Dr. Quinn's Shawl

The word crochet for you may bring up images of Grandmas and Great Aunts making doilies that go on the top of every piece of furniture. But though this may have been true, crochet has come a long way. Crocheted items pop up every where. I was watching "Nine To Five" the other day during the party scene at Doralee's house (Dolly Parton) and there is a cool retro crocheted daisy blanket on the back of the couch. And check out my blog post "Lil Mama's Hat," (feb 2010), now that is hip crochet. Oh, and if you ever watch "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman," there are crocheted shawls everywhere. Shawls never go out of style do they?



Classic Dr. Quinn expression.



Then,

 I'll admit, I watched Project Runway this year and I was looking at http://www.zeitgeistudios.com/ which Gretchen Jones collaborates with. I found a cool crocheted dress (technically hairpin lace) that she recomends posted today for outfits to wear this week or even next. Who knows?




Now.
http://www.zeitgeistudios.com/category/fashion/

 

 There will always be a place in the world for crochet and don't think I won't be looking

 and telling you about it!

Peter Piper's Invited

So, I follow in pioneer footsteps even now when I could just go to the store. The best part is that I won't starve if I don't can my cucumbers. And there were a lot of them in my garden this year. Lemon cucumbers to be exact, which don't taste lemony, but look like lemons.

I looked for a pickle recipe specifically for them and found one at the Jillicious blog: http://jilliciousdiscoveries.blogspot.com/search/label/pickles 

That's where you can find how to pickle your own. Thanks Jill!



Sterilize!




Cook.





Wait.

 So I made her bread and butter pickle recipe and her quick pickle recipe, (and took pics in the style of Jillicious), and then decided to pickle some jalapenos too; which did all right this summer in the garden despite the short amount of warm weather. And some carrots -- I put the carrots in the leftover pepper juice so they will be spicy too! Jill's quick pickle recipe turned out yummy and fresh. I haven't tried the processed veggies yet because they are still in the waiting stages. Anyone can do quick pickles for a potluck. They don't take long and they go great as a fresh side or mixed in a salad.




Quick Pickles



Spicy!



Zips and Haberdashery

I recently traveled to England. While I was in York, I came across a shop called "Duttons for Buttons: zips and haberdashery." Of course I went in and oh, the buttons! There was a whole wall of them. I could have browsed all afternoon in the buttons. I finally picked some  white and transparent buttons, and payed for them. The young lady at the checkout told me that the ceiling upstairs was really cool. All the old buildings in York (and much of England) have exposed beam ceilings. Many of the buildings in this part of York are from the 13th and 14th centuries and have lots of character. So, I went up the first narrow flight of stairs, and there was more haberdashery! Incidentally, I looked up the word haberdashery and the dictionary said: "Goods sold by a haberdasher." Um, right. So:

Haberdasher: 1. British: a dealer in notions. 2. a dealer in men's clothing and accessories.

Ok, cool. A dealer in notions, I like that. If I could be a dealer in notions from my mind, I could really get somewhere. Anyway, I went up the second narrow flight of stairs and there was more haberdashery, and zips of course, and the ceiling, which was amazing.

Even though I had paid for my buttons, I found a cross stitch project that I liked, so I paid for that, as well as a cross stitch project for my Mother-in-law who also likes to cross stitch. I was really excited to get this project started and I did today! I will update my progress on the project and as the days pass, the suspense will build, and when I am done you will be able to see the final picture!

In the Heat of the Night

This entry is in honor of my friend who almost burned her apartment down trying to be crafty. For this I give her a Crafty Badge of Bravery.

How to make candles out of the wax from your old candles:

Step One:
Go to the thrift-store and purchase an old saucpan that you will use only for crafting. Go to a craft store and buy candle wicks.

Step Two:
At home, make a double boiler by filling a slightly bigger saucepan about one-third of the way with water. Bring this water to a simmer. Collect your candle wax. If there are huge chunks, break them into smaller ones to speed up the melting process. Place them into the thrift-store pan. Place your thrift-store pan into the simmering water. Keep the heat on medium-low to low. This will gently melt your wax. Swirling is the best way to mix it. That way you don't have to get a utensil all waxy.

Step Three:
Here you can either begin the lengthy process of dipping your wick into the wax repeatedly to make a dipped candle, or you can pour it into a mold like a small milk carton (the kind from lunch in grade school). If you pour it into a mold, make sure you tie your wick to a pen or pencil and place it on top of the mold to that it hangs down into the mold. Then carefully pour your wax in. Leave your wick tied to the pencil until the wax has hardened. If you make a dipped candle, tie the wick to a wooden spoon or the like, dip your wick into the wax letting it harden between each dipping. Keep adding layers until the candle is the desired thickness. Hang it up to dry.

Step Four:
When you are quite sure that your candle has completly hardened, you may remove the candle from the mold and trim the wick. Or for a dipped candle, trim the bottom so that it fits into your candle holder.

