A blog about crochet and crafts
A few days ago something seemed to work and I got the best batch I've ever made. It's certainly not easy to get these fiddly little fingers looking nice and holding shape if you go egg free. These are egg free and turned out FAB!
A blog about crochet and crafts
A blog about crochet and crafts
A blog about crochet and crafts
A group I belong to met today to have a try with Dendritic Painting. This is a very simple process of squashing paint between two sheets of glass, prising them apart to see the wonderful pattern they make and taking a print from them on fabric or paper. The definition of a dendrite is a short branched extension of a nerve cell, along which impulses received from other cells at synapses are transmitted to the cell body. a crystal or crystalline mass with a branching, tree-like structure. I think you will be able to see, in the pictures below, why it is called 'dendritic' painting. I'll talk you through the process to show you how we achieved our prints. First drop small blobs of acrylic paint onto a sheet of glass We found less was more in this instance as it produced a finer print Next place the second sheet of glass on top of these blobs and squish down firmly. I just love how these blobs form perfect circles! (the oval shape is the stripe in the first picture) To reveal the dendritic process, carefully prise the sheets of glass apart. Just look at the beautiful patterns that form! You are now ready to take your print. We found the first one was not always the most successful so this picture shows the second (left) and third (right) print on paper. These are very simple prints to show how easy the process is but you can make them as complicated as you wish, mixing shapes, colours and even double printing. The ones below show some of my experiments from today. There are many more pictures showing what the other ladies created, far too many to add to this blog post. I've made the folder available on google drive so if you click this link you should be able to see many more of what we created today. Have fun!
A blog about crochet and crafts
These Smoked Salmon Appetisers are fantastic to take to gatherings because it is fast to make loads - no fiddly assembly one by one - and it's served at room temperature. These were a hit with my taste testers! See below the recipe for the cooking video (and Dozer cameo at the end!).
The unseasonably hot British summer is definitely not conducive to getting lots of crochet done. Sticky fingers and yarn and fiddly bits of felt and needles do not make a good combination. Throw a …
Inspiration for Chester Chester first became an idea when my sister-in-law, Liz, had a go at amigurumi. She's a quilter really but a few of us got interested in crochet and I did a beginners crochet course so we would get together each week to help each other out (we called ourselves the Happy Hookers!). Liz bought a book called 'Hello my name is Amineko' by the author Nekoyama and started crocheting these delightful little cats. Amineko is Japanese for 'crochet cat'. At the same time I was just beginning to explore the idea of extreme crochet (big hooks and multiple strands of yarn). Then I had an idea ... a 'ping' moment .... why not crochet a big Amineko! I had no idea how big he would turn out, but the largest hook I had at the time was 12mm. 5 strands of yarn seemed to sit comfortably on the hook, so this is what I chose to use. Using the pattern in the book, I decided to start on the largest bit of him first - the body. It grew quite quickly and I got rather excited as I had no real idea of how big he would turn out! The yarn I used is carpet yarn, about dk or aran thickness. I used two strands of grey, each a different shade which came on individual 500g skeins. Providing they are placed over chair legs to stop them becoming tangled you can use them directly from the skein. Try to use them without doing this and you soon end up with an unuseable birds nest! Believe me I speak from experience! The other colours were chosen randomly and came in chains like the one below. I had to pick out 3 strands of yarn at a time from each chain - not as easy as it sounds. They were strewn all over our lounge floor for days at a time until I had finished using my chosen colours. The body grew and grew! The picture below shows the body at the point where I started decreasing for the shoulders. I had completed just 46 rows! Look at this! He has a waist of 42" without his stuffing! 'He' I here you ask? Shouldn't he have a name? Well by this time that was what I was thinking! So after much deliberation 'he' was named Chester! Here, you can see Chester's body finished and I was eager to start the next bit. Now .... what will that be? I decided on the head next. Actually the head had more stitches around than the body, but luckily not as many rows! The head finally finished, I needed some way of keeping it's shape whilst I took the photo! Mmm what to use? You guessed it! My OH! I was getting rather excited now to see what Chester was going to look like with head and body attached! Stuffing, that's what was needed next! Not the easiest of tasks as you can imagine! After much consideration, cost, weight, where to buy I decided to use bean bag beans for the body and the head. We had some bean bag chairs taking up room so thought I would use the beans from these. That presented another problem! The very nature of crochet leaves small holes between the stitches, so unless I want little bubbles oozing out of Chester I was going to have to make a 'bag' for the body beans and one for the head beans! and all the time so eager to get him stuffed to see him start to come to life! Aaargh!! Well bags made, this is where the fun started! From