Batik Seaside Banner

Since my printing course finished I have been thinking of trying some batik at home. One of the ladies on the course got her husband to make her, and me!!, a wooden batik frame. Very kind.

It took me a few weeks to get organised - buying two tjantings, and also some fabric inks. I had a little of the wax anyway, which I think was my daughter's from a school project. Not quite ready to invest in a wax melting pot, so improvised with a little metal dish, some tea lights, and the kitchen laser thermometer to check I was up to the right temperature. It worked well, so I am thinking to keep going with this method, unless I can find a secondhand melting pot.

These first attempts were an experiment. The first attempt, the mackerel, I really was not certain I would be able to get the wax to the right temperature. I feel I got better as I worked down the fabric. I think I am getting steadier with the wax, and braver with my colours. I don't want to get too good with the wax, as part of the charm is the odd splash and splatter in the wrong place.

The shape of my banner was determined by the batik frame, but it meant I could work each section on a different day. The part I enjoy most is the painting with the inks. It is lovely letting the colours flow into each other. It also takes very little ink, just a few drops, so I have plenty left for other projects.

So the banner is up in my bathroom. Spent quite a while looking at frames online, but in the end I spent £2 on a ripped block picture in a charity shop. Removed the ripped picture, and fixed my printing to the frame with a staple gun. Job done!

Cockle Shell

I've not been knitting much recently. Not really sure why. Perhaps it has been the weather, distracted by gardening, and not being near my wool stash. I've been trying to make items for a craft fair in October, and have been working on a pattern for a cockle shell. It is quite like my scallop shell, but I wanted something a bit smaller, and also with more of a hump at the base. Scallop shells are flatter. Still a work in progress, but I thought I would just post a photo. Working on some in different colours and with stripes, which I will show you soon, and have the pattern available in my shop.

 

Still a few days left to join in Ginx Woolly Linx Party for August.

 

 

 

 

A Jigbee of Turtles

The internet tells me there are various names for a group of turtles. A bale of turtles seems the most well-known collective term. Baby turtles, which I think mine are, are also called hatchlings. Other names include a bevy, dule, nest, or turn, but my favourite name is a jigbee of turtles. I can't find the origin of this word, so if you know this or have any more information, please let me know. 

I had a lot of small oddments of various green wool left over, and thought it would be fun to knit something, but it had to be small. These are made from Raynor Gellatly's Tiny Turtle pattern on ravelry. Her patterns for tiny creatures are very cute, and I also enjoyed making her hedgehogs. 

I have reduced the size of the head, and decided not to add legs. Perhaps I should, as I have realised that they may be mistaken for snails. (Am I getting lazy, but I thought they are quite cute without.) But the main body part follows the pattern. They remind me of old-fashioned boy's school caps. 

I have mostly been sewing "the dress" this week, and also working on a project that I won't be able to reveal until well into 2015. Mysterious and exciting

My daughter has started her own blog, which is going to be photography, craft and cooking, and is call Sugar, Spice and All Crafts Nice.

Sea Urchins

I have added a new pattern to my sea creature collection: a Sea Urchin Shell. Do you like my real sea urchins? They were my Christmas present from my husband. I know that is a bit odd, but I really like them. They sit on a shelf in the room where I make things with a few other seaside bits and bobs. I thought they would look good with the knitted ones in my photographs. 

Sea urchins are really fascinating creatures. It took me quite a while to find exactly the right wool. These are knitted with James Brett DK Marble Colour 5, which seemed to have exactly the right mix of grey and pink to give a natural look. This is the same wool that I used for my Our House project.

The knitting is done on two needles, and is not difficult. The dots are then embroidered on down the ridges afterwards. I refer you to my photo tutorial for some help with these french knots. I have tried to be very careful with the number of ridges, and there are five main ones with large bumps, each with two smaller ones inbetween. 

Spiral Shell

I've been spiral shell knitting again. I couldn't get the colour wool that I normally use, but thought I would try this slightly darker shade 0053. It is still Sirdar Crofter DK, and I really like the result. 

