Dying Dilemma 2025 Part 6

Dying Dilemma 2025 Part 6

As in my previous Blog I didn’t craft this but left it to a professional.

Coin Hip Scarf Black

This is a Black Hip Scarf that I brought whilst I was abroad in Egypt. It is known as a Coin Scarf for obvious reasons. The Coins are Silver in Colour.

Egyptian Hat

This is a Box type Hat with Cloth attached. It can be used as a Face Veil and has Gold Highlights.

Bead Hat

This is a different type of Belly Dancing Hat. It made from Beads. If I remember correctly I got this from somebody selling them on a Boat. I was taking a trip down the Nile in a Felucca.  They seemed to sell a lot of Beaded work in Southern Egypt which along with Sudan used to be the Kingdom of Nubia.

Black Organza Edged

I had picked this particular trim because of the mixture of Gold in the Hats and Silver in the Hip Scarf  Here it is beautifully Sewn to the Top of the Black Organza.

According to my friend Laura who owns Alyssa Rose Boutique it was a right pain to do. To which I replied why do you think I got you to do it instead of me.

Purple Velvet Hip Scarf

I cannot remember if this came from Egypt or later on from Tunisia. Regardless this is a far more sturdy Hip Scarf. The material is like Velvet and though you cannot really tell from the photograph it is a rich Purple colour.

This is by far my favourite Hip Scarf. I feel fantastic wearing it. Like the other Scarves it has Silver Coins.

Purple Chiffon Edged

I now have my lovely Purple Veil to go with my Hip Scarf. As much as I love to Craft sometimes its better to let a professional do it.

https://derbyclothhouse.co.uk/

https://www.alyssa-rose.co.uk/

The Problem with Pom-Poms– 2022 Solution is Snow Joke

 The Problem with Pom-Poms– 2022 Solution is Snow Joke

I hate Waste. So here is a Novel idea I came up with how to deal with the Problem the Pom-Pom had caused.

Spare Pom-Poms

 

I had the Large and the Medium Sized Pom-Poms left. You can see what I meant about the Original one being so rough and uneven. So what could I do with them?

Sew Pom-Poms Together

 

As I was holding them both in my hand I had an inspiration. By putting one on top of the other I could make the base of a Snowman. Fortunately the Tails were still attached so I simply Sewed them together.

Add Stick

Rummaging around in my Craft Cupboard I found a Stick. It was intended for a different project but it was so ideal I decided to use it now. I simply slipped the Stick through the Centre of the Lower Pom-Pom

Nose Job

 

For the Nose I took a Medium Sized Toggle and Coloured it with a Black Permanent Marker. I got some Superglue and spread on one End. Then I pushed it firmly into the Centre of the Head.

Snowman Complete

To complete the Snowman I Glued on some Googly Eyes. The added a Ribbon off an old wooden tobacco box I had been given. I love Boxes! The last thing I made was the Hat.

I cut a Circle out of Black Card. Next I took a strip of Card and Rolled it to make a Tube. I Cut a Smaller Circle the same size as the Tube and Stuck it on Top. Then all I had to do was to Glue the other End onto the Large Circle. Finally I Stuck the Hat onto the Snowman.

Pieces of Pom-Pom 

The Snowman might now be finished but I was still left with a huge pile of Yarn Trimmings from my desperate attempts to get the Original Pom-Pom down to size. I also had dozens of Tail Ends from making the Hat and Scarf. Not to mention the stray pieces of Yarn that had simply fallen out the Pom-Poms.

12 Owls

 

I hadn’t found a Christmas Card that I liked for my friend and with another jolt of inspiration I came up with this. The 12 Owls of Christmas cut out and Stuck on a Pleather Tree. I used the Trimmings as Snow.

Bah-Humbug

 

The Card I made for Danny was a nod to his Nott’s County Hat and Scarf Set. Also we had not long watched ‘The Muppet’s Christmas Carol’. Therefore by carefully Gluing Strips of Yarn onto the Card I created a pile of Humbug’s.

It was an extremely fiddly job and the Yarn came off almost as much as it went on to the Card. In the end it was worth it to see his face.

Incidentally ‘What is Scrooge’s favourite Hat?

It’s a ‘Humburg’ of course!

Nott’s County Hat 2022

 Nott’s County Hat 2022

This blog is a follow on from the Nott’s County Scarf 2022

Black and White

 

I have a habit of over buying Yarn. My principle is I would rather have too much than too little. There is nothing worse than running out and not to be able to match the dye lot.

Hat Pattern

 

Since Covid hit we are unable to return unused Yarn. Therefore I asked Danny if he would like a Hat to go with his Scarf. He replied in the affirmative and therefore we went Pattern hunting.

It was amazing how difficult it was to find a simple Mans Beanie Pattern. In the end I bought a ladies one and would have to adjust as I went along.

Ribbed Stripe

 

My first adjustment was the Needle Size. I needed to make the Hat big enough for a Man. Since I didn’t want to muck about with the Stitches as it was a Ribbed Pattern I went up a Size and Knitted quite Loosely.

I was so intent on adding the first Stripe that I forgot to change Needles again. I didn’t realise until I had done that until the second Stripe. With this in mind I decided the best thing to do was to keep trying it against my boyfriend’s head.

