Lee Mac. Twenty-nine year old fibre artist. Crochet portraits = Obsession. I am surgically attached to my Ipod and crochet hook. Bookworm. Pop culture addict. M&ms are as important as oxygen. Einstein hit the nail on the head with "Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."
You said it old timer! Well, generally I don't, but this one is moving along very quickly and.. a) I've understood everything the pattern is saying so far and... b) I HAVEN'T EFFED UP MONUMENTALLY YET!!!! I have finished the back panel! Woop Woop!!
Also known as: 'Big long purple rectangle' I really don't care if it ends up being the most shapeless piece of shit the world has ever seen! This is the largest slab of knitting i've done that has turned out this nice! So if I stuff up the other bits, this bit is going in a frame. In the museum of Australia. To be admired. Not joking. Very serious. My only moment of 'Ohhhhhhh crap' came about 15 rows from finishing this piece. I hadn't done a 'trial wrapping' around my back yet. BANG lightbulb moment!
I grabbed one of my more baggier tee shirts and laid the panel on top and VOILA!
It lines up pretty close to perfectly! That's a good thing right?! I bloody hope so, otherwise i'm stuffed ... But as for right now, i'm stoked!!! Next stop is the front panel, which is exciting because it incorporates some intarsia with shoving a big letter 'L' right on the front! Where on the front? We won't know till I get there I think if I follow the pattern I should hopefully get the placement on the chest. Which would be desirable. I'm just hoping it doesn't end up on the tum tum. Would be slightly awkward, wrong and well...a disaster really....
Anywayz! Onwards and upwards! Why the frig I decided to start this in the middle of summer is beyond me. It is boiling. I won't even be able to wear it till like...APRIL! Probably! UGH! !!
Lee = I shall leave you with this...
Get ready to applaude this screen...
Like I did for a good 30 seconds...
Lee xox
Groooooooowing
Thursday, 27th December, 2012 @ 9:24pm
Chugging along nicely !
Lee xox
"I'm so proud" - Mrs. Weasley
Wednesday, 26th December, 2012 @ 9:21pm
Mr. McCartney's ovaries have every reason to explode! Check it out people!!!
The dazzling star that is JENNY has whipped up Sir. Paul as a Christmas present and he looks FREAKING ACE!!! Amazing work Jenny and thank you for the pictures !!!! I hope everyone had a FAB Christmas for 2012! I am still stuffed to the eyeballs. Two words... coconut prawns. Holy crap. If you've never been there....go there immediately!!!! BEYOND YUM!!!!!! Specially with a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce....Oh my god, I can't even !!! I feel nirvana doesn't even compare to the sensations my tongue was feeling ... SO YUM!
Apart from all the deliriously happy-head screaming over the tasty prawns - it was a lovely chrissy . Although late last night, whilst replacing some dvds in their rightful places, a certain film jumped out, as it always does and a particular scene became rather relevant...
I felt a pang of longing....for my very own Weasley jumper. So, in a trance, I tracked down some sticks, some yarn, a pattern and 24hours on, thus is our destination...
I feel I need to remind you...that I SUCK at knitting !!!!!
Plus i've never made a jumper before, so this, my friends, is going to be bloody hilarious !
However so far we seem to be on the right side of 'no gaping holes' which is both a massive surprise and relief !
(Just quietly, i'm actually feeling a tiny bit optimistic about my prospects !) I decided on a lovely deep royal purple colour - because it's easy to get if I run out, but more importantly, I shouldn't run out since I have balls of this colour coming out of every orifice... Too much info?!? So i'm thinking a nice bright white 'L' initial orrrrr I do have some of that sparkly gold thread left over from Captain. Kirk's border....however that stuff is totally shitty to work with....so perhaps not Either way I can't WAIT to try this baby on!!
Still can't believe i'm knitting man... ....
Lee xox
And To All, A Good Night~!
Monday, 24th December, 2012 @ 11:15pm
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
I've been racking up some serious milage on 'chrissy telly' these past 2 days! National Lampoon's Christmas Home Alone Wallace & Gromit Love Actually A Muppet Christmas Carol Vicar of Dibley Christmas specials The Santa Clause Now A Christmas Carol from 1938 is coming on which has the bloke who played Admiral. Boom in Mary Poppins, playing the part of Scrooge! Small world!
Mind blown.
Sorry but I just have to take a moment to share one of my fave scenes featuring the Admiral...
Admiral Boom: Ahoy there, ahoy! Good day to you! Mary Poppins: Good Morning, Admiral. Admiral Boom: Michael, what fine adventure are we out upon today? Going to fight the hotten-tots? Dig for buried treasure? Michael Banks: We're going to buy some fish! Well played Michael, well played son... Speaking of all things Miss. P... 10%!
I do believe there is a hint of a silky sleeve and a stripey jacket !!
So as I polish off my first box of chocolates and begin on another (Eff me I Christmas!) i'd like to wish everybody a safe, happy, healthy and fun christmas!! Santa Party Time Ya'll!!!
I hope the fatty in the red suit is good to you all and more importantly I hope you all eat like pigs, then I won't feel so guilty ! Seriously though have a wonderful day guys !! MWAH MWAH!!!!
Lee xox
Practically Perfect In Every Way~!
Friday, 21st December, 2012 @ 10:00am
Well! I would like to extend a humungous "THANK YOU" for all the lovely comments left via the blog, e-mail, Rav, LJ, FB, the list goes on and on and on... on my Hometown Birthday piece ! Now it's time to breathe some fresh air into some older WIPs!!
Starting with these two!!!
Frig it's been a while! However when looking over the pieces left to complete, this one stood out.....
Probably because it happened to be on telly the other night ! So over this chrissy break, keep an eye out for some superca...superca... sweet updates !!
This took one hell of a MASSIVE EFFORT but i'm so glad I gave it a shot For any new visitors to the site, this piece depicts the picturesque National Carillon, which is a monument/building that was donated to the city of Canberra in honor of it's 50th birthday by Queen Elizabeth II The white splodge to the right is actually the top of the James Cook water jet that shoots water up into the sky and can be seen from almost anywhere in the city, so although it looks a bit odd, it should (I hope) be instantly recognisable to the folks who come to see it on display in February !!
The tension is a bit wonky, especially as I had to use a thicker yarn for the dark blue, which kind of stretched the top of the piece into a bit of a wave, but once it's backed and boarded things will be smooth as a baby's bum !
I can't believe the bloody thing is finished !!!!!!!!!!! This totallee calls for M&Ms and a hot chocolate STAT!
Man, do I know how to celebrate rockstar style or what ?!?
So although this almost stole my sanity for good, i'm pretty darn stoked and have already started fart-arsing about with another landscape idea I know, I know.... However, that will come a little way down the track because by god I have some neglected pieces that I really need to get back in touch with !! But right now we are CELEBRATING PEOPLE!!!!!!! AGHHHH IT'S FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!
