When I went to swatch my hand spun rose fiber yarn I had an urge to cable, so I did. Cables in knitting look fancy but are not technically difficult. The stitches get a little tight in the twist, so take a little longer, but the concept is just to put one side of the cable on a cable needle, put the extra needle to the front or back, knit the other side of the cable, put the first side back on the knitting needle, then knit them. Honestly the words took longer to type. There are brave souls who can cable without the extra needle to hold the loose stitches, but I haven’t worked up the courage yet.
Photo description: two ply hand spun rose fiber yarn knitted swatch with two cables of opposite twist on a garter stitch background using a size 4 Prym circular needle
The direction of twist depends on if the skipped stitches are moved to the front or back of the work. Since I was swatching, I did one of each.
If you don’t have a swift or a nostepinne (or don’t want to go upstairs then get them), the back of a chair and a roll of paper work fine to take yarn from skein to ball form.
Photo description: skein of hand spun cotton hung on the back of a wood chair, and center pull ball of yarn started on a roll of card stock, black dog looking on in the background
I rolled up two skeins of hand spun cotton this way. This is the cotton that I spun from raw bolls then three plied two ways: crepe and chain ply.
Photo description: two nostepinne style balls of cotton yarn, chain ply on the left, crepe on the right
I’m most interested in how these two preparations knit up. Yes, I’m looking forward to swatching. I’m weird like that.
Back in December of 2012 I was into cutting up wine bottles and heating them up to melting in my kiln. I made an ornament from the base of a green bottle, cut a groove in the side with my wet grinder, and wire wrapped it. Using an engraving tool I wrote the first verse from A Visit from St Nicholas by Clement-Clark Moore in a spiral out in tiny lettering.
Photo description: green glass ornament with spiral writing and organza ribbon
As I scroll my photo history, I don’t take every craft project for a throwback post. When I look at a photo, if there aren’t enough words in my head, it doesn’t get picked. There are some projects where I don’t remember what materials I used, or don’t have any in process photos to remind me how I constructed it. So I keep scrolling. Since I’m still picking projects from 13 years ago, I figure I have some leeway.
In August 2012 I helped finish a crocheted rope project. Unfortunately I didn’t write down details. I remember that the woman who commissioned me to do the work received the started pieces from a loved family member that passed before finishing the necklaces. She wanted something that she could wear, not just sit in a box. The original intent of the work was to make a long rope with looped beaded tassels on the end. That didn’t suit my client, so we decided they should sit near the collarbone with a magnetic clasp. The original maker had threaded the beads, made the first tassel, and started the crochet with a size 13 steel needle. There was one pink seed bead project and one with white seed beads.
Photo description: box of white seed beads threaded onto cotton thread, tassel and crocheted rope laid on the outside of the boxPhoto description: pink seed bead crocheted rope with wildly different translucent seed beads on the tassel.Photo description: my method of beaded string organization, a huggy spool
I removed the tassels and finished the crochet to the desired length, then ran a piece of 49 strand beading wire through the tube. I attached the magnetic clasp to the wire so that no pressure was applied to the bead work.
Photo description: finished crocheted ropes in white and pink on a reflective black surface
I love the feel of crocheted seed beads ropes, but it is small detailed work that is not fast. The client was pleased and I enjoyed helping a project reach completion.
This was before I learned about the Loose Ends project that matches unfinished projects with volunteer finishers.
As I was wandering outside the dead stalks of last season’s Gregg’s Mistflower caught my eye. I love that the plant took over our front flower bed, and the local insects love the flowers that bloom from Spring to Fall. I started clearing the dried stems in preparation for Spring, and wondered if it would make good weaving material.
Photo description: dried Gregg’s Mistflower stems, stripped of leaves
I did an initial test by wrapping some stems in a wet towel. I left them overnight and in the morning tested pliability. They seemed flexible. The next step will be to harvest more and attempt some weaving.
It would be fantastic if my new favorite plant could also be a craft material.
Critters and Craft 