Fiberpunk Beads

If intentions were blog posts, you would hear from me often, but today I am making good and turning my thoughts into typed words.  

I have been having fun in my studio playing around with my Fiberpunk Beads and I've started to make sets of them for other jewelry makers to explore.  I am hoping they will find their people and be used in new and inventive ways. 

I'm starting out by creating sets in solid colors.  Each one contains a large pendant, a tube, 6 spacers and three extenders.  I hope I have chosen components that will be assets to any design, but once I have a good variety of these kits, I'll branch out.  

I love the texture fiber adds to jewelry and the way it contrasts the hardness of metal.  The beads I'm making are a combination of tatting and crochet and I'm trying to create designs that are out of the ordinary.  When you look at these beads do you see earrings or a pendant necklace?  Maybe you see a multi-strand bracelet or embellishments that can be sewn on like appliqués.  Most of all, I hope you see possibilities!

Doll Sized Drop Spindle

At the start of September, I found my way back into the studio.  My first project was to replenish my supply of Oversized Tatting Needles.  I have been pleasantly surprised by the interest in these 12" needles.  I have loved the one I made for myself, but you just never know how other people will feel about your ideas.

While these needles are not complex in their design, they can be a challenge to drill.  Needle tatting needles should not exceed the diameter of the yarn or else your tatting will be loose and less stable.  The idea is to have a needle whose diameter matches most bulky yarns, which is actually a rather small diameter.  However, the needle hole needs to be big enough to thread the yarn.  Basically, I'm trying to perfectly center a 3mm hole on a 5mm wooden needle.  

The reason I'm telling you all of this is because as I'm making these needles, there is some inevitable waste.  This got me to thinking and playing around with these bits of wood.  The result is a doll sized drop spindle.  Is there a market for such a thing?  I have no idea, but they are terribly cute.  I'm going to make a handful of them for the shop and sell them with a little ball of wool like my doll has here.  It's a way to use my wooden mishaps and share the spinning love with our 15 to 17 inch friends.  I'll post an update when I have a few made.

On a side note, I looked up the name of my doll, one of the few toys I have left from my childhood.  My mother tells me that my dad loved this doll when they were holiday shopping one year.  The left arm rotates and the doll changes expressions.  After a quick bit of internet research, I can tell you that this is Mattel's Saucy doll from 1972.  I have also discovered that she is featured in a few scary/creepy doll videos on YouTube.  I've always thought she was cute, but I guess it can be a fine line between cute and creepy in doll world. 

Pieces and Thoughts

Hello. I have pieces and thoughts on my mind today.  How's that for a strange theme?  By pieces I mean the little bits of tatting and crochet that I tend to carry from room to room these days.  They are components for my Fiberpunk™ Jewelry which I find oddly satisfying to make.  I say oddly because individually, they are such tiny, little projects.  I think that's what I like about them.  I can take little rest stops in my day and make a piece or two and feel a sense of accomplishment.  It has become how I transition from one activity to another.  I am currently planning to amass a huge assortment in every color and shape and then I'll have endless possibilities with which to design and play, like raking up a big pile of autumn leaves and then jumping in!

As for thoughts, well, that's less specific.  I guess I've just been thinking about how I miss blogging regularly.  I like the mental exercise of putting words together and seeing how they sound.  There are times when I talk myself out of writing because I'm certain I have nothing to offer and the reality of that is halting.  I have decided to not let that stop me anymore.  Poignant or pathetic, I think I'll go back to sharing the bits and pieces that comprise the day to day life of this fiber loving person that I am.

Fiberpunk™ All The Way!

Fiberpunk™ has taken over here at Wind Rose!  Every free moment I can find, I'm either collecting materials, imagining new designs or actually making them.  The line has grown quite a bit since my last post.  I began with extra long necklaces that could be worn a myriad of ways.  Then I started long necklaces with focal points that still offered movement and the same eclectic style.  Then I figured out how to translate Fiberpunk™ into bracelet form which was a lot of fun.  Now I'm working on a ring design.  So I wasn't kidding when I said "all the way".  Oh, and I forgot to mention earrings.  They are on the horizon as well.  Let me share some pictures and everything that's ready for sale can be found in the Fiberpunk™ Jewelry Section at Wind Rose Fiber Studio!

