Welcome to Kastroll Kreations!

Creative Hiatus

2009-03-13T22:11:00.004-06:00

As my last semester as an academic winds down, I've found that a creative hiatus has been forced upon me. Instead of hooking and designing, I'm briefing and researching. I graduate in less than two months with a J.D. and an M.P.A. After that, the grueling process of studying for the Colorado bar exam begins. Somehow, I don't think I'll be able to really get creative until July 30: the day after the bar exam.

In the meantime, I do have a wee bit of good news. I'm still getting custom orders in, which gives me just enough creative inspiration to not go stagnant. I'm still teaching classes, and one of my students is advancing far enough that I'm designing custom projects for her to complete. She will soon advance to the point we'll need to sit down and figure out if I'm her teacher or her designer. And I was just approved as a Stunt Stitcher for Stitch Diva. I'm really excited about that gig; test crocheting new designs or recreating existing ones for trade shows. So exciting.

My only big creative plan to fill the gap between now and the bar (besides filling custom orders) is to submit some patterns to publishers. If I can get even one published, that would make my creative year.

I don't anticipate blogging very much until after the bar, but those brief moments when I do, I'm sure I'll be sharing something special.

Until then, dear readers,
~Angelina

Do-Gooding with a Kapital K

2009-01-18T12:48:00.002-07:00

Ah, Kiva. If you haven't heard of it yet, then you are living under a rock with no web access. Seriously, though, Kiva is the leading microlending site on the web, empowering regular ol' folks (read: people like me) to give give personal loans to people who need a little bit of money (read: usually between $200-$800 USD) to get their business (read: livelihood and means of survival) where it needs to be. There are no real banks involved, and the money comes from regular ol' folks who give $25+ USD a pop until the loan is funded. When the loan gets repaid, the money sits in your Kiva account as a credit, waiting to help another person in need. Oh, and you, the lender, get paid interest. As if you were a bank, and as if you would do this to make $0.17 USD off of the $25 USD you lent out.

I love Kiva. I love the time they take to partner with reputable organizations. I love the team fundraising aspect (although I always have a tough time picking which of my teams will get my funding credit). I love that repayments get fed back into Kiva, ready to help another person. I love the community aspect. I love that you can read about the things your loan went to that helps someone a thousand miles away. Kiva just flat out rocks.

And it costs less than getting a venti Caramel Macchiato twice a week at Starbucks. So why not build up your karma and do something good for the world, and perhaps your waistline, and visit Kiva today.

RAINN-drops keep falling on my head...

2008-12-28T09:25:00.007-07:00

GoogleAlerts is quite amazing. Give it a set of search parameters to look for, and it will email you every time those parameters whenever the GoogleBots find whatever it is you're looking for, you get an email. Brilliant!

This morning, I woke up to an email GoogleAlerts. It wanted me to know that CurrentVine.com, a blog dedicated to "fast and fun doses of entertainment," had featured my online fiber arts store because I'm a RAINNmaker. Check out the mini-feature on my store and how to make your own contributions to RAINN.

Thank you, GoogleBots, for spreadin' the news, and thank you, Dear Reader, for supporting RAINN.

Noro! Noro!

2008-12-27T19:36:00.003-07:00

I've had my eye on Noro yarns for quite some time. They have a "look" about them that is, for the most part, unique. Yes, there are other manufacturers that make varigated yarns, and yes, some of those manufacturers make self-striping yarn, and yes, some of those manufacturers make long-repeat self-striping yarn, but no one does smooth color gradation quite like Noro.

For those of you who don't know, Noro is a Japan-based company that makes minimally-processed, hand-dyed yarns. The yarn that made them famous in the hand-knitting (and crocheting!) world is Kureyon, a 100% wool yarn. This is a "love it or hate it" yarn. Haters cite the VM ("vegetable matter") that comes from the lack of processing, the scratchiness, the knottiness, the price, and the random color splices. Lovers cite just one thing: the color.

It took me months to finally break down and try it. I bought several skeins from yarn swappin' Ravelers on the cheap. Kureyon tends to run about $8/skein, and I picked up my first batch at $6/skein, including shipping. I got 10 skeins of colorway 150, which is a grey/blue/white/lavender/green colorway. Not my favorite colors (too cool - I'm an autumn!), but a good way to start with the yarn.

I found out a few things. The VM wasn't any worse than handspun, hand-processed yarns, so that didn't bother me (in fact, I'd rather have more VM/less processing than the other way around - check out Blackberry Ridge Wool Mill for more information about wool processing). I got through all 10 skeins with nary a knot or color-splicing issue. I didn't find the yarn any more scratchy than an average wool, and the scratchiness went away with a brief soak in Eucalan Wool Wash. And, despite this being the worst colorway for me, I still loved the colors. So, I got more. A few previews from my Ravelry Yarn Stash:

As you can tell, I'm sold on Noro. Love it. I find it easy to spit-splce the ends if I want continuous color (or just to avoid weaving ends, which is a major motivator). The colors are amazing. Non-fiber artists are amazed at the color and think I have some sort of magical skill with yarn when they see the finished product. It comes in amazing colorways. Even the strange colorways are still amazing because they manage to blend them all together in a seamless way.

I've worked several projects now in Kureyon, but my favorite has to be hats. It makes amazing hats that get rave reviews. Best of all, since it's 100% wool, it's even for the outdoorsy-types who need a solid hat that can handle dirt and wetness while still remaining warm and feeling dry. I made a few helmets for my husband, and he loves them. Here's a few pictures for you to enjoy:

He said he'd pay about $45 for them, but in my pricing calculator, even at the highest margin, they come to $40 at the most. Amazing...

Anyway, my love for Noro continues to grow, especially since I just discovered Silk Garden. All the gorgeousness of Kureyon with the silkiness of, well, silk. I'm sure I'll be creating more with it in the very, very near future!

Light my fire

2008-12-22T17:05:00.007-07:00

I've been told that one of the first rules of online sales is not to put all of your proverbial eggs is one proverbial basket. You should spread the love, so to speak.

I've been on Etsy for nearly two years now, and while I love Etsy (and will probably never leave), the site is growing faster than the developers and administrators are able (or willing) to keep up with. Some very basic functionality - multiple image upload and better search capability are two that come to mind - is completely missing, and there is a U.S.-centric focus that, even for someone in the U.S., is somewhat appalling. As a seller with over 1/3 of my business coming from overseas, I have a strong interest in making the "international site" truly international.

And so I've been searching for other avenues since I started on Etsy. PinkPurpleOrange. Dwanda. Mintd. All have great features, but they all seem to have one or more of the major Etsy pitfalls as well. Ebay Stores are out of my price range, and I don't want to reduce my work to bids and auctions. Having my own site is economical, but a programming nightmare for someone who is spread so thin. It seemed like Etsy was my only option.

Enter Artfire. The site is only in beta, the interface is still a little clunky, but it already has a zillion more features, one-step listing that takes less than 5 minutes a listing (you mean, I don't have to block out an hour of my time to list 2 items?), flat-rate billing, seller stats (what? I want to know where my traffic comes from?), and polite customer service. I couldn't resist - I had to sign up. The customer service and flat-rate billing alone are reasons to branch out. I've heard others say that Etsy had great customer service back in the day, but I've used site archives. It looks like RevolvingDork was a jerk from day one. And Artfire has someone on the site, blogging, or tweeting all day long, helping out others. Artfire actually advertises its site (wow - advertising to bring in traffic - what a concept). I feel like I have nothing to lose.

And so, you can find me on Etsy and Artfire now. Only time will tell how things will play out, but at least I have my eggs in different baskets now. If you'd like to "diversify" too, register on ArtFire.com here.

"Where my stitches at?"

2008-12-17T12:18:00.007-07:00

Another semester is winding down, and I just finished entering in my end-of-year financials. I can't believe 2009 is just two weeks away! I suppose y'all have been wondering where I've been this year; my blog has been conspicuously dormant throughout 2008. Rather than provide you with excuses, I thought I'd give a recap of the year, and let you decide.

2008 ushered in the toddlerhood of my daughter, which has made crafting, er, interesting. Gabby loves to play with my ball winder, is fascinated with unspun roving, and things center-pull balls of yarn are hours of entertainment that end with Mami pulling out her hair and attempting to extricate Gabby from a hundred-yard pile of tangled $25/skein mohair blend. Not to be outwitted, I taught Gabs how to actually use the ball winder and swift, and put a crochet hook in her hand. She can't chain yet, but she'll get there soon.

I've been blessed that my mother-in-law has taken up spinning again full-force. She's a fiber gal, born and bred (her daddy invented the CVM breed of sheep - renowned for both its fleece quality and its yumminess). She even put herself through college breeding and showing sheep! But I digress. She's taken up the wheel and I get a steady stream of handspun yumminess. Of course, this yarn, for the most part, has languished in my stash, but I have it nonetheless.

That isn't to say that I haven't been productive. Between law school and finishing my masters degree, I've found time to make my hooks happy. I've actually busted through quite a bit of my stash with my new favorite project: arm warmers. I love them. They're cute. They're fast. They're versatile. They make great gifts. Yay Arm Warmers! I've made lots of them to date - Ravelry lists 10, but I've made several more.

A few of my arm warmers, as taken on my iSight camera (hence the cruddy quality):

And speaking of Ravelry, I'm addicted. The number one reason why I haven't blogged that much here is because I'm doing my project synopses on Ravelry. I love it. I love the linking and the sharing and the rating and seeing all the other cool things people are doing. BUT - I just found out that only Ravelers can view you on Ravelry, which means that the great big Internet (including you, faithful blog reader) can't read my "Lessons Learned" from my projects. I think I've come up with a happy medium: post all the yarnie detail on Ravelry, and display finished items and general overviews here on my regular blog. That way, if you want the Knitty Gritty detail, you can check out my Ravelry crochet project notebook.

I've also been churning out lots of scarves. I've had a ton of yarn that's just been languishing in my stash. Orphans from bargain bins. Mismatched lots. Pretty yarns I just couldn't resist buying but didn't have a use for. I busted out about 20 scarves, and I sold most of them at Handmade Militia this past weekend.

Hats are another big thing. I've been working on expanding my line to be more unisex. I made several male-centric hats that have been very popular with the guys in my life. I figure I'll make a few more before I call it quits (for awhile). Unfortunately, guys are boring to crochet for. Dull colors, simple designs... they hate fringe and curliques and can't understand why it matters if I use a slip stitch or crab stitch on the edge of the beanie.

I haven't felted much lately, mainly because we don't have our own washer. I have to go to my mother-in-law's to complete felting. Although we get along, this just isn't something I have a lot of time for. Felting in her ancient machine takes a long time (like, 6 cycles). So I've avoided it. Unfortunately, I found out at Handmade Militia that my felted baby booties are still wildly popular, so it looks like I'll be busting my feltable wool stash on more booties. Le sigh...

Teaching and designing have also picked up a bit. I'm still teaching over at TACTile, but I've expanded to private lessons. I love that. I've also started designing, and some of my designs are available either on Ravelry or in my Etsy Shop. I'm submitting a few designs to Interweave Press for next year's Fall edition - keep your fingers crossed for me!

And finally, life in general. I'm still in the Navy - I was selected to the JAG Corps this November, and now I'm hoping and praying my actual commissioning goes through. I'm still in law school and still working towards a Masters. With luck, I"ll be done in May. I'm still a full-time Mommy, and I still do my best to make time for my dear husband. So life has been hectic. But I'm still here, still hookin', and still loving this thing called fiber art.

My resolution for the new year (well, the one related to Kastroll Kreations) is to blog at least once a week. To keep in touch with you, Dear Reader, for it's you that this blog really exists for.

