and donut beads, create tassels with festive charm, or just plain fun! Take a look in the book above, or just search Google for examples.

Brick stitch chains

A versatile and technique, Brick stitch is a rather different way of building up a beaded fabric, and can be put to many uses. We shall be making thin hoops, and linking them together, rather like a paper chain...

Culverkeys

Inspired by the flowers my daughter is named after, this pattern is perfect for windy spring days. Or knit it in a wool yarn to make a snuggly winter hat!
Knit from the bottom up on circular needles, Culverkeys is designed to be a versatile pattern, with 4 sizes ranging from baby to medium adult, and adjustable hat depth.
fully charted, with written instructions too.
Shown here in Patons Smoothie Dk.
£3.00

Nobble-top cocktales

First pattern to be released in my CIHC bootie collection.
£3.00

Fun and wearable, these Booties will be worn until they are lost! Knit in a superwash wool for washing, with no seams for comfort, and a tall ankle to stay on better. Includes advanced techniques so you don't get bored too.

Shown here in CIHC Wow, super aran!, in Over the rainbow and Teal colourways. the pattern is written for newborn, 0-6 months, and 6-12 months.


Or alternatively, buy a pair from my etsy store, for £15

Fancy spats

An innovative accessory for jazzing up boring shoes, or wear as frilly wrist warmers. In 4 sizes from toddler to large adult, techniques needed include jogless joins, picking up stitches and knitting in the round. shown here in debbie bliss cashmerino aran.                                         




FREE!!

  .

Jester blanket

A fun and usable centre out reversible baby blanket with a knitted on edging. £3.00

knit on circular needles, this knit is shown in Cat.inna.hat creation's Wow, super aran!, in colourway Over the rainbow and Teal, and measures 43x33.5”/110x85cm

Cosy forever

download now

cosy forever

A small project that will last from Toddler-hood to Adolescence. Starting as leg warmers worn with the thumb flap buttoned as an interesting design feature, as you grow too big they then become warm warmers, or fingerless gloves when the the flap is unbuttoned! Great excuse to use some really good quality yarn that will last through childhood.
Alternatively just make for yourself as a versatile arm-thingy!

a free pattern!
shown above knit in Debbie bliss cashmerino aran