Craft Round-Up #9! Embroidery

This week’s round-up of crafty links is inspired by embroidery. Because I can’t seem to get enough of it lately. Last weekend, I made this adorable squirrel sampler from Andrea Zuill’s free patterns.

Adorable right? I used my complete knowledge of embroidery stitches on this one. Pulled out all the stops. There’s back stitch, stem stitch, french knots, running stitch, satin stitch, and chain stitch. Ok. So I don’t actually know a lot of stitches. But look at this cool thing I made!

Also, please forgive my overuse of the 1960s filter from Paint Shop Pro. I love it dearly and put it on every photo that I can. I am not ashamed.

I hung the sampler in a wooden embroidery hoop for a couple reasons. 1. It was what I had on hand and thus free. And 2. I think it’s rather charming that way.

Since it’s hung next to the Dramatic Squirrel photo of Justin’s, our living room is starting to look decidedly…squirrelly.

And on to the link love!

There is of course, Andrea Zuill’s adorable patterns that I mentioned above. I’ve got several more planned to make as soon as I get some better transfer paper.

Speaking of transfer paper, I plan to buy this from Sublime Stitching. The transfer paper I have is chalky and rubs off after about 5 seconds. I found myself having to go back over the design with pencil before it was completely gone.  I love Sublime Stitching so much. I have this book. And 4 or 5 of the pattern sheets.

I don’t remember how I stumbled upon this one but I’m sure glad I did. Free vintage transfers.  How awesome are these?! They’re kitsch and perfect.

This post over at Craft details how to use leftover bits of yarn for embroidery.

The Mr. X Stitch store on ETSY has some original and unique designs for cross-stitch and embroidery. I love the “Leave Britney Alone” pattern!

Another great ETSY shop is Revi Devi. I’ve linked to the embroidery section (holy cow, how cute are those patterns?!) but you should really take a look at the rest of the shop. It’s cute over load.

Have a great weekend and happy stitching!

Five Feet High and Risin’

How high’s the water, mama?
Two feet high and risin’
How high’s the water, papa?
Two feet high and risin’

We can make it to the road in a homemade boat
That’s the only thing we got left that’ll float
It’s already over all the wheat and the oats,
Two feet high and risin’

How high’s the water, mama?
Three feet high and risin’
How high’s the water, papa?
Three feet high and risin’

Well, the hives are gone,
I’ve lost my bees
The chickens are sleepin’
In the willow trees
Cow’s in water up past her knees,
Three feet high and risin’

How high’s the water, mama?
Four feet high and risin’
How high’s the water, papa?
Four feet high and risin’

Hey, come look through the window pane,
The bus is comin’, gonna take us to the train
Looks like we’ll be blessed with a little more rain,
4 feet high and risin’

How high’s the water, mama?
Five feet high and risin’
How high’s the water, papa?
Five feet high and risin’

Well, the rails are washed out north of town
We gotta head for higher ground
We can’t come back till the water comes down,
Five feet high and risin’

Well, it’s five feet high and risin’

(song lyrics by Johnny Cash. Photos by me on a very cold, blustery lunch break.)

Rings on My Fingers

And bells on my toes. Well…not quite.

I’ve been working on a few very plain, very standard, very…uninteresting projects. Knucks for Justin in black.  Sans embroidery that is. And plain socks for Justin in….black. More later on how these two sets of accessories showcase, more than anything, my love for him. (hint: I’m knitting thousands of tiny teeny stitches in BLACK!)

At any rate, I took a little break last night to make something for myself. One of these sweet crochet rings.  I just love the name too. Ring Around the Rosy. Sure, the song was originally about pestilence, plague, and death. But it sounds so cute.

I didn’t have any size 5 crochet thread but I did have some very pretty Pearl Cotton embroidery thread.  I also changed hook sizes down to a B (2.25 mm) because of my thread change. If (I mean when, because I will make more) I do this again, I’ll definitely need to go down another hook size or two. The 2.25mm worked but the stitches are pretty loose.

I also recommend a light blocking of the medallion. Just a light spritz of water and some gentle pinning will help it look its best. From gathering my materials to being able to wear the finish product, this took me about 20 minutes. How’s that for instant gratification?

It’s cute and fashionable. Two things I always need help with.

My Year in Pictures

If you look to the right, you’ll notice a new sidebar button. A lovely pair of handknit socks that will direct you to my Shuttercal page. I started a photo a day project back in November as a way to create a photo memory of each day. So click on over and have a look through my memories of the past 72 days.

Here are a few of my favorites.

(I swear, I absolutely did not enhance the colors in that sunset photo. It was amazing.)

