miss marie's miscellany

Today I......

stood by the sea at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month

and remembered.............

Hectic

There's just not enough hours in the day at the moment and I am neglecting this little space of mine. Sorry, I hope normal service will resume soon :-)

What have you been doing, I hear you cry.Well, I have been crocheting away like mad, making more of the flowers from my last post; they seem to have been a big hit as I have had requests for more and my fans will pay nice shiny money for them too which makes me very happy; it's a big compliment that people think what I make is beautiful and buyable. I have been thinking about selling online at Etsy, so it's good to have an opportunity to test the waters.

I also have a little boy blanket on the go; here is a sneak peek of some of the squares made so far.

 I took my inspiration from the colours I've used, red, green, mustard and lemon and lime twist; when I had the balls of wool lined up, I thought of traffic lights! More about this soon.

I have been working on something really exciting, down at the bottom of my garden,but it isn't quite ready yet for me to reveal all; but it won't be long till I can tell you about the culmination of a lot of hard work and the realisation of a dream.  Secretive, but it really will be worth the wait!

 

 

Pink and blue

I liked the baby blanket I made recently so much, I decided to make another. Pink and blue look lovely together, just right for a little girl,  and I just happened to have some perfect wool for the job. So, it's based on the same idea but with slightly different patterns and textures for the squares. It's still a WIP, but I thought I'd show how it's looking so far.

All the patterns are in the Jan Eaton book, 200 Crochet Blocks for Afghans and Blankets. I find this book really helpful when making these blankets, there's such a mix of styles and textures in all the blocks featured, truly something for everyone.

A few close-ups of some of the patterns; this is a tulip design.

This one is a band of bobbles topped with a double crochet section

This design is called Lemon Peel; after I'd finished I could see why

Since I started this post, I've managed to sew the squares together; this is how the blanket is looking today (Sunday)

So it will get a pretty edging as soon as poss, and I'll let you see the FO in a few days.

 

What every crochet loving lady should drive

I came across this fantastic smart car with its own multi-coloured crocheted cover........I love it!

 

It is the work of Magda Sayeg, an American lady who is a guerilla knitter. I've heard of guerrila gardening, but not knitting; but it sounds like an excellent idea to me, brightening up your surroundings with some lovely knitting or crochet, putting it in locations where you'd least expect to see such a thing; lampposts, road signs, a bus .........yes,really, if you don't believe me, look at this.

 

Magda Sayeg has a blog called KnittaPlease where she posts all her latest projects. Absolutely fascinating and inventive, it takes yarn and what one can do with it to a whole new level.

I wish my car looked like this!

  

May collage

A month of contrasts of temperature, starting off cold and ending warm and promising. A month of tulips galore, they have brought wonderful colour to the garden. A month of happy crochet projects, including a special gift. A month when I visited some old haunts and places I'm glad I re-acquainted myself with.

 

This is the first time this year I've been able to post lots of flower photos, something which makes me very happy! Enjoy :-)
 

Kelvingrove treasures

I took a trip to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. I hadn't visited for a good while;  the lure of the 'Glasgow Boys' Exhibition enticed me there. I couldn't take any photos at this, but if you are anywhere near the gallery in the next few months, do go and see it, it's brilliant, a feast of colour and style, landscapes portraits and still life. 

I could take pictures everywhere else, and did! Here's the imposing facade........

 

A room full of sculptures, busts of Queen Victoria and Homer are there, and hanging above were lots of.....?
 

grimacing and smiling heads......tragedy and comedy.

 

On the other side of the building, a Spitfire hovers above a stuffed giraffe and elephant
 

 

Some of the standout sights for me were........this Cezanne still life, simple but beautiful

 

I love the dreamlike quality of this lady's beautiful face

 

A portrait by Sir Henry Raeburn, 'Ann Pattison, Mrs Wiliam Urquhart'.

 

Donald Dewar, sculpted by Archibald Forrest.

 

Wipe away the tears, this sculpture is called  'Motherless'.

 
 Elegant lady in a watercolour by FCB Cadell

 

And some more beautiful portraits

 

Robert Louis Stevenson, looking very dashing, as if he has stepped out of the pages of one of his adventures.

 

I could go on and on posting more photos but I think that's probably enough! What a great place to have so close to home, a veritable treasure trove of wonderful art and inspiration. I believe that Kelvingrove is one of Glasgow's top attractions, and it was very busy on a Wednesday afternoon, which must prove that to be true. Whatever, it was a wonderful way to spend a few hours. 

 

 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 

Final flush

All the tulips are nearly past their best, they've provided some wonderful colour in the garden for the last 2-3 weeks. 

This variety is called  Antoinette.

 

On the pack it says this is the chameleon tulip, I'm not sure why!? The colours remind me of pear drops

 

I planted these to have cut flowers in the house, but I've hardly picked any, i just couldn't bring myself to take the scissors to them!

These dwarf tulips were the first to emerge, they're called Johann Strauss (yes, I have to get some musical names in there!)

 

This is  Flaming Parrot.

 

 

Jan Reus, fantastic dark red 

 

Madonna, delicate white ruffles with a tint of green.

 

Palestrina 

 

 

Spring Green

 

And just because it's so pretty, this lovely parrot tulip  'Rococo' again.

