Taking Pictures

I think I finally did it.
I do believe that my felt shop looks quite professional.  And it was all in the pictures!.

As with most amateur online sellers I have read a lot about how important the picture is to views and then to sales.  I have tried playing with the macro button, taking pictures when it's not sunny, replicating how magazines take pictures (in situ), and have plastered flip chart paper over things to make a light box, and yet I have never been happy with the result.  No to say that these things didn't work, because my pictures have definitely improved over time, they were just never as good as everyone elses.  

And then I grabbed the chance to get a free mannequin top.  She is my new best friend. I love her.   Now she has taken over my felt shop, and I like it.

 So much cleaner and easy to look at, I wish I'd done a before and after :-)

Wrap it Up

A couple of wraps I've been playing with in between blanket making:

This one is lots of flowers, so pretty and delicate :-)

This has been my "on a plane" one for the past few weeks - the yarn is a bit sparkly, I've been thinking I might keep it for myself :-)

A week in crochet

Isis Shawl - made from a yarn called Fern

Exterminate that spare loo roll with the Dalek loo roll cover doll :-)

A gorgeous Russian pattern that was great fun to try and understand

FreeForm Crochet Capelet

March is finished, and so is the freeform crochet along that I was doing.

I had a ball and learned heaps! 

All of the bits came together and decided to be a caplet/shrug/ponchet thing 
(the 'et' just means they are little versions :-) )

I really like how it's ended up and I fully intend to wear it out in public lots as it gets cooler :-)

Shawley not?

Another shawl it is...

I got this yarn from my fav internet yarn store Skeinz.

 It is kind of stringy/cottony and it has been made to knit/crochet with another yarn to make a cool effect.  I tried doing that and didn't like how it crocheted and to tell the truth I was quite determined to find a pattern/project that I could use it all by itself. 

I found this one on Ravelry and did my best to follow it... not sure that it's quite the same as the pattern, (since I'm still a pattern reading beginner) it's fairly close though, and I put a different edging on it.

I'm pretty happy with how it's turned out.  

Now, what to do with the other 3 balls......

Chocolate or Jane Austen?

Could have been Chocolate (Juliette Binoche is very cool and does wear some nice shawls) or it could have been Jane Austen where shawls abound.

Either way I've been keeping busy crocheting my first ever shawls.

I've also decided that I should be a fashionista and I think shawls are where it is at this coming season :-)

Here are the 3 so far.. (I've popped them in the felt shop)

New Year and raring to go!!

Really?

I have loads of ideas swimming around, the Vampyress Loo Roll Doll and the Flapper Loo roll doll might make it to the crochet hook today, as might the fern inspired wrap/scarf that came to mind whilst driving through the bush clad hills of the Taranaki yesterday 

 

Forgotten World Highway - Stratford to Tauramanui

The most remote pub in New Zealand

And the shawl made of flowers? Well, some of the flowers are made :-)

Then there's the mosaic on the outside table that is half done and I'm sure I could finish today if I put my mind to it. 

 

It does seem like I'm raring to go, it is after all Saturday morning at 8.30 and I'm up, showered and having coffee whilst blogging so who knows what the day will bring?

Some lessons from my summer holidays...

I should have persevered with the Cotton for a market bag.

The prettier one I made with a regular yarn stretched all the way to the floor when I put my togs and beach towel into it! (I'll let you imagine what that one looked like)

I am not destined to make a cardigan or bolero

My first go at motifs together looks quite nice, and can either be a wrap or a table runner depending on how much more yarn there is :-)

It's easy to spend money at the races especially if you drink too much fizzy wine in the sun.

After spending a couple of days at the Stamford Plaza I now know I should be richer so that I can live like that more often

On my walk this morning I saw heaps of dragonflies - they are so pretty :-)

Hooks Are Hot

I've got loads of projects on at the moment, Christmas pressies and that sort of thing (some of them for people who may or may not read the blog so I'm not telling what I'm making ;-) )

I recently bought some lovely bright red NZ lambswool from my new favourite yarn store in the Hawkes Bay. I wanted to make something for myself and it had to be something that would be quickish to make, otherwise it would end up in the cupboard with other half finished 'things for me'.  

It started off as a kind of 70's vest/long waistcoat and because I'm so crap at following patterns it's morphed into a mini poncho (after about 5 attempts to make something that a) fits and b) I'd wear out in public). 
  
I think it'll be fab at work in the air conditioning, not too warm, just enough to keep the chill off.

The competition at Pollock is a bit of a creative fizzer.  The theme is Lifeforms, Andrew thinks it should be something clever and eye catching. I wanted to do a flying saucer mobile with little green men and he thought it was a bit obvious.  So apart from sending George the Dalek along, I've come to a standstill in that particular creative process.  The next one they are having is the Family, that might be an easier theme, though I am open to any thoughts.... :-)

Slippers, Sneezing & a Shawl

My sister is in her 3rd year of studying Ayurveda which is a type of medicine which originates in India. I have terrible allergies and so she has been helping be with my sneezing, and because she's still a student she doesn't charge. Which is not so good for her, and great for me :-)

As a thank you I've made her these amazing granny square slippers. Amazing because I can't decide if they are incredibly ugly, kitsch or cool!



Also I've dug out a hairpin crochet loom that I bent out of a piece of metal a few months ago when I discovered hairpin lace and am going to make myself a shawl. I hardly make things for myself, so this is a special treat :-)



Other things on my mind.... I need to do a blog carnival to keep in the Etsy Bloggers Team (which totally rocks!) and so I need to put myself in a summer holiday mood, and I'm finding it a little tough since it'e rained every weekend and we've had the fire blazing - fingers crossed for this weekend :-)