I went into my photo app and searched New Year’s Day for my throwback today. I found a quirky little project I did back in 2016, where I was experimenting with small alternating blocks of Tunisian crochet.
I think the variegated yarn and Tunisian crochet made some interesting pooling variations. When I washed this swatch, though, it puckered and buckled aggressively, so I did not pursue the technique farther.
Happy New Year, may your year be filled with successful experiments!
As I was scrolling through old photos I came across a mystery in May 2016. My memory is full of holes, which is why I take pictures and write in a journal. I found a picture that I had no memory of taking, or why. Here is what I think happened in April 2016. I crocheted a basket with cotton variegated yarn around a rope core as an experiment.
Two weeks later I have a picture of this same basket lashed to a branch as a makeshift nest for baby birds.
I don’t recognize the car in the background. The tree is not a live oak, which was the only kind of tree we had at the time in our yard, but the grass is St Augustine which was common in our neighborhood. The side walk configuration suggests a front yard. I did not write about the basket or the birds in my journal. What? So maybe it is not my story. I’m thinking a neighbor had a bird nest fall down and I offered my basket as a substitute nest. Maybe?
I do wonder what happened to those young birds and if the nest repair was accepted by the parents. Hm.
In March of 2016 I crocheted and embroidered a Roman military helmet with face guard for my sister, who teaches ancient history.
I did not record my sources, so am not sure what specific style I was emulating, if any. It did amuse me greatly to make it.
In December 2015 I was crocheting cup holders, and even went as far as designing packaging.
I made these as teacher gifts for my kid’s teachers, which is why the back “to” and “from” are blank, so we could decide later which went to whom.
Cup Cozies are a good way to use up scrap cotton yarn.
In October of 2015 there was a pumpkin display at the school library. The pumpkins couldn’t be carved because of the smell and mess, but could be painted or decorated. My youngest was very into Splat the Cat, so I crocheted a cover.
To get the fur, once the crocheted form was done, I brushed it with a boar bristle brush to raise the fibers. It worked quite well. The ears are also crocheted then brushed, with pink felt glued inside. The eyes are ping pong ball halves with green doll safety eyes installed. The nose is a safety nose on gray felt with an embroidered mouth, and hot glued inside place.
The best part is that the cover can be removed and reused.
Critters and Craft 