Red Hot Button

I Know It's Only Sock and Sole

2011-10-04T14:31:00.000+01:00

But I like it.

Let me introduce you to the first pair of socks I have ever knit - made in Regia 4ply Kaffe Fassett Design Line yarn, and using Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Basic Sock Recipe. What makes sock knitting a little bit amazing is that you are working in 3d. It's like sculpting with wool. And of course, it took a lot of time, so I guess I was really working in four dimensions. Preeetty cool.

So maybe working in four dimensions implies manipulating time as well as wool, but there were moments when time really did stand still. I think. Or maybe it stretched. Anyway, it was like Groundhog Day.

But YY loves them because no one has ever made something so personal for him before. And that just makes me swell with pride for my little, woolly, misshapen experiments.

Say Have You Met Lidiya?

2011-09-13T13:41:00.003+01:00

I've been pretty busy at work over the weekend, and when I wasn't working I was keeping good to my word - I cast on Lidiya. This will be the fair isle dress published in Rowan Magazine 48 and designed by the coolest dude of colour and pattern, Mr Kaffe Fassett.

So far, even though my tension isn't fantastic and I mucked up the fair isle pattern a bit, I still think it looks beautiful. But I've run into two little problems:

Problem #1. I cast on and watched The Philadelphia Story - a classic Grant/Hepburn with Virginia Weidler's irritatingly perky rendition of 'Lydia The Tattooed Lady'. Really, because I'm a little sadistic, I strongly recommend that you watch this film whilst casting on Lidiya. Yes Lidiya. Oh Lydia, say have you met Lydia, Lydia the tattooed lady..... (You may experience some pain in the centre of your brain.)

Problem #2. I realised very early on, that tangling up 3 yarns, plus weaving in the ends as I go, and trying to carry repeated colours up is just insane. I can't stand having the strands twisted while I work, it almost drives me as potty as a certain tattooed lady. So I see two possible solutions to this: either I accept that this will be very slow going, or I make like a kitten and tangle that yarn.

Speaking of animals, Miss B takes an occasional and 'helpful' interest in my knitting. Last night while I was eating dinner I realised I'd left Lidiya, Oh Lydia on the bed, and that was exactly where Miss B was leaping about. I came upstairs with dread, but discovered nothing much really. I hadn't lost anymore corners from my books, no more buttons missing from the TV remote...but something was definitely amiss.

For one thing, Miss B was nowhere to be seen, and I could see rabbit shaped depressions in the duvet right next to my knitting. I took a closer look at the green yarn and discovered a tiny stretch of the DK had been worn away to a thin straggly lace-weight. It was damp. She had been dutifully 'cleaning' it for me.

I did point out to her (as tactfully as I could) that perhaps she should be cleaning her fur instead - the other day she had a clothes moth sitting on her chest.

She just stared at me. I'm wondering if they're in cahoots.

Rowan 50 Online

2011-09-08T20:57:00.004+01:00

If you haven't had a look at the digital Row@n magazine and you are looking for inspiration, then trot on over there now. You can drool over photos of stunners (like Yew Scarf - below), watch videos illustrating why modelling is possibly not the greatest career in the world, and read tasters of articles published in the full magazine.

The article that caught my eye in this installment is Shetland Lace in A New Light, by Kate Davies (of Doll Heid and o w l s fame). I have to buy this issue of Rowan Magazine, even if only to find out what kind of torture device a knitting belt is. (Incidentally, Kate Davies blog, Needled, is beautiful and just the thing for a rainy autumn afternoon.)

Other items of yarnlust in this installment of Rowan include the girly, cropped, cabled jumper Affection. Although I'm not entirely convinced of the usefulness of the cropped jumper, this one makes up for what it lacks in length with soft stylishness. Dare to bare your kidneys - but do it in style.

Speaking of daring, Connie is an intriguing jumper offering surprisingly easy access to one's bra and a particularly unusual blend of exquisite Kidsilk lace and stolid Pure Wool ribbing. The back of it really is divine (I'm sorry I can't link to a picture of it - have a look in the digital mag!) However...

I'm not conservative - so the front opening and lace work doesn't offend me. I really like it. What has me yo-yoing between yarnlust and yarnloathing is the contrast between that and the opaque sections. The fact that these sections aren't just in a different yarn and stitch, but a different colour (is it only me that can see this?)

Bottom line is, I don't have the budget to knit Rowan if I don't love it, so tomorrow I will cast on Lidiya.

The Socks Continue

2011-09-07T10:48:00.000+01:00

Now I've got no excuse not to crack on with the plain...yawn...stockinette...yawn....sockszzzzzzzz.

