A very special part of my family's time in Germany was a visit to Uberlingen. Uberlingen is in the south and actually just a three hour boat ride from Switzerland. It's a popular vacation and retirement spot because of it's warmer climate and location on Bodensee (Lake Constance). For my husband and I, it's where a friend from high school settled down, married and started a family.
Having my friend in Uberlingen meant I didn't have to wander the streets aimlessly and hope to stumble upon fiber art. She took me straight to the local yarn shop and then to a shop featuring the work of local artists. Oddly enough, this cute little flower girl is something I just happened to encounter along the way. She was sitting in the window of Odilia, a bookstore where some local crafts were featured. I thought she was sweet looking balancing that big red rose on her head.
So what kind of yarn did I find in Uberlingen? A lot of Lana Grossa which is Italian, but I did find one yarn that I believe is made in Germany. The brand is Skacel which is distributed here in the United States. The yarn I'm referring to the the sunset colored one on the right. It's called Zauberball or "Magic Ball" and it's a sock yarn.
I wish there was some way to show a lapse in time with words or symbols, because then you would know just how long I've been sidetracked while writing this post. First I was trying to find the name of the yarn shop in Uberlingen because I lost their business card. Then I started hunting down the company that makes the Zauberball yarn. The only reason I mention this is because I found a couple of interesting things along the way. My first discovery is another sock yarn also made by Skacel called Flying Saucer. It has to be some of the coolest sock yarn I've ever seen. If you like to knit or crochet socks, or if you just like to work with lighter weight yarn, Flying Saucer looks like loads of fun to make up. The link I've provided takes you to the Flying Saucer page where they also have a video.
Then one link led to another and I found myself watching this video on ArtFelting by Knitting Daily which features Karin Skacel the president of the Skacel company:
I thought the felters out there might find that interesting.
Okay, let me turn my focus back to my original post. The other yarn in the picture above, the soft purple one, has become one of my new favorite yarns to work with. It is made by Lana Grossa and it's part of the Linea Pura Verde line. The reason I have so little of this yarn left, is because I actually made it all up into a new design that I'll be sharing soon. All I'll say for now is that it's a scarf inspired by my time in Europe and I'll be writing up a crochet pattern to sell at Wind Rose.
The Linea Pura Verde is 75% Organic Virgin Wool (Merino extrafine) and 25% Alpaca. I love the quality that the Alpaca lends to this yarn and the little nubs give it such a great texture. One of the first things I did when I got back to the states, was to look to see where I could buy more. It's not the easiest yarn to find, but I ended up placing an order at Hot Yarns and the service was great. In just a couple days I received my supply of Linea Pura Verde in a selection of colors.
Well I have one more item to share from Uberlingen, but I'm worn out from writing this post. Let me take a little break and I'll be back tomorrow to show you an awesome pair of felted wrist warmers from the local art shop I mentioned earlier. See you tomorrow.
Yesterday I made the transition from shuttle to needle. What I discovered took me by surprise. I thought that once I started needle tatting, I'd never look back. I knew I'd be able to create double knots faster and I figured that if all the same design elements could be created with a needle, then needle tatting would emerge as my favorite form. I didn't expect to be missing my shuttles almost right away.
It's true that the rings and chains moved along quickly, but my mind almost immediately began to see limitations to working with a needle. I felt like I had less control in a way. I think that my feelings in large part were affected by my choice in books. Learn Needle Tatting was falling a bit short for me. Since I've already practiced the basics, I was thinking ahead and wondering how split rings and chains would be possible with a needle. I flipped through the pages only to find that this particular book doesn't go that far. It includes rings and chains and adding on a new color, but that's it.
Now, in all fairness to Learn Needle Tatting, I should mention that I went from there to The Complete Book of Tatting by Rebecca Jones to find that she too had only gone so far as rings and chains where needle tatting is concerned. Of course the Complete Book of Tatting states in the subtitle that the focus is on Everything You Wanted to Know but Couldn't Find Out About Shuttle Tatting. So in my tatting shopping frenzy, I clearly failed to supply myself with a good needle tatting guide.
What now? YouTube, that's what! Hooray for YouTube! So I have some new favorite videos. This one: TotusMel Needle Tatting Spilt Rings & Josephine Chains.MPG clearly shows how to create a split ring and a Josephine chain with a needle. Split chains are well explained is this turoial: needle tatting - split chain and split ring (kinda). I know the word "kinda" doesn't inspire confidence, but she's referring to the fact that she kinda covers split rings as well as split chains. One more video link for fun: Needle Tatting Flower Pendant.MPG. In this video, the tatter creates a flower pendant from start to finish in 7 minutes. So now my enthusiasm for needle tatting has been revived. I'm ready to go back in my studio and see what I can create with my tatting needles. By the way, I haven't been taking the time to block my pieces before photographing them. I'm too impatient to go on to the next project. The Pink and silver samplers up above are two separate pieces, but I thought they looked kind of cute layered on top of each other for their picture. The little silver one will probably become a Christmas tree ornament this year.
Last week I told you all about my new KumiLoom. I thought I'd come back today and show you my first braids and how I have turned them into cords for pendant necklaces.
The pendant on the bottom represents the Tao of Creativity. It's my favorite piece of jewelry. I realize it's just a simple pendant, but being creative is important to me and so I like to wear this symbol around my neck.
I love the way the pendant looks on the silver and black braided cord. This is my first ever KumiLoom braid. I thought it was going to be too big in diameter, but the weight of it seems fitting for the large pendant.
The smaller pendant with the Celtic star belongs to my son. His favorite color is blue, so he picked light blue and black for his braid. He is currently reading Peter and the Starcatchers, so when he wears his pendant necklace, he imagines himself to be a catcher of stars.