Lee xox
Flash your wares!
Saturday, 15th December, 2012 @ 9:30am
EDIT \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
80%!! + my DeeDee
About 30-ish rows to go now !!! Finishing this big bugger is seriously going to be the best Christmas prezzie a girl could wish for !!!!!!
EDIT ///////////////////
Okay, time to show you some of my favourite purchases from Melbourne town !!! I think my best gets bargain-wise were these two cute bags they were only $15!! SCORE!!!
I've been dreaming of a cute satchel style bag for a while now and when this one popped up in pastel pink...well...destiny and the purse-like clasp on the brown one was too adorable to leave there ! The first dress I laid eyes on was this one and by god it fits like a glove!! So stoked!!
The pleated skirt = twirly goodness and although you can't tell from this far away, the little black buttons on the front = heart shaped. IT'S TOO DAMN GORGEOUS!!! A HUGE trend for summer appears to be lace, which is definitely unknown territory for me! However these two, although they don't look much spread out on the floor, look surprisingly lovely on !!
Now we come to the most FUNKILICIOUS purchases... Hold onto your socks kiddies...check these out...
A shimmery mirror-ball dress and the sweetest faux leather jacket in the known universe these two on together is a little overwhelmningly fantastic to be honest So awesome!!!
So those are a few of my new fave pieces and I haven't even covered accessories or jewelery see how awesome the shopping is down there!!! You know what else is awesome...GT's on Swanston street...
Yes. I pretty much lived here at meal times. I miss Melbourne already!!!!!
Lee xox
Melbourne'd Out!
Friday, 14th December, 2012 @ 7:02pm
Howdy Doody People!!!
I is back from my Melbourne travels feeling like absolute poo !! I had such a mammoth time!! Problem is that FUN + shopping like a maniac + treking your arse around the entire city + 35+ BOILING HEAT = !!!!
So since jetting down last night my body has been de-Melbourning with some severe fevers and chills and aches and UGH, but man it was ALLLLLLL worth it!!
I spent the bulk of my time (and ) at the famous Queen Victoria Markets !!
I'm yet to unpack, but when I do, there will be pictures! Oh yes, there will be pictures !!
Suffice it to say, I shall not need to go shopping for another 3 years In check-out-how-freaking-beyond-fantastic-Miss-Valerie-is news,
It was a great surprise to see Mr. McCartney hiding in my inbox upon my return! Valerie, you absolute speedy crocheting legend He looks UNBELIEVABLE!!
Speaking of peace, love and yarn, another 'forgotten' pattern has been posted in the PATTERN ARCHIVE!
The 'Peace Man' pattern is now nestled in between a host of other patterns for you to get your hook stuck into !
Ugh. I so have to go and grab a cuppa and restore my chi to it's faithful centre....this summer shopping...i'm not cut out for it man....
Lee xox
60,000!!!
Sunday, 9th December, 2012 @ 5:23pm
Can you believe it?!?!
Totallee.net has cracked 60,000 HITS!!!
This is NUTS!!! I would like to thank everyone who has dropped by the site over the years!! Unfortunately you cats are stuck with me a little while longer as I just renewed the site for a further 12 months! Woop Woop 2014
But that's a lil way off yet! So for now Cheers guys for your continued interest, support and love !! In rubbing-hands-in-excitement-to-the-point-of-almost-producing-flames news, I have just sealed the envelope which contains the entry form for my 'Celebrating Canberra' piece!
The thing still isn't finished but I just guesstimated the final dimensions (shhhh!) and am ready to post it off !
Apparently I won't find out if it's been accepted for showing until the end of January.....but I can't see there being any major issues ! Now I get to go and drag out my suitcase and pack pack pack !!!
Am off to the land of MELBOURNE for a mini break I bloody it down there!! Can't wait!!!
Shall be sure to take pictures ! Have a FAB week angels! Happy Hooking!
Lee xox
9 and 3/4... minus the 9.
Friday, 7th December, 2012 @ 9:33pm
MAN this piece is proving to be a tedious slog!!! Things are moving slower than a freaking snail, but we have finally made it to 75%!
This is such a shocking progress picture! Ack! Lighting doesn't show the shades in the sky properly and it looks as though I took the thing nestled between every chair and computer related appliance in the universe !
Still! 75% ain't nothin to sneeze at !! Which is a pity because with my freaking hayfever right now I'm sneezing at every bloody thing
Time to go tripping on my nightly dose of antihistamines!
Lee xox
Secret Housekeeping Business!
Wednesday, 5th December, 2012 @ 10:43am
Pssst! Guess who was cleaning out her choc-a-block website hosting server and stumbled upon a forgotten pattern !! THE MYSTERY CAL !!!
How could I have forgotten about it !!! So you will now find the pattern and associated pages over in the Pattern Archive!
I can't believe I forgot about it! What a toolbag !! I also have a few other patterns to pop up so be on the lookout for those over the coming days !
Lee xox
Here Comes The Sun!
Tuesday, 4th December, 2012 @ 7:31pm
Summer is finally here!!!!!!!!
About freaking time too!! I've been waiting for some scorchers and last week was treated to some mid-thirty degree dazzlers, now, i'm over it and want winter back !
Actually, no, i'm looking forward to getting my arse down to the pool asap! The sucky part is that after 20 years of having nothing fun down there. Aka. just a boring normal kids pool, now they've got bloody slides and fountains and water spouts and a little garden thing for kids to play and get sprayed in Back in myyyyyy day, wearing floaties was the epitomy of awesomeness...seriously...kids these days....s-p-o-i-l-t l-i-t-t-l-e %-#-$-@-!-'s Where was I going with this?.... ANYWAYZ
It's been a bit of a rollercoaster week, i've been sick, i've been fab, i've been working and I managed to have a bit of fun at a gorgeous wedding on Sunday
Pity the weather didn't play nice....
The venue was overlooking the gorgeous Illawarra coast..problem is the always dependable Illawarra fog made itself known...
Still! It was a lovely day and an amazing turn out! 238 PEOPLE! I don't think i've met that many people in my life... makes you wonder how much the thing costed !!
The room was massive and was so pretty!
Lastly, dig the set of wheels the bride rocked up in...
HOT OR WHAT!!!?
So all in all, it was a fab day full of love love love !
You know what else is fab?!? 70%!
I'm hoping to go ballistic on it this week! That's if I can learn to stay awake at night longer than I have been!!
G'Day and welcome to my lil gallery
Feel free to browse away to your eyes content, leave me a comment on the tag-board or just soak up some crocheted portraiture! I also really need to take 2 seconds here to extend the biggest of "THANK YOU!!!"'s to Lokesh Dhakar whose 'Lightbox2' script is the sickest thing since sliced bread I would seriously be stuffed without the aid of this coding brilliance, so MASSIVE KUDOS to you Mr. Dhakar You're a star man!! Lee xox
This lil' animation is topsy-turvy! The little dude should be chasing the BOOK, because that is what I plan to be doing more of in 2015 !
