Clay-time Playtime 2021 Part 4

 Clay-time Playtime 2021 Part 4

Now the pot is made the fun bit can start.

Varnish Outside

 

I wanted to colour the pot but as I was intending it for the Bathroom I didn’t think watercolours would be a good idea in all the steam. Then I hit upon the idea of using Nail Varnish.

I had lots of half used Varnish so I found a nice Sand Coloured Yellow and began to Varnish the Outside

Dish Base

 

The Outside Varnish needed to dry so I turned it upside down. In doing so I realised that I would need to Varnish the Base of the Dish as well.

Bottom Varnish

I wasn’t sure which Varnish to use as I need the Yellow for a Second Coat on the Outside Edge. I decided to use a Clear Varnish as a kind of Undercoat.

Purple Swirl

 

After sorting through the various Bottles of Varnish I selected a Purple Shade and carefully Varnished a Thick Purple Swirl on the Base.

I had to wait for this to dry before doing a Second Coat so I very carefully added another Coat of Yellow to the Outside Edge.

Pink Bands

 

I wanted to add more detail to the Swirl so I picked a Pinkie-Gold Varnish and began to apply. I wanted to start small then make Thicker Bands. Unfortunately this proved more difficult than I anticipated.

In the end I had to keep do some Bands then and more Purple to try and even out the lines. Sometimes I added too much so then I had to wait for it to dry and then add more Pink.

Gold Edge

To add a nice Edge I selected a Gold Varnish and Coloured in between the Swirls. It was hard work but I am very pleased with the result.

Boxes Galore 2018 Part 6

Boxes Galore 2018 Part 6

This is the final part of Boxes Galore. Now I am working on the Circular Box

Gold Rush

Although this Box is a different shape the methodology that I am using is pretty much the same. I started with Gold Gems around the Inner Circle. I then repeated the process on the Outer Circle

Towards the Edge

The pattern of this Box reminded me a little of the Flower Box I had completed. Therefore I thought I would give a nod to that’s colouring.

I used the Gold Gems as a basis then I infilled the Central Circle with Bright Pink Gems. I then moved towards the Edge with Red Gems. In between the Red I added White which completed the second ring.

Up to the Edge

After the second ring I added the last colour which was Pale Pink. These combinations of colours took me up to the Edge. I decided to finish off the Edge with Gold Gems unfortunately that photograph did not come out.

A Trio of Boxes Galore

I now have A Trio of Boxes Galore. I hope you enjoyed this Blog.

Boxes Galore 2018 Part 5

Boxes Galore 2018 Part 5

I have entitled this Box my Flower Power Box because of its flowery pattern.

Flower Power Box

I have decided on a change of colour. I am starting with Red, Bright Pink and Pale Pink

Inner Petals

After the initial Inner Petals were finished using a Red, Pale Pink and Bright Pink I changed the order.

The alternative Inner Petals were Bright Pink, Red and finishing with the Pale Pink

All around Inner Petals

Now I had the basic pattern on all the Inner Petals I needed to join them up. This involved adding two extra Gems on the longer Petals.

Towards the Centre

I continued the process of adding extra Gems working towards the Centre.

Full Bloom

Once I had finished the Inner Petals I could start work on the Outer Petals. In addition to using the Red and Pink Gems I also added a Pale Purple. This helped spread out the other Gems and gave me flexibility when it came to designing the pattern.

There were two other possibilities with this Box. I could add more to the Centre and I could also put Gems around the Square lid. In the end I decided that less was more. Next blog is a new Box with a new pattern.

What Blooming Flower Is It? 2018 Part 5

What Blooming Flower Is It? 2018 Part 5

Two corners down two to go. Since the first pair of corners were quite dark in nature being Purple and Blue I wanted a change.

Crocus Corner 2

I am going to start work on Crocus Corner 2 beginning once again with the stems.

Crocus Corner 2 Leaves

 

I was still undecided what colours to use so I carried on with the Leaves

Crocus Corner 2 Yellow

Once again I edged the stamens in Yellow. I had toyed with using a different colour but in the end I decided to stick with what I had done previously

Corner 2 is in the Pink

Finally I decided to use Pink threads and did the outline in various shades

Crocus Corner 2 Outer Petals

I had quite a bit of fun with the Pink Crocuses or should that be Pink Croci?* I had lots of shades so I went  from quite vivid right through to pale.

Crocus Corner 2 Yellow infill

As I said last time I was getting bored with finishing with the yellow infilling of the stamen area. Therefore this time I reverted to the original format.

