Ha ha me hearties!

Pirate ahoy!

Phew! After much fiddling about but lots of fun too here's a pirate to scare those little mermaids out of their scales! I'm very pleased with the dreadlocks which took a few gos to get right, and the flared coat

Three gauguin mermaids

These are the best I've done so far. I'm still struggling with the mouths though. I'm wondering if I'd do better embroidering the faces before I stuff the head. Now I'm working on a scarey pirate with stripey legs. Sort of based on Jack Sparrow so I'm looking forward to doing the hair.

new faces

I've given the dark mermaid a new face based on the Gauguin girl.
My blonde lady has a new mouth - I think I'll adjust the eyes too

Gauguin girl

I'm very pleased with my new mermaid based on Gauguin's Tahitan ladies

Close up

I'm not sure whether I should sew the scarf so it drapes more modestly. 

Mermaids

Have had great fund doing the tails of these two ladies. I still need to get better at lips and will probably go back and redo them when I've had more practice. I am rather pleased with the hair.

Continuing with the fairy dolls. Just had to take out the eyes of my latest . They were scaring me! Will try with felt instead of embroidery. 

Tom's badges arrived for his band Puppets http://www.myspace.com/puppetsuk

Warning you may want to turn down the volume.

 I helped draw the graphic - he has coloured it up differently but I like this one.

Phew! After hours more fiddling about here at last is the finished Woodbine. What a wonderful day to spend a Sunday. I did also manage to play three rounds of table tennis to keep Tom's brain away from the screen and listen to him reciting his RS revision so not entirely self indulgent.

New project. I've started on dolls - thanks finding the blog of to a wonderful lady called Mimi Kirchner www.mimikirchner.com who makes the most fab dolls.

This is my second attempt - after alot of unpicking and experimenting. I only had mint green boiled wool that would stuff well hence we have a green fairy! Tom suggested I gave her a midsummer night's dream fairy name so she's called Woodbine - she is afterall more woodnymph than fairy. I think I'll call the next one Cobweb...

Meantime she still needs little boots, trimming on the hem and various other finishing touches.

Last weekend I went to my home town Brighton on the south coast to exhibit my work in an Open Houses event which is on during the Brighton Festival. My old school friend Emma Burnett http://www.emmaburnett.co.uk/  is holding it in her house and it's on for the next three weekends. In spite of the sunny spring weather I sold several pairs of mittens and five hats so I'm very happy. Emma does the most amazing abstract paintings in mouthwatering colours which lift the spirits. Being at her house for the weekend is such a tonic as she too is an amazing person with lots of positive energy.

So much for starting a blog - I now seem to have no time to keep it up! I've been making hats and mittens like mad to have enough for two spring fairs coming up. Mostly bright fresh colours with the lovely sweaters supplied by Kris http://www.resweater.blogspot.com

Maybe the weather will be too warm for people to even think about warm clothes - let's hope! I'd rather have the sun and I can save my hard work for the autumn fairs.

And another...

Here's another! Grey greens and purples with swirly flowers.

I had a lovely comment yesterday from someone who bought one of my berets at Christmas. She said that people were always commenting on it and it made everyone smile.

Another beret

This is a lovely combination of blue merino and green fairisle sweaters bought from kris at resweater.

Just a little diversion from hats. These are my two wonderful children this Christmas. I love the way the angel pops out of their heads! My daughter is wearing one of my early hats - a beautiful grey and dark red.

New beret

This is one of my newest berets made out of two sweaters from Kris at resweater. 

I think the colours work really well together! I'm doing bright fresh colours for a fair on 1 May - the weather might be a beautiful early summer's day or it could be wintery.

I've been developing this new kind of swirly flower with a wool covered button in the centre and the beret is lined with blue cashmere so it's very very soft and comfortable to wear.

I've been doing masses of making recently. Mainly due to the wonderful shipments of sweaters from Kris at resweater.blogspot.com in the US. I know there could be a carbon footprint issue here but Kris seems to be able to root out the most glorious sweaters for my hats and mittens. And it saves me so much time going round the secondhand shops in York where supplies of good sweaters are dwindling.

This is a beret from last year's collection. I'll take pics of my latest hats this weekend.

Two pairs of mittens made from recycled sweaters