First rat of the year ...

Another sock sweetie in between other projects and life ...

Made from a single, gents sock and button jointed for flexibility ....

Rats will never lose their charm, for me ...

A new rat softie pattern ....

Following on from the creation of pink mouse for a very special lady, it was time to recreate some awesome rats ...

A pink-eyed-white an agouti hooded-rat ...

This year we remember the rescue rats Smudge and Pepsi :-)

Happy 6th Birthday Mary ...

Wow! I can't believe Mary is 6! I think she is pretty amazed too ... This blog came into being just before she was conceived!

So of course it was her turn to have her own Sock Monkey and she was really pleased and took him to school. More publicity for me!

I think these two are going to have some fun together!

Sock elephant for a baby girl ....

A snuggly pair of grey walking socks becomes a rather sweet elephant with some lemon cotton fabric for his ears and feet ...

Try curving the trunk as you stuff for a bit of movement! The tails curve come from being cut from the shaped toe-tip. 

Hop lil' rabbit!

A new bunny, in cream fleece fabric with a sweet furry cotton tail ...

Seen here having a hop at the Portland Exlab project!

tents!

I came down after a shower to find girls busy making a field of miniature tents, using k'nex to make the frames ...



and various things to fashion the canopy!



I longed to climb inside and relax on a pile of bolsters! Must have been last night's Charlie and Lola episode with the Bedouin tents and camels!



Then Mummy made two more bunnies ...

Flock!

working on a secret ...

which I did not want to share with you today, and so here is a bit of a project which is getting closer and closer to being in my hands, as we speak!


It's my dear Crabby, in that lovely stash book we are all waiting for!

Remember Crabby?

A certain hermit crab went on a journey to the USA, and I haven't seen him in an age!



But soon we will, and you will actually be able to make your own! This is the first time I have actually sat down and turned my self-taught methods into a pattern and instructions that others could follow!


Crabby didn't make the front cover, but he is there, nestled inside! Can you wait for spring? I can't! But kep you r eye out for more information on this fun book!

a long time ago ...

In the olden days (according my one of my 5 year olds) i.e. the mid 1990s, I was given an awesome wool cardigan by a friend, and I tell you, living in a cold Edinburgh flat I never had the thing off! And here is it in 2004 at ferret-bath-time!



and again in the garden on a fresh spring day in 2008, just before Mary came to join our tribe. That's her, in that amazing belly! The girls and I seem to be making a massive mud-pie!



But the cardigan got a nibble from a moth at one point, and the sleeves wore at the ends, and I did a bit of stitching and wore it some more. Once when it was looking very tired and stretched across the shoulders, it was washed at 40' instead of 30', which tightened it up again beautifully.

This Christmas though I bought a new woollen cardigan with money from my Mum, and felted old cardi in the machine at 65' with craft projects in mind. Flat-Cat was born from the sleeves, and looks great sat on my sofa. The tummy and muzzle are made from pieces of linen curtain off-cuts from a neighbour!



Yes, Old Cardigan is BACK!

Round up ...

some woolly hamsters shuffled through the stormy weather into my shop ... they chose calmer day to sit on my garden (but they did blow over!)



It doesn't matter if its cold or wet, there will always be rainbows here, and matty has even given me a lovely mug of hot chocolate!



here I am giving an Edward a lovely cuddle, this shows you how big the full-sized version is too!

Another scruffy pup!

jess, the muppet doll....WIP... all together now!

It starts with a drawing, which becomes a pattern after some tweaks ... I do get things wrong sometimes - this shape made toes that were too thin!



so after starting again, Jess' feet look like this ...



and they were added to her little legs - later, Jess will get flip-flops to wear!



and, with her head on her shoulders, we can see Jess' bunches and those little star tattoos too!



Off to select her outfit now, Jess gives us a happy wave!

another hermit crab ....

I made another hermit crab ...



and my children gathered to give him a good send off, before we extracted him from crabby number 1's shell, and bubble-wrapped him ...



crabby number 2 is off on a secret mission, we hope he comes home soon ...

a new barn owl .... my children call her 'blondie' ...

here she is, in my dining room ...



another guardian of buttons ...

barn owls again ....

a new barn owl has been born in my house ...



this one seems younger somehow than the others ...



i changed the way I did the eyes and I am very pleased with the effect. But who is it this time?

More Umphy the Umgum ....

mink brown hair?



or a blue-grey, fluffy top-knot?



Umphy the Umgum needs some hair for set of his lovely green eyes...

a new baby hamster ....

WIP - molly the barn owl textures ...

WIP - molly the barn owl ...

I love to work on a new project, and a dear friend asked me to have a go at Molly the Barn owl, you do know about molly and her babies don't you?

I started by looking at owl images and owl videos a lot, and then made a few drawings, to help me feel my way around the shapes ...



I love hunting out the fabrics and textures i might use ...



a hint of the gently face of a barn owl appears ...