I was on the lookout for a reading challenge for 2015 that would: a) have a goal of reading 52 books b) pose a list of books that would challenge me to read more diversely (I usually drift towards biographies and classics), and c) have a cool title. Yup. I really am that shallow. !
So whilst drooling and scrolling through my latest batch of pins on Pinterest, I was pretty darn elated to happen upon the POPSUGAR READING CHALLENGE!!
(Totallee cool name right ?!) I am already stoked to announce that I am totallee off and runningREADING and have already nailed my first challenge #WINNER!
Wow. Suffering a severe case of shiny face right there 'James Dean' by George Perry! So much for 'reading more diversely' eh?! Technically, this is a biography, but biographies are based on true 'stories' yeah?!? *sigh* I'm hopeless.
Alright i'm totallee cheating with this one, but I have been on such a Jimmy D kick lately that I had to read this!
As a result, I am now slightly obsessed
My goodness he was an amazing person! He faced such tragedy in his early life AND of course in his sudden death, but my word did he squeeze a lot of life out of his 24 years.
Twenty-four years... man it still makes my stomach drop to the floor...
The book provides a great insight into the light and dark shades of Jimmy's character and highlighted aspects of his life and his nature that really brought home what a complex and yet utterly relatable guy he was. Despite his tendency to be quite an introverted, surly and by some accounts outright rude kinda dude, there are stories of truly heart-warming gestures and a vulnerability about him that those close to him said shone through in his onscreen performances For a teeny bit more Jimmy gushing, check out my first Popsugar-related Youtube vid!
Yup! I have almost finished 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee and I have thoroughly enjoyed it I shall save my thoughts till I have finished, but can we all just take a moment to appreciate just how insanely AWESOME SCOUT IS!!! WHAT A LIL FIRECRACKER! LOVE HER ! If you are participating in the Popsugar reading challenge or any reading challenge this year, I would love to hear of your progress and what kind of books you are reading ! Be sure to leave me a tag or leave a link to your youtube book reviews! Now back to knocking over challenge number 2!!
Archived Vlogs!!!
Tutorials, ramblings and randomness...
G'Day G'Day!
This is the place to watch old vlogs!
Proceed with caution - as they're bloody awful!
Vlog #20 [1st May, 2012]
Vlog #19 [12th Mar, 2012]
Vlog #18 [2nd Jan, 2012]
Vlog #17 [28th Oct, 2011]
Vlog #16 [22nd Aug, 2011]
Vlog #15 [17th Aug, 2011]
Vlog #14 [30th July, 2011]
Vlog #13 [18th June, 2011]
Vlog #12 [30th Mar, 2011]
Vlog #11 [29th Mar, 2011]
Vlog #10 [20th Feb, 2011]
Vlog #9 [25th Jan, 2011]
Vlog #8 [15th Dec, 2010]
Vlog #7 [10th Nov, 2010]
Vlog #6 [17th July, 2010]
Vlog #5 [9th July, 2010]
Vlog #4 [8th June, 2010]
Vlog #3 [8th May, 2010]
Vlog #2 [9th Feb, 2010]
Vlog #1 [2nd Feb, 2010]
Pattern Archive!!!
Hooks @ the ready!!!
Welcome one and all to my pattern archive!
Here you will find the patterns I have popped up for you to get your hooks into !
Create your own crocheted portrait of the littlest Monkee! Please send pics of your finished pieces to be featured on Totallee.net!
I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see em! Mail to poprocker85 [@] totallee [.] net
♥ Peter Tork [The Monkees]
Create your own crocheted portrait of Peter "The most lovable, gorgeous, hunk o' spunk" Tork! Please send pics of your finished pieces to be featured on Totallee.net! I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see em! Mail to poprocker85 [@] totallee [.] net
♥ Micky Dolenz [The Monkees]
Create your own crocheted portrait of the zany, gorgeous, incomparable Micky <3!! Please send pics of your finished pieces to be featured on Totallee.net!
I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see em! Mail to poprocker85 [@] totallee [.] net
♥ Michael Nesmith [The Monkees]
Create your own crocheted portrait of Mr. Wool Hat himself! Please send pics of your finished pieces to be featured on Totallee.net!
I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see em! Mail to poprocker85 [@] totallee [.] net
♥ Jacob Black [Twilight]
Create your own crocheted portrait of this hunky werewolf to adorn your walls,
pillows, hell anywhere you wanna shove him! Please send pics of your finished pieces to be featured on Totallee.net!
I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see em! Mail to poprocker85 [@] totallee [.] net
♥ Bella & Edward [Twilight]
Create your own crocheted portrait of the sparkly Edward and his awkward Bella! Please send pics of your finished pieces to be featured on Totallee.net!
I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see em! Mail to poprocker85 [@] totallee [.] net
♥ Edward Cullen [Twilight]
Create your own crocheted portrait of Mr. Moody Bloodsucker Edward Cullen Please send pics of your finished pieces to be featured on Totallee.net!
I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see em! Mail to poprocker85 [@] totallee [.] net
♥ Captain. Jack Sparrow
Create your own crocheted portrait of the sexy swashbuckler! Savvy?! Please send pics of your finished pieces to be featured on Totallee.net!
I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see em! Mail to poprocker85 [@] totallee [.] net
♥ Sir. Paul McCartney
Create your own crocheted portrait of Sir. Paul McCartney! 'We're not worthy, we're not worthy!' Please send pics of your finished pieces to be featured on Totallee.net!
I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see em! Mail to poprocker85 [@] totallee [.] net
♥ Marilyn Monroe
Create your own crocheted portrait of the eternal beauty, Marilyn Monroe!!
Word of warning! This piece is a big'n!! 175 rows!! So if you are new to this form of crochet, I strongly suggest you have a go at the union jack swatch above, to get your fingers a workin'! Please send pics of your finished pieces to be featured on Totallee.net!
I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see em! Mail to poprocker85 [@] totallee [.] net
2015 Totallee.net Crochet-along!!!
On your marks, get set, HOOK!!!!!.
Oh my goodness!! Only 5 spaces left already guys!! The FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC woman, the one and only VALERIE was the first member of the crochet-along!! and guys, we need to all rise from our chairs and applaude her for at least 5 minutes because Valerie has kindly offered to share HER chosen pattern !! THANK YOU VALERIE!! Wanna know the ultra fun-sexy-cool part?!?!
Take a squizz at who she has chosen....
JIMMY D!!!!! WE WILL BOTH be crocheting Jimmy!! So far it looks like I should have made it a Jimmy themed crochet along !!
Once I establish the measurements for Jimmy with Valerie, the pattern will be made available to you all A.S.A.P ouuu arm-flappingly-exciting!!!
