Thursday 25 December 2014

How to make a Christmas wreath

Nothing makes me feel more festive than seeing a traditional evergreen wreath hanging from my door at Christmas time. And ever since acquiring a garden with an abundance of holly and ivy I've been itching to try my hand at making one.

I'm also completely spoilt in having the wondrous Warley Woods on my doorstep. So if you went down to the woods a couple of weekends ago, you may have seen a crazy-looking lady furtively foraging from the forest floor and sneakily snipping bits off branches hoping to remain unseen...

After taking some inspiration from this oasis video tutorial (manufacturer of floral products, not the band), this is my simplified and slightly improvised version.

You will need:

  • 1 oasis wreath ring - I picked one up from Wilkos for £3.
  • Foraged goodies - it doesn't really matter what, anything green looks lovely.
  • Florist wire
  • Ribbon
  • Scissors

Here's what I did:

  1. Soak the oasis ring before you start. I used a water sprayer that I use for blocking knitting, but you can also soak the ring in the sink or a bowl of water.
  2. Tie the ribbon around the ring to form a loop. I folded the ribbon in half and tied a knot. Then passed it through the centre of the ring, slipping the knotted end through the folded loop to hook it and leave a long end to hang the wreath.
  3. Assemble your foraged goodies and trim them to the desired length. I went for 6-8 inch lengths for around the outside edge of the ring, 4-6 inches on the surface facing you and 2-4 inches around the inside edge.
  4. Push each stem into the oasis ring. I started from the outside and worked inwards, alternating the different types of leaves.
  5. To attach fir cones (or anything else without a stem) fold the florist wire in half (you might need to trim it first with wire cutters or scissors), place it over the top of the fir cones and push it into the oasis ring.
  6. Hang the wreath from your door, step back and admire it!
Finally, my top tip - make sure you tie the ribbon on first. It was an oversight on my part to do it last; it was very fiddly and I have the scratches to show for it!

Friday 12 December 2014

Christmas jumpers!

It's Christmas Jumper Day here in the UK today, where the nation is encouraged to don their most festive knitwear in aid of Save the Children.

In true Christmas spirit, I’m rocking a pudding jumper festooned with snowball pompoms and a few Strictly-style sparkly crystals for good measure. Meanwhile, workplaces across the country have been tweeting their seasonal selfies by the droves.

I love how Christmas jumpers have transformed from a hideous gift that your nan or a cat-loving aunt might have bestowed upon you, into something that is embraced for its kitchness.

So now that I no longer need fear the ridicule of being a crazy needle-wielding bearer of unwanted woolly presents, I’d love to have a go at knitting one. My ambition is to create one of those delicate fair isle numbers with beautifully crafted reindeer, snowflakes and the like. But I suspect I might need to start now to be ready for next year.

For now, if you're feeling inspired, here are the pick of my favourites on Ravelry.

The ultimate Christmas fair isle.
One day I'll manage something like this.

This would look amazing hanging over my mantelpiece.

 The stylish snowflake from Rowan.
Which man in your life wouldn't want one of these?

The cutest Anders sweaters
Sophisticated Scandinavian loveliness.

Who said Christmas jumpers couldn't be glamorous?

Happy Christmas Jumper Day!

Thursday 31 July 2014

Lacing the streets

It's a wonderful moment when you discover something truly beautiful and utterly creative. One of those moments came to me recently while scrolling along the Facebook newsfeed of an evening (as you do), and stumbling across the work of a Polish artist who creates street art out of lace.

Lace stencil by NeSpoon
NeSpoon
In the most delicate of graffiti, artist NeSpoon decorates pavements, walls, brickwork and street furniture with beautiful lace motifs.

Embracing a range of media, her work has incorporated ceramic mandelas and huge stencilled paintings, to even using some traditional crocheted lace.

And it's not just the gritty urban landscape that gets the NeSpoon treatment, several projects have seen her working with tree hollows and stumps, in parks and on beaches.

A sucker for a geometric pattern, especially when it involves lace or tiles, I fell head over heels when I found this piece from her 2012 work in ceramics; a stunning design pressed into a cracked pavement filled with clay.

Ceramic 2012 by NeSpoon
Ceramic 2012, by NeSpoon

Her latest collection 'Illegal city decor' sees her lace-bombing the streets of Warsaw with spray-painted stencilled doilies. My yarn bombing efforts pale into comparison!

City Decor 2014 by NeSpoon
City Decor 2014, by NeSpoon

See more of NeSpoon's exquisite work at https://www.behance.net/NeSpoon and show your appreciation!

The original discovery was made on http://www.boredpanda.com/crochet-lace-street-art-nespoon/.