Lee Mac. Crochet 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."
We're cooking with gas now!! Another ten rows last night drives us up to 65%!
I did a bit of a double take after taking this shot, as it appeared that something pretty trippy was going on with his ear... I thought I had stuffed up my colours again and had inadvertently given him an unwanted ear crease. However, since checking it against the source photo and having a closer look at his ears on film (a body part that I must admit, usually escapes me), he DOES have a super intense ear crease going on! PHEW! No pulling out required!
This picture also marks 100 rows! Therefore only 50 to go ! Still a crazy amount of colour changes to go, as we have an EXPLOSION of galaxy background coming, however his lovely black hair will keep things nicely balanced for my slightly achy fingers. Actually, i'm not getting any hand cramps on this piece, it's more my shoulder that is giving me hell this time around I think the 27 pillows I lean on in bed has something to do with it probably should cut back a bit and give my spine a chance to straighten out In BRONTE news (my new favourite kind of news), I have started to go a little silly!!
Eeeeeee!! Starting to feel really real now! Mum and I thought we should go for a bright, beautiful red collar and lead this time around. I LOVED the purple combo we got for DeeDee and even though they are the same colour, same breed, they are not the same dog. So we've gone with ravishing red! As for the bowl insert, how flipping genius is that!!!! The guy at the store pointed it out to us as soon as we said we were getting a lab They are indeed the doggy equivalent of a vacuum cleaner, especially when it comes to food, so this way she will have to work a tiny bit harder and therefore it should slow her down a bit and prevent any...unfortunate....happenings... i'll leave it there incase you are eating. However if you are familiar with labs, you know where I was going there
I'm lucky I got out of that store when I did yesterday, because honestly, I could have easily bought one of everything, but I tried to limit myself to bare essentials! Man I really cannot wait !!! In the meantime, I shall continue to expell my pent up energy and excitement by working on Mr. Grant! Time to grab the hook and 'get back in the kitchen' as they say....
Lee xox
Thursday 19th October, 2017
Hello Forehead!
60%!
Lee xox
Thursday 19th October, 2017
What a week!
Whew! What a week!!
Apologies for not updating sooner but my server has been playing silly buggers again and hasn't been letting me on! Or if it does let me on, it lets me on JUST long enough to write a big long post and then it boots me off just before I post it! It has been a little frustrating to say the least! ANYWHO! As a result, I totally missed #ILoveYarnDay which actually turned out to be okay, as I think a lot of people ended up forgetting about it anyway poor yarn!
I did mark the day (or the day after....the wkend!) with a trip to Sydney town to see STATUS QUO rock it out at the Opera House !!!! Which has BUGGER ALL to do with yarn, but it sure made me happy ! DANCED MY FLIPPING ARSE OFF!!!
Francis Rossi man LEGEND!! The weather was gorgeous and although I was only there for 24hours it was super lovely to get away However, today is the day for CRAZY MEGA AMAZING NEWS!!!!
SAY HELLO TO MY SOON-TO-BE NEW HOUSEMATE/BEST FRIEND!!!!
This is Bronte and preparations are underway to bring her to live with me ISN'T SHE BEAUTIFUL!!!
A friend of a friend has asked if I would like to adopt her!!!
Funny how "YES! made it out of my mouth before she had finished asking me
She has just turned 4 and has just been de-sexed after delivering a litter of TEN (makes you whince and cross your legs doesn't it?!) puppies! #ProudMama
Isn't she a trooper!!
Her owner had me in mind and knew I was umming and erring over getting a puppy, but my previous experience with Dee made me a perfect candidate to accept Bronte
Dee was 4 when I got her and she wasn't good around other dogs. Same goes for Bronte. Apparently she is a complete cuddle-monster and much prefers the company of people over dogs. So really it was meant to be !
As she has only just been desexed, she can't travel for 10 days, so I won't be going up to get her till the first week of November but I AM SO EXCITED TO MEET HER AND BRING HER TO HER NEW HOME!!!
