Many moons ago we made a blanket… it was called “The Masterpiece” and it represented lots of aspects of my Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design. I made squares and you made squares and each of you who did so also sent me a letter or note telling me what the square represented in terms of helping make the world be a better place. Then I used The Masterpiece as the focus for my diploma presentation*:
I’m a very enthusiastic speaker! © Alan Carlton
The central nine squares each represented one of the projects in my diploma portfolio. If you look closely, you can see that there’s a little dancing skeleton in one of them… here it is a bit closer:
let’s dance!
It represented a design that I did about end-of-life planning, which I called A Dance with Death. The square turned out to be rather popular in its own right and I got several requests for the pattern. So, I found some charting software and made a chart and then I stalled. Other things needed doing and I lost momentum. Every year as we approached halloween I intended to get a pattern sorted and every year I failed. I thought that having ‘publish two knitting/crochet patterns’ amongst my goals in 17 for 2017 might provide the motivation, but even that failed**. However, producing a (completely different) pattern for Mandy at Faithmead got me back on track and so, the dancing skeleton pattern is finally written up and available to buy as a digital download from etsy. I’m delighted to have Hattie to model it – although I really must sort out some hair for her (anyone have a wig they don’t want?)
Of course the charted pattern could be used as a motif on anything, I just thought that the hat would be a good starting point. Next I plan to make a crochet version… and sort out a few more skeleton poses to chart up.
-oOo-
* The blanket is still in use, in fact I am sitting on it now
** I did manage to get my bird roosts pattern sorted out, though
The Snail of Happiness 
doublePie
/ February 20, 2018love this pattern ❤
https://doublepie.wordpress.com/
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 20, 2018thank you!
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doublePie
/ February 20, 2018You are welcome
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redappleyarn
/ February 20, 2018Would you like to put together a kit for the shop???
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 20, 2018That would be good… we can talk about it on Thursday
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nanacathy2
/ February 20, 2018End o life planning, so important to do it before you need to. Love the skeleton.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 20, 2018Too right – a friend and I are planning to write a book on the subject, but she’s not well at the moment so we haven’t been able to make a start yet.
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Ann Pole
/ February 20, 2018I love that picture of you, just wish I had been there on the day. X
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 20, 2018I wish you had too – it was a great doing my accreditation at the national gathering and Alan took some brilliant photos.
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thecontentedcrafter
/ February 20, 2018I love that photo of you doing your presentation – such enthusiasm! 🙂 Congrats on getting that pattern written up!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 20, 2018Alan really captured my dynamic style!
I’m quite enthused about pattern writing now – I have an idea for some tapestry crochet that I want to try out, but currently I’m trying to make some progress on your favourite project!!
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Donnalee
/ February 20, 2018I love that skeleton! I can see it being popular with goths, Tibetan Buddhists, Grateful Dead fans…all sorts.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 20, 2018let’s hope so!
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katechiconi
/ February 20, 2018What form does the chart take? Is it visual, ie, a pictorial representation with squares representing stitches, or is it a list of stitches? If the former, I’d love to have a go at this as a patchwork piece in black and white fabrics 🙂
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 20, 2018It’s a pictorial thing… I’ll send you a copy to have a play with.
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katechiconi
/ February 20, 2018Thank you!
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insearchofitall
/ February 21, 2018I love the dancing skeleton. I don’t knit or crochet but it’s delightful. Have been doing my own end of life planning and will be interested to see what you have to say about it.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 21, 2018Kate Chiconi is going to use the skeleton design for some patchwork – I didn’t realise how versatile it was going to be!
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insearchofitall
/ February 21, 2018Of course Kate can do that. 🙂 She is quite talented in her area as you are in yours. I could see that pattern in a quilt and so many things. My daughter would love it.
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davidprosser
/ February 21, 2018What a superb project the ‘skellington’ was part of. It will be in a museum one day.
xxx Unlimited Hugs xxx
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tialys
/ February 21, 2018Love the photo of the presentation – you must have been exhausted afterwards!
A lovely blanket to remember it all by too.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 21, 2018I’m a very physical speaker – in years of lecturing and teaching I must have walked hundreds of miles!
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Nice Piece of Work
/ February 21, 2018Lovely skeleton hats! Carol hasn’t worn her long blonde wig for ages, since I stopped making hats, so you could have hers….but I’ll have to run it by her first 😉
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 21, 2018oh, you can’t deprive Carol of her hair… although I guess she’s not allowed to wash it at the moment!
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Nice Piece of Work
/ February 25, 2018No, she isn’t. She’s reduced to wearing a turban. In fact, turbans are the new look in the whole of the Western Cape at the moment!….
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The Snail of Happiness
/ February 25, 2018maybe you should start a new line for your stall – hand-printed fabric lengths for turbans!
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quietwatercraft
/ March 6, 2018Hooray, I love the dancing skeleton! Would it be okay for a new knitter or shall I wait for the crochet version?
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