'Til next blog,
~Angelina

Handmade Militia

2008-12-12T04:57:00.004-07:00

Happy Friday!

In a little over 24 hours, I will make the (short) trek north to Fort Collins, where I will join a battallion (okay, it's more like a detail) of crafty folks who want to help you give unique, awesome, handmade gifts that support real people (like me!).

Handmade Militia will be at Gallery Underground in Old Town Fort Collins. The official address is at 109 Linden Street, but Google Maps freaks out with that address. Better to go to the intersection of Mountain and College, find the Avery Building's Big White Statute, and walk down the stairs to the show. The show goes from 1100 - 1900 (that's 11:00AM to 7:00PM for you non-militant folk), and will feature some fabulous artists.

As always, I will be donating 10% of my gross sales to RAINN, the national sexual assault advocacy center.

Buy handmade this holiday season!

What's Your Patter? (Saponificozy™ Patterns and Commercial Licensing)

2008-10-05T17:34:00.008-06:00

I finally did it. After a full year of requests and a lot of hemming and hawing, I've created patterns for my Saponificozy™ line of bath care. The Saponificozy™ Soap Sock and Face Scrubbies are now available with personal and commercial use licenses.

Patterns and Pricing:
* The Saponificozy™ Soap Sock Pattern is available for $6.00 for personal use and $50 for commercial use.
* The Saponificozy™ Face Scrubby Pattern (single and double-sided options in the same pattern) is available for $6.00 for personal use and $40 for commercial use.

Personal and Commercial Licensing:
* Both patterns are subject to United States Copyright, and the Saponificozy™ trademark and the overall trade dress for Saponificozy™ items are subject to state and United States Federal Trademark law. I aggressively pursue infringement of my copyright, trademark, and trade dress.
* The personal license follows the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/.
* The commercial license is a custom license. The highlights are:
I provide you the pattern and marketing materials. As long as you 1) sell them as Saponificozy™ Soap Socks and/or Saponificozy™ Face Scrubbies; 2) provide credit to me for the pattern and design; and 3) do not undersell my prices on individual items, you are free to make and sell Saponificozy™ Soap Socks and/or Saponificozy™ Face Scrubbies at your leisure.

Both patterns are now available in the Crochet Patterns Section of my Etsy Shop. Commercial use patterns can be requested by emailing me directly at kreations@kastroll.com. And all of my patterns can be viewed and reviewed at my Ravelry designer page.

Getting Felt Up (Baby Booties)

2008-04-05T01:21:00.004-06:00

Yes, I'm still here. Yes, I still have the same excuses for not blogging: law school, a masters program, the military, a baby, a husband, life in general, etc. But those same excuses are no longer keeping me from creating new and wonderful things.

Like baby booties. I've had a lot of excess yarn around for awhile (what crocheter doesn't?), and I figured I could do a baby bootie purge of my stash. After all, you can use up a lot of scrap yarn on booties, and, since I tend to buy only animal fibers that aren't treated to be washer-friendly, I knew I'd be able to felt them. I've had so much fun with felted adult slippers that it seemed only fair to give felted baby slippers a try.

Of course, that meant turning to Fiber Trends for a crochet pattern. They have a Children's Crocheted Slipper pattern that very cute, and I purchased it as a starting point. I have to say that it is the first Fiber Trends pattern I've been disappointed with. The first slipper I test crocheted turned out just fine, but I felt the construction was clumsy. The pattern is worked in rows instead of rounds, and there's quite a bit of seaming that could be done with simple increases, decreases, and clusters.

Now, I've made all sorts of slippers - felted, not felted, booties, clogs, skimmers - and all of them have the same basic construction - a sole comprised of a chain worked on both sides with increases at the toe and heel and a body worked in even rows with some form of shaping (either through seaming or through stitches) to form the unique style of slipper. I decided to make my own baby bootie pattern on the fly.

I fiddled with the sole until it increased nicely in the toe. I worked in rounds and shaped with stitches so that all I had to do in the end was pop the bootie in a wash bag and felt it. I played around with double soles and contrasting colors. The end result: four sets of baby booties that I'm mighty proud of.

Lessons learned:
1) Different fibers felt at different rates.
2) KnitPicks Wool of the Andes is, quite possibly, the best yarn *ever* to felt with.
3) Sometimes, the original pattern may be a dud, but it might provide some great embellishment ideas.
4) Blogging takes time.

My original four booties are now online in my Etsy store. Check them out, or even better, buy a pair for the baby in your life!

Ghosts of Projects Past the Third

2008-02-13T01:24:00.012-07:00

I'm running out of "excuses" on my bloggatory absences. The truth is that life is just getting in the way of keeping you, dear reader, up to date on my creative exploits. I have actually been quite busy creatively between classes, wholesale orders, book reviews, pattern trials, and creative stitchery - things I hope to expound upon here in the coming weeks. But for now, I have a growing list of "projects I must blog about", and so, here they are, in no particular order.

First, a set of scarves from October 2007. These are really rather simple scarves, but they are long, warm, and luscious. They were born from a trade with Etsian LOLBaby, a children's boutique. The bibs are amazing - I can't recommend them enough. Gabs *loves* playing with her bibs. But I digress. I created 7' long, 8" wide scarves out of a simple double-crochet fabric. The yarn is Knit Picks' Wool of the Andes, a yarn that I fall in love with more and more each time I use it. It's a worsted-weight, worsted-spun, Peruvian highland wool. I love it. It doesn't pill, it holds its color, it wears well, drapes nice, has a lovely sheen, is evenly spun (unlike some very popular feltable yarns I know of), and is surprisingly affordable. It has quickly become my yarn of choice - so much so that I'm planning on re-tooling my pricing structure to offer it as my default fiber option. In any case, the scarves are pictured here, although the pictures don't do them justice.

Second, a simple brown beanie from November 2007. This is also a project born from a trade with an Etsian, MooreTaste. Her jewelry is incredible - the reedy copper pendant that I traded for is fawned over every time my Aunt Nancy wears it! This is another Wool of the Andes project. It is a simple 23" beanie in half double crochet with a single crochet edge. My instructions were to make the plainest hat possible, and this is what I came up with. I actually like the hat a lot; there's just not much one can say about a plain hat.

Third is a baby boy's earflap hat from November 2007. Yes, this one is another trade project for Etsian TwistThis22501. She wanted a hat that was "masculine" enough for a little boy. This hat was fashioned out of Wool of the Andes and Heilo's DK wool. It required quite a bit of hook changing in order to keep the gauge consistent; I was switching between a 12 WPI and a 14 WPI yarn on each row so keeping the hat even was a small challenge. The hat is fashioned from half doubles and finished with crab stitching and slip-stitched cords with knots at the ends. This hat also serves as a model for a line of baby hats that were eagerly snatched up at Holiday Handmade.

Finally, a pouch from August 2007. Another trade project, another Etsian, ArialImages. I scored some fabulous photographs for this little gem - a drawstring pouch to fit the (then miniscule) Creative Zen MP3 player. The pouch holds a business card-sized MP3 player. It was fashioned put of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride worsted in plain ol' single crochet with a slip stitch chain closure. A quick little project that filled a niche.

And so you get a sampling of the custom orders I did for trades this past year. I love doing custom orders, and I love doing trades, so if you'd like to do either, please don't hesitate to contact me. In the meantime, I'm going to keep working on my next super-duper-secret-cool project!

Crochet Classes for the Spring

2008-01-20T11:57:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm onboard as a teacher at the TACtile Textile Arts Center. The Spring 2008 schedule has been released, and I am teaching the following classes:

Beginning Crochet, $30 members ($40 non-members) + $6.00 project kit fee
Friday, March 7, 6:00-9:00PM
Saturday, March 22, 2:00-5:00PM

Intermediate Crochet, $40 members ($60 non-members) + $7.00 project kit fee
Fridays, February 22 & 29, 7:00-9:00PM
Fridays, March 14 & 21, 7:00-9:00PM

Skills Refresher Workshop, $15 members ($20 non-members)
Sunday, February 3, 2:00-3:00PM
Friday, February 15, 7:00-8:00PM
Saturday, March 8, 10:30-11:30AM

You can sign-up by emailing Dianne or by calling TACtile at 720-524-8886.

What's even more exciting (at least to me) is that I'm going to offer my project kits for general purchase in my Etsy store. This means that anyone can purchase my fabulous pattern and fiber kits in my shop, follow the instructions, and make a sweet little project. I'll also be offering a materials starter kit featuring all the notions needed to get started as a hooker!

Look for these kits in the Supplies section of my store very soon! For now, I've posted a few photos here of sample projects so you can get a feel for what's in the kits.

In the Jungle, the Mighty Jungle (Lion Layette)

2007-12-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

I made a policy in my shop not to carry sewn items in my shop. Partially because I want my shop to have a uniform feel to it, and partially because the quality on my sewn items isn't near that of my crochet items (think journeyman compared to master). But that doesn't mean that I don't take custom requests for sewn items.

Take my layettes. They have always been popular - the first thing I sold out of my store, and the first thing to sell out of my store. So when I received twin requests for boy-esque layettes, I knew I had just the fabric. The flannel fabric is a cute, square block pattern featuring different jungle animals. I decided to back the layette with yellow flannel and topstitch in blue.

I ended up sending out two sets of blankets, bibs, and burps on custom orders, and even got pictures back from one of my customers with her new nephew wrapped in my blanket. That was a wonderful thing to see!

Lessons learned:
1) Keep Flickr up-to-date so people can order based on my past creations
2) I'm getting better at sewing
3) I still love crochet better
4) There is no better feeling than seeing my work on a happy customer, especially a 3 day old customer

So, if you happen to want a layette, feel free to contact me. I still take them as custom requests.

I'm Feeling a Little Froggy (An Army of Frog Hats)

2007-12-17T12:54:00.001-07:00

Apparently, customers are crazy about frogs. Very crazy.

To date, I have made three frog hats, one just for fun over Thanksgiving break and two as custom orders. Where do I even begin?

We'll start with Jasmine's frog hat. Jasmine is the lovely, fashion-oriented, sweet young daughter of one of my favorite porcelain artists, Cindy at Colorado Art Studio (love her mugs, especially this one!) Jasmine wanted a frog hat with eyes. If I remember correctly, there was one like it in the movie Better by the Dozen. I hadn't seen the movie, and I don't care for Steve Martin (please don't flog me). So I improvised. I decided it'd be a fun time to play around, so I decided to try putting earflaps on it. But Jasmine hadn't asked for earflaps, so I decided to make them removable. Then I figured plain earflaps would be boring, so I decided to make frog hands for flaps. The actual hat was crocheted in Brown Sheep Lamb's pride, so it had a bit of fuzz. But I was pleased with the result. And, most importantly, Jasmine was, too!

Lessons Learned:
1) Frogs have 5 digits on their hands, not 4
2) Frog pupils are vertical, not horizontal (or, more accurately, diamonds, not slits)
3) Make sure your buttons are big enough to stay in the button holes
4) Anatomical correctness isn't necessary to make a freakin' adorable hat.

Second is the froggie hat I made over Thanksgiving break, just on a whim. It sold within two weeks of posting. This hat was just an excuse to get rid of the rest of my green cotton/modal Shine yarn from Knit Picks. But it was my first experience with beads as eyes. Still, it's an incredibly cute hat; no wonder it sold.

Lessons Learned:
1) Leave enough tail to sew on the eyes
2) Count your stitches before adding scallops
3) Cotton/modal = extremely slick. Too slick for aluminum.

Finally, a hat I *just* finished. A newborn frog hat with a button earflap instead of ties so as not to freak out the new parents (having a new baby, I can relate - I was paranoid about ties until I had to admit they saved sooooo much time). I made this hat out of Plymouth Encore, a fabulous acrylic/superwash blend. So soft, yet so durable, and very easy care. This being my third frog hat, it came together incredibly quickly with no major issues.

