thinking BIG

Hi all!

I’m starting to think BIG. I have quite a few of the regular sized creatures ready to make their debut for Knittynudo but I’m tempted to get into building something much bigger….

Some of the new guys.

But what am I thinking of making? When you look around there mostly seems to be a lot of animal replicas around which I do love, adn they’re created with such care and delicacy. Creatures like barn owls and rabbits appear most, as do mice and garden birds.

I’ve been planning a new series of sculptures for Knittynudo that are much larger than others I’ve made. These would be strengthened with wire armatures and take a lot more wool! I hope to be integrating some fairtrade recycled sari silks and ribbons too. The gorgeous colours might give you an idea of the sort of fantastical creatures I’m going to create!

Delicious Violet Silk from Darn Good Yarn. Drool! http://store.darngoodyarn.com/product/lux-adventure-collection-indigo-indian-recycled-sari-yarn

Beautiful Tibetan Ribbons from Darn Good Yarn. My absolute favourite. http://store.darngoodyarn.com/product/silk-sari-strip-ribbon-yarn

Sneak peaks will come soon, and I’ll be hopefully showing my steps in the process.

Speak soon,
knittynudo.etsy.com
xx

radio silence

I feel like I should explain my radio silence this past week!

It’s been a busy one, with a couple of new orders and a few deadlines for some pieces I’ve been writing.

It’s funny how the more deadlines I have, the more it can make me feel a little down about it. It’s almost as if there is so much going on that I can’t truly accomplish anything! Everything hangs in the air, even after I’ve seemingly completed it.

The irony is that really I should be bouncing off the walls that I’m involved with so much, and that I even HAVE deadlines to meet. It’s great, after all! Like anything though, it can get overwhelming, and everyone’s brain needs a time out every now and then.

This week I’m having a bit of a rest (though I’m sure that now I’ve said that I’ll be more productive than ever!) and then I’m ploughing ahead again. There is plenty to be excited about!

In the meantime, I’ll try to practice my zen balancing….

Alignment and balance. Yes please!

Speak soon,
Caroline x

What’s new in Knittynudo?

I think it’s about time I did a round up some of the new creatures that have appeared lately! I’ll include the latest here, as there have been quite a few!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/127190592/amigurumi-flump-sculpture-folk-needle?ref=shop_home_active

https://www.etsy.com/listing/96980643/felted-snowy-owl-miniature-snowy-white?ref=shop_home_active

*SOLD*

https://www.etsy.com/listing/113915553/miniature-fox-sculpture-needle-felted?ref=shop_home_active

https://www.etsy.com/listing/96839553/needle-felted-hamster-miniature-baby?ref=shop_home_active

https://www.etsy.com/listing/126235215/miniature-amigurumi-monster-needle?ref=shop_home_active

https://www.etsy.com/listing/126686488/felted-wild-rabbit-miniature-cute-rabbit?ref=shop_home_active

Which is your favourite?

Speak soon!
Caroline

Knittynudo.etsy.com

the importance of balance

I’m learning more and more how important it is to rest and listen to your body. I worked incredibly hard in 2012, and didn’t really take a break from all the crafting, sculpting, working and writing I was scheduled to do.

It’s sometimes hard to decide whether it’s worth the stress and pain, but ultimately I think if you feel the need to express yourself then you should do it when can. Last year I thought I was going to explode with all the stories and shapes and textures rolling around in my head and I needed to get them out there and make them real. I did, and I sculptured hundreds of creatures, wrote stories, poetry, a play, and learnt a new skill or two along the way.

My favourite story-keeper, from InBlue on Etsy

2013 though is a different beast. When 1st January came by I wasn’t sure what to make of this year. I felt like I’d achieved a lot last year and I really didn’t think I’d be able to top it without sacrificing sleep and food. Slowly, I’ve started to realise that we don’t need to maintain our thunderous momentum constantly. I think we’re made to work in bursts and then take a step back and look at what we’ve done. You don’t have to stop completely, you just have to slow it down, make every action just a little bit more graceful, and be conscious of each movement, each activity, and live in the moment. I often struggle with guilt, in that I always feel I could be doing more. Right now, I’m throwing away the guilt!

My newly discovered zen-like stare is relatively similar to the confused look of a wild Bombadilious.

I’ve been sculpting when I feel the most inspired to. Writing when I’ve felt the warmth of a story growing. Just thinking when my body has felt at peace. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to feel this balanced. And I think until days suddenly become longer and we can fit more in with ease, I’m going to maintain this balance as long as I can.

Buffins. The epitome of well-balanced living.

knittynudo.etsy.com

Who am I? Give me a name!

This felted fellow is in desperate need of an identity. He hasn’t a clue who he is and frankly it’s a bit worrying.

