littler update

Just stopping by again for a quick update, since I'm trapped under a sick toddler and don't know what else to do. 

November has been a brutal month with the little one getting hand foot and mouth (different from foot and mouth that livestock get!) along with other ailments. Last week we thought we'd turned the corner but she's now picked up a viral infection and given it to me, her dad and both my parents! On top of this, I have a big deadline at work coming up which I have been stressing about since the end of October too... Having to take time off for my or little one's sickness is squeezing it even more. 

But anyway, this is also an art and craft blog so here's some pictures. This is a recent sketch I started of Ariana Grande. I don't listen to her music at all but I like the character designs in Wicked (which I have also not seen haha) so I figured might as well sketch from that. Doesn't necessarily look like her but I like the result and enjoyed working on it. Done a bit more on it since but nothing notable to show. May do more on it later. 

Here's a couple photos of the 'kintsugi' project which we did in a workshop at the local clay studio. It's in quotation marks as it was discussed in class that we were using epoxy glue and mica whereas traditionally many layers of lacquer would be used. 

Anyway, that's my little update. I'll see if I can nap too with little one now.

little update

Hello friends 👋 

Sorry I've been a bit MIA lately, work has been busier than usual and I have been continuing pots but a bit less frequently - as we have also been hit with illness at home for the past couple of weeks.

I'm doing ok with my end of year goals, I finished the baby hats and my friend's mittens, plus finished off my shawl. I have started another pair of mittens, this time toddler sized, for little one this winter. Hopefully she will wear my knitted items this time!

Here's the first iteration, I started over though with bigger needles to make it a bit fatter width wise so there's more finger space.

Pots wise, I'm still finding centering the hardest aspect of pottery. The left one is very wonky haha but I'm happy with the right hand bowl that I made. 

I have a few more pots getting fired soon hopefully, looking forward to testing out more glazing. I have made enough pots for close family to get some festive gifts and am trying to get a few more sorted out. 

autumn check in and goals for the end of 2025 🎀

 Hello, hope all is well 🍂

It's time for my semi regular check in where I make goals to finish projects and try to avoid over-buying!

Thoughts on spending from now 'til the new year

• I suppose it's nothing revolutionary, but I have enough yarn to work on several projects; therefore I don't want to buy any more!
• I even have some sock yarn (some handspun, some bought) which I can use for gifts if I feel I need to make some for the coming festive period
• I'm not going to get more art supplies; to be fair I haven't gotten new art supplies in a while; my art practice at the moment is just sketching here and there at night; I do want to change this though, more about that later!
• I have a few household expenses that I will allow myself:
• A small amount of paint (ideally reclaimed/recycled) for the bedroom, 1 wall
• A duvet cover, 2nd hand or new if I can't find something suitable

Goals for the rest of 2025

• Finish some pots for gifts
• This is well underway, I need to stop myself from giving away pots before festivities though!
• Finish my linus shawl
• I did it last week while visiting family, woohoo
• Finish Emily's hat (gift)
• I have almost finished the hat, I need to make a bobble and attach it though. I'm putting it off because it's been ages since I've done one and I'm not sure how good it'll be
• Mittens for Steph
• All I've done so far is roll up a ball of yarn. Patterns scoped out but haven't started.
• Start Japanese classes again
• I fell off the wagon and I don't want to lose my Japanese!

Stretch Goals

• Work on Charlie's jumper project (about 30% done at the moment)
• It's big, but it is worsted weight yarn so maybe it won't be too bad?
• Start a poncho for myself
• This is definitely a stretch goal, as I have other stuff to work on that's higher priority 😌
• Sell a few bits on eBay before postal service gets hectic
• Just decluttering a bit; I had a wedding I went to and I wore a dress I'd bought for a previous wedding to be a bridesmaid. It's a wrap dress and it's beautiful but I hate wearing it! So I will pass it on to someone else, hopefully 😌 and then maybe someday I can invest in something that I feel much more comfortable in, or make something, or simply abstain from getting anything...

dropping by to share some glazed pots 🍯

Just popping by to share some of the glazed pots, I still have four waiting to be fired as well!

These are some from the throwing class I posted about previously. I've been experimenting with different glazes and underglaze and cobalt carbonate (the blue on white).

