The world has many edges

© Sybille Sterk

Do not copy or publish this in any way, shape or form without my written permission.

I love the quote by Anderson Cooper: "The farther you go, however, the harder it is to return. The world has many edges, and it's easy to fall off."

I only used the last bit of the quote as it was the part that mattered the most to me. It's not easy sometimes to make your way through life and sometimes it's good to remember that it is not always your fault if you fall off. However, it is up to you to get back on...

The photo was taken last week. I used a scarf to create the floating effect. The rest was a happy accident.

All images/textures/brushes my own or bought. Magic added and colours edited with Photoshop.

All my images are available on Redbubble, Artflakes, Society6 and Bluecanvas as prints, cards, posters, skins for laptops, Blackberry, iPhones and other phones (for the skins go to Bluecanvas). You can now also get most of my images on cushion covers (go to Society6 for these).

All available on Society6

Teal Citron Shawl

My latest version of the Citron shawl - this time in teal blue and a slight change to the pattern.

 

This one is mine. Teal is my favourite colour in the world.

Knitting - on special request

... you know who you are! ;-)

I have been busy knitting lots of stuff recently. The weather was just so bad that there never seemed a moment of sunlight to take pictures, or if there was, I was busy. LOL

Oh well, here it is....

Citron shawl
Knitted with a lace weight lambswool. Pattern is here. Despite adding an extra repeat of the pattern it turned out a bit smaller than the one in the pattern because I used smaller needles and lace weight yarn. It looks great as a sweet little scarf in a Rockabilly kind of way and I love it. It's a present for a friend, whose favourite colour this is. :-)

Purple Slanted Shawl

Again, this is a present. It's a huge long shawl in a mohair yarn, knitted on the slant with several patterns in random order. I've embellished it with little beads at both ends.

Glacier Shawl and Wrist Warmers

Sorry guys, this set is mine. It's made from Rowan kidsilk in the colour 'Glacier' and I love, love, love it. LOL
The pattern is my own, although it's fairly simple, the stripes are created by alternating st st with drop stitch rows, the 'icicles' on the sides are simple increases and castoffs. Like the purple shawl it's very long and warm and soft. :-)

The matching wrist warmers are my own design too - the cable pattern is on both sides (front and back).

I am currently knitting another Citron shawl, this time in the correct yarn, but with a slightly modified pattern. That's for me too.... LOL I am also making a mobile with a sea creatures theme from wire, but it's not finished yet....

If you live in the Cambridge area and would like to have an invite to my next jewellery party (25th March) send me an e-mail.

Lucky Day!

Not only is my gorgeous calendar finally done (sorry, I am just so proud of it), but I've also just been included into the most gorgeous treasury:


Thank you Diana! Check out her lovely shop on Etsy OneCraftyFox.

Lovehearts all around - Presents

It was my lovely sister's birthday on Sunday, so I sent her some presents:

Raspberry Sorbet Poncho

My sister loves pink and yellow so I thought this cotton/linen mix yarn is perfect for her.



The design is similar to my Where the Land Meets the See Poncho although this design is not exactly the same as I made some improvements.

It's the perfect garment for all year round. It can be worn as a scarf, a shawl, a poncho a capelet over a Summer dress or a Winter coat. Best of all, there are no loose ends to flap in your face in a strong wind and it leaves your arms free to move (and you don't need to hold it tight like a shawl).

The pattern is again the little scallops which I think works really well with this yarn. It's so soft and yummy and available in lots of scrumptious colours from the Knitting4fun website.



The yarn is easy to knit and two skeins of yarn make the whole capelet. I might provide the pattern to download sometime soon.


Lovehearts Necklace

This necklace is based on my Sweetheart necklace, which I am wearing all the time. However, this time I've used a myriad of beads in pinks and yellows. Some vintage, some Ghana trade beads, some new, some fabric, some woven, some paper (with a coat of resin over the top), wood, lucite, resin, glass, metal... you name it, it's in there somewhere. :-)


Here are some detail shots of the beads and charms I've used:

All the findings are either black matt coated brass, brass, pewter, copper, vintage and modern, with lots of little details so the necklace never gets boring. It can be worn twice around the neck or long.

There are two sweetheart charms leftover. The sweetheart charm is actually a locket so you could put a picture inside it.