Huh?! Oh yeah, where was I? I think this next stitch is a ...knit? And then.. oh yeah, about a thousand more knit stitches. Each and every one filled with ~~boredom and despair~~ love.

Hope you like them YY.

Fairisle Bolero

2011-09-06T17:46:00.001+01:00

My first fairisle project is complete!

Last night I read up on making twisted cords and pom poms. I know that might seem a bit basic, but I've spent a lot of time on Maya, some might say I've spent too much time on it, and I don't want it spoiled by a sloppy finish. Plus, this is Rowan yarn people. Rowan yarn.

(Perhaps I should admit that despite swotting up on what are very basic techniques I still managed to cut two bunches of yarn for cords that turned out to be about 5cm too short. Let's skim over that.)

I also want to reiterate that I love the pom poms. Making them took me back to being a Brownie - which reminded me that I had a HUGE pom pom on the top of my uniform woolly hat. (I had the old uniform - before Jeff Banks decided that all girls really like wearing mustard/custard yellow sweaters and what can only be described as diarrhoea-brown culottes. Which brings another, rather more undesirable meaning to the term 'Brownie'.)

In other news, the cute baby moose video that's been doing the rounds has made me want to move to Canada even more. Inspired by this, we had blueberry pancakes for breakfast! If you haven't seen the video, here it is.

Start With Colour

2011-09-05T10:16:00.003+01:00

So it's Monday morning - the first Monday of the school year. That really means nothing to me at the moment - I don't go to school to study or work, I don't have a Monday to Friday job because I work in retail/tourism and I have no kids. But if you fall into one of those categories you might appreciate a little colour escapism, so here is an interview with Kaffe Fassett, taken from the Rowan website.

I wish I had the talent this man has in his little finger. Here is one of his autumnal creations from Rowan Magazine 50 - which you can view online for free if you become a member (also free) on the Rowan website.

Maya All Your Christmases Be White

2011-09-04T11:33:00.004+01:00

YY is already looking forward to winter and praying for snow. I'm not quite ready for it yet - I'm looking forward to a mild Autumn and warm November in Hong Kong because I'm determined to finish Maya this week. I'm sure that it will come in handy in the air-conditioned restaurants in Hong Kong... although I'm a little hestitant at fantasisng after the bamboo disaster.

I've finished the embroidery and weaving in the ends. But what pleases me most is the fact that I have no more stitches to pick up! I'm so comforted by that thought, that I'm wondering if it makes up for the discomfort of The Claw.

I just need to do a little research on making a twisted cord, or other cord techniques.
And, before you become the third person to ask if I'm going to include the pom poms - yes, I am. I'm looking forward to them. I love pom poms. So, judge me.

Trial By Pegs

2011-08-11T22:07:00.002+01:00

I dug out The Cardigan about a fortnight ago and decided to begin torturing it into the size and shape it was meant to be. To recap - The Cardigan was knit in a size 8 in RYC Bamboo Soft and as soon as I cast off it began to grow in the bust. (I, unfortunately, have not grown in the same area - so we are now two very different shapes.)

It dawned on me that knitting - being elastic - can be stretched in one direction and will simultaneously shrink in the opposite direction. So I stuck that sucker on a hanger and rigged up a tortuous stretching device with pegs.

Take that.

It seems a little narrower, but I don't think I've broken it's spirit. Yet.

In other news, YY is very ill. I've been a bit distracted by this and the riots in London which I was worried might affect him. (Turns out that you can travel across London when the worst riots for over twenty years are brewing and be completely oblivious, if you are ill enough.) Cantonese learning has been slack, but I have learnt how to say shingles - 帶狀皰疹 - daai3 johng6 paau3 chan2. Get well soon YY!

Just a quickie

2011-07-20T17:56:00.005+01:00

I found this amazing photo on Dave Wells blog today and thought I'd share it with you. It really is an amazing tattoo - and tattoos (for me, anyway) come under the Craft subheading of Needlework. So: relevant.
Is it wrong that I find this sexy?!

I played the bassoon for all of a year when I was about 14 - a difficult age to be weilding something so...indiscreet - in size and sound. I still firmly believe it is the coolest woodwind instrument though.

And makes for a very sexy bionicky tattoo.

From Apple Pips

2011-07-15T18:38:00.013+01:00

On the way to London yesterday, I cast on my first pair of socks in Regia 4ply. I used my metal DPN's and my WIP tubes for the first time. The needles (which I bought from artofyarn) are so elegant and I felt a bit like I was weaving a multi-coloured dreamcatcher. And a bit like a kitten in a wool-tangle tragedy. However, I revelled in the anxious glances I got on the tube as I wielded these shiny metal spikes; and I enjoyed overhearing a lady affectionately remember the socks someone had knitted for her.

