Loom Weaving Gifts

Here is a photo of the hot mats I have been weaving. I am working on the third set. They work up quickly while watching TV but I haven't had time for much TV lately so I am not quite finished. I think this color combination resembles poinsettias and will go nicely with my good china for Christmas. Maybe next year I will make some with fall colors for Thanksgiving. This year I have scheduled another oral surgery for shortly before Turkey Day so I am definitely not cooking and probably not eating either! It is one way to watch your weight during the holidays! And I can put those mats on hold so I can get these finished and move on to something else.

Loom Weaving

Here is the photo of the 'playing' I have been doing with my new Love and Money Looms. I was trying out the different sizes from Coaster up to Place mat and most of the patterns and then reversed the colors. There are different methods of finishing the edges but as you can see I liked the fringe the best but did not brush it out as suggested. I bought some yarn today so I can start on some Christmas gifts. These go quickly so hopefully I can finish before I become bored and move on to another project.

Loom Weaving Progress

I thought you might be interested in seeing the Loom Weaving in progress. This happens to be the place mat size. I am using my new "Love and Money" Looms. Remember these from the mid 70's through the mid 80's? Then they were made of plastic. Now they are made of hardwood but still by the same guy. By next week I should have these finished for you to see.

Diagonal Lace Shawl

I almost did not make this shawl but now I am glad I did. It can provide a variety of looks depending on how it is draped and shows off one of my Scarf Pins nicely. In fact it inspired a new design in my jewelry design sketchbook. The directions called for this cotton yarn but something softer might be nice for a dressier version, however I see this one with jeans and a t-shirt.

Tatted Bookmarks

I started this first bookmark to learn a technique that I had skimmed over and found it easy to do while I was recovering and an excellent way to practice my spacing. However once I finished one I kept seeing other colors of thread that I wanted to try so I ended up making several. They actually worked up fast and have been done for awhile but I wasn't able to get to the fabric store for some ribbon. Hard to believe I did not have any 1/2 inch ribbon in the house.

So I go to the new JoAnn's only to discover they now carry very very little ribbon by the yard and while I had envisioned using velvet ribbon I soon discovered only a remnant of black left on the shelf! I snatched it up and then had to go through an array of colors and styles of other ribbons.

Oh but then there was this tiny little issue. They carried NO 1/2 inch ribbon. NONE. Even the black velvet was 5/8 inch. But I had brought my tatting along to match colors and felt I could possibly make it work. Not the fun excursion I had imagined.

But back at home I finally got them put together and the fray check worked OK on all the ribbons that needed it and that was a relief. So here at last are the tatted bookmarks.  Tell me which is your favorite!

Have I ever mentioned that this is Needle Tatting? I originally learned to tat with a shuttle but the needle tatting is ever so much easier. If you have ever wanted to learn to tat check this out! It is so easy that I taught myself to needle tat left handed so I could help my mother learn.

Glowing Scrunchies

I am still having fun with that glow in the dark yarn. Here are three varieties of scrunchies I finished. One is on it's way to Darlene to see if she can photograph it glowing in the dark! Now I suppose I should switch to a longer project. I do have several to choose from.

Maybe something from the new loom I just ordered...

Halloween Treat Bag

"I want my mummy" Halloween Treat bag from That Crochet Dude.

This is my rendition of that pattern. I used some leftover bulky yarns from a slipper pattern that I did not like and so unraveled for the head, bandages and handle. The eye and teeth are more scraps of that Glow in the Dark Yarn by Bernat. His version was more cutesy in pink but I like my scarier version.

This was a quick to make project that I did yesterday. I am feeling better but still taking a lot of time resting and catching up on old movies and crochet projects! This was the part of recovery I was looking forward to!

I don't have any little ones to use this so it will become yet another decoration. I think this guy needs a name. Any suggestions?

Potato Chip Ruffled Scarf

Remember the new yarn I said I ordered? Well here is the first item I crocheted with some of it. It is called a Potato Chip Ruffled Scarf. Weird name. I had to go from a K to a P hook to get close to the gauge and the yarn is only 1.4 oz per skein so I used all four skeins of purple I had and changed to white for the last half of the last round but I like the added pizazz it gives.

This yarn is by Bernat and is medium weight and soft. The really fun part though is that it is GLOW IN THE DARK! Yeah. How cool is that? I will have to get pointers from my friend Darlene on how to photograph it though. I tried every setting and this was the only shot that was not just black! I have several other items in mind to make before Halloween. I was going to knit a sweater for my dog but doubt I will have enough white left. Granted it only glows for about 5 minutes after 5 minutes of exposure to a light source but still fun.

Baby Gift

A lady on one of my boards is expecting a baby girl to arrive early and small so was in need of some preemie things. My contribution was these knitted hats which I had sitting in a basket waiting to donate to the hospital. I make them on a knitting frame as I am a very slow hand knitter.

I decided to include a Boo Boo Bunny which I make for every baby gift. Luckily they are quick and easy and I still had one pink washcloth left on hand. (There have sure been a lot of girl babies lately!) I just realized this photo is of a peach colored bunny as the glue was still drying on the pink one. If you have never seen a Boo Boo Bunny before the body holds a plastic ice cube so if you keep it in the freezer it can be placed on a boo boo to ease the swelling while distracting the little one.

This is about all I have done lately as I recovered from a couple of oral surgeries and severe reactions to the antibiotic. Very slow recovery but I will get there. I did order and receive some new yarn that I am excited about and hope to start on soon.

Bracelets and more

At last, here are those bracelets I wanted to try. They are Multi-Strand Fiber Bracelets from the Artful Crafter. I did not have the right bell caps and really did not feel comfortable gluing them in anyway, so I modified the ends using wire. But I am pleased with the results. I used some of my new tatting thread and beads I had along with toggle clasps so the bell caps were the only purchase. Gotta love those crafts! I am looking forward to wearing them!




The delay in getting them made was due to some oral surgeries I had done in the past two weeks. The fact that I finally feel like I want to craft is a real sign of recovery! My daughter has been staying with me and crafting while we watch movies so I wanted to share her goodies as well. If all these photos have slowed your download time I apologize but hope you will find it worthwhile. First the jewelry:

And then she covered notebooks and clipboards and pens in coordinating scrap booking papers. She intends to make matching covered sticky note pads but I just couldn't wait:

I did not get a photo of the zebra notebook before it went out the door clutched in my granddaughter's arms and this last notebook may not show it too well but the paper is actually textured and feels like alligator. Way cool! If you click on the photo you can see that in the close up. There are more to come but she had to stop as they have family in from out of town and she is going out to dinner with them. Guess I will get back to my tatting and a movie (I am still on soft foods so dinner and a movie really doesn't apply yet).