Decreasing

 

I tried to keep the Stripes equal in Width whilst Decreasing. I decided to end with a Black Stripe to match the Bottom.

Hat Knitted

Once Knitted I had to Sew it up. I made a slight mistake Sewing up as I forgot to Reverse it on the Bottom for when it is Folded. Now I had to make a Pom-Pom. That is another story.

Pattern and Wool from Button Moon

https://www.facebook.com/buttonmoonarnold

All Steam Ahead 2021 – Mad Hatter Preparations

 All Steam Ahead 2021 – Mad Hatter Preparations

Why do I do these things to myself? The Belt was pretty easy compared to what I have to do next.

Steampunk Hat Base

 

I had several Ideas regarding how to make the Hat including using card and Foam. However I decided it was far too much to accomplish in the given time just to get the Base.

I therefore went on a Hat Hunting expedition and found what apparently is called a Pork Pie Hat for £1 in a charity shop.

Pool of Glue

 

Once again I raided Laura’s for both decorations and advice. The latter I promptly ignored. She thought the material was fine as it was saying it looked like leather even though it was plastic she made me laugh by calling it ‘Pleather’.

However I couldn’t abide it as it was so remembering she said that Steampunk was an expression of oneself I decided that I wouldn’t be true to myself if I didn’t cover it. Sorry Laura but you cannot alter a habit of 40 years that easily.

Cotton Cover

So after filling the Top part of the Hat with Glue I covered it with Black Cotton material and smoothed it down. I wanted to keep the Top Shape if I could.

Glue Beneath

 

It took a while for the Top to dry but once it had I spread the rest of the Hat with Glue. I then Covered it as best I could.

Fold Under

 

When selecting the material I cut a large piece so there would be enough to Fold Under the Hat.

Beneath Covered

 

The Front of the Hat was now Covered.

Wrap around

In order to do the Sides of the Hat I had to pull the material taut and do a little bit of Folding. I cut off the Excess and smoothed it down. I now had a fully Covered Hat Base.

All Steam Ahead 2021 – Belt Up Part 1

 All Steam Ahead 2021 – Belt Up Part 1

This is following on from my Out of Zone Series. I had my Mask and Jewellery but now I came up with another daft last minute idea. – A Belt and Hat.

I would like to point out to any Purists that this is not supposed to be Steam Punk but like my previous efforts it is Steam Punk Esque

Brown Belt

 

First I needed a Belt that I could Embellish. My boyfriend had bought a pair of jeans but he didn’t like the Belt. So hey presto one Belt ready to be Upcycled.

Permanent Marker

 

There was a slight snag. This Belt was Brown and I needed it to be Black. Using a Tip I got from my friend Laura I decided to colour it in using a Permanent Black Marker Pen.

I started Colouring the Belt. It was coming up pretty good. I then realised that doing the Front was not enough because when Fastened the Belt would Dangle and show the Back.

Black Belt

 

It took several Colourings until I was satisfied that the Belt was completely Covered both Back and Front. I nearly forgot to do the Buckle area.

One tip when doing this sort of thing. Make sure that you put it on some paper or cardboard before Colouring in. Otherwise you will have to try and shift Permanent Marker off your surfaces.

Other Bits and Bobs 2017 Part 2

Welcome to my 100th Blog

Other Bits and Bobs 2017 Part 2

I decided to make a present for a friend of mine who was due to have a baby. I have done other baby items in the past so I looked for my pattern. Where this pattern had disappeared to I have no idea so I ended up buy a new one.

Baby Set King Cole Pattern

Once I found a pattern I liked from Knit Nottingham I discussed the yarn. I have difficult using acrylic yarn as I have a reaction to it. I normally use wool but since this is for a baby I was hesitant to use wool because of the mittens going in its mouth.

The mother wanted the items in white so after putting our heads together we decided to use the Bamboo Cotton. This was a win-win situation as since the baby is due in December and the size knitted is from 0-3 months it will be excellent for the spring.

White Baby Ribbed hat

The selection was a bit of a mixture. Even though she is expecting a girl we both preferred the boy’s patterns. The Ribbed Hat was chosen from the top right

White Baby Mittens

Since the Hat was ribbed we decided to match it using the pattern from the bottom left for the Mittens.

White Bootees Mistake Side View

I have absolutely no idea what happened here. I am using the pattern from the bottom left corner. However if you look at the photograph in the pattern it clearly shows a cord through it. So where are the holes for it?

White Bootees Mistake Front View

Unsure of what to do I part sewed one up the seam and took to show the mother. I explained that I could try and squeeze a cord or either a ribbon through the bootees. Alternatively I could fold over the top of the bootee and thread through that.

White Bootee Top Folded

It was decided that we would go with the folded over version with a ribbon.

Ribbon Added

As you recall the yarn I am using is white. However I think there had been a problem with the dye. For some reason the items have a lemony tinge. Therefore we have chosen to add a splash of colour by using a Yellow Ribbon.

Normally when I sew I hem the item then thread the cord through with a safety pin. Here I wanted to make sure the ribbon didn’t get twisted so I put the ribbon underneath and sewed along below it.

Ribbons Finished

I had folded over and hemmed the ribbon to stop fraying. Once done I simply then tied the ribbon off with a bow.

Full Knitted Set Finished

Here is the full set finished. I am quite pleased with them. I hope the mother feels the same.