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Showing posts with label Creating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creating. Show all posts

1/09/2017

Crochet Flowers and the Beginnings of a Scrumble - just a few pics

 I have been making time each morning to do an hour of freeform crochet. Sometimes I also find time in the evenings but if I consciously carve out time in the mornings, I'm sure to do some "making" every day. I decided to check out a couple of crochet books by Nicky Epstein from the local library. I'm starting with "Crocheted Flowers" and simply going through the book and trying every flower I find interesting. Last night I started embellishing - the makings if a scrumble!


1/04/2017

Pic of the Day - Yarn Wound

Actually, it's Pics of the Day because I liked them both! I'm so in love with the colors in this new lot of yarns I bought yesterday. Arranged in this vintage tin, I could probably just sit and look at them all day! But it's wound and ready to go so I guess I know what I'm going to be doing to tonight after work... Yay! :)

1/03/2017

Pretty Yarn and a new Crochet Hook

I've been doing lots of freeform crochet lately. None of it (thus far) is destined to become a finished project - just practicing. Something I began to notice during my practice was that my hand and arm would get really tired and often hurt after crocheting. Since I have arthritis in my neck which affects my right arm and crafting ability (I can no longer do bead embroidery - holding that tiny needle just about KILLS me!) the pain was not unexpected. An ergonomic crochet hook was fast becoming a necessity!

My search for the right hook lead me to my local indie yarn shop - Yarn Soup - owned by my friend Sara. She let me try out a couple different hooks and I found one I liked - a 3.5mm Addi hook! I think it will work great for me and make crocheting WAY more comfortable. I also found some beautiful yarn being sold in luscious color collections. I bought two "Beautiful Soup" collections from Wonderland Yarns: Pot No. 2 and Pot No. 8. Not only did I find exactly the new hook I needed and some incredible yarn to create with, it also felt pretty dang awesome to support a small local shop. Please always try to shop small and local - the extra cost is SOOOO worth it. Cities and towns with small independently owned shops are simply nicer places to live.

Here are some pics of my treasures - can't wait to get started!

12/29/2016

A few more Freeform Crochet Scrumbles and some tutorials!

Here are a couple more attempts at freeform crochet from yesterday evening. They look more like doilies than scrumbles but maybe I will add some bits around the outside to make them more interesting.


The first starts with a puffy button (tutorial from sheruknitting.com) and then a round of popcorn stitches (tutorial from Crochet Guru). I added a round of double crochet (spacing as needed to keep the round laying flat), a round of single crochet and then a wavy trim which combined popcorn stitches, chain stitches and single crochet (I'm pretty sure I didn't invent this one but I couldn't find a tutorial on it - sorry!).

The second one started with a magic circle (yes, it's actually called a "magic circle"! Here's a nice tutorial on that from Crochet Guru) and then a ruffle (this stitch I learned while following along with the tutorial from sheruknitting.com on YouTube). When watching the video, make sure to keep going so you can learn how to add a framework behind the ruffle. Then you have something to build the next layer on. Next came a layer of double crochet - again, spaced so the round would lie flat. And finally, a granny square sort of trim around the outside using double crochet and chain stitches.

I'm still learning how to change yarn colors. I'd love it if you couldn't pick out where the new color starts. I'll just keep checking out tutorials and books - I'm sure that info is out there! Let me know if you find it, OK?

12/28/2016

Some Freeform crochet

After the rush, rush, rush of the holidays, it was nice to settle in on the couch with a hot toddy, "Sleepless in Seattle" and my trusty poodle, Ogie, to try my hand at some freeform crochet. Having done some in the past, I just needed a little refresher course that didn't require too much mental energy on my part. There is a great series of videos on YouTube by sheruknittingcom that I enjoy. She crochets SO FAST it's almost mesmerizing to watch! Luckily, I can pause and rewind as needed.

I picked out one of her freeform scrumble tutorials and followed along (click for part 1 and part 2). It was a nice kick-start.

Here's what I ended up with - not as pretty as hers (really, what did I expect?) but fun none-the-less!

