A month of medical madness

June 16th was my birthday.  It was a nice day - my dad came down to visit for lunch, it was my husband's rostered day off as well, I had a roleplaying session that evening and there was cake. All good, low-key fun. I had the promise of yarn still to come as a present.

A few days later I got sick. The GP said it was a gastro virus, and I believed that right until the morning I woke up unable to see out of the top half of my left eye. Over the course of  the day spent seeing an optometrist and then in the emergency department, I lost it all. I had no perception of light in the left eye. I don't mind admitting I was scared out of my mind. They admitted me to the neurology ward that night.

Since then... it has been an overwhelming and reactive time. I've had an MRI of my brain and I've got a spinal MRI scheduled for later this week. There's been medicine. There's been so much blood taken for so many tests. I've had a lumbar puncture so they can test spinal fluid. And I've been having plasma exchange sessions which are freaky and draining and horrible and I can only be glad that I can do them as an outpatient (only spent five nights in hospital thank goodness) and that they are making a difference - my vision is returning rapidly.

I'm still waiting on more tests for a diagnosis but the doctors have hinted at what they think it is. I'm trying not to worry too much until I get said diagnosis.  Easier said than done!

While in hospital and fretting about my lack of vision I got my husband to bring in two hooks (9mm and 6mm) and some DK weight yarn and I did some experimenting with an almond stitch pattern I'd seen in Simply Crochet magazine and wanted to try.  The almond stitch is wavy rows of dc, htr, tr and dtr alternating with rows of dc with spike stitches in the lowest points. The example in the magazine is done in various shades of pink with dove grey in between and it looks very elegant.

The 9mm was way too big a hook for the yarn, It served its purpose - yes, I could see well enough with only one eye to crochet - but it created a big mess. I did get some comments from nurses and other patients in my bay.

On to the 6mm hook, I did this one in red and green yarn and it looks quite Christmassy.

Experimental almond stitch in red and green

Sunday was a friend's birthday party. A little while ago she had been to a spa and they'd used a crocheted wash cloth and I was going to make her two for her birthday. Sadly I was running behind, with about an inch and a half of one washcloth done in Tunisian crochet before my medical drama started. I was determined to give her at least one as a birthday present so hurried to get it done.

It got finished on the morning of the party so it isn't blocked, leaving it not square and a bit curly at the edges.  I'd made one for myself in silk but this friend is a vegan so I went with an eco cotton in a lively variegated green.

Even without blocking, I'm glad to have finished it in time and also relieved to know I'm recovering enough to craft.

New dresses!

When going through my wardrobe in the #konMari process, I realised I wanted more dresses. Today, I present three new additions to my closet!

The first two were ones which were living in my mother-in-law's warehouse and I was gifted them when we were cleaning up.

The first is a basic loose shape (so it is helped by a belt) but I find the pattern charming and the fabric is comfortable. Incredibly easy to wear. I've dressed it up here with a lovely frangipani head piece made by my talented sister of Tanith Rowan Designs.

Free is the best price.

The second is this striking metallic dress. It is sadly a little bit scratchy around the neck and sleeve hems but I'm willing to put up with that for the awesome retro vibe. I have not worn this out yet and am still pondering how best to style it.

I try not to laugh as the toddler creates behind the scenes havoc

The third dress joining my wardrobe is one I've made myself.  It is my first try making a garment from stretch fabric, using specialty stitches on the sewing machine. For many years I avoided knits "until I got an overlocker" but lately I've been willing to experiment. I'm very happy that I pushed myself, because the machine did better than I expected and it opens up lots of new options for me.

It is an incredibly basic caftan dress sewn from two rectangles of fabric, as explained in this online tutorial. I used stash burgundy jersey, sewing the seams by machine, but doing the neck, sleeve and bottom hems by hand. Dame Esmerelda helped with that process.

Using my dress form to sew the neckline.

You end up with a straight, shapeless dress (with quite nice drapey short "sleeves"), and I personally wouldn't wear it without a belt.

I also made a long belt of the same fabric from the leftovers.  As a change, I added a cloche and a pansy brooch for a 1920s vibe.

I don't usually take outfit photos for the blog and the little boy was very interested in the process. We have quite a few photographs featuring a short photobomber.

Just like this. 

Bavarian crochet and a break from blogging

It has been a while since my last blog post. I have to blame a combination of factors, sadly. The first is that the small boy has absolutely, no question, for real dropped his daytime nap (we've had maybe six daytime naps in the last two months). Then I got a paid contract to do a book index, and without a daytime nap all that work had to go on in the evenings, eating into craft time. And when I did get free time, I was eager to create, not blog.

However the index is done, I've got my evenings back, and I can spare some time for the blog.  I have a heap of blog posts planned around recent projects but I'm behind with taking photographs, especially ones of me in outfits, because I need someone more skilled than a toddler to take them.

One topic for which I could take all necessary pictures is my current obsession with Bavarian crochet.
I just sent this lovely potholder off to be sold at Wattle Flat Crafts.

Made with yarn leftover from a vintage hat project, I think the retro colour scheme works well with the kitchen kitsch image of a hanging potholder. The Bavarian crochet pattern has a dense finish that suits the purpose too.

