Crafting For, During and After Christmas

These are some of the presents I made for people this Christmas.

I made quite a few presents and managed to forget to photograph a fair number of them too. But they have all been very happily received which is the main thing. I also bought a few things from other makers.

My Dad adores his Bird Nerd keyring and tells me it is a compliment in birding circles. This one was from an Etsy seller in the USA.

I'd decided on a silk scarf for my ma-in-law and knew this was the perfect one as soon as I saw it on Folksy. Lovely UK seller and designer too.






I was also crafting on christmas day and in the last few days. My pin cushion, made before the days of blogging, was falling apart so needed replacing. The original was a flower made out of felt on top of a small round cardboard box such as you get told to decoupage nowadays. The replacement is a variation on that.

I made a few of these for christmas presents last year. The top is a patchwork hexagon I made out of diamonds that wasn't sitting well with the others in the series. Too pas-tel if you know what I mean. These are a great way of recycling jam and pasta jars. I've added a lne of washi tape around mine just because I am still in the washi zone. And having washi'd one pen pot (in my last post) I turned my attention to another one which is just a plain mesh one I believe I purloined from a former employer. I've seen some iphone cases made of mesh which have been embroidered and so I've been pondering a bit of bargello. I am not short of inspiration.

I picked out a few favourite designs. (Excuse the photo quality.)

But I think this is the winner...

I am just awaiting full daylight to choose the colours.

Then lastly I'm working on a new cushion cover for a round cushion in hand stitched english paper pieced diamonds. I'm using shades of red from stash and scraps.

I like the way it makes my eyes flicker from place to place picking up elements of the patterns. Not a restful piece but an exciting one.

My volunteering is over now. I had signed up for five days but by the end of day three I was burnt out and cleared it with the team there to leave it at that. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day are apparently the hardest days to get people to turn up for (especially with the tube strike the last few years) so I'd done good by making it for all three. I will be doing it again but a max of three days in a row.

C is for C...C....C....Christmas!

Merry Christmas one and all! This is where I ate my christmas lunch, consisting of one jam sandwich and a big sainsbury's chocolate cookie.

Day two of volunteering went very well. Towards the end of my shift I took a call from an Outreach Worker who had come across a man sleeping rough. He had been in one of the Crisis shelters on the 23rd but thought it was like at the rest of the year when they can only stay for one night and then have to move on. Together with others in the Ops Centre we arranged for him to be picked up and driven back to the shelter he had been in and to stay there until the 2nd so he doesn't have to sleep outside for at least the next 8 nights.  There he'll have a dry, clean bed with the chance to have three meals a day, clean clothes, have a shower, a haircut, medical attention (including psychiatric if needed) and advice from people on the services he can access to try and get him  permanently off the streets. I only played a minor part in all that but to know that I've helped does give you a little glow that makes it all worth the effort.

It's cold out there. If you can't donate your time think about donating a few pounds instead. 

You can donate online here. 

Click on 'reserve a place' and enter any amount from £1 up.

C is for C...C...C.....Crisis

Go me!

My first day of volunteering saw me up at 5.30am and hard at work by 7.30am. I'll be there all week. It's rather nice to be helping out when otherwise I'd just be sitting about doing not much. Although I am not often doing not much. For example, I broke out the washi tape. 

My formerly plain pound shop tin is now all cat and dotty. Also I had another chance to experiment with Nickerjac's Cricut. Sadly this did not exactly go to plan. 

I'd bought a new blade and done much research into how to cut fabric with one. I followed one tutorial, much encouraged by her description of it "cutting like butter". Mine cut more like a sword made out of modelling balloons. 

So. Right. Not to be put off I switched to just cutting freezer paper, which did indeed cut like a soft foodstuff. I then ironed the freezer paper shapes onto fabric, cut round them and glued (yes, glued) them onto bibs and onesies. 

A quick zigzag stitch around them and ta da!

