More Christmas ornaments

Just finished a few for my friends at work.

Needle Felting

It is a very addictive hobby: I have a couple of other characters done: a Leprechaun and a Holiday Mushroom.

Cheburashka

I started a new craft hobby - needle felting! Here is the result: little Cheburashka, a favorite Russian cartoon character

Orenburg Shawl

My husband gave me this Orenburg shawl as a Birthday present. It is really a work of art. The "ring test": Orenburg gossamer shawl called "pautinka" is supposed to pass through a wedding ring. Mine does!
Here is some information on Orenburg shawls history.

Rowan Top "Maggie"

This one was a pure joy to knit: very fast and relaxing. The pattern was easy to follow, and I like the yarn color. Conclusion: a very satisfying project. The irony of it: I am learning to knit Orenburg style shawls, and one such shawl supposedly takes at least a month to complete (I know, it will take more). At the same time, this Rowan top took only a couple of weeks... Almost instant gratification!

Greek Crafts

This summer we traveled to various Greek islands including Crete. We were fortunate to visit a small Folk Crafts museum in Agios Georgios village in Lassithi Plateau. These images reminded me of Russian or even Scandinavian traditional embroidery. The figure of a woman represents life-giving forces of the Earth.
The rug comes from Agios Konstantinos village in Lassithi. The rich imagery includes animals and plants familiar to weavers.


Here is a small collection of various rugs in a local textile shop.


















We also stopped at Lasinthos Eco Park in Lassithi, where visitors can see various craft demonstrations.















Cyprus has its own tradition of embroidery and lace making: Lefkara lace. It comes from Lefkara village, and has a very distinct look. We saw these samples in Larnaca airport on our way back home. There are plenty of machine-made imitations, but once you saw the original hand-made lace, there is now substitute. It is amazing!











































In one of the villages near Akamas on Cyprus we saw some interesting examples of local weaving. Some of the motifs resemble designs from Northern Russia and even Scandinavia.

Santorini Top

This top was inspired by the hot summer days on Santorini. The picture is done on Crete, but the Santorini was the island where the top took its shape. I used Rowan Milk Cotton yarn to crochet it.

Filet Crochet sweater

This one took me a while. It was not difficult, just not enough time. Finally I can wear it, but the weather is too hot now!

Pysanki

After enjoying Ukrainian Festival in New York on May 15 I decided to post some pictures: our collection of Pysanki

(Ukrainian Easter Eggs), and some photos from the Festival.

Spring Happenings

The idea of this top came from one of the Rowan magazines. I decided to make ribs in black to create some contrast.

It worked well with the yarns I had: some hand-painted wools.

Easter this year gave us some beautiful weather! Once again, we dyed our eggs using some flowers and leaves, and onion skins for color.

Habu Tank Top

I had some Habu yarn in my stash: silk and cotton. The result is this top: just in time for summer!

Red Silk sweater

This sweater combines knitting (the main part), and crochet. I experimented with the crocheted cord (at the neck opening) and needle lace.

New Turkish Delight spindle

This one is from Ed Jenkins; another masterpiece!

It is made from Afzelia Xylay wood; the picture on the left is done with a flash (inside the house), another one - outside without a flash.

Baby Booties

I crocheted these booties in just one day. They are made for a customer. I enjoyed the process and the result; will probably make more.