I shall also be posting my Jimmy Dean pattern as soon as it is ready!! However, be warned, it will be MASSIVE!! I already got slightly over-excited and went and gathered my palette already...
Yep! I'm going to have a sexy smouldering sepia cowboy on my hands !!!
Wanna see the picture?!?!
Oh my word, tell me that is not the most perfect picture right there...
Wowzers....
Honestly.....
Not sure how well I will function on a day to day basis when I will eventually be faced with this staring back at me from my loungeroom wall !! Now at this stage, i'll wait to see if we reach 10 participants before deciding on a start date, but be assured that I will allow plenty of time for folks to gather their supplies etc.
Be sure to keep checking back to check on the participant numbers and to see which patterns will be on offer! Ou and be sure to shoot me off an e-mail if you would like to join us! Whilst there are still places left!
The e-mail is poprocker85[@]totallee[.]net! Woo!!
Question mark central!!
Frequently Asked Questions!
This is the place to come to ask your burning questions !!
I get asked a LOT of questions about my work and whilst most can be answered with one sentence, I really would like to help people out as much as I can !
Before submitting a question please be sure to have a quick scroll down to see if it has been answered.
If you have a question relating to the kind of crochet I do (because quite frankly I SUCK at any other kind !), please feel free to send your questions to
poprocker85[@]totallee[.]net
How can I make my own patterns?
This is DEFINTELY the number one question I receive on a daily basis !
Due to my reasons listed in the question below, I will not go into step-by-step details of how I create my patterns however due to mounting pressure I have put together a little list of some links to some freeware found around the web that many folks have found useful in converting their pictures into patterns! WARNING Please note - I have not utilised all of these programs. Therefore I can not validate the safety in downloading or using all of these programs. This is a list I have compiled based on recommendations that others have made to me. Therefore, use AT YOUR OWN RISK!! KPG Sourceforge (the pattern generator I use ) PictureCraftwork KnitPRO Free Pattern Wizard Pic2Pat Stoik Stitch Creator PM Stitch Creator 2.0 Please note - this is a short list! There are many graphing/cross-stitch/knitting generators out in the world wide web! However after trying a few on for size, you should be able to find a program that suits you down to the ground! It really is a matter of trying them out and playng around with them until you produce something you are happy with
How do you make your patterns?
I first began crocheting portraits when I discovered Todd Paschall and his incredible CBN technique in late 2008. I was gobsmacked (and continue to be) by his outstanding work and did not hesitate in paying for his services in creating patterns for a few special pictures I had until I figured out a way to generate my own patterns.
The last thing I would want to do is take business away from Todd's website CROCHET BY NUMBERS, where he has worked so hard to get CBN off the ground. Which is why I won't go into step-by-step instructions about how I convert my pictures. I figure that if folks are that desperate to figure it out, they can do it on their own like I did, then I won't feel like i'm intruding on Todd's hard work. Todd has been nothing but kind and supportive of my work, so I think it is the least I can do to support him.
Do you back your pieces?
I have made a lot of attempts at backing my pieces. I say attempts, because i'm still yet to find the perfect way, however I think it comes down to what the piece will be used for as far as choosing the right method goes.
In backing the Hogwarts Bunch Blanket, I hand-sewed black jersey (or stretchy t-shirt material) onto the back of each panel. It was tricky to keep the fabric flat, however I didn't want to add fleece or another bulky material to the back as I wanted to avoid adding weight to the final blanket. Thing thing already weighs 6000 tons
In the case of the pieces that were featured in my first public exhibition, I needed to back them onto solid boards in order to suit the needs of the hanging system in place at the cafe.
Here's cold-ridden me with a naughty labrador to try and explain how I went about it
I recently made my first commissioned pillow, which was backed differently again!
For this piece, I made the front panel, aka. the pretty 'Erika' panel, then crocheted a backing piece for it, using the same number of stitches and rows. I then hand stitched this onto the back of the pretty panel. The effect it had on the front was FANTASTIC!!!
It smoothed and stretched it out perfectly!
In the past, including the pieces featured in the exhibition, I had attatched the jersey material to the backs of the pieces before wrapping and stappling them to the mdf boards. Crocheting a back produces MUCH better results!
After attatching the crocheted back to the front, I then crocheted a third piece to be the BACK of the pillow. Attatching it on three sides, before filling with polyfill, before stitching up the final side!
I think THIS will be the way I back my pieces in the future! Whether they are intended to be hung on the wall, used as cushions, blankets, etc. if they have a crocheted back attatched to them first, you will get a flat, flawless frontage!
Naturally I would have preffered to have professionally framed most of my pieces, but having already shelled out to frame my Freddie Mercury piece ($500 Smackers!!), short of winning the lotto or putting everything I own up for sale on Ebay, including the house and possibly a kidney, I wouldn't be able to afford it! Therefore, D-I-Y Lee to the rescue!!
Can I have a copy of your patterns?
As you've proabably noticed, most of my pieces center around Musicians/Actors/Actresses/Film and Television. I am a pop culture Freak. I do not sell any patterns or pieces I have made that fit into these genre's as in most cases I do not know if the image I have used is under copywright. Any pieces I have made, I have NOT profitted from. Any patterns I have made I have NOT profitted from. Therefore any patterns I generate will not be made available to buy. However, if you take a stroll over to the Pattern Archive located on the navigation menu at the top of this page, you will find a selection of my patterns that I have popped up for free!
How many colours do you use in your pieces?
I have used as little as 4 and as many as 38 The more colours you use the more definition and detail the piece has. However it is a good idea to have a good look about at the colour range available to you in your local area before falling in love with the idea of doing a piece all in greens, only to find that there are only really 3 shades that go well together! (I have learnt this lesson the hard way people!! lol).
What yarn do you use in your pieces?!
The wonderful Kate has put forward a question I get asked quite a lot! Cheers Kate !!
QUESTION: "What brand/type of yarn do you use??"
The MOST IMPORTANT aspect of yarn choice when it comes to colourwork is the colour !
The CBN technique relies on you choosing progressive shades in the colour palette of your choice, be it greys, blues, pinks, etc... Typically a pattern will instruct which brand of yarn to use, and for those folks who find it frustrating or get a little overwhelmed when it comes to choosing colours, Todd has A LIST of blue and brown shades that work in the Red Heart range which may make life easier for you ! As for my yarn choices - they do tend to change with every piece!
After much browsing I have found a palette of greys that I am very happy with, however it does vary depending on whether i'd like the piece to have a black & white feel or a slight blue tinge running through it. It really does come down to trial and error for me!
I have never made a piece using the same brand of yarn for all colours. I always use many different kinds!
I get yarn from craft supply stores, discount stores, Kmart, Woolworths, my Mum's accumulated stash over the past 30 years, freebies from friends old stashes, etc...
