Advent Tree

I finished this almost in time for Advent (!), using some of the Peruvian chunky wool for the overall shape - there's an angel on the pattern and she's ready for sewing up, so she can take her place on the top of the tree.
Happy Christmas to all my readers

Three Owls

Owen Owl, on the right, will make a cosy for a boiled egg!

The beige owl is a mobile phone cover

The band of 5 owls is just the right size for a toilet roll cover OR would glue to an empty tin, to make a pencil pot. Home-made marmalade or jam kits are just the right size, but I have to make the jam first, to release the tin!

 

Elf Booties

I thought I would use these "elf booties" on Christmas Day, to put on the table with a gift/hat/joke inside, instead of a Christmas Cracker. Only managed 3 so far, though, and there will be 8 of us! So, maybe a target for next year!
The top picture shows one before felting and the middle photo after felting. The purple and white felts well; the green in the bottom photo didn't felt, but you could get a larger gift in that bootie, so no problem there!

Knit and Felt Bag

Did you see the previous pictures of the bag in progress? 
I've now finished it - by lining it in cotton gingham, knitting a toggle as a fastener, and twisting 3 coloured knitted "ropes" together for the handles. It was knit in squares, all in one piece - no joins and no seams!

Wool Stash

Just got back from South America - Peru and Equador must be the wool hub of the universe! I've never seen so many hand knitted items, lots claiming to be 100% baby alpaca. Piled to the canvas roof of every market stall in every village centre.

This is all I managed to squeeze into the suitcase! Now, what to knit ... ???

Knitted Bag

 

I knit this from a "Knit to be Square" pattern, using chunky 100% wool. Like Topsy, it grew and grew with the wool being so thick, and I worried that if it didn't felt, it would be an enormous bag to carry around! However - Eureka - it's just come out of the washing machine and I'm pleased with the result. Need to knit handles next!

Fun, felt brooches

I went on a felting course on Saturday, and learnt how to add shapes, pieces of pre-felt, spheres, tubes, spikes ...  to a piece of needle-punched felt. Great fun - and addictive! Add a pin to the back, and you have a brooch.

My Latest Owl

Meet Owen Owl!
I used the same wool to knit a band of owls, and then discovered it doesn't felt well, so the band is destined to become a pen and pencil pot (photo to follow!)
 I'm not even going to try to felt Owen Owl - he will probably end up as a card.

I'm going to elongate the owl body on the next one I knit, to make a mobile phone holder - or a glasses case!
Watch this space!

My Latest Cards

There, I told you the owls would creep back in to my craft work!

There are a variety of techniques here - knitting, wet felt pictures, needle felting, and flower heads made from wet felted rolls, with half felt petal backgrounds. The coloured backgrounds on the cards are made using acrylic paint, with scrunched cling film for the foliage effect.

Recycled Necklace

When we were in Petra earlier in the year, I bought a handful of "treasures" from an "antique" trader. I made this necklace using 3 of his ceramic beads, plus new glass beads, plus 4 discs of felted roll. Initially I tried using more of the ceramic beads, but they were too heavy for one necklace!

More from the Archives

Scarborough South Bay and beyond

 This is an oil on canvas board, from a photo taken "out of season" when the waves were sparkling. It was a glorious day and there were only dog walkers on the beach, the tourists had gone home.

Another IRIS

Again, oil on canvas, with an acrylic background, created using scrunched cling film.

PUPPIES

Who couldn't love these adorable puppies, done in pastel?

Ashness Bridge, near Derwentwater

 Unfortunately I got reflections in this photo! The oil painting is of Ashness Bridge, with Derwentwater in the background. There's a great circular walk from Rossthwaite, over the top to Watendlath, and along the stream, via Ashness Bridge, back to the lake.

Owls

Although you may think that all I create is to do with irises and poppies, there was a time that OWLS ruled my life! These are two of the first oil pastels I did.

