Oops Almost Forgot!

I said a draw a name for the "Perambulating Poinsettia" at the end of January.

A few days late, but the winner is Mary (Le Coeur Celtique). I've got an address for you from the ornament exchange Mary, is it still the same?

Oh and we had some really exciting news yesterday. We've been named in a list of the UK's top wedding photographers for 2016 (you can see the list here if you're interested)

First Gifted Gorgeousness of 2016

It's the start of a whole new year of Jo's Gifted Gorgeousness SAL, where once a month share our crafted gifts, gifted crafts, or anything else vaguely gift related, and despite the frankly shameful state of my last couple of posts from last year I'm going to join in again this year.
January's offering is this

A little stitched pillow featuring LHN's Potted Poinsettias, the chart for which was a gift from Sally.
It is stitched with Crescent Colours - Sassy Brass and Ruby Slippers, and Gentle Art - Avocado.
As Sally was gifted the chart herself before she very kindly passed it on to me I thought I'd continue in the spirit of giving and pass the chart on to someone else. Perhaps it could become a new travelling pattern - "The Perambulating Poinsettia"- what do you think?
If you'd like to be the next to stitch it just pop a note in the comments and I'll draw a name at the end of the month.

Travelling Pattern, and a Tutorial

First up, the Travelling Pattern.
Here is my completed and framed version.
The next stitcher for the travelling pattern will be

(drum roll please)







Kate

Kate can you email me with your postal address please?


You might remember the hex nut bracelet I made a couple of weeks back. I've been having a play, and I think I've got them coming out how I envisioned them now. They are similar to the ones on Honestly...wtf, but since I started them and finished them differently to theirs I decided to write up a tutorial for the whole process.

You will need:-

a bag of hex nuts from your local builder's merchants/ DIY store. These are apparently M4 hex nuts, basically I just bought the smallest they had. They cost me the princely sum of 3p each. You'll need between 3 and 4 dozen depending on the size of your wrist and how tight you braid them.
Ignore the washers, they are for a different project.

Stringing material. After experimenting I found that the suede thong worked best, the nuts dont slide about on it as much while you are working. Cotton cord worked quite well too, but ribbon was a bit too flimsy.
A clasp of your choice, split rings to attach it with, and  a pair of the toothed jaw type ribbon clamp ends.

Cut 3 pieces of your chosen stringing material each approximately a foot long. (some of the length is taken up in the braiding & you need more than you think, better to have to cut a bit off at the end than not have enough)

Place them side by side in the jaws of the clamp ~ I like to put a drop of craft glue in as well for extra hold ~ and squeeze it closed with pliers. Using a split ring attach one part of your clasp. I don't recommend using a jump ring as the finished bracelet is heavy and it may pull open.
Plait the pieces together for about 1/2 inch.

thread a nut onto the next end to be plaited in and push it up as far as you can before crossing the end into the centre.

Repeat with the opposite side.

Continue as set, threading nuts onto alternate sides as you plait, and keeping them pushed well up

until your braid is around 1" short of your desired finished bracelet length, then plait without nuts for a short distance to match the first side.

This is the part where having an extra hand would come in very handy, but unless you are Zaphod Beeblebrox you are going to have to find something to hold the braid in place with. I used this tiny decorative clothes peg.

Once you have your peg (or Zaphod hand)  in place to hold the braid, snip off the excess, and again add a dab of glue before fastening on the 2nd ribbon clamp.

Ta da! Your lovely bracelet. They are so chunky and satisfyingly heavy to wear.

And here is a gallery of different styles

I love the effect on the turquoise one, which was made by alternating zinc and brass nuts.
The pale pink one is done with waxed cotton cord which, as you can see, allows you to fit the nuts much closer together creating a denser bracelet.
The white one is threaded in a completely different way, I'll explain that one another time.

Quick heads up

If you pop over to The Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe she is having a give away for some beautiful hand dyed threads. To join in the fun just sign up as a follower and say I sent you (sounds like a line from a cheesy spy film).

Don't forget to comment on the post below by Sunday if you want to be the next stitcher of the travelling pattern

First finishes of 2012 and The Travelling Pattern

Doing a Happy Dance for my first finish of the year, Count your Blessings by Shakespeare's Peddler. This is the travelling pattern as started by Sharon (Daffycat).
Sorry about the pictures on this post by the way, it's a grey old day and I can't get the colours to come out right, it's nowhere near as dark and dull as this in real life. Also the house isn't really curved ;D


So..
Do you want to join the fun and be the next stitcher of The Travelling Pattern?


These are the rules:-

1. comment on this post saying you would like to be part of the stitcherhood


2. by leaving the above comment you agree (if you are chosen) to stitch the design and send it along to the next person in a timely manner. if this means dropping eveything in your rotation to concentrate on this project, so be it. if you cant bring yourself to do this done sign up


3.  you must have a active blog to partcipate. if you have a blog but never post to it you wont be chosen to be the next stitcher.


4. this is a giveaway type traveling pattern. that means you must follow it from blogger to blogger to enter each time it is ready to send along. commenting on this post doesnt make you a guaranteed part of the stitcherhood.


the travelling pattern has been stitched by:-
1 Sharon of its daffycat Oklahoma USA
2 Karen of Karens Handiwork, South Carolina USA
3 Patty of Hanging on by a thread, Florida USA
4. Terrri of chocolates for breakfast, stitching for lunch USA
5. Lynda of a cozy little place for stitching, Oregon USA
6. Nataly of Natalys needle creations, Massachusetts, USA
7. Erin of fairy tales and french knots, NY USA
8. Jo of Serendipititous stitching, Suffolk UK
9. Mouse of tales of a a stitching mouse, South Yorkshire UK
10. Sally of stitchyangels treasures, East Yorkshire UK
11. Lesleyanne of Lesleyannes life of stitches, Northamptonshire, UK
12. Michelle of stitchercraftplace, Staffordshire, UK
13 Kath of kaths stitching heaven, Barnsley, South Yorkshire UK
14. Christine of The Alchymyst's Study, Cornwall, UK


I'll pick a winner on Sunday 15th Jan

In other news, I got tired of how sad and bare the house looked without it's Christmas finery, so; copying an idea I found on Pinterest  (yeah, I know,  I've got a Pinterest problem); I whipped up this  "decorative accent". All previous comments about the photographs apply but it's rather "me" don't you think?