Little Bag #2

Little Bag #2 is HOTH (hot off the hook)

A fun and quick project that kept me interested and occupied in between the unpacking of my book boxes, and I'm still re-making some more flat-pack shelves for the craft room, a new arm chair has arrived for that room too (thank you Tony), and he is up in the roof space at the moment getting the aerial wires sorted for the tv. Evidently the junction box thingy that he bought that boosts the satellite signal isn't working.

A new freeform crochet project is in the early planning stage. (New Leaf FFAL on Ravelry)

My thought for this is "Spring is in the air" (it is here is NZ), new life abounds in the gardens, trees are budding up nicely, flowers are emerging, and the Spring hare are having fun in the field behind our garden.

These yarns made the first cut in my grab-box for this project. I'm trying not to include any blue, green or purple in this first part of the project, but I see a pale lilac mohair (bottom right) has crept into the box while I wasn't looking.

Anyway, lots more to do today, so I'm off now to explore more boxes and fill up those shelves.

Happy Stitching

Freeform Crochet Exhibition

Every year the International FreeForm Fiberart Guild produces a book and an online gallery for its annual exhibition.

I have, once again, entered a piece of freeform in the exhibition.

The theme for the show is 

Flora and Fauna - native to your region or country.

I chose the New Zealand flax for my inspiration and created this ornamental vessel.

You can read more about my piece on the gallery website HERE

The online Gallery for the show is HERE

and

The book can be purchased HERE
(all profits go to a charity voted by the member)

2014 Int. Free Form Fiberarts

I can finally reveal my Free Form Cerise Fiberart Neck Adornment.

It has now been published in the book: One Color

by the International Free Form Fiberarts Guild, of which I am a member.

The book is available at the following link:

    One Colour by Cyra Lewis 

ALL profits from the sales go to an International Charity (or charities) nominated by the members. 

I am honoured and proud to be in the company of such talented and inspirational fiber-artists, and I am pleased to call them all my friends.

Free Form Crochet Bolero etc.

 Needle-Felting 

This week I have been working some more on my needle-felted Woodland character. I have had to change his name though, as everyone who saw him thought it was Oscar the Grouch as he is green too. I don't want my character to be 'similar' to anything already created, so I think I'll call him Brock. Hopefully that won't bring to mind any character already in existence.

I have given Brock a cheeky Mohawk hairstyle and will post pictures next week as he is feeling a bit 'exposed' at the moment.  

 Free Form Crochet Bolero 

I have been 'playing' with arrangements for the motifs on the bolero.
I'm piecing the back together first as it is the largest area to cover. 
Here are a few motifs on my 'dummy'. The final placement may not be the same as this, and there are smaller 'filler' motifs to add to it too. I'll be making those specifically to fill a space as I need it.

I have started stitching some together in mesh style. This is probably going to be a long job, but it is quite enjoyable to do, rather like 'meander quilting', therapeutic. 

Crochet Along Space Saver and Stash-Buster

Even though I have finished my crochet-along squares baby blanket, I am still doing more crochet things.

This is a plastic bag storage dispenser. It has elastic 'holes' at the top and the bottom. You scrunch and fold each plastic grocery bag up and push it into the hole at the top. When you need a plastic bag you pull one out from the bottom. Simple. 

A hanging cord at the top keeps it off the workbench and out of the way, and within easy reach.

I know this idea has been around for a while but I've only just got around to making one for myself.

It was a good way to use up a couple of small balls of yarns.

All of these plastic bags...........

.....fits into this dispenser......

Arty Stuff

An English blue-tit bird sketch with coloured pencils. 

I wish I had time to perfect my arty muse.

Have a great week.

 Cy 

This weeks journey - TAST week29 & CQJP

My journey this week took be down memory lane as I used the thread that I had found at the bottom of a bag (see previous post for the discovery of the treasure).

And I turned it from this.............

to this..............

Personally, I think it is beautiful, but I am probably a bit biased about it.

It's like planting a twig that grows into a beautiful tree.

It is such soft thread that I might use it for a special crochet piece later. 

Anyway, that was my TAST Week 29 - Basque Stitch on my stitch journal.

And here it is on my CQJP block for July.

Six strands of cotton floss in pale aqua, and reversed in lilac silk ribbon.

Not sure if the long and short twisted chain part worked to create a wavy line. I may have ruined it with the beads. I might frog the beads as it was better before I added them.

I also made a crochet trim for this block. It is meant to have a ribbon or cord woven along it, but I haven't done that part yet as I'm undecided what to use, so this is a WIP.

And I've been doodling in the midnight hours again.

A Mandala Clock.

I've had a request from the IFFCG to make two more books for "The Missing Years" of the Freeform Crochet Challenge's that never had books published. Years 2006 & 2007..

