L'inspiration n'est pas?

isn't this amazing -- it's Irish crochet 1908 ..
this picture is from a Taschen book "Fashion : A History form 18th to the 20th "- volume 2- from the Collection of the Kyoto Costume Museum.
I can't imagine making something so beautiful - let alone wearing this - or maybe i can...

grey felt applique for bag- not finished yet

b-day card
starting the card -the wheel of faces...

i spent the day, well not the whole day... making my best friend - jonathan, a birthday card--
jonathan has been my best friend for over 20 years and lives in LA and was really obsessed with kilts and his Scottish hertitage-- and bought a kilt - a real one made in Scotland with his family tartan .. and I found this little tartan and jacket paper outfit and wanted to use it for his b-day card..

so I made a wheel of different faces and a window of pictures -- of him, one of his dog and people he likes- martha, elton john, dolly, liza -- I forgot oprah... oh well.. anyway-- you spin the wheel and see the different heads on top of the kilt wearing body......... and i sewed it together...

jonathan picked up knitting in december. he started knitting a beautiful cream scarf and requested a knitting bag .. and he asked it to be "tough" and he suggested the skull and crossbone motif.
so-this is what i have done... so far....

The skull and cross bone applique is grey- blue felt on black twill canvas which will be the body of the bag and i am lining it in navy polka dots.. . I got the applique design down and cut the bag out.. and now I am going to do a running stitch along the edges of the applique.. and need to finish sewing the bag. I also made two drawstring bags out of the only other skull and crossbone fabric I could find. I call them project bags ... I am a gemini and so i can never stick to one project - i have to have at least 3 going simutanteously-- hence - project bags to keep them separate and keep the fluffy white mohair from getting on black yarn -etc.. so - he too can start to be a neurotic knitter and have multiple projects going on - i have supplied him with 2 (maybe i 'll make more if i have time) . I am also making him a knitting needle case and it will be seam bias edged in tartan/plaid...

yikes time is running out - his b-day is 2 may-- and it will not gt there on time, but my plan is to have it finished on his b-day..... i better get back to it.

ruth
this is our niece - i was teaching her to crochet.. as you can see, she has mastered the chain stitch!! she is wearing a hat that i intially for myself, but it looked much better on her. i threaded some thin elastic around the bottom to make it fit her head better and put a red bell at the end.

i started crocheting when i was about her age. i was fascinated with making bun covers to wear over my hair bun in ballet class... now that i think of it -i did have a cool wardrobe of ponchos, shawls and matching hats...

my other kitty

this is my mean kitty -- well he's not mean he's grumpy..


i made this hat about 10 years ago in 1996- how scary-that was awhile ago-- when i was living in the bay area .. i actaully made quite a few - -i also made devil , frog , and bunny versions too...most ly for babies- but the kitties were a hit for all my girlfriends--they are crocheted...if anyone is interested I'll post pictures of the other versions..

blah blah blah
These are my cats Aby-- half abyssinian and tabby and Honey .. they are both boys.
I can't say I did well with their names-- long story.


Today is ANZAC today and I worked on my brown sweater-- Tomorrow I am not working and will work on my friend Jonathan's b-day present- a skull and cross bone bag for his knitting. He had requested a "tough" bag for his newly acquired passion for knitting. He started knitting in December and was furiously knitting a scarf.. which he has since stopped- I am hoping this bag will renew his interest in his scarf.. I'll post some pictures of that.....

finally have time to do some crafty bits...and to enjoy
my kitties-
my garden- which just needs to be ripped up and replanted
my knitting
my sewing
my painting-re painting the lounge
reading: R.I.P., SALAD cook books, just finsihed- Strangers- by Taichi Yamada
listening to KCRW online

and maybe make some jewlery..

"work does interfere with my pleasure" JWH quote

I am more of a sewing gal.. and I crochet lots...but I've recently picked up my knitting needles again.

I still a beginner knitter- I had been knitting mostly hats and scarves- I have started 2 sweaters simultanteously. The pink one I started in 2000 when I was living in Berkeley, California ...then I moved to Hawai'i and my knitting ceased -- too hot . I now live in NZ - I have picked up the pink sweater - which I started with no pattern and no idea what I was doing. I was hoping I'd figure out what to do when I knitted up to the arm hole area. Then I decidedi didn't think I'd look great in pink - so i started a brown version - but with a pattern which I've decided alter. i think i'm being industrious for my first sweater-- but I think it will work out and I'll wear no matter -even if one sleeve is longer!!!

These are some photos of my half finished sweaters- both are bell sleeved and the striped thing - was a start of a poncho -I actually completed a few of them a few years ago for my sister and friends.. but i included this in here because I am running out of brown yarn, and I have to pull the striped gonna be a poncho - so I can use the brown yarn from that - or I could also put a big pink stripe across the front--don't know...

Living in NZ - you 'd think wool yarn would be plentiful and cheap.. but apparently all the wool is exported. I am actually knitting yarn from the States. I shipped alot of yarn here because it's so expensive here for yarn.which they call "wool" even if it's acrylic-- which alot of yarn here is...