Watch this space ... coming up ... knitted, needle felted, and wet felted OWL cards

Archives

ARTWORK

I thought I would add photos of some of the pictures I've done since I joined the local art club. They are mainly in Artisan Oils, which dry much more quickly than oil paints, and don't have that "oil paint" smell. Some you'll notice again on the FOR SALE page, some I have already sold - and some I love too much to part with!

 Flamborough Head

POPPIES and IRISES

AYTON BRIDGE

This is done in pastel, and is the bridge where I live, which joins the villages of East and West Ayton, over the River Derwent.

WATENDLATH

... a favourite haunt near Derwentwater in the Lake District!

JUST SHEEP!

Candy Floss Rabbit

At last, Candy Floss is finished, and joins her sister Flopsy. She too is from a Debbie Bliss pattern, with added detail to the ears, and a pink pompom tail.
 

I've knit them both scarves for the winter!

Felt Flower Corsages

Following a day's felting course I'm inspired to turn out a whole flower bed of brooches - the colour combinations could be endless! These are made with a donut shaped "resist" to separate the 2 layers of petals. The red flower is knitted from 100% wool, which I then felted in the washing machine.

Felt Jewellery

Felt Jewellery

The necklace was made in 2 parts. The spherical felt beads were made by rolling a length of  merino tops into a rough ball shape, making it hold together by stabbing the join with a barbed needle, and then rolling the ball in wet, soapy hands until firm and felted. Then I made a "Swiss Roll" of 2 contrasting layers of merino tops, rolled up into a cylinder. I wet felted it, and once dry, I cut slices to go in between the spheres. Once all the felt beads were threaded together, I added ribbon to make a necklace. The matching brooch has a felt back, and a brooch pin. 

Knitted and Wet-Felted Cards

 

I've just finished assembling these cards from the knitting and felting I've been doing during the last few weeks. The backgrounds are (as before) scrunched cling film and acrylic paint, with added collage foliage. The centres of the 2 flowers on the yellowy background have been made from a wet-felted "sushi" roll, made using 2 contrasting colours rolled up like a Swiss Roll. I've used the rest of each roll to make a necklace and a brooch - photos to follow! The other 6 flower heads are knitted.

Isle of Arran

The photo I worked from was taken one October. It was a typical autumn day with sunshine, heavy showers and spectacular rainbows. There was a stag on the hillside opposite amongst the bracken. We'd walked along the tracks and came across this peaceful lake - a good place for a picnic! The painting is an oil, worked on canvas - I had it framed as I think it gives a better finish, although there is no need to frame the type of canvases where you can paint around the edges.

Cardoons

Last year the Cardoons in the garden were spectacular - hence this oil painting. The picture below is a collage with features added in acrylic paint.

Scarborough Harbour

This oil painting is from a photograph taken after the Remembrance Day Service, held annually at the Lifeboat Station in Scarborough. It was a crisp, cold, November day, with blue sky and sunshine. The harbour was lined with people waiting to see the poppy wreaths being taken out to sea. It's one of my favourite paintings. There are limited edition prints available

Macrame, soft toys, basketry - quite a menagerie!

Another blast from the past - craft work from "The Owl House" in Hunmanby. When Peter worked as postman, he used to leave home at 5am, leaving me 2 hours of "me" time before the boys woke up. Bliss!

Blast from the Past Wellies

In 2004, we had an arts week at school, with every teacher chosing their own theme to do with every class. I decided to make painted wellies my focus - we advertised with parents, and in the local press, for old wellies - and were inundated. Two special deliveries stand out in my mind - the retired farmer who struggled down to school and handed in his well-worn, muddy pair, which he said, he would no longer need - and a van load of new, but seconds, HUNTERS wellies. They were mis-matched, but several staff managed to find themselves a new "pair" of top-of-the-range wellies. And we still had enough for the 200 children to paint that week - and for several future topics with my class. We planted them up each spring with bulbs, and later in the year, with bedding plants. Above the theme was Clarice Cliff. Below ... during arts week ... the children had free choice of design