In the Garden with the Ants

When I first planted peonies, I was horrified to see the ants all over the buds.  A little internet research and I learned that the ants are probably beneficial to opening up the flowers…. so I leave them be. And watch. 

In my house, I wouldn’t hesitate to squish one of these.  Outside, they’re doing something beautiful.  There must be something poetic I can attribute to this, like the ephemeral nature of art, or the purposefulness of something or other.   All this work and the flowers will bloom and fade within the month….  Do ants enjoy the flower when it blooms?   I can compare it to enjoying the process of art and then selling or giving away a piece that I’ve worked on for weeks.

“It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?”
Henry David Thoreau

That’s a good question.  I missed Tool Tuesday & Artful Thursday last week, have a lot of projects going on all at once.  Maybe I’ll finish some and post pictures here this week. 

It rained for a few days and when I checked outside, my herb garden had exploded.  So many things have overrun each other, the tall ones are Japanese lanterns, of to the right in the back is sage (I think), in the front is some sort of thyme and in the middle should be my lemon balm… but I’ll have to check to make sure it hasn’t been completely smothered.  I hope to plant some vegetables this week and pray that the super short New England summers allow me to harvest something!

May Featured Blogger – an Explosion of Happiness a Sale and Gifts

As soon as I clicked on the link to the month’s Featured EtsyBlogger, I smiled – what a great, cheerful banner!  It’s her birthday month & Sandi is having a big sale – take a look at her Handmade by Sandi shop and her Stash shop, too.

I like her shop suggestion for gifts:

“Crocheted chokers are coming back, and they make great gifts for teens as well as adults!

Cup cozy's are great gifts for teachers, bus drivers, babysitters, co-workers and anyone else who loves coffee, hot chocolate or tea! And a great way to help the economy without using those cardboard sleeves.”

Check out this adorable hat she’s made and sells in her store:

There’s also this Spa Set with a goat’s milk soap sample – I’m drawn to that chartreuse green color:

And of course, she has a blog, it’s really charming, you should stop by!

Artful Thursday – Sewing a Little Purse

I hadn’t intended on this being so little, but … having what I had on hand, this is what I came up with….

I thought this Amy Butler “Dew Drops” fabric was fantastic and I had just a 1/4 yard of it.  I used the tutorial over at Prudent Baby for her Pretty Pleated Purse… but I left out the pleats.  It was a super-fast and easy project.  Here’s how I modified it to omit the pleats:

I centered the interfacing along the top and bottom halves of my outside fabric instead of onto two sewn pieces of fabric (see her tutorial pictures, you’ll see what I mean.)  I cranked up the contrast on this photo so you could see the interfacing:

This turned out to be a “little” purse when I realized I had a 7” zipper instead of a 10” one called for… so out came the scissors to trim the fabric down to size:

        

Other than that, it was a breeze – even putting the zipper in  - all her pictures and instructions were fantastic!

Happy Artful Thursday.

I said at the start of Artful Thursdays that I’d only make things for myself these days…. but this one is a gift for a teen.  I have plans to make a bunch more for myself and my girls, but this is the one that I created first, and I’m glad that I started out small. 

Do you ever want to keep the things you make for other people? 

Tool Tuesday - Small Parts Storage

Just this week I was looking at storage for beads and wondering if I should reorganize all my stuff into something that I can see better (& then use them when they’re not out-of-sight!)  Wouldn’t you know it, Stuart comes along with a post about storage…. I’m loving the 44 Drawer Cabinet- Red & Grey!  That would definitely perk up my workspace.  The “watchmaker’s cases” he links to are adorable and look great for taking projects on-the-go, too.  Yeah, I definitely am drawn to the aesthetics of these things as much to their practicality. 

 

Small Parts Storage

More often than not, the more organized you are, the more efficient your work will be. Crafters often have a wide range of small parts that would rain chaos on their productivity if not organized properly - beads, buttons, clasps, needles, and so forth. Following are a few of my favorite storage solutions. How do you store small parts?

Compartmentalized plastic containers:* These are by far the most popular organizers used by crafters. They offer fixed or adjustable compartment sizes, and can be used to group like-tools and materials together.

Stanley Removable Compartment Organizer:* This is by far my favorite organizer, but it does not work as well for very small parts. The advantage of this type of storage is that the compartments can be reconfigured between organizers, and can be removed and brought to the crafting table.

Plastic Drawers Organizer: This type of organizer can be wall-mounted or can be stacked on a table or shelf. 44 Drawer Cabinet*

Jars & Containers: Small containers, such as "watchmaker's cases", vials, and small spice jars, are better suited for storing very small or delicate parts.

How do you store your stuff?  Do you need to get better organized?

