Category: The Studio

fiber arts, making, process, tactile work

  • This Is For Those of You in Oz

  • Humpday Update – Bryce Canyon Shawl and Prayer Shawl

    I finished the Bryce Canyon Shawl today. The last step was to add a 6 row garter stitch border to match the edges of the shawl and the bottom of the triangle. Then I used a knit one, purl one bind-off to make sure it would be elastic enough. The edge took a while to finish but I’m pleased with the results. I’ll share the bind-off here since I’ve used it a couple other times and really like it.

    1. Cut the yarn 3 times the width of the edge and thread a yarn needle. Insert the yarn needle purlwise into the first stitch. Pull the yarn through. With the yarn needle behind the next stitch, insert it knitwise into the purl stitch and pull the yarn through.

    2. *Slip the first knit stitch knitwise and insert the yarn needle into the second stitch on the needle purlwise. Pull the yarn through.

    3. Slip the first stitch purlwise. Go behind the next stitch and insert the needle knitwise into the next stitch. Pull the yarn through. Repeat from the * in step 2 until all the stitches are bound off.

    The next step is to block the shawl. It is stretched out of the way because of the lace. It needs to be stretched to allow the lace to lay flat. I’ll post pictures of that, but here are the images of the finished shawl (below).

    In addition, I finished the prayer shawl for a friend of a friend who has colon cancer. It’s a triangle shawl like the Bryce Canyon Shawl, but with an allover lace pattern that’s K1, *YO, K2T. The edges are a 3-stitch garter stitch border with a YO, which is where the shape comes from. I used a picot bind-off which is quite pretty, along with 3 tassels.

    This is an overall view of the shawl that shows the 3 lace diamonds and the lace outline, which is a vertical lace trellis stitch from Barbara Walker.

    This is the bottom, center, medallion, also from Barbara Walker.

    This is the medallion on the left.  When worn, this appears over the left shoulder and down the arm.

    This is the right medallion and, like the left, appears on the arm.

    This shows the bound-off edge with the garter stitch edge and the sewing needle bind-off.
    This is the first comprehensive picture of the Prayer Shawl.  I used Lion Brand Homespun, in Harvest colorway.  The shawl is too large to show flat (it\’s on a Full bed), so I folded the edges.  I used tassels on each of the 3 corners.

    I stepped back to show the shawl again.  I love the way the yarn stripes.

    This is a detail of the picot bind-off, on the inside left; ont he inside right you can see the garter edge with yarn-over increase.  The bind-off takes a while, but as you can see the results are worth it.

    The preparation of the Prayer Shawl will simply be to wash and dry it.  It doesn\’t require blocking, since the yarn doesn\’t pull out of shape.

  • Organizing Tips for Crafters

    Greetings from Vacation Land!  We went to see Brave, which is well worth it, and I finished the Bryce Canyon Shawl!  I\’ll post pictures and a design update, but first just a quick note on organizing.

    I came across a picture today that totally excited me.  One can use a desk organizer for knitting and sewing supplies!  The manufacturers probably think it\’s for pens, pencils, and staplers, but we know better, don\’t we?  Here\’s an idea to get your juices flowing:

    What a great idea, no?  How do you organize your tools?

  • Saturday Showcase – A Conversation with ID Locke

    I recently had the opportunity to hear from ID Locke about her process of art and writing and how they go together.  I\’m excited to share her interview with you!

    KK: Tell me a little more about what crafts you do. What do you like to make?

    IDL: Generally, I do a lot of knitting and hand sewing. Knitting is whatever strikes my fancy at the moment or something that I \”need\” to do. Currently, my \”need\” project is a baby blanket for my soon-to-arrive grandbaby #2. I have another project that I\’ve only gotten as far as casting on the required stitches before I realized that I had a month to knit said baby blanket.

    I have a collection of BJD\’s (ball-jointed dolls) that are physical representations of the characters in several of my stories. I mostly sew clothes for them, but also knit sweaters and travel blankets to provide additional protection when I take them out somewhere. Doll sweaters are fairly quick to knit even if you need to use baby/fingerling yarn and 2.5mm needles.

    I typically knit and sew while watching TV as I can\’t just sit there and do nothing. Long car rides are a challenge as I\’ve found I can\’t knit while in a car because it makes me feel queasy.

    One of my favourite things to do is pick up random balls of yarn at second-hand shops and see what I can make with them. I like the challenge of taking a ball of one colour/texture/weight and mixing it with something else to see what happens. Quite a few of the things I knit are one of a kind as I often have no idea where the yarn came from and can\’t get more of it.

    KK: When did you learn to do crafts?

