My First Weaving

A couple of weekends ago I decided to create my own makeshift loom out of a piece of cardboard and some twine. I used dowel rods to separate the twine. Then I just started using yarn that I already had lying around and tried my hand at weaving.

I had no real design in mind. I figured I would make it up as I went and I did.

Eventually it started turning into something. At that point I decided I wanted it to end up looking like some kind of patchwork sweater. A "Cosby" sweater, if you will.

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. I tied off the bottom with some more of the twine for a messy kind of finish. Then I wound some green yarn through the loops at the top and secured them to a stick. I actually have a box of sticks in my craft supply collection. I found a bunch outside one day for another project and then just kept the rest. You never know when you need a stick, I guess.

All in all, I love the folksy, colorful, and natural elements in this piece. I'm trying to figure out where to hang it in my house. I think I'm going to tackle some smaller weavings next.

Hope you enjoy a lazy, creative, and fun Saturday!

Mint WIP

I know, I'm totally a cool blogger imposter. I do know what WIPs are though so that counts, right? WIP = Work In Progress. Technically I could call myself a WIP, however, I am referring to actual works of mine that are in progress.

A couple of months ago, I became completely obsessed with the color 'Mint'. It's not a color that I typically think about or use. I'm usually more a bright primary color type of person. It started one day at work. I was working in a Microsoft Excel document - jealous, right? I needed to highlight some cells for my own personal use and I was bored with my regular colors. I checked the additional colors and thought, "Hmm...I'll try mint for today." The rest of the day I got excited to see that color. I started to think about mint yarn, mint paper, mint paint...I truly became obsessed. After work on that same day, I drove myself, and my 40% off coupon, to Hobby Lobby and bought some mint yarn. I also bought an ivory colored yarn. I didn't know what I was going to do with it but I felt better just having it in my possession.

Ahh...better already...

I realize the level of nerdiness I have now entered.

I started crocheting some granny squares. After a day or so, I decided that I wanted to make another blanket. I still loving cuddling under my other blanket so why not start a new one?

It won't match anything in my house. It may end up being a gift for someone I love. Who knows when I'll finish it, given my history with crocheting blankets. BUT - I love it already and it's satisfying my mint craving.

Textured Scarf No. 1

Remember the yarn I adored a couple of weeks ago?  I bought it without having a project in mind and then decided to make a scarf for myself. 

The yarn is a wool blend and I used a size G (4.25mm) crochet hook.  I used a double crochet stitch throughout and I worked in the outer hoops to add some texture.

For the green ends, I still used the same double crochet/outer loops but turned the rows to make the ends look more finished.  Then I single crocheted around the outside for a green border.  I think it completes the look with the green ends.

I am really happy with the end result.  Perfect timing now that the weather is getting cold again in the Carolinas.  Hope you enjoy your week and stay warm!

I Heart This Week

"I Heart This Week" is a new weekly feature I will be doing in 2013 on my blog.  It forces me to make sure I'm capturing weekly photos of the things I love that week - some may be silly, some may be serious.  Mostly I just want to always stay present in the moment and not take things for granted. 

I heart this week:

Morning frost and light...

New candle that burns while I work in my office and gives me a sense of calm...

Self-Explanatory...

Natural lens flare over my Crepe Myrtle in the morning...

Finding a new yarn unexpectedly and absolutely loving it...

Loving the above yarn so much that I went back to the store two days later and bought more in different colors...

A new, colorful tote bag gifted to me by my mother-in-law for a specific purpose:  to carry my craft supplies with me in style...

I definitely heart this week!

Dreamcatcher

I'm resting a lot this weekend to try and get myself and family over the flu that hit us this week.  I'm also resting because emotionally I'm pretty spent thinking and praying over many families in Connecticut.  My heart grieves with everyone else in this country.  It is impossible to make sense over a senseless act.  I don't think knowing the "why" behind it will do much good -- there is no explanation that would be enough to help our hearts and minds understand.

Last weekend I created a dreamcatcher.  It was something I had been creating in my mind for a couple of weeks and I was able to spend a good chunk of my weekend to see it to fruition.  My 6 year old definitely believes in the magic of a dreamcatcher.  He has one in his room and now wants me to make him one that he thinks will work even better.  I wish I could send dreamcatchers to the homes of many children and families in Connecticut right now.  If nothing more then to let them know that our hearts are with all of them and how we wish to catch the bad dreams that will come and hold them close to keep those people protected from any more horror.

I crocheted a traditional granny square out of cotton yarn and then stretched using a web like pattern onto an embroidery hoop.  Once on the hoop, I used fabric glue and glued a lace ribbon around the edges.  I added some "love" that I had bent and shaped a long time ago out of steel wire.  I also added a faux cinnabar bead and feather.  Originally dreamcatchers were made to resemble spiderwebs and a bead symbolized the spider.  The webs would catch the bad dreams and keep them from getting through.  They would also catch good dreams and trickle them down to the dreamer.