I will be starting them in September as I have my current "big project" deadline for the end of August, and that is taking a lot of my time at the moment.

That's all for this week.

Happy Stitching

Announcement of My Special Project

...Announcement of my Special Project...

Many of my visitors here will already know that I have a passion for crochet.

Some of you may also know that I am a member of the International Free Form Crochet Guild.

A link to the Guild is in the right hand column over there > > > > >

Instead of having individual swaps etc (which gets difficult for such a large group to track and coordinate) each year we have one major group challenge which can take many months of planning and creating.

A theme is suggested and voted on. Then members have between 6 - 10 months to design and create their piece interpreting the theme however they are inspired.

Any media may be used but the piece must contain some crochet or knit.

The theme for this year was:  Music & Art 

This meant many things to the members. For some it was an individual piece of music, or a musician that inspired them to create their entry for the challenge. For others it was a painting or an artist that inspired them.

The photo entries are collected and arranged to create a book and an online show.

For the second year running I have been the volunteer who creates the book.

And, because of the fabulous number of members who enter this challenge, this is not a job that can be done overnight. It takes many, many weeks of coordinating, collaboration and Photoshop work to achieve this.

Because we are a "non-profit-making" group, all the profits from the sale of the book goes to the charity (or charities) that the group members have chosen to help for the year of the challenge.

This year the profits will be divided equally between:

Doctors Without Borders

&

Soul of Somanya

The release of the book (publish date) was 1st July, and no member was to post photos of their entry until after this date, so that everyone could see all the entries at the same time. 

The SECRET was so difficult to keep at times, as us crafty lot are a sharing lot too, and it goes against our nature not to "show-&-tell".

But I thank everyone for keeping the SECRET going so well.

Here is the book.

You can click it to go and preview ALL the pages onsite.

Cover photography and design by Cyra Lewis.

All entry photographs are the copyright of the individual artists.

If you would like to see the book I created for the challenge last year here is a direct link to that one.

 The theme for 2011 was: Mythologies, Stories & Fairy Tales

And now the process begins again for the 2013 Challenge.

What fun!

CQJP February WIP & TAST Week 7

CQJP - February - WIP

Updates on the February block and a few close-up pics of some stitch embellishments so far on this block.

The needle-weaving seam, that was extremely "slow going" last week, has now been completed thanks mostly to my darling "Dooman" hubby who made new legs for my Posilock frame stand so that I could pop the embroidery hoop in it and work with both hands on the stitching. Phew!!!. It is great to be working without having to hold the hoop in one hand now. That Posilock stand has not been able to stand up on it's own for about 10 years, and I really missed it.

Last weekend Dooman was meant to be building a shed to house his new farm equipment. It started raining quite heavily and I wandered out to the barn (where he was hiding) and presented him with the Posilock stand and told him what the legs should look like. Less than half an hour later he gave it back to me complete with new legs, oh yeah, and the biggest smile on his face.

Lots of brownie points for Dooman.

The double row of Cretan stitch.

 The Crocheted Lace piece.

 

 

Lots more embellishing to do on this block yet.

 

 and the following TAST close-up pics are worked on this block too.

TAST week 7 - Detached Chain Stitch

Detached chain in lilac thread stitched closely side-by-side, and the pale green silk ribbon is detached chain as well.

 

Isn't this a great detached chain stitch "wheel" in variegated  thread.

The centre is a woven spider wheel, and there will eventually be something else in the middle, but I haven't decided if it will be a bead, French knots, or something else.

My Other Project Updates

No update for February BJP as I haven't even started it yet. It is all "In-My-Head" for now.

I have made the fabric choices for Counties Quilters - February BOM due at next meeting in March.

I have fused the Kiwifruit applique block for Prostate Cancer Charity Quilt fundraiser. The block is now ready for blanket stitch and embellishing.

 And the 2012 Freeform Crochet Challenge work is well under way, but I'm not allowed to post any pictures until the challenge book is published with all the entries in. This keeps it a wonderful surprise so that everyone can see all the challenge pieces at the same moment, and not get influenced (or intimidated) by anyone else's work.

So it has been another busy, busy week. 

Next week has the potential to explode for me. 

I want to make a brightly coloured, highly textured cushion for my mum, who has very poor eyesight (hence the bright colours and textures). She is almost totally deaf now too, and to top it off, she has recently had another fall and broken a couple of ribs.

As a very active person in the past, she is now suffering a bit. She loved her garden and spent all her spare time there when she wasn't working, stitching, or crocheting. So that is why I want to send her a flower cushion. To help bring a bit of that love back into her life, and to remind her that I love her even though I am half way around the world from her.