    IDL: My mom got me started on sewing. She\’s a wonderful seamstress and had me using a sewing machine by the time I was 6. I saw a friend knitting when I was about 8 or 9 and thought it looked neat so I decided to try it.

    KK: Have you ever given a craft to a character? How did you go about it? What research did it require?

    IDL: I have. I have one that actually knits and another who is a face-up artist for BJD\’s on the side. The knitting aspect… well, I already do quite a bit of that so it was easy. The details about face-up work I asked face-up artists some basic information and browsed through a doll forum for info. I have a character that is a glass blower as his job and I researched that as well as spent some time watching some local glass blowers at work.

    KK: What effect does your writing have on your crafting and vice-versa? Does one fall off when the other is stronger, or do they synergize?

    IDL: I have to make time for each thing since they can\’t be done at the same time. Generally, I\’ll knit/sew after supper for an hour or two then switch to writing. On the weekends, depending on what is most pressing for me to get done is what gets worked on the most. For a while I focused exclusively on writing and learned the hard way that wasn\’t a smart thing to do. I try to be more balanced now. I also find that if I\’m working a simple pattern, my mind will go off on little day trips and either take a WIP into new territory or give me something completely new to work on.

    KK: What do you dream of making when you have the time or skills?

    IDL: I\’d love to make a tree of life sweater but the idea of following a chart pattern to that degree turns me off. If I had the money, I\’d love to make a sweater out of quivik yarn but at nearly $100/1 oz ball (and it\’s a lace weight yarn)… yeah, not gonna happen unless I win the lotto.

    KK: Where do you get ideas for your crafts?

    IDL: I usually see something I like and want to make that for myself or somebody I know who\’d really like it. When it comes to doll things, I generally need to make the various clothes as they\’re typically created species of mine and their cultural clothes doesn\’t really exist outside of my head.

    Gallery

    2 wigs for Jolen and a pair of boots I made. The outfit he\’s wearing I also made out of a pair of dress socks.

    I sewed Dakvir\’s outfit and modded his wig to add the silver-white hair

    Kysmirhea\’s wig was made out of dyed fox fur and I sewed his cat ears to it. The white top he\’s wearing is made out of a mesh glove and I also sewed the quasi military jacket, too.

    Biography

    ID Locke is an obsessive/compulsive writer who often ignores things like the need to eat and the fact she’ll be even later for work if that document isn’t closed right this minute. Writing has been a life-long obsession for her, and people have commented that she appears to get twitchy if she doesn’t do it on a regular basis.

    ID Locke has been married for more than twenty years, has a grown son and is now a grandma. She has an exceptionally dirty mind filled with kinky possibilities and enjoys writing hot man-on-man sex (with Plot no less) for her own amusement and the entertainment of others. She works, writes, and knits, squeezing reading and some anime/TV watching in there somewhere. She also enjoys creating clothes and jewellery for the ball-jointed-dolls she has turned into many of the characters from her novels. She’s blunt, sarcastic, and not afraid to speak her mind. Music is one of her loves, and she often listens to her rather eclectic collection while writing to help the creative juices flow.

  • Friday Funnies

  • Saturday Showcase – MJ Fredrick Talks About Her Passion – The Other One!

    KK: Tell me a little more about what crafts you do. What do you like to make?

    MJF: I love to do all kinds of things, but am probably best at sewing. I love love love matching fabric and patterns, and compared to writing, sewing is instant gratification!

    KK: When did you learn to do crafts?

    MJF: When I was 14, my mom told me she didn’t have time to sew for both of us, so she started me out making simple drawstring shorts and halter tops. When I was in high school, I worked in the fabric department at the local five and dime. All my money went back to them for fabric! Some nights I’d go home from work and make an outfit to wear the next day!

    KK: Have you ever given a craft to a character? How did you go about it? What research did it require?

    MJF: Not that I can recall. I do have a heroine in a future novel who’s a gardener and will be opening a nursery. I’ve been pinning ideas for her nursery on Pinterest, lol.

    KK: What effect does your writing have on your crafting and vice-versa? Does one fall off when the other is stronger, or do they synergize?

    MJF: Oh, the writing definitely falls off when I craft. Last summer I managed to balance it pretty well–I’d write in the morning and sew for an hour when All My Children was on 😉 Then at the end of summer I got a new machine and started making things like purses, e-book reader covers and laptop bags, you know, when you see some cool fabric but you’re not sure what to do with it? So I barely wrote in the fall. So far this summer, I’ve spent more time on crafts than writing, mainly because I have a lot of nervous energy and can’t sit still!

    Look at the interesting fabric effects in the center of this design!  Wow! -KK

    KK: What do you dream of making when you have the time or skills?