Craft Round-Up #8 Inspiration

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a weekly Craft Round-Up. The holidays happened. Then sick happened. But we’re back this week with lots of amazing things for you to look at and try!

This year I joined the Plush You Olympic Challenge. See, it’s a secret dream of mine to be a plush toy maker. Okay, it’s not really a secret. But it’s something I really want to do and have been working on in the past year.

That work has mostly been in secret and I’m going to use the Plush You challenge to really stretch my creativity to see what I can do.

In honor of that, this week’s Craft Round-Up is featuring Plush makers that inspire me and tutorials that can get us all working to create something beautiful.

This flickr set contains photos of all the work that has been featured at the Plush You gallery shows.

Over at LucyKate Crafts, there is a great tutorial on making a felt love letter envelope. Just in time for Valentine’s!

Melissa Sue Stanley inspires me daily.

Another crafter and artist who inspires me is Heidi at My Paper Crane.

If you prefer to work with fabric, there is a sweet little tutorial on making a plush bird at The Prairie Girl.

The DesignShop on Etsy has tons of great amigurumi patterns for sale. I’m particularly fond of this guy.

And last but not least, I adore all the work done by Beth Doherty at Gourmet Amigurumi.  

Live

There’s nothing quite like live music with a banjo, accordian, and a stand-up bass.

For the First Time

I’m knitting with my handspun. It’s a beautiful thing. I’m making this thing which does not use much yarn (and because I’m a copy cat and Nadine’s looked really cute [Rav Link]). And I happen to have roughly the same weight yarn in not much yardage. It was meant to be.

My Spidey Senses Are Tingling

Because I finally finished the Spider Socks!! (Rav Link)

I started these on May 25 last year and finished them up about a week ago. They weren’t difficult. Just…elaborate. I flew through the large spider chart on both socks easily. It was the tiny spiders on the feet that slowed me down a great deal.

They have bobbles see. And for each one, you have to stop and sew it’s legs up to make it look like spider legs. Then do wee french knots for it’s head/eyes. Labor intensive. And even though there are only 6 bobbles on this pair of socks, I hate them with the passion of a 1000 burning suns. Bobbles. Hmph. Purl 5 together is for the birds. Or some other crazy loon who likes that sort of torture.

Other than the large spider on the leg, my favorite thing about knitting these are/were the cable twists on the back of the leg.

Those were a lot more fun that I care to admit. I keep trying to work that simple right twist into everything. So far it hasn’t worked.

In other news, I recently received a pound of alpaca as a gift (Holy Crap what an amazing gift!) and am looking for ideas/suggestions on projects to spin for. Obviously a sweater is out of the question. Since…ya know… we don’t live at the North Pole. So, if you had a pound of alpaca roving, what would you make with it?

Cold Days, Warm Feet

Here in West Virginia, we’ve had the coldest 11 days in a row in 10 years. I’m not sure who keeps up with these sorts of things but I’m wondering if it’s information we need in the middle of a cold snap. Tell me this stuff later, after we’ve all thawed and have had a little sunshine to boost our spirits.

To keep warm, we’ve been making use of my Mom’s hand-sewn quilts and all the hand knits that I’ve been churning out. Newest off the needles and my first finished item for 2010 are these socks.

Made with Paton’s Kroy FX yarn in the Clover colorway. I had an intense love/hate relationship with this yarn. On one hand are the outstanding colors which can brighten anybody’s mood after 11 straight days of below freezing temperatures and gray skies.

On the other hand….knots. This yarn was full of knots. I could have over looked it if it were just one skein. But both skeins had them. And the yardage is a bit skimpy. I didn’t run out, but if my feet were any longer, I would have been in trouble. The yardage isn’t the company’s issue though. It’s clearly labeled on the ball band. The knots, however, are not.

But I am wearing my festive, cheerful socks today despite the rough spots we had in the knitting. They are warm and make me smile. What more could you ask for in knitwear?

Justin, for the record, has worn a hole in the foot/heel area of the first socks I knit for him. Which also happened to be the first pair of socks I ever knit. I patched it, badly, and he’s been wearing them overtop of the alpaca socks I made a couple months ago. The yarn is ordered for his next pair.

Handmade in 09

Last year I made,

21 mustaches
3 knit snowmen
7 amigurumis
1 shawl
2 cowls
4 scarves
1 vest
7 pairs of socks
18 mitered square hanging towels
5 hats
1 felt snowman picture
1 apron made from 2 dollar store dish towels
And approximately 1300 yards of hand-spun yarn. 

Plus dozens of pieces of jewelry sold through the shop

I’m not sure when I slept. Wonder what I’ll make this year…