Not good with blogging

Wow. I am really not good at blogging. When was the last time I was here? Whoa. That long, eh? Well, perhaps I can give this another try. Life is hectic but I have still been trying to find ways to do art. This year on social media, er, this month, I suppose, there is a trend going around of #drawthisinyourstyle challenges. Artists from all corners of the web are sharing an original artwork and challenging other artists, whether professional or hobbyist, to draw the same image in their own style. I’ve done two so far as the end of the month is near and I’ve been busy with work, family and looking for a home.

The first one was a challenge posted by @nemupan.  And here is mine.

The next challenge was posted by @sophielambda. And here is mine.

These were fun to do as I haven’t just drawn anything in a long time without reference and an attempt to draw it either in caricature or realistically. I have a style, and I haven’t seen it in a few years. I’d like to play a bit more with it to see what I can do. I’m also still studying caricature and human anatomy to try and get better with poses, and structure.

(Apparently, all of my tails need to be going left. o.o)

I’m also still knitting and crocheting. This past year dolls have become popular around here. Word of mouth has gotten me a few commissions, though with my busy schedule they take a while to complete.

I also got a webcam last September! I have only gotten it to record one time but I uploaded it to my YouTube channel.

Well, enough from me, for now. I have chores to do and kids to feed. Have an amazing day!

MerMay

I wanted to get in on the fun of the mermay celebration but haven’t yet. Here are some old mermaids I did years ago to fill in the days I’ve missed.

Skye, Blue and the ocean too

Skye the Skunk – colors picked by Madelyn, name chosen by Joseph; pattern by Made by A Mary

A few months ago I joined another designer’s testing group and have been helping to test her patterns. Mary of Made by Mary is incredibly talented in amigurumi’s and is also designing blankets. Skye is our version of her Seymore Skunk pattern on Facebook.. He’s quite adorable.

Along with testing patterns, I also received a commission for a blanket and a blue piglet. Planet June hosted a crochet along for her Turtle Beach blanket pattern. A really cute idea of a blanket with small amigurumis attached throughout to look like they are swimming. What? Turtles, of course! Being for a newborn, I’ve opted out of the safety eyes and decided to stitch some on instead. What have you been up to?

Crochet/Knit dump

In art, drawings usually, are dumped in a quick share post. This is what I’ve been up to over the time in between posts. I am sorry I’ve not been sharing much here. I will try to do better and get back into at least, sharing some of my artist endeavors.

CAL 2015

Yeah, I pretty much let this project go. I started it for my son but he was too excited about receiving his own blanket that I had to make him one right away. I ended up trying out a c2c (corner to corner) design for him and used up some blues I had lying around.

For any one interested though, there were four more squares and a joining tutorial on Keep Calm and Crochet On UK’s site. The squares are quite lovely, but for my little man, I think I’ll have to pick and choose because he despises anything that looks too girly.

I haven’t stopped crocheting altogether though. I’ve been working on pillows and blankets on the side, and a few hats for the homeless and stuff in between. I had to hire someone to help me with some graphing for the pillows and turned to my pal Angela over at Crafty Ridge. Depending on the size of the graph, depends on the price, so I cannot say here, but if you’re interested in commissioning her for a graph, pop over and ask. She too has an amazing CAL, by the way. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, she has a  Harry Potter CAL on Facebook and her blog. The squares are done in c2c or bobble design and can be used for pillows or a large afghan, depending on your gauge.

After the current projects though, my husband has requested that I no longer take specified commissions and just create to have fun. So 2016 will be dedicated to personal growth in art. I may try and write a pattern as well to see if I can. Hope you all are doing well. Thanks for stopping by!

KCACO-UK Afghan CAL 2015 -Block 20

Oooh, I like this one. I can imagine a whole afghan made with these that would look like a large stained glass window. 🙂

Keep Calm and Crochet On U.K

Can you believe it’s time for block 20!!! It’s also kind of sad now we are almost coming to the end of the CAL but also exciting as we are not far from our complete blanket.  Now whether you are an Afghan square enthusiast or not you’ve got to love the designs of Julie Yeager.  Her Afghan squares in particular are always stunning and the ones I love the most are those that resemble a stained glass window.  As a big fan of hers I knew I wanted to add one of her designs in the CAL.   

