Saturday Stroll

Michael and I ant to Tom Thumb today to pick up some airplane dope for his balsa model. I tried to find some crewel thread but they didn't have any. I did find a book on Temari by Barbara B. Suess. I also pick up some plastic triangles and hexagons to make boxes with and some new Origami paper.

What are you doing this weekend?

The Return of the Rug

No, silly, not THAT kind of rug!  A latch hook rug!

Wild Wings, from Herrschners.  They have an incredible selection of kits and supplies for crafters, including some fantastic latch hook rugs that aren't cheesy ridiculousities.  This lovely piece was my birthday present this year and I'm having a ball working it.  It's huge!

My kid is tall, all six feet of him, and it nearly stretches to his knees!  I can't wait til this beauty is done.

One of the things that impressed me is that the project comes in its own plastic zipper case, like one you'd buy a pillow or feather comforter in.  Each of the colors are in their own pouch, clearly marked with the colors.  The yarn is acrylic and very soft.  Makes me want to walk on it in bare feet.

The kits do not come with a latch hook; however, you can easily purchase one from Herrschners.  I, however, found my original one from 25 years ago, made by Brunswick in England.  I love it; it's good quality and feels good in the hand.

I can't wait to report my progress.  I've got about 2 inches done so far.  This will be a fun summer project, especially when it gets too warm to knit.

Round Is the New Square

Chapter Two in the Great Box Experiment is underway with... drum roll please... a round box!

The first challenge is to find round plastic disks to work with.  Fortunately for me, I've used them many times before.

But, apparently, I didn't read the instructions ver well because the first disk I made is an inch and a half bigger than the pattern.  Uhps!

The round box is a lot of fun to make because has a liner inside the box and under the lid.  I used an edge stitch around the lid, but the directions call for overcasting but I used an edge stitch, which is prettier but bulkier.  This means the lid is a little too big.

Maybe I should try reading the instructions, eh?

I took a picture of the box but it's hard to see how small it is; here's another shot next to my ballpoint pen so you can see it.

If you set the lid on top, you can't really tell that it's too big, but the inside lip of the lid doesn't really fit inside the piece below it.  I think there's two problems at work here:  first, I used a 4.5 inch diameter disc and cut it down to 3 inches; and second, the stitching is too thick for the lid.  In the next attempt, I'll make a new base for this lid and a new lid for this box.

The underside of the lid is pretty too; this is a second piece embroidered and then attached to the top.

Here's the piece with the lining removed so you can see all the parts.

And finally, a close-up of the lining back inside the box.

I had a lot of fun with this one.  My inner critic is jumping up and down because it doesn't fit correctly, but that's okay.  My inner critic doesn't get a vote.

What do you want to make next?

Needlepoint Box

I have written before about fabric boxes.  If you're curious, there are four other articles here:  One, Two, Three, and Four.  I am enthralled by boxes, be they polymer clay, needlepoint, or wood.  Recently I decided to revisit the boxes of Meg Evans, which I've made before.  This time I decided to play with her exact design.  And therein started the problems.

Hand-Stitched Boxes:  Plastic Canvas, Cross Stitch, Embroidery, Patchwork, by Meg Evans

Ms. Evans' book is a delight.  She has instructions for many different types of boxes, including some fun ones that fall open in a sort of puzzle-like fashion that I'm dying to make.  They're above my skills, and then it hit me: practice!

I bought supplies to make all the easy boxes with the exception of the kleenex box covers, since I'm not  a huge fan of them.  I started with the square box since I've made it before.  How hard could it be, right?

This is the beginning of the design.  It uses crewel wool and pearl cotton, held double.  I had fun working out the cover and then started doing the central diamond.

Only one problem: I misread the instructions and was supposed to do a square 30 bars wide, but I cut it 30 squares wide.  By the time I caught it, it was too late to fix it without taking the entire thing apart.  

I figured, to heck with it, I'd just finish the top.  In the image below, the top is along the top row, on the right.

Then I started working the bottom piece.  This time, I added two extra lines of ivory squares to make up for the mistake in cutting the boxes too large.

I finished the design and realized that I'd forgotten to put in the center squares on two of the parts of the diamond.

I worked the walls of the bottom piece last and laid them out so you can see the design.

It sewed up fairly quickly.  Here it is with the first wall up.

