I follow an Inkle band weaving group on Facebook that is under new administration, who are trying to clean up the site and get it back to Inkle weaving (and not a repository for spam). They asked for submissions for a new banner image, and my rainbow tablet weave won by popular vote!
They said they would change the image frequently, which is also good. I’m excited that mine was the first picked!
This band went on to become the strap for my ukulele.
Awhile ago I made my Dad a nålbound wool cap with ear flaps. He recently had a haircut and found that sleeping in the wool was too hot, so requested a lighter version of the cap to be on his gift list. Nålbinding is inherently warm, and works best with wool or easily felted fiber, so I changed not only the fiber, but the method of construction. I had some very soft 100% cotton yarn, which is difficult to nålbind, but very easy to crochet. My favorite cushy crochet stitch is a half double crochet, so this is what I used to make a spiral round cap with ear flaps. The yarn was self-striping, and I used a shell stitch above the ears to start the flap then decreased before the flap, and increased around the flap. This was very much a stitch by feel construction.
I had more yarn, so decided to make a second hat. I tried for a smaller size, but half-double crochet hats don’t narrow as quickly as double crochet hats, so the crown size needs to be significantly smaller. I forgot this fact, and ended up with a hat the same size, just without ear flaps. So I sent both to my Dad to try as after haircut sleep caps.
It is time for the annual making of the bookmarks for my youngest’s teachers. We do this every year and they are always well received. This year was a snow theme and she wanted a snowflake as the “tassel”. To attach the two laminated pieces of paper I punched a small hole and did a few half square knots to make a small section of twisted macrame.
I like the way the half square knots twist. To finish it off, I put a dab of white glue, then trimmed the ends close to the work.
I went shopping in my craft room. I was fairly certain I had more than the one tatting shuttle I found, so I perused my shelves and found a baggie with five more shuttles! Score!
I have inherited a variety of crafting implements over the years, so shopping in the craft room is a common occurrence. I did manage to make a lopsided star in tatting. Skill development in this area continues.
So tatting is a craft I have not previously attempted. I have not historically been a lace person, so tatting, which is a type of knotted lace, was not a high priority. Finding myself in Texas, where thick woolens are not required, I’ve come to appreciate the functionality of lace. Mainly, I can craft something that is wearable in the Texas heat. To keep it real, I took a picture of my failed first attempts.
Not to cast a pall on all the fantastic lace work out there, but they all started with misshapen tangles of thread too. It is hard to learn new things, and the first products are not usually spectacular. It takes time and practice to develop the muscle memory and control for different hand crafts. Enjoying this learning process helps me not abandon the effort in frustration. Although it is not a bad idea to take frequent breaks, because it can be exasperating teaching our hands new skills. I did eventually produce a small chain of loops.
I used the word “not” eight times in this post, see what I did there?
Critters and Craft 