All the best & Všechno dobré

K-) 

Floating Leaves B

This project emerged form my 'Lined up & Scattered' post inspired by these two photographs. And what a journey it was. To recap, I based this project on two photographs of pigeons on railings I observe everytime I go past. They seem to be both lined up on the railings and to be scattered all around depending on any given circumstances. And that was what caught my attention.

As I progressed through the initial stages, I found it difficult to find the right title for this project.

It was not until I photographed few samples on a glass table that an idea of a title and the direction of the entire project started to take shape.

The samples seem to flow in the air (as pigeons would do) & I also observed the shadows of leaves on the wall that are in fact the table's decoration...

To fast forward, two outcomes started to unfold. One of a jewellery piece ('Floating leaves A' that I wrote about in my previous post) when the other would decorate and add to a wall deco. And of course it would not be me if there was not an offshoot to the project.

When crocheting for 'Floating leaves A' I decided to change colour. My immediate choice was red (to go in line with the autumn season). Red is quite a dominant colour in the picture on the left, a picture I took some years ago so why not start there...


As I progressed, I decided to put a golden streak in one of the leaves since it is autumn (as partially seen in the picture on the right).


You might have noticed that I do not show many sketches. The reason is that I do not sketch on a piece of paper. It all happens in my mind and then in making. But in this case I actually reached for a piece of paper and some colour pencils to clear the next step in my mind.


Or so I thought...


After joining my leaves to make a pendant and after making a short chain on each side I changed my mind. I decided to turn it into a brooch.

Leaving the unfinished 2 end chains hanging loosely down are reminiscent of branches of a tree, don't you think?

Here is the piece in action...

Being either a brooch or a pin for a scarf it can be used in whichever way the user wishes. What I also like about this design is the fact that because it is a crochet piece the user can decide where the pin goes through the piece and so attach it in any way.

And so let me introduce to you a brooch, the 'Floating leaves B'.

K-)

Floating Leaves A

This project emerged form my 'Lined up & Scattered' post inspired by these two photographs. And what a journey it was. To recap, I based this project on two photographs of pigeons on railings I observe everytime I go past. They seem to be both lined up on the railings and to be scattered all around depending on any given circumstances. And that was what caught my attention.

As I progressed through the initial stages, I found it difficult to find the right title for this project.

It was not until I photographed few samples on a glass table that an idea of a title and the direction of the entire project started to take shape.

The samples seem to flow in the air (as pigeons would do) & I also observed the shadows of leaves on the wall that are in fact the table's decoration...

To fast forward, two outcomes started to unfold. One of a jewellery piece when the other would decorate and add to a wall deco. I am dedicating this post to the jewellery piece, a pendant on a chain I call 'Floating Leaves A'.

Since I photographed these few samples together in such an alighment, a vision of a pendant would not leave my mind. So I made another couple of leaves/pigeons, this time in different colour, connecting them into one piece, a pendant (right).


As if there were lined up... In a curve but still lined up...







Thinking of a chain, I went on making my own. Remembering the railings, I made two rows of stitches that I folded in half giving myself a comfortable width for my chain.

 

 The next step was to centre and join the chain and pendant together and here we are...

This was quite a journey. Oh, how much do I enjoy cracking a 'nut'. And now, off to 'Floating leaves  B'...

K-)

Lined up & Scattered

It was a Notting Hill Carnival weekend and of course it was meant to rain. Which is why I went to do a quick shopping before to beat the rain. My steps lead me by the canal where I passed this double row of pigeons...

At the same time, I could not stop thinking (or more trying to remember) of this crochet square that I had made some time before and honestly, I just could not recall what it was for.

And so, I decided to join the two together. (Because - why not?)





By twisting, turning and shaping the crochet sample in various ways, I ended up with this...

...and here we go. The way my brain works sometimes puzzles me.

The shape here actually reminds me pigeon's (or other bird's) form so my intention was to make few more of these and see where this is going to take me...

But of course, there is a little complication on the horizon. Few days ago, I went past the same location as at the beginning of this post and looked at it from a different angle. Literally.

This is what I saw. I must say there is something about seeing the pigeons scattered around as well as sitting in two rows on the railings that I feel I need to address.

Yes, a complication. So where is this project going...?


See you next time. K-)

Update: Saturday, 15 September 2018

Lined up & Scattered

This is the image I used in my Instagram post recently regarding 'Lined up & Scattered' project. At that point, I expressed uncertainty about the whole project wondering how to approach the work process.

After some analysis of this particular picture, two words came to my mind: 'floating' and 'leaves'. 'Floating because the samples seem to be floating in the air when placed on a glass table and 'leaves' can be visible as shadows of the table decoration.

Coincidentally (or was it?), I placed the few samples I had in this arrangement on my table and a thought started to emerge...

...a thought that I will keep to myself for now. In the meantime, have a lovely weekend and see you next time.

K-)

Continuum

Continuing on a colour variation of 'Blackfriars columns' project, a new project began to be in making. First, I cut of two pieces of the chain for a pair of earrings with turquoise beads... (hence the colour variation of the previous project).

Since I had more beads threaded on the wire I decided to continue with 'french knitting'. I wanted to see where and how far this will take me...

At this point, I already decided to make a matching necklace for the earrings so I simply kept on working even when I ran out of the beads. I simply continued weaving with only wire (picture on the right)...

