20130527

Feltertinger

During the creation of this critter it quickly became clear that what I wanted it to become and what it wanted to be were two different things.

The Bavarian and Austrian tradition of "funny" taxidermy came to mind as I was finishing off what shall henceforth be known as:

The Feltertinger


Learned:
- eye lids

20130524

Mamegoma style

Mamegoma are incredibly cute baby seals in different colour schemes:

This is my take on the idea:




Learned:
- covering a "country sheep" raw form with merino
- tiny detail for mouth

20130522

McCrab

I think I made something cute yesterday evening and this evening.



Learned:
- including eyes
- small shapes
- smoother surface
- working with merino only
- "go with the flow" of the fibre in top layers

Question:
Why do my thickest felting needles break more easily than the thin ones?

20130520

Practizing, practizing

First felting needle broke. Not a pleasant experience to have 2cm of barbed pointy metal flying past my ear...
So this is Bowler, the Squid, named after his bowler hat.



Practized:
tube shapes
round flap
attaching shapes

20130519

Cookie's Koala

My friend Cookie adores these critters, so I decided to crochet one for her birthday.


This ami is also featured on Helen's latest blog update for May:

Read the blog


As the birthday celebrations were long and intense, I didn't dare pick up my felting needles this weekend.
But tomorrow is another national holiday and that means - happy stabbins ahead!

20130515

Bunneh needs to get out of Dodge

- a predator has arrived: Barney Owl



Experimented with:
- smaller shapes
- flaps
- several colours

Learned:
brown country sheep carding should be reserved for filler duties

Concept doodle (3)

As I explained to a friend the other day, the inhabitants of my village have the pet name "Krotnpracker" - toad squishers. In our area, bricks were manufactured, and oftentimes toads (or frogs, the common language isn't that precise) were squished in the process. Nowadays, toads are my town's mascots.


Concept doodle (2)



Funny how it ended up resembling one of my childhood heroes:


20130514

Got it!

Three gruelling hours after finding a note in my mailbox saying that my parcel had been deposited with a neighbour, I finally was able to pick it up!
My meervilt! starters kit with felting wool, needles and a felting sponge!
First project - a bunneh!
Or an exclamation mark!


Or a trip to the ER if I manage to pierce my thumbnail with one of those needles.
Come to think of it, I've never been to an ER.
Guess it's one of those "things to do before you die". Literally, in most cases.


Another 2 hours have passed.
I have to say, there's something therapeutic about the sound the needles make when stabbing a bunneh...




Hootie and the -


Concept for a possible needle felt project.
Also, how I feel today.

20130511

Fighting with Bunny Bits

It was cold and windy today, so I decided to stay in and work on a softie.

 

based on Baby Binky Bunnies

After taking out the stuffing in the ears and changing the nose...


20130510

Slippery Slopes

I knew I was doomed when my friend Karin of Keuns & Bears told me to consider dry (or needle) felting a facial feature for an amigurumi.
Looking into the technique I found this:
@ Pinterest

and now I'm kind of tempted to buy a few supplies and start stabbing things

20130508

Craft Meme

Every blog needs a meme...

As it's rather a lot of text, I put it on a page of its own.

Read the Meme



20130507

Beading table & work in progress

A view of my craft table
I'm half-way through the chart of my Calavera cuff.

Not being a big fan of Halloween having been imported into the European market, I do have a soft spot for the sugar skulls of Dia de los Muertos. I hope to create a couple of decorations by November 1st and have been collecting a few ideas on my Pinterest board.

20130504

Bruges SnB Blog Update

Yeay, it's here, the update for April, with my first shaky rows on the beading loom :)

Read the blog

20130503

Potawatomi Chevron

I admit it, I just wanted an excuse to say / write Potawatomi again.

While beading the green and yellow bracelet in Potawatomi Chevron Stitch, I noticed the cute little "picots" the pattern created. I wanted to accentuate them in an otherwise simple colour combination, and using the Gütermann beads I had "inherited" with the beading loom, made this this evening:

And yes, today I ordered more miyuki beads, for a bracelet I found for sale on a new age jewellery estore. The stitch I'll be learning for this is, nomen est omen, the Square Stitch.




20130501

Beading update

Today I

- continued beading a few rows on the Peyote Calavera
- watched this tutorial and worked onPotawatomi Stitch bracelet




- went to my friend Rozemie's knitting group wearing my first self sewn longsleeve shirt and got started on an amigurumi birthday present 



Nepal Chain Bracelet

Tutorial @ Inspirational Beading
Fast, relatively easy, cute