 

Fiberpunk™ Jewelry

A brand new design has given me a renewed sense of excitement about my beloved fiber.  A picture formed in my mind one morning and I just had to act on it.  "I need a studio day," I said, putting my family on notice.  Once on my own, I foraged for supplies.  Drawers opened and closed, bags of yarn were dug through and tools assembled.  Hours later I emerged with the first piece in a new line of jewelry that I call Fiberpunk™.

I have enjoyed jewelry making for years and have always played around with blending yarn and jewelry, but never has a style presented itself to me with such clarity.  This is my love of tatting, crochet, beads and metal, come to life!  

So, what is Fiberpunk™?  It's a mixture of metal chains in different finishes and sizes that have been punked out with fiber.  It's texture and contrast, color and movement.   It's important to me that Fiberpunk™ Jewelry be versatile. When I complete a piece, I put it on a mannequin and if I can't create at least 5 cool and unique looks, I tweak the design until I can. Jewelry moves with us throughout the day and it's a lot of fun to wear a design that keeps reinventing itself with each move. 

I mentioned color before, so let's bring on the color!

Fiberpunk™ Jewelry is bold.  It's fun and funky.  It's colorful and textual.  It's Fiberpunk™!

You can hang with me as I create more Fiberpunk™ pieces at my dedicated Fiberpunk™ Twitter address @FiberpunkJewels.  I'm just getting started.  There is so much more to come!

Abstract Flower Necklace - Oversized Tatting

Abstract Flower Oversized Needle Tatted Necklace

My obsession with oversized tatting continues and now I'm sharing this infatuation in the form of patterns.  I have spent much of the past winter and spring designing and the patterns are beginning to make their way into the shop at Wind Rose Fiber Studio.  I've even renamed my section on crochet patterns to include tatting as well. 

My brand new pattern is this Abstract Flower Necklace tatted from some of my own handspun and dyed yarn.  This design makes up so quickly, you can have a flower in every color in no time.  Quick patterns like this are nice to have in your cache for gift giving as well.  I had fun showcasing my own yarn, but in the pattern I also recommend Lion Brand's Wool Ease Thick and Quick which is readily available in great colors.   

Abstract Flower Necklace in Citron by Lion Brand

One of the fun things about blogging is that you can look back through your own archives.  I just did a search to find out when it was that I started this whole oversized tatting thing.  Here's the post, Oversized Tatting, from December 20, 2010.  I'm still using the same needles you see in that post and now I'm making them to share.  I don't expect that I'll be the inventor of the next big craze, but for anyone who's game to play along with me, you too can have an Oversized Tatting Needle.  Just what you always wanted, right?  

I just can't help myself.  I have three more designs waiting for me to write them up and a couple more that are still in the conceptual phase.  I guess this will be the year of oversized tatting pattern writing.  

Oversized Tatted Wall Flowers Pattern

Flowers, flowers everywhere!  My studio walls are in full bloom as I have spent the last two weeks designing and tatting flowers.  Now I am happy to announce the next oversized tatting pattern.  Introducing the Oversized Tatted Wall Flowers Pattern.  There are 7 designs in all ranging in size from 3 to 6 inches.  I've used a few new techniques in making these flowers, so I have also created a companion video for anyone who may be a little new to tatting.  

 

How to Make Your Own Packaging Tube

Today I was looking for some long skinny tubes to package my Oversized Tatting Needles. I basically just want something to protect them in a bubble mailer and make them a bit more resistant to being bent by reckless mail handling.  I actually found some nice Kraft crimp tubes, but to have them sent to my house was more than the cost of the tubes themselves.  This is how I came to be sitting on the floor of my studio making tubes today.  They turned out much cuter than a plain old brown tube and they are strong enough to offer some protection in the mail.  Here's what I did...

I gathered the following materials: 
pretty wrapping paper (nothing too flimsy), scissors, tape, cover stock, paper cutter, a dowel or something the size you want your finished tube to be, and a stapler which I forgot to put in the photo.  

I'm making tubes to hold 12" by 3/16" needles, so in other words, long and skinny.  I'm using 8 1/2" by 11" cover stock, but you might need larger paper for a larger tube.  

