Sing design

On May 31, 2026 By CarynIn art, Craft

I needed a new design for the other side of the van in the upper corner of the back window because it makes the vehicle easier to spot in parking lots. So I designed one.

Photo Description: white vinyl decal on a car window with the word “Sing” in script letters and four concentric circles of varying thickness

The concentric circles represent the Barbershop cone of sound, just looking down from the top, where the largest sound should be from the basses, then baritones (when their note is below the leads), then leads (who have the melody in Barbershop), and then tenors. Fun fact, in Barbershop the voice parts are not related to gender, but to the role the part plays in the harmony balance. So we use bass, baritone, lead, and tenor for low voice, mixed voice, and high voice choruses and quartets.

I designed the graphic in Adobe Illustrator and cut it out with a CRICUT electric cutter.

Check mate

On May 30, 2026June 1, 2026 By CarynIn Craft

My lap continues to be a playing board for cat chess. The stakes have been raised as the blanket I’m crocheting gets larger and there is actually room for a toe beans.

Photo description: working on my crochet with a calico cat in the mid-ground and dilute tortie in the background

Photo description: this is a very happy cat, she won a round of cat chess and gets to lay on the in-progress crocheted blanket

Yes. There are cat hairs crocheted indelibly into the blanket.

Whatever it takes

On May 29, 2026 By CarynIn Craft

Summer is coming to Texas, which means it will be hot. Hot during the day, hot at night, and hot in the morning. I found a recumbent stationary bicycle so that I can get some exercise this summer, because I have historical data that I won’t go walking in the summer heat. I also know that I am easily distracted, so I have two arm bags with different projects set up on the machine, and there is a stand for my phone so I can get some learning in while I craft and pedal.

Photo description: monitor view of a stationary bicycle with two cotton bags hanging from the handles, the left one has knitting and the right one has spinning with a drop spindle

Yarn chicken redo

On May 26, 2026May 26, 2026 By CarynIn Craft

Photo description: crocheted blanket edge with scallops incomplete with not enough yarn left to finish

I lost at yarn chicken on a baby blanket edge. I needed to make two more scallops to finish and there just wasn’t enough yarn. Rather than scrap the whole edge, I ripped out just the last side and redid it so the scallops spanned 6 stitches instead of five. This gave me less scallops overall on that edge and I had enough yarn to complete the edge.

Photo description: crocheted baby blanket with scalloped edge before weaving in, showing the extra yarn

The blanket is based on Mary Maxim’s Easy Diagonal Blanket pattern, but done with alternating two rows of white, purple, and pink. I deviated on the edge too, by doing a single crochet all along the outer edge to hide yarn ends, then making 5-double crochet scallops along the edge.

I used acrylic yarn for the blanket because it is machine washable and dry-able, and new moms do not need any gift that can’t be easily washed.

Throwback Thursday: T21 bracelet

On May 21, 2026 By CarynIn Craft, throwback

In August of 2017 I made custom metal buttons for Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21) awareness bracelets by drilling two holes in aluminum discs and stamping them.