I started by making the giant circle for the seat cushion top. I just kept going until it fit. I then made a strip to go around the sides and sewed that to the circle. To ensure it was sung I worked some decreases on the bottom and tied it off.
For the back I made two rectangles and sewed them together. Of course it needed fringe!
It was a great use of scrap yarn and a fun project. No everyone knows "That's Care's chair!".
Have you yarn bombed? What did you do?
Craft Joy!
Car
]]>Craft Joy!
Car
]]>I'm not sure how I JUST found this pattern. It was published by Tonya at Nana's Crafty Home back in 2019. Well, whatever the reason for the delay, I'm delighted I found it now. Not only do this work up quickly, they are functional - especially because the towel is removable for washing. SMART!
Get your copy of the free pattern here.
Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>You can get the pattern on this site, Etsy, or Ravelry.
Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>Materials:
Instructions:
Pumpkin: Worked in Rounds
Stem: Worked in Rows
Leaf: Worked in Rounds
I knew there was NO WAY I was going to knit it. I’m still working on a scarf from 5+ years ago…
Next thought was crochet, but, even though I’m fast, that would take a while.
Of course! Weaving!
I sat out on my yarn-buying adventure and then got to work. I’m so happy with how it turned out and the colors are fantastic. What do you think?
Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>While I was trying to clear up some space in my craft room I came across the two balls of yarn and knew it was time. I used Cascade 220 on the warp. I’m so happy with how it turned out. And I have enough to make a second one!
Get the free pattern here: https://hillcountryweavers.com/products/splash-scarf
I am SO happy I finally carved out some time to make this scarf. When I saw the example @FancyFibers, I knew I wanted to make one and immediately bought the yarn. I didn’t weave at the time, so I bought two skeins and planned to do some crochet. Fast forward a few months and now I’m IN LOVE with weaving.
While I was trying to clear up some space in my craft room I came across the two balls of yarn and knew it was time. I used Cascade 220 on the warp. I’m so happy with how it turned out. And I have enough to make a second one!
Get the free pattern here: https://hillcountryweavers.com/products/splash-scarf
Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>When I saw the Bunny yarn at Yarn and You I knew I wanted to make something with it. About a day or so after picking it up, I saw a post in my Instagram feed with a cute bear and a free pattern. SCORE! The pattern is designed by Stephanie Jessica Lau from www.allaboutami.com You can get a copy of the pattern here.
The instructions were great and I especially appreciated how Stephanie takes you through shaping. I made mine in a couple of evenings, so it works up fairly quickly too.
The holidays are coming, and this would be a great gift!
Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>
In keeping with the wreath theme (what is it about not being able to make only one), I decided to make a big one. The tying process began. I tied for days…..nights….weekends….holidays….during meetings….in my sleep…. Whose idea was it to use a larger wreath frame?
It was TOTALLY worth the effort as I think it’s fabulous. What do you think?
]]>
I love learning new things!
Caré
]]>Go USA! Go Texas!
]]>I haven’t been weaving very long, but am already eager to give some things a go. For example, I wanted to try adding beads, surface embellishment with crochet and embroidery, new yarns, and the wavy shuttle. Why not do all three in one project?
The wavy shuttle has some mixed reviews because it doesn’t always stand up to wet finishing. Hmm. Challenge accepted.
I spent some time researching and decided on an approach. I would do a long wrap with cotton bocule (sticky yarn) and play with thicker yarns on the weft (DK, Bulky, and my favorite Bamboo Bloom with lots of texture). I also decided to incorporate some beading, surface crochet, and embroidery. Why not? The only rule was off white yarns and beads with gold tones. Okay, all set.
I started off with tons of ambition. Weave this way, try clasped weft, add some of this, add some of that. After about 21 inches and realizing it was going to take FOR-EVER to complete, I decided that the middle section would focus on yarn and waves. That sped things up considerably.
Once I got to the end I decided to finish off with some natural pearls. Lovely.