Strawberry Fields - Shawl

Here's my latest shawl. I wanted a red one to wear in the Summer and I'd had my eye on a Feather & Fan lace pattern for a while. So here's my

Strawberry Fields Shawl

It's the perfect shawl as it can be worn in a variety of ways...

... it's the most gorgeous red colour which I achieved by holding together strands of Japanese Red and Petunia Pink Clara Brilhante cotton from www.yarnstick.co.uk, which have been great in sending my cotton very, very quickly. I even managed to finally get real emerald green cotton - I'd been looking all over for it. It's amazing how many people don't know their colours!!!

The shawl is quite long (1.70m) and it's wide and soft enough to be worn as either a shawl or a scarf. Perfect for a Summer evening or a cool Spring morning.


The two strands of yarn held together almost look like cotton chenille as the pink is slightly lighter than the red and therefore gives the impression of highlights like on chenille.

It was surprisingly quick to make - only 4 days - and that's including finishing. If you want one, check out the colours here, and then let me know which colours you'd like. Keep in mind that I will need two balls of yarn (either in the same or two different colours) and about 500m (altogether) as the yarn is too thin to be knitted with just one strand, if you want a shawl that can be worn all year round.

Depending on the yarn you choose the shawl will be between £25 and £30. The cotton is colour fast and can be washed easily.

Dancing Pearls Leaf Lace Heirloom Scarf

Finally done - the Dancing Pearls Leaf Lace Scarf.

Yep, it's a bit of a mouthful, BUT I wouldn't want you to miss any of the wonders of this scarf. ;-)

It's just so pretty in the gorgeous, soft, shimmery and beautiful Habu silk. The colour is a soft salmon pink which looks so pretty with the leaf lace pattern. The perfect scarf for a special occasion - from a ball to a Summer wedding, you can go wrong as this colour works with lots of other colours and styles.

I've embroidered the scarf with tiny cream glass pearls (almost 40 of them) which seem to dance across the silk and add a subtle shimmer.

Here's a details shot of my first ever attempt at grafting two pieces of knitting together with the Kitchener stitch. I found a brilliant tutorial on YouTube that made it very easy as it explained how to do it AND how to memorise it.

Here are two close-ups of the pattern and pearls:

Sneak Preview of Leaf Lace Scarf

Here's what I've done so far on my Lace Leaf Scarf. The pattern is less complicated than it looks I just have problems remembering it, especially since it keeps being put aside for more urgent projects.


I've used the most wonderful Habu silk which is a delight to knit with - it's the same (but a different colour) as I've used in the Dragon Lace scarf and wrist warmers.

Sod's law means that I am running out of the yarn as this pattern uses more yarn as the other pattern... so I'll have to wait till I can get some more. :-( One day this scarf may be finished....The project for my sister is finished but I won't show it here until my sister has seen it. It looks so pretty........

Movie Magic

I've been busy with presents and a commission.

I was asked to make a pair of earrings like the ones the lamia witch wears in Stardust. There are some pictures of the whole costume here. I love the film, it's one of my favourites, so I agreed and here's my take on them:


It was quite difficult to find all the different materials for them as everything was slightly unusual and certainly not 'off the peg'.

I ended up with a lot of improvising and I think - although the feel of the earrings is similar - they look lovely and different in their own right. I hope to get some images of the finished costume as the earrings are to go with a whole outfit for a big party.

Alongside this commission I've also finished the purple polka dot wrist warmers and the silk flower (see previous post) and I've been working on a silk scarf with an intricate leaf lace pattern. However, this scarf keeps being put aside as other projects come up.

Currently I am working on a special secret project for my baby sister. She's going to come next week and stay with us for Easter. I CAN'T wait. It'll be lovely to have her here.

Dragon Lace Scarf and Fingerless Gloves

This is my latest offering - another lace scarf, romantic and elegant and with a definite Spring theme. The weather might not look much right now, but Spring is coming. Definitely. :-)


I wanted to make a versatile scarf that would go with almost anything and that was light and could be worn in lots of different ways. This scarf is long enough to be worn as shown above, just with a single loose knot or as below with a big bow. It can also be worn wrapped around your neck twice. Either way it looks like Spring around your neck.


Below is a picture of the scarf in flash light which shows off the shimmer of the Habu silk yarn in pale green.