Then it really is a case of mixing and matching to get the right degree of shading
The size of the ply I use also varies! For instance, in my GWTW piece, one of the lighter blues I really really wanted to use only came in 5 ply, much thinner than all the other colours that were 8 ply. So I bought 2 balls and worked two strands of the colour every time I used it, in order to balance the thickness. The important thing was that it was the RIGHT COLOUR for the job
Hence the reason as to why I cannot give brand names of the yarn I use in each pattern as it really is an eclectic ever-changing mix!
I guess the biggest barrier a lot of people have in giving work like this a go is the risky business of choosing colours and being afraid that they won't work as well as they want them too. Trust me, i've had my fair share of disasters! Exhibit A
I thought I was on a winner with my choices for a piece featuring Danny Jones from McFly I attempted a while ago...
So far so good...decided to keep going...
Yup! Loving that shine on the retro microphone! Kept going...
WAY TOO DARK!!! BIGGEST BUMMER!!! So the best advice I can give is to take your time in comparing and contrasting your shades! Sometimes projects will fail, sometimes you may have to put a project on hold until the right shade turns up in stock, sometimes you may have to change your entire palette depending on the colours you have available to you. Ply size you can work around, brands you can mix and match, but it's the colour choices that will be the difference between a good piece and one that POPS!
Aching Hands and Wrists?!?!?
The lovely Donna sent in a question!
QUESTION: " You work on so many different projects and seem to get them
out uber quick, do your hands hurt? The muscle around my thumb hurts
and I'm actually noticing rub marks from my hook on my fingers. What do you do for your
busy hands?"
Ah yes! The dreaded hand cramps ! When I first started crocheting properly at the end of 2008, I noticed that my hands started to cramp up quite quickly! I searched every forum you can imagine to get some tips on how to prevent my fingers seizing up after only half an hour of crocheting, so quickly tried them out. Some worked for me, some didn't. Some made perfect sense, others were perfectly ridiculous ! Here are some tips that help me BUCKETLOADS when it comes to hand cramps!
Take a break! Over time I have learnt to rest my fingers before going overboard. I start to get tingly sensations in my fingers and my wrists start to click, which is my flashing warning sign to give it a rest The worst thing you could do is try to push through the pain, even if you only have one row left! I was so eager to finish my AC/DC piece, I remember pushing through the clicks and cracks to knock off the last 12 rows and by god, I could hardly bend my fingers without searing pain for the next week, rendering me useless!! Pretzel-finger syndrome!!!
I now crochet in 15 minute blocks. After 15 mins, I stop, stand up, and do some basic hand exercises
Hand Exercises - after a quick search for "finger stretches, hand stretches, etc," I compiled a series of finger, hand and wrist stretches that I do in between 15 minute blocks of crocheting. First I tend to splay my fingers out, stretching them as far as they can go, before then curling them up to form a fist (repeat x 10), I then gently massage the palms of my hands, working from the middle of the palm out to the end of each finger. That usually takes about 5 mins for both hands. I then bend my wrists backwards and then forwards using my other hand like this...
Funnily enough, I don't tend to get too much pain in my crocheting hand. I actually get the most pain in the index finger of my left hand ! I tend to stick out my index finger as I hold my working yarn, which leaves it a bit stiff and sore! Which leads me to think that maybe trying a different grip on your hook may alleviate any pain your experienceing in your crocheting hand.
I've also noticed that MY NECK gets extremely stiff!! After I complete a row i'm finding that I have to do a few simple neck exercises (which make me look like a pidgeon...so attractive...)
I must get into the crocheting zone and look like a bloody statue sitting there cause my neck is completely set in stone sometimes! Very strange! So as long as you don't push yourself too hard and you take lots of little breaks, hopefully some simple exercises should help ease the pain and it'll be smooth sailing from here on in !
Press!
Making a splash!!!
The 26th day of July 2011, saw the launch of my very first exhibition! To say that I was BEYOND STOKED would be a tad of an understatement.
After months of planning, backing, staple-gunning, up's + down's, high's + low's, trialing and erroring, the 26th rocked around pretty quickly and my god WHAT A NIGHT!!!
I was lucky enough to have an opening night with close family and friends in attendance. So special and actually a bit overwhelmning to see the hours, days and months worth of your own work, created by your own hands, on display for everyone to see.
The exhibition was titled 'Off The Hook' and featured pieces such as 'Gone With the Wind', 'John Lennon', 'Elvis & Ann Margret' and 'The 2 Radcliffes'. It was warmly received and generated a lot of positive feedback which is obviously more than I could of hoped for!
Details of the exhibition were published in the 'Arts Section' of the city's newspaper and has generated a new awareness of crochet in the community and it's far-reaching possibilities!
Print!!!
Early in 2011 I awoke to a little opportunity sitting patiently in my inbox. Adrienne the deputy editor of Let's Knit UK magazine had asked if they could feature the Hogwarts Bunch Blanket in an upcoming issue!!
I preceeded to freak-the-shiz out and accepted immediately!!!
Published in a magazine!!!!! From the other side of the freaking planet!!!!! AGGHHHH!!!
As you can see I handled the whole propsal extremely professionally....
Adrienne sent along some questions and I sent her some pictures and you can imagine my surprise when I first laid eyes on issue #44.....
I scored an ENTIRE PAGE!!!
I'd like to extend another massive thank you to Adrienne and her team for this opportunity! TOO TOO AWESOME!!
World Wide Web!!!
The 22nd of August of 2011 saw the publication of my first guest blog!! Kathreen of Whip-up.net graciously asked if I would write a guest post for her site and I was stoked!
It went a little like this...
Hello Whipup.net'ers! Kathreen has graciously invited me to be a guest blogger on her fabulous site and I'm very thankful for the opportunity! Thank you Kathreen! xox
The Girl
My name is Lee and I'm a twenty-six year old textile/fibre/crochet artist born, bred and based in Canberra, Australia {find out more about me and my work on my blog}. I was about seven or eight years old when I first asked my Mum to show me how to 'do that thing with the hook'. The fascination lasted about two weeks and produced a basic knee rug that was comprised of more holes than actual crochet. The world of crochet was quickly forgotten as I moved on to tennis lessons instead. Which, come to think of it, also lasted about two weeks...
In late 2008 I remember stumbling upon the world of amigurumi (small crocheted animals/toys). I made a few little pieces before yet again my severe lack of an attention span kicked in and I found myself on the search for something new and exciting to try.
The Technique
My search came to an abrupt halt in 2008 when my jaw hit the floor and my eyes were glued to the incredible crochet portraits by Todd Paschall of Crochet by numbers. I remember the first time I clapped eyes on his smiling portrait of President Barack Obama and I was in awe.
A squillion questions sprang to mind, the biggest one being, How in the world do you DO that?! When I discovered that Todd was sharing his technique and also offered to convert any picture into an easy to follow pattern, I knew I had to give it a try.
