Crafter's Corner

great, what tools does she use to carve? I did a woodcarving course once when I lived in Battersea and I was really keen. I understand that the more detailed carving have to be on hard wood for best result.

 

MrH has a small collection of carving chisels and carving knives.


"Hardwood" is an unfortunate term used for wood mainly from deciduous trees compared to "softwood" from conifers. Unfortunate because some hardwoods, eg lime, are softer than some softwoods eg yew.

Although the best carving woods are hardwoods, not all hardwoods take detail well. Oak is a classic example of the latter. For detail you really need wood which doesn't have a strong grain pattern which enables you to carve across the grain without splintering.

 

I like the sticks Hsuh!

 

They look great there's a lot of detail gone into them - well done!

 

I had once a carved oak bed, but it didnt give me the feeling of splintering wood...

 

Oak is one of the traditional British carving woods because of its strength and its attractive grain pattern. However you do have to be careful about grain direction.

For example MrH did this relief carving in oak using an off-cut from another project.


The feathers on the wing in the foreground were mostly carved along the grain and were relatively easy to carve and even undercut a little to make them stand out from the background. Those in the background go across the grain and kept on splintering off. He eventually resorted to filing and sanding to get the shape but they don't stand up to close scrutiny.

 

It's my daughter's birthday on Sept.4th. She lives in the middle of Ireland near the Wicklow mountains. She told me last week that the heather is coming into bloom and that she loves the heather colours. She also said, the clients drink a lot of tea after riding and there's always a pot of tea on the go in the kitchen. When I asked her what she wanted for her birthday she said "One of your tea cosy covers to keep the brew warm please". So this one is a generous fit and has a turned up cuff that can be rolled down for an even taller teapot. The postage won't be huge as it is light in weight. There's a big box of Hotel Chocolat "Summer deserts " choccies on its way as well,
Jenny

 

Cor, thats great Jenny

 

That's lovely Jenny, I like the colour combination, definitely heathery.

 

Thank you Ziggy and Sheal. I enjoy making little projects like these and I hope it goes down well with a cuppa. The main yarn is Japanese and is a blend of wool, silk ,alpaca , kid mohair and angora. Should keep the pot warm!!
Jenny

 

That is really lovely Jenny,gifts are so special when hand made

 

Jenny that tea cosy is a real gem I am sure she'll really enjoy using that and saying to clients 'My Mum made that' - great colours and who can resist 'Hotel Chocolat'.

 

Thank you GA.
Jenny

 

Jenny if you'll excuse the pun, although lovely it's definitely not my cup of tea. Sadly I'm allergic to wool and anything that is grown on the bodies of our four legged friends.

 

Following an idea read earlier in the thread I decided to have a go at making some bikini/shorts (what it will become I don't know yet!) of which I enclose pictures of the first attempts. Main problem so far is when I decrease stitches I get a lot of uneveness at the edges. How do you decrease stitches in the same row on both sides in order to have a smooth edge?