Cyra ~ Finger-less Mitts & Miniature Rug

There is always a bit of crocheting going on in this house.

A pair of finger-less mittens (wrist-warmers) for wearing while riding my bike (winter is coming here in the Southern hemisphere).

My Raleigh bike -- very retro, lol. 

I use this to get to my local craft groups meetings and for a jaunt around the town or to the library and also for grocery shopping. I try to do my bit to save the earth and not use fuel if I don't have to. If the weather is really horrible though I will take the car.

I'm designing a double-pannier bag to sew for the back rack. I have the perfect fun fabric to compliment the bike colours. 

(the basket balancing on 'his' handlebars is the basket for the front of my bike)

This will be a carpet/ (rug) for my miniature house. 

It's a trial run for me on the new loom that my darling hubby bought for me on his trip to England last year. I eventually found time to warp the loom and 'go-for-it'.

I'm experimenting with the loom to see how it handles making 1:12th scale rugs, so I chose a simple straight weave for this rug in a two colour chunky stripe.

I have actually done about double the amount that is showing on the photo, and hope to have it finished by this weekend (famous last words, haha).

Next week I'm off to a remote stitching retreat, so I might not get a post posted here because I don't think there is internet where I'm going, and no telephone signal either, so it will be a very interesting (and fun) week with a great bunch of stitchers. I am sooooo looking forward to it.

I'll show photos etc after the event.

All for now.

Happy stitching.

Cyra

Cyra ~ scrumble, hexie, mini's.

What have I been up to this week. Well, lots of things of course, lol.

Another scrumblicious  scrumble.

I have been slowly plodding away with my little ¾ hexies for the quilt.

Not a very interesting photo, but at least it is progress.

And on the 'mini' scene, I have been making and staining more floor boards. 

This is about 60 boards. A long job ahead still.

Thats all for now.

See you in the next post.

Cyra

Cyra ~ Three different projects

Little bits are progressing on a few different projects.

Back into drawing again. A quick hand sketch for practice.

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The Pilli Pala Dolls House

All the kitchen walls are up now, and the entrance hall next to the kitchen is almost done.

The checkered floor is a paper sheet that came with the house. Not sure that I like this look,  so I shall probably create some other flooring (and a better quality) than this. 

I think a wood floor would look better - watch this space, lol.

Auditioning some wood strips for flooring. I will remove the bent pieces from this pile first though.

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That is a spiral scrumble to be added to a few other scrumbles (ok, LOTS of other scrumbles) to create something -- I don't know what it will be until I have few more of them made, then it will tell me what it wants to be -- a bag, a hat, a garment, a wall hanging, whatever.

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That's my lot for now.

Happy Crafting

Cyra

Cyra ~ Working in miniature again

Last week our power got knocked out by Cyclone Gita, hence no post last week.
We survived the storm with little damage to the property thank goodness, just a few large tree branches came down. More firewood to give to the neighbours, lol.

Working on the miniature items for the dolls house is so much fun.

This small blanket/afghan for the bed is finished now and on the bed that I have shown you in a previous post. It is crocheted in embroidery threads, and each block is about 1" small. In real life the granny square blanket would be bigger, but as this is for decoration purpose only, I want the underneath bedding to be seen too.

Construction of the house has started at last now that Tony has cut me a base board to work on.

One downstairs room is almost complete.

And the kitchen table was a new start for this week.

Today is an embroiders guild work day and I shall be stitching on the miniature rug.

See you next time with more miniatures

Happy Stitching

Cyra

Cyra ~ Cloth Doll & Mini Bed

The cloth doll has progressed and now has most of her clothes made. 

Just a few finishing touches to add.

This is a group project, and there are actually 5 cloth dolls being made as a joint group project by about 10 members of the group. We are all adding 'bits' to each doll, and they are all turning out to be so different.

Update on my miniature bed - two pillows made, and a crochet blanket.

Now planning a granny square blanket (or something similar) to drape over the foot of the bed, and maybe an embroidered cushion or two are needed as well.

And in other news - 

My knitting skills have come on in leaps and bounds this year. Here are two more test patterns that I've tried over the last couple of days.

Woohoo, I'm liking my new craft.

Cyra ~ Boots & Bed

These little boots were made to fit a cloth doll that I also made. The doll turned out to be about the size of a new born baby, and is in the process of being dressed. I'll show the whole doll next week when she's dressed.

Continuing with the dolls house miniature furniture etc.

I have made the mattress and a top and bottom sheet for the double bed.

No luck on the base board, for the house, getting cut to size yet though, lol. I'll be patient.

A knitted swirly spiral thing-a-me-gig. Just to see if I could do it, lol.

(happy to say I can)

That's my lot for this week.

Happy Stitching.

Cyra ~ In a heat wave

I'm trying to remember what I have stitched or created since last week, lol. 

It's been so hot here lately that it's hard to get my brain into action and remember what I've done.

This is an experimental knitted scrumble for freeform work. Inspired by the KCAL on the FF group in Ravelry.

Cloth doll body pieces cut out and ready for sewing together. 

This might end up as a collaborative group project at sewing group next week if it turns out how I want it to turn out, lol. If not, then it will be a one-off creative experimental doll for me.

I started this miniature rug quite a few years ago, and as I've recently started creating my dolls house, I though it about time that I finished this rug, so I've worked a bit of the middle top and bottom panels.

It's not part of the doll house kit that is mentioned in other posts here. It is my own design.

 

I have found the suitable board that I need as a base for my dolls house, and after DH has found his 'round-tuit' and cut it a bit shorter for me, then I can start to build my house, hopefully within a couple of days. Can't wait to get started on that bit.

For those who don't know - I live in New Zealand, and it's summer time here now, and we are in the middle of a heat wave. Rain would be most welcome at the moment and I would run outside and dance in it.

This is the sunset that we enjoyed at our beach last night.

Wishing you all a colourful, joyful and creative week.

Happy stitching

Cyra

Cyra ~ Crochet Squares & Mini House Start

I have finished two 12 inch crochet squares. These are already winging their way across the seas to US, where they will be included in two different afghan blankets for a charity auction.

One blanket called for warm colours, and this is my square for that blanket.

The pattern is Marigold on Ravelry

And the second blanket called for neutral colours, and this is my square for that blanket.

The pattern is Dahlia on Ravelry 

(I do not recommend this pattern for novice crocheters as the pattern isn't easy to understand and I had to 'fudge' my way through it in parts).

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Pilli Pala mini house.

I cleared half of my work table ready to start on the 1/12th scale house. 

But after measuring up the approximate size of the house, I found out that this space is way too small. So I've had to clear the other half of the table too, so now the whole table is just for the house build. 

Sorting through the first 6 parts of the set, I realize that this house is not going to be a top-notch sturdy house like the dolls houses my dad used to make. So I need to find a base board big enough for the house and hopefully it will help to keep everything straight.

Meanwhile, I got started on what is called a Sleigh Bed.

This first pic is the footboard. The laser-cut pieces have to be removed from the sheet of wood, and this is what it looks like.

Before

I don't like the rough and rugged edges, so I gave it a thorough sanding to round off all of the edges.

This is it after sanding.

After

Much neater. I am happier with this look even though it took a big part of my day to gently sand all of the parts for the bed.

Anyway, on to the painting, 

(it can be stained instead, but I want a painted bed).

Primer done and drying. Top coat to do tomorrow after another light sanding.

I have more information about my miniature house set on my blog here.

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So that was my week. Hope you had a good one too.

Happy Crafting

Cyra