Belated Happy New Year !!

I can`t believe the first half of the month of the New Year already is gone..  I don`t think it is to late to sent my best wishes> I hope and wish everybody worldwide a great start in the new year and may it continued the years to come !! 
HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

For me it is time to get back to bear making and prepare for the shows to come. I have a few new designs needs to work out... and there will be another ThReAdTeDs® Challenge (more about this later).
There are mini fabrics waiting for new colors..  my web shop and web site needs to be updated..and...and.. and..

But.. in this post I like to share with you what I worked on and finished in the Christmas Season Holidays...  as you know I like many other crafts/techniques besides bear making.. and/or at least want to do it ones to know what it is about..

Knitting is another favorite needlecraft I LOVE to do.  I found this website of  ZIJ MAAKT HET  and fall in love with the monkeys Jacobus and Saar.  I wanted to knit the monkey for my Grand daughter Malu. Above is the first finished Monkey. I made him with thinner wool and needles as described in the pattern, he turned out very cute. 

The second Monkey I knitted from thicker wool, it is the kind of wool which can be wet felted afterwards, but I knitted him very tight, so no more shrinking or felting is needed. 

Here they are sitting together on a big wet felted Rock. Malu liked the Monkeys, but as she is almost 4 months now, everything she has in her hand will go to her mouth..  and she did start  "eating"  wool fuzzles.. hmm.. not very tasty and  not safe..

So the 3th Monkey I knitted "Malu safe" from a nice cotton yarn.  The above monkey went home with her and she loves to play with him. 

If you are interested to knit Jacobus or Saar or any of the other cute animals, the patterns are available via Annita`s website or in English language available via  www.ravelry.com  user name:  Annita. 

The Felted Stones Pillows the monkeys are sitting on I wanted to make for a long time, and finally got to it. So far I made 4, the last one is in progress. I will make a picture from all the Rocks together wen I finish him.

at last...

ZHEN XIAN BAO

Another project I wanted to do for so long.. making a yarn book using paperfolding techniques developed from a fascinating tradition from remote South West China. It is an aspect of folk art and takes the form of an intriguing type of folder made principally for storing embroidery threads by the Miao, Dong and other minorities. 

Instead of pages they contain many ingeniously folded 3-dimensional compartments. The original books are beautiful decorated inside (stil have to do mine), and usually have a plain indigo cloth cover. I made an inset decoration of tyvek (again another material I wanted to work with) in the cover of mine book.

The book does unfold into 15 pockets. The Chinese name for these books is ZHEN XIAN BAO which translates as NEEDLE THREAD POCKETS.  The book may look complicated, but using and  following the Instructions in book 1;  "Folded Secrets" by Ruth Smith it is not so difficult to make.  Unfortunately  Ruth doesn`t have a website but if you are interested in her books you can contact Ruth at:  eruthsmith@btinternet.com

As you see above, I was quit productive in the Holiday Season, learned a lot new and did pick up some old.