    MJF: Something retro, like from the 40s or 50s. There was a time, before I got serious about writing, that I could make anything if I just sat down to it. These days I just don’t trust myself to try. Also, I avoid labor-intensive crafts, especially when I know I should be writing.

    KK: Where do you get ideas for your crafts?

    MJF: Pinterest! Evil, evil Pinterest! Although I’ve been inspired by Project Runway, or even just seeing things at the store. Nothing will inspire me to sew like seeing a $400 skirt.

    Biography:

    MJ Fredrick knows about chasing dreams. Twelve years after she completed her first novel, she signed her first publishing contract. Now she divides her days between teaching fourth grade students how to write, and diving into her own writing—traveling everywhere in her mind, from Belize to Honduras to Africa to the past.

    Website | Blog | Facebook | @MJFredrick | PINTEREST

    Addendum

    MJ went shopping today and found a ninety-nine cent sale at JoAnn Fabrics.  Here\’s what she bought:
    MJ says, \”Here are two I\’ll probably never make.\”
    MJ says, \”Going to make this fabric in this pattern.\” 
    MJ says, \”Going to make this fabric in one of these patterns.\”

    MJ says, \”I think I may already have this pattern but I bought it anyway!\”
    She also plans to make a flip flop wreathe, and here\’s a link.
    And also, this.
    Sounds like a productive shopping trip, MJ!

    …

    LOL.  I just got another email from MJ, and she wants to make this skirt on Pinterest.

    I think we\’re going to have to bring MJ back in a month or two and see what she\’s made, yes?  Yes!  MJ, come baaaack!

    ~happy sewing~

  • Friday Funnies

  • Humpday Update – Pictures and Thoughts – the Bryce Canyon Shawl

    The Bryce Canyon Shawl
    You know, it\’s hot enough here in Chicago to fry an egg on the sidewalk (maybe not literally, but it sure feels like it), so working on a shawl that is reminiscent of my time in the desert is, perhaps, fitting.

    As I work on it, I am surprised by my progress.  It feels massive, like it will never be done; as I add new yarn only a couple inches from the last addition I worry I won\’t have enough yarn and will never get to work on my other projects.  My Puritanical Critic chimes in with, you\’d better not work on anything until this is done, and I despair.

    Yet I see progress.  There are four more inches over the last medallion, which surprises me.  When did I have time to add four inches?  I only just finished that medallion this last weekend!  But this is the magic of knitting.  Stitch by stitch, inch by inch, progress accumulates.

    Kind of like life.

    My husband is the professional photographer, which you can sort of tell since all you see of me is the top of my forehead.  And MAN can you tell it\’s hot by how shiny my head is!  What a pate.

    Oh, right.  The knitting, Noony, is why they\’re reading this.  ~blush~

    See how many inches I\’ve added above the ending of the center medallion?  Wowsers.

    Okay, this time I got my eyes, at least.  I\’m still wearing my old glasses, since my new ones had to go back to the doctor to be fixed and they\’re not ready yet.  This is one of the two medallions that will be on the top.

    And this is a close-up of that medallion.  I love Barbara Walker\’s sampler ideas!  These are so fun to make.  I\’m on row 84 here.  Only about 50 more to go before the end, then I\’ll add a few inches of the lace stitch.  (It\’s called \”faggoting,\” but I keep not typing that because it makes me blush and I don\’t want folks to think I\’m being rude.)

  • Organizing Tips for Crafters – Hashtags

    If you are new to the social media phenomenon, you might not have heard of \”hashtags.\”  A hashtag is the \”pound\” symbol:  #, accompanied by a word or words that groups together concepts.  Its purpose is to collect similar information from all over into one easily-searchable stream.  It\’s most popular on Twitter and Tweeps have used literally thousands of hashtags on every imaginable subject.

    Here\’s how they work:  you probably know that you have a limited number of characters to post your thoughts on Twitter, 140 to be exact.  (This comes from the limit imposed on text messaging by the servers that run the \”SMS\” messages.)  One way to become part of the larger conversation is to include a hashtag with your post, and then others who have similar interests can find you.

    I use #quotes most often, since I love to find and post quotes related to my interests.  Here are a few more relevant to crafting:

    #knit and #knitting are the most obvious.  When you have thoughts, updates, or projects to knit, add that to your post.

    #crochet

    #craft The most broad of the topics you can use.

    #sew

    #gifts I love this one, because it\’s such a broad category – it could be things you make and things you buy.

    #handmade

    #ravelry  If you\’re part of the huge worldwide community of Ravelry, this is a great way to link your Tweets to your Ravelry thoughts and pictures.