Most of my time was spent on what is called the "soft ladder" that the good dreams use to glide down and gently enter the dreamer's mind.  I used decorative trim, cotton yarn, acrylic yarn, twine, muslin, recycled t-shirt, glass pearl beads, felt, faux feathers, and some lucite beads.  I braided, crocheted, knotted, hung, cut, and assembled for hours.

 

The dreamcatcher now hangs in our family room for decorative purposes and in case someone takes a nap on the couch.  Just ignore the smudgey mirror on the wall. 

I have plans to make more as gifts.  I wish I could make enough for the whole state of Connecticut but, since I can't, just know that my heart is there.  Love your babies, your families, your friends, and thank a teacher who positively impacts your child's life.  I strongly believe that good can prevail over evil but, until it does, we might need a little magic to catch the bad and share the good to help us get through it.

October Wishes

It's Friday - a day I've spent this particular week wishing for so much.  I try not to wish my days away but some weeks...well, you know.  Now I'm happy that it's Friday but I am still in a wishing mood.  Below are some things I've found myself admiring or wishing for recently.  Autumn gives me the wishies!

Any autumn wishes and inspirations you are having these days?

1 - Link to webpage

2 - Link to webpage

3 - Link to webpage

4 - Link to webpage

5 - Link to webpage

They Multiply

Granny Squares are really easy to make and don't require a ton of attention.  I like to make them in the car (not while driving), while watching TV, sitting at sports' practices, etc.  They are also a great use of leftover yarn from other projects.  Quick, easy, colorful - what's not to love?

After a while though, they multiply.  Especially when one has not thought out a long term plan for these guys.  So, I made a bunch over the course of the summer and now I have a big container full of different colored granny squares.  I've started to stitch some together for other small projects but mostly, I just have a large amount of granny squares.  What would a group of granny squares be called in the wild?  A rocker?  A spectacle?  Other terms associated with grannies?  Maybe a moth ball of granny squares?

I've been sitting on this granny square post for a while.  Mostly because granny squares are not that exciting to other people, I realize.  They aren't that different from other things that multiply quickly though.  My weight after having 3 kids is similar.  In addition to crocheting granny squares, I also enjoy sitting and doing things like eating and partaking in alcohol sometimes, unfortunately that results in another form of multiplication - mostly of my lower half.  It's not nearly as pretty as a box of colorful granny squares, I'm afraid. 

Negative thoughts multiply too.  Think one critical thing about yourself and then try to stop at just that one.  It's impossible.  You start down that road and it's one thing after another.  Every now and then my insecure 18 year old self starts its self-torture of negative (and vain) thoughts and it's downhill from there.  She needs a good punch in the throat sometimes. 

The decibel level of a conversation between children multiplies.  Rather than listen to what the other has to say, they tend to just get louder and try to talk over one another.  A spirited conversation between my children (not even an argument) can get quite loud very quickly. 

Clean laundry that needs to be put away when no one really wants to do it.  That pile grows more quickly than anything.  We will go out of our way to move the clean laundry from the bed to the floor and then back to the bed over and over but refuse to just walk a few extra steps to put it away properly.  Lately we end up having to rewash a lot because it goes on too long.  Why does the act of putting away laundry seem like such a herculean task come 11:00 at night?

The hours in a work day leading up to a heavily anticipated vacation seem to multiply.  I don't think science has been able to prove this theory but I'm pretty sure it exists.  I wish I had an awesome vacation planned so I could test out this theory.

Some other things that multiply? 

• Time spent on Facebook and Pinterest in one evening
• An itch that you scratch and then suddenly you have twelve other itches
• Giggles
• Fruit flies (currently the bane of my existence)
• The amount of times a room full of boys can say 'dude'
• My love of Project Runway!  I love it more every season.  The creative process always fascinates me.
• My calculator at work.  Good thing too because my brain has become too dependent on it over the years. 

So there's a post about granny squares for the masses (or at least for the few family and friends who read my blog).  I hope my readership multiplies (wink, wink).  Thanks for hanging in there and tolerating my terrible pun.

Craft Show Jitters

A few weeks ago I made the decision to do a craft show this fall.  I participated in this particular craft show a couple of years ago and had a great time.  It's at a local church and they have a pretty good turn out of people.  I wasn't overly intimidated by the other vendors or clientele and I even made some money.  At that time, I sold primarily jewelry I had made because that was what I had stocked in my Etsy store at the time (my Etsy store is currently empty but will share the link as I add some items).  Every year in August I start considering craft shows.  Fall shows are my favorite and I've noticed that there is a much better turn out in fall and people looking to purchase more often with the holidays coming soon.  Most years I either chicken out or have too much going on that I don't have time to create enough items to sell.  The people who are regular craft show vendors have a TON of items at their table.  My fear of shows toggles between 2 things - either I won't have enough items on my table and it will look empty and pitiful -OR- I have plenty of items and no one even stops to look at what I've made.  It's scary to put your time and your heart into making things you genuinely love and not be sure of what the public reaction will be.