On some of them I plan to add a little hand embroidery. For example:

This one is going to have "food" added to the blunt end. 

Just to finish... want to take part in an awesome swap requiring a yard of fabric? Sign up now!!

Now I'm off for a crafty Baileys. 

Presents

Pooch and I swapped gifts early since he will be in Colne over xmas while I will be here in London. I got chopsticks, an amazing printed linen cloth with cat faces on it which I forgot to photograph and....washi tape.

I'd asked him to pick up couple as I've seen it on various craft blogs but the UK prices seem a bit OTT. Turns out the prices in Japan are just as bad but...

I've only got as far as unwrapping one roll to play with but I don't want to get caught in one of those 'saving it for something special' traps which so easily leads to hoarding. I'm therefore scouring Pinterest for ideas. Apparently it is wall friendly and I am rather taken by this:

Source: fellowfellow.com via Alex on Pinterest

And you know I do rather like polka dots.

Having finished my christmas crafting I've got a few FOs to share. During my flu I wasn't capable of anything more complicated than a Frankie's 10-stitch blanket which I've made twice before. This one is destined for a french cat and another is half complete.

Details on Ravelry here.

I also tried a sock - 4-ply fairisle with flu? It was never going to work. I cast on the suggested 68 stitches and changed to top down. By the time I got to the ankle I knew it was too tight and had to frog it. That was in this combination of yarns.

I retried with a different yarn with a greater contrast and an extra 8 stitches.

Looking good and fitting much better. I've used a plain, vertical stripe on the sole and gusset.

I love the look of fairisle stripes because it's like a secret only a knitter would understand. To a non knitter I suspect they'd assume it was just alternate rows not real fairisle.

I've got the weekend to relax before my volunteering starts on Monday. I've used it so far to start my somewhat overdue spring cleaning. My bathroom now sparkles and the kitchen has no idea what is about to hit it.

Google Doodle

Today's doodle was a long cartoon about Red Riding Hood. I loved the way the Granny's knitting saved the day. This is the final frame:

Awesome work Google!

Don't forget...

I've extended the sign up deadline to January 1st. You can read all about it and sign up here.

Oooo Quick! Sign Up!

I've extended the sign up deadline to January 1st. You can read all about it and sign up here.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Not being a religious person, Christmas for me is more about the food and festivities than anything else. And a major food staple for me is Marzipan Fruits.

This year's are from Waitrose. I know they are only shaped bits of marzipan and I know they're just covered in food colouring but when it comes together it results in so much more than just coloured marzipan. Each one is a magical christmas jewel. AND they taste good. I do like marzipan. Then of course there is the tree. I don't have one myself but was on hand to help decorate Mum's.

Yes, she does have the decorations my sister and I made as little ones. But she also has some more recent additions. The glass Father Christmas is one of my favourites.

I spent the weekend at Mum's getting over the last of my flu. I actually spent more than half the time I was there asleep but I guess that has helped since I was able to go back to work for almost a full day today. While down there I got some quality cat action. Artemis is not usually a playful cat - she prefers an actual kill to a pretend one with a screwed up piece of paper - but she noticed my knitting and the wool moving against the chair.

Before long it was the enormous, round, black pupils and the lightening quick paws with claws fully extended. All too easy to imagine those eyes and claws being the last thing the small, furry creature of the fields ever sees before squeaking their last.

Source: etsy.com via Alex on Pinterest

The Joys of Creative Commons Licensing

Ms PurlPower asked me how you get decent images into your blog posts. Allow me to share my method.

First of all, a brief introduction to Creative Commons.

What is Creative Commons?

This is genius. It is a not-for-profit way of protecting your copyright. You choose which of six licenses applies to you and then mark your work in some way to show the license applies to it. Your work can be a photo, video, document, tutorial, pattern, song etc. Now to some, six licenses may sound confusing but this is not the lie of "tax doesn't need to be taxing". This is actually a simple process. The six licenses are explained here (scroll down) so let's take two examples to show how they work.

