Many thought this day would not come hahaha..... I have been threatened that if I do not open, my friends will put a "opening AND Closing Sale" sign up for me. So yeah..it's taken me long enough..but these things take timmmeee to do!! and somehow..I just didn't feel ready... actually..I'm STILL not ready..but there it is... doors are open...Peeps have been popping in... no turning back now lol!! Thought I'd give you a look at what the shoppie looks like...:)

Quite proud really - a lot of work has gone into it...and hours and hours of crocheting...wood sanding..mosaicing.... etc etc etc...lol.... so without further ado...here it be! :)

is that they are so damn addictive.





There are just so many things you can play around with. I'm a bit in love with hearts at the moment - hence the enormous amount I have produced lately...crochet heart... more crochet hearts with danglies... stiched hearts with crochet flowers... hearts with stiched felt hearts hahahaha..... and the more I play...the more ideas I have... Its bad! :(



Oh well...nothing to be done other than just let all the ideas be brought to life and living with a lot of hearts! I can think of worse things ;)

I came across this beautiful pattern for a potstand/holder on a Dutch lady's blog - Lindevrouw's Web. She has some awesome work on her blog and it's definitely worth a visit! :)- albeit all in Dutch lol. I took the liberty of translating her pattern into English as well as crocheting one up as I went along - The English pattern is as follows: (the original pattern in Dutch is here: http://lindevrouwsweb.blogspot.com)

Skill Level:   Easy-Intermediate

Materials:  

Instructions:

Work Round 1 - 10 again for second motif.


When you have finished both motifs, work in all loose ends. Place the 2 motifs against each other, right sides facing outward. Join yarn at the centre of two groupings (working through both pieces), make 20ch, ss into same stitch as joining. Work over the 20ch with sc until there are enough sc to make a strong loop. ss again into the same stitch as joining.


Now crochet though both pieces using only ss, going down to the centre using the gaps/holes on the motif. Make sure not to make the ss too tight as this will make the motif scrunch and warp. Once you reach the outer edge of the centre piece, turn around and go back up using the same spaces as you did going down. (Tip: I found it easier to work with the yarn at the bottom of the work, pushing the hook through and just pulling the yarn up through the pieces.)




Once at the top, work around the scallop using each of the 12 stitches. Repeat this all around the motifs until you are back at your hanging loop. Join with a ss and fasten off. Work in loose ends. (Tip: Continuously turn your work around and make sure you place your stitches in the right gap at the back - if your motifs shift on top of one another you might hook the needle through the wrong space at the back making it look untidy at the back).

The other day I took my gran to the mall to do some shopping and all the store displays had changed to christmassy stuff - I realized it was November - but somehow the sight of all the christmas lights and decorations and music brought it home ...hard! Where had the time gone!!?? And worst of all - this year it has caught me quite unaware - I have nothing planned yet - no colour combinations, no gifts planned (or made mind you), no sparkly ideas in mind - nothing...nadda...ziltch!

So in an effort to avoid a panic attack, I grabbed my hook and started doing something...ANYTHING christmassy. It didnt work - I realized how long it takes to do these handmade things. But...after a while..the worst of the panic had gone and I realized I can only do what I can do...not sure how long this mindset will prevail - but I'm going to enjoy sanity while it lasts ;)

Ok..so to be completely 100% honest - I've never reeeaalllyyy seen the use of a knitted cup cozy. I  mean, what does it really do?? After much thought on this earth shattering topic - I decided I didn't really need to know. Sometimes things are there just to bring joy and look pretty. So unless someone knows the reason and would please take the time to inform me - I've settled on "because it's uber cute and looks gorgeous."
This is a cup I finished the other day - I just randomly went and shopped for different mugs - no planning behind it. This is the first of the random cup cozy cuteness project :)

Work in Progress...... I am busy with the african hexagons still and doing some more pillows. But don't you think these colours are just beautiful - it happened quite accidentally. Went to my LYS to buy some more Vinni's Bambi - and unfortunately the stock levels were a bit low. These were the only colours I could find and decided to put them together. Once I had a few hexagons I realized they reminded me so much of the beautiful Nasturtiums that grow wild in my back yard.... Instant Love affair I tell you! :)

I've come to a gradual realization that my youth is now a distant memory... lol... Things I thought were absolutely horrendous as a young adult..has now become..uhhmm.... charming. Things I ABSOLUTELY INSISTED I'd NEVER have in my house... now features centre stage as you enter the door. Colours I thought the bane of any home has found a place in many of my creations. Isn't it strange and amazing how we find appreciation in things as we grow older. Growing older has never been a bad or scary thing in my own mind - instead I've always thought it quite exciting! I often laugh at myself when I find myself rolling my eyes at teenagers or young adults thinking "ooooooo you've still got a lot to learn"..hahahah... and I immediately chastise myself thinking..."honey!! you were ten times worse!!"... lol...

So... bearing this new-found-love-of-the-charming in mind - my newest obession... wait for it..... tea cosies! Yep!!..Tea pots in different shapes and sizes have become a passion of mine... I just think they are so darn cute!!! So just as my grandmother...and hundreds of grandmothers before her, had cupboards filled with different teapots with beautifully handmade tea cosies - I now have the same love of the little pots......

Confessions are always so liberating! This is currently my favourite little pot - unfortunately I made it for the shop - but I'm considering just keeping it (evil grin)!

I am still as in love with these African Hexagons as the day I "met" them! These pillows will feature extensively in the RubyRed Eclectic shop lol....  The different colour combinations make me smile everytime I see them.

