What’s On Your Workdesk this Wednesday?
Firstly, a gorgeous Christmas card from Cindy. Thank you Cindy – love the layers! Really effective, how you’ve created a star out of squares.
Celtic knot thank you card
I made this for my cleaning lady. I used one of the blanks I created a while back with the printed “thank you” on the front, done on the computer. I began by inking with Distress Oxides through one of the new stencils that I got recently from Amazon – thank you to whoever did that particular bit of enabling two or three weeks ago!
I added more Distress Oxides to one of my Celtic Knot motifs and then lifted the colour from the motif with a wet brush, blotting it off with some kitchen paper.
After sticking the topper onto the base, I proceeded to colour the motif using my Tombow brush markers, blending with a fine wet brush. Adding some shading and re-outlining the motif with a sepia pen completed the card.
Kitty throw
Yes, that one… I’ve been spending quite a bit of time this week working on the squares I’ve already done, adding extra rounds to make them all the same size. I chose one that I liked, and marked it with a stitch marker so I wouldn’t forget which one, and then used this as a size template for the rest. I also worked in any ends that were still hanging out, and also did this on the kitty motifs I’ve crocheted so far. I’ve made a few more squares too.
All the squares so far:
I’m much happier now they are all the same size, and slightly larger. They’ll look tons better once they’re blocked.
I started to run out of some of the yarn that I’d plied to make it thicker so I decided to make this boring job a lot easier by digging out my little cone winder. I originally got this many years ago when I was doing machine knitting. I could only find two of the cones – I know I had at least one more, but I expect it’s in a box somewhere with some yarn on it. Here it is in operation, with Ruby, of course, taking the opportunity to do a bit of photo-bombing.
The cone on the right is the original yarn. There’s a label inside but it doesn’t tell me what it is – the way it breaks fairly easily suggests that it’s wool and not synthetic. This is something I’ve had for many years (also probably going back to the knitting machine days) – it is incredibly fine and not usable at that thickness for anything I want to do these days. I have been plying it up to 6 strands thick for the cat throw, and it was very tedious winding by hand, so the cone winder gadget is very handy. I subsequently pulled the yarn off the cone, freeing it up for any other plying I may need to do (you need 2 cones to do it – one to wind onto and the other to wind off, once you’ve done one session). The yarn can now be pulled from the centre of the loose ball that I have created, and so far it’s not tangling.
While I was winding, I had both cones on the floor, and Ruby was very interested indeed! On a couple of occasions a little paw did shoot out to catch it. Note the ears in the forward position which denotes playfulness!
The little cardboard box beside the cone is the box that the cone winder lives in. After a very short while, of course, the inevitable happened. What is it with kitties and boxes?!!
Well, kitties have invaded my “art” section this week!
Cat’s paw motifs
I’ve made a couple of the kitty paw motifs to appliqué onto the throw. With cat-like tread (tarantara, tarantara…)
These are really fun to make, but you have to be careful when starting the “finger” pads to start in exactly the right place or the whole thing comes out skew-whiff as I discovered by experience!
My hubby is giving me a nice box of multi-pronged blocking pins for Christmas which will be useful with the blocking mats I got earlier in the year. I was going to get a pegged blocking board for crochet squares but they were quite expensive and I thought it wasn’t worth it in the end – I can manage OK with the mats I’ve got.
Talking of “With cat-like tread,” I found this which made me giggle:
Clothes
I haven’t shown you any outfits lately because I’ve been wearing fairly boring stuff and nothing new. This week, I went through my wardrobe and decided that nearly all of my cotton polo-neck tops were completely worn out, so I ordered some more from Ebay. I always wear these under my winter woollies – I can’t wear the wool directly against my skin as it’s really scratchy, and also my neck gets cold! I got them in red, navy, brown, dark red and black. I wanted bottle green as well but the seller didn’t have that colour, but I managed to get one from Dorothy Perkins.
I’m wearing it in the next photos, under a dark red jumper (not wool – it’s a synthetic bouclé, with an open-work panel on the front. I bought this jumper several years ago on Ebay. It’s not terribly warm, but with my thermals, it’s fine for this time of year.