Lessons Learned:
1) You forget how tiny your baby was until you make something for a baby younger than your own
2) If you follow the ol' "1-inch less" rule for stretch, you end up with a very tiny baby hat
3) A large wine goblet = a great baby hat stand

And so my army of frog hats has been unleashed upon the world! Bwahahahahahaha! If you would like to be one of my minions, just drop me a line, and we'll make it happen!

(Many thanks to The Collective Noun page for identifying the proper collective noun for frogs.)

Put a Flower in Your Bonnet (Lilac Cloche with Flower)

2007-12-09T20:26:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned lately that I *love* to trade?

I love to trade. I find it an amazing way to get your work out there while getting something wonderfully creative in return. I love the way bartering smacks capitalism in its face by showing that there are other ways to get products in our hot little hands besides cold hard cash.

This hat was born of the desire of Deb of Blue Sky Pottery, a fabulously talented ceramic artist out of Steamboat Springs. I had asked her to custom make a moon pad jar for me, and the result was stunning. A squat little jar, not unlike a honey jar, in a lovely crimson and a simple handle to remove the lid. Perfect. I love my jar. If you are a moon pad user, I highly recommend splurging for one of these beauties from Deb. You won't be disappointed.

In return, I was to make a hat that matched her winter coat. She wanted something similar to my RAINNy Day Mohair Hat. I knew that Steamboat was much too cool to do something in pure mohair, and, serendipitously, I only had lilac and purple in Lambs' Pride, so I set about making her hat.

I carried a strand of Classic Elite Mohair in Amethyst with Lambs' Pride in Lilac, giving the hat a tweedy feel. For the scalloped edging, I carried a strand of Lambs' Pride in Cream with a strand of Classic Elite Mohair in Cream. The result was a thick, heavy, and, most importantly, warm winter hat in the perfect shades. All that was left was embellishment. I carried the Amethyst Mohair and both Cream fibers to create a big, fuzzy flower, and popped a simple white button in the center to finish it off.

All in all, a wonderful little hat. I can only hope that Deb loves her hat as much as I love my little jar.

Lessons learned:
1) Adjust your hook size accordingly when changing the carrying weight of your yarns
2) Weaving in the ends on mohair is much easier when there is a wool carrying strand nearby
3) I still don't like shank buttons, but I think they look better than eyelet buttons

As always, you know where I'll be if you'd like a hat like this of your very own.

The Come-Back Hat Redux (Another Button-Flapped Alpaca Hat)

2007-12-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

As I was going through my list of projects I have yet to blog about, I stumbled across a picture of a hat. This particular hat looks very similar, and, in fact, it is identical save for the bright aqua in place of the warm apricot.

You see, after I got done making the Peaches and Cream Alpaca Hat, my sweet buyer wanted another just like it, but with blue stripes.

Now, I suppose I could go through the specs, and the buttons, and how warm and luxuriant alpaca fiber is, but I've already bored you with all that for the first hat. So let me just say that this hat was as fun to make as its twin.

Want one? Just let me know, and I'll make it happen for you!

Something to Slip Your Feet Into (More Slippers)

2007-12-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

I have so many projects to blog about, I had a hard time choosing where to start. Then I remembered the old maxim to start from the ground up. Slippers seemed the natural place.

I've been making slippers for awhile now. I originally started with the Fiber Trends crocheted ballet slippers pattern, and have slowly morphed that pattern into my own. It probably isn't obvious in the way the finished product looks, but I've changed some shaping in the heel to make it more fitted, moved the decreases in the toe for a cleaner look, integrated multiple colors and completely redesigned the straps (when I use them at all). I now say that my slippers were inspired by Fiber Trends because the construction has changed so much.

In any case, on to the project. I'd been wanting some Goddess Wrapz for quite some time. Gabs likes to pull on my hair and I hate it when she does it, so I needed a way to cover up my hair. A Goddess Wrap looks at once elegant and hippie, so it seemed the perfect fit.

We settled on a trade of slippers for wrapz. Aly had seen my slippers here on my blog, and wanted a set for her own. I knew she liked brown, green, and purple, so I set about making a slipper that incorporated all three of those items. And, of course, I knew she was granola, like me (although I'm more like Kudos granola than Bear Naked granola).

My final slipper was crocheted from pure wool, a change for me, since I usually use Brown Sheep Lambs' Pride, a wool/mohair blend, for my felting. I can say now that I will never go back. Pure wool creates a warm, semi-smooth finish that asks to be touched. No fuzziness. Just warmth. I loved the way it looked. The brown slippers looked like chocolate sculptures that were begging for me to eat off the toe!

I then turned to embellishments, and decided on purple flowers with button centers. I felted the flowers and their corresponding leafs, and sewed those on with some fabulous buttons I picked up at TacTile. Then I embroidered a few vines around the body of the slipper and finished it with a wooden bead to fasten the instep strap.

Aly loves her slippers. I've received many convos from her proclaiming their awesomeness. She's even been gracious enough to send a few more people my way for slippers.

Looks like there'll be more slippers in my future! If you'd like a pair of your own, just contact me and we'll make a set perfect for you.

Please buy handmade this year

2007-12-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

With all of the commercially-available made items that are surrounded by holiday blitz, it's hard to get back to values.

You can help by buying handmade. A handmade gift supports a family and eases the demand for sweatshop and/or child labor produced items. You get a unique product that no one else will have that is made with love. You get an item that is lead-free, more likely to be eco-friendly, and supports the microbusiness movement.

There are so many wonderful handmade items to be had. You can, of course, find them on Etsy, or through a host of other handmade sites. You can make them yourself. You can buy fair-trade handmade (Ten Thousand Villages in Cherry Creek is a great source of fair-trade).

Replacing even one potential mass-produced gift with a handmade gift can make a world of difference if we all pitch in. Take the handmade pledge at Buy Handmade.

Do it today. Your heart, a handmade artist, and a child in China will thank you.

You Can Wash that Man Right Out of Your Hair

2007-12-05T12:11:00.001-07:00

If you're looking for absolutely fabulous soap, visit Lady of Luxury. Dawn makes her soap the old-fashioned way - handmixing, pouring, moulding, and decorating her one-of-a-kind, all-natural, vegetarian and vegan-friendly soaps.

These soaps are amazing - the first all-natural soaps I've found that don't disintegrate in the soap dish after two days. They are generous 4 oz bars that last and last. They lather wonderfully; even in my hard water. The scent is invigorating but not overpowering. And did I mention they are absolutely beautiful. Dawn pays attention to the tiniest details - coffee beans in the coffee soap, rosebuds on the rose soap, icy blue swirls in the peppermint soap, and a honey soap that's shaped like a honeycomb.

While you're there, pickup one of my fabulous soap socks from Dawn, or better yet, direct from me. I have one hanging in my shower right now, stuffed with a Deep Purple Lavender bar of Dawn's incredible soap.

So get washing already!

You Spin Me Right Round

2007-12-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

In my post-show glow (note to self: take pictures of your booths!), I've decided that it's time to refocus my shop. This means that a few changes are in store for Kastroll Kreations.

I've decided to focus the shop exclusively on crochet. It's what I'm good at, and what I love. The good news for you, dear reader, is that all of my sewn items are 40% off. Stock up on bibs and blankets for those babies that will inevitably become a part of the lives of your friends, family, and possibly you!

What about my art, you say? Well, my womyn's spirituality art is being spun-off into it's own Etsy store, Goddess Art, at http://goddessart.etsy.com. Here, you'll find my fabric transfers, patches, ACEOs, artSquared, original silk paintings, original line drawings, and any derivative art from these items. For now, the two shops will share a blog (after all, my art is also a Kastroll Kreation), and features will be shared between the two shops. Look for more posts on Goddess Art in the coming weeks, as I transfer the art listings from Kastroll Kreations to Goddess Art.
Back to crochet - I also learned that my accessories are wildly popular - hats, scarves, bags, and the like. But the items that did especially well were the ponchos, shawls, and shrugs. You'll see an increase in the number of clothing items in the coming weeks as I get these items photographed for the shop, and a clearing out of blankets, housewares, and the like. Soap socks and scrubbies, of course, will be available as always.

So many changes. Get ready for the new face of Kastroll Kreations and its sister store, Goddess Art. Both should be ready for their new images in time to ring in the new year.

Holiday Handmade

2007-12-01T00:09:00.001-07:00

Well, this weekend is a busy one. To start, I am at the first annual Holiday Handmade, presented by Fancy Tiger. The show actually began this afternoon, and for a Friday night craft show, it had an amazing turnout. Everyone was pleasantly surprised; after all, there are holiday parties, movie premiers, and the Parade of Lights competing with us.

I ended up with a 5' x 5' space, which was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I don't have enough product to fill the larger space. A curse because I have very little space to maneuver in. I found myself tripping over my supplies several times. It was a great night, though. I ran out of business cards and I sold a few items directly off of my body. I'd never done that before.

I'm actually writing this though to express my excitement at receiving a specific mention in Westword, Denver's version of the Village Voice or SF Gate. The blurb the editors included to tout the event referred to my RAINNy Day Cowgirl Hat. Check out the blurb here.

I will be at Holiday Handmade tomorrow, from 10:00AM to 6:00PM. It's a Capsule Gallery, 560 Santa Fe Dr in Denver (just south of 6th Avenue). Free parking, great coffee, and amazingly wondeful crafts from lots of people. And, on Sunday, you can find me at the Lowry Art Mart, hosted by the Lowry Apartments. That fair is from 12:00PM to 6:00PM.

Mention my blog for 20% off your purchase! I hope to see you there!

Can you believe they're going to let me teach?!

2007-10-14T14:53:00.000-06:00

I know, I know, I said in my last post that I would be blogging more often. That was before I found out that I'm going to be the primary crochet instructor at the TACtile Arts Center. I was asked to design the course curricula and schedule. I've been spending my time writing both, and this is what I've come up with. So feel free to come down and take a few of my classes! And wish me luck; it's been a long time since I last taught anything. :)

Skill Refresher Workshop

Already know how to crochet but need help honing your skills? This is the class for you. We will cover how to read a pattern, the importance of gauge swatches, hook selection and material, fiber selection and substitution, and basic pattern modification. Please note: We will not be creating a specific project in this workshop; instead, we will be honing skills. Bring your favorite hook, a pattern you have been working with, and a skein of yarn. These materials will be available for you to borrow during the workshop.

Time: 1 hour session
Friday, November 2, 5:00-6:00PM
Friday, November 16, 5:00-6:00PM
Friday, December 7, 5:00-6:00PM
Enrollment Maximum: 8
Materials: Student provided - A hook, a pattern, a skein/ball of yarn. I will bring several spares for both demonstration and loan during the workshop.

Beginning Crochet

If you have never picked up a hook before, this is the class for you. We will cover the everything you need to know to get started: fiber and hook selection, tools needed, basic stitches, and simple edgings. By the end of class, you will have the beginnings of a sweet little scarflette - this season's hottest cold-weather accessory.

Time: 1 class, 3 hours with a 15-minute break
Saturday, November 3, 12:30-4:00PM
Enrollment Maximum: 4
Fiber/Notions: Instructor Provided, 2 oz.10-WPI/bulky-weight yarn, button ($5.00)
Materials: Size "J" and "K" aluminum hooks, darning needle, safety pin (I can provide for $6.00 material fee)

Intermediate Crochet

If you have some basic skills, but would like to build on your skills, this class is for you. We will cover increases, decreases, working in rounds, color changes, reading a pattern, and embellishments. By the end of class, you will have the beginnings of an earflap hat - the perfect thing to keep your noggin warm this winter.