As SPM says - there's something very humble about spending hours making something that will go on a person's feet. They'll get worn and worn-out. I think the lady on the Picadilly Line yesterday was thinking about that, as she tried to explain to her husband the need for so many needles.
This sock might be a little short, because I'm not working from a full skein - but I thought this was a good time to make all the charming little mistakes I can and start with fresh yarn for the second pair I make. I'm expecting the second pair to be absolutely perfect.
So they probably won't be.

Naturally, the missing bit of skein is an now apple I made for YY 2009.I was going through an amigurumi phase and I had just learnt to say 'apple' in Cantonese (蘋果 - pihng4 gwo2) - so I'm not as incongruous as I sound.

As for the folksy waistcoat...
Really not looking forward to weaving in those ends.

我唔識講英文

2011-07-10T11:27:00.008+01:00

ngoh5 mh4 sik1 gong2 ying1 mahn4 - I don't speak English. (The most useful retort in the Cantonese student's phrasebook.)

The new page dedicated to Cantonese is up and running, and I will endeavour to fill it with reviews of Cantonese learning materials. I can't update it with posts like this page, so I'll organise it in alphabetical order, and then let you know when I've added to it.

However, today I want to share my update on here as well - and I don't think you need to be an avid Cantogeek* to appreciate it. The learning resource I want to tell you about is a highly regarded educational institution, which employs the proven** fun/violence method. I'm talking about the home of Cantonese fundamentalism - Happy Jellyfish People's Democratic Language Bureau.

For those of you who aren't learning Cantonese the first thing you need to understand is: Cantonese is cool. This is an everyday language, that evolves every day. It's full of hilarious modern slang, but steeped in history - particularly in it's written form. There are said to be 9 tones - although I've only learnt 6 and this is enough for me - and there are sounds that just don't exist in English. On the other hand, word order aside, there is very little grammar to worry about; and if, like me you are a dab hand with the glottal stops then this is the language for you!

If you trot on over to Cecilie Gamst-Berg's website you'll find an addictive blog covering everything from Classifier of The Day (one of my favourites) to the plight of the enigmatic Mui Wo Water Buffalo. You'll also find tips on how to deal with always being answered in English, which is one of the most irritating things about trying to practice your Canto; it's also the reason behind the title of this post. The other irritating thing about learning Canto is the persistent light drizzle of 'You should learn Mandarin. Much better for you. Much more useful.' It's tiring, but watch Cantomania on the Happy Jellyfish youtube channel, and you'll know you are not alone.

Which brings us to why Cecilie - a Norwegian Hong Konger - is such a perfect choice for a Cantonese teacher. She knows exactly what it's like to summon the courage to go and use your Cantonese only to be shot-down, she knows exactly what sounds are difficult for English speakers to learn and she knows how daunting it is to learn your first language that is tonal and has a completely different writing system to your own. She also knows how to tackle each of these problems.

So now you've checked out the Happy Jellyfish blog and you're addicted to the ridiculous moustaches in the Cantocourse movies - what next? Cecilie runs a variety of different courses or one-off sessions. You can go on a bar crawl or go exploring China together. You could join a group who are learning to write Chinese characters, or you could have a one-to-one lesson on Skype. There are also Happy Jellyfish podcasts, RTHK podcasts, a DVD (and another one in production) and a novel. This is the most prolific language teacher you will ever meet. Good job too, when you consider Cecilie's goal is to make Cantonese a world language.

*I coined the term Cantogeek when I put those dividers in my Cantonese ring-binder and asked myself - 'Should I put zodiac animals in the animal section or in the time section?' I was still undecided when YY came home 2 hours later and encouraged me to take a long, cold look in the mirror and ask myself what I'd become.
**When I say 'proven' I mean - I'm reliably informed that it works. And when I say 'violence' I mean - I'm reliably informed that the threat of it is usually enough. It was enough to get me talking Cantonese to the boss of the Honolulu.

Whole Lotta Love

2011-07-07T13:24:00.011+01:00

The second project I have lined up is Lidiya, designed by the amazing Kaffe Fassett and published in the same Rowan magazine as Maya.

This is a beautiful fairisle dress - with the rich colours you would expect from Kaffe Fassett and a palette of Rowan Felted Tweed. I don't want to mess around with his original design - so I'll use the yarns exactly as directed.