If you choose the most basic license, this is "Attribution". This means that when someone comes across something with this license they can use it in any way they want to as long as they identify you as the original is credited to you. So if you were to knit something from a Rowan pattern and take a killer picture of it, Rowan could come across it and use the photo in their publicity materials without asking permission or paying you a bean as long as they put your name on it. You still own the copyright in this and all other cases and you do have moral and a few other rights, explained online in more detail.

If you want more protection you might choose the "Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs" license. This means that as well as attributing the work to you, they can't use it for commercial purposes (so Rowan couldn't use it for marketing) and they have to use it as is - they can't edit or change it in any way.

Still confused? CC have created a little tool to help you choose a license (should you wish to license your work through Flickr or somewhere else for usage).

CC and Flickr

Now once works (photos, in this case) are licensed you can start using them. I source all my images from Flickr and I store all of mine there too (and yes, mine are all CC licensed). If you go to Flickr's Advanced Search tool and scroll all the way down you'll see this:

Tick the box relevant to you and your search will only bring up images you can use. Alternatively search within content with a specific license. To do this open up Flickr, go to 'Explore' and choose 'Creative Commons' (or just click here). Click on "see more" next to the license your heart desires and search in there.

Using an Image

Let's say you want to advertise my Charm Square Swap. You could just write about it but a picture is worth a thousand tweets so find the image on Flickr. Hint - it's here. Above the image and on the left click on 'share'. You'll get this.

You want the "Grab the HTML" section. Choose the size you want the image to appear on your blog from the drop down below the code and the code automatically updates (I usually use 500px wide). Now copy the code and go to your blog post. This bit is only about Blogger but I assume it is the same for Wordpress and others.

Personally I stay in 'compose' mode (the one it takes you to automatically) and paste the code wherever I want the image to go. Just like this:

Then, because I'm like that, I select all the code and centre it using the menu option above the text box, next to the numbered bullets icon. I don;t do anything else. That's it. So now, as soon as someone clicks on the image it takes them to the page on Flickr where the original is, from where the owner can be contacted and any information they wanted related to the image (such as camera type, location etc) can be found. You can do this to use any appropriately licensed image on your website or in print (as long as the print version has the attribution printed visibly somewhere).

Telling How an Image on Flickr is Licensed

You may have already found an image and want to check how you can use it. Easy enough. Take this image for example:

Click on the image above to get to the Flickr page. On the right towards the bottom of the page you'll see "Owner Settings" and the details of the license. Now compare that with this photo. This one says "All rights reserved" under the owner settings heading. That means that if you use it without the explicit permission of the creator you are potentially in a pile of poo. Best case scenario you get a polite email telling you to take the image off your blog pronto. Worst case and it all gets legal and expensive.

If you are a charity a lot of people will be ok with attribution-only as long as you are clear about how it will be used, but you MUST get written permission to use an image which isn't currently licensed. Can't get permission? There are two hundred million images on Flickr with some form of CC license. Just choose a different one.

Leave a comment if you have any questions!

Clear Liquid

The NHS Direct website has reassured me that I'm not dying and should drink 8-10 glasses of clear liquid a day. This confused me for a while (not difficult since I'm so tired I find myself confused by things like light switches and my feet). Did this mean cheap apple juice was ok but the posh cloudy stuff wasn't? And indeed it turns out that that is completely true. Juice is fine but nothing that has pulp in. Coffee and tea are fine but only without milk. Jelly is fine (?) as are fizzy drinks but not lumpy soup. And always be grateful you are not having a colonoscopy, at which point blue and red liquids are also out.

No smurf soup for you.

This has been the worst time possible to have this kind of flu-like cough/cold. It was my sister's wedding yesterday. She looked proper amazing.