Step Five:
An easy way to clean up the wax from the pan is to stick it in the freezer for a while. Then take it out and chip the wax out and into the trash bin.

That's the basics. You can do it!

The life of a square

I finished a pillow that was a gift for my Aunt Sally! I will always associate rust orange with Sally. If you see the posting from January, you can see the kind of square that I used for the pillow. I made eight of them and then sewed them together. I made a green fabric pillow just smaller than the crocheted one and stuffed it. Then I placed the green one inside the orange and blue one and fastened the edge. She liked it.

Still Life With Beer

Last October I went to a truly authentic Octoberfest celebration. It was a hoot. There was even a horn blowing contest. You know--the huge horns as long as a giraffe neck. This painting is inspired by that, and summer of course. Summer, when I am so thirsty for beer; as opposed to October when I feel like I'm guzzling it down to store up fat for the winter, which I do quite effectively. Yum.

Summer also reminds me of painting, which is fun to do outside on my back patio while listening to music.  

Cupcakes Are So In Right Now

Cupcakes, the confident offspring of cake, are popping up everywhere these days. Decadent little things, I thought they deserved an homage in the form of yarn, so I made a few for my little three month old friend who will enjoy pretending to eat them when she gets a little older.

Full of Beans

It's Spring and my attentions have turned to gardening. Am I allowed to write about gardening on my crafting blog? I think so. It feeds the same part of my brain and soul. I planted some fava beans this fall that survived the Winter and are flowering now. Nerdy facts alert! Nerdy facts alert! Fava beans are also known as broad beans, horse beans, windsor beans, and pigeon beans and they are one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. Fava beans are legumes and cousins to peas. They help to fix the nitrogen in my garden soil. I am excited to eat them when they are ready!

Heart Murmur

This is my latest fun creation. Here’s the story of how I got the heart. I went to this small, dark and crowded antique store that I always pass by on my way home from work. The building looks somewhat anteekie itself, chipping paint and a battered grand piano on top of the roof. The shop was full of furniture and glass vases, statuettes in cabinets, and lots of paintings, a jungle of a store really. The man who runs it likes to talk politics. He was a real character. He started talking to me while I was walking around the store. At first I thought he was talking to someone else but I was the only one in there. So, I came back and listened to what he had to say. I tend to automatically use my listening skills to their fullest extent, so he had my full attention, until I thought to myself that this could last a long time; he does NOT like republicans, to put it lightly. So, I listened and walked around at the same time, occasionally answering with a “Wow” or a “Yeah – it’s crazy out there.”

Then another woman came into the store. While he welcomed her into the store, I made a break for the back where I found an assortment of junk jewelry and modern pierced earrings. Then I spotted this tarnished heart on a tarnished chain. I thought it would clean up well so I brought it to the front and asked if I could have the heart but not the chain. This threw the guy off a little bit, but we came to a price and I was off to a new project! Time spent shopping: 15 minutes. Time spent listening to shopkeeper: 20 minutes.

To make this necklace I just put some rings together to make a chain, long enough to put over my head without a clasp. I thought the circle rings would complement the circle in the heart. I like how it turned out. It is a great piece for layering with other metal necklaces. That is the current fashion after all!

The Softer Side of Taxidermy

Wow! This is some amazing crochet art! http://www.shaunarichardson.com
My friend Ashlie pointed this out to me. If you click on the "studio" tab you can see some of her finished animals, including this lifesize lioness. I am impressed not only by the crocheting but by the vision of this artist. The song "Killing Me Softly" pops into my head. . .

Lil Mama's Hat

I was watching America's Best Dance Crew when I saw this wicked hat that Lil Mama was wearing. It's a mohawk hat. It's very inspiring. Cool crochet, represent. Y'all, this hat brings it.

What Have You Done For Me Lately?

With the holidays and all, I haven't written lately, so I thought I would post some stuff that I've been crafting recently. Remember "Walkmans?" Well, I joined the technological world of music and recieved an Ipod Nano for Christmas to replace my Walkman. Of course, I immediately thought "I need to make a case for this little thing!" Was I more excited about the prospect of making a case or getting an Ipod? I'm not sure. I dashed off a little purple cover, and I am sure I will make more considering the size of the player.

I found this chunky yarn and I couldn't help but make a pink and white scarf out of it. It reminds me of candy.

I also made a casual bag which is felted, wool and silk. I love felting because you have to wait for it. I put it in the washing machine and it is out of my hands. It turned out softer than I thought it would.

I crocheted this speckled hat in a way that makes it look knitted but is not. Tricky eh? I can only knit in a very primative way. Why do that when I can crochet?

Of course I always have five or six hundred projects going at the same time. One is the squares. You can see them here in different phases. A pillow is the goal; we will see. . . I will post it when I am done.

There you go. I have yet to figure out how to work out and craft at the same time, but I am sure there will be a way in the future. Look at what happened with music!