YY agreed to buy the yarn for me, because he is generous, he recognises my passion and creativity, and he was also well-bribed. I presented him with this opportunity by pointing out that I pay for his online gaming account, and by promising to make him some socks. These will be the first pair of socks I will ever have made. I also promised him the second pair, because I'm not entirely confident that the first pair will fit any human feet.

So YY got me all but one skein. I shopped around for the best deal I could find. Deramores are very reasonable - they offer a discount code if you sign up for their emails, and free delivery when you spend over £20. The only shade I wasn't able to get from them was Melody - so I went to Aileen's Wool Shop on eBay and bought this myself. I thought if I was going to make Aileen go to all the trouble of preparing and posting an order I really out to get a couple more things. It's only polite, after all. So I ordered a couple of extra essentials whilst I was there.

This beautiful Araucanía aran-weight yarn, which I have no distinct plans for yet.
And this Kureyon, my first ever ball of Noro, which I have lots of plans for.

Moving Swiftly On

2011-07-06T21:10:00.017+01:00

I may have mentioned that I have some new projects that I'm excited about. The first of these is a fairisle waistcoat designed by Martin Storey and published in the Rowan Magazine last year.

I swatched and cast on a couple of days ago and immediately made a rather high claim about Rowan Felted Tweed on ravelry - comparing it to Sean Bean. I make no apologies. This yarn is beautifully coarse, but strokably soft. Incidentally, it scrubs up well too - getting softer after washing without shrinking or puckering. Not sure where the Sean Bean analogy ends. Not sure I will ever find out.

I did change some of the colours to suit my clothes, so:

Maritime (blue) is now Carbon (grey)
Seasalter (dark denim blue) is now Phantom (dark brown)
Melody (mauve-grey) is now Camel (erm... camel-coloured)

I'm knitting on metal needles (mainly because I want to distance myself from the bamboo incident) so I got some HiyaHiya's from Knit'n'Caboodle. I also picked up some DP WIP Tubes - which I haven't used yet but they look very useful. They are telescopic card tubes, with a slot for your work to hang out of. The pack also came with a tube for storing DPN's, which has no slot. Everything came very quickly and was wrapped in blue tissue paper, with a little packet of Love Hearts and a Happy Knitting! message written on the invoice!

The Big Push

2011-07-02T19:28:00.002+01:00

Excellent entertainment for the final days of a project that has dragged on for far too long.

Okay, so the outcome was not all I dreamed, but towards the end of The Cardigan I became pretty good at scouring the internet for free knitterly entertainment. Here is a quick guide to all I found:

Podcasts
There is probably a podcast for any mood you might be in - and some moods that you didn't know you were in.
The most annoying thing about these is waiting for the next installment - I'm an MTV generation knitter and I need instant satisfaction whilst I painstakingly make something by hand. However, if you discover a podcast that's been going for a while there is usually a back-catalogue with hours of entertainment!

Adam and Joe BBC 6 Music or Xfm - definitely my favourite comedians of all time ever.
Cast On - with the wonderful Brenda Dayne. If you are the only person who knits and has not heard of Brenda Dayne: you need this.
CRAFT: CRAFT Podcast - this is not one to look at while you knit, but there are free recipes and patterns to inspire and get your mouth-watering!
Knit Picks' Podcast - great if you want to listen to some in-depth discussions about knitting.
Librivox: American Indian Fairy Tales - I think Librivox is probably a well-known and widely-used resource in America, but I discovered these podcasts when I wanted to learn more about Native American mythology. Thought-provoking short stories (once you get your head around the cheesy accent).
Rhod Gilbert's Best Bits - a very funny man with gentle stories from The Cambrian Times and an accent that softens your heart.
RTHK: Naked Cantonese - why not learn a language while you knit?! I do, and this podcast really is the only way I made any progress. Cecilie and Sarah go on all sorts of adventures in the name of Cantonese! Or at least they did - get in there quick and download their back-catalogue!
The Savvy Girls - I love this podcast, which really highlights how a lot of crazy crafters love to hate their craft of choice. There are also gerbils.
Urban Dharma - knit thoughtfully and with love.

Audiobooks
Whilst you're on iTunes, why not buy all of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's audiobooks. You really won't regret it.

There are also lots of classic novels on there which are completely free!

Films and TV Series
Keep an eye out for the lovely knits in all these Series and Films:

Northern Exposure (Series)*
Jeremiah Johnson (Film)*
Steel Magnolias (Film)
Practical Magic (Film)
NCIS (Series)*
Blood Ties (Series)*

*Potential for dropping stitches: very attractive men.

The Cardigan.

