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25/06/2016

The Moody Octopus Project; The Night Before

Tomorrow is The MakeFest.




It's the final day for submitting Moody Octopus pieces as it is assembly day.

I had a goal in mind for how long I wanted each leg & I have just gone for it in the advance sewing up! 



I wanted 96 pieces in total which would be 12 pieces per leg. Realistically we are going for 8 pieces per leg which means I have 6.5 legs!

Expecting more tomorrow too!


Am I worried? 

No.

Does it matter if we make that target?

No.

The response I have gotten from this project has been outstanding. I have learnt a lot about myself through running this project & I hope you have too.

I have had such wonderful emails/letters/posts of encouragement, luck & personal reasons of why people are getting with this project.



I've had international & domestic pieces going into these legs so I hope you find the head suitable!



Its a 42" striped beach ball - special thanks to the boyfriend for blowing it up - with cream crochet over the top so the colours show through just a touch. Was a huge undertaking in itself with a total of 5 balls of yarn used by crocheting on a 10mm hook with the wool doubled.



An yes, I did crochet plate sized eyes! 

The support pack from Time To Change has arrived, my helpers are ready to go & the next blog post I will be posting (I am crazy busy this week!) will be post MakeFest but do not worry there will be A LOT of photographs.

I'll be updating my Instagram, Twitter & Facebook accounts on the day if you want to see Octo (he has a name finally!) in advance! 

Follow the hastag's #moodyoctopus & #girlonpurl


I want to wish everyone who has donated time & effort to this project!

Sincerely, it started out as something I needed to do for this event but it has grown into so much more...

If you posted an Octo piece & DID NOT put a return address on the envelop can you please email me a postal address at:

enquiries@girlonpurlaction.co.uk 

Do not worry, I am not sending the pieces back but I do need it for personal reasons.

Speak soon!

A very happy Gemma xx

15/06/2016

I am a Mermaid!

 I have completed something very special….my very own mermaid tail blanket!


Ta-da! It matches the couch! 



This project has been all the emotions for me. After my Dad had his stroke in January & everything business related had to be put on hold my best friend/wife Chelle gifted me a pack from Black Sheep Wools.

This is a well read pattern & Tulip has eaten a bit of it!



The whole idea was that I needed me time. Drifting from work to hospital or home to support my parents to the hours spent in the phone on updates regarding progress, tests, hospital or home appointments I needed a craft project that was repetitive, simple-ish & rewarding to wind myself down. It was perfect!



Well it's not perfect, it's riddled with mistakes that my mind could not cope with fixing. After all it was only for me in my home, who else cares?!

mistake rows


I can tell you the tales behind each mistake too; being tired from not sleeping properly due to the stress of moving house, financial changes & nearly loosing my job. It took me longer to complete than it should have too; days when I couldn't face more than just crashing out in front of the TV but that's life & we are not superheroes!

The joy of the project is that it was finished 2 weeks ago, 2 days before my Dad returned to work. We are at a point now where the stress of the first 5 months are gone & we as a family have readjusted. I'm very lucky to have such a strong support group.



Sadly the mermaid tail was finished just as the weather got really hot so not much need for it at the minute! I'm sure it’ll see plenty of use this winter though. Through all the hearts of drama llamas of 2016 I managed to take half a dozen balls of wool, time & energy & create something beautiful & practical. Most importantly though I saw it through to the end, even if I did need that one extra ball!


Chelle's pups approve!

All that glistens is not gold

Chelle also made one for herself in shades of blues to match her hair! What's better though than being a ginger mermaid?!

Sparkly!


08/06/2016

Possibilities & Black Sheep Wool Shop

I don't drive...well I can drive but I don't own a car due to the cost of insurance!
This limits where I can go shopping for wool & crafty bits; I know online is grand as I've used Deramores a few times but nothing beats being IN a shop, looking at all the colours & feeling the different textures...my happy place!

However every now & again my bestie is in want to a trip to Black Sheep Wool's in Warrington & lucky for her her hubby drives & owns a car!



Lucky for me she scheduled their next visit on one of my days off! I actually NEEDED to go as I needed one more ball of mustard to be able to finish my mermaid tail & no where I know of stocks Stylecraft other than Black Sheep.

This is the mermaid tail pattern! Mine's in burnt orange & gold


So armed with a shopping list (we still forgot some things!) off we went.

ABSOLUTE HEAVEN!



This is a TINY selection...

The plan was tea & cake first as a thank you to Phil for playing chauffeur but we still got distracted at the door! To be fair the wool that distracted me was on my list.



Whilst Phil played babysitter to handbags, me & Chelle where off! I was being strict with myself & only making the purchases I needed but that was so hard! All that colour...I'm finding myself currently being drawn to blues & teals at the minute.



An lilacs & pinks….


And the specialist cottons….

Seriously....


My boyfriend called me whilst we were there & I told him in no uncertain terms that he was ruining my wool shopping fun & to leave me alone!

That night we had an interesting discussion as I was over the moon with my purchases but he laughed & said that he couldn't see who I got so excited over wool.

Pom-pom sheep...love them!


My response was easy. It's possibilities; it allows the imagination to run wild. It's inspiring. It's knowing I can have a few hours patterning, like solving a puzzle, then the joy of the making itself which to me is relaxing. It's the pride in overcoming frustration & the joy of a finished item.

Beautiful Tulips spotted on the drive!


Also considering all this wool was bought in Black Sheep Wool's, so is discounted, it's a very small price to pay for so much happiness!



I'll show you the finished mermaid tail in my next post!

Beautiful tattoo design I found online