weekend printmaking

Yesterday I spent the afternoon doing some potato printing.

It has been ages since I've done any printmaking so it was really nice to do some printing with such simple and immediate results.



I used some gold and navy fabric paints, chopped up a couple of potatoes and tried them out on some paper, tote bags and pillowcases.



The navy worked really well on the pillowcases. The gold paint doesn't look that bold from a distance but looks nice up close as it's really sparkly. I think I'll invest in a wider range of colours next time though - it would be good to create something really bright!



Pleasing potato patterns.

pattern

Over the few weeks I've been doing an evening course in pottery, where I've been able to try out some hand-building methods and make a few small pieces.

The next couple of weeks will be spent looking at glazing techniques and decorating the pieces we have already made, so in preparation I've been looking a lot at patterns this week.

Simple and repetitive is what I'd like to go for.

square

I managed to accumulate a small pile of crochet squares in my recent break from knitting.

I should probably have had a break from wool craft in general, but at least I am on the way to making a blanket now. I'm also learning some new stitches too.

Here are some that I have tried so far:

My favourites are the cluster pattern and the popcorn pattern. Nice and bobbly.

I'm back onto cardigans again now though...

next

Today I am off work for the first time in a while. I have many errands to run, which include getting hold of some wool for my next knitting project. First I have to pick which pattern to follow though...

I got all these for 10p each at my FAVOURITE charity shop. It's in Farnham and is simply called The Charity Shop. It's so cheap and full of gems, and my favourite bit is walking through the kitchen towards the back room and trying to work out which of the cups and plates are for sale, and which are for the shop volunteers to use on their tea break.

The haphazard shops are the best.

knitting

this weekend i have been doing a spot of knitting, and this included these very cute little hearts:



the pattern for them was found on the mochimochi land blog (thanks anna!) and they are ever so adorable. shame i didn't stumble across the pattern before valentines day, but it's definately handy for next year (and all year round too!)

other things on my "to make" list include:

---> a couple of items from this book
---> this kitty and rabbit
---> one of these little chicks (once i get to grips with crochet)

....and a couple of other bits and bobs that i can't remember right now.

lots to do!

x