Oil Painting

 I treated myself to a short course at South London Fine Art Studios in Lavender Hill.It runs atelier style training workshops.Our tutor was the wonderful artist and founder of the school,Anne Witheridge.

Heres some of the work I completed.

Quince and saucer

Grisaille study

Charcoal drawing

Inspired,I managed to set up a painting corner at home.Here's my first attempt at putting what I learned into practice.

Lemon

Dementia UK Christmas Sweater

n

 Here is the source material for the Christmas jumper I made for the Dementia UK knitting challenge.It is one (small)size.The original is a pattern for a cardigan. I introduced the stepped yoke variation because I did not have enough for a whole garment.

Jo Bodley 10 06 241

G and B 'Weird and Wonderful' Competition. I lost out to a man who makes sculpture out of his kidney stones and a stripping bassoon player, among others !

Positive Talents - Jo B comedy act

My contribution to Positive Talents Carers event

Recycling cashmere

 I return to one of my favourite subjects. You cant beat cashmere for lightness, warmth and softness. The downside is, the washing machine is not its friend and I can't be the only person whose gorgeous beige luxe cowl neck jumper came out looking like a needle felted Yoda toy- now there's an idea...

I've been experimenting with some cashmere samples. fashion industry waste, and here are two ideas I've come up with so far.

500ml mini hot water bottles from ebay, the pre-felted samples are hand sewn on and the tops are stretchy so you can fill them with hot- not boiling- water.

I used a washing machine cycle which takes about 2 hours set at 30 degrees, with a towel or pair of jeans for company.This was enough to provide a thick but not too thick felted material which is still soft to the touch. Felting in the machine is always something of a lottery though, if in doubt experiment with a small piece first, measure before and after to gauge percentage of shrinkage and use this when designing. 40-50 % in this case.

 There's a pattern online for slippers by making one large ' bag' shape which looks for all the world like a pair of dangly breasts. After felting in the machine, one 'breast' shape is turned through into the other to make a lined felted slipper.

I had a go using cashmere strips sewn together and washed as detailed above, not bad for a first attempt. I might put a sole on made from manufactured felt to prolong their lives.

Last but not least, this lap blanket is made using double crochet (20sts using 4mm hook)strips, sewn together and a border worked inc by 3 at each corner.Border uses a mix of sc, dc and tr depending on how wavy it gets. The border is twisted  fringe, easy but time and yarn consuming- there are tutorials on the internet on how to make it.

The yarn I had hanging around from a time I had the patience to unpick and unravel fine knit cashmere sweaters and ply the yarn into a knitting weight, akin to aran. 

Josie Bodley Stand up at G and B comedy

Finally getting to explore the world of comedy, a long held ambition of mine, turns out, its all in the timing...mine isnt so great in this, but as its my first live gig in front of a live audience, its not surprising. Had a really fun evening!

Full G and B review here:

So last night at The Star of Kings was our Dark Delights evening, our show dedicated to comedy’s darker side. Now these shows aren’t easy to organise. Too dark too soon and the audience end up punch drunk before the end; not dark enough and the crowd feel cheated and lose interest. So long as the acts understand the rules and have absolute respect for the crowd, these nights are an absolute blast. Well, last night’s Dark Delights was the best one we’ve ever had. It was a delicious joy of twisted, deviant darkness and everyone loved every minute of it. First to the pulpit was Andrew Dipple who is collecting acronyms and desserts. It was then over to Mr Punman, Mark Rivlin, who proved even puns can be downright dark and twisted. Mark’s annual anal and banging Olaf’s son were particular hits. Fred Bell then gave us an insight into geopolitical consumer protests and why beef and smack can play their part. It was then over to Barbara Fernandez and why being from the US has its advantages: the bullies from high school either get shot or die of obesity. Becky Jade then gave us mangled Dad’s and barbie empowerment before Sonia Ginty told us how the fountain of youth might have more iron in it than you might have imagined. After Sonia was Seraj Alijan who wants his write-up to be explosively short. Andris Gerasimovics then gave us some great advice: never listen to your inner voice…it can be a bit of a dick at times. Colin D.H. Smith then had the room quite literally in pain with laughter, which was coincidentally rather the theme of his BDSM on a budget demonstration. Next was Will Earle, who may not have been the biggest hit with the ladies, but he’s got an impressive degree in engineering. Closing the first half was Jeroen Bloemhoff. No evening dedicated to dark comedy could hold its head high without one thing: a rendition of The Aristocrats. Well, Jeroen’s take on this comedy classic was everything even the darkest, most twisted among the crowd could want.

