Apparently that saying is an imitation of pidgin English, along with "no can do" and many others. So there. I thought it was fitting since I have seriously neglected my blog this year... And it's not that I haven't been making stuff, because I really have!
I might as well start with a disclaimer: if you don't have any interest in home made things, and dislike cat pictures, it's probably for the best if you close this tab now. Don't say you weren't warned!
Right, I don't think I even know where to start! It's been a funny sort of summer... Hang on, I keep talking like it's still summer time now. The fact that I haven't had college to go back to this year has been seriously strange. While I'm thrilled to be finished with all of that, graduation at the start of the month was seriously good craic.
I got a new camera this summer (ish) too, so you'll be seeing much less of my blurry BlackBerry photos from now on! I might as well start off by telling you that Benny had kittens back in June...
I'll have to give the credit for photo-taking here to Jess, this picture featured in part of her 365 project, really chuffed that me and one of the wee wans made the cut.
I've mostly been making bracelets, jewellery-wise, over the past few months, and in particular, I've really been feeling the plaits! Now, I haven't got very good pictures of all that I made as some were gifts and are already with their new owners...
I initially made this one for Jess (of aforementioned 365 fame) as she strikes me as a very purple person...
... But then I decided that it worked well enough to give another one to Sarah Jane as she's got a bit of a thing for purple too! Apologies for the truly awful pictures, the bracelets themselves are much nicer.
I don't do modesty.
I've still got a bit of a thing for fragmented bracelets with some beads, some chain, so I thought this pattern worked well. I used the same general template, but I changed factors like bead and chain size.
Snazzy picture taken with a snazzy camera. Amiright? I always love red and gold together.
Personally I prefer the chunkier chain.
I didn't just do the plaited thing on bracelets either, oh no. You'll all be delighted to hear that I branched out as far as necklaces and (wait for it...) A HAIRBAND! Crazy, right? Right.
So this is a necklace that I made back around July I think. It's quite a loose plait as I just wanted to add a little interest, and didn't like the idea of 3 stand alone strands of similar length.
This was actually intended to be a necklace. The evening I made it, I was trying it on, trying to decide if I liked it. When I was taking it off, I didn't judge the size of my head relative to the necklace correctly, and I realised it was the perfect size for a hairband that stays put on my giant head perfectly! Winner.
Before I continue, I should really tell you what else I've been doing with myself. I finally made it to Electric Picnic this year, after years of heartbreaking repeats at that time of year, and it was so worth the wait. A fantastic weekend with fantastic company. Not only did I get to see some INCREDIBLE acts, but myself and Jess also managed to fit in a small bit of jewellery making.
See those swirly silver ones? Yep, we hammered and soldered and beaded and pickled that silver until it was perfect! The gang at the ForGotten Silver stall guided us through the entire thing, while having a bit of a laugh too. Just what we needed on the Sunday morning!
As a result of EP, I've become absolutely obsessed with amazing music such as The xx, Bat For Lashes and Wild Beasts among many others! Thanks to a few of the girls I'm completely hooked on Revenge now (come on Emily, kick Victoria's skinny ass and run away with Jack!) and I'm mostly reading Kathy Reichs books. She's the lady who inspired the series Bones, and who the character is loosely based on. They're pretty easy reading, but interesting at the same time. Plus the chapters are super short, I love short chapters.
The kittens continued to be cute and grow as the summer went on...
I don't understand how people don't like cats sometimes... They start out as cute wee kittens WHO WINK AT YOU for crying out loud!
The credit for this one must once again go to Jess and her fantastic 365 project.
This was around the time we had to start deciding which kitten was most awesome and cute. One of them was too lazy to join in with the pose-off.
And it totally worked in his favour... Lads, this is Harry! Deadly name, I know.
Right, that's the cat section over and done with, for now at least. Believe it or not, I don't just arse around with beads. I also (as you will have seen in previous posts) enjoy arsing around with wool! When it came to deciding what to dress up as for Halloween, I came up completely blank. I hadn't a clue, but I knew I couldn't get away with my Princess Leia costume for a third time.
Then it hit me. What do I like other than cats? Yep, that's right... Owls. I mostly enjoy the kitschy, retro, colour-block owl images that are in all the shops at the moment, so I decided to take a few ideas and run with them. So, I crocheted "feathers". I'm pretty sure every single person I mentioned this to thought I was absolutely not well.
This was the top in the middle of the process. Loose ends were later snipped off, and the "feathers" were ironed also. The top itself was made out of the lower portion of an old gypsy skirt. Remember gypsy skirts? Ah yeah, those were the days.
I felt the most important part of this costume would be the mask, and I was actually thrilled with the finished product...
Pretty sweet, right? I mounted the mask on a pair of frames from 3D glasses so it would sit nicely on my head when I didn't want to wear it.
Twit twoo!! Yep, I look like an idiot.
So, moving on, I didn't just focus on plaits over the last couple of months, I also had moments of inspiration where I made some pretty cool stuff!
My take on the recent collar trend. I plan on going further with this idea, but for now this is all I've got!
Earrings. A huge departure for me... And I love them!
I've had this pendant for years, I actually made a necklace using it when I was about 17, but the chain subsequently broke, and the cross was lost for years.
Have you had enough? I told you guys I've been busy. I was crocheting again at the weekend, and with the end of one of my reams of wool I decided to make one of those headband, ear warmer thingies.
Isn't the wool just to die for? Aldi's finest!
Fancy effects with my snazzy camera.
The finished product. Ridiculously cosy.
I forgot to tell you guys about my first (unpaid) model. Well, I made a bracelet for Caoimhe B. I'd been trying to figure out what to make her for ages, cos she deserved at least one gift from me! Anyway, I knew I wanted it to be pearly, but after that, I hadn't a clue. I took pictures of the finished product before I popped it in the mail to her, but the photos were, quite honestly, rubbish. So I took more when I went to visit her and the rest of my ladies in Dublin.
Yay Caoimhe! I was well chuffed when I spotted this on her wrist at graduation too... Whoop.
While on this Dublin trip I was given a graduation gift from Anneka that I can't not mention. Bunting! Incredible!
Badassery at its finest!
Right. As crazy as it may seem, I think I might actually be finished talking. Or typing. You catch my drift. Once again, I must apologise for the giant delay between posts, I'll try to behave a little better in future!
Oh, and just in case you'd forgotten what Harry looks like...
Aiiiiiight señoras y señores, buenas noches.