2011-07-02T18:33:00.001+01:00

I'm very excited and finding it hard to focus on the failure that was my last project- I have so many more beautiful things to move on to and I discovered lots of wonderful knitterly things during The Big Push at the end of this project. (More on this to come.)

However - I have three words for you, people. Rowan. Bamboo. Soft.

Those three words, until about three days ago, would have inspired me to optimism and frantic knitting. They would have inspired day dreams about beautiful mother of pearl buttons and my next trip to Hong Kong. Window shopping for wedding dresses with my MIL-to-be, whilst wearing a beautiful, modest, cool, teal cardigan - designed by Kim Hargreaves, published by Rowan, knitted all by myself - my first ever knitting project read from a pattern. The Cardigan. Understated but soft and in the best colour for my red hair, which is now greying. (I'm not saying there is a link here - just saying. You can draw your own conclusions.)

But alas, RYC Bamboo Soft. The only good thing I can say about you now is that you have been discontinued. The demure little cardigan I was determined to have finished before my last trip to Hong Kong, is now an ugly saggy monster across the bust and shoulders - beautifully cinched at the waist. I know bamboo is rapacious, but I honestly thought it stopped growing when it was processed and turned into yarn. Obviously I need to brush up on botany, because I was so wrong. I'm not going crazy people - I measured my pieces before steaming. After steaming the looked no different. But once I got them on the needles for the neckline - I could feel the thing stretching and straining and growing in my fingers!

Perhaps you are thinking the same thing I was - wash care labels are there to stop you from doing silly things like, oh, I don't know - shrinking - your clothes, right? So I did a quick google for bamboo knitting disasters where a hot wash had caused something to shrink beyond recognition.

No, no, no! Most hits seemed to be telling me bamboo grows even more in a hot wash! I simply cannot face ripping out and re-knitting this terribly splitty yarn if there is some way I can fudge it.

I found one link to give me a little ray of hope - on Damn, Knit & Bast It - that suggests tumble drying to 'tighten' the yarn. And this advice came from Rowan themselves, so I'm tempted to give it a try. I'll let you know what happens - but other suggestions are very welcome!

I can't bring myself to take photos of the miserable excuse for a cardigan, but here is a detail of the beautiful soft yarn in Mystic - before it revealed it's true identity as the Incredible Fast Growing Yarn. (I know I'm being harsh, but I gave that greedy monster some of my best hours and how has it repaid me? I can't even look it in the eye anymore. I might run a shallow bath and hold it under for ten minutes.)

今晚我好開心

2011-05-07T13:51:00.000+01:00

大家好!
This was the first thing YY said to me in Cantonese, so it is the first thing I learnt apart from the usual greetings.

今晚我好開心 (gam1 maahn5 oh5 hou2 hoi1 sam1)- I'm really happy tonight.

So here are some night time pictures for you.

Old News

2010-06-24T22:09:00.000+01:00

This Tuesday I finished a project that I have been dipping into for well over a year, and now the deck (the bedroom floor) is cleared I have got back on with my thrummed knitted slippers (watch this space).

But first the completed behemoth. A huge, deliciously soft ripple Afghan which was started in 2008 by my auntie (josiem @ ravelry). It was going to be a Christmas present for my cousin, but sadly my aunt died and the blanket stayed unfinished.

It was difficult to really get stuck into this project, for so many reasons. Emotionally daunting? I guess - but so much nicer to inherit a project than see it abandoned or thrown out. Was it that I had no pattern to work from? Well, this was an undeniable drawback, but with a little help from Lion Brand and some tentative frogging - problem solved. This Spring Ripple Baby Throw seemed to be a match in terms of stitching, although the repeat is a little different.

So what was it that made this project so difficult to finish? Two words: novelty yarn. Vixen - a furry brown number by James C Brett, and Boa - a turquoise eyelash yarn by Sirdar. Try getting those threads caught up on your hook, I dare you. Perhaps what made these yarns all the more unbearable was the fact that I was working alternate rows with James C Brett Chunky Marble - a beautifully smooth acrylic. There was something tortuous about swapping between that satisfying chunky weight and the fiddly hairiness of novelty string.

Perhaps 'string' is a little strong - because once the dust has settled and the cursing has stopped, it looks quite nice really. Needless to say, I have much more respect for josiem's patient hooking skills, it is obvious that this was going to be her labour of love. This is a beautiful Afghan: the colours, the textures and the drape! It just proves that there was an asthetic method to the madness. Hope you enjoy it, Jonathan!