I’m wearing it with a pair of flares that I bought in an ethnic shop in Teignmouth (I think), a couple of years ago – also quite thin, but perfectly adequate over my new thermal leggings. To co-ordinate with this dark red and green theme, I am wearing my dark red Ebay infinity scarf, a red and green bead necklace, and my Conker boots which I bought so many years ago I can’t tell you! Conker Shoes was a firm in Totnes that made hand-made leather boots and shoes to order, as well as from their stock in the shop. I chose those two colours for these boots, and bought some rainbow laces for them. I don’t wear them very often because they are a bit of an effort to get on and off! I’m wearing a pair of dark green Corrimore socks.
I thought this one was rather fun because it shows my woolly hair in the mirror! It’s all crimped because after I washed it I plaited it in two braids while it was still wet .
Our flashy new umbrella
We were going out on Friday and it was due to be a really wet day (which it turned out to be). My hubby couldn’t find our big umbrella anywhere so decided to buy a new one. He dashed into Lidl for a few other things and found a nice big umbrella on their central aisle so he bought it without looking very closely at it. When he got home, he got a surprise!
Kitties
Ruby again…
Sleeping on top of an up-ended cushion!
No food for you this week because I haven’t done anything new. I’m planning to make a nut roast with mushroom gravy for Christmas day and hope that turns out OK!
Have a great creative week, everybody, and enjoy your Christmas, whatever you are doing.
You’ve done some lovely crafting this week! The Celtic card is gorgeous, the knot work is fantastic and so satisfying, I always have to trace my way around the ups and overs. And the grey squares are coming along nicely, the pics of Ruby being enthralled by the yarn winding and sitting in the box made me hoot! ‘If I fits, I sits’ as my boys tell me, lol!
Hope you and your husband have a lovely Christmas, however you celebrate.
Hugs LLJ 7 xxx
Well at least you will always be able to find each other if you get separated with that brolly Shoshi. The throw is coming on really well. Love the cat in a box photo lol. Merry Christmas to the whole family including kitties and here’s to a better 2021 all round. STay safe and happy WOYWW. Sarah #11
Hi Shoshi. Love the brolly! You are doing great with the squares – soon be big enough for that blanket!
Have a really special Christmas.
Take care. God bless.
Margaret #4
Hi Shoshi what a lovely card from Cindy and the one you made for is just a lovely, nice to get ideas for makes from our crafty WoywW pals. You have much patience reworking that wool but I see you have a furry friend to keep you company. The cat like tread video made me giggle too, could you imagine US all getting together to create one, what a hoot that would be haa haa!! Sanity I think I still have some left.
Your conker boots are awesome, they remind me so much of that shop that used to be in Teignmouth, I often wonder if it is still there, the shop front always amazed me as a child.. Happy days.
Wishing you a happy safe Christmas Shoshi Seasons WoywW Greetings Hugs Tracey #6
Oops. Sorry for the enabling but I suspect that was me! Love the card at the top and your blankie is coming along nicely. I particularly like your outfit this week. Looks comfy and stylish. The umbrella did make me laugh – I imagine he cuts a dashing figure, strolling down the high street.
Wonderfully full of entertainment and info, your weekly WOYWW posts.
Merry Christmas to all of WOYWW!
Mary Anne (3)
Oooh, I need one of those colour-changing umbrellas! Just my kind of thing – I would actually look forward to using it! Lovely cards made and received! It’s a good idea to print the sentiment directly on the card – if you can position it exactly where you want it. Ruby’s so funny sitting in that box. If you put her in there, she would never stay! Oreo’s just like that – they all are LOL. We should time how long it takes for them to go sit in a box from the time they lay eyes on it. Even tigers do it, apparently, if you give them a big enough box! I love polo necks in the winter too – only I used to call them turtle necks – but that may be American? Same thing though. It’s always worth buying multiple colours once you find something you like. Your hair is amazingly long – I don’t think I’ve ever had long hair like that! Happy Christmas to you and Nicholas, Shoshi! And best wishes for 2021! Let’s hope it’s a good one! xx zsuzsa #21
Hi Shoshi,
Your blanket is coming on well. That’s a very small box, even for a dainty cat like Ruby, but yes, they’ll always try one!
Your umbrella is cool and I love your boots.