This square will be available as a free Ravelry download throughout the end of the year 2015 (December 31, 2015).

Sun Catcher Afghan Square byJulie Yeager

Notes:

• Hook: UK 5.5 mm / US Size I
• Yarn:Aran / 10 ply / Worsted / Weight #4
• Colours:Works best in at least 4-5 different colours

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KCACO-UK CAL 2015 – Block 19

Picot square. I wonder the history behind afghan squares and why so many look flowery. 🙂 Maybe I’ll have to do some research soon.

Keep Calm and Crochet On U.K

I just love the ingenuity of our next block and think you will too! Picots stitches are usually seen as a decorative edging on a crochet piece but our next designer has cleverly incorporated them into her design.  It’s a really interesting pattern to work up too as you are pretty much doing something different on each round.

Click on the link in the title below to go straight to the pattern or add it to your Ravelry queuehere. This square is currently free on Ravelry and has been since May 2015.

If this is the first you are hearing about the CAL the full schedule can be foundhere.

Sorrel by Sadie Cummings

Notes:

• Hook: 5 mm (US Size H)
• Yarn: Aran / 10 ply / Worsted / Weight #4
• Colours: I would suggest at least four or five different colours
• Pattern uses American crochet terms see conversion charthere

Specialist Stitches:

Picot stitch: ch 3 or ch…

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KCACO-UK CAL 2015 – Block 18

Aztec square. Very cool.

Keep Calm and Crochet On U.K

I have to confess that I am intrigued by tapestry crochet; just because you can be so creative with a design so I was very excited when our next lovely designer, fromCrimson Clover, designed a tapestry crochet block for us to use in the CAL and what a unique design it is!

Click on the link in the title below to go straight to the pattern or add it to your Ravelry queuehere. This square is currently free on Ravelry and will be forever yay!

If this is the first you are hearing about the CAL the full schedule can be foundhere.

Aztec Square by Kim Green

Notes:

• Hook: 5.5 mm (US Size I)
• Yarn: Aran / 10 ply / Worsted / Weight #4
• Colours: I would suggest at least two different colours
• Pattern uses American crochet terms see conversion charthere

Specialist Stitches:

None but you might want to research colour changing if you are not…

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KCACO-UK CAL 2015 – Block 16

Petals of flowers, leaves, maybe feathers?

Keep Calm and Crochet On U.K

So have you all got your hooks at the ready for Block 16? Our next block is textural interesting to crochet with an unusual construction that will keep your interest. I especially like the inclusion of the tapestry crochet – though a good tip is to work loosely or block will curl!

Click on the link in the title below to go straight to the pattern or add it to your Ravelry queue here. This square is currently free on Ravelry and has been since March 2014. 

If this is the first you are hearing about the CAL the full schedule can be found here. 

Beware the Ides of March 12″ Afghan Crochet Block Square 

by Margaret MacInnis

Notes:

• Hook: 5 mm (US Size H)
• Yarn: Aran / 10 ply / Worsted / Weight #4
• Colours: I would suggest at least two different colours
• Pattern uses American crochet terms see conversion chart here

Specialist Stitches:

• Air Crochet Link:

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KCACO-UK CAL 2015 – Block 15

Poppin, pocorn, puffy goodness.

Keep Calm and Crochet On U.K

Block 15 time!! I was looking at my list today and I can’t believe that we only have 9 blocks left to make!  For those of you that are managing to keep up – yay you! I hope you are beginning to see your Afghan coming to life now…for those not started yet or are catching up – you still have bags of time, remember we don’t finish until the end of November! The full schedule and details about the CAL can be foundhere.

Our next square is a nice and simple fun design that has some texture and a shape within a shape. There are also lots of ways you could play with colour with this one; I’ve used all five of my colours in each of my blocks but this one would look great in a single colour or many.

Click on the link in the title below…

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