It's been 18 months since I lost Dee and whist the pain of losing her is still there, I do feel ready and able to give all my love to another golden girl
As you can probably guess, between travel, hot weather and doggie discussions and planning, I have had precious time with Cary over this past week! He has almost hit 60% but i'll hold off on posting a snap until he does
Thankfully, the wonderful SHATAN has sent in her completed Leia panel for us all to have a good squizz at !!!
NAILED IT SHATAN!!!
This was Shatan's FIRST ATTEMPT at a portrait and dude....seriously.... BRILLIANT JOB!!!
Also brilliant, is the fact that Shatan will be entering this piece in a state fair and will clearly grab the attention of every single person and by rights should walk away with an array of ribbons !!!! Keep us posted Shatan!!! I hope you are all well and crocheting up a storm! I shall be back with an update on Mr. Grant as soon as I can take a break from puppy accessory shopping !!!! EEEEEE SO EXCITED!!! Lee xox
Thursday 12th October, 2017
#ILoveYarnDay is coming!
This SATURDAY 14TH OCTOBER is '#ILoveYarnDay' !!
Surprised?! Yeah me too! I usually ALWAYS miss these yarn-ish appreciation days, but not this time !
I was alerted to a great post over on 'Heart Strings' (a blog run by the lovely folks at Red Heart) which talks about the event and ways to celebrate and get involved Head on over and have a read HERE Whilst I will be participating across various social media platforms with the hashtag #ILoveYarnDay! I thought it might also be a bit of fun if I commemorated the day here on Totallee.net
I thought it might be a bit of fun if we all took a picture that showed our love of yarn and I shared it here on the site in a blog post?! It could be a selfie, a picture of a project, your yarn stash, something creative, ANYTHING to pay homage to the fibre that we all know, love and use to create amazing works with The big day is only two days away, so I COMPLETELY understand if you can't participate, but I just thought it may be a cool way to honour the day
If you would like to share a picture, please shoot me an email @ poprocker85[@]totallee[.]net (sans brackets) and I will pop it up on a blog post commemorating the day ! I must mention - I will be traveling on Sunday 15th of October, which will probably be on the 14th of October for most of you, so i'll try and post as late as possible to allow for living this side of the timeline
Speaking of loving yarn and yarn looking more than a little LOVELY (eh?! See what I did there !)Cary Grant has hit halfway !!!
Slightly awkward time for a progress shot, considering dude has one and a half eyeballs going on, but YAY HALFWAY !!! I think i'm also coming to terms with my little mistake. It really doesn't look that bad and as the lovely Joanna pointed out on Facebook, I could just dub it a 'personal touch' and/or never speak of it again and everything will be fine I am loving that train of thought! So once again, anyone wanting to send a yarn-loving pic to commemorate 'I Love Yarn Day!' please feel free to send it through !!
I'm going to have a hard time finding some yarn brighter than my newly dyed hair, but i'll give it a red hot go !!!
Lee xox
Sunday 8th October, 2017
Epic facepalm
So. I may, or may not be slightly upset with myself at the moment...
I also may, or may not have turned to biscuits to ease my pain.... Things were going so well with my gorgeous new palette too.... Okay, time to admit my boo boo... Mr. Cary Grant hit 40%! today...
AGHH!!! THE HORRIBLENESS I wouldn't win an Oscar for dramatic acting would I?!
So for those of you who are looking at the update and thinking "what in the blue blazes is she on about?!"...
I'd like to direct your attention to Cary's cheek on the left there and the SEARING LINE THAT IS TRAVERSING IT!!! I know! I know. I should have warned you.... it's just terrible....