This particular show was a great experience for me - especially as my first craft show.  The people were nice, I had a lot of positive feedback, I sold some items, and I even walked away with a couple of custom orders.  That year, I also did a show at a local high school.  That show was not as good.  There were a lot of people and a lot of different vendors.  They overbooked the vendors so we were spread out throughout the school.  The majority were in the gym and that's where most of the customers wandered.  Me?  I was tucked away with a handful of other vendors in this weird side hallway that was a dead end.  There wasn't even many signs to point people in our direction.  The majority of the people who actually visited our hallway of misfits, were just people who got lost.  That show was a lot of work and very little reward.  So this year, I signed up for the show where I had a great experience and hope for the best.

Fast forward a few weeks and I'm still feeling pretty good about my decision but have my moments of panic.  I've decided that I'll be selling some crocheted items and some other home decor type things and recycled item creations.  I will be sharing some of what I make here on my blog as I prepare for the show. 

My goal with my crocheted creations is to stand out from possible other crochet items.  I want to create things that look more modern and am trying to pick my yarn colors accordingly.  I will have bright colors but I'm also trying to find some colors that are a little more chic.  I found this wonderful Ivory Tweed yarn recently and am loving the look.  I've also been mixing two yarns together in projects to form bi-colored yarns and also make the yarn thicker to help my projects go a little quicker.  I want to love everything I sell but I'm on a limited time frame and need to be efficient too.  If you've ever crocheted, certain projects can be pretty time consuming.

Below is the majority of what I've been working on lately.  I want to create different sized baskets and bowls for home decorations.  My plan is to showcase their use on my display table -- they are great around vases, bowls, Mason jars, maybe some potpourri or hard candy, in a bathroom they can hold cotton balls, etc.  They add a lot of color and are fun to add here and there in a home.  I'm not using any patterns so make these up as I go which is fun and keeps me motivated.  I spray them with a heavy starch to help them keep their shape better and I crochet them in a way so that they stand firm too.

The larger basket's handles are made from tying suede cord and then crocheting around it.  That way the handles don't stretch out and will hold the shape longer.

So far I think I'm on a good pace and am happy with what I've created.  Crocheting is also a great way to work out stress after a tough work day.  Now that school is back in session (which means sports practices, games, etc), I can throw my projects in a bag and crochet during practices or in between games.  I just have to keep plugging along so I can make this happen!

An off topic item, I've been working and reworking the design and layout of my blog this weekend.  If you've checked back and seen a hot mess occasionally, I apologize for the changes.  It is definitely a work in progress and I'm working to find my "voice".  Thanks for reading and please feel free to share with friends.

Crocheted Bag No. 1

Our summer has just flown by despite not having a hectic schedule.  I work full time during the week and have a family so life can be crazy during the school year with school, sports schedules, and other activities.  I love the summer because we are really lackadaisical and I have a lot more free time.  A couple of weeks ago I decided to use up some yarn that I had to make a bag.  I worked over the course of the weekend and then finished it up at night during that work week.  I love that feeling of complete obsession when I start a project and can't wait to see the finished product.  I was obsessed with this bag and love how it turned out.

One of the things I love about crochet is making up projects as I go.  I typically don't use patterns, although, I will sometimes use a pattern to get started on an idea.  I also don't write down patterns for my projects but I want to remedy that soon.  If I decide to make another item using the same pattern, I end up counting stitches on the finished piece as I'm making the new one.  Simply writing down the pattern would probably make it easier so I guess that's something to work towards.



I started with the bottom of the bag and just made a giant round.



I love blues and brown together so decided to use the tan colored yarn that I used for the bottom and then used a dark brown and light blue that I had leftover from older projects.  I'm a big fan of stripes.  I think that comes from having sons.  If you've ever shopped for baby boy clothes, it's a lot of blues, stripes, and then a mixture of trucks, cars, sports, dinosaurs, super heroes, etc.



The finished project.  It's a deep bag and I'm thinking I'll use it to carry around my crochet supplies to sports practices, on car trips, etc.  Any place where I have time on my hands and want to keep them busy.  I made the strap really long so I can wear it across my body or I can tie it up to shorten it.  Over time the strap will stretch anyway so tying it in a knot at the top is a good option.

I also have an abundance of granny squares right now.  In my attempt to use the yarn I have before buying more, I have made a lot of granny squares and have been looking for various uses.  I think I may make some mismatched granny square bags as well. 

More to come on the abundance of granny squares and what I end up doing with them (as I had discussed 

HERE

I have a sneaking suspicion that I will end up making more bags than I could ever expect to use. 

Sunday Snippets

Here are some projects and blog posts that I'm working on and hope to post soon.  In the meantime, here are some snippets for this lovely Sunday.

Easy and colorful wall art.  There are so many great ideas online and I have a couple of ideas that I've tried.  It doesn't have to be fine art to be fun and add color and whimsy to your walls.  More on this later...

A fun, geometric table runner that is in the works.



Photo challenge ideas...





Granny Square madness...



Embroidered wall art inspired by this quote from Donald Miller's book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.

My obsession with journals and gratitude...

Enjoy your Sunday!