previous experience I new the beans stuck to everything! And I mean everything!! (When I went to bed I found one stuck to my tummy!) Enlisting the help of my ever suffering OH we used a jug to transfer the beans from the chair to the body, and another jug full ... and another jug .... and another .... then the head ... another jug .... then another ... and another!!! Finally full, I sewed him up quick to stop any leakage! This was surprisingly theraputic! And here he is! I thought the photo on the right added a bit more scale to him. Getting even more excited now! What bit next? Well all the large bits have been completed so arms and legs I think. These crocheted up quite quickly in comparison to the head and body (thankfully) as I was getting a bit impatient by now. I was quite surprised to find the arms were longer than the legs! Now, I came across a problem? All the time I was crocheting the arms and legs I was wondering how I was going to stuff them. As soon as I started the paws I realised I really should stuff those bits first, as they are a bit larger than the rest of the arm or leg, but being impatient thought "no, it'll be fine". Ok, legs and arms crocheted - now what! Er ... beans, er ... polyester type stuffing, er ... , er ... mmm! Not sure! After consultation with a few people and finally my sister-in-law we decided on an old single duvet! You would not believe, but it took a whole single duvet to stuff the arms and legs. I had to think big here! Just as you would perhaps use a knitting needle to poke stuffing into a tube, how was I going to get the rolled up duvet in? I split the duvet into four and stitched two lines of stitching between each one, then cut up between them. I rolled them into 'sausages' and then started poking them into the arms and legs - using a broom pole. Told you I had to think big! Nearly there! Chester's looking really good! Now for the ears! Easy peasy after everything else! And the nose! I decided to make the nose and eyes from felt and stitch them on separately. The nose was fairly simple but choosing the correct position and shape for the eyes was a different matter. Each very small change altered the look of Chester's face, quite dramatically. OK! A drum roll please! Are you ready for this? Chester's coming! ... ....... Chester where are you?! Hooray! He's here!
Handmade Contemporary Eco Silver Three Line Textured Circles Necklace. The Circles are made from 1mm square sterling silver and are textured on both sides and the rim using a texturising hammer which gives a line texture. The chain is 44cm long. Sitting on the neckline the delicate textured circles add interest and are fun for fiddly fingers. Minimalist and contemporary in style this necklace look great with smart or casual dress and also make a good gift choice. Handmade item Material: Silver Recycled: Textured Silver Circles Yes, Chain No. Style: Contemporary, Minimalist All jewellery comes presented on recyclable backing card, in an organic cotton pouch with an acknowledgment card and care instructions (as pictured). This item will be dispatched within 3-5 working days of an order being placed. Deliver Worldwide from Devon, UK. Deliveries to the UK are posted first class and free to UK addresses. If you would like your package sent Special Delivery please select this option at checkout, the cost is £6.70. The cost of postage to Europe is £10 and to the rest of the World is £12.
A blog about crochet and crafts
Made with little hands in mind, this fun silicone phone is perfect for occupying fiddly fingers. The easy-press buttons encourage dexterity, coordination and fine motor skills, as well as exploring their creative side and speech development. A fun and imaginative toy and the ideal treat or gift. ANDO LOVES the wipe clean, food-grade silicone. ANDO STYLE with an organic cotton comforter as a sweet gift bundle. 100% Silicone 13cm x 8cm Recommended for Babies 10 months+
Easy and fun finger exercises for kids that may help help improve handwriting.
Fingerplays for preschoolers with hand motions for teaching pre k, toddlers and kindergarten kids fun songs with hand and finger movements.
Set up this fun finger gym using marbles and help your children develop their fine motor skills through play. Fine motor skills finger gym with marbles This is a great fine motor skill centre to add into your finger gym rotation. It’s super quick to set up and fun to play with. […]
Fine Motor exercises are an important part of any child's curriculum and learning experience. Learning how control your hands and refining those hand muscles help a child learn how to do important, every day life skills like feeding, wiping, zippering, and tying shoes. Enter Finger Gym.
Original Collagraph Print with the addition Chine Colle. The Collagraph plate was made from Recycled items from around my home. The Chine colle element is the little fish, These are made from very fine tissue paper which is glued and then placed on the inked Collagraph plate. It is then pres...More Original Collagraph Print with the addition Chine Colle. The Collagraph plate was made from Recycled items from around my home. The Chine colle element is...More
This crochet tutorial shows how to make the prairie stitch step-by-step. The tutorial includes detailed photo instructions.
An easy crochet shawl pattern is the perfect idea for a lazy weekend or relaxing afternoon. Find your project among 50 FREE shawl patterns.
Preschoolers can practice their scissor control with our simple cutting skills shapes worksheets. We have black and white versions for them to decorate or that you can print on coloured paper, or coloured versions. When the shapes have been cut out you could use them for size or colour sorting activities.
