Art on a Paris sidewalk

By C215
Originally uploaded by vitostreet

This beautiful drawing was made on a pavement of a street in Paris.
I love how the chipped pavement looks like swirling autumn leaves and
the detail, colour, and expression of the cat is just wonderful!

A little mushroom house

I used this great free pattern from Crochet Me and made it into a little house.
It's 5 inches high and made with scrap worsted weight yarn and a size 5 mm hook.
The top part has a lid and is hollow so I can store buttons, or paperclips.

I didn't want it to tip over when filled so I put a magnet inside the trunk and I'll probably place it onto a metal base. I'm thinking of making a few of them, all lined up on a shelf or window sill to help keep my work space tidy.
The cute owl that is beside it is needle felted and was made by coltpixy

Free crochet leaf pattern with pics

I'm not sure if this will be of interest to anyone but I needed some leaves for a project and this is what I came up with.

I used a small amount of worsted weight and a 3.75 hook
It measures 3 inches long.
You can make your leaves larger or smaller
by changing the yarn weight and the hook size.
I also left a long tail when I began my chains
so that I could connect other leaves.

Directions:
Ch 14
Row1: Work one sc in second chain from hook, sc in next 3 chs, dc in next 5 chs, hdc in next 2 chs, sc in next chain, 2 sc in last ch.

Row2: You will now need work on the bottom loops(see picture below)
Work sc in next 2 loops, hdc in next 2 lps, dc in next 5 lps, sc in next 4 lps, sl st to join in 1st sc (from Row 1)
Fasten off and weave in end.

I also drew a symbol chart and included an explanation of the symbols.

Symbol Explanation

Please note that as usual all content and images are mine 
and are protected by copyright.

Beyond scarfs--beginner knitting

There are only so many scarves you can make.
Okay, maybe that is not totally true, I guess it would be more accurate to say there is only so many necks that you can make scarves for.

So this crocheter has decided to take a beginner's knitting class.
Yes. I know, hooks and pointy needles don't always get along but they are really just sisters with different clothes.
 
So on the right is  a simple garter stitch
(knit, knit, damn you knit!) but eventually we got to knitting fancy lace stitches and cables.

 

I think my biggest beef about knitting is that if you mess up, you can't just easily rip back your mistakes like you can with crochet. Or at least I can't but, I somehow think I will get a lot of practice at it.

A book list and another crochet scarf

This year I want to keep track of the books I read.
I've included a link to Amazon for each book in case you want an overview of any of them.

#1. The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews
I thoroughly enjoyed the character of the 11 year old young girl Thebes.
Creative, a little crazy and extremely loyal to her family I wish I could have spent more time with her.
#2. The Principles of Uncertainty by Maira Kalman
This is not a book to be 'read' so much as viewed as it is made up of paintings and comments covering a year in the life of the author.
The paintings were often drawn from photographs that she took around New York City and I found it really interesting to get a glimpse of her life.


#3. When you are Engulfed in Flames by David Sekaris
Incredibly funny and bizarre.
I've never met anyone like him and would love to hear him read out loud on his book tours. Loved it.
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I loved the scarf that I made my mum for Christmas so I decided to make one for myself.
This yarn (Vanna's Choice-rust) is leftover acrylic from the South Park blankets I made for my sons and is actually softer than the wool I used in her's.
The free pattern from Joann's is here.

Elisabeth D's gwen2 doll

Gwen2
uploaded by Elisabeth D

Amazing eh!
I'm a big fan of Elisabeth Doherty's work and I've decided to make one of her wonderful doll's for my niece's baby due in a couple of months.
I have her wonderful book
Amigurumi!: Super Happy Crochet Cute
so now it is just a matter of choosing which pattern to make and then buying the yarn for it. I want to add my own spin on it and also want to make the clothes so that they can be removed. Half the fun of having a doll is being able to change her clothes.

It will be a challenging fun project indeed!

Looking back before looking forward

For a few years I was totally
obsessed with making mosaics and
then one day I just stopped.
I look back now at some of my
projects and all I can see
is my sloppy technique and
my lack of design.
But there are a couple that,
even though they are flawed,
I still really like.

I still love my birdbath that
I made out of a sink.



And I like my garden flowers that
I made from tin cans and bowls.



My stash of tiles and glass
have sat too long
in my garage.
I think, come spring, I may
dig into those bins and play.

A new year and new things to try

Every year I make the same resolution.
And every year I keep it.
It's simply to try new things.
Yes I know this doesn't sound
particularly earth shattering.
But I say or type this statement
every year as a type of mantra.
It focuses me, it challenges me.
It forces me to seek,
each and every day,
ways that I can fulfill this
promise to myself.

You'd be surprised how many
little opportunities are out there.
When you are driving home, take
a different route,
talk to the person next to you
when you're in a line-up.
(I found a great new yarn shop
who taught advanced crochet classes).
Read something you normally
wouldn't read, eat something
you have never tried.
The possibilities are endless.