Back view of the potholder, showing the wrong side of the Bavarian crochet.

 I've also been playing around with Bavarian crochet in rows, using some handspun yarn that I was given as a gift several years ago and that has been waiting for a suitable project.

Starting the rows.

 I decided to make a set of cuffs for my planned winter coat. I'm still in the "find a pattern I like" stage of that planning so the cuffs may be waiting for a while yet!

The finished cuffs, waiting for sleeves.

I have enough yarn to make a collar or maybe a hem band as well but I really need a clearer vision for the coat first. At least I've got the start of a colour scheme, and can coordinate the coat fabric to these. I have a vision in my head of an off white coat with a blue lining but I'm reminding myself that there is no use looking at fabrics until I've chosen a pattern. I don't think this coat is being made for this winter but the next.

Meet "Dame Esmeralda" - Duct Tape Dress Form party

I'm doing a Craftsy class that includes a lesson on making a duct tape dress form. As you cannot do it yourself, the instructor suggested "have a party!" 

And so I did.

Four wonderful friends came around one Saturday afternoon last month (I packed the small boy off with my husband) and they wrapped me in duct tape.

Starting off. 

At this stage I was getting woozy.

Doing the sleeves.

Not long after we did the sleeves they cut it off me and we seem to have neglected pictures in favour of stuffing. While we did, we had a lively discussion about what to name my dress form and somehow we decided on Dame Esmeralda. I cannot quite recall all the conversational ramblings we took to get there. 

Done! 

Dressing her up in one of my shirts. Very happy with the fit.

Face off. 

There is something very confronting about seeing your body in a three dimensional likeness, especially when you are plus sized and not 100% happy with your body all the time. 

Esmeralda is going to help me fit clothes that I'm sewing but also help me design a crocheted cardigan. I've never actually had a dress form before so I'm looking forward to it. If I was going to do this again I might wait til Winter (it did get uncomfortable) and I might consider a less shiny silver armour duct tape. But these are minor issues. Overall, a very successful afternoon's work and at least one of the others is pondering making her own.

Post-Christmas present round up and resolution scorecard

Absolutely the worst thing about crafting presents is being unable to show them off until after you've gifted them. Sometimes, if the recipient is either very young or a Luddite, you can share it early, but not when the gift is (for example) for your sister who follows you on every social media platform. (As I do her, to be fair!)  I have been BURSTING to show off some of the gifts I've made this year and now I finally can.

But first....
My scorecard.
Back in April I made a resolution that, apart from gifts for my husband and geek exchanges, I'd have 75% of my gifts handmade, and 75% of those be made from stash or edible.

So how did I do? Not so well. Only 33% were handmade.
However a further 18% were second hand or were books bought with store credit earned from trading in culled books. Another 10% were bought edible, which while not consumery good at least won't be cluttering up the recipient's house for long.
I did much better on the secondary goal, as 88% of the handmade gifts were edible or made from stash.

I'm going to make the same resolution for next Christmas, at the same levels, and see if I can achieve it this year.

Onto the pretty pictures!

Daffodil brooch

I crocheted a brooch for my mother, a small cluster of daffodils. Done in a variety of stash yellow and green embroidery floss, and sewn onto a green felt backing, I adapted a magazine pattern but changed it slightly for each flower.

Such cheery daffodils for a Welsh winter

Cthulhu heat pad

I bought this fat quarter from Spoonflower a few years ago and this year I finally made it up into a gift for my sister-in-law. This was a design in one of Spoonflower's weekly design competitions. Filled with rice to be microwaved and heated, she can take it to work and display her geeky credentials even more.

So cute!

Pizza pendant

This year I participated in Chronically Vintage's Vintage Secret Santa exchange. My target said they liked quirky jewellery like hotdog earrings or ice cream brooches, so I thought that as well as the items I bought for her I'd make this crocheted pizza slice. Made from stash embroidery floss, and adapted from a full size pattern, I attached a clip so it could be put on a chain to use as a pendant or used as a key ring or bag clip.

Fancy a slice? The finished pizza.

Crocheted feature buttons

I made several gifts for my sister including these crocheted buttons. As I only made one in each design, they'll probably be used as a feature rather than as a closure, but that's up to her! Both yarns were bought in a vintage sale, and I crocheted to fit over self-cover buttons.

Mini-books

Last year I downloaded a dozen or so free craft e-books. Many were ... lame. One that stood out was Quirk Books D.I.Y. Gift Guide  which is a sampler of projects from 8 or 9 books published by Quirk. My favourite was these mini-books from their book Microcrafts. 

The signatures (groups of pages) are sewn together and the covers made around card. They are tiny! Fiddly but fun.

The sewn signatures and the cover waiting to be assembled. 

Top down view. The coin gives scale. 

The finished books. 

As it happens I also made a hat for my sister and in line with tradition totally forgot to take a photo. I'll do that in a different post.

Overall I'm very happy with all my homemade gifts this year (I made a lot of edible gifts that I didn't photograph, and a few other little sewn items) and with how they were recieved. (Although I have no idea how my #Vintagesecretsanta target felt with my gifts!)
But I am disappointed that I didn't meet my 75% target, and sadly aware that part of the problem is giving too many gifts!