Bobbin Necklace

2010-01-04T10:36:00.000Z

This is a necklace I made in the summer from bobbins that only fitted in an old sewing machine. I loved the holes around the edges of the reels, and they make a beautiful retro pattern. They also leant themselves to being linked together for this necklace.

The back of the necklace is made from an old silver charm bracelet which I had never worn.

New Links

2009-12-29T19:16:00.000Z

Just a quick post to point out that I have added a couple of new links. One is a link to ravelry - a fantastic online community for knitters and hookers. You will find me on there under the name redhotbutton.

The second is an ezine called Folk conceived and edited by my good friends Amelie Skoda and Andrew Scrace. It is a fantastic read - throwing a light on artisans in their community with a fantastic home-made quality. Of course I'm not just saying that because my work is featured in this first issue!

I also want to congratulate Amelie and Andrew on their recent engagement! Fantastic news chookie-eggs!

Amigurumi Rabbits For Life Not Just For Christmas

2009-12-29T18:48:00.000Z

Here are the promised photos of the back-stiched beanie Christmas present. I loosely followed the pattern from Nicki Trench's Complete Guide to Knitting & Crochet.
However, I overcompensated for my usual tendency to make a ridiculously tense base chain that would cut off my sis-in-law's blood supply to her brain - restriction of bloodflow being slight drawback to any homemade gift.
The result was that, the pattern calls for 90sts and I had to stop at 80sts. The hat decreases by a factor of 10 at the top, so the pattern was easy to adjust.

These lucky little amigurumi rabbits have found a good home - but I was disgusted to hear that people are still giving pets as Christmas presents. The RSPCA have rescued more animals this year than ever before. These animals are unwanted Christmas presents, unsuitable Christmas presents and - perhaps most tragically of all - unwanted Christmas presents from last year abandonned in the snow in order to make way for this year's stocking full of puppies and kittens.

The most ridiculous rescued Christmas present of all? A boa constricter, cold and therefore on a 7 month fast - found in the bed of a 3-year-old!
Perhaps ignorance could be forgiven in that case, but surely everyone knows that a puppy becomes a dog.

Gifts From Leftovers

2009-12-27T00:33:00.000Z

Now Christmas is over, I can talk about the presents I have been making this year with the unintentional theme: 'Leftovers.' I made a couple of touchscreen phone socks knitted in the same cotton DK yarn as the spring clutch bags. These are stitched in tough single crochet, yet soft enough to clean the screen without scratching it.
Unfortunately I have no pictures of those, or of the back-stitched beanie, adorned with the two white rabbits (from July's amigurumi post) mounted on a brooch finding. I will try to post some photos soon. However, I do have some photos of a Jaeger merino and aran Rudolph pouch, resplendent with red hot button.

Finished off with picot edging and a vintage leather button for good measure. I am really pleased with how the picot button loop came out, although it did take a little encouraging to stay aligned.
This was intended to be a scarf last Christmas, but I ran out of the discontinued merino. A whole year later I salvaged the project for my mother, who has decided she will use the pouch to hold lists of her Christmas projects/recipes/shopping lists.

The other seasonal project I have on the go is a multi-coloured draft-excluder. It is a really jolly way to use up left over yarn, which I have doubled-up with an acrylic DK in ivory. I cut the left-over scraps of yarn to lengths of between 1 and a half to 2 feet, then knotted them together to create a jumble of colours with a sort of rainbow logic. Working with two threads creates a tighter weave which should be better at excluding drafts and more hard-wearing. The knots and ends are neatly tucked inside.

The end.

The first thing I crocheted

2009-12-22T21:50:00.000Z

Like so many of us, my mother tried to teach me to knit. She was making a behemoth of a blanket whilst watching the 1992 Olympics on TV, and I showed an interest. I was 8 years-old and, confused, I lost interest and inevitably found running a hurdle race around the garden more rewarding.

For a while I stuck with cross-stitch, and then was happy just modifying garments as teenager. However, at art college I found that fibre crafts were the only media I felt happy working in, and so I made a late 18th century dress, experimented with natural dyes and knitted a large model of a piece of intestine.
I came full circle, and found myself asking my mother for help again - but this time with crochet. And the very first thing I crocheted, ladies and gentlemen, is not a sample swatch tucked in a drawer, but a piece of this story blanket. With granny squares and significant picture squares, this was my version of a crocheted quilt.

You can see the tension problems of a novice in the irregular shape, the experimental edging and the mismatch of yarns - some aran weight, some double knit, some natural and moth-eaten, some 100% acrylic. But you won't catch me frogging this little piece of history.

Besides, it keeps me just as warm.

Why I stopped writing a journal...