Time: 2 classes, 2 hours each
Enrollment Maximum: 4
Sundays, November 4 & 11, 1:00-3:00PM
Fiber: Instructor Provided, 4 oz. 10-WPI/bulky-weight yarn ($7.00)
Materials: Size "J" hook, safety pin, stitch marker (I can provide for $5.00 material fee)

Advanced Crochet

If you've mastered hats and scarves and are ready to move up to more advanced projects, this is the class for you. We will cover textured, cluster, and lacework stitches, motifs, garment shaping, seaming, closures, and accents. By the end of class, you will have the beginnings of a lacy shrug - a fashionable, versatile layering garment that goes with just about everything.

Time: 2 classes, 2 hours each
Schedule TBD
Enrollment Maximum: 4
Fiber/Notions: Instructor Provided, 6 oz. 14-WPI/DK-weight yarn, button ($10)
Materials: Size "H" hook, safety pin, stitch markers, darning needle (I can provide for $5.00 material fee)

Specialty Classes

Ever looked through the local fiber classes and wished that cool knitting class was available for crocheters? Here are a few classes that will be coming soon:

Felted Bags
Felted Slippers
Crochet with Wire
Crochet with Beads

The Come-Back Hat (Button-Flapped Alpaca Hat)

2007-07-26T15:45:00.000-06:00

A little over a week ago, I received an order from a Swiss Etsian for my Stripey Flappy Baby Hat. I hadn't received payment with the order, so after a few days, I sent along an email and an invoice requesting payment. To my dismay, the order had to be cancelled... but an opportunity for custom work was opened.

The specs were actually pretty precise, and for that, I was thankful. Creme-white and peach, natural wool, pearlized button flap closure and a matching button on top. Circumference to 23" and buttons no larger than 1.5".

The biggest challenge was finding peach. Peach is considered a summer color, so most of the yarns in peach are in linen/cotton blends or lighter weights like fingering or DK. This hat was going to Switzerland. I checked the average temps there, and discovered that the average temp ranges from 30 in January to 65 in July. It's cool there. A warm fiber would be needed.

I found the color I thought I wanted in an alpaca blend. Double-bonus, since alpaca is light in drape and weight but extremely warm (some would almost say too warm). When it finally arrived, it was more of an apricot than a peach, but I realized it would have to do. I set about on the hat.

As you've probably guessed from my blog and store, hats themselves are easy for me, and I had this one done in about an hour. The flaps required a good deal of experimentation. My model head is a 21" head, so I had to ensure that I made the hat and the flaps big enough to accomodate a 23" head. I also had to make sure the stitches were large enough to double as adjustable buttonholes.

In the end, I came up with a wonderful hat. For the life of me, I can't get the hat to photograph the color right - even with a grey-balance card. It still looks orange to me on the screen. But in the hand, a peachy-apricot alternates with a creamy white, and it looks delicious.

So, lessons learned:
1) Alpaca, even the smallest amount, will warm up your lap to an uncomfortably warm level when you're working with it
2) Shank buttons are harder to place than standard buttons
3) No matter how hard you try to match color, your monitor will never display it properly.

This hat goes up in my shop today for approval. If you'd like a hat like this, just drop me a line and we'll talk details!

I Got Screwed (Corkscrew Earflap Hat)

2007-07-26T15:33:00.000-06:00

As I may have mentioned, I'm trying to destash my stash by making a lot of different projects. And my choice, as I also may have mentioned, has been hats. It's funny, really, that I like hats so much, because I actually hate wearing them.

In any case, I've been wanting to play with corkscrew fringe for awhile now, and I figured what better way to do that than with a hat. I knew that the screws would make the hat top-heavy, so ear flaps seemed a logical choice.

I had light and dark purple acrylics in my stash, and I went ahead with making my basic hat. I added flaps, then got to work on the details. As my dear mother-in-law once said - you don't pay for the whole, you pay for the details. And she's right. A simple hat becomes unique when details are applied.

I decided on a dozen screws - 6 for the top and 6 for the ties. I didn't want braided or ponpomed ends - that just seemed silly. So I used slip-stitch reinforced triple chains for ties and added screws to the ends. Then I added the screws to the top.

The finished product was supposed to be for an older child - 19-21" circumference, but that can also fit a petite adult woman. The hat stretches quite a bit, so it may even fit me (I have a 23.5" head). I'm ridiculously proud of it, even though it is just a hat.

Lessons learned? None really, other than
1) I love making hats
2) I hate making corkscrews

As always, look for this sweet hat in my Etsy shop very soon!

Hot Blue Choker (The Fashion Denver Promo Choker)

2007-07-22T00:48:00.000-06:00

Ah, promos. Flowers seem to be the common thread between all of my promos. So when the need for a promo for Fashion Denver's Biannual Show and Market came up, I knew a flower would be involved.

My original idea was to mount tiny flowers to big bobbies, but I just didn't have the time to learn how to make that. I decided instead to raid my yarn stash, whereupon I stumbled on some scraps that were donated to me by NorthStar Alpacas. It was beautiful two-ply alpaca yarn with a strand of angelina (no relation) interspersed. I had some blue and some tan. So I decided to make a choker.

At first, I wanted to create a choker that would fasten with a rivet snap, but I didn't have enough yarn to make it the right diameter. Then I was going to tie it closed with ribbons, but I didn't have matching ribbon. So I settled on a button closure.

I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but the choker closes when you place the center of the flower over the wooden button. I wanted to add a leaf, but I was on the clock - I cranked this little thing out in about 15 minutes, took another 5 to block it, and was, for the most part, satisfied with the result. Really, the only improvements I can think of are crocheting the button into the fabric and adding a leaf behind the flower. But all in all, for a last-minute project out of scrap yarn, I'm incredibly happy.

Lessons learned:
1) I can come up with something original and cute on short notice
2) I love working with handspun yarn
3) Shank buttons can go on like beads

This piece will never see an Etsy listing - instead, it will be raffled off at the Heatwave show tomorrow along with some wonderful pieces by AnnushKa Designs, Little Bitsys, and She's Crafty. Checkout the 'mart tomorrow at noon at Cervantes!

Mad as a Hatter (More Baby Hats)

2007-07-17T01:17:00.001-06:00

Well, my re-application to EtsyKids was denied. I won't go into how there are team members there that have fewer kids items or a smaller kids:other ratio than I do, and will instead focus on how I keep making more hats.

I have a yarn stash to destash, and baby hats work up quickly. And cutely. So I fashioned a few more sun hats to indulge my destash addiction. I don't have much to say about any particular one, other than I like them all.

Lessons learned:
1) It's hard to make different hats with the same basic design
2) It may be the wrong time of year to be selling sun hats

A brief post, I know, but I just wanted to share my new creations. Baby sun hats: oldies, but goodies. They'll post over the next few days in my Etsy store.

Feeling Fruity (Baby Sun Hats)

2007-07-09T15:18:00.000-06:00

Okay, I'm the first to admit that I've been offline for awhile. Between mothering, having family in town, cleaning up the aftermath of having family in town, friends in crisis, and trying to find time to network in my day job (you know, the one that will pay the bills), creativity has had to fall to the wayside.

But in the process of cleaning up the apartment, I had to organize my yarn stash. And I was appalled at how much yarn I had amassed that was just sitting, doing absolutely nothing. I'm sure my stash isn't the biggest or the most colorful, but in a one bedroom apartment, and belonging to someone who prides herself on never buying more that she'll use... it was an abomination at best. And so I set to work creating.

I decided on baby hats. As my dear husband points out, I excel at hats. For some reason, they're just something I can do really, really well. And I wanted to be a little different. I started out wanting to make an apple hat, but then I did a search on Etsy and found several. My daughter was wearing a watermelon onesie at the time, and so I decided on a watermelon. Again, a search on Etsy yielded several watermelon hats, but I noticed that none of them were sun hats. All of them were rolled brim or beanie style hats. And none of them represented the rind accurately.

I set to work with my first two hats: a red watermelon and a pink watermelon. The red is the original. I added the pony beads as an afterthought; I realized that seedless watermelon just wasn't all that cute. The pink I did because I remembered my daughter had a pink and green fruit dress. I thought it was covered in watermelons. Turns out, it's covered in strawberries. And that's how the strawberry hat was born. The last hat was a pomegranate. I don't know why, other than I didn't see any other pomegranate hats on Etsy. So I figured, "Why not?"

All the hats but the red watermelon have their beads crocheted into the fabric, making them more child-safe... but you should still keep an eye on a teething baby - they're little jaws are strong enough to crack metal beads if given enough time. And all color changes are carried through under the stitches, so the body of the hats are all done in one continuous piece. The strawberry features a bendable stem, thanks to a piece of pipe cleaner inside the stem, and the pomegranate's arlis' end was sewn on after the fact. Each one is sized to 0-6 months, depending on the baby. Brie is almost 3 months, and they are just slightly big on her. But then, she has a small head.

Lessons Learned:
1) I have too much yarn
2) Baby hats are incredibly fun to make
3) Crocheting star patterns is much easier than I realized
4) Doing color changes simultaneously with increases is relatively difficult
5) It is easier to add beads as you're crocheting than it is to sew them on after the fact

Look for these very soon in my Etsy store (as I must post them quickly in order to make myself reeligible for EtsyKids membership).

I ♥ Etsy (The Etsy Ribbon)

2007-06-21T00:26:00.000-06:00

After my third custom order for crocheted, beaded, wire awareness ribbons for various causes, I felt it was time to have some sort of "choose your cause" ribbon listed in my shop. And I do. I had to make some sample ribbons to do it, and, of course, I have the standard red ribbon and yellow ribbon. I also have a white ribbon. These three colors stand for a myriad of causes from AIDS to troops to epilepsy. My own RAINN-y Day Ribbons also stand for prostate cancer and child abuse awareness (among others).

The one ribbon I didn't find was one for returning to a simpler way of life. I was looking for a "crafting" or "community" or "creativity" or "DiY" ribbon. Something along those lines. And I couldn't find a one. Nothing. Zip, Zilch, Nada. Nothing. Nothing for returning to the handcrafted over the mass-produced or of buying from a person rather than a faceless corporation. Nothing for building community through creativity. And nothing that celebrated the strength of the community and culture that is springing from this movement.

And so I set out to create one. I looked in my stash to get some inspiration, and there it was: Tangerine, half-hard, 28-gauge copper wire from Artistic Wire. A color that looked an awful lot like Etsy orange. I checked my bead stash for orange beads, figuring I'd make an orange ribbon (a ribbon that also stands for such illustrious causes as feral cats, hunger, and self abuse). And, again, there they were: White seed beads. It was one of those moments where everything seems to fall in place. I checked the Etsy homepage to make sure I wasn't dreaming, and there it was: an orange and white Etsy logo.

The rest is history. The finished I ♥ Etsy Ribbon is crocheted with tangerine copper wire and white glass seed beads. It measures a little over 1.5" (3.81 cm) long. I strung the prototype on a strand of recycled cotton/linen, then sent it off to EtsyLabs as a sort of "thank you for all you've done". After all, I wouldn't be as inspired to create, have found the community I did, and be able to have a little extra spending cash for my family if it wasn't for all their hard work.

So imagine my surprise when I received a convo from Vanessa at Etsy Labs saying I was going to featured in the Etsy blog. Okay, surprise doesn't quite cut it. Elation and wonder would be better descriptors. Regardless, it was more than I was expecting. I was honestly just hoping for a "your welcome, send us more, we like them" sort of thing. I guess validation that it was a good idea. But the blog? That was more than I could have hoped for.