To make a straight forward necklace with beads in the middle seemed to be a bit late by then so I started to think of a way of joining the chain and still keep the beads in front...

...Also I had a 'faulty' initial chain that would not work for any earring so I reached for it at this stage. I made a hoop out of it hoping to make it into one joining end (left).

I also realised I might need a button in order to finalise the design. In the picture on the right is its trial version.

Unfortunately for the project, it got in the way of my holidays. Fortunately for me, I am on holidays...

'Continuum' project is at home on a table now patiently waiting for my return...


In the meantime, I am taking it easy letting the project mature (in my head)... Take it easy too.

K-)

Update: Sunday, 19 August 2018

Continuum

A few weeks on and after an afternoon spent on my 'Continuum' project, this is what I am left with. A chain that originated in a pair of earrings ('Blackfriars column') and continued into a necklace.

First I completed the button that I mentioned in my last post. I also made a hook at the other end of my chain, hook big enough to fit my button (seen in the picture above).

At this stage, the design starts to get slightly intricate...

...After placing the wire chain around the neck and placing the beaded end in front, one puts the wire hook through the beaded end returning back up towards the button to clasp the necklace at the back of a neck.

And here we go. My 'Continuum'...

K-)

Beaded bracelet

A few months ago I started working on a present for my sister's birthday. Some years ago she already asked me for a bracelet using elastic thread (for simple wear) and made out of wooden beads. And it is not till now when I finally came to a conclusion that I should listen to her...

To start with, I needed to attend a crash course in beading. This came in a form of googling 'beading' in a search engine. :-)

Of course a lot of answers appeared. One of the first ones was a creation of a two-row bracelet.

As it goes with me, I reached for a thread first. I also gathered all the wooden beads I had accumulated over the years.

After playing with various beads combining different looks, few days later I ended up with a few bracelets and necklaces.

I believe I went slightly wild with the numbers. However, my sister had to wait for a number of years so I may as well present her with a selection...

What you see on the right is it all in a pile. I cannot reveal it to you yet because this present is still not given. But it is coming soon...

K-)


Before leaving my blog do not forget to check my 'Updates' page.

Update: Wednesday, 01 August 2018

Beaded bracelet

Not just one bracelet but three bracelets, two matching pendants for chokers and a pair of earrings stands at the end of my attempt to pay off my sister's initial wish of jewellery. This mix-and-match could justify the looong wait for a present for my sister, wouldn't you say?

On a side note - she did like it. K-)

Gradient

What I like about spring is its noticeable journey towards summer. Similarly to autumn, a lot of colour changing takes place and that is what I captured last month on a side of a road. I think it was the matt finish and the slow gradient developing on these 'berries' that made me stop and take a shot.

It looked to me that I had an inspiration, a new project...

Rummaging through my toolbox, I just knew that there would be some beads I could use...

...green for the top section followed by yellow for the middle finishing with purple at the bottom not forgetting a tiny black bead at the top of each 'stalk'. All to resemble time when nature wakes up and reveals gradual change in colour you can see in the image above...

To achieve this, I cut various lengths of wire and attached selected beads to them, one bead per wire. This left me with a lean rather than bulky look that is seen in the intro picture but isn't this a natural progress from an inspiration to a final piece? Somehow it has entered a different dimension. And who says that these earrings are the final piece?

Let's see if and how this develops further. K-)

Empty Café - 'Brickwork'

Last week, in my Empty Café - 'Stools' post I mentioned a second part of my investigation into a project based on an image of a café at Trafalgar Square that was completely empty in the middle of the day. After focusing on the stools, this post is about the brickwork on the plinth at the background.

The picture above reveals two samples; one made out of yarn and the other out of wire. It seems to be a tradition that my first trial
is with a yarn (to make sure) and then I reach for a wire.

On the left is my wire sample that I then joined into a cylindrical shape. Standing alone it actually looks already quite interesting but what is its purpose?

Well, I guess it is given by the shape. Therefore I put it on my finger and...

...yes, it is a ring but how to shape it? It is too long reaching over my knuckle and like this it is getting into the movement of the finger.

Luckily, the pattern of the brickwork allows certain flexibility. This is why I worked with this characteristic but first I had to decide on the face of the ring. The one on the left or the right...

...I decided for the right one. This is where I joined my sample and unwittingly created a decoration - rather rough but why not?

After shaping it around my finger I pinned it on the opposite side of the decoration to clear space for free movement of the finger and the whole palm.

I must say that even though it is quite chunky it is not in a way at all. Yes, it is quite fun to wear.

Looking back at my original picture of the plinth at the background of the empty café I simply could not ignore the row of red menus on the tables. Indeed, they found their way into this project.

I made another ring, this time without the joining 'decoration'. Instead I used small red beads to represent the menus.

The picture on the left shows the tube in the shape of my finger. (I shaped it by closely following/modelling around my finger).

As seen on the picture on the right, my fingers are bend aiming for making a fist.


What I like about the brickwork pattern is its flexibility. It does let you shape accordingly and the pattern allows free movement of the fingers. It stretches or squeezes the way one desires and is also incredibly light, the way a ring should be.

This was another journey from a photograph to a design piece, this time two rings. And again, what a fun that was.

K-)