Homespun Results

Happy (late) Thanksgiving to those in the US! Hope everyone has had a great time seeing family and friends!

Sorry for those looking for tatting.. I will be finishing up my 25 Motiff Challenge in my next post (just getting the images finalized).

Who remembers this little bit of homespun that I spun a few months ago?


I've finally worked up the courage to try it out, and so far I'm noticing how inconsistent my spinning has been. I am proud that I've made it, but realize just how much more I still need to practice to make it what I want it to be. Since all of my knitting needles are currently being used, I decided to try to cable crochet again.

I'm sharing my progress here. I'm nearly halfway through the skein and only about a quarter through the project. The picture isn't that great; the lighting tonight isn't wanting to work with me. Here's what I've gotten so far:


With the way the yarn is worked up, you can't really see the cable that well. Pattern is mine, and when I get a chance I'm going to write it up and post it on my pattern page. Will also be making this in cream or even dyed with Kool Aid, haven't decided.

Getting the rest of the pictures now. Happy tatting!

Christmas Origami

First off, sorry I haven't posted in a while. I do have some tatting to share, but not on this post (sorry!!)

However! I do have a few things to share that I think others may be interested in.

Several years ago, I made a Christmas tree that was full of origami cranes, kimono, and other various items. I have since lost all those ornaments and am in need of some new ones. After this post, I have since gone on to try different papers to see what kind of results I could get.

The three lotus flowers shown below are folded an extra time before unfolding, and I think they look lovely:


These are three different kinds of paper, easily accessible to everyone (I hope!). The silver one is made out of a metallic tissue paper that I got from Hobby Lobby (99¢ for a pack of 12, currently!), the white next to it is a piece of tissue from Wal-Mart ($3 for 300 sheets), and the smaller one is a dinner napkin.

For size, here is the silver one:


I've found that I make these whenever I go out to eat with family and friends. This one was made today at Wendy's, which I left because I wanted to brighten someone's day:


Each of these took less than five minutes to prep and fold, and I think they look lovely! However there are a few things I have learned from this bit of crafty-ness..

1. The first time you use a different type of paper, you WILL tear it. Even if it tears, it's still pretty, and your family and friends will be impressed with them and not notice any tears.
2. Perfect squares are overrated. If you have a rectangle piece that when folded into a square with about half an inch of extra paper, tear it. The tears can add character to the flower!
3. Using regular origami, printer, and/or metallic foil papers will not fold a flower. The papers are too stiff to bend the petals forward, and the tears will be too great to miss.

I have more that I'm working on, but I thought I'd share a bit.

'Till next time, Happy Tatting!

Continuing on..

Continuing on from my last post about blocking, I thought I'd share my progress with everyone.

This is the snowflake in question. It hasn't even been wet blocked before this picture was taken, so it looks a little strange.


And blocking..


I cut some Elmer's washable school glue with a good helping of water (in a ratio that is somewhere along the lines of 20/80, with more water than glue), and it is now drying. Haven't steamed this, and I don't think I will. Also, yes, that is some unfinished thread. I'm going to be using it to cover a ring to hang it on the tree.
Also, it has been cold, wet, and drizzly here the past few days. While we had about an hour of nice sunshine, I snapped some pictures. This is completely un-edited, so you can't see all the detail.

Isn't it pretty? My sister planted these flowers five years ago, and they randomly bloom. So pretty!

Also, a sneak peak..

It's really hard to get pictures in focus when the object you want to capture is tiny!

Happy Tatting, y'all! ^^