And so, lessons learned:
1) Sometimes inspiration is spelled "eureka"
2) I don't need jump rings to create the hanging loops on these if I position the curve in the ribbon correctly
3) Sometimes a simple "thank you" rewards you karma-wise more than you could've imagined
4) You should have a listing ready for selling any item that may end up in demand, no matter how remote the possibility

I wasn't actually planning on listing this one for awhile, but since it's going in the blog, well... it'll be in my shop as soon as I see the blog post.

Happy happy joy joy!

How does your garden grow (Flower and Handle Scrubbies)

2007-06-20T11:41:00.001-06:00

Ah, Scrubbies.

Scrubbies sell. Scrubbies are popular for trading. Scrubbies are easy to make. But they're also boring as all hell and hard to differentiate from everyone else. My first attempt at making a different scrubbie was the round scrubbie. And those traded well. So I decided to give it another go.

I came up with two new scrubbies. The first, a simple flower motif with a hanging string. Let's you hang the darn thing up to dry, and it comes to you as a fun little flower. The second is the regular "just another scrubbie" scrubbie, but with a hanging loop. When I created my own "just another scrubbie" to see how it compared to my round scrubbie (it didn't, by the way), I made it like everyone else does. Just a square. But I had to set the thing in the soap dish and it smelled of mildew and never really dried. Ewwww. No more "just another scrubbies" for me. Now they will all have hanging loops, just like this "Just Another Scrubbie (Only Better)".

So, nothing exotic, but hey, they're kreations nonetheless.

Lessons learned:
1) A flower motif can become anything you want it to be
2) Disgust breeds innovation

I'm posting these to my store today, so look for them, well, now!

EtsyFAST Fiber ACEO Challenge: The Card-i-gan Series

2007-06-11T23:09:00.000-06:00

A while back, thefunkyfelter and I convo'd about starting an ACEO challenge for the EtsyFAST team. I posted the idea to the Yahoo! group, and it really took off. June was the month to post ACEOs, and so far, the team has come up with some great ones; a search for both etsyfast and aceo will bring up some great works.

I felt an obligation to come up with one of my own, after all, I was the co-challenger. My original idea was to felt one using the gorgeous fiber I received from fellow team member northstaralpacas, but I discovered that I am horrible at both wet and dry felting. At least, with plain roving. And so I decided I should stick with crochet. The idea came to me that a granny-square inspired line would be in order. Sort of like a collectible set of ACEO-sized afghans. And so the card-i-gan series was born. I know, bad pun, but it's the best I could come up with.

I wanted my first card to "pop", and so I selected geometric shapes and high-contrast colors (inspired by Judy Schwartz's great book "Hip to Crochet"). I settled on a granny square and a striped strip. And I'm pretty happy with my results. I also had to come up with a way to sign the darn thing, which I accomplished with a bit of heat-n-bond, a clothing marker, and one of my sewing labels.

Lessons learned:
1) It is hard to work on a small scale
2) It is easy to scorch cotton while blocking
3) Heat-n-Bond adheres to irons, so be careful

And, of course, this is up in my Etsy store. It represents my very first original ACEO (the rest being limited edition photographs of paintings). Hopefully, it won't be my last.

The best things come in small packages

2007-06-07T23:48:00.000-06:00

What do you get the man you love for his first Father's Day? This is a question I've been trying to answer for weeks now. Brie was able to get a few cool things for her daddy (on Etsy, of course! Many thanks to toybreaker and jduct for making such awesome stuff), but me... I've been struggling.

And so I decided to go the DIY route. This is usually difficult because, well, frankly, my husband doesn't like what I crochet (not for him, anyway, he likes my work), my silk paintings are already on our walls, and teal jewelry just isn't his cup of tea. I had to come up with something else. I finally came up with the idea for a brag book.

The idea came to me as I was filling out the cards I got from luckyduckdesigns. I was printing out pictures for Brie's great-grandmother, and I figured I could make a mini-brag book for Scott to carry with him. Something small enough to fit inside a pack of cigarettes. Literally.

I decided *not* to research how to make a book; I knew I'd feel compelled to go out and buy stuff I probably didn't need. Besides, I have a ton of scrapbooking supplies here; papers, adhesives, staples, cutters... so I figured I'd be good.

It was actually an incredibly difficult project. Tons of cutting and glueing and binding, but in the end, I created a small, 2.5" squared album with 16 pictures of our little angel. A Kastroll Kreation full of a Kastroll Kreation. How fitting. I can't say I had fun, but I'm sure he'll love it.

So, lessons learned:
1) Blogging about a gift before giving it may be risky (but he did see me fussing with paper and stuff, so maybe he already knows)
2) Glue is sticky and changes the color of cardstock if even the smallest hint of it touches the surface
3) Creating a flip book requires that you mount items right-side-up, upside-down, (repeat ad nauseum). I had to scrap a few pages and start over before I really learned that one
4) I am glad I'm not a paper crafter

You will not be seeing items like this in my store. Ever. I'm sure someone else makes them. But this was personal, and I enjoyed doing it if only because I know he will love it.

Tweak-Tweak: A few projects modified

2007-06-06T08:59:00.001-06:00

Now that I have Brie in my life, I'm finding crafting, posting, and blogging a bit more difficult. Granted, I'm getting it done, but not with the proliferation I had before. And that, my friends, is actually a good thing. As I type, my little banshee princess is sleeping on the bed. But that is just background for the topic of this post.

Since things are a little harder, I've spent some time tweaking older projects. The first was the soap holder. I decided to give the keyhole closure a try, and I decided, depsite my previous criticism, that I like the design. It looks cleaner. Granted, I still have concerns about small soap slivers disappearing out the larger opening, but even I have to admit that it looks better than a drawstring. So I've decided to sell both styles.

I also had two "eureka" moments for my silk paintings. First, that I could crop an image down to ACEO size in order to make an ACEO. I did this to make "Swimming" an ACEO, and realized that I could do the same for other paintings. My first attempt at this was "Turtle", and I am pleased with how it turned out. Second, as I stared at a beautiful, simple, line drawing done by ivaart, I realized it was an artsquared painting, a collectible form of art whose only requirement is that the finished work be 4x4" (5x5cm). I already have to crop my painting images into squares, so many of my works, especially the prayer flag panels, are well adapted to this. Be prepared to see the images I can't crop into decent looking ACEOs as artsquared items very soon.

Lessons learned:
1) Necessity does breed invention
2) Learning to make time for creating when I've created the most amazing little creature in the whole world is challenging

Eco-Friendly Trick #2 - BYO (Silverware Holder)

2007-06-04T18:02:00.000-06:00

There are some very simple ways to save the Earth, and the simplest of all is reuse. We see this all the time at the grocery store; a $0.05/bag bonus if you bring your own bags. But where else can you BYO? Why, everywhere! Eating out is a key example. Think of how many times you've wandered through the nameless food court at your local mall. You know the one - they're handing out samples of sesame chicken on toothpicks next door to the yummy smell of cinnamon buns.

When you go there, what type of silverware is provided? Plastic, of course. And no sooner do you finish your meal do you toss it into the garbage, thus adding yet another layer of plastic reinforcement to the local landfill.

Why do that, when you can BYO? I decided to create something to make it a little easier. I was inspired by both my crochet hook holder (actually a painter's travel brush set) and by a similar item in a fair-trade magazine. It was simple - a roll that had small pockets for utensils and a napkin. I decided to make one.

First I used some upcycled fabric I'd saved from a thrift store. Same for the silverware and napkins. Then I set to work. I guessed on the dimensions, and they, for the most part, worked out great. The silverware is completely hidden in the pockets, something I hated at first, but after a few runs, I realized that they didn't get dirty or fall out when they were completely covered. A small "mistake" ended up being a superior design. The napkin requires rolling to get into its pocket, but then, the whole thing requires rolling, so I figure that's no big deal. And since the roll could change diameter depending on how (or if) people inserted things, I decided to give it tie closures.

In the end, I ended up with top-stitched details (including the tie strings) and one pretty little pouch.

Lessons learned:
1) Do not sew when your baby is sleeping. You will feel guilty. Very guilty.
2) Straight lines on uneven nap are near impossible.
3) Spoons are not as long as one would think.
4) Rolled hems are not easy. Buy the napkin instead (this is what I did).

And, as always, you'll see this in my shop soon.

A Rose-y Sort of Moment (Silk Painting and ACEO)

2007-05-31T18:21:00.000-06:00

As other Etsians know fairly well, I love to trade. I think bartering is one of the best concepts mankind ever came up with, and it's a shame that we don't do it more. Lucky for me, many Etsians feel the same way, and I'm even luckier to have found some amazing artists to trade with.

Take StaciRose, creatrix behind (surprisingly enough) Staci Rose Designs. She makes the most incredible positive energy jewelry I've seen in quite some time. Her work is amazingly affordable and stunningly beautiful. I *always* get compliments when I wear her work.

Anywhoo, she has a listing up for customized earrings for mothers, and I thought they would be perfect for my mother-in-law. I asked her if she'd be willing to trade, and she said yes. But she wanted something special. Something custom. An original ACEO.

I confessed that my ACEOs are nothing more than photographs of my silk paintings, and she was fine with that. She wanted something original, that I came up with. Well, my other (until now) unspoken confession is that I haven't been inspired to paint in awhile, but I've missed it. I've been wanting to do something nature-inspired, so I sent her a list of words that I wanted to work with to get her reactions. I based my painting off of those (granted, I don't think a single one of the words I provided or her associations are directly in there, but I do know that they helped me get an idea out of my head and onto the silk).

This painting was the first I've done that involved multiple resist applications. There were areas that I wanted to have color-on-color, with no white-space in between, so I had to move back and forth between the sink, the iron, and the painting table in order to get all the colors laid down. I also wanted to provide a "ready to hang" painting, and I know from experience that silk is extremely difficult to mat and frame. So I placed it into a hoop with a hanging loop.

The image itself was simple. The sun in the sky over mountains with snow, the arid hills, a fertile meadow, a flowering bush, and a brook with fish in it. It encompassed the changingness of the water, had a decent amount of color, showed the life that eminates from the sun... I was originally going to try and encompass all four seasons, but after wrd association, it seemed like I should go in a different direction. I overlayed colors in the meadow and I salted the stream and and the sky. The finished painting turned out far better than I originally thought it would.

Setting it in the hoop was an entirely different story. I ended up using scissors, a hot glue gun, and gads of patience. The result is a 5.5 x 4" oval original... the smallest I've done yet. It makes a pretty nice ACEO, too.

Lessons learned:
1) Put the silk in one hoop size larger than your finished hoop so you don't have to cover the gap lines
2) Salt is cool
3) Baby wash is a multi-tasker
4) Multiple resist painting is challenging and fun

I just hope Staci is as impressed as I am.

How to Submit for Publication Without Really Trying

2007-05-24T12:08:00.000-06:00

I have a passion for paper products; I've never really been into emailed thank yous over the real "card in hand" experience. I love to write. I love the feeling of pen on paper, especially when said pen is my favorite fountain pen (my friend for about 8 years and counting). So it should come as no surprise that I prefer planning my days on paper instead of on a Palm or Treo or other such device (although I do use iCal occasionally). My planner of choice is the We'Moon series. I love the stories, the poems, the graphics... if only they had a page per day format (I've actually considered punching holes in the thing and combining it with my Franklin Covey planner so I have the best of both worlds, but alas, I am lazy).

Anyway, I got an email from We'Moon today (I am on their mailing list) with a call for submissions to their 2009 planner. Now, I've never had anything published or reproduced, and I thought, "Hey, why not try?". And so I sit at my computer, watching my printer crank out copies of all of my goddess silks to submit for consideration. There's no money in this (unless I somehow make the cover of the planner), just the opportunity to share my work with other like-minded womyn, but it would be incredibly cool to be happily planning my day and stumble across my own work. That would be a real boost to my day.