*Certain products links, such as those leading to Amazon.com, are provide for readers' convenience and reference. This blog is partially supported when sales are made through those affiliate links.

Mother’s Day – Sheep & Wool Festival

Every Mother’s day weekend there is the Sheep & Wool Festival & for the last few years I wasn’t able to go for one reason or another – this year, I was determined not to miss it.  We all ventured in 40degree F winds, bundled up and were able to see the exhibits.

I thought these two Abenaqui Alpacas from Sanford, Maine were adorable.  They are the ones on the left. 

You can see the ones on the right do not have a natural coat to keep them warm and they were freezing, but trying to be cheerful so I would have a nice Mother’s Day.  It’s a good thing these fairs have food, too- hot apple cobbler and fresh kettle corn were needed to keep the beasts tame.

I liked the way these Dorset’s looked, I didn’t know why:I picked up the brochure near the pen and read “The Dorset ewe has a great appetite… .. Dorset ewes have a sweet feminine character and are among the best mothers found among sheep breeds, far excelling most other breeds in maternal instinct and ability to care for their young.  Their lambs grow with astonishing rapidity.”    That must be it, I could sense a kindred feeling and their motherliness on Mother’s Day.  (Although if my kids see their picture above, and read this, they may think otherwise!)

 

This Oxford had a kind of punk look with that little tuft on the top of the head: 

Angora Goat wouldn’t stay still for me, but looked mighty soft despite the fierceness of the horns:

 

I didn’t buy any yarn during the day – having amazing willpower.  I just didn’t see anything that really thrilled me.  The one olive colored, hand-dyed Wool/Silk blend that I saw was really delicious looking, but I have so much yarn at home and no project in mind. 

One thing that I’d never seen was silk cocoons being boiled and spun into yarn.  The many strands you see in this picture are being woven into one strand of silk:

Now I’m off to read the Mother’s Day blog roundup over at Made By Melissa.  I hope you had an enjoyable Sunday & are starting the week off right!

Favorite Material - Yarn

This week’s EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival is going to be hosted by Made By Melissa (sometime Monday you’ll be able to see team member’s answers to these questions over at her site).  Two questions for today are:

1) Mother's Day is May 10 - tell us how you will be spending the holiday …

2) What is your favorite material to work with and why?

Since I’m so opinionated, I’ll have two answers today!  But #1 will have to wait.  On Sunday I’d like to go to the Sheep & Wool Festival – if the weather holds out and my family cooperates – I’ll attend and blog about it on Sunday with lots of pictures.

As for #2… that’s a tough one.  If I really had to chose between yarn and fabrics, yarn would have to win.  I can do so much with it and it’s portable – which is HUGE for me since I hate being idle and carrying around a project at all times keeps me sane.  I can embellish it with beads if I want to.  I can knit with my eyes closed & I’m loving crochet right now since I’ve learned how to these last few years.  Maybe it should win just for longevity… I’ve been knitting since I was around 11 or 12.  That’s a long time!

  1. Jelly Donut Trio, 2. Cake, 3. Two donuts

1. Bracelet, 2. Hotpad, 3. Brooch, 4. Monkeysuits, 5. Saartje's Booties

When you make something with yarn, it’s ok to touch it – to feel the textures worked into it by hand, whether it’s a bumpy stitch, the softness of a luxury fiber, or a sturdy felted piece.  It’s very personal to make and to use or wear something made with yarns. 

1. Tiny elephant, 2. Panda, 3. Amigurumi Elephant, 4. Alpha, 5. William H. Monster

And [theoretically] when I’m in the rhythm of working on a project, I can sit for hours with needles or hook and my hands will be busy.. instead of snacking!  I can even take it with me to the park and knit a simple project while I go on paths.  It keeps me company on long car trips, too.

1. Wool Handbag, 2. Felted KnitWhits Handbag, 3. felted bowls 

When I started writing, I thought it would be hard to chose between yarn and fabric, but I see now that my favorite material is clear.  For today at least…. 
What’s your favorite?

Artful Thursday – Quick Crochet Ring Tutorial

I’ve fallen in love with crochet.  While working on a  free-form project, I remembered some beads I had set aside to work into a ring and was able to whip this up in less than 30 minutes.  Here’s how:

First, I strung the beads onto my crochet thread with a fine needle: 

Next, I made a chain of 23 stitches because that’s how many I needed to fit around my first finger (the one I plan on wearing the ring on.)  That’s a size 8 on my ring-sizer.

I slip-stitched the ring into a circle and did 2 rows of single crochet.  (For the entire piece, I stitched into the top loops only. At the end of each row, I did a chain 1 to bring it up.)  On the third row, I worked 12 stitches, then turned the work to the wrong side because when I put on beads, they always end up on the opposite side from where I’m working.  Then I began haphazardly chaining one or two, sliding stones forward, single crocheting them around and making a little mess in the center of the ring with the beads. 

