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!

"Winterfest"

Well, I had a craft day on Saturday when I had a booth at the Winterfest selling my crocheted items at the local high school. All day, as we sat at our tables full of handiwork, the other crafters and I were serenaded by the local school choirs singing holiday songs. It was heart-warming. My favorite was when the high school show choir sang "Eye of the Tiger." The girls in sparkly dresses, the guys dressed up to the nines, all of them singing their little hearts out and probably wishing that they could have been alive when that song first came out.

I sold a few hats and a scarf, happy knowing people will be warmer. I felt vindicated when elderly women would walk by my table and sort of nod in a way that seemed like they were approving my wares. They did not speak, they would just walk by slowly looking at the things I had made and then nod once, like I was a student at a crafting school for girls and had to prove my skills before I could move to the next level of crafting wisdom.

Sitting at a table all day also gave people the chance to talk to me, to tell me stories. One man asked me about my projects and then told me about how his mother was a wonderful knitter. He told me that people would send her yarn and tell her what to make, she would make it and they would pay her for it. He also told me that his mother would make new pants for the children out of their father's worn out slacks. He told me that when there was no money you just used what you had. He said that the depression in the 1930s raised tough and resourceful men. Men who would later have to fight in World War II. He said we owe them a lot. All this from just selling my hats and listening.

That pretty much sums up "Winterfest."
There's no place like show choir for the holidays.

Pour Some Sugar On Me

I had read that instead of starch, you can use sugar and water to stiffen things like crocheted snowflakes. The sugar water is better becuase it doesn't yellow over time. so, I tried it in two different applications and it worked! The process was super sticky but it was easy. I just melted the sugar in a pot of water on the stove and then dunked the snowflakes in. I squeezed them out and then blocked them on a piece of cardboard with pins, and waited for them to dry. It took about three days for the small one to really dry which was longer than I thought. The big one took four or five days. The big one was the experiment- instead of cotton I used wool and the snowflake was much bigger. In general, I think cotton will always work better but it's nice to know that wool works too. Now that I write that I realize the nerdieness factor here is at about an nine, but no one can deny the cuteness of crocheted snowflakes.

Craft and Talk at the Same Time

I had three ladies over this weekend for a crafty day. We had lovely, pumpkiny food and good conversation. Crafting with others is somehow validating. It's like the difference between drinking alone and drinking with others. When people are around, it seems less strange and obsessive. So, I took the opportunity to finish some crocheting from my "unfinished projects box," while the ladies knitted and beaded. It was so civilized. It makes me think back to the days when rich ladies just sat around and did needlework in the huge parlor. I am grateful that I don't have to craft in a corset.