Off the wrap results: Wah! All those lovely, bold waves are now gentle ripples.
Wet finishing results: Boo! All the waves are gone! The only section that still has some of that life left is where I did extra embroidery stitching over the top.
So, the wavy shuttle appears to be a gimic. TONS of effort and time and zero results. But I do like the surface technique and beads. So, not a total loss. I still ended up with a nice scarf.
Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>Since you saw my last post I’ve become a little – obsessed? – with making fabric twine. I’ve found TONS of projects I want to try, but decided to start with a wreath. I’ve made two so far but I’m certain there are more in the future.
The twine I used to make the white wreath came from a lighter-weight cotton, so I was a bit disappointed that you can see the wire frame through it. NOTE TO SELF: Spray paint the form next time. I was also pulling the twine pretty tightly.
With the multi-color wreath I relaxed and tried not to be so rigid. In fact, I let some of the knots and frayed edges show. I like this one much better.
Now, what project to try next? Maybe baskets?
]]>I’ve quilted for as long as I remember and have a quilt shop’s worth of fabric. I mean, truly . . . I keep giving away yards and yards of fabric, and used a TON during last year’s mask making obsession. Somehow the stash just keeps growing.
What’s even more embarrassing that my yardage is my scrap pile. I mean, nothing over 1 inch x 1 inch gets tossed. I have boxes full of 1x1, 2x2, 3x3, 4x4... you get the idea. I decided it was time to clean up some of my scraps that I had not yet converted into squares and found I had a lot of long skinny pieces. It was time to try something new.
After a few minutes on Pinterest (okay, that’s a lie – a few hours) I found fabric twine. I got busy. I tried making it the manual way (nice and relaxing in front of the TV) but wanted something faster. The hand mixer came out. THAT was FUN. Even the youngest got in on it. But I wanted something even faster.
DUH! My spinning wheel.
Since then I’ve been cutting, sewing, and spinning long strips of fabric. I’ve also started to sort my scraps by color or theme. I have a good patriotic stack and Halloween stack going now. Plans are forming, and an unexpected bonus – my spinning is IMPROVING since I’ve taken drafting out of the equation.
Now that I’ve made a bunch, it’s time to make some projects. Hmm. . . back to Pinterest!
]]>I did say I'm happy it's done, right?
Show me your projects that, more than anything, you are glad they are DONE!
Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>
I raided my stash and caked up one ball of every color in fingering weight. I then updated my website with quantities, determined how much more I needed to dye, ordered some more base . . . . you get the idea. Can you say PRO-CRAFT-INATION?
I pulled in my youngest to help me decide which colors to use (he's the resident color expert). We chose Black Magic, Black Velvet, Purple Haze, Hookah Butterfly, Dirty Martini, Pink Lady, Grape Schnapps, Fruit Tingle, and Black Cat. We were set.
Using the Clasped Warp technique and an alternating version of the Fibonacci sequence, we warped. It was fun playing around with the color changes and how the colors at the top were going to meet up with the two black colors at the bottom.
When it came time to weave I settled on an 8/2 black tencel as I wanted the weft to disappear. The result? FANTASTIC! I absolutely love this scarf! Knowing that I hand dyed all the colors makes it that much better.
Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>It was a pain to weave. I'm new but I don't normally have that much trouble with edges. After wet finishing all the ends poked up, so I had to trim them VERY carefully.
After blocking again, I still wasn't happy, so I crocheted a black border on one side and added crochet flowers that I made with the left over yarn. It looks MUCH better and I'm happier, but it wasn't what I had envisioned. I like Scheepjes Whirl much better.
What lemons have you turned into lemondate?
Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>For all of these I used a 5-dent heddle. In some cases I used random yarns on both the warp and the weft. In others I used Cascade 220 on the warp.
Now, what other colors do I have that I can play with?
Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>I did plain weave on my rigid heddle loom with a 10-dent heddle. I double the wrap yard through both hole and slot and used a beautiful hand-dyed yarn by Chicken Coop. The yarn is called "Leghorn" and the colorway is violet.
Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>
For the wrap I used angel hair on both warp and weft. PAIN! It's very sticky to work with but it was worth the effort.
For the scarf version I used Cascade 220 on the warp in solid black. Much easier to work with and the resulting scarf is darker that the wrap.
Both are super soft with great drape. What are you weaving?
Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>You can take a class with me this Friday, May 22nd at Fancy Fibers in Farmersville. Visit FancyFibers.com to sign up!
]]>I've killed cacti.
I'd love to grow an amazing garden of flowers all over my yard and enjoy the bees, birds, and butterflies; but, sadly, it's just not meant to be.
What's a girl to do?
Well, MAKE some, of course!
If you are just dipping your toes into rug hooking or proddy hooking, this is a great way to see if you like it. I made one, then decided I wanted another color, and before I knew it I had a table full. These only take a couple of hours to make. I added a pin to the backs so they can be worn on a purse, hat, scarf, etc.
I used up my stash of hand-dyed Friday Night Fibers wool, so I need to dye some more. I need pink, red, orange, purple........
Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>This is the very first rug hooking project I worked on and it was fun! Yeah, some of my ornaments are squishy because I added too much green, but I think it gives it even more charm.
Merry Christmas SUPER EARLY ya'll!
Craft Joy
Caré
]]>I.LOVE.FRINGE. Can you tell?
I wore it up to my LYS and everyone OOOOHED and AAHHHED. It's a fun piece to wear and I cannot wait to make another one.
Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>I have never heard of it, so I immediately put my work down and start searching on my phone. Hours later (really – it felt like only a moment) I emerge transfixed and ready to give it a try.
I found a couple of resources on YouTube that were very helpful. I used these to make my first three samples.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTigdTvdTLQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLDfQ0jprQM
Verdict? I am intrigued and am ready to make something bigger than mug rugs. However, I am NOT good at reading the charts. More practice is needed in that area.
Have you given mosaic crochet a try? What is your favorite pattern?
Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>I want to make another one in a black yarn with white speckles. After all, Repekkah needs a friend. Maybe I’ll name this one Eggster or Egga May after my nieces.
Decisions. Decisions.
I feel a need to go yarn shopping. AGAIN!
Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>I have a lot of yarn.
Seriously. A. LOT. OF. YARN.
I will never live long enough to use it all. It's shameful, really.
I think that's why I am enjoying weaving so much - it's fast and uses a ton of yarn. And, I'm knocking a serious dent in my "bits and ends" stash while having a blast.
Take these white wraps as an example.
I bought 5 skeins of yarn at a show several years back, and paid a RIDICULIOUS amount for what turned out to be just a bunch of different textured yarns knotted together every 3-5 yards. It wasn't even good stuff. It sat on the shelf for years in "time-out" as punishment for my less-than-savvy purchase, but I decided to pull it out to practice weaving.
For my first go, I used Cascade 220 on the warp. For the second try, I used the random yarns on both warp and weft. In both cases I used a 5-dent heddle. The one where I used Cascade 220 on the warp has a more airy feel, but both are stunning. TIP: Eyelash yarn on the warp is a pain to deal with and all that lovely texture gets squished,.
I have to say, I am very pleased with how they turned out. They are simply gorgeous!
Now to find the stash of black yarns that I also bought that same day...
Craft Joy!
Caré
]]>While I'm happy with my project, (it's now serving as a hot pad), I have to say I'm not sure if I liked the process. You work from the backside so you cannot see your work come to life; which, to me, is the best part. That being said it was super fast to do and I can envision a lot of design options. I may give it a try again as I have a kit I purchased a while back. So, the final verdict is still out, but I'm not hopeful this will be something I will continue.
Honestly, there's so much other stuff I love to do that may be a GOOD thing!
Craft Joy!
Caré
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