Do you know of anyone who has some great freeform crochet tutorials available online? Please share links in the comments! Cheers :)


12/17/2016

Actually Making Some Shadow Box Christmas Ornaments

Well, nothin' like waitin' 'til the 11th hour to actually make some Christmas ornaments! The supplies for these have been cluttering up my studio table for, what... a week? No, 10 days! *sheesh*

Finally, I just decided to spend time in my studio MAKING STUFF and to not feel guilty about it. Laundry and dishes will still be there tomorrow, maybe even the next day.

So, this being my first try at this, I think it went OK. Something I have suspected for a while but just couldn't bring myself to admit: I am a hot glue FLUNKIE. For some reason I simply CANNOT get control of hot glue. Maybe I need a better glue gun? Is there no other choice besides one that lets all the hot glue ooze from the tip whether you want it to or not? I think most of the glue ends up on the surface where the gun is resting rather than on the project. What a messy waste of money!! Maybe that's just part of using hot glue, I don't know... If it's not just part of the game, suggestions for a good glue gun will be MUCH appreciated!

So, back to the ornaments... I used one of the Christmas cards I found while out thrift shopping for the background and added gold pipe cleaners and silvery bobs (both found at the dollar store). I added a flat surface by cutting a support from the same card. then, I decorated a bottle brush tree, added some glitter and white plastic "snow" and a small deer. The words "peace and joy" came from the inside of the card (I glittered those up with clear glitter) and added some red rhinestones because I thought it needed a bit more color. I may still add glitter to the front edges and more rhinestones - not sure yet. To the top I added a small loop for hanging.

Like I said, for a first attempt, I'm pretty pleased! I wanted it to feel retro and I think it does. The plan to take in-progress photos sort of fell by the wayside. Once I get going, I forget to stop and take pictures. Here are a few for you plus the (maybe) finished ornament. Enjoy!


10/29/2016

Feeling inspired?

I have been putting together "Inspiration Kits" for a while. They usually start with a vintage tin or other container and then are filled with lace, fabric, trims, beads, buttons, found objects or ephemera in a color palette or theme inspired by the container itself. They are great for gifting! Here are a few that are perfect for stocking stuffers as the containers are quite small. It's easy to put together your own or find these and more at ArtfulLivingOTB on Etsy!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/474725140/inspiration-kit-in-vintage-daher
https://www.etsy.com/listing/474725140/inspiration-kit-in-vintage-daher

https://www.etsy.com/listing/488242273/asian-inspiration-kit-in-vintage
https://www.etsy.com/listing/488242273/asian-inspiration-kit-in-vintage

https://www.etsy.com/listing/488244697/inspiration-kit-in-vintage-tin-victorian.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/488244697/inspiration-kit-in-vintage-tin-victorian.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/488239297/tribal-inspiration-kit-carved-soapstone
https://www.etsy.com/listing/488239297/tribal-inspiration-kit-carved-soapstone

https://www.etsy.com/listing/474723494/inspiration-kit-in-vintage-cat-tin
https://www.etsy.com/listing/474723494/inspiration-kit-in-vintage-cat-tin

10/25/2016

The recent past...

In a past life I was an internationally recognized bead embroidery artist. Really, I was! It sounds weird to say that but it actually is true. Search "Cindy Caraway" on Google or Pinterest and you will see LOTS of photos my past work. 

In 2013, when arthritis in my neck affected my right arm, sending shooting pain from the shoulder and down into the hand, and made holding tiny beading needles too painful, I simply quit creating. Luckily, a friend who owns a small, independent book store hired me and I worked a couple days a week while going to physical therapy and trying to get a handle on managing the pain.

What brought me back to creating despite the pain was missing the joy of creating something one-stitch-at-a-time. Making ornate beaded jewelry is no longer something easily done so I started exploring other ways to incorporate fiber, fabric, found objects and beads (of course!) into work that I found satisfying. The needles I use are now larger and no longer is all of my work completely by hand: a trusty sewing machine does come in handy as does glue. I have been exploring different techniques and materials finding that I enjoy soft sculpture and weaving. I have dabbled in assemblage and miniatures but am a little worried about the sheer amount of "stuff" required. We'll have to see about that... In the end, I was able to make a few items for a small, local group exhibit and I was pleased with the results - I even made a couple sales!

Here are just a few photos of what I've been up to lately...

Creating...
 
Organizing....

Relaxing...

Exhibiting...

and Mushroom hunting! (I love mushroom hunting...)