I won't post any other photos though until the proper ones are issued as my blurry efforts don't do the wedding justice. I made it through the service with relatively little coughing and firmly seated but the confetti and then walk to the restaurant did me in and I had to leave. I don't blame her for being annoyed but I hope she understands I wouldn't have left if I didn't have to.

I'm off work today but tomorrow the exam results are due out and it's me who does all that. The one possible bright side is that being this ill now makes it (in my mind and do not question my logic) less likely I'll be ill when I volunteer for Crisis over christmas. Two years ago I volunteered and then had swine flu for three weeks and couldn't do any of it.

It will be different this year.

Christmas Presents!

Since NoMoBloPo finished I've occasionally missed writing daily but it was pretty time consuming. And time is something lacking at this time of year...because it is Christmas!! First presents have been wrapped and flown the nest.

I love this style of wrapping. It's the most trouble I've ever taken but it does make them look sweet even before you see what's inside. Some of them have secrets inside but others I can share. There are a few embroidered objects...

(The blue ink is the vanishing pen that I need to get wet to vanish properly.) And maybe some insanely zany socks.

I don't know very much about the recipient but I understand he is not insanely zany so I keep sniggering when I imagine the look on his face when he sees them for the first time.

I've also been grafting away on my accessories for sister Siany's wedding on Monday. She's so clever. An 11% payrise despite being 5 months preggers. They clearly want to ensure she comes back because she's so good at it. This is the belt I'll be wearing.

Don't ask how long it took to sew on all those fecking buttons. Base is some puce slightly elasticated lace designed for extremely sturdy underwear. I will of course be wearing a dress and not my polka dot pyjamas. I used poppers as the closure and they've worked pretty well.

The fascinator is ghastly. A wash out. Absurd. Don't talk to me about it. It never happened. It's probably a judgement for daring to suggest yarn bombing isn't an act undertaken by the highest among us through which we can understand their mightyness. So moving on let's talk about ice.

I found this on the inside of the lid of some tupperware while having a freezer clear out (that's how I roll). I've always been interested in ice since being told, as all children are, that no two snowflakes are ever alike. I suspect it's often a child's first introduction to the concept of infinity. I was already interested in how things worked when I found that out so it didn't start my interest in science but it definitely fanned the flames. A colleague in my first job after Uni had done her PhD in ice. I've never been interested in the details of chemistry but any physicist would proudly claim crystal structures as Solid State Physics and tell the Chemists to go back to their stuff in glass tubes. If this interests you the Wikipedia page is brief but good on the subject. Meanwhile, wasn't my tupperware pretty?

I wish I could have kept it.

Anniversary Present

It's actually the anniversary of my divorce coming through today. Things between Pooch and I are going well so I'm not inclined to celebrate it. But in others news, my parents have been married for 20 years! This is Mumsy and Dad2, Rob. I started planning this cross stitch about 18 months ago so it won't surprise anyone that I only just finished it in time.

It is about 10" across and on 18ct white aida. Various dmc cottons used throughout with 2 strands out of the 6 used except for occasional outlining done just with 1 strand. Each of the items was chosen for a reason and it roughly corresponds to the 4 seasons, starting with spring bottom left and going clockwise.

This is me (on the left) and Sian (she who will be married next week and who has gotten me off the hook by having a baby, due next year). In the middle is Artemis, the mighty hunter and chicken fearer.

Then the fear inducing chickens, or at least, one chicken.

I was rather proud of this. Brown on the left and then one strand of brown and cream in the middle, then just cream on the right. Then books.

Mater is known for her immense weekend breakfasts.

A few home grown veg. Variegated green used on cabbage thing.

Rob is a big steam fan.

It was little mum who started me off knitting and sewing so I wanted to include a sewing machine.

I'm not saying they drink a lot, but there are many occasions which are celebrated with a bottle of something bubbly.

Mumsy is also renowned for her christmas puddings which represent 50% proof cannon balls of yum.

So there you have it. Sian helped me with the design and the rest is history.