Yesterday Craft Hope announced Project 16: The Littlest Warriors. This time we'll be crafting for kids fighting cancer. Craft Hope is collecting beanie hats for babies through teens and bags for the kids to take to the hospital. You can even fill the bags with crayons, coloring or activity books and anything else the kids might like.
I couldn't wait to get started, so last night I got to work on a larger version of my Spiral Baby Beanie. I've always liked this hat and I knew it wouldn't be hard to enlarge the size. I need another day or two, but I'll be posting a free pattern for this beanie in youth to adult sizes.
For this particular hat, I picked colors that I thought would look cute on a little boy, but half the fun is making them in different colors every time. You can get creative with embellishments too. On my Crochet Patterns Page you'll find a couple free flower patterns and a little leaf. You could also buy sew-on decals for boys and girls at most craft or fabric stores. Novelty yarns can also take this beanie to the next level. Imagine a fur trim or a nice bouclé.
I like to get the kids involved in these projects too, so I'll be designing an easy sew fleece hat or something that we can do together. My boys just don't want to learn to crochet. Can you imagine that?
Hi, I've just got one more quick note to let you know that I've been a busy little Etsy shop owner today! There are a lot of new listings including this pretty Mixed BFL in amounts from 1oz up to a pound.
There's Corn Fiber, Hemp, Mohair, all kinds of good stuff. I really need to go through my inventory more often!
I'm going through my inventory today and finding some goodies including a nice supply of White Soy Silk. Sometimes, as a business comprised of one employee "ahem" me, things can get a little hectic. This poor soy silk was just hanging out waiting to be noticed.
Now it's back in the shop and I have it separated out into 1oz, 2oz and 4oz lots so you can buy as much or as little as you need. Welcome back Soy!
I just ordered my first ounces of Tunis. I've never tried Tunis wool before so I'm looking forward to a new experience. At the same time, I'm excited to introduce a new Etsy shop, TriPlyFibers. The owner of TriPlyFibers happened across my shop and realized that we were neighbors. He lives in the next town just east of my own. I'm grateful to Jerry for sending me a little note and the opportunity to make a new connection.
When I found out that Jerry shears sheep for local farms, I was very curious to find out what kind of sheep people are raising. I pass by quite a few small farms just driving around the valley. When I see sheep, I always crane my neck to see if they might be a breed with fine fleece. Most often, they are more primitive breeds. Cute, but not the best spinning fiber. So when Jerry told me he had some Tunis from a local farm, I was intrigued.
I did a little research and was excited to find that Tunis sheep are an ancient breed. I'm feeling a little sleepy tonight, so rather than summarize, I'm just going to pass on a link to this wonderful blog post by Sittin' n' Spinnin'. I also found this picture of a Tunis sheep in the Wiki Commons. I love how their wool has a "rose undertone" as Jerry puts it. He has a nice supply of Tunis roving in his shop right now if anyone else wants to give this pretty fiber a try.
I think this is kind of wild, so I'm sharing it. Tonight I was having happy hour with the husband when he told me about his latest Kindle purchase. He just bought Wool by Hugh Howey. Actually, he bought the whole series.
So how did he stumble onto this? He was looking for the top science fiction listings and there it was for just 99¢ a copy! The names are great too. The first is just entitled Wool, but then there's Wool 2 - Proper Gauge. Moving on we come to Wool 3 - Casting Off and last, but not least Wool 4 - The Unraveling.
I have to confess that sci-fi is not my go-to genre. I read a little now and then, but I don't seek it out. However, it's hard not to be a little curious about this particular series. Scrolling down to the reviews on Amazon, people are giving it high praise. The only complaint I read is that it was too short and they wanted the story to last longer. I may just have to borrow my husband's Kindle!
Our Japanese garden is complete and on display in our family room. This project was so much fun. My son and I enjoyed making all of the elements and took extra joy in some of the smallest details. We studied our stones and separated them into five categories based on shape. These different shapes represent wood, metal, fire, earth and water. We were also careful with our placement as we turned our stones into a retaining wall for our river.
