WOYWW 768 Watercolour, crochet and Mangalitza

Hi all, thanks again for all your kind support. It was horrible picking up Gracie’s ashes on Saturday but I’m feeling better now and it’s a comfort to have a little phial of her fur next to my bed. 

It was half-term last week so I’ve been preparing for this Thursday’s art class. I’ve bought some proportional dividers to help me scale up from the original photo to my drawing. (We did the squaring up last week to make sure the overall paper is the same size as the original). 

I’ve also practicing grass textures again. 

I think it’s better with some dry brush strokes and then glazes and a further application of a dark green (ultramarine and cobalt yellow with indigo) through my stencil over the top. I have cheated and put some Hookers green in my palette but it’s too bright to use on its own. 

I did a search on YouTube and found this video. The English meadow (2nd lesson) is closest to mine. Paul Clark watercolour grasses

Jan, another in that video shows the use of masking fluid. 

I enjoy watching Landscape artist of the year on Sky Arts and very much liked this tree so I might try and reflect it when we paint the landscape in class this week. 

I’ve finished Brian’s slipover and he’s very pleased with it. 

It’s worked up so quickly that I’m making a green based cardigan for myself in the same pattern. 

I love this yarn - it’s Winterglow from Hobbii, but it’s annoying that it takes a week to come from Denmark. I’ve never seen another yarn like it.  I’ve just added in another green so I’ve put this front on hold while I start the other front till the new green arrives. 

Bella helps of course. She is spending much more time on my knee now, and sends purrs to you all. 

We had a lovely light lunch out this week at the Bridge Arms in Bridge, with absolutely gorgeous cheese goujons and Mangalitza pork.  The restaurant has a Michelin * so we were lucky to walk in and get a table. We’ll go back but will book next time!

And finally..

I saw this on Facebook. I must suggest to our local wool shop that she gets some made!

Ain’t that the truth!

The next one was one of Brian’s birthday cards. 

I love the skirl of the bagpipes but I liked this - very Terry Pratchett! We always talk to the goblin in our satnav, especially when we ignore him!

Take care and happy WOYWW 

Hugs

Lynnecrafts xxx

WOYWW 767 Crochet with Bella, watercolours

Hi all, thank you so much for your kind wishes last week. Sorry I couldn’t visit much; I was in a bad place all week. We’ll pick Gracie’s ashes up on Saturday. 

My desk today features odd things: table and dishwasher salt, sponges, stencils, clingfilm and bubble wrap. I’m experimenting with textures for our tree landscape, which we’ll paint next week after half term. 

Wet in wet watercolour seems best for the sky, salt and sponging for the foliage but I’m not sure about the grass. Not the salts, perhaps, but maybe a combination of the square stencil, which is a bark one on its side, and more sponging, with a bit of dry brush for tufts of grass. 

It’s not so easy to get a good texture. Here I was trying to get the darker part of the field right. It’s a mess. 
 

More experiments needed!

This is better, I think, just texture with a flat brush over a wash, then a bit of texture with the stencil and a splayed dry brush and more layers. 

My latest crochet slipover is advancing, I’ve done the back and am halfway up the front. 

Bella is a great comfort and sends purrs to you all. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed pancake day and are enjoying Valentines Day. I’ve ordered a particularly Welsh surprise for my better half. I’ll tell you next week! 

On Monday we had a nice day for once so we dodged the puddles and went for a walk along Folkestone Warren. 

And finally…

Take care and happy WOYWW 

Hugs

Lynnecrafts xx

WOYWW 766

Gracie died on Saturday. We are heartbroken. 

I write about her here: https://lynnecrafts.blogspot.com/2024/02/gracie.html

Here’s my still life from last week’s art class. The pomegranate was from last autumn so I’d better retire it now. 

This week we will start a landscape but, as some people only joined this term, a lot of the class will be taken up with sizing up from a photo. The painting will only be done after half-term. 

I got a long way up the latest jumper when I realised I hadn’t kept the left edge straight and it had become way too big. So this:

Became this. This wool is a bastard to frog but I managed, in two days:

With Bella’s help. She sends purrs to you all. She doesn’t seem confused by Gracie being gone. 

And finally,

Take care and happy WOYWW 

Hugs

Lynnecrafts xx

Gracie

Gracie had been ill for the past few weeks. The vet diagnosed cancer in her kidneys and liver, prescribed painkillers, steroids and appetite stimulants.  

For a week she seemed a bit better, though getting her to take the tablets was an ordeal at first (wrapped in treats, wrapped in cheese). None of them worked for long. 