I like to return to my own patterns from time to time. It is quite nice to just follow a pattern, rather than inventing, and sometimes gives me some fresh ideas. Although the thought "Did I really make this up?" also seems to pass through my head. Strange.

I also wanted to show you my Christmas presents which are in the background. Hubby bought me these lovely sea urchins to use as props. He bought them online from a company called Buy the Sea. I would really recommend them, as they were very reasonable, and although one urchin arrived broken they sent a replacement free of charge, and very quickly.

The pattern to knit a spiral shell is available on ravelry. I am working really hard at the moment on some new seaside patterns.

Seaside Christmas

No, I'm not at the seaside. Given the recent weather in Britain, I am perhaps quite pleased not to be at our windblown coast. I just thought I would post a few pictures of my own Christmas tree, with some of my knitted sea creatures that I have made into decorations.

It might seem a bit strange to have sea creatures on your tree. When I created most of these patterns I did not intend them as Christmas ornaments. (The exception is the sand dollar, which was a special request for Christmas.) But the scallop shell, sand dollar, star and fish do all have symbolic a link to Christianity, so perhaps it does seem apt to find them on a tree at this time of year.

There are links to my patterns for all these creatures on ravelry in my left sidebar.

Little Seaside Bags

Firstly thank you for all the kind comments on my spiral shell pattern. 

 And now another mysterious set of little bags.

Inside them are some sets of my beach creatures. They could be used as an educational toy, but are also very decorative. A little reminder of happy days at the seaside.

The bags are hand dyed. (You may remember my recent tie dying project which I was being a bit secretive about.) They are a heavy duty natural cotton, with a silk pull cord. Each one contains an individual set of hand-knitted and embroidered beach creatures: a spiral shell, scallop shell and starfish.

The sets are for sale in my Etsy shop. (Apologies that I keep plugging my shop, but I am really trying to make a go of it.) As I have made quite a mixture of colours, you can request a specific set, or just leave it to chance. I will try to accommodate any colour requests.

Set A

Set B

Set C

Also I just thought I would mention that I have set up a Ginx Craft Facebook page, so if you are a Facebook user you can follow me there. You just have to like the page. It is at https://www.facebook.com/GinxCraft  and there is an icon to link there in my sidebar on the right. I am still getting to grips with the technology, but I will link all my blog posts there. At the moment I have just put on some of my favourite photos, as it was looking a bit empty.

Shells

I've been busy on one of my little knits, that I know may provoke the question "why?" Not sure what the answer is. 

I made several attempts to design a spiral shell last year and each time I failed. Eventually I put the idea aside. I had designed a collection of small seaside knits, and a spiral shell seemed to be the main thing missing. So the idea has been niggling away in the back of my mind.

I have spent quite a lot of time looking at various shells in textbooks and online. There are so many different types, but I wanted my shell to be definitely conical and not a flat spiral. So I think you might call this a turret or auger shell, depending on which part of the world you live in. I would love to try and knit a conch shell, but I'm not sure knitting lends itself to all those spikes.

My shells are knitted with two doublepointed needles and short rows, and the shaping makes the knitting fall into a natural spiral. The knitting of the shell is not too tricky, although some people may hate the way I have written the pattern. 155 rows may seem a bit much to produce a tiny shell, but as you are decreasing all the time it does not take as long as you might think. I can knock off a complete shell in an evening. The wool is ordinary 4ply sock wool, and I am now slightly fixated on finding realistic shell shades in multi-coloured sock wool. Well it's a hobby! To find the pattern CLICK HERE!

There is one long seam, and I found it easiest to sew and stuff as you go. And then sewing it into a spiral is done with tiny stitches. The pattern has detailed photographs and instructions explaining how to do this.

Just a reminder of my other sea creature patterns. My recent trip to the seaside gave me the chance take some new photographs, on a real beach.

But if this all seems like too much work then keep an eye on my ETSY SHOP, as I still have a few sets of sea creatures for sale there

Sand Dollars, if you were wondering.