As I finished the rest of the sides, I realized something.  You can see it in the image below.  There's a little face!

I showed this to a friend of mine and she said it looks like a little cat face.  I think it looks like a little robot.

I used the dark blue to finish the top of the bottom part of the box as well as the edging along the top.  It came out quite striking, especially when you see both pieces side-by-side.

This is the completed box put together.  

I learned a lot from this project, but nothing I expected.  I don't really have a better idea of how to put the complicated boxes together, but I learned to accept my mistakes and keep going.  The only part I took out was the one side I put on too tightly; the rest of it, I let stand because it made the box unique.

See, here's the thing:  I do this to relax, not to make perfect boxes.  I don't need to do make a box exactly like the instructions, I can play around with it.

Friday Weaver's Journal - The End Is Nigh!

I'm at the end!  I'm at the end!  I can't turn the weaving any more than it is.  I'm so excited!

This is prior to the end, where you can see the dowel rod.  It's supposed to be straight.  o.O...  It doesn't appear to have affected the weaving negatively, thank the gods.

This is a shot from farther away, after I've moved the dowel off the back beam and then moved farther.

Isn't this pattern awesome?  I'm so excited.  It looks awesome.  I'm looking forward to using the next colorway to begin the Belii Shawl.

This is the last little bit of the warp.  We'll cut the fabric off the loom and then tie the new yarn to it and pull it through.

This shot is taken from some distance so you can see the fabric's sheen.

Here's the fabric.  I didn't take it off the beam because I finished just as class ended, and I didn't want to have to rush.  So, next week, we'll have the fabric reveal and start sewing. o.O...

--
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
- E.E. Cummings

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Publishers: Samhain Publishing | Torquere Press

Check out BURNING BRIGHT, available from Samhain Publishing.
Check out EMERALD FIRE, available from Torquere Books.
Check out "Taking a Chance", part of the Charity Sips 2012 to benefit NOH8, available from Torquere Books.
Watch for TIGER TIGER, coming July, 2013, from Samhain Publishing.

Happy Stashbusting New Year!

Welcome to 2013!  365 days to knit, crochet, weave, or play with your favorite craft; 52 weeks of inspired ideas; 12 months of possibility; 4 seasons filled with opportunities for enjoyment; it's a brand new year, kids, and we ain't gettin' any younger!  So LET'S GET BIZZY!

My theme for this year is Completion.  Here's my plan of attack:

• Define the parameters (i.e. what is my stash, exactly?)
• Define the weaponry (i.e. what tools do I have, and what, if any, are needed?)
• Easy wins (what's already started or nearly done?)
• Planned Campaigns (what's already planned but not yet executed?)
• Contingencies (what can we come up with that's new?)

There's a lot of play to do this year.  Today I'm finishing the Celebration of Light and Color Shawl (it just needs to be washed and blocked), and working on the diamond wrap.  Weaving class is Thursday and Michael and I are planning our next item for the Wardrobe of 2013.

What about you?  What yearnings have you got buried in your little crafty heart?  Trust that today is the day, and this is the year.  Craft on!

Collections as art

I don't know how many times I've had people look at something I've made and confess to me that they wish they were artistic - but they just don't have any of the necessary skills to create something.

Usually I tell them they might be too worried about making something perfect, and if they just allow themselves to try something and not worry if it comes out flawed, they'll find they have more talent than they think they do.

And sometimes, if I know them well enough, I manage to find something they've created that's artistic without them even realising it. One thing I think people tend to overlook in the quest for creativity is just the ability to assemble interesting things. A collection can be very creative and artistic without involving the elusive skills that people tend to believe they need in order to be considered 'artsy.'

I love to decorate with my own creations, and I realized recently that the collections I have are, in fact, a form of my own creation even though I didn't actually make the individual objects that comprise the collections.

As an example - I didn't make the shelf or the bright colored bitters bottles that hang in my bedroom, but the collection, as a whole, makes an interesting piece of art.

Here's the collection of miniature vases that hangs in my dining room. Most of them come from garage sales and cost no more than a dollar or two. Arranged together, they make a pretty conversation piece that a lot of visitors comment on. 

And upstairs in my office, my collection of fancy sea shells, arranged on parchment paper and framed in simple shadow boxes makes a statement on an otherwise borning wall.

Do you have any collections that you display in an artistic way? Tell me about them!