The main part of the scarf has been knitted in a lace pattern that reminded me of a dragon's scales in the pale green Habu silk; the lace at the bottom is crocheted in a web pattern in a a lovely soft cream linen and silk mix. I have also used the cream linen/silk mix for the edging around the main (green) part of the scarf. Habu moiree paper linen and Habu steel covered with moss green wool knitted in a vine along the ends of the scarf separates the main scarf from the lace at the bottom and adds texture and an organic feel. The flower on each end has been knitted with a mix of three of the yarns used with 2 buttons in the centre of each flower creating a focal point.



Below are the matching fingerless gloves. Like the scarf they are my own design. The pattern for the dragon lace came from a Simply Knitting magazine (March 2009/Pattern Library).




I have used the pale green Habu silk yarn and the silk/linen mix from the scarf to make the gloves. The area around the wrist has been knitted in the green Habu yarn in the dragon lace pattern. It is split at the side and laced up with a cream organza ribbon that has a pearlescent coating. This allows the glove to be adjusted to your wrist size. The upper area of the glove has been knitted in ribs in the round with a picot crochet edging at the top, around the bottom and around the thumb of the glove.


Above you can see why I called it dragon lace.

Like the scarf the gloves continue the Spring theme not just with their colour scheme but also with the flowers above the wrist. The design for the flower is by Nicki Epstein - buttercup - although I added a flower button in a pale yellow rather than the suggested French knot. This time it was just knitted in the Habu silk.

The gloves would fit a medium sized hand/wrist, although there is give in the yarn. If you're interested but not sure if the gloves will fit, feel free to contact me and I will send you exact measurements.


The scarf and gloves will be sold separately in my Etsy shop, although together they would make a great set for a wedding or special occasion outfit. The gloves have been sold but the scarf is still available.


News: What's to come?

First, I think, it will be another lace scarf/fingerless gloves set, this time in Habu silk in a pale red with a fishtail lace pattern and more crochet lace in cream. I might add accents in burgundy rough silk yarn.

I also just managed to get some salmon leather - leather made of salmon skins, which normally would be a waste product of the salmon industry. The leather is fantastic, with a soft finish (just like very soft thin leather) and a scaly texture, and it doesn't smell of fish one bit. Check out this shop on Etsy for pictures: Gatsu Shop. I have several projects planned for this.

Another thing I managed to get was some gorgeous silk remnants. The idea is to combine them with some of my other techniques/materials to make handbags and accessories.

Then, there's that gorgeous faux Shibori scarf I really, really want to knit...

Then, there's that shrug I really really want to make in my gorgeous teal seacell and merino yarn... and many, many more projects.

There will also be more organza and tulle flowers in various colours, some fascinators with gorgeous feathers and whatever else I really, really need to make....

So watch this space.

Frost Flower Lace Scarf

My lovely, lovely Frost Flower Lace scarf:


I've used both Habu Silk Mohair in a pale shimmery grey and a silk/linen mix in a soft light denim blue running alongside to create this scarf - both yarns are as thin as sewing thread and together they create a stunning pale blue with the softness of the mohair/silk and the crispness of the silk/linen.

I had real trouble for some reason to memorise the lace pattern, but I love the way it creates little flowers or maybe snowflake patterns.

The edges of the scarf have been crocheted and beaded with clear Matatama drops and there's a flower brooch that comes with it - partly knitted and trimmed in more Magatama drop beads, partly organza in various shades of blue, grey and silver and with a vintage faceted crystal bead in the centre.

The scarf isn't as long or wide as some of my other scarves, but perfect for Spring and Summer or even inside in the Autumn and Winter. It's extremely light and floaty and complements a whole range of colours.

The scarf will be available in my Etsy shop shortly together with the flower hair barrettes and clips.

Raspberries and Blueberries Scarflette

I got some delicious yarn for my birthday from Caroline. :-)

It is a mix of mohair and silk from Habu, probably my favourite yarn company. They have a huge range of unusual and high quality yarns that are lovely to work with and that make wonderful garments.

I've used Habu before in the blue Shosenshi shrug and the tiara and matching corsage I made last year and I am currently working on a lacy frost flower scarf with more Habu yarn.

This is a really versatile scarf because it's fairly 'skinny' and so soft.

You can wear it long:

Tied in a bow:

Just tied:


It is simply knit in stocking stitch with three rows of beads crocheted into the fabric at one end:


Each row of beads is different. I've used pink lined clear beads, metallic pink beads and purple velvet iris beads:

This scarf is mine, but I will make more like this as they're perfect for Spring and Summer as they're so light and a brilliant way of adding a splash of colour.