2009-11-26T20:31:00.001Z

I can write anything here, safe in the knowledge that no one will ever read my blog.

Even I don't like reading it.

...

Bookshelves Talk

2009-09-22T00:34:00.001+01:00

What do your bookshelves say about you?

I have been meaning to publish this post for a long time, but after looking at my bookshelves, I wasn't sure if I liked the answer to that question.

If you like this, you might also like this blog, which is all about bookshelves.

Incidentally, one of my favourite quotations is from 'Life of Pi' by Yann Martel.
Doubt is useful for a while. ...But we must move on. To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.

Eureka!!

2009-07-16T21:09:00.000+01:00

Well, it has been about 1 year and 2 months, and I think I can safely say that learning Cantonese is not easy. Maybe it is all the crochet I do while listening to podcasts, and although I now count my stitches in Gongdongwah, for ages I did not feel I was progressing.

However, last night I dreamed in Cantonese - admittedly some of it was nonsense, but a lot of it seemed to make sense. And just this very second I had a momentous breakthrough.

To ask a question in Cantonese you need to use a verb in its positive and negative forms, and then answer with that verb. There is no 'yes' or 'no' in Cantonese. And English tag question are actually very similar in structure. You present the verb in positive and negative, and you answer, not only with yes or no, but with the verb... in it's positive or negative form.

So,
Did you feed the cat?
becomes tag question,
You did feed the cat, didn't you?
or the Cantonese direct transliteration,
You give not give food to the cat?

...What am I talking about?

I'm talking about me getting to grips with Cantonese. All by myself. Well, if that isn't worth a pat on the back and a lay down, then I don't know what is. There is even an apocolyptic thunderstorm drawing in.

An Octopus, A Chick in Egg and Two Tiny White Rabbits

2009-07-08T11:33:00.000+01:00

Here are the pictures of the little creatures I made recently. The octopus and chick in an egg are taken from Ana Paula Rimoli's book 'Amigurumi World' - they were fun and fairly easy to make, although my egg is a little mis-shapen.

The octopus and chick are made with a supersoft acrylic that came free with a craft magazine a while ago, and the egg shell is made with a left over bit of DK too - possibly wool, probably acrylic. The pattern uses plastic eyes, but these are for an under 3 year-old so I had to do what I could with a bit of cotton. The octopus's legs are woven on and I will stitch them on with sewing cotton to make him really baby-proof.

The little white rabbits:

They were made with a 2.00mm hook and cotton DK (at least that's what the label says but it is much finer than any cotton DK I've seen). Obviously inspired by Studio Ghibli! They were originally going to be stitched onto a hairslide, when I realised they really need to be on something washable as they are white.

Here is a photo of them with a twenty pence piece for scale:

Hong Kong Here We Come!

2009-07-01T20:51:00.000+01:00

Yes, it's almost time to dust off the Octopus Card and switch to Menthols! Flight booked, hotel booked and Cantonese.... mmmarginally better than this time last year.
In three months time I will be here:

Or here:

And I will definitely be visiting this honourable establishment:

Needless to say, I am excited and not least of all because I am going to meet a certain little 6 month old baby, whose Cantonese might be on the same level as mine.

Meeting a baby calls for some fun and quick crochet projects courtesy of Ana Paula Rimoli's Amigurumi World - and I have notched up a chick inside an egg and an octopus so far! Pictures to follow.

Abacus Necklace

2009-05-14T17:38:00.001+01:00

I have gone through some old jewellery that I don't wear anymore and made it into new pieces. All the beads were originally on very chunky and uncomfortable bracelets - they looked really funky but were too impractical to wear.
So I strung them loose onto nylon coated cable wire.

The beads make a fantastic clunking noise when they slide into each other and remind me of an abacus. Hence the name 'Abacus Necklace' - which I'm a bit proud of, but will probably find out it has already been used for something else.

There is a definite gambling/hustling theme here with 8-ball pool beads and dice.

I also re-strung a domino bracelet onto beading wire. I had it on thin shearing elastic before and never wore it because I was afraid of it breaking. It is much more sturdy now.

Once again, all these things will be available in the gift shop - but they are OOAK (One Of A Kind) so get in quick!

Forget-me-not Clutch

2009-05-14T16:30:00.001+01:00

Crocheted Clutch

2009-05-11T15:06:00.000+01:00

I have just finished crocheting two clutch bags or make-up purses in a beautifully soft cotton DK (Wendy Supreme Luxury Cotton DK). The colours are beautiful and the yarns has a beautiful sheen to it. It is also really soft, and such a pleasure to work with using a bamboo hook. It is a heavy material, but this is perfect for a bag, as it feels substantial and pretty durable.