I'm glad I wasn't able to find a small bridge or stone lantern because it was more gratifying to make our own. We used Crayola Model Magic which is my favorite clay for school projects. It's so easy to mix the colors and it sticks to itself so you make individual shapes and fix them together. We made small round rocks and stuck them together to form a stone bridge. I used a glass tumbler to make a perfect arch. My son made the stone lantern freehand style and it turned out so cute. We even hid a little nesting bird in the moss.
I can't say enough about how much fun this was. If you are looking for a rainy day activity or just some good, crafty entertainment, look no more! We made a Japanese garden, but really you could design any little world of your choosing. Oh, one last bit. I used a 15 inch plastic tray for the base. These are sold at Home Depot to put under planters for just around five dollars. I used regular garden soil as my filler under the moss. Okay, I think that's all the details you need to get started. Anyway, thanks for letting me share. Now, what was I crocheting again?
I'm off to a good start on my Lapis Wrap. Of course I've already made things a little more complicated for myself by working in a different gauge. My natural stitches must be quite a bit larger than the author's, but I have decided not to change hooks or yarn.
I went back and forth on this decision. I think that if I switched to a smaller hook, my double crochets would be smaller and closer together which would help the lace stand out. I think it would probably be a little prettier than sticking with the H hook, but I chose the H hook anyway. This will create a vest that is lighter and more open. I can't help but favor breezier garments living where I do. I'm thinking I'll go ahead and make this one with the larger gauge and then maybe I'll choose a lighter weight yarn and a smaller hook and make another to the pattern specifications.
Basically, what this means is that I'll be doing more mental math as I crochet this Lapis Wrap. I'll also be depending on the schematics to help me accurately place my armholes and work the front of the piece. The pattern seems to be very well written, so I don't expect to have too much trouble. I really like the "tulip" rows or lace. They are very pretty and fun to crochet too. I feel like I'm zooming right along!
It's not often that I go off topic, but every once in a while I can't help myself. This post has very little to do with fiber unless you count the dried moss in the background. It is creative however, and a fun project to do with the kids.
My son is reading about Asia in geography. A particular section on Japan discussed their beautiful gardens and even listed the elements that you find in most gardens. There's often a teahouse, a stone lantern, water, a bridge to an island or stepping stones. I started thinking that it would be fun to create our own miniature Japanese garden.
Here's my plan. I have a large planter that is about 18" in diameter. This will be the home of our garden. A visit to my local hobby store produced this unfinished wooden birdhouse. I think the shape looks a little teahouse inspired. I also found some unfinished benches and chairs. Some sparkling blue rocks will represent water and I also picked up some moss for ground cover. I bought stones too, but after doing a little reading, I see that we'll have to be careful about the stones we choose and how we place them. This Historical Japanese Gardens website will help with that and will enrich the educational part of our project. I couldn't find a small stone lantern so I picked up grey modeling clay and we'll make our own and maybe a bridge too.
I'm looking forward to spending an afternoon making a Japanese garden with my son. It will be fun to design it together and make all of the elements. Maybe we'll stain our teahouse and the garden benches. Maybe there could be a little fiber after all in the form of a felted bird's nest with some tiny eggs. Who knows? Mainly, I want to have fun with my son and learn along the way. I think a lot of kids would enjoy a project like this, so I thought I'd share the idea. I think it would be fun to do with live plants or maybe in a terrarium. There are plenty of creative possibilities!
I'm getting ready to crochet the Lapis Wrap by Yumiko Alexander. I love the style of this vest and lately I've rediscovered the simple joy of crocheting from a pattern. Sometimes I can get caught up in designing or free forming. It's a relaxing break to just follow along.
I'm trying out a new yarn for this project. I'm using Uptown DK by Universal Yarn in the color Majestic. I don't often use acrylics these days, but this is the right weight, it's soft and the words "anti pilling" carry some appeal. The pattern suggests using Universal's Renew Wool, but I wasn't feeling the colors and 100% wool can get a bit toasty here in the Phoenix area.
I have a couple follow-up thoughts on my post about my new Ashford Joy. I remarked before that I bought this model because I've admired how quiet and smooth it spins. Then when I put mine together only to find that the treadle legs knock into each other, I thought maybe the quiet Joys must have been single treadle.