Scallop Shell

Starfish

Sand Dollars

Last week someone very cleverly managed to guess what my next knitting project is. Unfortunately they chose to remain anonymous, but well done anyway.

After I published my little collection of sea creatures back in the summer I had an email from Mary Ann on Ravelry, asking if I had thought of designing a sand dollar. 

Well you don't get sand dollars around the UK, and I had never heard of them, so I decided to do a bit of research, and found them really intriguing. The best website I can find for them is called Echinblog. 

Mary Ann's sister-in-law decorates her ocean house with sea creatures for Christmas, so she was hoping for a Christmas sand dollar decoration pattern. I thought that idea was so original. There are so many similar Christmas decorations, so why not go for something a bit alternative. (I do know Christmas is all about tradition, but why not start a few new traditions.) I think my starfish and minnows would also make nice Christmas ornaments.

So I started working on a pattern, but was finding it difficult to say the least. But when Mary Ann really kindly sent me a little collection of real sand dollars things seemed to fall into place.

Sand dollars are consider symbolic, and I found this poem, which explains the legend of the sand dollar.
 

The Legend of the Sand Dollar

That I would like to tell

Of the birth and death of Jesus

Found in this lovely shell.

If you will examine closely,

You'll see that you find here

Four nail holes a fifth one

Made by a Roman's spear.

On one side the Easter Lily,

It's center is the star

That appeared unto the shepherds

And led them from afar.

The Christmas Poinsettia

Etched on the other side

Reminds us of his birthday,

Our happy Christmas tide.

Now break the center open
And here you will release
The five white doves awaiting
To spread good will and peace
This simple little symbol,
Christ left for you and me.

So it does seem appropriate that they are used as Christmas decorations. The poem is slightly wrong, as they are not shells, but the internal skeleton of the sand dollar.  If you break one open you find what look like five small doves, (but are actually its jaws). We did break one open, but I slightly regret it, as they are so beautiful.  Many sand dollars do have five holes, but mine did not, so I have not included holes in my pattern.

I started off trying to design my sand dollars with a minimum of sewing up, and incorporating the five pointed star into the knitting. It is possible to knit a circle, starting with all your stitches on one needle, and decreasing at regular intervals. But when the real sand dollars arrived, I realized that an important part of what makes them sand dollars is that they are not round, and also that the shape of the star has to be just right. So in the end I resorted to knitting five sections which have to be sewn together, and making the star with wool embroidery. (Hubby kept asking me why I was sewing marijuana leaves. Sigh!) My favourite technique again, but it did seem to work well. I've knitted mine in a variety of light coloured wools to make them realistic, but I think they could be jazzed up a bit too, if you wanted to add some brighter colours.  My favourite ones are in a lovely wool called Echo Freedom. It is a recycled wool and has the feel of knitting with really nice string.

So some sand dollars are on their way to Mary Ann as a thank you, and the pattern to knit a Christmas Sand Dollar is available on Ravelry.

"You Shall Have A Fishy ..."

I have been working all week on a new knitting pattern, Little Minnows.

It is a really simple little pattern, but I am happy with the way it has turned out, as it gives the knitter options, and all the choices are included in the one pattern.

First of all 4ply or doubleknit. The pattern works well in both.

There is the beaded fish. The beads are not sewn on, but incorporated into the knitting.

Then there is the Minnow with Bobbles. I thought this would be a fun way to make the scales if you didn't have any beads handy. But even with this version you can decide whether to do it in one colour or two, for which the patterns are slightly different.

Then there is the decision of whether to use a separate colour for the tail and fins, or even whether to knit the top and bottom fins at all. 

A minnow does have fins, but I knitted a few without as I thought they also looked nice. Hubby says those ones are not minnows, but anchovies, but I think he is just thinking with his stomach.

So not a good pattern if you find decision-making difficult.  It might put you in a spin trying to decide.
 

Thank you to my virtual friends for all the kind comments on my starfish and scallop shell last week.