andrew craig williams

Cold & Flu Remedy EP

2012-01-20T13:13:00.004Z

Cold & Flu Remedy EP by Fflwcs
Some silly house tunes to chase away January blues! Free to download.

Merry Gentlemen EP

2011-12-23T16:19:00.005Z

Merry Gentlemen EP by Fflwcs

My new Christmas EP, free to download. Nadolig Llawen! Xx

Joseph and Matthew are pregnant

2011-12-20T20:51:00.004Z

Here is an image I made for Jesus in Love. It's a re-imagining of the nativity story. Joseph and Matthew are pregnant. Families are made and kept together with love, and I believe that all families should be celebrated.

Happy Christmas everyone x

A galaxy

2011-12-19T21:38:00.004Z

Look at my lush new necklace. I'd had my eye on the most gorgeous bead on Folksy, and finally decided to buy it. It's like wearing a galaxy on my neck, a bit like in Men in Black!

I bought it from Blue Box Studio on Folksy, and the seller, Sue, is lovely and friendly and makes awesome jewels and the most beautiful lampwork beads. Check out her website.

New patterns

2011-09-28T22:16:00.008+01:00

Lynne from Calon Yarns asked me to design some patterns to sell, and we had the launch last Saturday. The patterns were not actually ready (problems with the printer, they said 6-8 days, but it's more like 14. Grr!) so instead people could pre-order them - but the samples were there so they could have a prod and a squeeze. I'm please to say that we sold three patterns. I couldn't believe it: we walked in to the shop and I saw my name on a sign "Patterns by local designer Andrew Williams". I'm a published knit patterner!

Bedwen means 'birch tree' in Welsh. Easy cables with a little flare at the base, so it sits on your neck nicely. It's knitted with Patons Fab Big, a lovely mega chunky yarn that's 100% acrylic, but really soft. It's very reasonably priced too, £4.50 for a 200g ball and that's enough to make a cowl and two large crocheted flowers. Each of my new patterns comes with a free bonus pattern - either a little crocheted thing, or a cute wristband.

Draig means 'dragon' in Welsh. It's crocheted with DK yarn using the crocodile stitch, but as I'm Welsh, I prefer to think of it as dragon scales. I think it would be nice in a thicker yarn, and would be much quicker to make too.

Igam Ogam (pronounced: ee-gam oh-gam) means 'zig zag' in Welsh. It's knitted in DK yarn (but can easily be made using a different weight) with a simple k2, p2 repeat, but every two rows the repeat is changed which creates the zig zag - first one way, then the other, and then back to the original direction. The pattern has instructions for making a long cowl, and a short, normal-sized version.

Onnen means 'ash tree' in Welsh. I made up this cable pattern and it reminded me of the bark of a tree, the colour of the test knit (a beige Wendy Mistral, sadly now discontinued) also made me think of as ash tree. This knits up really quickly on 8mm needles, I made this one while watching two episodes of Game of Thrones. A very nice Christmas knit.

The patterns should be with me on Friday the 7th of October, so Calon Yarns will be fully stocked with the patterns by next weekend. Some people very kindly bought the patterns anyway, as a pre-order kind of thing. I can't tell you how excited I was! The patterns can be bought from Calon Yarns, 380 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff. They are £3.50 each. Bargain.

So what's next then? Well, my friend Nina has asked me to knit a poncho in mega chunky as a Christmas gift for her sister (she'd been eyeing up the one I made Nina a few years ago), so that's my next pattern: The Ostrich Plume Poncho (I know, I know, but I can't help it, I love that lace pattern!)

Happy knitting!

Galargan EP

2011-09-17T15:05:00.004+01:00

New EP released today. Free to download from my Last.fm page.

1. Zombi
2. Casét
3. 33
4. Dolenni

Galargan is a Welsh word that means lament (literally, 'grief song'). Each track is based on a piece of music I wrote in 2003 called Zombie Lament, music for a non-existent zombie film. The EP is inspired by techniques of creating music used by John Cage, Aphex Twin, Michael Nyman, Akira Rabelais, among others. I used the two VSTs I made to create textures and sounds that I then composed these tracks with.

It's certainly a new direction from the usual silly house music I usually make, but I am quite eclectic in my musical taste!

All the Fflwcs tracks on Last.fm are free to download. Please help yourself!

Jesus has two daddies

2011-09-17T14:54:00.000+01:00

After seeing some lovely pictures of gay and lesbian nativity scenes on Jesus in Love, I wanted my own. It took me two years to find a set I really loved, and finally I now have one. It's a Fisher Price nativity set, with an extra Joseph ordered from America.I'm not a Christian, I'm not religious, and I don't believe in God (the Christian god, that is); but I've always loved the nativity story. Celebrating the birth of a child to a loving family is always good, and we get to sing some of the best Christmas carols too: Away in a manger, Little donkey; The friendly beasts.Jesus was born into a loving family. If Patrick and I are ever lucky enough to have children, they'll be brought up in a loving family too.

Designing VSTs

2011-07-25T15:36:00.004+01:00

I use VSTs (Virtual Studio Technology instruments) in my music, and have always admired those who make their own. So last weekend, I sat down and decided to learn how to use Synthedit. I've been reading a lot about John Cage, and his early experimental music. Too much coffee and a whole day spent learning how to make a random (virtual) voltage signal, and I came up with Cassette_musik. It is inspired by Cage's 1977 work 'Cassette', and his 1953 work 'Williams Mix' (great title!)

