PRINT: School of Fish

SCHOOL OF FISH

History
With the summer at its peak in Sydney… there isnt much outdoor for me. I dont even feel like going out for buying groceries. When i am thinking of spending time at home away from TV ( any way i am not much of a TV person…) i first thought of painting…and somehow paper didnt appeal to me. I got some supplies to finish this.

I know what you all might be thinking….” Why cant you stick to something instead of keeping hands in everything?” Even i am thinking the same

Supplies: Cheap brushes, Acrylics, Medium, Paper and other stuff
Notes:
“School of Fish” is my first attempt at printing on fabric. I painted on fabric before, you know all those flowers, creepers but never printed (I know that this is not printing). It looks like a perfect thing to do between yarny stuff, so i will be shopping for some supplies next month. I am looking for “Stencil Knife”, “Cotton fabric” at budgetable prices So if anyone has any leads in and around Sydney CBD or North Shore, please do leave a message.

The fish are done using a paper template on a Tee. The eyes, scales and bubbles are added by hand.

Tell me what you think??? Is my attempt worth investing in more supplies???

SPIN: Grand Canyon

GRAND CANYON

History
You already have seen me taking up spinning so after some small starts and decent lengths of yarn, i want my own decent length of handspun. so i started on it and finished thats it.
I named it “Grand Canyon” as it reminds me of the pictures i have seen of the huge rocky valleys and terrains cut by what seems to be a meek river.
Fibre: 100% Merino Fibre by Bilby Yarns in Carnival colorway (Given to me by Mel).
WPI: 12 WPI; Sport/Light DK/5 ply.
Length: 82 mts
Weight:
Notes:
My initial spin is a bit thick because i couldn’t draft the fibre as fast as the spindle is spinning. That is when i saw a vedio over the youtube where the lady pre-drafted the fibre before she spun it on her spindle.
So i tried it and it gave me a more fine yarn. I think i will pre-draft the fibre as it works for me.

I spun a lot of fibre before i realised that i have to make another single so that i can ply them. So when i plied the two singles, i had a lot of single yarn that is left that is when i tried Navajo plying. I have to say that i have been sucessfull.

Intially i wound my singles on TP rolls and when its time to ply them… I used some bowls from the kitchen… stuck them on the TV antenna ariels…tried all. Think its time to get a shoe box

I followed the chart on Wiki to determine the yarnweight. There are so many charts over the net and each has its own numbers, so you can say i am a bit confused at this point of time. If any one has a good wpi chart i would love to have a copy.

Learnt:
its my first serious spin… so i can say i learnt everything.

Time:
A week i think.

FO – Buttons n Threads Photo Frame

BUTTONS ‘N THREADS PHOTO FRAME

History
I visit some of the op shops around where i live once in a while or when i am near them and have some coins to spend. I mainly look for yarn or books. I dont know much about vintage stuff, not much into jewellery and anything that adds to luggage that we already have… I dont buy it ok stash and books do not count

I found an almost full ball of grey acrylic yarn without a ball band for 50c. Its nothing interesting but i wanted some thing… so it followed me home. Then after a few days, i got the book “Knit 2 Together” from the library. Its a lovely book and i will talk about it later. Since my WIP’s are going slowly i jumped up when i saw this small and cute project.

Yarn: Yarn unknown acrylic in around sport weight – 8ply in Australia.
Needles: 6mm Circulars
Others: Butons, leftover yarns to brighten up, Glue, Plexi Photoframe ( I didnt have one, so i made my own… A bit crude but works)

Gauge: A bit off… but almost as the pattern specifies
Size: 5 X 7
Pattern: “Tahiti-Style Photo Frames” by Mel Clark in “Knit 2 Together” Book.
Notes:
The pattern is a very simple… and since i only have to knit all the time.. it flew off the needles. I think i got a larger FO as i didnt follow the gauge but thats not a prob for me as it fits my frame. Since the whole thing was too grey, i brightened it up a bit with some colorful bits of yarn some buttons.
DH loved it when he saw it…

Another reason to start the project is a shop-a-docket that gives you a 10c print and i wanted to frame a pictures of ours taken in Katoomba. But by the time i finished the whole thing, i couldnt find the docket and my laptop crashed along with the pictures. So it is now carrying a post card of sydney

There aren’t many “Photo Frame” patterns on Rav, but they make a quick gift that will stay on. Make in some baby colors and attach a small amigurumi for a new baby photo. Make in Christmas colors, you can include a family photo when giving to someone in the family. Make in your own handspun yarn. Make with all those leftovers. The posibilities are endless…

If i make it again;
I will use a more interesting yarn (i already have something interesting going on in my mind…)

Learnt:
To take regular backups of the photos an other important data

Time:
A Day.