Once they were all on the ring, I turned it back around to work on the right side, finished the rest of the third row, and did one final row of single crochet, catching the backs of the beads as I went along. 

I didn’t take it to seriously and I think it came out pretty cute – I believe there will be many more of these in my crochet future!

As for more details, this was a ball of string that I had in my stash & I used a size US 7 steel hook/1.5 MM.  I have no idea what the weight of the string is, or whether I used the correct hook, but it seems to have worked out well.

Happy Artful Thursday.

I’m really loving crochet and hardly ever want to knit anymore.  Have you ever fallen in love with a new craft?

Tool Tuesday - Xuron Kevlar Cutters vs. Precision Scissors

Once upon a time, I was working on a doll armature and in usual Tamdoll fashion, grabbed whatever was nearby to cut the wire.  I had an old cutter, squeezed too hard and wrenched something in my palm…. a minor procedure and a few weeks later I was relieved that no permanent damage had been done – and learned a lesson - good quality tools are important!  Since then I’ve been more conscientious about what I use for each application – in my crafting I use everything from heavy-duty wire, to fishing line, to cotton threads and fine jewelry wire.  Here, Stuart is going to focus on some precision cutting tools:

 

Tool Tuesday - Xuron Kevlar Cutters vs. Precision Scissors

Xuron produces a wide range of pliers and cutters that quite popular amongst crafters. I wouldn't call myself a crafter, but as mentioned elsewhere, I often use Xuron tools for a number of my hobbies and for precision work.

Xuron offers such a wide range of tools that it can sometimes be difficult to choose the right tool for the task. At one point, I needed a pair of precision scissors to cut tough nylon parachute cord (paracord). I found that Xuron offered two excellent options - their 440 high precision scissors, and 9180 Kevlar fiber cutters.

The 440 high precision cutters are cheaper, shorter, and are capable of more precise cuts. Xuron's Kevlar cutters, on the other hand, are designed to cleanly cut through stronger material, and are available with either plain-edge blades, or with one plain-edge and one serrated blade. Ultimately, I opted for the serrated 9280 Kevlar cutter for its greater strength and non-slip capabilities. A few hundred cuts later, the tool is still performing as well as ever, and has never let me down.

Ideally, one could use Kevlar cutters for heavier duty cutting, and the 440 high precision shears for more delicate work.  For crafting, Xuron tools are used for soft wire work, beading, jewelry making, and floral arrangements, to name a few.  I also use it to trim thread and cord flush up to their knots. With regular scissors I cannot get that close due to their size.   The Xuron scissors are also good for "high strength beading and fishing line".

These Xuron scissors and shears are orders of magnitude better than the imported no-name ones you'll find at department stores and certain craft shops. Aside for their great quality, they're affordable priced, AND made in the USA! The two models mentioned in this post can be found via crafting suppliers, industrial tool suppliers, and on Amazon*.

Xuron 440 High Precision Scissors

Xuron 9180 Partially Serrated Kevlar Cutters

Xuron Home Page

Do you use precision scissors or pliers? If so, tell us about them! I'll talk a bit more about precision shears and pliers in a few weeks, but before then I'd like to hear from all of you!

Xuron also has a very active and friendly rep on twitter, who can answer any questions and has been known to give away tools at random times. http://twitter.com/Xuron

 

*Certain products links, such as those leading to Amazon.com, are provide for readers' convenience and reference. This blog is partially supported when sales are made through those affiliate links.

Monday Mashup – Crochet, Knitting, Sewing, Flower Pics

To say that I’m working on many projects would be an understatement.  Here are pictures of: my latest freeform crochet-along on Ravelry; a top I finished knitting and am blocking now; and another flowering plant I discovered blooming in my garden.  I’m also working on some crochet bracelets to sell, and a necklace for an upcoming birthday present.

I made these Quilted Organizers, thanks to jcasa’s great pattern – and now that I have all this fabric taken out of storage and strewn all over my workspace, I’m planning to make a bunch of handbags and maybe some more of these little books:

These are for sale locally, at Apotheca.  The only thing I have to organize now is enough time to be home to work on all these (and early enough in the day to be alert!)

Thanks for all your comments on my posts, I really appreciate your visits and the time you take to leave me your feedback!  In the midst of hectic household stuff, kid’s softball games and the general mayhem of life, I’m looking to my crafting projects to keep me a little calm.  I carry yarn and needles everywhere I go… maybe I will even figure out a good way to carry some hand-sewing with me, too.  While waiting at school pick-up lines, or on the bleachers during a ball game, if I can focus and get some things created, that will make me very happy this week.

Do you take things with you on the go?  What are you going to work on this week?