To finish them and create a closure, I went to my favorite online bead store, Fire Mountain Gems, and ordered end caps for my braids. I ordered several sizes to have on hand, but for these necklaces, caps with a 5mm opening worked out great. I already had the hook closures, so it was just a matter of attaching my hook and loop to the end caps. I did this by inserting a headpin through the end cap, trimming off the extra pin length, and then curving the remaining metal wire around my fasteners with a loop. A wire cutter and a pair of round nose pliers were my only tools.
Before inserting my braids into the end caps, I wrapped them with metal wire to keep them from unraveling. Then I used a dab of E6000 glue to secure the braids to the caps. The result is a nice, finished look for my necklaces.
Now I'm working on my first square braid. I had to braid several rounds before muscle memory took over. The square braid has a few extra moves. I found a YouTube video that goes through the process step by step.
Well that's all my braiding adventures so far. It's nice to be making something that even my sons and my husband like. I've finally discovered something I can make for the guys in my family. Woohoo!
I received my lucet in the mail yesterday and eagerly carried it outside along with the directions. I sat down in the sun ready to make my first luceted cord. I didn't get very far. Though I felt like I was following the instructions to the letter, something was not going right. I'm a visual person so my first instinct is to find a picture. I jumped online and found this great YouTube video from martmaille. The picture is nice and clear and takes you all the way to how to finish off your cord in just under three minutes.
I learned something new today and I can't wait to share it with you. It's called Thrumming. The noun thrum means a loose end, fringe, or tuft of fiber. Though I just stumbled onto this word today, I have seen thrumming before, I just didn't know what it was called. And it's hardly a new craft. It's been around for hundreds of years, but it seems to be cycling back to the forefront in popularity.
In my research I came across a lot of thrummed mittens. It does seem like a perfect application. If you live somewhere with cold winters, nothing would feel better than diving your hand into soft tufts of warm wool. Slippers would probably be awfully nice too, but if you allow your imagination to happily wander, I'm sure you'll come up with many fun ideas for working with thrums. To get you started, I've found some wonderful sites for you to explore!
OK, but what if you crochet? I couldn't leave the crocheters out because I'm one of them. Guess what? I found a great YouTube tutorial just for us!
Now if you're wondering where you can find some nice, soft roving.... ahem.... Do I really have to say it? I can't help myself! Wind Rose Fiber Studio!
I was actually going to do a post without a picture, but then I couldn't stand it. I was so proud of this yarn when I made it. I spent forever filling it with mother of pearl, shells, glass beads and fresh water pearls. It was sparkly and colorful and sold about a minute after I listed it... all three skeins of it! I've been thinking lately that I need to make another Underwater Fantasy yarn, so I've added it to my mental "to do" list.
It's been a while since I've done a "Today at Wind Rose..." post, but they kind of are my "to do" posts. When that mental list gets a little too long to handle, I come over here to my blog and write down everything I'm planning so I don't miss anything.
So here is what I want to accomplish in the near future. I want to spin more hemp and there is a hemp artist to whom I'm sending a free sample in the hopes of some good feedback. I was just tweeting one day and there she was, Hemp Momma. She has a great new Etsy shop and probably thinks I'm crazy to want to just send her free hemp. The thing is, hemp isn't the easiest fiber to spin, so I don't really want to invest my time unless I know I'm making a product with which hemp artists can happily create.
Also on my short list, I want to do some core spinning with whole locks. I have a couple posts from earlier this week showing the Coospworth locks I dyed. Not only do I want to spin them, but I want to make a short video to share. Lock spinning is probably something a lot of people haven't seen.
I also want to make a video about spinning beaded yarn. I put my process into words recently, but it really helps to have a visual. I've already got my beads and roving ready, so it's just a matter of finding time.
Finally, I don't want to forget Mother's Day. I have a design on paper for a woven bead bracelet, now I just need to get to work!
I also have 2.5 more pounds of locks to dye and other fiber to process so, as you can see, plenty to keep me busy. So if you want to see some of these projects in action, come back soon. I'll be documenting my work and sharing my progress.
For the past two weeks, I've been focusing a lot on Hemp at Wind Rose Fiber Studio. Mainly I've been dyeing hemp, but I have also been spinning hemp for Wind Rose Art Yarn. Since Hemp Roving is not the kind of thing you find at every corner craft store, I thought you might enjoy a closer look at this interesting fiber.
Here's one more quick video that shows me actually throwing the Lantern Necklace into the washing machine and the freshly, felted piece coming out. I hope the videos have been fun and helpful. The first time I did this project was with a group of elementary aged girls. The only difference was that we were hand felting that day. It's just so cool to start a project and an hour or so later have something you can wear home!
Try making variations by needle felting designs into the pendant or using one of a kind hand spun yarn. Go crazy with embroidery and beads. The Felted Lantern Necklace can be basic or as outlandish as your imagination allows!
In the light of a new day, I decided to work the pattern from start to finish. It's about a 16 minute video, but you can pause it along the way. This takes you from the very beginning of our project to the finished crocheted piece. The only thing that remains is the felting process. Because I'm a video junky now, I may take a short clip of what the necklace looks like as it comes out of the washing machine, but for the most part, I'll just ''talk" or rather type you through it. I hope you enjoy this project. It's short and sweet and there are so many ways you can put your own stamp on your finished necklace. We'll talk more about that in a little while.
*Important Note: There is one thing I want to change in this video. If anyone starts the project before I get a chance to edit, here is one change - When you finish chaining the neck portion, attach the end of the necklace to the pendant with a slip stitch to the pendant. It looks a little better than sewing the end on. What happens is the side that was sewn on looks a little thin just above the pendant after felting. If you slip stitch it on, the two attached ends of the neck chain look even.
