In need of a nostepinne

On By CarynIn Craft

I finished plying the rose combed top fiber, wound it onto my PVC niddy noddy, and gave it a rinse. When it was dry, I took the skein and hung it over the back of a chair, but I went to wind it into a ball, and couldn’t find my nostepinne, or the rolled card stock I had been using. Hm. Then I noticed the PVC pipe is about the right size. Perfect.

Photo description: nostepinne style ball wrap on a PVC pipe from a home made niddy noddy

Are swifts and ball winders and wooden niddy noddys nice? Yes, of course. Are they necessary to the yarn making process? Nope. The back of a chair, or an extra pair of hands, and a rolled paper or a length of pipe will do.

Bandsaw cut blanks

On By CarynIn Craft

I used my bandsaw to cut thin wood blanks for the laser cutter.

Photo description: purple heart, hickory, and flame maple thin boards

One disadvantage of thin cut hardwood is that it can be brittle. Plywood is constructed with layers of wood glued with the grain perpendicular to add strength, which is why most of the laser cut kits include plywood. As an example, I tried cutting the “Happy New Year” ornament from purple heart and I couldn’t even take it out of the machine without it breaking. (I did mention this in the post Wednesday, but did’t post the fail, so here it is!)

Photo description: failed Happy New Year ornament

So the challenge here is to design for support and strength when working with these hardwoods. I do have some ideas.

Sit and Spin

On By CarynIn Craft

I have been designing this graphic in my head for about two years, and have finally made it happen! It is available on Redbubble and TeePublic (which are sister sites, but carry different styles).

Photo description: “Sit and Spin” words in old script with the silhouette of a traditional spinning wheel and radial lines representing the action of spinning

Throwback Thursday: button necklace

On By CarynIn Craft, throwback

In September 2011 I was experimenting with ways to make jewelry from buttons without destroying the button. One of Grandma’s pet peeves was when buttons had been glued or cut to “upcycle” them (she was a button collector).

I came up with a wire wrap that utilized a four hole button, making it into a link component.

Photo description: first step of a button spiral cluster using two pieces of 20 gauge sterling silver wire threaded though hand made wire coils, then the button holes, then interlocked
Photo description: step 2 begins making each leg of wire into a spiral
Photo description: close up of finished spiral cluster securing a button nondestructively
Photo description: full necklace with identical buttons wire wrapped in silver

I actually took production photos for this necklace, for which I am now very thankful.

Happy New Year!

On By CarynIn Craft, photography
Photo description: laser cut Happy New Year ornament made from birch plywood held up against the blue sky

I tried cutting this shape from purple heart, but it was too brittle and crumbled coming out of the machine. The plywood is a little better; it still has some flex but still breaks easily with the thinness of the design. As I experiment, I hope to learn solid design parameters as applied to laser cuts. Let the experiments continue!

I hope y’all have a year full of creativity and purpose! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I hope it brings some inspiration and amusement.