Some learnings are:

• Black underglaze works well not only with the transparent glaze but also the translucent green and amber glazes. I reckon it'll work well unser the green in the bottom right too.
• The studio's shiny white combined with translucent green makes a minty colour that I quite like.
• I need patience and clean dry hands for glazing. It's really easy to leave accidental marks on things.
• Beware of wet tongs - if water transfers onto the pot surface it can disrupt the application of glaze.
• For non potters, we use the tongs to hold pots while dipping them in glaze - we can also hold pots using our hands but have to be careful about unintended finger marks etc. There are also brush on glazes that you can apply with a paintbrush but the ones available to me in the studio are all dipping glazes!
• Specific to the studio's glazes - I feel like the green glazes could use a longer dip.
• I also suspect the clear glaze could too since it's so thin, but I am wary that it might start to make the underglaze look cloudy. Need to test this; not enough time!

Some more trimmed pots 🍯

 

Trimmed these fellows in the most recent class; we have our last one tonight, glazing!

I've enjoyed doing this 6 week throwing course, felt like I've learned a bunch and also made a load of pots I can give away as gifts (I'll keep one or two I guess). I hope I can keep throwing afterwards...

As an aside, O has been sleeping terribly lately, so I haven't had a lot of energy outside of work and childcare; hence the lack of posting. I have been able to sketch here and there, and have plodded on with my various knitting projects. 

The only thing that's really coming along is my reading every (ish) night! I've read 3 of the Stormlight Archive books, and am currently trying to make a dent in my 'to be read' pile (also known as the bookcase). I'm taking a break from Stormlight to read Safe Area Gorazde, a non-fiction comic about the Bosnian war, by Joe Sacco. It's gutting.

throwing class week 3 🎡

 

Not got anything smart to say here, except we trimmed pots! Now the pots are slightly more dry we removed some of the excess clay from the bottoms to make the pots more neat, balanced and lighter weight-wise.

Some of mine are still hefty, like the centre front pot which is like a paperweight! But that should be fine if it has enough time to dry out. These will be dried then biscuit fired before I get to play with some surface decoration.

I'm happy with how they look and am looking forward to glazing, seeing how they turn out and then of course giving them away to friends as various birthday and possibly Christmas presents. Perhaps I'll keep one or two 🤔

textile project audit

Just a little look into what's on the needles and wheel...

We are not here for beautifully staged photos

Charlie's Jumper

Superwash merino yarn because I wanted to have some nice BRIGHT variegated yarn to enjoy watching the colours change. I know that I can get non superwash yarn with lovely colour changes too but I didn't know a non-indie yarn that provides this (please share if you know!) - and the budget was a bit tight since Charlie's an adult man and requires larger sizing.

Pattern: Worsted Basic Drop Sleeve Sweater by James N Watts

Charlie's Socks

Non superwash 4 ply yarn from Telling Yarns, which is spun by John Arbon (another favourite), both UK companies using UK wool. I'm over halfway through but it takes aeons as Charlie's feet are a lot larger than mine. I expect to be mending these repeatedly as well as they are not only nylon free but nylon or not I'm finding that my mending pile just keeps growing.

Pattern: None, improvised

Small foot in the corner

Shawl in Marina Skua Yarn

Marina Skua dyed some lovely non superwash slightly variegated 4 ply yarn. Again another company who use UK wool and fibre (as far as I'm aware for all of the yarn bases). This used to be a kerchief designed by Aimee from La Bien Aimee (yarn company in France), but I found that I didn't really wear this triangular shape. So now I'm doing a bias shawl which is a bit of a longer shape - it's the free pattern, Linus shawl.

Sweater Spin

I bought a special merino fleece for myself a little while ago, admittedly it's from the USA (something I won't be doing in the near future, but I won't rule it out as there's some amazing shepherds in the USA breeding wonderful fibre flocks). I've carded batts with some sari silk for extra interest. I'm spinning it all up as a 2 ply yarn, quite bumpy and varied in thickness at times. I am fighting the urge to be precious with this special fleece, because otherwise it will simply not get done. And I need to work with what I have. I'm treating it as a 'sampler' spin, thinking in the vein of cross stitch samplers. A batt here which is dark, one that's variegated, one that's light, all with varying sari silk percentages. And then I will craft something that honours all the variety - at least that's the hope.