Cassette_musik loads a .wav, and plays it either forwards or backwards, and can cut the audio (via a simple gate) or play the entire wav from start point to end point. I'd only recommend that for one shots or very short samples though. The sample plays at a random starting point each time it is triggered (using the lovely Random Voltage module). I have also added some filters to degrade the sound and make it more like a scratchy old tape. I'm still beta testing, but when it's totally finished, I'll post instructions and a download link. My first free VST, whoop!

Buoyed by my success of making a working VST, I started to make a second one (using the structure of Cassette_musik as a base). Jareth also loads a .wav file and has a random starting point generator, but it also has a granulator. The GUI is inspired by Labyrinth, a 1986 film starring David Bowie as the Goblin King, so the controls are based on things in the film. The Peach button is pitch range, Goblin controls the Grains, and Oubliet controls the Grains Range (I think). You can play the sample forwards and backwards, although reverse doesn't work very well with higher Peach and Goblin settings; you can also choose different cycles 2-16, 32 and 64. This one is still being beta tested too, but as soon as I've finished I'll post instructions and download link. I'll also make example mp3s so you can hear the original audio compared with what it sounds like run through the VSTs.

Designing the GUIs was great fun too. I wanted an old cassette for Cassette_musik as it made sense, but I was a bit more creative with the design for Jareth. I even made my own dial for the dB levels - the clock hand is a bit jerky but I still love it!

This is fast becoming my newest obsession.

Ikea hacking

2011-06-19T09:15:00.003+01:00

I spent five hours this weekend turning a cheap Ikea bed that I no longer needed, into a shelving unit (that I need desperately).

I'm really pleased with the result, and I've got quite a few of the bed slats left and am dreaming up what to do with them!

Toksvig and Burchill: I'd use the same word for both.

2011-06-09T11:00:00.009+01:00

I just read this uninformed, unimaginative opinion piece.

Regardless of what one thinks of Sandi Toksvig (I personally think she's quite a hoot), this drivel by Julie Birchill smacks of bullying. Bullying of the worst kind. It borders on homophobia, xenophobia, and even misogyny. I am an advocate of the C-word. I use it to mean both friend or mate, and horrible person. "Alright, Sandi, you cunt?", I may say to a friend, or "That Julie's a cunt" about someone I dislike. I also use the words prick, dick and cock (even though I have one) to mean, basically, idiot.

I'm sorry if my use of any word offends somebody reading this, that certainly isn't my intention. My intention is to say how nasty I think Julie Birchill has been in this piece; and why I don't think it should have been published on the Independent's site - a paper I normally like.

I'll leave you with a quote from a very intelligent young woman:
"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself."
Hermione Granger

The sexualisation and commercialisation of childhood

2011-06-08T19:35:00.007+01:00

I read the Letting Children Be Children report with interest, as it is something I believe in quite strongly, but I fear the report is misleading.

I agree wholeheartedly that sexualised clothing for children is wrong. I have seen young girls wearing clothing unsuitable for their age group. Asymmetric t-shirts with adult slogans, or the playboy bunny emblazoned on them. The report states "nearly nine out of 10 parents surveyed for this Review agreed with the statement that ‘these days children are under pressure to grow up too quickly’". I'd tend to agree, but I would also like to know who bought these t-shirts for their young daughter? Who allowed the child to wear the clothing? David Cameron won't allow his six year old daughter to listen to Lily Allen. Who bought her the CD then, Dave?

I agree that we need stronger ways of controlling what our children see, but parents need to take more responsibility. If my child wanted to watch a programme on television that I thought was unsuitable, I wouldn't allow my child to watch. If my child wanted to play violent computer games and they were not old enough (games are controlled by ESRB ratings), I simply would not allow it. I can't understand why a parent wouldn't want to be part of their child's life; why they wouldn't want to protect them from the horrible things out there, and help guide them when the time was right.

Point 14 in the report: "We are all living in an increasingly sexual and sexualised culture, although it is far from clear how we arrived at this point. Many parents feel that this culture is often inappropriate for their children. They want more power to say ‘no’. Some parts of the business world and sections of the media seem to have lost their connection to parents and this is compounded in some new media where there is limited regulation. Where regulation does exist, regulators need to connect better with parents and encourage businesses to comply with the ‘spirit of the regulation’." Parents, you do have the power to say no. If you do not wish your child to see inappropriate images on the internet, then sit with them, add parental controls, set up a PIN system. All are free and easy to do. If you do not wish your child to see an 18-rated film, do not let them, do not buy it for them, monitor their television. Some comments I have read on online forums about this, seem to imply that it is not the parents' responsibility, it is the Government's. I don't want a new regime of draconian measures against children's freedom to suddenly be imposed. Children should explore and learn and form opinions, but if you are concerned enough, then you will shield them from things that will harm them.

I love zombie films, the gorier the better, but I wouldn't have wanted my niece or nephews (when they were young) to watch the films I watch. They're horrific! That's why I love them, but I love my family more, and so want to protect them.

I am worried that this report will do more harm than good, and take the onus to protect childhood off parents and square it on the Government. I also worry that new draconian measures will be enforced. If there is to be a single website where parents can complain, just imagine who will do so. I don't think I'm being far-fetched when I say (and this is my blog so I can): members of Mumsnet and fundamentalist Christians. What will this do to the already shocking portrayals of LGBTQ people on television?

NaPoWriMo 14th April 2011

2011-04-14T09:02:00.005+01:00