In motion

Isn't it funny how many people are scared of anything that would buzz around them? The sound itself creates such a fear. Girls tend to jump around and scream. Why though, I ask.

We often value and adore anybody who can manage a number of tasks in a short time. What is more, they can do it all to perfection. How many times have we said '...as busy as a bee? Put this aside, just look at this image. Don't you find the colours of this creature sitting on another contrasting colour rather charming? Forget about the fear and just see the beauty around.

Have you actually ever observed the way both wasps and bees fly? It is a rather monotonous move yet keeps certain gracefulness. The time they take before they sit on a flower. How do they choose? Is it the colour?

I remember how close to me they would get when I was a child and had a sweet drink. Can they smell sweetness?

All these questions unanswered. Do you have any idea? Let me know. In the meantime, have a great week. I believe summer has finally arrived (at least a touch) so enjoy it. Kx

Natural elements

What a day we have had. Dark & rainy, bright & sunny, windy yet reasonably warm. How weird. Natural elements can catch us by surprise at various moments of the day.

This picture plays with the magic of light. It may look like mist but the image's charm lies in the way the sun hits its subject.

I was on my way home through the park on a spring evening. I guess it was the time of the year and the day that created such atmosphere. No wonder that more interesting pictures are taken on a not so sunny summery day...







A touch of wind during a rainy day and again, this image evokes a fairy-like beauty.


Straight away, I think of a touch-scary fairytale that could use such scenery. Let's say 'The Beauty and the Beast'?...

What we have here is a fog, or is it?

In fact, this was a cloud that swallowed us on a trip to the mountains. And as quickly as it came, it also left. The experience though was memorable.








Natural elements in their full power make us realise how insignificant we actually are and how fully reliable we can be on their mercy. Therefore, let's appreciate natural beauty in any of its face. It is definitely worth it, don't you think?

Mussel Trivet - the journey

I was given this image of mussels neatly arranged and ready for roasting over a flaming pyre. This is a process seen around the south-west coast of France (or so I am told). What interests me here is the way the mussels are arranged.

For some time now, I have kept empty mussel shells hoping to find the right use for them. They are strong, water and heat resistant and reasonably shaped. What is more, they are also rather decorative pieces.

This is why I decided to turn them into a trivet.

My question is how to join them. I do not want to use glue (even though I might to at some stage) and I do not have a drill with the necessary drill bits.

Therefore to start with, I decided to reach for a string. Partly because I can use it for crochet and partly because of my hands-on approach when materials can be manipulated and controlled purely by my hands.


Here we go. It looks that I have found my next project. It is about time. My 'Updates' page cries for an update. Therefore, keep checking the progress. A 'Mussel Trivet' does sound exciting (at least to me) and one never knows what can come out of it. Have a great weekend and see you soon. Kx

Update: Sunday, 17 July 2011

Mussel Trivet

A few days into a 'Mussel Trivet' project and this is where I am so far.

Trial 1

Using a string, I crocheted 'slots' into which the mussel shells can be slipped. Pleasing to the eye, here is a potential for a trivet. 

What is not answering my design is the sheer height. The string&shell layers make the design pop up. What I need is a flat object.

Therefore, next...

Trial 2

As I have mentioned in my 'Web Top' post, I have a clever book on crochet patterns. This one is a pattern I wanted to try out for a long time.

What you can see here is the front and back of a material that responses to the demand of a trivet. First of all, it is flat which was missing from  the previous design.

What is more, it is dense which gives the necessary protection between a hot pot and a desk/table. So here is a potential for a design.

What I am missing here are the mussel shells. Obviously, I cannot have a Mussel Trivet without any mussel shells. Therefore, I need to find a connection between Trial 1 & Trial 2.

For this, I will see you in my next update. In the meantime, if you have any suggestion do let me know. Ta. Kx

Update: Sunday, 24 July 2011

Mussel Trivet

We are another week into my 'Mussel Trivet' project and a lot has happened since then. That is if you count a lot of thinking (which is always important to include, of course).

To cut the story short, I realised that there will be a need to invest into a drill and drill bits afterall. That is why I got one. And what a beauty it is, don't you think?

When I was first year at uni, I was told to get a drill. Apparently I would (sooner or later) find a use for it. I am a number of years out of uni now and finally have found the use (or so I hope). So here we go. I will tell you what happened next week.

This image was introduced to you with my last week's update. Since then I have found a design idea for it.

All I will tell you about it right now is that it is within the range of dining accessories. The rest will come in images. Is this a teaser or what?...

I hear that the coming week should feel like summer so enjoy it and see you soon. Kx

Update: Saturday, 6 August 2011

'Teaser' revealed

- more in due course...

Update: Monday, 29 August 2011

My teaser turned into a table runner. More on 'Mussel Runner' can be seen in its own post. Just click on the link.