Hope you both have a happy Christmas
Hugs
Lynnecrafts 22
The thank you card is lovely – I really do like your celtic designs, the shading on this one is really beautifully done. The throw is looking good and you’ve really been churning those squares out – you can’t have many more to make I wouldn’t have thought. I did laugh at the kitty in a box – how do they squeeze themselves in, it looks impossibly small for her, but very funny! I love your brolly by the way – very snazzy – it must have been quite a surprise if you weren’t expecting that!
I love the outfit this week, the red top is gorgeous – my favourite colour for any time of year but especially Christmas!
Hope you have a lovely Christmas and stay safe and well,
Diana xx #18
Your knitting is coming along great! I Love the kitty in the box and watching the thread too ~ so sweet. Beautiful outfit and boots 🙂 Enjoy the season! Love, Karen #32
I had a wonderful card from Cindy, too. I love your boots! Wishing you a very happy Christmas and here’s to a much healthier and just all round better, 2021! Helen #1
Christmas greetings and blessings to you dear Shoshi.
Have a safe and happy time.
I’m chuckling at kitty in the box. Cats are so funny.
Lynn 23 xx
I hope you get your hubbies blanket finished in time for his Christmas morning gift. Gosh Shoshi, it is getting close and means a lot of work ahead for you. I am so excited and hope we get a great picture of it very soon. Thanks for the rendition in video, it was certainly good fun to watch.
The sepia pen work on the celtic knot is just perfect for finishing it off. You must have been so pleased with it. It is beautiful, as is the card you made – what a great stencil that is.
Of course I have missed your odellig clothes so it was a real treat to see you once again in an outfit of your choosing. I too often have to wear a t-shirt or a polo underneath a jumper for the self same reason – they scratch or make me itch. I love the trousers but must say I thought they were a skirt. Gorgeous pattern! Likewise the jumper, what a lovely pattern of diamonds. That just leaves the boots – fabulous. Wish I could wear them but they are a little too high for me. Since I broke my ankle (very badly – parachuting) I cannot wear boots like that and I so loved my Doc Martins i the old days.
Gosh your hair is so long. Mine has grown during lockdown and needs cutting as I cannot cope with it like this. If you count up three braids from your photo and the tail that is about my hair is – on my shoulders. After the vaccine I will be having it cut back into a bob. Wonder if I will miss being able to tie it back on bad hair days?
Have a Happy Christmas, tickles to the kitties and hugs to you two
Neet 8 xx
I never know where to start when I visit you there is just so much going on and the kitties are so distracting too. Late today due to washing machine leaking and still not sorted and then having to fetch Christmas food order. However, wishing you the best possible Christmas. Hugs, Angela x10x
Hi Shoshi, that’s a beautiful card from Cindy, and so is the Celtic knot card. The kitty throw is progressing well, and the paws are gorgeous. I’ve finished one of the four baby blankets I am making. My main aim was to keep the stitches and tension regular, which I seem to be achieving. More adventurous crochet to follow next year perhaps!
I’ve said before I love your style – and this week in particular, the colours of your outfit. Those boots are something I would have bought myself when I was in my teens/twenties. Somewhere over the decades I seem to have lost my sense of adventure/creativity when it comes to clothes – maybe it will return when I retire and bin all my boring office outfits!
My daughter moved house this year, and her two little sons, and their two cats had the time of their lives with the empty cardboard boxes. They built a den and played in it for hours. If there is an empty box, the cats will fit in, regardless of size.
Love the umbrella, expertly modelled by your husband. What a great idea to put a torch in the handle. Sometimes the most simple of ideas can be the most brilliant.
Thansk for stopping by my blog. I find crafting very therapeutic too – and this blog, and others, are a constant source of inspiration. None of my friends are crafters, which is a shame, but I am quite happy crafting on my own. I do tend to get absorbed when crafting. The new stamps will indeed keep me busy for many months … maybe that’s why Mr M bought me so many hehe.
Have a lovely Christmas with your husband. It will be a different Christmas for most people this year, and hopefully next year will be a better year for us all. Heather xx #30
Oh the umbrella has put a smile on my face along with your outfit, jolly cosy I must say. Love the kitty throw too.
Have a Happy Christmas, Love BJ#17