 I cut my paper in half lengthwise.  Have enough paper so that when you roll it up, it will be two or three layers thick.  The thicker the tube, the stronger the tube, so consider what you want and need in a finished product.  I'm rolling mine up around a half inch dowel, so 4 inches is plenty.

Then I tape the edge of my cover stock to the edge of my decorative wrapping paper.  I've cut the wrapping paper with a two inch allowance on either end  to give me the extra room I need for my needles (they're 12" and my paper is 11 1/2") and for closing up the tube. 

 I cut the wrapping paper half an inch to an inch beyond the opposite edge of my cover stock.  If you are making a thick tube and do not wish to waste wrapping paper, you may want to wait until after you have rolled your tube and then over it with the wrap.  Since I'm making a small tube,  I'm rolling the papers together.  I'm also happy for the extra bit of thickness that the wrapping paper provides.  

Now you can roll up your tube starting at the taped edge.  Do your best to avoid rolling at an angle so that all of your edges are straight.  It's nice to have a little piece of tape affixed to the opposite edge.  Then you can roll right over it and have your tube held in place while you finish taping. 

Tape down the rest of your long edge.  You may need a pencil  or something skinnier than your tube to push out what ever you have used to gauge the size of your tube.  

Flatten your tube about 1" from one end and fold over about half an inch.

Staple the end closed and leave the other end open for now.  When it comes time to use your tube, you can fill it and then close the other end in the same way.

  

There you have it; tubular packaging.

It's pretty and it gets the job done!

Oversized Tatting Needles - A Closer Look

Hi to all.  Today I thought I'd share a little more about the Oversized Tatting Needles I'm making.  By now you may or may not have seen my Oversized Tatted Necklace Pattern.  I knew when I was writing it, that in addition to the pattern, I would need to provide the Oversized Tatting Needle.  

I must also share, that my special ability to come up with ideas which only a handful of people might find interesting, is not lost on me.  Even as I'm putting in hours of work writing and woodworking, I am laughing at myself for thinking anyone might like what I'm doing.  Then, because the world is a wonderful place where even the obscure can gain a foothold, a kindred spirit or two will come along and give my offering a try.  And, much to the chagrin of my husband, who has hopefully excepted by now that his wife will never earn riches, that's all I need.  If just a couple of people find something I have designed enjoyable, I'm content.

Okay, that was a long side note, but it would just kill me if you thought I took myself too seriously. 

One of the main reasons I wanted to write this post, is simply to share that the Oversized Needle is quite sturdy.  When I sold my first one and I was showing it to my husband (who actually is very supportive) he wondered if it would hold up to much use.  It is a relatively large hole I am drilling into a fairly thin dowel.  You can see in this close-up that there is not a lot of wood left on either side of the hole.  This same needle is the one I made for myself over three years ago.  It has done countless projects for me and seems capable of countless more.  It has come through the test of performing the task for which it was designed with flying colors. 

I'm using a good hardwood dowel which I think makes all the difference.  What I have noticed is that it feels even better with time.  Although I sand the wood smooth from the start, with use it becomes even more smooth and the natural oil it receives just from being handled regularly gives it almost a polished look. 

In short, even though I am new to the needle making business, I feel good about these quirky Oversized Tatting Needles.  What I really love about them is the length.  12" might seem crazy, but as you get into making long chains, you find those inches very necessessary.  Well, I have a few needles laying in a felt hat, waiting to be sanded.  Off I go until next time. 

Oversized Needle Tatting Basics on Video

I just finished one more video on Oversized Needle Tatting.  This one covers a few more of the basics.  If you are brand new to tatting, this video will get you started.  Even though I am using a very large tatting needle and super bulky yarn, the same techniques apply for thread and small needles.  Whether you're tatting on a traditional scale or giving my Oversized Needle Tatting a try, this video takes you carefully through how to make a double stitch, how to deal with a knot in your yarn and more.

Oversized Tatting - Are You Ready to Try Something New?

The Oversized Tatted Necklace pattern is here!  This one is for the lovers of all things fiber.  Have you ever been curious about tatting?  Well, I was and a couple of years ago, I sat down with some shuttles and thread and taught myself how.  I went from shuttles to needle tatting which felt more natural to me as a crocheter.  Then one day I thought about tatting with yarn.  

