Have a Heart

A couple weeks ago, a friend was having a really wicked week.  We've all been there.  One thing goes wrong, then another, then another.  It becomes almost comical at some point.  It was in the middle of that week that I thought - I wish I could send her a hug that was a little more substantial than ->(((hug)))<- this.  I could take you on the whole thought-train ride, but it's not really necessary to the story.  Ultimately I decided to make her some little handmade hearts and send them to her.  Getting something in the mail that is not a  bill and is not junk mail is fun.  Getting something intended to stand in for a hug?  How could that not be fun?

I got to work.

I found this pattern for a knit heart and I started there.

I had some wool lying around, left over from making pillows.  Maybe I'll show those to you someday.

Anyway.

I made one in red.

Yes, I am aware that this is blue.  The red one was a bit camera shy. 

As you can see, at this point it was a bit curly and unruly.  I mentioned that they were wool, right? I do so love felting...  So through the hot cycle they went - once, twice, thrice.

Now they're behaving a bit better.

When they were dry, I joined them with a blanket stitch and stuffed them.

Imperfect - but I think that with a folky craft like this imperfections can be quite charming.

Cute, right?

But one seemed so insubstantial.

Four seemed just about right.

Hey, this isn't the last time I'm going to have a friend with a rough week, now, is it?  

I made these with no greater hope than that of making someone smile for a moment. Sort of like a Hallmark card on steroids.   But as I was whipping these out (so quick and fun!) I was thinking of more ideas:

• knit them in pastel colors then use embroidery floss to add conversation heart type messages.
• attach 2 hearts to either side of a cord and use them to tie a gift in a brown paper wrapper.
• attach them to a headband, barrette or pin back.
• attach them to floral wire and make a bouquet - or embellish a cookie or lollipop bouquet.
• knit each side in a different color to represent team/school colors and fill a bowl with them as a centerpiece for a party - guests could take them as a token when they leave.
• on and on and on - I bet you can think of something to do with one (or a couple dozen!) of these!  I'd love to hear your ideas!

A Study in Sherlock

I have recently been doing research on the studies of crime of my dear fictional friend Mr. Sherlock Holmes. In case you (blasphemously) have never heard of him, he is very observant to the point that his talent has caused him the need to create his own job, thus making him the worlds only consulting detective. I find myself intrigued by him to the point that I felt the need to show my appreciation of his works through crocheting and knitting. What follows is the result.

This is the scarf of his friend Dr. John Watson as portrayed by Jude Law in the most recent Sherlock Holmes movie, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. All of the Sherlock Holmes stories are from written in Dr. Watson's point of view, in the books and movies through the means of his journal and in the most recent BBC series through his blog titled "The blog of Dr. John H. Watson".

This is the hat Sherlock often wears when going out to solve crime. In this picture he is examining the writing on the wall in a room in which he and Watson found themselves on their very first adventure, A Study in Scarlet. In this story, the killer carved the German word "Rache", meaning revenge, on the wall, trying to pass himself off as a German person so that the real person would never be found. Sherlock Holmes, however, was not fooled for a second.
This is a doll attempting to portray Sherlock. If I were to judge, I'd say he does a pretty good job at that.
That is all I have of Sherlock Holmes right now, however that count is subject to change at any given moment. If I ever try to make another Sherlock Holmes depicting object, you can be sure to hear about it.

Chinaberry Beads

The coolest thing about being a crafter (ok - ONE of the coolest things) is that there is always something new to learn.  

My latest lesson occurred quite accidentally - the best lessons do, no?

I had just gone on a day trip to Charleston with my mother and two of her friends.  When we returned, we were talking to her friends' neighbor about our trip and we mentioned the sweetgrass baskets uniquely characteristic of that area.  She asked if we'd seen any chinaberry beads and - while we were not completely sure - we thought that we had not.

A fellow crafter, she was anxious to share.  (Yet another cool thing about the crafting community.)

She went back into her camper and emerged with a handful of necklace and earring sets.  I was immediately intrigued.  We all were.  This project appealed to me for several reasons.  First and foremost - I am a Cheapy McCheaperson and the prospect of making something cool out of something free is right up my alley.  Second - I really enjoy natural substances - wool, wood and stone pop instantly to mind.  Third - it was a shared project.  