The other day, my neighbor proudly showed me some arts and crafts that her three-year old had made. She boasted on the amazing triangles her daughter had cut with scissors…
Dough Gym is a very effective programme for children who really need to work on their upper body and gross motor development, but there may well be children in our setting who need more focused inp…
This chef, who's behind the Instagram account Blondie and Rye, makes the most mesmerizing, meticulously-crafted, crispy snacks that are simply a feast for our eyes.
For children who need a little more "interest" on the page than our plainer Cutting Skills Simple Lines printables provide, these pages offer them something to cut towards! There are two types of worksheet here: one type with four straight lines for beginners, and a second type that starts with a straight line and then get slightly more difficult each time. A fun way to practice those scissor skills and perhaps tie in with your current Topic work, season or holiday, too.
This chef, who's behind the Instagram account Blondie and Rye, makes the most mesmerizing, meticulously-crafted, crispy snacks that are simply a feast for our eyes.
Having had a break for a while I'm sort of playing catch up. I was able to do a little crafting from time to time so am sharing a crochet bag I made for the summer. I came across this lovely pattern and tutorial for an African Flower Square and immediately fell in love with it. I'm sure there are lots of uses for this pattern but I decided I would make a bag for the summer. I began searching for a bag pattern and came across an interesting page showing 'plans' for arranging squares to make granny square bags. I chose this 13 square pattern and set about making my squares. I used Sirdar dk cotton, which was very easy to work with. I just love these colours although the pink, I already had in my stash. All squares completed and blocked I set about stitching them together as the template above. I used mattress stitch as this produces neat invisible seams. Lining this bag presented a few problems as I wanted a bright pink inside but didn't want it to show through the little holes in the squares. I solved it by double lining, using a cream on the inside and a pink on the outside of the inside - if you see what I mean! I then needed to work out how to add the handles. They needed to be long enough to wear over my shoulder and I didn't want them to be stretchy as crochet could be. I solved this problem by crocheting over window sash cord and am pleased to say having used the bag regularly it has worked really well. And here is the finished result ..... I've had some really lovely comments on this bag, even my youngest daughter who isn't a crochet fan thought it was pretty!! Trouble is now, it has been so well used it needs a wash!! I am looking forward to seeing what has been going on over at Handmade Monday, see you soon :)
Hello Everybody! I expect you have all had a wonderful weekend with wall to wall sunshine? I know I have! A wonderful walk around Salcome on the Kingsbridge Estuary, with 270 degree views from Snapes Head up, down and along the river. Absolutely stunning! And a day in the garden today topped off with a few G &T's in the late afternoon sunshine (wine ran out!!). Ignore any typing errors please! Well Chester was enjoying the sunny weather too! He fancied a drive out in Rob's Mazda with the top down. Come on then Chester, start her up! Oh dear Chester! Don't like the look of all that smoke! Better make sure there is nothing wrong before you drive off! Have you checked the oil? Better book it in for a service when you get back! Not looking too bad now! Have a safe journey Chester! Byee! Just in case any of you are wondering who Chester is, I have written a page 'Chester the Extreme Crochet Cat' on my blog explaining how and what he is made from. If you click on this link it should take you straight to it http://www.fiddlyfingers.blogspot.co.uk/p/chester-extreme-crochet-cat.html I am using him to promote Extreme Crochet workshops. If you would be interested in holding a workshop or attending one here in Devon please contact me via my blog or email me at [email protected] One more thing! I am linking up to Handmade Monday over at http://www.1stuniquegifts.co.uk/blog/ why not pop over to have a look at all the other interesting blogs. It looks like most of us are going to have a good week weatherwise, so lets hope it lives up to expectations otherwise! Can't wait for tomorrow! Am going to collect another car load of yarn for even more Extreme Crochet! Oooh! So excited! Can't wait to see what colours I'll get! Better than Christmas!!! Have a good week! Talk soon! xxx
On Tuesday, we shared some of the best Halloween stories that we’ve read this year. While our list is chock-full of frightfully fun books, our little nugget fell head over heels for one story in particular – Even Monsters Need Haircuts, by Matthew McElligott. When I discover her immediate adoration for a particular book, I […]
Teaching kids how to use scissors and exploring scissor skills is one of my favorite things to work on as a school-based Occupational Therapist. There are so many creative ways to address the skills needed for accuracy in cutting with a pair of scissors. Today, I’m sharing everything you need to know about cutting with ... Read more
This activity is only for the brave or desperate… we have been home bound with an ear infection and we were all getting squirrely. I have been trying to motivate my son to write and draw more and doing it upright on an easel, wall or window is a great way to naturally use the […]
