mr. monkeysuit

needle felting is my new love

I have been oh so busy this weekend with my new book. I think I have found a new crafty love. Andy bought me a needle felting kit for Christmas and this donkey is the very first thing I have ever made. Which goes to show how flippin' easy it is. He is a little whispy-er than I would like but my needle snapped as I was giving him his finishing touches. And in the book he has a red satchel that I just couldn't get to making. But overall I am loving him. Here's the book,

Animal Mascots Made of Wool by Ondori ISBN 978 4 277 56310 9

This looks a perfect little Easter project. Did I really just say that ?  I can NOT honestly be thinking about Easter already, ahem. Moving on. I got the book from etsy and there is another copy from this seller. I got my starter kit from Nova Toys and some extra wool from here.

On another note, I would like to say thank you to everyone who left a comment about the quilt in the last post. Thank you so much, it is incredibly rewarding to hear that you all liked it.

Keep checking in with me this week as I may be posting a little prize up for grabs... and yes it probably will have something to do with needle felting.

harold

Harold was just enjoying a lazy morning in bed....

when he remembered he was due to appear at a Christmas party . Quick as a flash he, threw off his quilt, jumped into his  plaid suit and hopped on his Vespa.
Phew, he made it just in time.

Nothing like a bit of last minute crafting.
Pattern from this book.

ISBN 4-529-04114-X

cute

cute

CUTE.

a blanket, a book and a beagle

I have been working on this blanket for so long now...months and months and now it is finally finished. It is for Cissy (Frances' nickname which has been viewed with great skepticism from friends, but I love it in an old fashioned 1940's kind of way and not least because it reminds me of my good friend's grandmother who had the loveliest disposition...so it stays I'm afraid.)

Anyway enough ranting, back to the blanket, I used Rowan 4 ply from here, which knits up so softly and is a joy to work with. I love the colourways of this yarn, something I think Rowan does really well.

   
I painstakingly backed it by hand with some lovely Liberty jersey which I bought a long time ago. I love their fabrics so much. They are just the best. This shop on ebay has a good supply of them at a reasonable price.

I embroidered it with ideas from this book. ISBN4 529 04110 7
   

It's a very cute book.

In other news (i.e. shopping) I bought three of these adorable little gnomes from Aimee Ray's etsy  shop. (You can also check out her amazing embroideries at Mahar Dry Goods ). I think the noms might need a home now though. I have been a bit gnome-y since Andy got me these for our wedding anniversary. Does this man know how to treat a woman or what ?

for sweet baby

the unfinished business project is coming along nicely...so nicely i thought i could with a bit of diversion today and here it is.

   

i had a pack of plain white onsies crying out for some embroidery and i really had nothing else i had to do today, ah bliss. i got the inspiration from this book...

isbn4-07-246385-X. this book has lots of lovely easy projects, not too time consuming but very effective. perfect for little baby gifts....or even for making for your own expectant bundle of joy. just 2 months to go and a whole room to decorate. here are more pictures from the book.

   

every day life here has been delightfully slow and relaxing although the whether has taken a turn for the worse, i am not complaining because it is good crafting weather i.e. you don't feel guilty about being indoors hiding away like a hobbit on a crazy crafting mission.

i found these from this shop on etsy and think they are too cute. i am just waiting for payday to relieve the drastic stationery shortage in our home... you can imagine.

also i have decided to be more disciplined about my blogging, i have noticed i blog for three or four days in a row and then nothing for ten days. so starting next week i am going to try and blog twice a week on tuesdays and thursdays....though frankly i am not convinced i can stick to it....moderation in moderation, excess in excess - as a loony friend of mine used to say.

japanese cute

just a little something to share on a sleepy mother's day sunday in buffalo.

 

   

oh the patience it would take, that i just don't have. still i love to look and get ideas from all these great japanese craft books. this particular one is called point and its' isbn number is 4-277-31148-2 and i think i got it from amazon.co.jp.

cutest girls clothes ever

i just got this book from here and i absolutely love it. i can't wait to try out the patterns which look pretty simple (even in japanese, ha!) and i am hoping that kinko's will be able to photocopy the pattern sheet for me. how does one duplicate a pattern sheet that has several patterns overlapping on it ? i don't really have anyone to make these dresses for but i just can't resist. isbn number  4-579-11054-4