I began by getting the basic stitches down pat. The crochet-by-numbers technique only requires you to know how to 'chain' and 'single crochet', so I began by practicing with little square swatches. Within a matter of days I was ready to have a go at the training patterns featured on Todd's site. At first these were the 'scary ones' I was a little anxious about trying as they involved the dreaded practice of colour changing! I soon discovered that it was nothing to fear and was actually quite fun!
Todd's technique does not require you to 'carry yarn' or weave in any loose ends, instead every colour change is accompanied by a cut and tie-off. Although many folks have shivered at the prospect of cutting and tying-off at every single colour change, I've found it can actually be quite relaxing! Although I do often warn those who are thinking of giving it a go, to be prepared to be patient, have a fully stocked chocolate stash beside them and one hell of a comfy chair!
As my confidence grew and I knew I was hooked (sorry, pun was begging to be used), I moved on to much larger pieces, with much more detail (aka. more colours and more colour changes!). Pretty quickly I discovered that crocheting portraits had become incredibly fun, exciting and important to me. Ideas about future pieces, possible colour palettes and the never ending string of possibilities had actually started to keep me awake at night. Visits to local yarn stores quickly became a compulsory stopping point every time I left the house. It soon became glaringly obvious that a hook and a ball of yarn offered so much more than a way to while away spare hours.
The Result
As my work will illustrate, I'm a bit of a pop culture fanatic. I have a wide interest in film, music and literature as well as the era's that go along with them. Musically speaking I am drawn to the 1950s and 60s in particular. The Monkees, The Beatles and The King to name a few!
I also have a love for the glory days of Hollywood and the actors that created true magic with their presence on the silver screen.
It is also a poorly kept secret that I am a bit of a Harry Potter fanatic. I use the term 'fanatic' there, when really the word 'MASSIVE' should go in front of it. I don't know what it is about the books and movies that continues to take hold of my hook, but I keep being drawn back to the wonderful characters and world of Hogwarts, time and time again.
This piece featuring Daniel Radcliffe as a young Harry Potter and as the young man he has become has certainly earned a spot in my top three favourite pieces to date. Not only does it have the most clarity of any piece I have done, it is the first time I was aiming for the 'sepia effect' and it was the first time I nailed it! It is also the largest piece I have tackled to date at a staggering 32,000 stitches.
I also get immense joy out of creating pieces that conjure up personal memories for loved ones. In particular, is a piece I put together for my Dad's 50th birthday. It features a picture of him as a finger-snapping two year old boy in the backyard of his childhood home in Sydney. As a life-long radio fanatic, I decided to surround him with radio paraphernalia, including a retro-styled radio, microphone and the logo of his favourite radio station throughout his adolescent years.
It remains my favourite piece to date. Not only because it's so monumentally personal, but because of the reaction it received from my Dad upon seeing it for the first time. I stood in the living room and holding it up and outstretched before calling him into the room. He stopped dead in his tracks, gasped, muttered a few choice expletives against the palm of his hand that had shot up to hide his open mouth and smiled. We then both proceeded to get a little misty eyed (balled our eyes out actually!). His reaction meant that the sixty plus hours spent on it was forgotten instantly and I knew then that I had found a truly remarkable way to express love and pay tribute to the many people, musicians, actors, films and loved ones that I have and continue to admire.
Recently the world of crochet portraiture has begun to open some really exciting doors for me too! Earlier this year, my Hogwarts Bunch Blanket was featured in 'Let's Knit UK' magazine and for the past three weeks, ten of my pieces have been adorning the walls of a local cafe/bar in my first ever exhibition!
If you have ever wanted to give crochet a go, by all means pick up a hook and get cracking! You never know where it might take you!!
(It is well worth clicking the picture at the top of this post to take you to the published blog on whip-up.net to get the flow of it all with the pictures included -_^!)
Hogwarts Bunch Blanket!
Here's the story, of a boy named Harry...!!!
It's only now as I come to write this that I realise the first time I picked up a copy of 'The Philosopher's Stone' was in 1999. It's only now that I realise that that was 13 YEARS AGO. By God. I could really use that time-turning hourglass of Hermione's right now....
Anywayz! Mid way through 2009, I decided to have a crack at making my own crochet patterns and guess who I decided to do first?!? Young Mister. Potter As far as first impressions go I was pretty chuffed! At least it looked like him and of course the bigger plus - it only used 4 colours (which therefore made it cheap as chips to make!)
At first I thought it would make a cute cushion for the lounge but then inspiration reared it's beautiful head! Why not make lonely Harry a couple of friends to accompany him on said couch?!? It wasn't until I had them all lined up on the floor that I thought 'this screams Brady Bunch...'
So taking inspiration from the opening and closing credit's of "Here's the story, of a lovely lady..", I went about choosing 9 characters for a Hogwarts Bunch Blanket! NOT AN EASY TASK!!!!!
SOO many too choose from! So many faves! But as of December 2010, I managed to whittle the selection down to 9 and complete them!
The next step was to border and back them all individually before the daunting task of Hand Sewing (blurgh. )
I bordered each one with about 4 rows of black before sewing some cheap black jersey material to the backs. I then joined the panels together with black yarn by going in and out of the holes conveniently made by the single crochet stitches. This produced a lovely flat join that can hardly be seen ! (on the right side up of course -_^!)
The blanket has received an enormous amount of love so i'd just like to send vitual hugs , kisses and high fives to EVERYONE who has followed and supported me though the making of this project via the many places i've posted my progress! Major kudos to you guys
Our New Celebrity
Earlier this year I awoke to a little opportunity sitting patiently in my inbox. Adrienne the deputy editor of Let's Knit UK magazine had asked if they could feature the Hogwarts Bunch Blanket in an upcoming issue!!
I preceeded to freak-the-shiz out and accepted immediately!!!
Published in a magazine!!!!! From the other side of the freaking planet!!!!! AGGHHHH!!!
As you can see I handled the whole propsal extremely professionally....
Adrienne sent along some questions and I sent her some pictures and you can imagine my surprise when I first laid eyes on issue #44.....
I scored an ENTIRE PAGE!!!
I'd like to extend another massive thank you to Adrienne and her team for this opportunity! TOO TOO AWESOME!!
♥ Potter Patterns!
Due to overwhelming demand, I decided to pop up my HP panel patterns for free ! If you're a beginner or are new to the CBN technique, it might be worth having a go at the Union Jack CAL found under the 'Get Hooked' tab at the top of the page first. It has a step by step vlog to help you learn the basics, which will get you all ready to rock n roll with the Hogwarts Bunch !
