Ralph

Ralph came to visit and he brought an admirer. Betty is a fluffy Schnauzer puppy who absolutely adores Ralph, she thinks he's the coolest dog ever, which is true of course. She follows him around everywhere, wants to be close to him all the time. Ralph finds it all pretty annoying, and even a bit embarrassing I think. He's coming to stay with us next weekend and I can't wait!

Freya

I'm cross stitching a gift for baby Freya who my amazing friend gave birth to last weekend. I just know she'll grow up to be a very special person.

She's so far away, in Durban SA, but I'm very pleased her parents gave her a Nordic name!

Nike Flyknit Footwear

Sorry for my lack of posts lately, time flies by lately! January felt like it went on forever but February is just the opposite. I've been busy trying to work while also doing lots of DIY around the flat, and making space for Ben to move in. I'm not very good at getting rid of things, so it's taking some time...

I just saw this nice animation from Nike and thought I should share it here. I love running and I love knitting and this combines the two - I've never owned a pair of Nike trainers though, but maybe this will start to convince me.

Ceramic Transfers

Screen printing is one of my favourite crafts. And since I have my own little studio, I'm always trying to think of new ways I can use it. I've been wanting to try out ceramic transfers for a while, but have struggled to get all the information I needed. Because I've got all the screen printing equipment, I'd like to print the transfer sheets myself. It's taken me hours of searching the net and calling people up, but none of my usual screen printing people seem to know anything about the process and the materials.



I found this really great tutorial by Skinny Laminx (image above), which shows how to apply the transfers, and also a bit about it on Bookhou (image below)



Seeing how fun the process is and how beautiful the finished product looks, just made me more determined to figure it all out. So I spoke to some people at the University of the West of England's Fine Print Research Centre (yes this really does exist), and finally I think I have figured it all out. I just need to get hold of the vitrious ceramic enamel, so if any of you know anything about this I'd love to hear from you. And if you ever need any ceramic decals printed please let me know :)

Valentines Heart Crochet Tutorial

Since it's Valentines next week, I thought I'd post a tutorial for a crocheted heart. I must have crocheted hundreds of these, I use them all the time for gift wrapping or cards, and it's a great way to use up bits of yarn you have lying around.

I can't remember where I first saw the pattern for this, so if any of you know please tell me, so I can credit them. And, as usual, please comment if you have any questions or spot any mistakes.

The heart is made from three rounds and starts like this:

ROUND 1


Make all of the following stitches in the first chain: 3 triple crochet, 3 double crochet 1 chain, 1 triple crochet, 1 chain, 3 double crochet, 3 triple crochet.

Adjust the stitches by moving them around so it looks like the picture above. Chain 2 and make a slip stitch in the center of the heart.


ROUND 2

Chain 3. Single crochet in the top of the 3rd chain from the previous round then make a half double crochet in the same stitch.


In the next stitch make 3 half double crochet. In the next stitch make 2 half double crochet. Then a single crochet in each of the following four stitches. 1 chain, double crochet in the next stitch (tip of the heart),1 chain.

Now start working on the second side of the heart: 1 single crochet in each of the following four stitches. 2 half double crochet in the next stitch. 3 half double crochet in the next stitch. In the last stitch make one half double crochet and a single crochet.
3 chains and slip stitch in the center of the heart.


Now you should have something that looks like this, you might need to move your stitches around a bit, and it might be a bit skewed if your tension hasn't been consistent, but I don't think that matters, it gives it personality and is part of the charm of handmade things!


ROUND 3
The last round is quite easy and is just there to create a nice edge to the heart.

Chain 3, single crochet in the first stitch (the top of the 3 chain from the previous row). 2 single crochet in the next stitch, single crochet in the next stitch, 2 single crochet in the next stitch and then make a single crochet in the following 9 stitches, 1 chain (for the tip of the heart). Make a single crochet in each of the following 8 stitches, 2 single crochet in the next stitch, 1 single crochet in the next, 2 single crochet in the next stitch and 1 single crochet in the final stitch. Chain 3 and slip stitch in the center of the heart.


Fasten off and sew in the ends.


I often use these hearts as decorations on presents, make garlands or cards. I'd love to see how you would use them too!

Haptic Soft-Maps

I love everything that has to with heritage and objects, which somehow connects you to places that are meaningful to you, past or present. Because I have moved around so much since a very young age, it has always been important to me to collect things from the various places I've lived. It's nice to be reminded of all the different places I've called home - some more than others!

These quilts by Haptic Lab, are just so beautiful to me, mainly because they not only remind you of a place that was or is meaningful to you, but also keep you warm and protected. I love them and I almost wish I had come up with the idea myself!

Today

Some days I miss having money to spare and colleagues to bounce ideas off, I even sometimes miss my rush hour cycle ride into town. But most days I just feel incredibly lucky and happy that I've made the choices that have led me to where I am now. Today was one of those days. This morning I did some work on a wholesale order my small Luxembourgish business, Silk & Burg, received, I've only just started selling in shops and it's so exciting. I had a lunch time meeting about a very exciting crochet project I'm working on here in London (I'll write about it in more detail soon), afterwards I cycled across London Fields to the Lido. It was freezing cold today, but the sun was out briefly and it was just so lovely. Afterwards I treated myself to a coffee and croissant and the E5 bakery - they make the best bread!

And then these type of days lead to days where I'm terrified my business and my plans wont work out, and I'll have to give up days like today! Life is funny like that...