Crocus Corner 2 Pink Complete

Here we are with another corner finished. Actually due to lighting problems and the boredom of the Yellow infilling I have been naughty. I have been simultaneously working on Crocus Corner 4

*

For those wondering Crocuses and Croci are both acceptable.

Other Bits and Bobs 2017 Part 4

Other Bits and Bobs 2017 Part 4

In Other Bits and Bobs 2017 Part 3 I wrote about the Pink Beret I knitted. This blog covers the rest of the set and a couple of extra items.

Pink Gloves

After the Beret was finished I knitted a pair of Pink matching Gloves.

Pink Scarf

To complete the set I knitted a Scarf. A couple of snags occurred whilst knitting it. If you look at the photograph you can see a bump on the left side. This was a miss-stitch that I didn’t notice until far too late.

Also I inadvertently started a new ball of wool on the last section. It was only later that I found half a ball of wool tucked away in another part of my craft box – very annoying.

This meant when I reached the desired length I had two part balls left. It was this when I had an idea.

Pink Flower Brooch

A couple of years ago I made a top which was fastened with a knitted flower.

I thought this would be a great idea to do in some of the Pink wool I had left. I knitted the flower then proceeded to sew Pink Beads on it.

Brown Flower Brooch

Now the Pink Set was finished I started on another set in Brown Wool. Again I made a Flower Brooch. This time the centre bead was white and the rest were gold.

Back of Brooches

All that was left to do was to sew safety pins on the back.

Brown Beret

I am not exactly sure what I did whilst knitting this Beret but I kept getting the stitch count wrong. Therefore I had to make considerable adjustments whilst knitting in order to get it finished.

Brown Gloves 

Another mistake was made with the Brown Gloves. For some reason one glove is smaller than the other. I have either missed a couple of rows or picked up wrongly. Whatever the case the thumb on one glove is very tight and makes it difficult to move. I am hoping that when washed I might be able to stretch it a bit.

I still have the scarf to do but it will have to wait as I have other projects on the go.

Other Bits and Bobs 2017 Part 3

Other Bits and Bobs 2017 Part 3

With the warm weather gone for another year I have turned my mind to winter projects

King Cole Patten Selection

As you can tell from the condition this is one of my favourite patterns bought many years ago from Knit Nottingham.

King Cole Patten Set No 2

The Green Scarf I posted about the other week was made from this pattern. I have a set in the purple colour shown above.

This time I wanted something a little brighter. I selected a Coral Pink.

Merino DK Blend

I bought 2 balls of 50g Merino DK Blend Pink Dye no 52152. It wouldn’t be enough to the whole set but it would be enough to start with.

Pink Beret Too Many Rows

It started off all right with me casting on 120 stitches on 3.25mm needles. Whether due to tiredness or being distracted I don’t know but I managed to knit an extra row and therefore had to undo it before adding the increase row.

Pink Beret Not Enough Stitches

Another mistake! I am not sure if I merely miscounted or it was something to do with undoing the row and twisting the stitches but somehow I have little holes in the knitting. In addition to that I am also 7 stitches short.

I have two options. I can either undo the knitting again or I can add extra stitches. I chose the latter option. The next part requires changing needles from 3.25m to 4mm needles.

I accordingly started transferring the stitches across to the new size whilst at the same time making new stitches. I was supposed to have 172 stitches but only had 165.

I decided to add 3 stitches towards the beginning of the row and 4 towards the end. That means once the Beret is sewn up the mistakes should be hidden around the back.

New Ball

One ball of this goes as far as the decreasing on row 10. That is useful to know if I make another one in a different colour.

13 Stitches

Yet another problem has arisen. Firstly I must have missed a slip stitch because I was supposed to have 39 but instead I had 40. I fixed that by knitting two together at the end of the row before the next decrease.

After the decrease I should have 20 Stitches but instead I had 26. These stitches had to be purled together to finish. I therefore still purled two together and ended up with 13 Stitches.

7 Stitches

I was unsure what to do at this point. I was supposed to pull through the 10 remaining stitches. However I was a little concerned that with the extra stitches it might make a big hole at the top of the Beret.

In the end I decided to knit two together 6 times and knit the last stitch. Thus I was left with 7 stitches on the needle. I could then pull the wool through and sew together

Pink Beret Finished

I sewed the Beret together and though it is a little untidy at the back I don’t think it is a bad job considering.

Handy Tip

If you are going to knit something when you have to count don’t do it whilst other people are chatting to you!