Quinn Knits a Twisted Yarn

Blog Giveaway

To have a chance of winning this months fab giveaway just pop over here and leave a lovely comment. Thanks for dropping by.

Moving

After so much physical moving, I have decided it is time for a virtual move as well. I can be found here. I hope you like the new Blog, later today I will be posting Junes giveaway on the wordpress blog. Below is the Magic Woodsman, just completed today, find out more here.

The finishing off is taking forever. But it's important that every detail is thought through, how each piece might be displayed and providing hanging options if appropriate, labeling, what size and where?, tags, product information, materials used, documenting...so important to get the photos right, not just of a good quality but do they express the character of the piece as I would want it to be seen? business cards, packaging & postage, and of course pricing, always difficult with work that is so labour intensive. Then there is promoting and selling, where is best, on line, art & craft fairs, local shops, london shops, art galleries, should I approach magazines and if so which ones?

My head is spinning. I know I need to find time to make a proper plan but for now I must finish the pieces of work that I've started, finalise prices and get them listed on Etsy & Big Cartel. Well that's my little bed time worry off my chest, I'll add some pictures of todays work. Sid & Maggie Square are finished and I think they look good hanging on the wall.

Below is my work table at home, I also need to schedule some time to move everything back to my studio.

The small pillow art dolls are nearly finished, I've added felt shapes to patch and highlight the opening where they were stuffed, I wanted this functional area to become a part of the work, like a hole or wound that's been patched together, evidence of their construction as well as a decorative part of their story like the blue moon above.

 

Back to work

Two children back at school this morning and one waved off at the school gates for a week of camping. And myself back at the sewing machine trying to catch up after half term. I have also been working on my new blog header/ banner as seen above, these are the same characters I've had for a while, re-drawn as the original image was small and did not reproduce well. I am pleased as it ties in well with my Etsy shop and soon to be launched Big Cartel store (more on that later)

 

 

I have been working on the squares today, very nearly finished. And three dolls made from my fabric that I had printed by spoonflower. I have backed them with linen and will add some stitching.

 

 

 

I have also been looking at ways to incorporate my blog image into my labeling and packaging, I dont have any fancy editing tools or photoshop which means it has been a slow process for me but I'm learning all the time and there are plenty of free editing tools online.

 

Brooch Winner

This being my first giveaway I am not completely sure how these things normaly work. I decided to put all the names in a bag and pick one out. Thank you so much for all your lovely comments and please check back for more giveaways (the plan is for one a month, so june's will be posted very soon)

And the winner is........Hagar of Happy Red Fish......I will contact you for posting details. Very Best wishes to everyone.

Korean shopping, drawing, cards & a brooch order

This afternoon the kids and I popped out for guinea pig food and were drawn into our local Korean food market. We were served by a lovely lady who said she would help me with any ingredients I might like to try and that I could pop in any time for tips on korean cooking. I love the packaging so thought I would do one last post. Tomorrow I will try to rustle something up with our rice noodles, seaweed and salted prawns......hmmm wonder what the kids will say!

I also completed a quick drawing this week based on my daughter Rosie, I would like to do a painting along these lines, but will have to see if I can magic up some extra time.

 

 

And last but not least I added two new cards to my Etsy shop and sent off a brooch order.

 

 

 

I'm taking my exhausted self off to bed. Goodnight.

Guinea Pigs in the house

I know, I know, I'm a sucker the kids got me into the pet shop, what can I say....... they are cute!

Above is Rosie's little boy Cinnamon. And Below is sadie's little chap Rango.

We initially came home with the two as Tom insisted he wasn't interested in a guinea pig, he wants a snake. But by late afternoon he had a change of mind and since we had taken two of three brothers it seemed inevitable that Buster would join us this morning.

And so there where three.

And a dog, and a couple of cats. Last night I knitted Rosie a piggy pouch as she's not so good at holding on to cinnamon, I think this ups his chances of survival considerably.

Tonight I am instructed to knit another pouch for Rango.

Half term Heaven

Yesterday we went for a picnic on the downs. A few moments to relax and give the dog a much needed walk.

We did try to fly Toms kite with some success, but I think we need a more expert hand to get us started.

Grayson ran himself silly then sat down to hoover up the inevitable rejected sandwich crusts.

There are some very good climbing trees on the downs.

And a selection of fitness areas that are good for the kids to play on, the afternoon joggers may not have agreed!

So we had a lovely sunny, funny time. On the way home we stopped off somewhere for more fun, I shall post later on this undoubted madness, lets just say it involves a pet shop and new family members!

It was grey & rainy

We walk along little lanes behind houses and allotments then up on top of the hill where you can look out over the city, a bit grim on this particular day!

Tom & Sadie are putting a brave face on for now, it was only sprinkling with rain!

A moment to capture the hill top view and then down into the green for some ball throwing dog exercise.

Whilst the children entertain Grayson (for about 5 minutes) I play with my camera.

And manage to find some tiny spots of colour in all the grey. At this point the children start to argue over who should use my camera (no one as it turns out!) so grumpy children and I head off down wooded paths towards home.

 

There are moments when you feel you really aren't in the city and then

your back again!

Out of the trees and onto our busy road home, the walk was a reasonable success largely due to the promise of a cinema trip to see pirates of the Caribbean afterwards which probably accounts for the smiles as we head home.

We ended the day with pizza and this morning the sun is shining!

Half Term hysteria!

When this

Turns into this

And they're skateboarding in the house!

or is that roller booting?

They refuse to eat the salad they have grown (and anything else that isn't sweets or coke!)

the dog has eaten the squirty water bottle we were using for obedience training and several other items.

So I decorated some lamps.

Finished my drawings

Got access to my computer for a few moments and have decided a walk is in order, despite the rain! we are off.