I took up Spinning

A New Year and i took up a new craft, Spinning. Though i didn’t really chart out my resolutions this year (i never do..) learning how to spin is there on my mind for sometime. What is a more perfect time to learn a new craft when you are unemployed.. You really can’t complain “I just didn’t have the time”.

I did a bit research on the net as the local library didn’t have books on spinning using a spindle. I should admit there are 3-4 books on spinning using a wheel. Learning to spin on a “Drop Spindle” seems to be a good option as i don’t have the money to invest in a wheel and i definitely can’t take it back when its time for flying home.

Couple of vedios on Youtube gave me the confidence, but first i need a spindle and some fibre to start on. I kept it on a wishlist in Rav but i thought why not build my own spindle (A CD spindle). I went to Bunnings, a housing material warehouse chain and got a dowel and some screw hooks. I couldnt find any rubber gormets so my spindle had to wait.
Stuff i found to make a spindle.

Meanwhile Mel, a friend in Sydney messaged me saying that she has a spindle and some fibre for me. Yay!!! She is so generous.
So on Monday i collected the Spindle, which is made by her, some fibre and also took some spinning lessons from her. I ran straight to home and spun some yarn and plied it. My first handspun, a mere 6 mts resemble a bit like sari silk in strong primary colors.

My goodies

Spun singles wound around my phone.

The 6meters of my first plied yarn

I have been spinning every morning from then on… my aim right now is to spin yarn with consistant thickness… which when plied will be around sport weight. My problem as of now is over twisting, i am so afraid that the fibres will come apart that i am twisting them too much; i feel if i am wringing their neck

I absolutely love this fibre and its colors

Spun and would on a cardboard roll

The yarn with other fibre (there is a 20c Aussie coin – roughly the size of a Indian rupee coin)

Virginia and Petlins are the fibre stores within the sydney limits which also have a physical store. There are a lot of online stores but right now i like to feel the fibre before i buy to understand it. Since going to Virginia means changing 3 buses and a 2 hr journey 1 way; i am sticking to Petlins now.

Its Jeni who inspired me into spinning when she RAKd me her handspun.
Then DH dragged me down to Aus and opened the gates.
Mel completed the whole thing when she gave me the goodies.
So a big “Thank you” to all of you.

FO – Nubby Brim Cloche

NUBBY BRIM CLOCHE

History
We went to Centennial Park on a hot afternoon and DH kept on complaining about me not wearing a cap. I like baseball caps but somehow i couldn’t find a perfect baseball hat for my head. But Sydney’s summer (with a hole in the ozone directly above Aus) needs something more than a baseball hat, something that covers the ears and neck. After we are back at home in the evening, i went up and down Rav; choosed this pattern and completed it by next day morning.

Yarn: Bernat Satin Solid – 1 ball (100 gm) (I got this as a gift from Rima)
Hook: 6mm
Others: Scissors
Gauge: aaahhhh!!!!
Size: Its fits me perfectly
Pattern: “Nubby Brim Cloche” by Eileen Tepper (Its a free download on Rav)
Notes:
Its Acrylic yarn but it is unbelievably soft… its very soft and the color deep maroon is not so flashy for me to wear outside.The pattern is simple and at the end gives you a perfect cloche.
I changed a bit regarding the cord that runs around the hat. Instead of doing a long chain and all; i cut up 6 long peices of yarn and braided them with knots at either end.

If i make it again;
I don’t want to change anything probably use a different yarn but thats it.

Learnt:
Nothing much actually but i loved doing it.

Time:
This is the first project that i completed in a day…