Mussel Runner

To bring you up to date, below is a reminder of my latest project.

This image was introduced to you with my last week's update (Mussel Trivet 24/07/2011). 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?...

Update: Saturday, 6 August 2011

'Teaser' revealed

- more in due course...

And now, we can start. The Mussel Runner

This design came out of 'Trial 2', an idea for a trivet to be made out of mussel shells (which still has to be completed). However, this project took over. Partially, because it was easier to take a few balls of string and a crochet hook with me on my holidays rather than the drill (also mentioned in that post). This meant that after my arrival back I had already created the runner. What was left to do was to attach the shells.

For this, the drill came handy. And so I spent a day drilling and drilling and drilling...

To attach the shells a craft wire and a pair of pliers was used. How funny to think that to create a table runner one needs a drill and pliers.

In case you wonder why the mussel shells? The material made crocheting would surely be enough. It runs from one end of the table to the other and it is also decorative. So why the shells?

The answer is (yet again) in multi-functionality. What I did not want to have was a purely decorative piece. What is more, the design of a Mussel Trivet is still on top of my list. This is why I decided to incorporate the meaning of a trivet into the table runner.

Even though the material itself is dense enough to protect the table from any possible heat, the shells add an extra protection. Plus it will not stain&burn the base so much.

Below is to give you an idea about 'without' & 'with'; the 'Mussel Runner' in action.

Which brings me back to the design of the 'Mussel Trivet'. I am off to do some drilling now so see you next time. Kx

New Forest

One thing you notice about this place is the freedom. Freedom of flora and fauna which spreads as far as one can see. This area of eastern England is for obvious reasons a National Park with villages scattered around.

What caught my attention at first were the New Forest ponies. As we were driving around we would share the roads. These creatures seemed to be accustomed to human beings and certainly did not look bothered by our presence. They would be everywhere. On the roads or strolling the fields. Even hiding in the shade of this bridge.

How great it is to see such freedom.





This area is certainly pleasing to the eye. After getting used to the ponies everywhere around me I found myself absorbed in all the colours. The greens, the pinks and purples all within my reach.

I am sure everybody sees such nature differently. Everybody also uses it differently. For walking, riding, even horse riding. What a great place to live in.




Not far away from the open, I was swallowed by this forest. And what a forest it is. The ground covered with branches, the messiness of the place. This place is magical.

At one point, we found ourselves surrounded by blackberries. And we just could not stop picking. They were sweet, they were juicy, they were delicious.

This one outing to New Forest reminded me how much I miss being in nature. I hope to repeat this experience. New Forest will stay with me for a long time.

Hnědák

This time I was more adventures and ventured further from London. The area I am writing about is located in Southern England. And here is where after fourteen years in the UK I finally found a mushroom - Boletus Edulis alias hnědák (in my native slang).

I must admit I secretly hoped to find one. When I entered the woodland, I was suddenly surrounded by conifers perfect for growing such mushrooms. This is why I could not but turn myself into mushrooming mode. On my up-to-date visits to the woods I would had never attempted the activity of picking the mushrooms. The surroundings just did not look right. That is up to now.

The woodland here was rather messy creating crunchy noise when stepped on or climed over. It was also little dark with rays of sun shining through less dense spots. Suddenly, I felt like the ten-year-old who went mushrooming with her grandma...

My excitement was such that despite the fact that we got home quite late, I was ready to cut some vegetables, defrost the chicken and cook dinner where the extra ingredient was hnědák.  It is worth mentioning that I do not usually eat mushrooms. On this occasion though I could not resist. This one mushroom did noticeably alter and better the entire taste experience.

Snippet from holidays

Imagine you can wake up to such a view. Summer or winter, you cannot beat the reflection in the pond. Believe me. I know what I am talking about. This is the view I enjoyed for the first eighteen years of my life. This is the picturesque view of my hometown.

Twice a year (winter & summer) I visit my hometown and remind myself of the charm this place holds. It has ramparts running around with a deep ditch and a pond protecting the town from one side. And this is the side I was lucky to observe from my window when I still lived there.

I have been away for too many years now so can see more clearly how privileged I was as a child. What a shame I did not appreciate it then.

The name is Čáslav.

Brighton Pebble

In my last post 'Chesil Beach' I promised to return to this image (or a section of it to be precise). This orange pebble has been an inspiration for two projects. The Brighton Pebble is one of them.

Since the question of 'Why do some pebbles on a beach colour orange?' has stayed unanswered, its presence has been nagging deeply in my mind ever since. At that time, I once again collected a lot of carrier bags (the same as for 'Hammock Chair'), this time from Sainsbury's. This is why, having been surrounded by orange Sainsbury's carrier bags and having the shape of the pebble locked in my mind, I made a connection for a storage design.

I used the same weave as for the 'Hammock Chair' and after a lot of carrier bags (and a lot of patience) the Brighton Pebble started to take its shape. Since the pebble itself has a round shape, I just weaved round and round...

However, I felt that a perfect ball would not justify the intricacy of nature. Therefore, the design started to take a slightly skewed shape.

As you may have noticed, I tend to look for multiple functions (e.g. Hammock Chair turned into a backpack to be carried around) in my designs. And this element became obvious when creating a lid for the Brighton Pebble design.

My lid becomes a bowl that houses loose balls of wool at the moment. However, one can use it to carry anything one wishes.

Originally, all I wanted was to create storage. This has been achieved well since I store carrier bags inside. However, during the design process I gained extra 'storage' - a bowl.

How great it is to end up with a surprise (in a form of a multiple functionality) by the end of a project. Now the question is: Is this the end? I believe that more can be done to perfect it. Therefore, watch out for a completion of Brighton Pebble on my 'Updates' page.

In the meantime, have a great weekend and see you soon on my 'Updates' and other pages. Kx

Chesil Beach

Since we have a mini heatwave now (as they call it), we paid a visit to Chesil Beach near Weymouth yesterday. Apparently, in 2001 this Jurassic Coast was designated the UK's first natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Chesil Beach is a part of a 152 km long coastline laid with pebbles. Unlike a sandy beach, every step one takes is accompanied with quite a deafening noise. Despite that or probably because of that, I enjoyed making myself heard with every step (being a city girl now, I do not have such an opportunity).

As I was (sometimes) descending into the mountain of pebbles, I remembered this image taken years ago on a Brighton beach. I wondered than how come that some of the pebbles are orange. As if standing out in a crowd. And I still wonder. The tonal difference created by nature is worth observing.

I did take some stones from Brighton home as a keepsake. This time, having visited Chesil Beach, I also brought home a couple. They are two white pebbles smoothed down by the sea.




I wonder if there is going to be a project referring to the two white pebbles... Previously, two designs came out of the Brighton pebble. To share this information I will see you in my next post. In the meantime, enjoy the mini heatwave while it lasts. As we know, it never lasts in England. Kx