The other day, I posted some kumihimo braids made out of scraps and odd balls of gifted acrylic and novelty yarns. In addition to that scrappy project, I am also weaving squares on one of my pin looms. I started making squares when Bill first surprised me with the loom and I had a bunch made. I'd even started sewing them together into a funky scrappy blanket, but then I needed 70 of the squares for a different project, so more squares are needed. I am using some of the same yarns as with the kumihimo, but some of the novelty yarn I have doesn't work well for that. It does work with my pin loom, though, which has the pins farther apart than some looms to accommodate thicker yarns.
22 comments:
I am glad that this brought up some happy memories of your mom! When I work with scraps and repurpose textiles I think of my Nana. She was such a huge influence on me! 🙂
These are fun colours together!
I'm glad you're showing us your progress on these projects, it sometimes takes an example to really give people a picture of what even scraps can become.
One question, do you think you'd have made another sort of project faster like if it was crochet scraps? I know fast isn't the point, but since you bring it up that it might be 'the right side of the loss of daylight' before it's done, I wonder if you wonder if other methods might be easier in some ways? I mean I know you can crochet, knit, etc a million miles an hour lol.
PS: I am also really looking forward to the lovely loss of daylight and sun! Heat and direct sunlight is so taxing for so many reasons.
Thanks, Joy! Yes, crochet would definitely be faster, but I don't think it would be as good with the novelty yarns. I think some of them might be unpleasant to crochet with and I like the look of them better with kumihimo and weaving. And at the moment, weaving and kumihimo are what I feel like doing, so I'm happy to have ongoing projects that I can just pick up and go with. 😏😃 I have a thread crochet project on the go and a sock on the knitting needles, so I'm covered! 😉
It certainly looks colourful.
The year is fast dis-appearing with less than 2 weeks until solstice!
All the best Jan
It's crazy how time flies!
I love to see creative people create. I am not overly creative but I once was. I think being a full time working mom of 4 plus dealing with mental illness stifled that part of me. I am hoping to get it back.
Love the colors.
Love your work, but loosing the light is a pain to me.
Yes, such a busy life would hinder creative pursuits for sure, Linda! I'm also fascinated by the creative process. Bill and I did a life story project for a museum we worked at years ago with 10 local artists who are women. I've also read a fair bit about women and creativity almost all of them have talked about how lack of time is a struggle for them in their work. It does take quiet time. Sometimes people think it's just the time taken to put paint on a canvas or words on the page, but there is so much more to it than that! In my own life, I can honestly say that my creative pursuits have helped me get through serious and severe depression and anxiety. I bet that you will get it back. It's still in you just waiting to come out!
As you've said in the past, Iris, we won't meet on holiday :-) Trust me--you would not want to be anywhere close to me on a warm/hot sunny day! I can just about contain myself when it's cool and sunny. The dark makes me very happy and peaceful :-)
Dear Shari,
that looks really good - especially the red squares that look so pretty pixelated <3 I'm also busy with a blanket, but a granny crochet blanket ...
I loved your comment "so maybe I'll see you on that Bill Gates communication line ;-)" - hope the vaccination went well!
All the best on Thursdays,
Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2021/06/nexinger-schweiz-muschelberg-und.html
You would not want to be near me in winter, LOL.
All I can bear is Christmas time with all the lights...
I live for autumn and winter and pretty much drag myself through the rest of the year.
Hi Traude!
Yup, all is well so far--got my second jab yesterday evening. Love granny squares! How fun it is to see the colours playing together whatever the technique!
Love this
Thanks, Brenda! 🙂
Hey while you're talking about yarn and the unusual things you might be able to do with it. Have you ever considered doing any kind of macramé wall-hangings (with long drift wood pieces) or shopping bags or something out of maybe doubled yarn? Something like that might be handy for even curtains or something to catch the eye as well as double as insulation a bit in colder weather. I figured if anyone has done or considered it it would be you. =)
Bill got me a really cool Japanese macrame book a few years ago and I kept meaning to teach myself, but i haven't yet :-( One day!
I used to do it as a kid and to me it's a bit like those friendship bracelets where you stack knots going in various directions. It's so much like the things you already know how to do (like lace etc) it seemed like a given (but with more options maybe for how it's used since any size thread, yarn, or even craft rope like what you're making now, can be used). It's hard to find the thin macramé cording (for me) but that's what made me think of yarn anyway since it could be made in a sort of rainbowy fashion or whatever way you like with some bits and bobs and ends of things. An example might be to use a base colour of something dark-ish black for example and use the other things for the splash of color (as the 2nd strand) and that could be almost stain-glass-effect-like. Japanese book on it eh? I bet that's much more intricate than some of the free-style stuff you see out but most of it is pretty and rather bohemian (which appeals to me and I thought it might to you as well). =)
It's definitely cool and my kind of thing! The book has some stuff that I wouldn't have known was macrame! I got some cotton rope sort of stuff (thin) in a grocery store 4years ago specifically for learning. I figured it would stand up to lots of unknotting as I learn. I really need to sit myself down and start playing! 😃
Oh great I look forward to hearing what you come up with, I'll bet you are great at it.
I've seen some really pretty long wall-hanging type ones that are almost like those beaded curtains from years ago but with so many more variables than we'd see done in macramé back then. I may try to pick it back up myself with all the spare yarn once i'm done moving and unpacking. The challenge for me is that the bulky cord could make a hanging plant holder or something but I never needed one that could hold 30lbs or something. My pots or whatever were always pretty small or delicate so the big cord didn't match the use. (Hopefully you do something first, your artsy mind can work around things like that probably better than mine lol.)
Speaking of all of this I just saw this and you might find it interesting...
Google: Sewing Book, 1833 - Ireland
It is full of actual examples of people's needlework and people are wondering did they actually pay people to do the work as part of the book so purchasers could 'see how it should look' or? Pretty fascinating particularly since my Gran (who was mostly English/Irish) had a pretty trousseau that had some items that looked like things from it. Handmade and just gorgeous, not risqué by any means but certainly very flattering.
Dear Shari,
wonderful that you received the second vaccination and that you apparently tolerated it well. Yes, connecting colorful patches is a great thing. My grandma knitted leftover wool blankets for me, which I still cherish and like to use in winter. The granny blanket should now be for my first grandchild. I hope it's not toooooooooooooo hot in your corner or Ireland! (We now have a longer phase here with over 30 degrees Celsius, that's too much for me, too ...)
Hugs, Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2021/06/zwei-habsburger-schlosser-und-ihre-parks.html
How wonderful that your grandchild will have a beautiful blanket from Oma! My Oma was a knitter and my Nana was a sewist who was very much into improvisation. All her grandkids and great-grandkids got patchwork blankets and Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls that she made from scraps. Treasure!
It's not too bad here, considering it's June--low to mid teens. I'll take it and be grateful :-) Stay cool!
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