Remember how I said that WATCHING Cary Grant whilst trying to CROCHET Cary Grant wasn't really working out for me, as my concentration, focus and ovulation cycle were drawn to the screen no matter what?!? Yeah well, I've paid the price
Looking at it now, it REALLY isn't that bad. But it is one of those mistakes that i'm just going to keep seeing no matter what. So it will need to be fixed! So tomorrow, when the light is nice and bright, I will be performing a little surgery on our gorgeous patient with a darning needle and the CORRECT colours to hopefully blend that cheek a little better. Wouldn't you know it though?! The ONE TIME I make a mistake that is too far back to rip out to correct and it happens on one of the loveliest faces of all time
Lee xox
Wednesday 4th October, 2017
Running Down a Dream
You know those albums you played to death growing up?!? This was one of mine
66 years of age is just not right
'Running Down a Dream' will forever and always be my fave Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers jam with 'American Girl' running a very close second. Ugh, I still completely lose myself at the end of 'American Girl'! With the "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Uurrrrrrrrrrrrrr ahhhhhhhhhhh"'s You just cannot help but belt it out! BRILLIANT road trip song! Actually all of Tom Petty's tunes are great road trip songs Need a playlist for when you next hit the open road. Tom Petty man. He's all you need on those speakers
Thank you for providing me with some killer tunes, that have contributed greatly to my life's soundtrack Mr. Petty RIP and have a hell of a jam up there mate !
In crochet news
We have hit 30%! We have also hit the start of his nose! Which is also the end! Which is very confusing ! Lee xox
Sunday 1st October, 2017
Grant, Wayne's World and some Beatles!
Ella's Channel (No Catchy Name Crochet Talk) - HERE Yarnjoy Podcast - HERE Lee xox
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
♥ 2017 Gallery !!
♥ 2016 Gallery !!
♥ 2015 Gallery !!
♥ 2014 Gallery !!
♥ 2013 Gallery !!
♥ 2012 Gallery !!
♥ 2011 Gallery !!
♥ 2010 Gallery !!
♥ 2009 Gallery !!
Books, Books, Books!!!
Books fall open, you fall in.
Tuesday 4th April, 2017
Books #1-8 | 2017
Lee xox
Tuesday 7th February, 2017
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
After owning the book AND the Disney adaptation for well over 10 years, i'm happy to report that I FINALLY got around to reading 20,000 Leagues whilst on holiday in New Zealand and FINALLY (since last night) have watched the film !
I am even happier to announce that I really enjoyed both
A quick non-spoiler synopsis:
"In 1866 newspapers across the planet are full of stories about a terrifying creature haunting the world's oceans. Professor Pierre Aronnax, along with his servant Conseil and the master harpooner Ned Land, join the global hunt for the monster. They discover that the beast is actually the Nautilus, a futuristic submarine designed by the mysterious Captain Nemo. Captured and imprisoned aboard the Nautilus, the Professor and his companions begin an extraordinary journey... one that reveals the deepest secrets of both the world's oceans and the terrifying Captain Nemo." Credit: Goodreads.
I have read Jules Verne's 'Around the World in 80 Days' and 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth' so I knew that I was about to be hit with a healthy dose of science and adventure, but WHOA! this one packed an almighty punch in both camps
Sadly I found that it did lean a little too heavily towards the 'science' side of things and therefore I found a number of passages quite dense and dry ( there are only so many latin names and descriptions of a mollusc I can handle), but MAN the ADVENTURE more than made up for it !!!
As soon as you wade through the passages focussed on good ol' Professor. Aronnax's detailed scientific findings, you get to dive in to the juicy stuff (aka. the action and the characters). Just realised I wrote 'wade through' and 'dive'.... clearly this story has made an impact !
Captain. Nemo..... was one of the most captivating and fascinating characters I've read for a long time. I thought James Mason's portrayal of him in the Disney adaptation was spot on brilliant!!!!
For the record i'd also like to state that I would be more than happy to live out my days listening to James Mason speak Not quite on the level of Morgan Freeman, but I wouldn't say no absolutely gorgeous voice.