It's not hard to find larger tatting needles for yarn, but I had this idea in my head that I wanted to go bigger.  I wanted to tat on a grand scale, so I made myself a really big tatting needle and started to play.  The Oversized Tatted Necklace isn't the only thing I've designed, but it's a nice place to start.  

I wanted to write a tatting pattern for people who love to tat and for people who have never tatted before.  I liked the idea of presenting people with something new to try.  I know I'm keen to try just about anything involving yarn, so I wanted to make a pattern for people who feel the same way.  This idea felt like a puzzle to me at first.  How to you write a tatting pattern for people who don't tat?  Imagine writing a crochet or knit pattern for people who have never crocheted or knitted.  Daunting.

Adding to my disconcertion was the fact that I had never written a tatting pattern before.  In my study I quickly found that there are quite a few was to express the same thing in the world of tatting.  That made me feel more comfortable taking a few liberties of my own.  My tatting pattern is written in a less traditional way, but can still be easily followed by a seasoned tatter.  My goal was to respect the craft while making it appeal to the newcomer. 

That is my hope.  I hope that the next time you are shopping for that knitter/crocheter in your life and you want to surprise them with something different, you'll find my Oversized Needle Tatting and think, "Why not?"

I have more designs I want to share.  Each time I write a new pattern, I want to introduce a few new techniques.  The Oversized Tatted Necklace pattern is a great foundation on which to build, so build I must!  I've also started making Oversized Tatting Needles just like the one I made for myself.  I plan to make sure you have plenty of projects to entertain that needle and I hope you will be entertained as well! 

Abstract or Incomplete - What do you see?

Lately, my focus has been on tatting and specifically on writing up a tatting pattern.  In December, I receive a nice note about my Oversized Tatted Necklaces.  The writer remarked on their uniqueness and expressed an interest in making one herself.  This presented me with a challenge.  First, writing a tatting pattern which is something I have never done and second, writing a pattern that could be followed by a non-tatter.  I'm assuming this is the case as an experienced tatter could probably look at my necklaces and replicate them.  Still, I love the spirit of seeing something you like and wanting to make it even if you're not sure how.  It is the fuel of creativity.

Yesterday afternoon, with this on my mind, I spread a blanket in the sunny grass and spent two hours working on what I hope will soon become a fun tatting project for the non-tatter.  Whenever I find time to focus like this, something else always happens.  Another design or idea will emerge and become an irresistible distraction.  This necklace was yesterday's mental space invader.  

This will sound odd, but I think it was also inspired by an article I read this week called A Toast Story.  It had me thinking of connections, how important they are and how even a seemingly insignificant one can change a person's path.  This abstraction became an abstract shape, one with it's symmetry broken and it's connections off-kilter.  

When you look at it, do you see an abstract shape?  Do you see something that looks incomplete?  I put the necklace on this morning and walked into our loft where my son is usually waiting to greet me.  After our good mornings I asked, "How do you like my new necklace?"  "It's nice," he said and then paused to consider, "but you need to continue the humps to go all the way around."  I love that it gained enough of his attention for a closer look. 

Talkin' Revolution Circular Scarf

Happy New Year!  This is the beginning of the 7th year for the Wind Rose Fiber Studio Blog.  My very first post was on January 5th, 2008.  Back then blogging was new and strange, at least for me, but now it feels like part of my everyday life.  It's comforting like a journal sitting on a bedside table.  It's always here, waiting and available, just in case I have something to share.

I happy to be able to begin the new year with a new pattern.  The Talkin' Revolution Circular Scarf Pattern is complete and available for instant download either on Etsy or Ravelry.  I already blogged about it on December 19th, so today I'll just say how happy I am to have another pattern written and ready!

My next project takes me out of my comfort zone.  I had a follower on Etsy ask me about how to make my Oversized Tatted Necklaces.   I started to teach myself how to tat in 2010, and though I've made a fair number of projects, I have never written a tatting pattern.  Because tatting is less widespread than knitting and crochet, I'm considering writing it up in more of a longhand for people who have never tatted.  I am also studying up so I can write it up as a true tatting pattern, but that is also challenging as there is more than one way to say the same thing in tatting.  It's a knew language for me to learn and I am sure to make some novice mistakes.  