We couldn't wait to get started.

The first step was to find a source for chinaberries. Which we did.  They look like this on the tree.

They were picked then soaked in a bucket of water where we rubbed the outer berry off. 

That felt exactly like it looks like it would feel, by the way.  But getting a little dirty and doing a little squishing was fun.  The price of art.

Then we further cleaned them with a little bit of netting.  We tried other methods, but this seemed to be the most efficient.

Then we dried them and drilled a hole through them.

They could be used just like this - in their natural state - but most folks choose to dye them.  Rit dye, food coloring, natural dyes (beets, teas, etc...) can all be experimented with.  

The end result looks like this:

The woman who introduced us to the craft gave me these earrings.  Because crafters are the coolest people.

Is this not the best souvenir to take home from my vacation?  A new craft (and a new pair of earrings) unique to the place where I'm visiting.

I have a pretty good idea of what I'm going to do with my beads when I get home.  Watch this space.  

(Big thanks to my fellow crafters, my mom Nancy Hunter, Kent and Caryl Roach, and Alice - who gave me the gift of a new craft as well as the earrings and I don't even know her last name!)

Greatest Dolls in the Whoniverse

So recently I have been getting into the Doctor Who spirit with my crocheting, knitting, and..... well..... everything. Completely obsessed with it. Anywho, (hehehe...get it? anyWHO! HA!) I have some photos of all the Doctor Who dolls I have crocheted within the last year. Here we go.

This is a weeping angel. They are some of the scariest villains EVER. They send you to the past and feed on the potential energy you had in the present. They're the only psychopaths in the universe to kill you nicely. They turn into stone when you look at them, but they move fast, so you can't blink. Don't turn around, don't look away, and don't blink. Good luck.


These are daleks. They are my favorite villains. They're Kaled mutant things that used to live by feeding on radiation, then they evolved. They are the first non-human creatures on Doctor Who (other than the Doctor and Susan, of course). They move around and say EXTERMINATE!!!! in a very grated, cause-your-ear-pain kind of voice. They're just plain awesome.
All eleven of the Time Lord himself! From bow-ties to 16 foot scarves, he's the man to call if you need either to save the universe or plan a halloween costume! He can call off multi-planitary armies with just the mention of his name! Don't believe me? Would you believe me if I told you he's over 1113 years old? And you thought you were old! Anywho, (there I go again) he flies around in his TARDIS (time and relative dimensions in space) picking up hot girls and showing them the universe and often getting in a lot of trouble doing so. He's basically the greatest super-hero of all time. Just saying.
This is an ood. They are kind, selfless creatures that are born with their brains in their hands. They are often enslaved by ruthless aliens who don't give a crap about other creature's well being. They speak through that round white thing that I have sewn to his hand (it holds their brains inside of it) and they say things through it telepathically. Unfortunately, that makes them considerably more vulnerable to being taken over. They are the good guys, but because they are taken over by bad guys, that makes them bad guys and it is really hard to save them. The episodes with them are often quite emotional. On a happier note.....This is K-9! He is the fourth doctor's best companion (in my opinion) and he is a metal canine (get it? Canine? K-9? Funny, right?) He is good at calculating, but not too good at swimming. He often confirms statements made by various people by saying, "Affirmative!" There are four versions of him, and he is as brave and funny and loyal as a metallic canine can be. He is an excellent dog, companion, and person in general.
This is an adipose. They were brought to the earth by their "nanny" and they were sold as weight loss pills. The humans took the pill, then every night one of these adipose creatures would be formed out of the fat in the people and walk away while the person was asleep. They are some of the cutest villains (as if you couldn't tell) and they make the most adorable baby noises ever. The pills they were born from were advertised by, "The fat just walks away." No one thought they meant it literally except the Doctor and Donna Noble.

Well, that is the end of the current dolls that I own, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were more of them in the future. Feel free to watch Doctor Who and message me so we can obsess over it and talk about how awesome it is. That would be all. For now.

