Love Claire

Cocoon

2009-07-10T12:09:00.008+10:00

On Monday Angela sent me a message asking if I could knit her a cocoon for an up coming photo shoot. After a discussion about colours and threads, I jumped into my yarn stores to see what I could come up with. I had a few balls of yarn left over from the jumper I made Mum earlier, nice earthy tones, and so I quickly knitted up a swatch to see if it was what Angela wanted.

So that was the yarn sorted out. Now the design.

I thought I would try using circular knitting needles first off, that didn't work out so well, so I switched to double pointed needles. They would have worked except they were too short. I have longer ones on order, but that would not help me finish this project for Angela by the weekend. In the end I gave up and used straight knitting needles. It took no time at all to knit it to the length needed, and I was able to join it using an invisible seem, which took almost as long to do as it knit it! Once I had figured out the 'pattern' I was able to knit up another one in 2 hours. Not bad for a days work. I then posted the cocoons off on Tuesday, and Angela had them in her hand on Wednesday morning.

I this photo will have to do until Angela can take a 'real' picture.

I am blessed to have such a talented family, both my sister and sister-in-law being amazing baby/maternity/family photographer's.

If are in Brisbane, you need to go to

http://angelahammondphotography.com

and for Melbourne, you have to go to

http://www.felicitythomsonphotography.com

Pea Pod Cocoon

2009-07-04T11:32:00.004+10:00

I have been playing around with making more pea pod cocoons. I have switched back to crochet, as its so easy to shape. This is my latest edition

Its a little square looking, but that is from the shape of the teddy bear, not from the shape of the cocoon. I made it with green zoomy, and a size 12mm hook using hdc. I will add on the little top and bottom curly thingy that I put on the first one I made. When I was making the first one, I spent a long time searching the web for images of 'pea pod cocoons', but I could not find anything I liked. Then I looked for images of peas pods, still no luck. In the end, Felicity went to the vegetable bin in the fridge, pulled out a fresh pea pod, and said "How about this?" Perfect!

Unfortunately I made it too big. If you could hold Riley still long enough It would probably fit him as he is now, well over 14 months!

Its really really cold

2009-07-03T16:12:00.002+10:00

Its freezing cold here at the moment, and there is a cold draft coming in under the lounge room door. I have been wanting to make a door sock to keep the chill out, but with the cold, wet days, I have not been able to dry out the sand that my Beloved picked up for me. I could use the oven, but I hate to waste the energy, and I am nervous of leaving a tray of sand just laying around with 3 cats. But its so cold now, I will have to risk it. My Beloved gave me his cold, and I am only just starting to get over it.

One of the reasons I have not posted for so long is I have been trying to get our tax sorted out before June 30. The task was made more difficult because I was sorting the various papers out into boxes, and one cat in particular loved to sit in the box, especially when I needed the box.

Calico the 'Tax Accountant' Kitty

It was wonderful to finally get it posted off and finalised. Good thing is now I am ready for THIS year

My very talented sister also has finished a photo shoot using one of the props that I have made for her. So I just had to show that off.

Looks MUCH better than my fuzzy photo.

In my defence, this was a really quick photo taken with my phone to see if it was the kind of thing that Felicity wanted. The first hat is a black and yellow striped hat and has really vibrant colours, believe it or not.

The Knit Wit

2009-06-30T04:33:00.000+10:00

My Beautiful SIL Angela has been asking when I shall continue with the Blog. Yes I know, I have been very bad at not updating in so long.

I have given up crochet for a little while, and tried knitting for a change! I vividly remember the first time I learnt to knit. My Mother was in hospital, just having given birth to my sister Felicity. I was visiting my Grandmother, and her Mother, my Great Grand mother was there. She was knitting a jumper, and she taught me know to knit. I was 3 and a half. I look at my friends daughter at the same age, and there is no way I would trust her with two sharp knitting needles! The next time I tried knitting was when I was 14. There was a sale on yarn, and Mum brought me 8 balls of this white yarn with 8mm pink knitting needles. I must of made 3 different tops, wearing them for a few days, then pulling the yarn apart and making something else. It was the making of the garment that was the best part, not the finished project. That yarn finished up as a crochet hat.

So after years of crochet, I thought I would try knitting again. I thought that some of the things that Felicity wants me to make will look better in a knitted stitch. For practice I found a pattern that didn't look too hard and quickly made up a very nice jumper. Believe it or not, I still had those 8mm pink knitting needles that Mum and brought for me over 20 years ago! It was so much fun making the jumper, and quickly made 2 more. I wear the pink one all the time, and sent the blue one down to Felicity, and made another brown one for Mum (sorry don't have a pic of that at the moment). I was amazed that a novice knitter like me was able to actually finish a project and to be happy enough with it to wear it outside! I am now playing around with circular knitting needles, and double pointed needles. I also found a wonderful site that has everything I needed. Its called 8Season knitting. You can find them on eBay or if you want to put in a larger order they also have a website. The quality of their products and the value for money is just outstanding. Just search for 8Season Knitting. They have the most amazing stitch markers! Absolutely beautiful.