Well, that's what I'm up to in this new year.  I this post finds you happy and hopeful for a 2014 full of inspiration and creativity!

Home Fibers ~ Part III

While in southern Virginia, I paid a visit to some dear family friends.  In this case, my reputation preceded me.  Sitting out on the dining room table, as if waiting for me, were three tatted family heirlooms.

I really wasn't expecting to see tatting when I set out to discover fiber arts in the homes of my loved ones.  I have only been tatting for a couple years now, so maybe it just wasn't on my radar.  These are all precious, however the ornament on the far right strikes me as unique.  At first glance, I thought I was looking at a classic wreath or ring design, but then I realized that it has been worked onto a ring that was first wrapped in crochet.  The inside loops of the tatting are a little more complicated as well.  They are actually loops within loops.  All in all, it's a pretty intricate little ornament.

Believe it or not, I have fiber finds from three more homes to share.  Just as a teaser, one of my best friends recently moved back from living in Japan for three years.  She brought back some gorgeous silks as well as a few other surprises, but first, a visit to see my sister and my mom.  Get ready for knitting and needlepoint!  

Fiber Arts for the Front Door!

I was excited to finish my tatted mandala yesterday.  It meant that I was free to do the next big tatted project that I had in my head.  I've been wanting to making decorations for my front doors.  It seems only right that the house of a fiber lover should be somehow be adorned in yarn.

The thought to make front door decor first came to me in December.  I had a design for Christmas wreaths all worked out, but I just couldn't find the time to devote to them.   Since spring in on the way, I changed my plan and decided to make giant flowers.  I have a little tatted flower that I like to make as a charm.  It's cute with an over-sized bloom and little curved stem.  It's the kind of flower you would expect to find on a visit to Wonderland with Alice.  Yesterday, I set out to make a big version of this friendly flower.

After lunch today, I finished my giant flowers.  I made two because I have double front doors.  I tied them right onto the doors even though I do own those metal wreath hanging things.  I thought the hangers were too distracting.  Flowers don't hang, they grow, right?  I guess these are sort of floating in space which is strange, but maybe not stranger than having tatted flowers on your door in the first place.  Projects like these make me happy.  

Tatted Mandala Wall Art

Every once in a while, I actually finish one of my projects.  Crazy huh?  Today I'm happy to share one such project.  Actually, I haven't blocked it yet, but it's finished enough!

It was last fall when I had the idea to tat a mandala inspired piece of wall art.  I began by working out the design in size 3 crochet thread.  It took quite a few tries to create the shape I had in mind.  Finally, on December 7th, I posted my small tatted mandala.  Here's a little excerpt from that post,

"In the center of the mandala is a circle surrounded by four arched chains.  These arches represent the four gates that you see on traditional mandalas.  On my final row, I have repeated the gates with the four large rings that point north, south, east and west.  They line up with the four arches in the center.  As a matter of fact, I decided that I would use the number four as the core of my design, so every chain and ring on the entire mandala has either four stitches or a multiple of four."

The mandala prototype measured 4.5 by 4.5 inches.  The one I completed today is four times that size measuring in at 18 by 18 inches.  It was an unruly mammoth.  There I sat carrying two strands of extra bulky yarn with my homemade, 12" wooden tatting needle.  My arm would start to tire from pulling the yarn through my stitches.  I very often had yards worth of yarn threaded.

This is also the largest tatting I have completed to date.  It's hanging from one screw that happens to be on my wall.  One of the things that motivates me to create these large tatted pieces is that I think it's cool to have wall art made from yarn that holds its shape.  I'm not using any stiffeners or special hanging materials, the pieces are able to lie flat against the wall and maintain their form.  I totally dig that!

Tatted Mandala

A couple weeks ago I decided I to tat a mandala.  I have a drawing of a mandala that I like and I could see bringing it to life in fiber.  Designs always seem simple enough once they're complete, but I have to confess, I worked on this little 4.5" by 4.5" piece of fabric for a long time.  This piece represents the 4th do-over with some of the rows being reworked several times.  As a result, the tension is not perfect, but I reached the point where I was determined to at least complete my project.

