Gentle reader,
I’m SUPER EXCITED to share with you my first pattern! Remember Macaroni the yellow cat from my last post? Well, now you can make your own little kitty buddy! Download it here or on my downloads page and on Ravelry. Or click the pic below!
Gentle reader,
I have a new little critter to introduce to you, but first I have a few points of news for you!
Gentle reader,
If you’re a friend of The Shy Lion on le Book du Face (that’s Frenchie for Facebook), you might have seen sneak peeks of some of the things I have to share with you today. But first I want to espouse the virtues of excellent friends and stash organization, both as separate entities and as a confluence of goodness.
My friend Kate (who blogs here) is properly awesome. She met me when I had just started knitting. I was so self-conscious of my knitting that at Stitch’n’Bitch, I would set up a barrier of books so no-one could watch me plod along and fumble about. Ever since then, she’s been a voice of encouragement and an all round lovely friend, and now, thanks in part to her, I consider myself somewhat of a “proper knitter”. Ooh la la!
In recent times – last weekend to be exact – she’s given me the gift of organization. You see, when I discovered Ravelry, my stash was already out of control, but how I longed to have my stash all photographed and cataloged in my Rav Notebook. I attempted a few times, but let me tell you, that mess was legit cray-to-the-azy! It was so overwhelming! I’d recently done some thinning out and I decided it was now or never.
Now, Kate is the kind of person who records how many kilometers of yarn she’s knitted up each year, and weighs her partial skeins on kitchen scales. Who better than her to whip my burgeoning, undocumented cache of yarn? So, she came over to my house this weekend passed and we did a stash blitz! Now, if you go to my Ravelry profile, you’ll see the picture of organized deliciousness! I still have my partial skeins to add, but that’s a synch compared to this massive start. Thanks, Kate! You’re properly awesome!
I made this little critter a while ago with the yarn left over from Robert’s bedsocks. I tried something different with the face and used mercerized thread for whiskers. I think it turned out pretty well! My new friend Kellie seemed to think so too, because she snapped it up before I even had a chance to list it on Etsy (which is why the pictures aren’t super great; I had to snap it quickly on my phone at the Crafternoon S’n’B).
This is Miranda the Giraffe! She’s a new experiment for me; I’ve never made something with four legs where I’ve made the legs and body seamlessly. She turned out pretty well, I think! The yarn was some Naturally Yoshie which was on sale at Clegs, so I picked up a few balls. It’s a wool/acrylic blend, and is really quite lovely for an inexpensive yarn. I like the mix of colors. Miranda is in the Etsy store now, so you can totally buy her and squish her and love her all for yourself!
How have some of your lovely friends helped you get over a massive crafty rut?
Gentle reader,
It’s been ages since I last posted. I do apologize! I’ve been meaning to get around to do a proper posts but, it just never happened. I’ve been a bit preoccupied. But, I’m back now, and here’s a recap of what’s being going on in my forest.
I did some work, and I played some games.
I finished the bunny sweater (though, I’m going to unpick the sleeves and restitch them, and fix some wonky intarsia bits with duplicate stitch)
I got an amazing parcel from my American Mom, Beth, with a bunch of lovely gifts and some of her beautiful glass work. We’re going to combine her glass pieces and my crochet into… something!
I bought some yarn. Naturally.
L to R: Rowan Colorscape Chunky, Schoppel-Wolle Crazy Zauberball, Noro Kogarashi
I got some new shoes. Green, of course.
I did some scribbles. The side two are plans for some lino block prints.
I smooched some cheeky pooses.
Listened to some tunes.
L to R: Emi Hinouchi – “Me”, Midlake – “The Trials of Van Occupanther,
The Civil Wars – “Barton Hollow”
I did some wandering around Melbs and enjoyed the turn of the season.
Aaaaand, I started some big, chunky bedsocks with the Kogarashi for my friend, Alf!
I’m using the pattern “Thuja” from Knitty.com
Phew! Did you like “My Life In Pictures” recap? Hope so! I’ll be back to posting regularly now. I think I might do more of these – unless raiding my Instagram is cheating… Hmmm…
How have you been!? Catch up in the comments! ^_^
Gentle reader,
Something you may not know about me (or maybe you do) is that I have a properly hard time throwing anything away. It’s a problem. I have so much stuff! Some things I just know I’ll never need, but I can remember exactly when and where I got it, who gave it to me and how much I loved it way back when and once I remember all those things, I just can’t get rid of it! Even to charity! But, the madness must stop. Oy.
So, I’m tearing my house apart, top to bottom and trying to be as ruthless as I can. It’s hard going, and here I am, nigh on 4:30am after a full day of cleaning, chucking and rearranging, and I still have LOTS to do. But, I decided it was about time for some procrastinating, and I thought I’d have a fiddle around in Photoshop. I do love to play around in Photoshop, though the results aren’t always what you might call a success. Anyway, here’s a little pic for you all (and considering it’s the wee hours of the morning here, I hope the sentiment is true!). I hope you like it! It’s just a silly digital scribble, really.
Anyhoo, I’m gonna get back to it for a bit longer. Partially because I want to, partially because my bed is covered in junk. Geesh.
Do you like to play about in Photoshop? Do you have hoarding in your blood, like me?
Gentle reader,
Our move to the new house is slowly approaching, and I’ve tried my hardest to overcome my penchant for procrastination with some success. I’ve made a little headway with packing, but perhaps not quite as much as I’d like. It can be a bit difficult when you’re trying to pack in such a small space; maneuvering around stacks of boxes with not a lot of wiggle room and such. And, some of the other tenants have not been much help:
Ah well, I’ll get there eventually. Meanwhile I’ve had a little more success with Marelle’s crochet lace dress. I’ve finished the bodice and the first pattern section of the skirt. Hurrah!
I hate packing, but I love unpacking and having a blank canvas. Do you love or hate moving?
– R
Gentle reader,
Amongst my wanderings, I’ve also been quite productive. I really have my sights set on getting enough items together to start my Etsy store. It’s been a while since I’ve done some serious amigurumi stuff (excluding the bits and pieces I made for the Dirty Granny show, but that was deadline crochet which is never fun).
First up is this little bear. I used the Pop Merino I got from Pierrot Yarns, and I have to say that it was a delight to work with; very soft, but didn’t split too much for an un-plied yarn. I love how the colors came out too, even the muddier sections where the overlap was. I wasn’t entirely happy with the proportions, and his legs turned out a little short and club-footed. I’ll probably snip those off and remake them – I have plenty of yarn left. He has a wonky eye, which I actually love, and I’m super pleased with how his nose and mouth embroidery turned out.
Next, I made a cat with the left over yarn I had from making a beret for my friend Leeana (I’ll be writing a post on our swap later in the week!), and he turned out pretty much exactly as I wanted. The yarn is Cleckheaton Country Tartan, which I must say I loved crocheting with, and his snout is just a bit of random acrylic. His proportions are right on, and I love his longer legs (I usually get impatient and start the body sooner), and I made some i-cord for his tail (the first time I’ve ever done a knitted i-cord rather than using a knitting nancy! Super pleased). Also, his confused look kind of makes me happy.
What crocheted critters would you like to see me have a go at? I feel like I’m on a lion-bear-cat-bunny loop, so suggest away!
❤
Raynor
theshylion.wordpress.com 