Ruby's Button Tin

Knitting natter

I love knitting, but I'm not much good at it.  My ambition is higher than my talent level, but I persevere!  Today being a Bank Holiday I was off work so messed around with wool, trying to improvise on the needles as I recall Kaffe Fassett suggesting in one of his TV appearances.  I was trying out a seemingly simple squares pattern, but it's only by attempting to make something like this that you appreciate how not-so-simple it is. 

(Photo by Debbie Patterson, from 'Glorious Interiors' by Kaffe Fassett, ) 

The combination of colours he achieves is so rich and vivid, I just couldn't match it or even get close.  After trying out some squares, I moved on to an idea I had about knitting a little bird shape.  Hmmm, not got that right yet either ... Oh well, there's always tomorrow. 
 

A selection of knitted cakes

The knitted cakes aren't looking exactly professionally made yet, they're still a bit lumpy and bumpy, but they're fun.  The giant mutant cupcake and lemon slice are - with a few adaptations - from Susan Penny's 'Knitted Cakes' book while the others such as the white meringue in garter stitch are from Jean Greenhowe's 'Jiffyknits'.  The second book was found in a charity shop and it's sometimes hilarious.  Who knew you could knit an Invisible Man!!

 

Coffee cup cakes

I'm been having a go at the knitted cakes featured in Susan Penny's book called - uhm - 'Knitted Cakes'!  So far I've made a slice of lemon cheesecake, which was meant to be a slice of lemon meringue, except I hadn't got any white chunky wool for the meringue topping.  Plus I'm halfway through a coffee cup cake. 

 
I don't know what I'll do with them once they're made but they're a fun way to pass the time, and use up oddments of wool. 

What do I call these?

I've been calling these 'knitted thingies' or (rather apologetically) my weird version of knitted or crocheted coral reefs I've seen online, but can you think of anything better?  Soft sculptures or fibre arts sounds pretentious, but knitted thingies doesn't butter any parsnips either ... soooo, ideas please!

Two little houses, a Bourbon biscuit and a soap box ...

Just some nice images (well, hopefully you'll think they're nice too!) ... firstly, a little knitted house. 

Now, here's a little felt house ...

Okay, here's a felty Bourbon biscuit.  Not many calories in this. 

Finally, I love coming across images that would translate well into needlepoint patterns.  The design on this soap box would be great stitched on canvas.

 

Yarn Forward

I stopped by Yarn Forward's website to see how their knitting installation is going.  At http://artyarn-yarnforward.blogspot.com/ they're documenting a project at The Manchester Craft & Design Centre .  Knitters have been asked to subsmit strips of knitting to add to this glorious example of craft work. 

I sent a knitted piece of my own and I think I can just about make it out in one of the photos on the site.  Some of the pieces are so intricate, so well made, it's lovely to think of being donated for no other reason than goodwill and the fun of making something.  

Maybe I'll make it up to Manchester some time so I can see the installation close up. 
 
 

 

Autumn gold

I'm sitting here drinking a cup of Cranberry & Sanguinello Orange tea, looking out of the window at a rainy Sunday.  There are leaves of every shade of gold and brown flying through the air and coating the pavements, and it looks windy and a little chilly out there.  Good!  Lately the weather's been freakishly warm.  I mean, I know it's a freaky time of year anyway, what with Hallloween and all those ghosties and ghoulies and long legged beasties and things that go bump in the night.  But yesterday I was wandering around in a short sleeved summer top, and on 31st Oct that was just too weird.  So I'm glad the autumn colours are everywhere ...

Colour is so important in our lives.  I love the intense blue of this image.  There's something so uplifting about seeing vivid blocks of colour - whether a wooded area carpeted with bluebells or a field of lavender or a sea of poppies wafting in a breeze.  

The other image I have today is another shot of my knitted cakes.  I've nearly finished a baker's dozen.  

 
 
I thought the cherries looked good backed by the reds and pinks of this simple quilt. 

 

Cakes unlimited ...

I'm still knitting cakes, and these are a collection of 'em waiting to have labels sewn on them and some of them haven't even got their cherries on the top!  They're going to be for sale at November's art trail in Totterdown, though I've no idea how well they're sell or what I might charge for them.  

 Between knitting and the odd bit of patchwork I've been reading Beth Saulnier's 'Ecstasy' which is a great 'crime' novel with a gutsy independent female lead and a very believable setting and gripping plot.  I've read a couple of other books of hers, and really enjoyed them.  I do love a fictional murder!  I've come to an absolute halt with Muriel Barbery's 'The Elegance of the Hedgehog'.  Just finding it soooo dreary.  Finally, before I go I just have to say I'm loving the new Autumn / Winter fashions.  Lots of dramatic black and highlighted by sequins everywhere, faux fur (the only kind that should be worn) and jewel colours of teal, purple and ruby.   Summer's fashion seemed - like the hedgehog book - rather dreary, so it's good to buy 'Grazia' and leaft through saying 'like that', 'like that'.  Was looking at coats today in Primark, and for £30 you can buy a pretty decent one which is fantastic value.  I find with Primark's coats or jackets that you need to swap the buttons for something classier, but that's a simple thing to do and worth the extra pound or two. 
  
 
 

Knitted cakes, coming along nicely

These knitted cakes are coming along nicely.  Some in this basket are nearer being finished than others. 

 

 

Knitted not baked

These are the knitted cakes that are still being finished off.  They're waiting for embroidered sprinkles to be added on top, as well as juicy red (knitted) cherries.  The paper cakes cases are represented by cream or very pale pink wool, then there's brown for the cake itself and pale lemon or egg yolk yellow wool for the icing.  

I'll add a label on each, and disguise the sewing to attach the labels with a button.  These are really easy and quick to make, and I'm going to try different types of yarn such as mohair to jazz 'em up. 

By the way, the cakes are sitting on top of a recent edition of Selvedge.  I love the magazine but it was always a luxury to buy it.  Now it's gone up to £10 and I'm not sure I can justify spending that on a magazine.  Well, that's it for now.  I'm going to read a bit more of 'The Elegance of the Hedgehog' by Muriel Barbery.  Not that I'm recommending it.  Oooh, no!   It's going to be discussed at my next bookgroup, otherwise I'd have ditched it by now.  Have read about a quarter of it so far, and I'm finding it tedious.  The characters don't come across as real people, just vehicles for putting across ideas and theories.  One of them is a concierge in a French apartment block, the other supposedly a 12 year old girl, but neither seems real.  They don't leap off the page.  Oh well, maybe it'll get better if I persevere ... and I've got a real bumper book to look forward to.  I've bought Hilary Mantel's 'Wolf Hall'.  Can't wait to get started on it.