Update: Sunday, 11 September 2011

Mussel Trivet

After incorporating a trivet into my 'Mussel Runner', the design process of the 'Mussel Trivet' itself has taken a different dimension; the follow on step. The image above suggests the idea. Therefore, keep on checking the 'Updates' page. I will see you soon with the progress.

Hammock Chair

Recently, I went through my photographs. If I say photographs I mean actual photographs (not virtual). These represent the time of shooting on rolls of film and bringing them to Snappy Snaps for developing. Time not so long ago however, in this fast-paced digital world we can freely acknowledge that it seems like centuries ago.

The reason for this exercise was to find pictures of a project done some ten years ago when I was studying Foundation course at Richmond Adult College. During that time I would focus on the fashionable phrase 'Reduce, reuse, recycle'. I believe this motto is still the focus of my work. I still prefer to reach for a material within my environment, hence the three mini projects referring to 'What lies beneath (and above)' post when an old pair of jeans became my material.

To return to the image above, I collected a pile of Tesco carrier bags that became a fundamental source to the entire project. At the same time, we were bombarded by various designs of hammocks which I could not leave go by unnoticed. I decided to make a Hammock Chair out of Tesco carrier bags.

The Hammock Chair was based on a shape of a beanbag; the 'inside curve' to be precise. This gave me the size and a shape.

For this design, I believe I used approximately 500 carrier bags.

As I was progressing with the project, I needed to think about its usability. I realised that to have purely a hammock chair is not enough. I needed to be able to carry it around. So I made up a story to go with it.

1. Made out of carrier bags, first I use it as a shoulder bag itself and take it to a shop (Tesco to keep to the theme). There I buy myself a picnic that would be placed and carried in this 'bag'.

The two shoulder straps of the 'bag' are the two vertical connectors between the top and the middle part that represent the back support of the Hammock Chair.

Also, note the little hook visible at the middle section of the top horizontal connector. This holds (hooks) the whole 'bag' together.

2. After my shopping, I get to the park to relax in the Hammock Chair and enjoy the picnic.

If you focus on this image you will just about distinguish the bottled water popping out from the 'bag'. For obvious reasons of holes, I had to tuck the entire picnic in so that I do not lose it.

What I would describe as a tail is a 'rope' (also made out of carrier bags) that attach the Hammock Chair to (in this case) a tree. This 'rope' makes and fills the inside of the 'bag'.

3. Time to sit and enjoy a day in a park.

I remember how stretchy the 'rope' became. This was an unexpected element of the design. This introduced a new potential of the material yet to be explored.







Nowadays, supermarket's carrier bags are made out of a biodegradable material and so last for only a few years. I say 'only' but from an ecological point of view I have my thumbs up. After all we need to be responsible for next generations.

Joined - What lies beneath (and above)

What you are looking at is my interpretation of 'What lies beneath (and above)' post, the one I have been adding to for the past month. And have I had a good time working on it, that's for sure.

This project would run around a few photographs taken on one of my walks. I focused on a detail of a specific place - a bridge dividing/connecting Kensington Gardens with Hyde Park. What came out of it are three mini projects: 'Web Top', 'Belt-strap Handbag' & 'Fold Dress'.


1. Web Top

Ever so light, it is surprisingly strong and despite all the holes produces a certain level of warmth.

Crocheted white part is made out of only one piece folded and joined together & blue part represents decoration and helps to shape and keep visual division.






2. Belt-strap Handbag

Like a puzzle, four pockets from an old pair of jeans are re-arranged to make an unusual design full of quirky compartments.

Using a sewing machine, I am rather pleased with the ease this handbag was created (especially since I had not used a sewing machine on my own up to that point).






3. Fold Dress

What used to be trouser-legs became the front and back of a dress.


Slightly daring, this dress will remain to be my pride. One can achieve a lot if the mind is set to it. Left to my own devices, what I can do is to belief in my ideas and make it all work. There is always a way.







Coincidentally, I met my friend Agnieszka (alias Aga) yesterday. She was my 'colleague in crime' during our university studies. I have always had a good lough in her company so was looking forward to meeting her again last night. And it would not be me if I would not use this opportunity and ask her to become my photographer for the evening. What a job she has done. Below is a selection of photographs taken in a stylish setting of Tower Bridge and the City Hall.

One more thing to mention. There are few leftovers as well as unused parts that have been produced during the design process. The zip from the jeans, little rosettes crocheted for the 'Web Top',... These will stay safely in my possession to find the right use for them later. I will draw your attention to them in due course. See you soon. Kx

Fold Dress completed

A quick note to let you know that my 'Fold Dress' is finished. I think I need more projects such as this one. I would become a pro regarding unpicking what has just been done. I am not sure how many times I actually unpicked certain sections but it did not stop me from staying focused and finishing the dress. To summarise, I enjoyed it.

Now is the time to look for another challenge. Let's wait and see what the next week brings. As usual, do not forget to keep checking my 'Updates' and 'Photos' pages. I do put more info there. See you soon. Kx