So wish me luck. I won't hear back until this time next year, but it's worth the wait!

Eco-Friendly Trick #1: Plastic Bag Yarn

2007-05-22T17:39:00.001-06:00

For my first trick, I will tell you how to make plastic bag yarn.

You will need:
* A measuring device of some sort (I like quilting rulers)
* A cutting device of some sort (a rotary cutter is my preference)
* A work surface of some sort (I prefer my sewing table with cutting mat on top)
* Lots of plastic bags (the standard grocery bag, known in the industry as a "t-shirt" bag, works great)
* A ton of patience

To make the yarn:
1) Flatten a bag as best as possible
2) Remove the bottom seam entirely
3) Cut the remainder of the bag into strips between 3/4" and 2" (1.9 and 5 cm)
4) Interlock the resulting loops to form a 2-ply-esque yarn

The resulting yarn will have a 2-ply look and boucle-like nubs at the joins. All that's left is to run it through a ball winder (or other ball-creating gizmo) and you're set to make an Earth-friendly shopping bag, coaster, hat, or whatever else suits your fancy.

Cushy, Warm & Fuzzy (Cushing's Syndrome Awareness Pendants)

2007-05-21T10:00:00.000-06:00

I had never heard of Cushing's Syndrome before, and I imagine you haven't either. It's an endocrine disorder, the polar opposite of Addison's Disease. Basically, a hyperactive thyroid produces too much cortisol, and causes all sorts of problems. When I Googled it, I found more information on the syndrome in companion animals than I did humans.

So when Amber convo'd me asking me to modify my RAINN-y Day awareness pendants as Cushing's Syndrome pendants, I didn't know where to start. A Google search doesn't even turn up what the ribbon looks like (It's blue on one tail, gold on the other, for the record). Amber actually had to email me an image because the two I sent to her, while blue and gold, were for other diseases.

Then there was sizing. She wanted a very small pendant, less than 1", and I was worried that making it on that small a scale would make it 1) hard to tell it was a ribbon and 2) be too delicate to be stable. I ended up making one that was 1.5", and one that was just under 1". And, since she had been patient enough to wait for these through the birth of my daughter, I listed both for the price of one.

Turns out she loved them both, and was incredibly appreciative to find something that would show support for this surprisingly common but little known disease.

Lessons learned:
1) Cushing's Syndrome is near impossible to find anything about
2) 32-gauge wire may be bad for bracelets and anklets, but stands up well as a bead mesh base
3) Etsy buyers are the greatest: patient, understanding, and uber-pleasant to work with

And... now I know I can create pendants for any issue. Just ask!

Scrub-a-dub-dub Part Deux (Square Scrubbies)

2007-05-21T09:54:00.001-06:00

I'll be honest: A part of me feels it is a waste of time to blog about these scrubbies. After all, they are, in essence, just small squares of single crochet. What is there to blog about that?

But I do have a few things to say. First, although I know that my round scrubbies work wonderfully and are an incredible improvement on the square scrubbie, Time Machine 2 on Etsy seems show that the square scrubbie is what sells. And so, I follow the market.

I still wanted to improve on the scrubbie, but again, there's not much to improve on a small square of cotton. I did go around the square in slip-stitch to give the shape some stability. I don't like unfinished edges, but I felt that a formal edging like crab or picot would either add to the bulk or just be impractical.

What was left was a small scrubbie, roughly 3x3" (larger than the majority of the scrubbies listed on Etsy) that is stabilized with slip-stitch top-stitching. They do work well; I had a woman ask me if they'd work as baby washcloths. Now that I have a newborn of my own, I can say that they work extremely well as a baby washcloth -just "scrubby" enough and not so big that it is impractical for use on the baby.

Lessons learned:
1) The market doesn't always follow ingenious design
2) There are ways to improve upon a simple design

Breaking up is hard to do (The X-Ray Bag)

2007-05-21T09:39:00.000-06:00

A year and a month after moving into our sweet apartment, and we're still unpacking and unloading things. Scott came across his x-rays from when he broke his wrist. They're at least 15 years old, and he put them aside as "trash". I thought about that for a little bit. See, I hate trash, and I've been wanting to make something a little different. So I fished them out of the trash and asked if he'd mind if I made a purse out of them. No problemo, says he, so long as I cut his personal info off of them.

Well, duh!

So I got to work, once again, scouring the pattern books and magazines to find some inspiration. And there it was: a leather-punched panel bag. I took a few looks at at and realized I could change it up and make it an X-Ray bag. I had to choose dimensions (I felt 5x7" was just way too small), fiber (much as I wanted to use my Gedifra Velato, it is too stretchy), and closures (the pattern I saw had none, and that seemed silly).

I settled on a 10x2" flap, button closure, four 4x4" square panels, a single strap, and no lining (it's an x-ray, after all, and I wanted to show off the material. I also settled on plain-Jane Red Heart Super Saver. Normally, I'm an uber yarn snob, and I cringe at the thought of hobby store yarn. But it's been in my stash for three years, and it has the durability needed to support the x-ray film.

After much cutting, punching, stitching, and sewing, my final product came out about 11x11x1", with a cute flap, crab stitch edging, and a simple strap. I have to say that I'm pleasantly suprised by this one.

Lessons Learned:
1) X-Ray film seems flimsy, but punching holes in it will make your hand tire very, very quickly
2) A size I hook fits in a 1/4" punched hole
3) Cheap yarns that squeak are still pretty sturdy, and sometimes that's what you need

Now if only I could figure out how to tell people to clean it, I could list it. I'm thinking spot cleaning. Heat is definitely out, and I think any chemical would just ruin the film. In any case, look for this bag soon on my store!

Saving Face (A Soap Saver)

2007-05-18T14:18:00.001-06:00

The week my daughter was born, I had arranged a trade with BellaCosaArt for a couple of face scrubbies and a soap saver.

The scrubbies were already created; no big deal there, but I had to design and make the soap saver. I knew I didn't want a saver that was either too meshy (soap remnants would fall through) or too dense (too little exfoliation action), so I decided on a back loop single crochet base. I knew I hated drawstrings that were loose so that you had to tie the saver shut (you can lose the tie and it's a pain to unknot wet cotton), so I decided for a closed drawstring that relied on gravity and tension to close (both present in a shower, thanks to hanging up the saver and wet cotton). I didn't want a saver so small that an off-the-shelf bar of soap wouldn't fit, nor a saver so big that it was ineffective. I settled on a 3.5 x 5" (9.5 x 11 cm) saver. A bar of Ivory or Lever 2000 fits just as well as those I've received from cottagegardentherapi or normasbathandbody.

The finished pouch feels divine. I'll have it posted to Etsy soon for your purchasing or trading pleasure.

Lessons learned:
1) It is hard to find the time and energy to create when there's a newborn in the house
2) The simplest projects are the hardest to complete

Two out of three ain't bad

2007-05-17T17:25:00.000-06:00

Well, I was in a buy and replace treasury today, courtesy of StaciRose. She's too good to me. :) Once again, she featured my Cows on the Farm set; I'm getting the impression she really likes this one, because you have to search my store to find it.

Unfortunately, the buy never happened, but that's okay; it's time in the treasury just the same.

Thanks, Staci.

If everyone loves these so much...

2007-05-13T09:48:00.000-06:00

... why don't they sell more often?

My lovely flowers are in two more treasuries. Thanks to epicurius and stirdesigns for featuring me.

Now if only I could get people to buy these beauties...

Love and Flowers

2007-05-05T22:26:00.000-06:00

One of my flowers was featured in an EtsyFAST treasury today! Special thanks to scarywhitegirl for giving my alpaca/mohair flower some love!

My Greatest Kreation

2007-04-22T05:56:00.000-06:00

On April 18, 2007 at 2144, I finally got to see the greatest thing I have ever created: My daughter, Gabrielle Victoria.

It's still weird to type. I never envisioned myself as a parent. I never thought I'd be sitting at a computer, with my baby sleeping on my chest. I never thought I would look at another human being and be simply amazed by the fact she's here and looking at me. I never knew how amazing being a mother truly is.

I'm in awe. And I'm exhausted. My other kreations will have to wait while I tend to this one. And that's okay.

I'm feeling the love today!

2007-04-17T15:48:00.000-06:00

Another one. Another treasury feature. Another ACEO in the treasury.

This one for the EtsyFAST team, and it's kinda funny in a way, because this particular ACEO (Center of the Universe) is *not* a fiber ACEO, just one of my silk painting prints. But who am I to complain? Promotion is promotion!

Thanks to the curator, zero, for picking me for her lovely fiber treasury!

Raising Awareness (RAINN-y Day Awareness Pendants)

2007-04-17T15:33:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to play more with wire and beads, and at the same time, I've wanted to create some sort of awareness item. Granted, everything in my RAINN-y Day line is designed to raise awareness, but I wanted something more obvious. I've been playing around with making an awareness pack, filled with Get Carded awareness cards, a condom, some lube... but those sorts of things aren't allowed on Etsy (not the message, but none of the stuff would be handmade).

I settled on a ribbon. Everyone knows tha the ribbon campaigns stand for something. You know, red for AIDS, pink for breast cancer, yellow to support the troops. Teal happens to represent two things: Sexual Assault Awareness and prostate cancer. Both are great causes, but I'm a big advocate of raising the former.

And so I decided to take my 28 gauge wire, some seed beads, and my trusty crochet hook to fashion some ribbons. I made two: the smaller is almost an inch and the larger is almost an inch and a half. Just a row of single crochet, but it curled nicely into a ribbon shape.

I found this particular shape required not one, but two, jump rings in order to suspend well from a cord. I also discovered that I'm out of satin ribbon, so I had to use repurposed cotton/linen. I don't think anyone will mind.

Lessons learned:
1) Silver-plated base metal wire is not nearly as nice to work with as 100% precious metal wire (but it does keep costs down)
2) There is definitely a difference between half-hard and dead-soft wire, and I prefer the latter
3) I hate jump rings. Scott needs to start making these immediately so I can have him close them around my projects, rather than doing it myself

I'll be posting these little trinkets in my shop today. Spread the word. 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men are survivors. Raise awareness. Fight the rape culture. Support RAINN and/or your local crisis center. Please.

Another Treasury Feature

2007-04-17T13:56:00.000-06:00

I'm starting to think I should shift my focus off of fiber craft and onto ACEOs. I'm featured in another treasury today. This one features my "Earth Mother" ACEO. It's especially nice because I'm featured by my street team: ACETSY - the ACEO creators on Etsy.

Special thanks to hojpoj for featuring me, and for giving me tips on how to do originals similar to my silk paintings (Basically, I'd be doing masked watercolors. I'm just working up the courage to try it.).

Then again, I *did* recently receive a bunch of sample fiber from northstaralpacas to start work on the EtsyFAST Fiber ACEO challenge... so maybe I can have both fiber and ACEOs in one fell swoop.

Stay tuned...

Dear Abbie (The Copper Flower Pendant)

2007-04-15T16:21:00.000-06:00

I just had a great buying experience on Etsy. Okay, I confess, all of my buying experiences have been pretty good, once I got used to how slow international shipping is!

In any case, mad props to AbbieRoad, the lovely mama who did my new banner and avatar (seen here in my blog, but also at my Etsy store). I went to her with my specs, and she delivered exactly what I wanted.

I must go into more detail about this, because I actually tried working with 5 different Etsians regarding my banner. I gave them these specs: I like pink and blue polkadots and brown writing. I want a theme consistent with my clothing labels, but a less scripty font for the web and more muted colors. I didn't initially think this was a hard request. But only 2 of the 5 (Abbie being one of them) asked to see my labels. The other three went and looked through my product lines and came up with some excellent, cool banners... but they weren't what I asked for. Exactly the opposite. You see, I sell a hodge-podge of stuff. No one theme in my store. One day, it looks like I'm a batik/watercolorist, and the next day, my store is full of baby blankets on page 1. So I wanted my banner to pull all that together.