A Little Night Cap

Just before Christmas, a couple years ago, a friend of mine asked if I could make little scarves and caps for wine/liquor bottles. She was looking for a new way to present gifts of booze. Before I knew it, I'd made her 10 sets from scrap yarn. I tried to do straight stockinette stitch, but the curling was out of control, so I designed a little mock cable pattern that kept things straight. I think they turned out really cute!

Materials
Scrap yarn - worsted works best, but I made a few with sportweight and a few with Aran or heavier worsted.

Size 5 straight needles for the scarves
Size 5 DPN's for the hats
yarn needle and or crochet hook for pulling ends in

*the project is actually so small - 10 st across - that I worked the scarves back and forth on DPN's as well just to keep the project more portable.

Scarf 1

*RT - K2tog leaving stitches on needle. K 1st stitch, sl both stitches from needle

CO 10
row 1 - K3, P1, K2, P1, K3
row 2 - K1, P2, K1, P2, K1, P2, K1
row 3 - K3, P1, RT, P1, K3

rep rows 2&3 until piece measures 17"
BO in pattern

Scarf 2

CO 10
work K1,P1 rib until piece measures 17"
BO in rib

If stripes are desired, do them in 2 or 4 row increments and carry the unused color up the side rather than cutting yarn.

Scarf 3

CO 110, K until desired width is achieved.

Basic Hat

CO 30, distribute evenly over 3 needles (10 st on each needle)
Join, being careful not to twist work.
Work in K1, P1 rib for 5 rows.
K (st st) for 5 rows.

Dec row 1: K 1st 2 st tog, K to last 2 st on needle, K last 2 st tog. Repeat for each of 3 needles. (8 st on each needle)
Next row: work even

repeat last 2 rows until 2 st remain on each needle. K 2 st tog on each needle, knitting all three stitches onto one needle.

Work 3 st I-cord for approximately 12 rows.

sl 1st st, K2tog, pass second st under 1st. Cut yarn and pull through loop.
Tie a knot in the I-cord, close to the base. Pull excess yarn through to wrong side of work.

Hat Variation

Work as for basic hat, eliminating decreases. Continue in knit stitch for 5 more rows or until desired height is achieved. BO using a 3 needle bind-off. Attach a tassle to each of the 2 corners formed.

Variations:
-you could eliminate the I-cord and add a pom pom or tassle
- you could do the ribbing in a contrasting color
- you could turn it inside out and pull the I-cord through - achieving a sort of 'tam' effect
- any of the scarves could be fringed or not

Back in the Saddle Again

I had put this blog to bed, but Pinterest has awakened it like true love's first kiss.

I wanted to pin some projects I've posted on Facebook, but you can't pin directly from Facebook.

I've been busy.

Liv's been busy.

Lea's been busy.

We've got lots of cool stuff to show off.

Watch this space.

Pay It Forward: The Projects

Well, I finally got my Pay it Forward/First Five projects finished. Here's what I made, who I made it for, and why. I found this project to be really satisfying and may just repeat it periodically.

Sara's Project

Sara strikes me as the sort of woman who is very simply elegant. She is also a woman who suffers frequent migraines and other severe headaches.

I remembered seeing a pattern for an eye mask in Handknit Holidays and I thought it just might fit the bill. I knit it using a 100% silk yarn that was an absolute pleasure to work with. I filled it with flax and lavender. Flax retains temperatures well, so it can be cooled off in the refrigerator or warmed up in the microwave, depending on what temperature would feel more soothing.

The combination of the weight, the darkness a mask provides, and the optional temperature control have eased many a headache for me and I hoped they'd do the same for Sara.

Relax!

Laura's Project

Laura is an avid reader. As many avid readers also like to dabble in writing (ask me how I know...) I thought Laura might be able to get some use out of this notebook cover. The pattern is based on one presented in 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders but I altered it a little. The yarn is a really scrumptious handspun that I bought at a festival a couple years ago. I just really love the idea of taking a simple notebook and making it look a little more sophisticated and special.

It could also be used to cover and protect a paperback book (or just hide the cover of a trashy novel!) when she's reading it, if she prefers.

Write on!

Andrea's Project

Andrea is a stay-at-home mom who is utterly devoted to her kids and her husband. This is a wonderful trait and she should be applauded for it! Unfortunately, sometimes when folks are too devoted to others they forget about themselves. Andrea has admitted that she never takes any time for herself - it is just not a priority. She has ALSO told me that she has a super-bitchin' soak tub that she has NEVER used.