In the center of the mandala is a circle surrounded by four arched chains.  These arches represent the four gates that you see on traditional mandalas.  On my final row, I have repeated the gates with the four large rings that point north, south, east and west.  They line up with the four arches in the center.  As a matter of fact, I decided that I would use the number four as the core of my design, so every chain and ring on the entire mandala has either four stitches or a multiple of four. 


A tatting over four inches wide is actually a pretty big piece, but it's small for me because my ultimate goal is to turn this into a large wall hanging.  By the time I'm done, it will probably be closer to two feet in diameter.  I also plan to incorporate more than one color.  That way the center will be more of a focal point and it will also help the other features stand out. 


I'm not sure when it will happen, this being the busy holiday season, but I'll be back to share pictures of the finished wall hanging. 

Because It Matters

What matters?  In this case I'm talking about The Grey Matters Foundation.  This is a "nonprofit organization created to support and empower brain tumor patients and their loved ones through encouragement and personal outreach."

I met the founder, Lanette, and her husband earlier this fall at an event.  I spent a few minutes talking to Lanette's husband.  I was moved by how he spoke of his wife and her journey after being diagnosed with an Anaplastic Oligodendroglioma.  When Lanette discovered that there was very little support out there for people with brain tumors, she became that support for others.  That's a short version of the story, but that's how The Grey Matters Foundation began.  

Not long after that meeting, I found The Grey Matters website and signed up to be a Brain Buddie.   I love that this is a way that my kids and I can help to support others.  Since it's the holiday season, I sat down with my son Wes and we made some ornaments to put in Christmas cards.  Can you guess which ones I made? 

I know that the crafting community is full of big hearts and everyone finds such wonderful ways to give of themselves.  I like to share the little things that my family and I do because you never who you may inspire.  I know that I find myself inspired daily!

More Tatted Wall Art

I finished this piece of chunky tatted wall art a few minutes ago. I couldn't wait to take a picture and share it with you. I'm proud of this one because I designed it on the spot. I took out a piece of paper and doodled until I had a shape I liked, then I jumped right into the tatting. I took my best guesses as far as the size of the rings and chains. My fear was that my outer chains would be too short and that the whole piece would curl like a bowl. If I made them too long, well, that wouldn't look good either. Everything turned out great and I couldn't be more pleased!

It's a pretty big medallion. The diameter measures a little over 12 inches. I'm thinking about doing something similar to use as Christmas wreaths for my front door this year. I may dress those up with some flowers and I found this free pattern for crocheted pine cones. How cute would that be?

As for this medallion, it's going to be the centerpiece in a montage of green tatted shapes. I have three others made:



These are all about the same size at right around 9 inches across. I'm planning on making one more smaller shape so I'll have a group of five. Hopefully I can arrange them in an interesting way. It's all part of my master plan to turn the home of Wind Rose Fiber Studio (me) into a fiber filled fantasy land!

Chunky Tatted Wall Art

Hello blog world! How have you been? People are always saying "What a crazy week I had", but honestly, my past week has had elements of true crazy. That, along with the fact that my other half was away on work travel, kept me very distracted.

As a result, I have little to show for myself in the way of creative accomplishments. My only offering is this piece of chunky tatted wall art I made yesterday afternoon. It was my way of celebrating Friday and the end of a rather maddening seven days.

I love the idea of fiber wall art, but I've only just begun to play around with it. This is a rather simple design. I like the contemporary feel of it and it's just the sort of piece I needed for my chosen wall space. In case you were wondering, my wall is not this pinkish red color, but more of an earthy yellow. I just needed a background that didn't wash out the colors and red seemed to do the trick.

In tatting, you can create very elaborate designs. When placed vertically, they make me think of scrolled metal art only much softer. The challenge using yarn is both making the tools to tat on this scale, and also creating a piece that will hold its shape. In making this leaf design, I was experimenting with the ability of the yarn to hold a more elongated shape. Though this picture was taken with the piece laying down flat, it does maintain this shape hanging on the wall.

I'm looking forward to making more tatted wall art. I have designs dancing around in my brain. It will be fun to set them free!