Man in the Moon wreath; craft updates

One of the perks of living in a high-rise apartment is a rare brush with the airborne wilds. The past two springs, a fledgling kestrel has crash-landed on my air-con unit as (s)he practices the finer points of flight.

VIDEO: Junior, weighing his options.

This year’s youngster I’ve taken to calling Junior. When Junior lost his confidence and couldn’t bring himself to fly off the air-con on his own, his pop flew over and they huddled together at dusk to sleep on my window sill. This happened at least a couple of nights, and they were always gone by daybreak. I think Junior is in full flight now, as I haven’t seen him in a week, but I can hear him chitter and shriek from afar.

In between spy-camming the local fauna and finishing up my semester, I’ve been crafting a bit. I just finished this lovely Man in the Moon wreath that has a unique profile, entirely rendered in crochet. I loved making this piece and it was surprisingly easy, especially given that I had most of the elements on hand.

VIDEO: Man in the Moon wreath. The pattern is by the very inventive Laura Sutcliffe, and she can be found on Etsy, Ravelry, and Instagram. I have at least four of her wonderful patterns in my library.

The base styrofoam wreath measures 22cm in diameter. I used yarn from my stash; acrylics in ivory and deep blue for the moon and sky, and Scheepjes cotton thread yarn for the big star. The big star is suspended by transparent thread. Small holographic sequin stars dot the sky. The eyes are faceted black crystals that catch the light – these I had to hunt down on a shopping trip.

Since I needed the proper eyes to finish the man’s face, I made an enjoyable afternoon of shopping in the Seomun Market area. I’ve shared this place with you a few times before. Seomun Market is my go-to for button and bead shopping in Daegu. After scoring my craft supplies, I popped in to Mulden Dongsan café for a glass of iced omija tea.

On the way home, I bought some chamoe (참외), small yellow melons that are in full season now. These little gems are from 10-12cm long, and have a thin skin that is easily peeled. The melon can be eaten seeds and all, but I usually seed it before eating. It has a mild sweetness and firm, white flesh.

Now that the semester is winding down, I’ll be crafting, cooking, and relaxing much more, and planning a short trip for August. That means I’ll be blogging more, too! My next post will share the finished Daisy Chain shawl, and some things I have been making with African flower crocheted motifs. Until next time, stay well!