So I decided to make soap holders for Andrea. His and hers, so she didn't have to feel guilty about an indulgence just for her. Shared bath time can be fun AND indulgent! (nudge, nudge, wink, wink)

I used a pattern from the book 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders and some high quality cotton yarn. As I was making the set I thought, "I wonder if I couldn't make some soap to go with these? Handmade soap could be quite indulgent while not promoting guilt - ya gotta bathe! Why not bathe with something luxurious that was made just for you?" Andrea's soap is a lovely softening goat's milk base with lavender and vanilla to enhance the relaxation properties and oatmeal for exfoliation.


Indulge!

Crystal's Project

Crystal loves entertaining. She loves to cook for friends and she loves to get her party on! I thought, since she gets pleasure out of preparing food and drink for her loved ones, maybe I could give her a little pleasure during the planning stages. I thought a reusable grocery bag might be just the ticket.

I have several patterns for reusable shopping bags, but my favorite is this one.

I like the drawstring feature, but if Crystal doesn't she can easily remove it. It allows the bag to be more compact, so she can throw it in her purse.


This way, I figure one friend - me! - will be with her while she shops - thus extending the joy of entertaining.

Party on!

Linda's Project

Linda was tough for me because she is a very crafty chick herself. There is nothing I can do that she cannot do, too. That made things a little tougher on my end. The project I chose is no exception.

Linda loves jewelry and she loves the ocean. I made this jewelry box using seashells and sand from the beach. I like the open weave of the top for storing earrings. I hope she can get some use out of this and that it will remind her of the beach when she's not near it. I've made one for myself, too, and that's what it does for me!

Cowabunga!

Cass's Project

Cass was not one of my 'first five', but she was the one who sent the project out in the first place, and I wanted to send her a little something in the same spirit to thank her.

Cass is a righteously cool little chickadee. I think of her always as an earth mother. Cass knows herself and wants her children to be free to know - and, more importantly - be - themselves as well.

Like many good earth mothers, Cass is into yoga. I'd made a bag for my own yoga mat years ago using a pattern from Inspired Cable Knits by Fiona Ellis. I love the cables that loosely represent the tree pose. They are so fun to work. I knew Cass would feel the joy I experienced making it when she used it.


I had intended to make it using organic soy yarn, but when I went to pick that out I found this gorgeous green recycled cotton. Recycling is good karma, no doubt. And everyone knows that redheads like Cass look good in green.

Namaste.

Matt's Project

Matt was also not one of the first five, but he used my posting to initiate a fair trade. Matt is an amazing artist as well as a kick-ass bass player and he promised me an original work of art in exchange for a black toque he could wear on stage.

Um? No brainer.

Matt lives in a state where it's warm a lot more often than it's cold, so I didn't want to use wool for his toque. I used, instead, a high quality cotton DK. This is one of my favorite yarns and I have made untold numbers of baby sweaters using it because it is so darn soft.

I used a pattern from the righteous Debbie Stoller's Son of Stitch 'N Bitch.

And then I made one for myself.

Rock on!

Sue's Project

Technically, Sue was not in the first five either. She posted a comment then deleted it, silly woman with an itchy finger on the delete button!!! But the comment went to my e-mail anyway, so I figured she was SORT OF in the first five...

Also, Sue is easy to gift!

Sue has confessed on separate occasions to a bag/purse obsession, an addiction to coffee, and a love of the color blue fueled by a love of the Nittany Lions. What better gift than a 'coffee clutch'? (I know! Groan! I crack myself up!)

The perfect size for your keys, your wallet, your phone, and a couple Starbucks gift cards!

The purse was crocheted from another Debbie Stoller book, Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker using a durable nylon yarn. The embellishment is all me. I've made quite a few of these bags, and my signature "thang" is that I line them with old T-shirts. It's environmentally conscious and it gives a little funky cred to a simple clutch, I think. I know Sue is a very charitable gal, so, since I didn't have a Penn State T-shirt in my stash, I lined hers with an old 'Race for the Cure' T.


Shop on!

Hey! Paying it forward was way fun! Try it!