Enter Abbie. Not only did I get exactly what I wanted, she went above and beyond. She designed an extra banner and avatar for when the baby gets here - so I'll have a professional, consistent look on my "closed for baby" sign. The avatar is even generic enough that I can use it for *any* store closing. I also asked her permission to use my avatar on other materials, and she was gracious enough to say yes.

Abbie is amazing. I love how the colors pull together my entire store - there are shades of blue, pink, or brown in every item in my store, so now there is a common underlying thread in my storefront. I love the clean, simple look. I love my baby banner (you will see it soon, I'm sure). But besides saying thank you, how do you express deep thanks?

I decided to snoop. I pulled her feedback and looked for things she's bought. I was lucky enough to find copper jewelry. Which is perfect, because I just purchased copper wire a week ago to make Marsha's bracelet! I've been wanting to try making copper motifs, and decided I could kill two birds with one stone. I set about making a copper flower pendant for Abbie.

The project went surprisingly smoothly, up until I had to make a jump ring. Turns out dead-soft wire makes horrible jump rings, so I had to settle for a loop and a twist and some filed ends. But all in all, I was really happy with the result.

Lessons learned:
1) Sometimes, the simplest requests are the hardest to fill
2) There are still people out there willing to go the extra mile to make a customer happy
3) I love ArtisticWire
4) I will never use plated base-metal wire again.
5) I cannot wait 'til Scott opens his store so I can use the findings he's going to be making

All that's left now is to get this little gem into Abbie's hands. I hope it brings her even half the smile that all her hard work brought me.

So I finally figured out what to do with all these flowers...

2007-04-14T16:37:00.000-06:00

A little while ago, I decided to make flowers out of all of my scraps. It seemed like a win-win: I'm not wasting yarn remnants, and I have a cute little project to show for my efforts. They're quick, they're cute, they make me smile. Turns out I've amassed quite a collection. Even with the 10 I sent off to EtsyKids and the six that have gone out as promos with orders so far, I'm left with quite the bouquet.

So, I've decided that the vegan-friendly flowers are going in my promo packs (I was able to pre-package 20 of these this afternoon, so I should be set for awhile), and the animal fibers are going to get sold on Etsy. I'm thinking I'll do them in sets of three for single color/fiber flowers and as individuals for combo fiber/colors.

I just might have these posted up today, but I thought I'd share some samples with you in the meantime. Enjoy!

Happy Sales Day

2007-04-13T16:08:00.000-06:00

I'm always excited when I get a sale. Who isn't? But I'm especially excited this time because it was for my ACEO's. I'm very proud of my ACEO's. It took me some time to figure out how to get the images cropped to work with the size they had to be. I had quite a few bad print runs before I finally got my print heads calibrated and colors adjusted just so. The cutting process was not hard, but not exactly easy either. So I put a lot of process-oriented work into these - not to mention the initial creative processes.

For those who are interested:
Creative Process: http://kastrollkreations.blogspot.com/2007/02/prayer-flags-phase-i-silk-painting.html
Making them ACEOs: http://kastrollkreations.blogspot.com/2007/04/guess-who-just-joined-aceo-craze.html

And so to have my art, and my process, validated through a buyer's purchase of my works was very affirming indeed. A great pre-birthday gift, if I don't say so myself!

Another Treasury

2007-04-10T11:00:00.000-06:00

I'm featured in another treasury, which is probably the highest compliment a fellow artist can give on Etsy (other than actually buying your product). This treasury features my Spiral Orb ACEO. Many thanks to the list curator, stonesoupjewelry!

It made my morning... this is good, because my week started out on the wrong foot.

Ghosts of Projects Past Part IV - Randomness

2007-04-06T23:18:00.000-06:00

This post is pretty random, mostly because I'm too lazy to break these projects into two separate categories.

The baby hat is actually from the not-too-distant past. Like, two months ago, tops. I just never got around to photographing it or blogging about it. I actually made it sometime between RAINN-y Day Bracelets and X-Ray Bags. Baby yarn was on sale, and I felt kinda guilty for not making any baby items. I figured it wouldn't kill me to make a hat.

Hats are my speciality. For some reason, I can do them with my eyes closed in no time with no pattern and they always come out freakin' adorable. I settled on a striped earflap hat. I wanted to do pompons, but my husband vehmently opposes the pompon, so I ended up with braids. I haven't measured the hat, but comparing it to the ones I keep getting for our little one, I'd have to guess it'll fit 3-6 months.

The pink pouch is at the opposite end of the scale. I don't even know how old it is anymore. It was just an experiment; I created a pouch with a drawstring and shell-stitch edging. I crocheted a drawstring with donut ends. I know it fits an iPod or a camera (I used it for two days in my purse to protect my camera until I found my camera pouch). I like the color. But other than that, I don't know much about it.

I feel sort of guilty, writing about projects I don't have much memory on. But that's okay. I still think they're both cool enough to share and, of course, grace the "shelves" of my Etsy store.

Sunset Boulevard (Marsha's Mommy's Day Bracelet)

2007-04-06T23:06:00.000-06:00

So the other day, Marsha, my MIL, asked me if I would be willing to make her a bracelet similar to the RAINN-y Day bracelets, but in red. Honestly, I was a little puzzled because I've never seen her wear red, but the request itself was definitely doable. Of course, I said yes. She offered to buy the materials, which is when I decided that the bracelet would make a great Mother's Day present.

And so I was off to find some things to make this bracelet with. Now, I've never liked the red and silver combination, so I knew upfront I would need to pair the red with a gold or copper tone. And I've never seen Marsha wear gold, so I settled on copper. A trip to the bead store yielded me my first encounter with Artistic Wire.

Tangent: I've been looking high and low for this stuff. I knew I could order direct from the manufacturer, but I was hoping to find it local so I could play with it. Turns out it's near impossible to find in a good-sized spool in the Denver area. They have the sample spools at Hobby Lobby, but the yardage isn't enough for my purposes. Anyway, I found good-sized spools at Let it Bead in Englewood. This made me happy.

I already had red beads, thanks to the generosity of dragonladydesigns and the thriftiness of laycee. So I just picked up a few copper findings and came home to tackle the project.

After a day lull, I was stringing beads and putting the bracelet together. It came together very smoothly. Lessons learned:
1) Copper wire is the way to go. Definitely worth the extra money (we're talking like a 500% increase over the base metal stuff, but sooooo worth it). The stitches are smooth, the wire pliable, and it's easier to string.
2) Crimp beads suck. The plating always comes off.
3) Rosary wraps also suck, but only because I haven't mastered them.

So... countdown 30 days 'til the bracelet meets its new mommy!

Ghosts of Projects Past Part III - Hats and Scarves

2007-04-06T15:31:00.000-06:00

A few years ago, there was a blowout sale at Showers of Flowers for Classic Elite Mohair. Naturally, I took advantage of this sale, despite the fact I had nothing planned for the gobs of mohair I was bringing home. This presented a dilemna later - what the hell was I going to do with 30 skeins of mohair.

I ended up making oodles of hats and scarves. Most of them were given away the moment they were completed, but as the weather got warmer, the demand got lower. This allowed me to experiment with some of my remaining skeins.

What resulted were two very different sets. The first I call the "Rasta Set", because of its primary color scheme. I decided on vertical instead of horizontal stripes for the scarf, and a very simple striping pattern for the hat. Not pictured are the wrist warmers I designed; these will likely end up as "freebies" to whomever decides to buy the Rasta Set.

The second set is a more feminine set. The cloche features a big grey flower with a white leaf, and the scarf is composed of granny squares. I'll be honest in saying that this is actually not one of the sets I like to claim ownership to; I feel like the white and grey granny squares give the scarf a "Holstein feel". Not that I dislike Holstein. Quite the opposite, actually. It's just that I don't think "cow" and "teal" go together. But c'est l'vie. With the predominantly teal color, this set will end up as a RAINNy Day item. So look good, feel good.

Lessons learned:
1) It's hard to remember lessons learned when the projects are over a year old.
2) White and grey granny squares look like cow print.
3) Mohair can be scratchy on sensitive skin.

These sets will likely be in my store by the end of the month. After all, it's always winter somewhere!

Pussy Pleasure (Annie's New Toy)

2007-04-06T00:00:00.000-06:00

I apologize upfront. I couldn't resist the title. But it is fitting, as one of my latest projects was all about making a finicky yellow tabby named Annie happy. Annie is one of my mother-in-law's familiars. She's sassy. She's small. She's picky. She's... well, a cat.

I got the idea as I was diligently crocheting my scrap flowers for promos/gifts/sales/etc. Annie kept playing with all of my yarn, but especially the alpaca. Plymouth makes an alpaca yarn called "Baby Alpaca Brush". I don't even know if you can propertly call it a yarn. It almost feels like pulled roving, and it's divinely soft. It's one of my favorite retail fibers. Apparently, it's one of Annie's favorites, too.

I had just gotten to the end of the ball, and I knew I didn't have enough for a full flower. I figured, what the hell, I'll make Annie a toy. A few double crochets, two pony beads, and a long tail later, I had a toy that looked eerily like a mouse.

Annie took to it instantly. In fact, Annie fought with her fellow cat Max over this toy for a few minutes. And I'm told these two cats generally do not share or fight over toys. We then tried something my mami does with her cat's toys; we put it in a jar of catnip and shook it up a bit. Out emerged a toy coated in catnip. This went over famously with both cats.

And so, in the future, I may be creating cat toys instead of flowers with my animal-based fibers. Because this one got such rave reviews!

Lessons learned:
1) Sometimes, you can make a toy for a cat that it actually loves.
2) Sometimes, making that toy becomes an unspoken truce between you and that cat to leave the rest of your fiber stash alone.
3) Cats are funny when they're high on catnip.

And that was my good deed for that day: I made a pussy happy.

Felted Slippers Part Deux

2007-04-05T23:40:00.000-06:00

When I started posting the ghosts of projects past, I didn't realize that they could lead to future projects. So when I started reading my blog comments and saw that fellow Mile High Etsian carlasonheim was potentially interested in my slippers, I was taken aback. In a good way.

After some chatting back and forth, I got the specs on the new slippers, which were remarkably like the originals. Green on neutral, silver findings. The only major difference was size and my improved skills since making the first pair.

Deciding the fiber for a custom piece is always the hardest part. I sometimes think I neglect to discuss what goes into that decision here on my blog. I factor in the cost of the fiber, whether it's available retail or wholesale, the quality of the fiber, and what I need it to do. In this case, I knew I'd need to buy retail, so I focused on feltability and cost. Pure wool is actually hard to find in the discount stores. Lion Wool seems like a bargain at $5.99/skein, but it's only 180 yards. After doing the math, I realized I'd have a better product for less per yard if I went with a premium felting fiber.

And so I was standing at the Brown Sheep Worsted Wool wall at Showers of Flowers, trying to pick a color. I wanted these slippers to be unique, so a slightly different color green was in order. I found a cooler green that spoke to me. The contrasting sole was a different story. We had originally decided that grey would be a good color, but after doing laps around the store trying to match green with grey, it became obvious that a warmer neutral color would have to be used. I ended up using the same natural wool color that I used on the original pair - a brown/grey color reminiscent of Romeldale/CVM wool. Depending on the lighting, it would be grey at times, but it would always match the green no matter what. I marched out with my three skeins and a big grin on my face. I love Showers of Flowers.