Who am I?

Can you give him a name? Or create a species for him? This is quite a predictament for him so any help would be appreciated!

I’m interested to see what sort of names and creatures you all come up with! I’ll get an independent chooser to pick the name and then I’ll list the creature on etsy with his own little story.

Knittynudo.etsy.com

Newest Knittynudo creatures…

I thought I’d do another round up of the newest creatures to Knittynudo.

I’ve had a few custom orders to complete (pet requests!) so the few newbies I have managed to create for general release have been made with all my love and attention.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/123227289/felted-folk-fibre-sculpture-woodland

Little Japanese Dwarf Flying Squirrel… *SOLD*

Wild Buffins…. *SOLD*

I’m also still working on the collaboration series of sculptures with Anya Kiel from Farburvur. We’ve been offering you sneak peeks so far but hopefully we’ll be able to show you even more soon. Our sculpture series is taking a very quirky mythical twist on the norm… expect dark willow trees, moon worshipping imps, dragon creatures and more. I’m so excited!

The Moon Imp army is growing…

What ARE they up to…?

knittynudo.etsy.com

re-purposing and re-imagining

It might not surprise you to hear that I am an ardent collector of crafty materials, exotic yarns, handmade materials, beautifully printed fabrics, and artwork of all kinds. I’ve tried to fill my little world with colour and creativity and unique-ness, but this can come at a costly price.

As I get older, I’ve found that they more things I’ve bought, the more odd I felt about it. I’m not too frivolous, but I wouldn’t particularly limit myself either. I think living a life of excess like this made me quite discontented, and I began to feel that the things I’d spend my money on became more real than I was!

The art of re-purposing has come to me at an important time in my life, when we’re saving to buy our first house and build a future. Times are hard, and life isn’t cheap. Meeting so many diverse and interesting people on etsy has showed me a world of creative possibilities without always having to buy everything from scratch. Beautiful creatures made from old clothing….

http://www.etsy.com/listing/123478684/soft-sculpture-miniature-ouroboros-sky?

To stunning wall hangings, improvised from a few loose pieces of yarn.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/90448258/primitive-wall-hanging-on-reclaimed-wood?ref=sr_gallery_5&ga_search_query=primitive+wall+hanging&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=ZZ&ga_page=2&ga_search_type=all&ga_facet=primitive+wall+hanging

By doing this we’re making the most of everything we have, not wasting anything, and more importantly making everything unique and original. Something I’m currenly doing at the moment is knitting a yoga mat carrier, as I’ve started a new series of pilates lessons. I could have easily just bought one, but I thought how wonderful it would be to knit my own from leftover pieces of sari yarn and sari silk?

I’m using scraps of this sheer gorgeously to knit a tie to secure my yoga mat closed… http://store.darngoodyarn.com/product/recycled-resolution-jungle-green-base

I’d much rather fill my world with quirky handmade items than more store bought throwaway items.
This year, I’m buying less, and making more.

Be inspired, everyone.

knittynudo.etsy.com

Knittynudo Giveaway Winner!

Time to announce the Knittynudo giveaway winner for little Henrietta! The winner is…..

Laura Blue Night Owl!
Congratulations Laura! Could you send me a quick email at knittynudo@gmail.co.uk so I can get your details?

To everyone else, don’t worry, I want to do another giveaway soon so stay tuned for the next one!

What’s new in Knittynudo?

There have been quite a few new creatures coming to life recently, and I thought I’d introduce the gang to you…

https://www.etsy.com/listing/121792171/needle-felted-squirrel-miniature-folk

https://www.etsy.com/listing/121792383/monsoon-bird-spirit-sculpture-needle

Little Fritha, https://www.etsy.com/listing/121060249/folk-woodland-hare-needle-felted?ref=v1_other_2

Vetiver the Wyvern, https://www.etsy.com/listing/119146182/needle-felted-dragon-miniature-wyvern

https://www.etsy.com/listing/97764871/needle-felted-hedgehog-cute-felt

Sweet Little Wolf, https://www.etsy.com/listing/122766048/wolf-fibre-sculpture-needle-felted

Little Laksmi, https://www.etsy.com/listing/121058062/needle-felted-cat-soft-sculpture

Kooka the Kiwi…

https://www.etsy.com/listing/121061317/needle-felted-kiwi-miniature-folk-kiwi

Which is your favourite?

knittynudo.etsy.com

Creating a myth with Farburvur

This is the second sneak peek of my collaboration project with Anya from Farburvur. This sculpture is the first of a small collection of fibre art pieces that we’re creating together.

Everyone is getting involved!

It looks like Happy Tom, Marquis and Gump can’t help but get involved in helping Anya with the structure! I can’t wait to start adding my own layers to the piece…