I was also beyond ecstatic to see that they cast Kirk Douglas in the role of Ned Land
A highly inaccurate gif, as Verne's Ned Land could not be further from a 'song and dance' type of guy, but I can certainly see why Disney changed up the character to fit their style and I loved it Sadly I get the feeling that this 1954 picture won't get a chance to surface and see the light of day on our screens anytime soon. ('Surface'... Lee, one more deep sea pun and you're out the door mate). There are a number of scenes that would be highly contentious in today's world - if you've read/seen the story, you'll know about the marine life that becomes dinner and the run-in they have with a group of 'savages', just to name a couple...
Whilst I was pleased to see that the film included some major plot points, I was beyond annoyed at the ending
I guess that is the real risk you run when you read the book first...
I'll zip my lip as I don't want to ruin it for anyone wishing to read/see it, but the ending in the book = 10/10 would read again and again! I have also been really enjoying nerding out and reading up on the themes and subtexts that Verne wove throughout this particular book. It is certainly jam-packed with political observations, historical references and a great love of French explorers and trailblazers
Whilst the text would not be everyone's cup of tea, I highly recommend giving the Disney adaptation a watch!
I mean it has James Mason battling a giant squid!! What the frig else does one need?!?!
Lee xox
2017
#GOALS!
New year! Time to reset my reading goals! Aaaaaand yeah no
I kicked off 2016 with a 52 book goal for the year and yet again, failed to reach it ! Dear oh dear. I'm not too down on myself though, as I managed to get through 40 BOOKS
A few of which I have added to my rapidly expanding ' faves of all time' list! However, this year I've decided to ditch setting a Goodreads goal and instead will just go with my own 'reading flow' One teeny goal I have set myself, is to BLOG MORE on this page about what i'm reading and my thoughts on books. I still plan to continue with my 'Hooked from a Book' series on my YouTube channel, however over the course of doing bookish vids, I've noticed that I really do suck at collecting and presenting my thoughts on camera
I get too emotionally wrapped up in trying to express my thoughts and really I just end up waffling and a 20min video of waffling...ain't nobody got time for that!
So i'll save my waffling for on here and that way I should be able to keep my monthly wrap-ups on YouTube, relatively waffle free
As far as other goals go, I have a few buddy reads on the horizon that I am super pumped for !!!
The gorgeous Di and I are planning to tackle the Lord of the Rings trilogy this year! Also the lovely Rae and I will be re-reading Harry Potter starting Feb 1 !!!
MAJORLY pumped for that, as it's been a while!! If you'd like to read along with us, please feel free to get in touch
No matter who you are ...............
"All We Hear Is Radio Ga Ga!"
Grab your crochet hook, pretend it's a mic and BELT OUT a few Queen anthems and then grab your yarn and whip up a tribute to the one and only Freddie Mercury! 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
♥ Frodo Baggins!
"I will take the ring to Mordor!"
Frodo Baggins, son of Drogo, ring bearer for the fellowship aka. ONE FRIGGING HEROIC HOBBIT!!
If your hook is worthy, why not pay hommage to our brave, furry-footed legend!! 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
♥ Neville Longbottom!
#TREVOR!!
"They didn't die in vain. But you will! Because you're wrong! Harry's heart did beat for us, for all of us. It's not over! "
Brave, bold and beautiful! Crochet Gryffindor's finest today! 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
♥ Princess Leia!
#REBELPRINCESS!!
May the force always be with you Carrie 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
"Oh, he knows how to play, little bitty baby Potter" Get your wand hook stuck in to the deliciously evil Bellatrix LeStrange!! A HUGE 'THANK YOU' to SANNE for sharing her wonderful pattern with us!! 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
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
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 DEFINITELY 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. Crochet 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
We're cooking with gas now!! Another ten rows last night drives us up to 
65%!
trippy was going on with his ear...
I thought I had stuffed up my colours again and had inadvertently given him an unwanted ear crease. However, since checking it against the source photo and having a closer look at his ears on film (a body part that I must admit, usually escapes me), he DOES have a super intense ear crease going on!
PHEW! No pulling out required!