After the break we got off to a fabulous start thanks to the wonderful Kim Hope and just why the worst people seem so death resistant. John Gadsden then told us he has a mysterious pic of Epstein on his wall at home. He’s no idea how it got there. Did it hang itself? Jo Bodley then explained just how she arrived via the portal from Middle-earth before Rajesh Patell told us just how much his mum and our late Queen had in common. It was then over to Tomas Bepalo and just what is the right amount of loo roll squares per crap. Hot on Tomas’ heels was Stephen Portlock who had decided to dress in bright colours for the evening (pictured). The night’s penultimate act was Peter Withers and the joys of having blind parents and the shock of discovering at age 7 that the Simpsons are yellow. Closing the show was the awesome craziness of Phil Zimmerman. From the mysterious strangulations on the Circle Line to a very special guest all the way from Silicone Valley, Phil had them baaa’ing like sheep for more.

So that was last night and what a brilliant night it was. Headlining next Monday we’ve the hilarious Ricky Boby and the brilliant Laura Gómez. See you then.

TAGS: Andrew DippleAndris GerasimovicsBarbara FernandezBecky JadeColin D.H. SmithFred BellJeroen BloemhoffJo BodleyJohn GadsdenKim HopeLaura GomezMark RivlinPeter WithersPhil ZimmermanRajesh PatelRicky BobbySeraj AlijanSonia GintyStephen PortlockTomas BepaloWill Earle

SHARE: 

 I began this as an Art, Craft, Knitting blog, but among my other interests is Writing. I've always enjoyed writing, despite the ritual humiliation of having to read out a piece of my prose to classmates- a Raymond Chandler pastiche, ridiculously sophisticated for a fourteen year old! Thanks, Mr King, RIP. My secondary school English Teacher.

So in 2017 I joined 'Croydon Writers,' a local writing group.Despite my initial terrors around sharing my writing with others and receiving criticism, positive and negative, overall the experience has really helped me to develop and I encourage anyone who feels that they 'have a book in them' to take steps toward getting it out. A writers' group can provide support in numerous ways.

In 2018 I had 3 pieces, a  short story, a memoir piece and a poem, published in the Croydon Writer's Anthology, 'The Trouble with young writers,' a quote from Somerset Maughm, which ends, 'is that most of them are over 60.'

https://www.rainbowvalleybooks.com/the-trouble-with-young-writers

I've a few pieces in the 2023 Anthology, 'Writing', more details here:

https://www.croydonwriters.com/test1

Since then, I've written Dance Reviews for Croydonites New Festival of Theatre , and spent a not inconsiderable amount of money entering competitions without success. Until recently...

A new venture based in Bristol, 'Glittery Literary' asks for content and the cost of entry is minimal. To my amazement, a 400 word piece of mine entered in to the 'Shimmering Short'category came second, and features in the third edition of the Glittery Literary Anthology. The volunteer team who produce this book do so with the aim of benefitting children's charities. I enjoyed reading the other submissions and they reflect a wide range of subjects and experiences.It is open to anyone in the world to submit writing in English. Details how to submit on the website.

https://www.glitteryliterary.com/

If 

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09HHMMRJD           

                                     I've just been informed that a short piece of mine has been accepted for a forthcoming anthology by these people:

https://www.bagofbonespress.com/

£13 on Amazon

'

The editor of Bag of Bones mentioned a website called 'Secret Attic,' so I entered a short story and it is going to be in  booklet #28.

They run several different competitions, including for Flash Fiction and Drabbles (100 word pieces).

More about them, here:

https://www.secret-attic.co.uk/

You can buy the booklet here: It is good quality, A4 sized, with a soft cardboard cover,

https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/various-contributors/secret-attic-booklet-28/paperback/product-8g8ng6.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Came second in a Lets Write contest at https://www.fictionette.co.uk/

Prompt was, 'And then you were gone'