I decorated one bag with leaves, a rose and a bud (two-colour ball button). The second bag, inspired by the filigree button closure, has appliqued forget-me-nots which I made using DMC embroidery 'silks' (100% cotton). I used a 2mm metal hook and the change in size, yarn and hook material made making these little delights a dubious pleasure. However, when I look at the finished products, it was well worth it - and it was great fun mixing and matching patterns.

Both bags are lined, and I found the best way to do this was by hand. By the time I would have set up the sewing machine for 12" of seaming I could have finished the running stitch by hand. The lining fabric I found for the second bag was a serendipitous match, it's a tiny cotton flower print taken from an old dress. (Washed, of course!)

Both bags are in the gift shop now.

2007-10-05T19:31:00.001+01:00

Study 1, 2006
These tapestry studies develop the theme of the key by fusing the individual images and their meanings.
I used a more expressive style to create richer imagery.

Study 2, 2006
Coarser fibres, tertiary colours and varied stitching add complexity. I wanted to seduce the viewer with the tactile surface - rather than present them with a stark logo.

Study 3, 2006
The complete coverage of the canvas creates an environment for the items composed from 'The Key'. The semantic and visual landscape makes the 'Frankenstein' subjects more removed from reality and encourages the suspension of logic.
The semantic loopholes evident in 'The Key', add depth to the interpretation of these studies and future work.

2007-10-05T19:16:00.000+01:00

Technology, detail from 'The Key' 2006

2007-10-05T19:01:00.000+01:00

Man, detail from 'The Key', 2006

2007-08-20T14:32:00.001+01:00

Passion, detail from 'The Key' 2006

Cartoon and western tattoo styles in 'The Key':
The textile medium may be viewed in the context of a variety of aspects of contemporary visual culture brought together in one object. The volume of work contributes to the effectiveness of its purpose, and that purpose is to free the medium from its pre-emancipation associations. The textile medium should be viewed as a valid, skilled craft, not dependent on feminist history.

When I was creating these pieces at university, I had a group critique led by a visiting 'artist'. He told me my work was racist. He told me the way to remedy that was to include beads.

He was clearly a pretentious prick who knows nothing about the history of textiles or the cultural references of the designs I was appropriating.

But that was a long time ago. Whenever I think of him now I always sincerely wish that his cutting and pasting of Russian Doll photos onto black and white photos of the Russian Revolution has made him the most stellar failure in the history of art.

2007-05-03T15:14:00.001+01:00

Independence, detail from 'The Key'

'..Abolish countries and nationalities. The workers have no country. We cannot take from them what they have not got.'
Karl Marx

A symbol of Communism. A symbol of individualism and excellence on Hollywood Boulevard. This is a symbol that demands attention, but has conflicting connotations. As a Communist symbol, it represents unity - but a unity enforced under dictatorship in the name of equality. 'Independence' is an example of political dualism in visual language.

2007-04-16T10:25:00.000+01:00

Love, detail from 'The Key'
Woman, detail from 'The Key'
Witch, detail from 'The Key'

2007-03-10T20:17:00.000Z

Creativity, detail from 'The Key', 2006

Find out more about The O-Collective

2007-03-10T19:29:00.001Z

Magic, detail from 'The Key', 2006

I began using textiles in my work in an exploration of the way textures alter the viewer's experience. Soft homely textures are at once invitingly tactile and suffocating; if the audience is drawn in by comfort, they may well be repelled by the repetitive mark-making or knotting techniques of textile crafts.

There has been a resurgence of interest in home crafts, and I chose to explore cross-stich, tapestry and needlepoint embroidery. These crafts share similarities with contemporary sub-cultural art forms such as tattooing, graffiti and game design. Decorative sewing is planned, meticulous work - contributing to its unpopularity as it seems to lack the romantic spontaneity of much modern art. However, this element of design is embraced by visual sub-cultures - one of the most recent developments in graffiti art is the use of stencils in order to effectively 'apply' detailed images quickly. I want to emphasise links like these in order to revive needle crafts and free them from connotations of feminine repression.

To me these qualities highlight the skill of crafters in this field. Needlepoint, crochet and knitting require, at the very least, a basic understanding of mathematics, as well as a practical understanding of how the materials behave.

2007-03-09T21:00:00.001Z

Conception from 'The Key', 2006

This is the start of something big - the moment of conception is the moment of potential. The bean shares visual similarities with an embryo and is represents the moment before development establishes an identity. It is deceptively simple.