    Do you have a favorite hashtag or five?  Tell me, in the comments!

  • Journey Into 3-D

    This weekend I had an object lesson in the difference between 2-D planning and 3-D execution.  Namely, yarn estimation.

    When my baby Bryce Canyon Shawl was nice and small, it was easy to imagine I\’d only need a few skeins of yarn.  I\’d done other triangle shawls and wanted this one to be \”bigger\” (technical term) so I knew if I got more yarn, I\’d be fine.  So I got a few skeins.

    Then I threw in the wrinkle of the two extra lace medallions.

    But this also means that there are continuous increases, all the way up the shawl.

    Those of you who already knit know what\’s coming.  I ran out of yarn this weekend.  We went and picked up six more skeins, after running my new estimate by my husband who isn\’t as geometrically challenged as me.  We shall see.

    Here\’s a couple progress photos for you.

    The center medallion is now done, as of this weekend.  I put it on my dress form to take this picture, which turned out surprisingly well.  However, the fabric I already had on the dress form clashes horribly, which is why I\’m not showing you the view from the front.

    The side medallions are getting really big.  I love the way they get set off by the lace on either side; I think it\’s coming out really well.  I love it when a plan comes together!

  • Saturday Showcase – Jennifer Colgan

    Kicking off my series of interviews authors who craft, I interviewed author Jennifer Colgan. As enthusiastic about her crafts as I am, she included many pictures with her interview answers and I\’m excited to be able to share them. Read on, MacDuff!

    KK: Tell me a little more about what crafts you do. What do you like to make?

    JC: I’m hooked on crocheting, painting, jewelry making, drawing and my latest obsession is the art of ZenTangle. I’ve also dabbled in candle making, needlepoint and cross-stitch, quilting, loom knitting, and building miniature dollhouses. About the only thing I haven’t tried is soap making, but that’s on my to-do list.

    KK: When did you learn to do crafts?

    JC: My mother is a knitter and cross-stitcher, so I grew up with crafts. Art class was probably my favorite subject as a kid, and I embraced every medium from clay to pastels.

    KK: Have you ever given a craft to a character? How did you go about it? What research did it require?

    JC: In my paranormal romance, The Devil’s Due, my heroine Ceara is a sculptor. I didn’t really do extensive research on the craft of sculpting, but I tried to channel my creative nature into the character.

    KK:What effect does your writing have on your crafting and vice-versa?  Does one fall off when the other is stronger, or do they synergize?

    JC:Crafting helps me through the rough patches in writing. I can work through writer’s block or tackle a difficult scene or chapter better if I step away from the computer and draw or paint or make something. Sometimes a trip to the craft store is enough of a mini-vacation to energize me and give me the drive to get back to writing. Crafts are how I unwind from most of life’s frustrations because, unlike with my writing, I don’t get hung up on perfectionism when I craft. I find I’m a lot more accepting of the imperfections in a crafted piece that I am of imperfections in a manuscript. I can let go and really enjoy the process of creating because I’m not as critical of the result.

    KK: What do you dream of making when you have the time or skills?

    JC: I’d love to build another dollhouse from scratch. I made a few of them several years ago and ultimately gave them to my niece. I’d also love to crochet a jacket or a sweater, but so far my skill tops out at making blankets.

    KK: Where do you get ideas for your crafts?

    JC: I subscribe to Crafts magazine, and I devour each issue. I also surf the web sometimes looking for craft projects or pick up ideas at the craft store – my favorite place to spend time.

    Jen shared some images of her art with me. Take a peek!

    Afghan – I crocheted this as a housewarming gift for a friend

    Miniatures – this is one of my latest projects. I wanted to display some of my dollhouse leftovers so I made a shadow box for them.

    Scrap-painting – I was never good at scrapbooking, but I love all the stickers, so I bought some along with a small canvas and made this as a Christmas present for a friend who loves England.

    Temari – I got hooked on the Japanese art of temari a few years ago and made dozens of these decorated string ornaments.
    Zentangle – I recently discovered the art of ZenTangle and now I have an excuse to doodle all the time.

    Biography:

    Having narrowly missed being crushed by an avalanche of Star Trek novels as a teenager, Jennifer Colgan vowed to one day cause the book shelves of avid readers all over the world to collapse under their own weight.

    Now multi-published under her own name and as her alter ego, Bernadette Gardner, Jennifer has arrived in the digital age and instead hopes to be responsible for overloading the memory cards of e-book readers everywhere with her paranormal, futuristic and science-fiction romances.

    To learn more about Jennifer visit her website, Bernadette’s website, or their Two Voices blog.

  • Friday Funnies