For those ready to dive right in, pick your Potter pal and get hooking ! Harry Potter Ronald Weasley Hermione Granger Ginny Weasley Draco Malfoy Severus Snape Albus Dumbledore Rubeus Hagrid Tom Riddle
For those wanting different characters, if you're a member of Ravelry, have a search for a raveller named 'Candice' She has a BUNCH of character graphs for free in her patterns section Please note- I do not produce patterns on request. For reasons why, please see the Frequently Asked Questions Section
If you do have a crack at a character, please feel free to send me pictures to be featured here on Totallee.net! Like the beautiful angels below!!!
poprocker [@] totallee [.] net !
Your Potter Panels!
Get ready to get your applause on whilst browsing this section!!
This section is to show off the incredible crocheting magic of those who have had a crack at the Potter Panels and have beyond succeeded !!
If you have sent me a picture of your potter panel and don't see it featured, first, please forgive me and secondly, please resend it! I'm a fully qualified scatterbrain and have clearly misplaced it! Again if you would like to have your finished piece featured, please pop a couple of images into an e-mail and send it to poprocker [@] totallee [.] net!
Lee Mac. Twenty-nine year old fibre artist. Crochet portraits = Obsession. I am surgically attached to my Ipod and crochet hook.
Bookworm. Pop culture addict. M&ms are as important as oxygen. Einstein hit the nail on the head with "Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." 
Lee xox
You said it old timer! Well, generally I don't, but this one is moving along very quickly and..
a) I've understood everything the pattern is saying so far and...
b) I HAVEN'T EFFED UP MONUMENTALLY YET!!!!
I have finished the back panel! Woop Woop!!
I really don't care if it ends up being the most shapeless piece of shit the world has ever seen! This is the largest slab of knitting i've done that has turned out this nice! So if I stuff up the other bits, this bit is going in a frame. 
In the museum of Australia. To be admired. Not joking. Very serious. 
My only moment of 'Ohhhhhhh crap' came about 15 rows from finishing this piece. I hadn't done a 'trial wrapping' around my back yet.
BANG lightbulb moment!
VOILA!
It lines up pretty close to perfectly! That's a good thing right?! I bloody hope so, otherwise i'm stuffed 
...
But as for right now, i'm stoked!!!
Next stop is the front panel, which is exciting because it incorporates some intarsia with shoving a big letter 'L' right on the front! Where on the front? We won't know till I get there 
I think if I follow the pattern I should hopefully get the placement on the chest. 
Which would be desirable. I'm just hoping it doesn't end up on the tum tum. 
Would be slightly awkward, wrong and well...a disaster really....
Onwards and upwards!
Why the frig I decided to start this in the middle of summer is beyond me. It is boiling. I won't even be able to wear it till like...APRIL! Probably! UGH! 
Chugging along nicely 
!
Mr. McCartney's ovaries have every reason to explode!
Check it out people!!!
The dazzling star that is 
JENNY has whipped up Sir. Paul as a 
Christmas present and he looks FREAKING ACE!!!
Amazing work Jenny and thank you for the pictures 
!!!!
I hope everyone had a FAB Christmas for 2012! I am still 
stuffed to the eyeballs. Two words... coconut prawns. Holy crap. If you've never been there....go there immediately!!!! 
BEYOND YUM!!!!!! Specially with a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce....Oh my god, I can't even 
!!! I feel nirvana doesn't even compare to the sensations my tongue was feeling 
... SO YUM! 
happy-head screaming over the tasty prawns - it was a lovely chrissy 
. Although late last night, whilst replacing some dvds in their rightful places, a certain 
film jumped out, as it always does and a particular scene became rather relevant...
I felt a pang of longing....for my very own 
Weasley jumper.
So, in a trance, I tracked down some sticks, some yarn, a pattern and 24hours on, thus is our destination...
!!!!!
!
!
I decided on a lovely deep royal purple colour - because it's easy to get if I run out, but more importantly, I shouldn't run out since I have balls of this colour coming out of every orifice...
Too much info?!?
So i'm thinking a nice bright white 'L' initial orrrrr I do have some of that sparkly gold thread left over from Captain. Kirk's border....however that stuff is totally shitty to work with....so perhaps not 
Either way I can't WAIT to try this baby on!!
....
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
'chrissy telly' these past 2 days!
National Lampoon's Christmas
Speaking of all things Miss. P...
!!
So as I polish off my first box of chocolates and begin on another (Eff me I 
Christmas!) i'd like to wish everybody a safe, happy, healthy and fun christmas!! Santa Party Time Ya'll!!!
MWAH MWAH!!!!
lovely comments left via the blog, e-mail, Rav, LJ, FB, the list goes on and on and on... on my 
Hometown Birthday piece 
Starting with these two!!!
!!
For any new visitors to the site, this piece depicts the picturesque National Carillon, which is a monument/building that was donated to the city of Canberra in honor of it's 50th birthday by Queen Elizabeth II 
!!
!
This totallee calls for M&Ms and a hot chocolate STAT!
?!?
I know, I know....
But right now we are CELEBRATING PEOPLE!!!!!!!
Okay, time to show you some of my favourite purchases from Melbourne town 
they were only $15!! SCORE!!!
I've been dreaming of a cute satchel style bag for a while now and when this one popped up in pastel pink...well...destiny 
!
The pleated skirt = twirly goodness and although you can't tell from this far away, the little black buttons on the front = heart shaped. IT'S TOO DAMN GORGEOUS!!! 
!!
Now we come to the most FUNKILICIOUS purchases...
Hold onto your socks kiddies...check these out...
You know what else is awesome...GT's on Swanston street...
Howdy Doody People!!!
!!
I had such a mammoth time!! Problem is that FUN + shopping like a maniac + treking your arse around the entire city + 35+ BOILING HEAT = 
severe fevers and chills and aches and UGH, but man it was ALLLLLLL worth it!!
) at the famous Queen Victoria Markets 
I'm yet to unpack, but when I do, there will be pictures! Oh yes, there will be pictures 
It was a great surprise to see Mr. McCartney hiding in my inbox upon my return! Valerie, you absolute speedy crocheting legend 
The 'Peace Man' pattern is now nestled in between a host of other patterns for you to get your hook stuck into 
!
and restore my chi to it's faithful centre....this summer shopping...i'm not cut out for it man....
Can you believe it?!?!
In rubbing-hands-in-excitement-to-the-point-of-almost-producing-flames news, I have just sealed the envelope which contains the entry form for my 
'Celebrating Canberra' piece!
guesstimated the final dimensions (shhhh!) and am ready to post it off 
..but I can't see there being any major issues 
Now I get to go and drag out my suitcase and pack pack pack 
!!!
Have a FAB week angels!
Things are moving slower than a freaking snail, but we have finally made it to
!
!! Which is a pity because with my freaking hayfever right now I'm sneezing at every bloody thing 
Pssst! Guess who was cleaning out her choc-a-block 
website hosting server and stumbled upon a forgotten pattern 
THE MYSTERY CAL 
!!!
So you will now find the pattern and associated pages over in the Pattern Archive!