New sparks of joy

I wrote earlier this year about my KonMari inspired decluttering. While I generally focus on what I'm getting rid of (470 books! Umpteen CDs and DVDs! 2 bags of clothes! Etc), I thought the new year was a good time to reflect on things I'm keeping.  The main criteria for keeping or discarding most items is whether or not they "spark joy". 
Now, let's be honest. I've kept things that don't entirely make the cut. Clothes that are ok but I can't cull till I replace or I will own no jeans, swimwear or coats.  Items which bring me joy as part of a system (my crochet tools as a whole bring me joy) but not themselves (my stitch markers are cheap green and pink plastic ones I got free with a magazine and they do not bring particular joy). But there are some things that really make me smile every time I use them, and in honour of New Year's Day I thought I'd make a list of things which have entered my life in the last two years that definitely spark joy.

La crueset tea for one set

Just lovely.

A Christmas present from last year, I adore using this.  It gets used for leisurely tea. It feels lovely in my hands and as a bonus looks awesome with my new kitchen's colours.

My new laundry

I never thought I'd wax lyrical about a laundry.

There are many things I love about the post renovation house, but I get a little burst of pleasure every time I go into my laundry. Tiles. TWO SINKS. Two. My huge IKEA Pax wardrobe as linen cupboard. Did I mention my two sinks?

My snap press

Mid nappy making

There is something incredibly satisfying about using this. Not just because the snaps look amazing and professional, but in the actual physical process too.

My tea necklace

Tea accessorises all outfits, correct?

There's a story behind this. Last year for a geek Christmas exchange I had a target who is a massive Star Trek, and Picard in particular, fan. I contacted the wonderful Cassie at Femmecraft and we brainstormed two designs, finally deciding on a general Trek focused "To boldly go" custom design (now available as a regular option). This design was the other, but we decided not to go ahead with it for a few reasons. Then in November this year I saw her at a market and she'd made it anyway and I could not resist. I'd been considering buying a Femmecraft necklace for myself and knowing that my custom order inquiry sparked this design's existence makes it extra special. 

My new watering can

It looks at home in my fledgling garden

When I was given this for Christmas this year, I pronounced it the Rolls Royce of watering cans. It is amazing.  Beautifully balanced, stunning colour, vintage looks, and a generous rose. Perhaps too early to make this an addition to the joy list, but I don't think so.

Everything in this outfit

The shirt is from Redbubble, the shoes I honestly can't recall (purchased while "baby/sleep deprived brain was still a thing)  and my talented sister made the green skirt. This photo was taken at the Powerhouse museum cafe on a day that Sydney got to a stupidly hot 45 degrees, actually to show evidence that I was wearing the skirt.

As a result of the decluttering, and thinking about what sparks joy, I'm feeling remarkably privileged and lucky, recognising the lovely things I own. This seems like the best time of year to reflect on making the most of what we have that gives us joy. So what makes your list? 

The perils of finishing

#Finish It Friday has got me pondering why I'm so bad at finishing projects.

One of the problems I've found over the past few years with embroidery is that all the fun parts are at the start. I have a great time stitching, but then I'm left with a cool embroidery on a piece of fabric which I still need to turn into something. And planning and executing that is less engaging... so into the pine chest it goes.

Lately I've tried to complete some of those packed away projects to give as gifts or to use.  But they aren't always solutions I can keep using. I thought I'd go through some of the good and bad bits of these finishing techniques.

Frames
Always a traditional choice, I framed a tree and butterfly piece for a gift exchange.

This was a free kit with a cross-stitch magazine, and I feel that painting the frame to match makes it look nicer. Although clearly I needed to iron it more.

Pros:

• Huge variety of frames available, and can always paint cheap wooden ones to match anything.
• Only requires a small amount of extra work (lacing, etc) unless as mentioned also changing frame.

Cons:

• Traditional.
• Recipient has to find place to display frame.
• Not very useful apart from the aesthetic lift.

Boxes
I used a piece of stumpwork I completed at a Koala Conventions class in the lid of a wooden box to make a special present for my grandmother last Christmas.

As you can see, I also need to start photographing finished gifts before I give them. This photograph was taken on the day by my brother-in-law and I had to request a copy.

Pros:

• Looks beautiful and professional
• Only requires a small amount of extra work (lacing, etc).
• A potentially useful storage box.

Cons:

• To get a box worthy of the embroidery requires online ordering for many of us and it isn't cheap.
• Can really only be used once per recipient.

Christmas tree ornaments
Over the years I've turned many small bits of cross-stitch into ornaments for people. Naturally I don't have any photographs. That would be too easy.

Pros:

• You can repeat this for the same recipient in different years - no one can have too many ornaments.
• The finished work will be on display.

Cons:

• Only works for items that can be slanted as seasonal, holiday, etc and that are relatively small. 
• Can be lots of extra work to finish. 

I've also made embroidered pieces into bags, tissue holders, and potpourri sachets. They all have the "can be lots of extra work to finish" disadvantage. Any other ideas?
How many unfinished items do you have hidden away?