Ok...so I haven't posted for a very very long time. It's just been so hectic...moving...and I've been working on my new venture - which I'm very excited about. I have decided to open a little shop - nothing fancy..just real! My passion for all things art and craft inspired me to finally do something about it - so RubyRed Eclectic Handmade Originals was born...:)  Obviously it takes quite a while for me actually MAKE something - so I've been working hard to get some stock ready so I can open the shop.

This raises a bit of a dilemma to be honest -( giggles) - I'm not sure if I'm praying that everything sells on opening day or that things sell veerryyy sloowwllyy so I can have time to replenish stock hahah....!! In the end I realized that this shoppy is not there to mass produce or become commercial in any way. It's my attempt to keep a love of crafts alive, to have a platform and create an environment in which to live out my creativity, to inspire people to re-connect and appreciate things that took time, skill and love to create. Our world has become such a fast-paced, immediate access, mass producing environment - little emphasis remains on the things that take time... but they are so rewarding! And hence the little shop where the old world and the new world meet. A place to make you smile and hopefully a place that inspires!

Lets test the waters...

After scouring any and all wool shops around I have been left wanting more. So! I've contacted yarn manufacturers like Rowan etc to find out about stocking their yarns. I obviously need to know if there are other local knitters that have the same needs that I do however. Yes, granted, there are some locally produced natural fiber yarns available, but still.. the variety is small.  I want to be able to use gorgeous yarns like Rowan etc.

So should I start a web based "store" where you can choose yarns from catalogues and have it delivered to you directly within a day or two - and be able to pay in local currency..will you be interested? I'm thinking of becoming a stockist and ordering some stock and supply it locally. Also..which yarns?? hmmm...defenitely Rowan .... I love the Debbie Bliss range of yarns... Any other suggestions??

Anyway... its an idea being birthed here... I would LOVE your feedback and ideas!!!

Yarn Love

Lynné

And here it is as promised..the free pattern for the garter stitch mitred square blanket in my previous post. Enjoy! Please let me know should you notice any mistakes... I'm no expert at writing patterns! hahaha...
Much Love...xx

EDIT: Apologies to those who tried to download and was asked for a free trial. I am in no way trying to endorse any application on my blog. When I uploaded the pattern to Scribd it was free and many managed to download the pattern without any hassle. They must have changed that in the meantime. I am removing the link from my blog - I will re-type the pattern in my blog as soon as I can so that the download part is not necessary. Just a request though - if you do post comments please try and refrain from being nasty - the blog is intended as a friendly blog - I love knitting and crochet and will always do my best to share as much as I can. I am not a computer boffin so if I make a mistake - I apologize - learning as I go! Yarn Love - RubyRed

Mitred Square Pattern

Not much to say about this project hahah.... It started off as just something to keep me busy on a recent road trip as well as a stash reducer! As it developed however it started looking the cutest and brightest little baby blanket in the making.  The wool is all from my 4-ply stash with little odds and ends left over from larger projects.  I am knitting this on 3mm needles which makes it slightly slow in the making.. but as there was no plan involved in this project it is exciting to see it grow organically.

I am busy writing the mitred square pattern down and as soon as its done I will publish it as a free pattern here on the blog - so watch this space! :)

So!... I've moved into a blue and white phase.  After living my "everthing-has-to-be-red-or-a-shade-thereof" phase for the past 10 years, I realised it was time for a change. But when I change colour phases... EVERYTHING changes. From the wall colours to the linen to the carpets.....  Obviously this has some serious financial implications - so the changes are happening slowly! haha

The lounge walls has gone to a very dark blue... so...obviously the scatter pillows had to change too. I was scouring through my knitting books for a pattern that would fit the "look" I had in mind.  And very UNsurprisingly I found the perfect damask pattern in my Kaffe Fassett book!! He has always been one of my favourite artists and every time I page through his creations I am amazed that he came up with these gorgeous mixes of geometric designs and combined them with fantastical colour explosions! He has inspired millions of knitters around the world and NEVER fails to inspire me whenever i'm exploring a new project.  One of my best investments was buying his book:

Kaffe Fassett's Pattern Library: Over 190 Creative Knitwear Designs

.....and finnaalllyyyy this little pillow case saw the day of light. The birth of this fair isle project was my very first blog post ...as well as my very first attempt at fair isle knitting. I've always admired and drooled over the gorgeous patterns, colour play and intricate motifs created by fair isle designers - wondering how in the world someone was able to come up with those beautiful designs and managed to actually portray them in knitting.

During all my google and ravelry searches three names kept popping up as fair isle royalty, Alice and Jade Starmore as well as the colour guy himself - Kaffe Fassett.  So it was only natural that my choice of pattern for my virgin voyage into the world of "ferraling" was going to be from one of these guru's.  And after paging through their books many...many...many times...and changing my mind ...many..many times.... I finally decided on a pattern by Jade Starmore called Persian Tiles.  Loved the "tiled" look and the intricate way the tiles fit into each other.

Mind you...before this project I never even attempted knitting on circular needles...ahhahaha.... and since then I've hardly knitted with anything else. So after a LOT of counting...unravelling rows of faulty knitting.... I was done.  The project kinda grinded to a halt...or went into serious hibernation after that because I never got around to do the sewing up.  So recently I unpacked the sewing machine.... bought some material...and got the process going again.  ...and taaddaaaaaaaaa....... a pillow cover was born.

The pattern is available in the book "A Collectors Item - Jade Starmore". Unfortunately this pattern is not available for download and I had to buy the book to obtain it.  One can buy it directly from the Starmore's website: www.virtualyarns.com 

UPDATE FROM PREVIOUS POST:  

So the swatch grew into a pillow cover hahaha…. After I opened the steek it just looked ....wrong in a way....somehow it needed a border. I picked up stitches around the border on a circular needle - which turned out to be almost 500 stitches -and the result is much more “finished”. Now I just need to make it up - very happy little pillow...