!!
Summer is finally here!!!!!!!!
mid-thirty degree dazzlers, now, i'm over it and want winter back 
Back in myyyyyy day, wearing floaties was the epitomy of awesomeness...seriously...kids these days....s-p-o-i-l-t l-i-t-t-l-e %-#-$-@-!-'s 
I don't think i've met that many people in my life... makes you wonder how much the thing costed 
HOT OR WHAT!!!?
January
G'Day and welcome to my lil gallery 
This lil' animation is topsy-turvy! The little dude should be chasing the BOOK, because that is what I plan to be doing more of in 2015 
!
a) have a goal of reading 52 books
drift towards biographies and classics), and
drooling and scrolling through my latest batch of pins on Pinterest, I was pretty darn elated to happen upon the 
!!
I am already stoked to announce that I am totallee off and 
#WINNER!
Wow. Suffering a severe case of shiny face right there 
'James Dean' by George Perry! So much for 'reading more diversely' eh?! Technically, this is a biography, but biographies are based on true 'stories' yeah?!? 
*sigh* I'm hopeless.
Jimmy D kick lately that I had to read this!
tragedy in his early life AND of course in his sudden death, but my word did he squeeze a lot of life out of his 24 years.
man it still makes my stomach drop to the floor...
Despite his tendency to be quite an introverted, surly and by some accounts outright rude kinda dude, there are stories of truly heart-warming gestures and a vulnerability about him that those close to him said shone through in his onscreen performances 
For a teeny bit more Jimmy gushing, check out my first 
Popsugar-related Youtube vid!
Yup! I have almost finished 
I shall save my thoughts till I have finished, but can we all just 
take a moment to appreciate just how insanely AWESOME SCOUT IS!!! WHAT A LIL FIRECRACKER! LOVE HER 
If you are participating in the Popsugar reading challenge or any reading challenge this year, I would love to hear of your progress and what kind of books you are reading 
! Be sure to leave me a tag or leave a link to your youtube book reviews!
Now back to knocking over challenge number 2!! 
G'Day G'Day!
Vlog #20 [1st May, 2012]
Welcome one and all to my pattern archive!
Please send pics of your finished pieces to be featured on Totallee.net! I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see em!
On your marks, get set, HOOK!!!!!.
Oh my goodness!! Only 5 spaces left already guys!! The FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC woman, the one and only 
!! THANK YOU VALERIE!!
pattern will be made available to you all A.S.A.P 
Yep! I'm going to have a sexy smouldering sepia cowboy on my hands 
!!!
Oh my word, tell me that is not the most perfect picture right there...
Now at this stage, i'll wait to see if we reach 10 participants before deciding on a start date, but be assured that I will allow plenty of time for folks to gather their supplies etc. 
e-mail if you would like to join us! Whilst there are still places left!
This is the place to come to ask your 
burning questions 
!!
!
This is DEFINTELY the number one question I receive on a daily basis 
!
WARNING Please note - I have not utilised all of these programs. Therefore I can not validate the safety in downloading or using all of these programs. This is a list I have compiled based on recommendations that others have made to me. Therefore, use AT YOUR OWN RISK!!
)
Please note - this is a short list! There are many graphing/cross-stitch/knitting generators out in the 
Do you back your pieces?
naughty labrador to try and explain how I went about it
winning the lotto or putting everything I own up for 
sale on Ebay, including the house and possibly a kidney, I wouldn't be able to afford it! Therefore, 
D-I-Y Lee to the rescue!!
. I do not sell any patterns or pieces I have made that fit into these genre's as in most cases I do not know if the image I have used is under copywright. Any pieces I have made, I have NOT profitted from. Any patterns I have made I have NOT profitted from. Therefore any patterns I generate will not be made available to buy.
However, if you take a stroll over to the Pattern Archive located on the navigation menu at the top of this page, you will find a selection of my patterns that I have popped up for free!
The MOST IMPORTANT aspect of yarn choice when it comes to colourwork is the colour 
colour palette of your choice, be it greys, blues, pinks, etc...
Typically a pattern will instruct which brand of yarn to use, and for those folks who find it frustrating or get a little overwhelmed when it comes to choosing colours, Todd has 
!
very happy with, however it does vary depending on whether i'd like the piece to have a black & white feel or a slight blue tinge running through it. It really does come down to trial and error for me!
mixing and matching to get the right degree of shading 
eclectic ever-changing mix!
WAY TOO DARK!!! BIGGEST BUMMER!!!
So the best advice I can give is to take your time in comparing and contrasting your shades! Sometimes projects will fail, sometimes you may have to put a project on hold until the right shade turns up in stock, sometimes you may have to change your entire palette depending on the colours you have available to you. Ply size you can work around, brands you can mix and match, but it's the colour choices that will be the difference between a good piece and one that 
!
!
BUCKETLOADS when it comes to hand cramps!
The worst thing you could do is try to push through the pain, even if you only have one row left! I was so eager to finish my 
AC/DC piece, I remember pushing through the clicks and cracks to knock off the last 12 rows and by god, I could hardly bend my fingers without searing pain for the next week, rendering me useless!! 
quick search for "finger stretches, hand stretches, etc," I compiled a series of finger, hand and wrist stretches that I do in between 15 minute blocks of crocheting. First I tend to splay my fingers out, stretching them as far as they can go, before then curling them up to form a fist (repeat x 10), I then gently massage the palms of my hands, working from the middle of the palm out to the end of each finger. That usually takes about 5 mins for both hands. I then bend my wrists backwards and then forwards using my other hand like this...
Funnily enough, I don't tend to get too much pain in my crocheting hand. I actually get the most pain in the index finger of my left hand 
! I tend to stick out my index finger as I hold my working yarn, which leaves it a bit stiff and sore! Which leads me to think that maybe trying a different grip on your hook may alleviate any pain your experienceing in your crocheting hand.
!
The 26th day of July 2011, saw the launch of my very first exhibition! To say that I was BEYOND STOKED would be a tad of an understatement.
Early in 2011 I awoke to a little opportunity sitting patiently in my inbox. Adrienne the deputy editor of 
It's only now as I come to write this that I realise the first time I picked up a copy of 'The Philosopher's Stone' was in 1999. It's only now that I realise that that was 13 YEARS AGO. By God. I could really use that time-turning hourglass of Hermione's right now....
It wasn't until I had them all lined up on the floor that I thought 'this screams Brady Bunch...' 
)
! (on the right side up of course -_^!)
, kisses 
and high fives 
to EVERYONE who has followed and supported me though the making of this project via the many places i've posted my progress! Major kudos to you guys 
!
!
send me pictures to be featured here on Totallee.net! Like the beautiful angels below!!!
If you have sent me a picture of your potter panel and don't see it featured, first, please forgive me and secondly, please resend it! I'm a fully qualified scatterbrain and have clearly misplaced it!