As you can see Chubba Chup wanted to get in on the photo.

I have a few things I would like to make, thing is I can never decide on what to work on first. I really need to work on some things for Felicity. I have managed to make one thing for Felicity. It was a first attempt, and I know it will get better, because it could not get much worse!

This is a 'nest' that I knitted. One of the photo props for Felicity. I resisted putting the cat into it ... it was really hard.

Planet of the Bunnies!

2009-03-05T15:09:00.000+11:00

Last week my sister-in-law Angela posted on her Facebook account a list of her name and various Google search terms, and the first thing that came up. What you do is type in "[your name] needs" or '[Your name] looks like" or "[Your name] does" in Google search and type in the first thing that comes up. It has the potential to be hilarious. So of course I gave it a go. The very first one "Claire needs" came up as "Claire needs a visit to the Bunny Planet", I swear its true. This immediately tickled my fancy, and I emailed Angela, and Felicity straight away. Felicity and Riley said that they would come, and Abby and Angela would not have missed it for the world. When I asked Mum if she would like to go she said she didn't want to go because she "didn't know what was there and might get eaten by a bunny". Oh well. So that's how "Planet of the Bunnies" came into our lives.
I have not had any time to work on anything today, I really need to get out my camera and take some photo's of what I have already done. Last night I thought of a cute outfit to make for the bunny I am planning on making. Angela told me today that she is busy looking for a picture of the bunny that she would like me to make. In other new, we have been looking for a house over the last few months, and may have found 'The One'. Tomy is going to have a look at it on the weekend to see what he thinks. Its quite a large house, and I am already planning all the things I can make for it! Its going to be a handmade paradise. One of the best things is it will have lots of room for all my crafts, not that it will stop me from spreading them around the house like I already do.

Strawberry Fields

2009-03-04T22:44:00.000+11:00

I finished the little pink glitter heart purse, and I am now almost finished on a little handbag for Abby that looks like a strawberry! I have not seen one before, but I thought that it would make a cute handbag for a little girl. I just need to finish the handle and drawstring, and its done. Angela sent me a message yesterday suggesting that I make a bunny, which I shall get started on tomorrow. Any suggestions as to what it should look like? Maybe I should make one like the bunnies on the bunny planet?

Desperately seeking ... something

2009-03-03T12:40:00.000+11:00

I have finished the current crochet requests that Felicity has made, and I am still in a crochet mood so I have been searching for something to do. I could get started on the silver jewellery project that I have had in mind for a few months now, but I need to organise my 'silver jewellery' area first. I eventually decided to work on a little handbag that I started awhile ago for my niece Abigail. It is in a lovely bright pink with a silver metallic glitter running through it, and I have threaded pink and purple heart beads on to it. Perfect for a 2 year old girl. Once I finish that hopefully Felicity will have decided on what she wants me to make next. I think I will aim to start on the silver next week.

From Russia with gloves.

2009-03-01T20:23:00.000+11:00

Tomy had a friend over today, Alex. Alex originally came from Russia, so he was able to give me some advice on what makes a good hat to keep out the cold. Even though most of the hats I am making at the moment are props for Felicity's photos, I would eventually like to try selling some on Etsy. He also had a few ideas on what makes a good pair of gloves, so I would like to try that out sometime. I am working on a Lion hat at the moment. I am using a loop stitch which is rather difficult and fiddly, but have got better as time as gone on. I am finishing off the ears tonight. I will be posting the finished hats down to Felicity next week, so hopefully sometime soon, I will be able to post some 'professional' photos of what they look like. As much as Calico likes modeling the hats...

Cat in a Hat

2009-02-26T17:12:00.000+11:00

I finished making the Beehive hat last night, and as you do, tried it on the cat. Calico thought it was rather fun, and actually started purring.
Believe it, or not!

Brother Bear hat

2009-02-16T17:15:00.000+11:00

I finished the 'Pea Pod' outfit, and a little bear hat that Riley looks very cute in. I am now working on a net in a lovely green flutter.

Princess in the pea pod

2009-02-14T15:55:00.000+11:00

I'm currently making my first lot of baby photography props for my sisters photography business. First project is a baby sized pea pod. I have looked at a few similar pea pods on Etsy, but in the end I have decided to make up my own design, and I am following a cartoon picture of a pea pod, and a real pea pod which Felicity had in the fridge. It is starting to look really pea-ish!