At the end of a grim day, she came up to me and sat in my lap. I told her I’d loved her since the day we brought her home from the cat shelter, when she jumped up on my knee and licked my nose. She looked up and licked my chin and I felt forgiven. 

I then found I could crush the tablets into Lickelix and she’d take them. 

She often slept curled in the crook of my arm. On Friday night she lay across my lap till about 2am, but on Saturday she stopped eating. We went shopping for cat food etc and came home to find her in such pain, she growled if she turned over, despite taking her painkillers earlier. 

We took her to the emergency vets and at first they suggested palliative care, but couldn’t get a cannula in. She often took on such a stubborn air, we said she was channelling my mother. 

It became clear that the only kindness was to put her to sleep. She lay on my lap, on a blanket, Brian cradling her head, fighting even that for a while. 

We still have Bella, a bright, sunny cat, but Gracie has taken a piece of my heart with her. 

WOYWW 765 cats and colours

Hi all, just a short post

At art class we’ve started a fruit and veg still life. 

Our tutor is very precise about drawing from life so it resembles the subject, so there’s a lot of drawings and rubbing out at first. 
 

I’ve changed the blue to a cooler one in my crochet jumper project, and am adding more contrasting colours. 

Most of my time this week has been looking after Gracie, who’s been diagnosed with tumours on her kidneys. She’s on pain meds, plus steroids and appetite stimulants. I found one way for now of disguising the pills by wrapping them in cheese, but cheese stopped working this morning so now I’m grinding up the tablets in a liquid treat she likes, Lik-e-Lix.

I won’t put her through chemo with lots of vets visits and injections as a single vet visit stresses her out, so it’s just a matter of time till she’s in more pain than reasonable. 

Here she is with Bella on the bed. 

We’re making a fuss of Bella too so she doesn’t feel left out. 

Yesterday was B’s birthday so we went to the recently refurbished Kings Arms nearby. B is clowning outside - one too many photos 😉

They gave him a ‘happy birthday’ plate with extra ice cream. 

And finally…

Take care and happy WOYWW 

Hugs

Lynnecrafts xx

WOYWW 764 Colours and crochet

Hi all, my watercolour class last week had us mixing colours for our own colour wheels. It’s harder than it looks to get the correct gradation of shades! At the end we had a much better idea of what colours we can make with our paints. 

We’re only supposed to use a warm and a cool red, yellow and blue plus the earth colours and viridian green but I snagged these Daniel Dmith colour samples in the sale, so I have them in my bag. 

This week we’ll be starting a fruit & veg still life. 

I’ve now started another jumper, using leftover Hobbii winter glow yarn. The pattern is Onward and upward

I like it because the stitches are simple - three trebles then a front post double treble. The placing needs watching but I get to mix colours. The rib is a mauvy blue in reality, but I’m still not happy with it so I’m starting again. 

Gracie has picked up a bit and is asking for food again rather than licking at it a bit when it’s put down next to her. I’ve talked to the vet but I’m not taking her yet as it stresses her out terribly. 

We’ve been trying not to laugh at Bella, who reached up and almost hooked a bit of lamb steak off Brian’s plate this week. We’re VERY disappointed 🤣. 

And finally…

Take care and happy WOYWW 

Hugs

Lynnecrafts xx

WOYWW 763 Cowls, cakes and Watercolour

Hi all, hope you’re keeping warm! It’s still glacial here. 

My desk this week was at my art class, where we’ve started this term’s watercolour with learning different techniques: wet on dry, wet on wet, dry brushing, lifting out etc. 

I now understand why ‘cauliflowers’ or runbacks occur (adding wet to dryer sections), although I’ve accidentally made them for years. This week will be colour mixing then we get to do a paint project. 

My Twixtmas cowl is now finished, and very welcome in this weather!

I’ve now worked out how to use one of my Xmas presents. It needs to hang freely to spin, so it’s suspended from knitting needles poking out of my craft shelf. The cats aren’t sure about it, but they know the rule, only Lynne plays with yarn in this house. 😉

It stops my yarn running away, anyway. 

I’ve just finished baking Seville Orange and almond cakes. I saw this recipe in Macknade’s site and felt like making a seasonal cake. Theirs doesn’t have almonds but I do like them in a cake. It’s a nicely tangy cake but I’d reduce the amount of sugar next time. The recipe has icing but I leave that out. 

Bella loves her Crispmouse mouse! Gracie sometimes shows an interest. They both send purrs to you all. 

And finally..,

😻😻

Take care and happy WOYWW 

Hugs

Lynnecrafts xxx