Don't you just hate it at this time a year when all the TV channels are just showing repeats? Well that's what you're getting from me today!
Last week I showed you the chicken scratch lavender hearts I'd made? The ones I showed you before were all embroidered with white thread. This one was embroidered with a size 5 perle cotton in a variegated array of pinks. I'm not sure it works as well as the white.
I also showed you some crochet snowflakes I'd made. Well I made some more. These have all been stiffed with modge podge after an initial blocking with half a can of starch!
The top snowflake is a free pattern from the wonderful Snowcatcher who has tons of free snowflake patterns on her blog.
I've just tried and completely failed to identify the other three patterns, clearly they don't look as they should, but if it's free snowflake patterns you're looking for, try my Pinterest board. Good luck!
Good morning ladies! Did you know, it's nearly Christmas? I've only just found out, can't believe no-one told me. I haven't finished making my christmas cards, let alone sending them, in the couple of days since I found out, I have manage to do half my shopping online so the going is good!
You would have thought I'd have been alerted to the upcoming festivities when I went to a snowflake beading class at The Bead Shop Nottingham, but apparently not.
Me and my wonderful mum were the only attendees, and we soon learnt how to whip up these little babies. The one in the photo above is made from Szwarovski zillions so it reflects the light beautifully, something my amateuristic photography completely failed to capture. Imagination is key here ladies!
When I got home, I whipped up a couple more. Now, I was going to buy the zillions, but at 10p each and with each snowflake needing 36, that would have been pretty expensive, although beautiful. I compromised and bought some Czech firepolished glass faceted beads, also very pretty though not quite Szwarovski league!
The next day I had an order on Folksy (bearing in mind I get about 4 a year), so I put one of these snowflakes in the parcel as a little free gift.
The next day I had another order, so I added a snowflake to that parcel too. 2 were claimed by my mother in law which left me with just the original one left. I want to add them to Christmas parcels so last night I sat down and started making a third. Guess what? This morning I had another order! (I'd also like to point out that 2 days ago I had ANOTHER order, but from the same lovely lady who'd ordered the baby hat, she was so pleased with it!).
So that's 4 Folksy orders, on top of 1 from a friend, 1 from the father-in-law and 2 from the wonderful mum in just a few days... I think it's down to the snowflakes.
The only problem is, now I know, it won't work.
p.s. it did work... just had another order!
It's the project that's finished, not the actual post. Unless I accidentally hit publish at some point. Being away at the weekend meant that I couldn't take any photos of anything I'm making and as I'm getting up and driving to work in the dark, then driving home in the dark, weekends are my only picture-taking time!
I've been crocheting snowflakes. I saw some on Pinterest, got out my size 10 thread and a little steel hook and got working. Addictive.
This photo shows them unblocked. Before pinning them out, they look a real mess.
It wasn't until I took the photos that I noticed that this little blighter is wrong! See how he's got a deformed tentacle wing arm spikey-type bit?
I took a photo of them blocking, though white crochet thread, on a white towel, in the evening gloom is perhaps not the best of photos! I've sprayed them with loads of spray starch, in fact my can ran out and I had to order some more! If that doesn't stiffen them enough, I'm going to have to think again.
They're all made from free patterns:
Left - arghhh, can't find the link! sorry pattern designer...
Centre - by Maggie Weldon
Right - on the BHG site
This one is my favourite, it's another free pattern from Snowcatcher. If you're interested in crocheting snowflakes, there are a ton of free patterns on Snowcatcher's blog and she very generously gives permission to do what you like with snowflakes made. I'm going to attempt to sell them as Christmas decorations at the craft fair.
And guess what ladies? As I didn't manage to get a photo of them blocked and hanging, you'll be treated to pictures of them again in the future, ooooh, baited breath all round!
For all you stitchers out there, there's an incredibly generous giveaway going on at the Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe, go and check it out. If you do enter, please tell them that I sent you!