 

 I'm glad I included some ruffled parrot tulips this year, they are exciting to watch as they go from tightly bunched up petals which give no hint of what's hiding inside to richly coloured and frilly flowers. A lovely contrast to their more upright sisters.

I love tulips, they're one of my favourites,  and I'm sad these lovely flowers will soon be gone from the garden, they make me catch my breath every time I walk past them!

 

But they'll re-appear next year, and there's plenty more to look forward to as spring turns into summer.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Inspirational pattern

 An Inspirational Pattern

Blog about a pattern or project which you aspire to. Whether it happens to be because the skills needed are ones which you have not yet acquired, or just because it seems like a huge undertaking of time and dedication, most people feel they still have something to aspire to in their craft. If you don’t feel like you have any left of the mountain of learning yet to climb, say so!

I don't think a pattern has to necessarily be complicated to be inspiring. What should make it inspiring is that the finished product looks good, makes one feel good and that you feel proud of having completed it. A pattern I'd love to make and find very inspiring is the Babette blanket. It is such a beautiful design, looks absolutely stunning and is not without the realms of possibility for me to make; there are some gorgeous examples over at Ravelry and Flickr, so many different colours and combinations, proving this pattern to be a head-turner and the finished article to be something I would treasure. 

I don't have a specific pattern in mind yet, but apart from scarves, mittens and hats, I haven't yet crocheted any garments, and this is something I am going to remedy soon. Perhaps this jumper which I like a lot?

As for a new skill, I would like to learn how to do Tunisian crochet. I have some hooks, bought by accident (don't shop online late at night when tired!) so one day sooner or later I will get round to it!

Statuesque

I noticed I'd taken quite a few photos of statues whilst wandering around Liverpool;  some new, some old, some of famous Liverpudlians both real and  fictitious, and some flights of fancy.

John Lennon

 

Eleanor Rigby

 

Ken Dodd in Lime Street Station (sadly there were no Diddymen to be seen!)

 

He is right next to this lady, just as thought they have met in the station, and are having a natter. She is Bessie Braddock who was the MP for Liverpool in the 1950-70s and an ardent socialist campaigner.

 

She was known as 'Battling Bessie'.......I can see why!
 

William Gladstone (I bet you didn't know he was a Scouser)

 

The 2 angels at his side represent Truth

 

and Justice. Taken in the gardens behind St. George's Hall, where the Law Courts were once housed.

 

Inside the Walker Art Gallery, this imposing fellow presides over the cafe

 
 Nearby is the Sculpture Room

 

Outside the World Museum these 2 giant inflatable flowers adorn the building

 

The flowers grow larger and the petals open out during the day, just as a real flower would 

 

And there are still some of the SuperLamBananas 

I haven't gone mad, they really are called that!  There were 125 of these colourful statues all over Liverpool during 2008, when it was the European City of Culture. As their name suggests, they're a cross between a lamb and a banana, and all were differently painted and themed.  (There is a great Flickr group here if you'd like to see more.) I really like them; they are fun and make me smile, and I'm glad they're still adding a touch of good-humoured colour to the city.

 

 

 And finally, here's some rock of a different kind!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

Weekend bits and pieces

The weather has taken an upward turn, the temperature has risen, so happy days. Friday evening started with this amazing sunset sky

  

Then I went off to hear one of my literary heroes, William Boyd, at the Aye Write festival here in Glasgow at the Mitchell Library

 

WB is an engaging and warm orator, natural, warm and witty, and totally at home in front of an audience. It was a fascinating evening with a description into how his novels are conceived, researched and crafted, some readings from his latest book Ordinary Thunderstorms and a Q&A; one of the questions posed was about the particular difficulties of transferring a long novel to the small screen, especially one's own work, and WB told us that his novel (and my favourite of his books) Any Human Heart is just about to start filming in a TV adaptation, to be shown this autumn. I, for one, can't wait to see how such an epic novel of a long and full life will translate to the screen. All wonderfully interesting and entertaining -  I'm so glad I was there.

Saturday, I put on my crafty hat and went to the Creative Stitches show at the SECC. I enjoyed much of the exhibits, and there were some lovely wools. But it was a bit of an effort to get round as there was lots of pushing and shoving - if anyone is familiar with the comedy show The Mighty Boosh, there's an episode called Nanageddon, when all the elderly ladies in the vicinity become possessed by an evil demon and go on the rampage, and I was reminded of this with increasing regularity as it got busier and wool-frenzy took hold.  I left before it got really nasty! However, I didn't come away empty-handed (of course not!) I bought some lovely wool from the New Lanark Organic wool shop

 and a pack of 10 balls of Rowan Alpaca in beautiful purple 

 

and this lovely book

 

I think I'll be making something purple from this book soon, so watch this space!

Today brought an invitation from my sister to go the cinema, so off we duly went, armed with our 3D specs to see Alice in Wonderland. The plot of the film is an amalgam of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass and Jabberwocky, so if you are a purist, you may not like it. But I did, it looked so beautiful, wonderful sets and costumes, and the sombre, slightly spooky mood and sense of unease suited the reworking of the story.  I liked Anne Hathaway's White Queen (like a crazed Nigella Lawson) and Stephen Fry's voice for the Cheshire Cat, all persuasive plummy purring! Well worth seeing if you like your films with a dark twist.

That's all I had time for!