! Still a crazy amount of colour changes to go, as we have an EXPLOSION of galaxy background coming, however his lovely black hair will keep things nicely balanced for my slightly achy fingers. Actually, i'm not getting any hand cramps on this piece, it's more my shoulder that is giving me hell this time around 
I think the 27 pillows I lean on in bed has something to do with it 
probably should cut back a bit and give my spine a chance to straighten out 
In BRONTE news (my new favourite kind of news), I have started to go a little silly!!
Eeeeeee!! Starting to feel really real now! Mum and I thought we should go for a bright, beautiful red collar and lead this time around. I LOVED the purple combo we got for DeeDee and even though they are the same colour, same breed, they are not the same dog. So we've gone with ravishing red! As for the bowl insert, how flipping genius is that!!!! The guy at the store pointed it out to us as soon as we said we were getting a lab 
They are indeed the doggy equivalent of a vacuum cleaner, especially when it comes to food, so this way she will have to work a tiny bit harder and therefore it should slow her down a bit and prevent any...unfortunate....happenings... i'll leave it there incase you are eating. However if you are familiar with labs, you know where I was going there 
!!!
Whew! What a week!!
it boots me off just before I post it! 
It has been a little frustrating to say the least!
As a result, I totally missed #ILoveYarnDay which actually turned out to be okay, as I think a lot of people ended up forgetting about it anyway 
poor yarn!
STATUS QUO rock it out at the Opera House 
!!!! Which has BUGGER ALL to do with yarn, but it sure made me happy 
!
DANCED MY FLIPPING ARSE OFF!!!
LEGEND!!
The weather was gorgeous and although I was only there for 24hours it was super lovely to get away 
However, today is the day for CRAZY MEGA AMAZING NEWS!!!!
SAY HELLO TO MY SOON-TO-BE NEW HOUSEMATE/BEST FRIEND!!!!
ISN'T SHE BEAUTIFUL!!!
Isn't she a trooper!!
!
I AM SO EXCITED TO MEET HER AND BRING HER TO HER NEW HOME!!!
As you can probably guess, between travel, hot weather and doggie discussions and planning, I have had precious time with Cary over this past week! He has almost hit 60% but i'll hold off on posting a snap until he does 
SHATAN has 
sent in her completed Leia panel for us all to have a good squizz at 
!!!
NAILED IT SHATAN!!!
BRILLIANT JOB!!!
!!!! Keep us posted Shatan!!!
I hope you are all well and crocheting up a storm! I shall be back with an update on Mr. Grant as soon as I can take a break from puppy accessory shopping 
!!!! EEEEEE SO EXCITED!!!
This SATURDAY 14TH OCTOBER is '#ILoveYarnDay' 
!!
!
Red Heart) which talks about the event and ways to celebrate and get involved 
Head on over and have a read HERE
Whilst I will be participating across various social media platforms with the hashtag #ILoveYarnDay! I thought it might also be a bit of fun if I commemorated the day here on Totallee.net 
The big day is only two days away, so I COMPLETELY understand if you can't participate, but I just thought it may be a cool way to honour the day 
!
I must mention - I will be traveling on Sunday 15th of October, which will probably be on the 14th of October for most of you, so i'll try and post as late as possible to allow for living this side of the timeline 
!)Cary Grant has hit halfway 
Slightly awkward time for a progress shot, considering dude has one and a half eyeballs going on, but YAY HALFWAY 
I think i'm also coming to terms with my little mistake. It really doesn't look that bad and as the lovely 
Joanna pointed out on Facebook, I could just dub it a 'personal touch' and/or never speak of it again and everything will be fine 
I am loving that train of thought!
So once again, anyone wanting to send a yarn-loving pic to commemorate 'I Love Yarn Day!' please feel free to send it through 
So. I may, or may not be slightly upset with myself at the moment...
Things were going so well with my gorgeous new palette too....
Okay, time to admit my boo boo...
