Zebra Art for Vincent

When learning to make zebras on this trip - when I saw real zebras with their vivid stripes - that looked painted on, they were so distinct - I wanted to scrap the idea of using the print I had been using. Each stripe aligned to the zebra's body in a certain way.  I was taken with the essence of this.

I didn't get a chance to paint a landscape with zebras as I had wanted - Shane's visiting family was more important on the trip. But I did get a chance to make a zebra out of white cloth, and then paint each stripe... along the body as I had wanted.  The hair was set right into the seam along the back of the head as alternating bunches of white yarn, black yarn, white yarn, black - as their hair is.

It was no longer soft - with acrylic paint used - but it was art - although nothing close to the beauty of a real zebra, it was a reflection made with imperfection of human hands, but out of love, to encourage the spirit of a wonderful person who fell ill while I was there.

Vincent - Shane's mother Elaine's, husband - holding a zebra made by me in the night - and a giraffe model cut out by Troy - for the purpose of giving someone else strength.

 

Song of the Sea animation, folk tale of the selkies retold and animated by Tomm Moore

I am in love with this magical animation.  Song of the Sea is not just a fairy tale but reflects the truth of the world.

 I love how recently animations have been used to bring back and teach people about the ways and stories of the past - like the Book of Life - of the ways of Mexican culture.

This tale is true. To sing and remember songs and stories will awaken the frozen spirit of the world, which had almost turned to stone completely.

Knitted flower for Kayla's hair - with pattern

One project that happened before the stegasaurus was completed - when I was knitting this toy the pattern asked me to do a "picot" while I was in the Kruger Park and I had no idea what it meant, and didn't have access to the internet. Turns out it's making a chain using knitting - it was to make some spikes coming out of the stegosaurus's tail. While at Earl's, his daughter Kayla was going to a "hippie-related" themed party. To make a knitted flower to wear in her hair, I was able to use this technique to do the centre stamen thingies - but already knew how to make flower petals. Pattern below.

You knit these petals separately, and using the tails of yarn, sew the petals together. But first, after knitting them you singe the backs of each petal with the iron - to control them and shape them better. Easy to make any size but write down and follow a pattern so all petals are identical.

 

Knitted flower - to knit 1 petal:

Cast on 3 stitches

Row 1: K3
Row 2: P3
Row 3: K1, M1, K1, M1, K1
Row 4: P5
Row 5: K5
Row 6: P5
Row 7: K1, M1, K3, M1, K1
Row 8: P7
Row 9: K1, M1, K5, M1, K1
Row 10: P9
Row 11: K9
Row 12: P9
Row 13: K9
Row 14: P9
Row 15: K1, K2tog, K3, K2tog, K1
Row 16: P7
Row 17: K7
Row 18: P7
Row 19: K2, K2tog, K3
Row 20: P6
Row 21: K6
Row 22: P1, P2tog, P2tog, P1
Row 23: K4
Row 24: P1, P2tog, P1

Using needle pass wool through all three stitches and tie off.

Make 4 more, sew all three together, add picot chains in the centre in contrasting colour, and sew onto a hair barrett or clip.

Note: as petals were flat and unrealistic, I passed a piece of wool through all petals to draw them curved in the centre and tied off.

If you want stamens, look up how to a picot stitch (like a casting and creating a chain).

Knitting a stegosaurus for James

 



First knitted Stegasaurus - from the patterns by Clare Garland, "Knit and Purl Pets" (she lives in England), for my mate from work's little boy, James.

I love the plates design - these are brilliant. They are so thick (made up from two sets of two plates which force a disc shape through the thickness) and after I finally figured it out, am going to use it to make dragons. However I am not a fan of the way she does the legs. I prefer my freestyle - leave a button hole, reinsert needles and knit on in the round. I never know what it will look like - and this stegasaurus's legs are not the same length!

Next ones (I have promised 2 more, for friends' children) I will use her plates and my feet - and perhaps make a dragon, combining the Loch Ness plesiosaur shape and the scales?

For the sticky out bits on the tail - I learned how to do a picot stitch, basically a chain.  Which I then used to knit a flower (stamens) for a family friend's daughter's hair.

For the scales I had to yarn over needle, and to practice a few times before I knew where I was going with the pattern.

Zebras with wings (and unicorn pegasuses)

On holiday, I got to make unicorn toys for my daughter, and for a niece I had promised one to, long ago.  I took with me a pattern, but then modified it until I liked the face better.  You can see the first shape in the first zebra (black hair smaller one, Eve) - my modifications in the second (white hair larger, Troy named her Ash).

Later I made wings for the unicorn - and stuffed them, and sewed through the wings so it had a quilted effect.  Troy loved them and begged me for wings for her zebras.

I will post the pattern I made sometime soon!  Kids love unicorns.

I also made her some zebra pants to match her toys.  I love holidays...

The white mane is a knitted piece that uses eyelash wool which is then stitched into the seam - so basically like a plush toy fur texture in a strip.  The horn on the unicorn Pegasus was a piece of leather rolled into a cone.  But I also make them using ram shell horns.

I said no to Troy about giving her zebras horns.

Shawl for Savannah - first lace pattern

Finally got to do projects with my time - being on holiday - that I had promised long ago. First one - Savannah chose this wool over a year ago. Not enough in the ball to make the full shawl - but a very useful, soft wrap - with my first lace pattern edge.

Kids Craft Activities - Make your own creature out of cloth (sewing machine activity)

Kids sewing machine activity - the magic of making something where there was nothing before. And quickly too!

My first cloth animal when I was a kid was a simple whale shape - half black and half white cloth, a killer whale or orca. The fins were just cut out flaps of cloth.

Troy's fishes
(her design)

This activity does need guidance but they can use machine, stuff it, design it from the outset - pick materials, choose eyes, draw it pin it etc. I would help sew the tail on. It's a stepping ladder - once they discover the joy of making, they will be hooked and grow skill. It doesn't need to be laborious.

 

 

 

Lucan's megalodon

 

Lucan said, please will you make me a megalodon! (Very very gigantic shark from dinosaur times.).

 

Okayyyyy I said.

Lucan did not sew or design this, except I did have him sew the tail on the machine. He loved it. He was worried he would sew over his fingers but soon was starting stopping doing sharp turns (needle rolled down foot up) like a pro.

Sewing machines are easier for kids to use than sewing by hand...

If you notice something missing it's the dorsal fin. Forgot to save fabric for it! But he told me he prefers it that way. Easier to hug?



After doing this with Troy and Lucan, I designed, with Troy's feedback, sew your own colourful fish kits and held my first kids craft class at our community's new hall.  It was hectic, but great.

For this activity I precut and pinned the fish in such a way that all the kid had to do was sew round the shape, sewing over the fins, fastening them same time.  When you turned the fish right side out, it had fins (though flat).