Well, one of the members of my guild was at the multicultural festival yesterday with her joy and it was a double treadle! I watched her spin and it was as quiet and smooth as ever. I know she has had her wheel for a number of years and I noticed something different in the design of her Ashford Joy.
The picture of the Joy I have here is what I received. Notice that the left treadle leg is the foremost. On my friend's wheel, it was the other way around. I came home and searched for articles about the Joy from a few years ago and found a YouTube video of a Joy from 2006 designed like the one my friend has. Somewhere along the way, it seems that they have changed the design, but I'm not sure they have done so for the better.
I don't have any expectations for myself, but I think I'm going to write to the company and share my experience. Maybe the one I received was flawed or perhaps this change in the design is causing problems for everyone. Spinning wheels are pretty big investments, so a new wheel should be a smooth, running machine.
Once a year I pack up my trunk and head down to the Chandler Multicultural Festival. I attend with my guild, the Telaraña Weavers and Spinners. This year I brought along a special guest, my son Wes. Wes does one service oriented project each month as part of his education. The festival provided a great opportunity to be out in the community, spending time with others and sharing our love of the arts, in this case fiber arts!
I should refer to Wes not as my guest, but my secret weapon. You see, I always take a bunch of wool and drop spindles to this event. I spread a blanket out on the ground and sit at kid level. I want them to know it's okay to touch and play. After all, there's no better way to pass on the joy of your craft than by teaching the next generation. When other kids saw my son sitting with a lap loom weaving, it really got their attention. I think it made them feel like it was okay to ask questions and try out the loom and spindles for themselves.
I spent a wonderful afternoon, surrounded by boys and girls and their parents. At one point I had two brothers and a sister all learning how to work drop spindles together. Whenever it was time for the kids to leave, I would unwind the yarn they had spun and give it to them as a little keepsake. So many people asked me if I teach classes. I don't have any official classes that I teach, but I gave them my card. If someone really wants to learn, I can't say no to that! There aren't many yarn shops or community centers that offer classes just for kids. It's a shame especially when you seen how interested they are.
It has been a fulfilling day of teaching and sharing. Days like this are rare treasures. Why can't every day be multicultural day?
My new Ashford Joy spinning wheel arrived in the mail yesterday. That's good news right? It's exciting to get that big box on the porch and when it relates to one of your favorite activities, even better. So, after dinner last night, even though I was feeling tired, I thought I would at least open the box and check it out. It comes almost entirely assembled so I found myself putting the few finishing touches together so I could take it for a spin.
That's when I hit the bad news. I picked this wheel in particular because whenever I'm spinning with a group of people, the Joys seem so quiet and smooth. Now I realize I probably should have looked more closely. I suspect those quiet Ashford Joys were single treadles. The reason I suspect this is because my double treadle is not quiet. There seems to be a flaw in the very design. The wood pieces attached to the treadles rub against each other creating a knocking sound that gets louder with speed. I had a few minutes of disbelief. Could this really be the design? Was it assembled incorrectly. After triple checking everything, I hit my low of last night.
I hate returning things and I just refused to accept that this wheel couldn't be made to run smoothly. That's when the tinker in me came out. It's also how this story has a good news ending. Here's what I did. I changed the connecting tube on the right treadle (exhibit A). Instead of running straight into the hole like you can see on the left treadle, I rearranged it by removing the screw (exhibit B) and then brought the tube up from the bottom of the treadle. There was enough length in the tube and by reversing the direction of placement in this way, the wooden leg is held back and no longer rubs against the leg of the other treadle.
That's not all I had to do. I also discovered that the leg of the left treadle was rubbing against the right treadle. I actually got out my wood whittling tools (I guess it's strange that I happen to have wood whittling tools) and I carefully reshaped the wood in the offending spot (exhibit C). At this point you are either thinking that I'm quick and clever or just plain crazy. It did feel a bit nuts to take a knife to my brand new wheel, but if I sent it back, it would just become a problem for someone else. The good news is that it now treadles very smoothly. The only sound is the whirring of the wheel which is as it should be. I'm a little less than impressed that I had to tinker to get these results, but I'm happy to have solved the problem.