AGHH!!! THE HORRIBLENESS
So tomorrow, when the light is nice and bright, I will be performing a little surgery on our gorgeous patient with a darning needle and the CORRECT colours to hopefully blend that cheek a little better. Wouldn't you know it though?! The ONE TIME I make a mistake that is too far back to rip out to correct and it happens on one of the loveliest faces of all time 
You know those albums you played to death growing up?!? This was one of mine 
with 'American Girl' running a very close second. Ugh, I still completely lose myself at the end of 'American Girl'! With the "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Uurrrrrrrrrrrrrr ahhhhhhhhhhh"'s 
You just cannot help but belt it out! BRILLIANT road trip song! Actually all of Tom Petty's tunes are great road trip songs 
Need a playlist for when you next hit the open road. Tom Petty man. He's all you need on those speakers 
RIP and have a hell of a jam up there mate 
!
Ella's Channel (No Catchy Name Crochet Talk) - HERE
OLDER POSTS 
October
G'Day and welcome to my lil gallery 
I also really need to take 2 seconds here to extend the biggest of "THANK YOU!!!"'s to 
You're a star man!!
After owning the book AND the Disney adaptation for well over 10 years, i'm happy to report that I FINALLY got around to reading 20,000 Leagues whilst on holiday in New Zealand and FINALLY (since last night) have watched the film 
!
A quick non-spoiler synopsis:
"In 1866 newspapers across the planet are full of stories about a terrifying creature haunting the world's oceans. Professor Pierre Aronnax, along with his servant Conseil and the master harpooner Ned Land, join the global hunt for the monster. They discover that the beast is actually the Nautilus, a futuristic submarine designed by the mysterious Captain Nemo. Captured and imprisoned aboard the Nautilus, the Professor and his companions begin an extraordinary journey... one that reveals the deepest secrets of both the world's oceans and the terrifying Captain Nemo."
I have read Jules Verne's 'Around the World in 80 Days' and 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth' so I knew that I was about to be hit with a healthy dose of science and adventure, but WHOA! this one packed an almighty punch in both camps 
there are only so many latin names and descriptions of a mollusc I can handle), but MAN the ADVENTURE more than made up for it 
Just realised I wrote 'wade through' and 'dive'.... clearly this story has made an impact 
spot on brilliant!!!!
Sadly I get the feeling that this 1954 picture won't get a chance to surface and see the light of day on our screens anytime soon. ('Surface'... Lee, one more deep sea pun and you're out the door mate). There are a number of scenes that would be highly contentious in today's world - if you've read/seen the story, you'll know about the marine life that becomes dinner and the run-in they have with a group of 'savages', just to name a couple...
zip my lip as I don't want to ruin it for anyone wishing to read/see it, but the ending in the book = 
giving the Disney adaptation a watch!
James Mason battling a giant squid!! What the frig else does one need?!?!
New year! 
Time to reset my reading goals! Aaaaaand yeah no 
faves of all time' list!
However, this year I've decided to ditch setting a Goodreads goal and instead will just go with my own 'reading flow' 
One teeny goal I have set myself, is to BLOG MORE on this page about what i'm reading and my thoughts on books. I still plan to continue with my 'Hooked from a Book' series on 
and a 20min video of waffling...ain't nobody got time for that!
!!!
View my 
G'Day G'Day!
Vlog #20 [1st May, 2012]
Welcome one and all to my pattern archive!
♥ Freddie Mercury! [Queen] 
BELT OUT a few Queen anthems and then grab your yarn and whip up a tribute to the one and only Freddie Mercury!
"Money isn't everything, Jett."
This is the place to come to ask your 
burning questions 
!!
!
!), please feel free to send your questions to
This is DEFINITELY 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 
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 
Do you back your pieces?
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!!!
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 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).
The wonderful Kate has put forward a question I get asked quite a lot! Cheers Kate 
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!!!
POPS!
Donna sent in a question!
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 
!
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 
I scored an ENTIRE PAGE!!!
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...' 
)
, 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!
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