The next issue was the slippers themselves. My original pair were loosely based on a pattern from Fiber Trends. I'd deviated quite a bit from that pattern for the original, and knew I'd be doing that even more so with this pair. For starters, the pattern didn't even have instructions for the size I needed. And so began the test swatches and test felting.

A few hours later, I had a pair of slippers that were about 15" long in the soles. It was time to felt. With only coin laundry available, I opted to hand felt. After two days of this, I broke down and used my mother-in-law's washing machine to complete the process. The slippers felted down to size wonderfully. They retained a fun, fuzzy finish.

The last steps are always the most important. We decided on buttons, and, having learned my lesson from the original version, I used elastic cord instead of elastic thread to create the "toggle loops". I sewed the buttons on, and voila! Slippers.

I had fun. Mostly. Lessons learned:
1) Hand felting is, as spazspun put it, some form of medieval torture. I will never, ever, ever do it again.
2) Machine felting is pretty fun. I like watching things shrink.
3) No matter how big the eye is on your needle, sewing with 1/8" elastic cord is difficult.
4) It would be prudent to find a wholesaler of feltable fiber.

All in all, a great sequel to an already great project. One of these days, I'll get around to making my own.

Scrub-a-dub-dub (Scrubbies!)

2007-04-04T00:24:00.001-06:00

Okay, so I've been wanting to make scrubbies. You know, little cotton cloths that can be used for your face or body. Or pots or pans. Problem is that Etsy is flooded with them. It can be quite a challenge to compete when people are PIF'ing face scrubbies for "$0.20".

I needed to differentiate myself from the crowd, and I wondered how on earth I would do that. I thought of all the commercial scrubbies I'd ever bought, and realized they were thicker and round. All of the scrubbies on Etsy are single-layered and square. My eureka moment arrived: I knew how to be different.

So I set about making a face scrubbie with all the features I would want. Double layering to put up with my (possibly) over-aggressive scrubbing. A little loop to hang it up so it could dry without getting that nasty mildewy smell. And round. Because I like round.

My prototype whipped up quickly, if not slightly larger than I was anticipating. I was shooting for a 2 - 2.5" scrubbie, but by the time I joined the rounds and edged it in crab stitch, the scrubbie measured exactly 3" across. Oh well. More to grab to scrub with!

Lessons learned:
1) I missed cotton
2) Rounds are fun
3) Crab stitch is not fun when used as the joining stitch

The scrubbies are also the first product to feature the new light box Scott made for me. We still need to go out and get a white balance card, but the photos on these guys are a huge improvement over what I was putting up before.

Ah, the excitement! Look for these scrubbies wherever Kastroll Kreations are sold. :)

Guess who just joined the ACEO craze?

2007-04-03T22:55:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to think of a way to share my gorgeous silk paintings with more than one purchaser. After all, the ones that are in the prayer flags are designed to fray away as your prayers travel on the wind.

So I decided to create six limited edition ACEO runs of 10, yielding my 60 ACEOs. My ACEOs all feature my goddess works - mainly because I couldn't crop the animal or symbology lines into a 2.5 x 3.5" field.

The process of making an ACEO turned out to be more challenging than I thought. I knew that my PictureMate had the capability of producing great quality cards: the PictureMate ink features Epson Claria Hi-Def inks, and that I could load my printer with Premium Glossy Paper. You can't get too much better than that with a home print run.

Truly, the hardest thing of making the ACEOs was getting the cropping right. I had to hand-cut each ACEO from the photo paper. I then had to find a marker acceptable for signing/dating/numbering my ACEOs. I ran two of the 10 in each edition, and posted the Bleeding Heart Womyn and Center of the Universe ACEOs in my store tonight.

That was challenge number two. Yes, listing an ACEO was more challenging than making an ACEO. Etsy does square-centered cropping, so I had to use my original painting images to create my listings. As soon as I have my lightbox ready, I can photograph the actual ACEOs and add thos pictures to the listings, but for right now, I have pictures of the originals. Thankfully, there's no length limit on Etsy item descriptions!

Lessons Learned:
1) Always clean your printheads before doing high-end print runs
2) Paper cutters are heaven-sent
3) Not getting fingerprints on glossy paper is a pain in the booty
4) Plastic jewelry bags make great ACEO sleeves

So there you go... I now have ACEOs. So go get 'em before the run runs out!

My First Treasury

2007-03-29T17:55:00.000-06:00

I'm too excited not to brag: My Cows on the Farm Bib was featured in a treasury today. I am so excited!

As an aside, Staci Rose Designs, the curator of the list, makes some incredible earrings. I'm wearing a pair today, and I have to say they are some of the best crafted, most beautiful earrings I've ever had. I love, love, LOVE them. So go buy a pair, and support some San Franciscan talent!

Showers of Flowers (the store and my latest project blitz)

2007-03-28T18:07:00.000-06:00

I don't know if I've made it clear that I've been trying to destash my stash of yarn. Figuring out ways to do this has produced some fun projects (like the rash of purses I just completed) and some projects that may never get blogged about. But one day, wandering through Etsy's Time Machine 2 and my favorite yarn shop, Showers of Flowers, I figured it out.

I would make flowers. Lots and lots of flowers.

You see, flowers are ridiculously easy projects that use up even the smallest little scraps of yarn. They're fun, they're fast. You can make 20 in an hour. And so I set forth on my flower-making project.

20 flowers later, I'm looking around my stash for more flower-making fodder. I've already used some of my flowers as promos in my sales packages. I'll be sending some off through EtsyFAST to be part of the street team's goody bags. They're perfect for things like that. I can even sell them for $3-6, depending on quantity and materials used. Mine are bigger than most I see on Etsy (ranging from 2-5") and I use the good stuff - alpaca, mohair, wool. Okay, I also delve into acrylic and cotton, since I have scrap in that, too. And I needed a vegan-friendly stash.

Flowers. What a wonderful use for scraps!

Customizing the little things (a new RAINN-y Day Anklet)

2007-03-26T21:43:00.000-06:00

Sometimes it's the little things that need to be done to make a project perfect for a person. Case in point: I got a convo this weekend from a woman who loved my RAINN-y Day Anklet, but wanted it to be "more sturdy". The bracelet by nature is not very sturdy because it's a lacework piece. It's designed to be worn out on the town, but not for everyday wear.

It made me think of how I to sturdy it up. I decided that upping the size to 28-gauge wire and using a clasp more secure than toggles would probably be the solution. That way, the wire would be more flexible and sturdy, the clasp would be less likely to unclasp, and it could still retain its lacy look. It was worth a try.

It only took me one strand to realize that this was a great idea. The strand was more pliable and less brittle. It felt heavier and more substantial. But it didn't lose any of its lightness. Adding findings were a completely different story. I don't really care for lobster clasps; no real reason, it's just personal preference. I needed to get some jump rings in there to ease the strain on the wires. But I was able to get it together without any problems.

Lessons learned:
1) Heavier wire = sturdier project (duh)
2) Heavier wire = easier attachment of findings (double-duh)
3) I (still) love doing custom work over general work

The bracelet spent a whopping 10 minutes in my store before being claimed by its new owner. This is my first sale that I've included my new freebies with - I'll let you know how that goes over. :)

Hail Eeyore Full of Grace (The Earred Grace Hat)

2007-03-19T23:39:00.000-06:00

About 10 days ago, I get an Etsy convo from a sweet Canadian asking if I can make an Eeyore-esque hat that she saw on Will and Grace. I figure I can definitely do that. I had never seen Will and Grace, nor did I really know what she meant by Eeyore hat, but I was certain it was something I can do.

A few days later, I had a link in my mailbox to a YouTube clip featuring bloopers from Will and Grace's 3d season. And there it was. It was nothing like I'd pictured it. It was a big crocheted hat featuring a blue scully with a white border (not a folding headband, but a simple white border) and two tiny ears attached to the top. It was adorable. After I saw it, I knew I could do it.

We hashed out fiber (superwash wool over cotton - good choice, I might add) and I set to work. She liked the original colors, which posted the first challenge. Superwash doesn't come in the same range of colors as regular wool, cotton, or cheap acrylic. But only superwash has the beauty of wool with the ease of care needed for a hat. I found a blue that as just slightly deeper and a pink just slightly brighter.

The hat took two tries. The first hat had ears that were too long. They were the perfect length for Eeyore, but not for Grace. I sent the image along anyway, just in case she decided she wanted it more Eeyore and less Grace. Once we decided we needed a Grace hat, I halved the size of the ears and put them closer to the top.

I have to confess that I love both hats. They both make me chuckle every time I see them. How can you not smile at an earred hat?!

Lessons learned:
1) Chunky yarn is wonderful to work with
2) Superwash should really come in more colors
3) Ears are hard to make
4) Ears are even harder to attach
5) Custom projects are so much more fun than any other project

So the Grace-Eeyore hat is (of course) reserved for the lovely Canadian, but the Eeyore-Grace hat will be up on Etsy for everyone to chuckle at in the very near future. I couldn't resist putting pictures up of the EG hat with ears in both positions because both are so cute!

Revamping Regifting (Mini Pink Purse)

2007-03-17T22:03:00.000-06:00

At the beginning of this semester, my classmate and friend Sarah brought me back three gorgeous pink ceramic bracelets from India. The only problem is that the bracelets were too small for my wrist. They've been sitting in my car on the shift knob, and their clinking always reminds me of her kindness.

I wanted them to live a better life than one of collecting dust and decorating my car, so I started thinking of ways to make them into something new. Two of the bracelets were a similar thickness and roughly similar patterning. I had just finished making my RAINN-y Day Purse when I got the idea of making a miniature purse. It wasn't until today that I actually got around to doing it.

I headed to my yarn stash to find the perfect fiber, and I found it in Sirdar's Salsa DK in a tweedy pink. The pink almost perfectly matched the bracelets, and the black strands within gave it some depth. I played around with hook sizes and stitches, and settled on a size 7 Brittany hook and plain ol' single crochet.

The purse itself was whipped up during my sewing class, to the admiration of my classmates. They were awed by the fact I wasn't counting nor using a pattern. At the end of the class, I had crappy rolled hems and a perfect little fat-bottomed purse.

I decided to keep this purse unlined, mainly because it seemed wrong to use new materials on a totally upcycled/destashed item. Besides, I wanted to line it with gold lame, and I'm 1) broke and 2) don't have any suitable substitutes for gold lame. The purse itself received its first test when I threw my Motorola SLVR, keys, lip balm, and powder compact into it so I wouldn't have to shove all those things into my pockets (things in pockets when you're 8 months pregnant is a bad idea). Everything fit great. I haven't done a formal measurement of the purse, but if I had to guess, it's probably around 3.5x5.5".

I really can't say I have any *real* new lessons learned, but here are the few observations I made.
1) The more I do this, the less I need patterns
2) Sirdar makes a phenomenal DK wool fiber
3) Small is usually better

As always, look for the mini purse to be added to my Etsy store in the near future.

Surprise, Surprise (Baby Booties)

2007-03-14T21:12:00.000-06:00

I recently ordered some custom-designed labels from JennifersJewels' Etsy Store. They are simple, but (in my humble opinion) gorgeous. They go with everything I make. Best of all, she was willing to trade a RAINN-y Day Anklet for the labels. Two sets. She fronted me a bit of a credit. She didn't have to do that.

So I tried to think of a way to repay her kindness. She was initially interested in baby booties, but I didn't have any immediately available. She decided to hold off on booties in any case until she had a bun in the oven. As I was packaging up her anklet, it hit me: make the baby booties and send them along.

It's hard to make booties for an unidentified child (hence why I've made nothing for my own baby - it's one thing to make something to sell, an entirely different thing to make something for a person with a personality and preferences all their own). I settled on a simple white bootie with a ribbed cuff. Now I just had to find a pattern.

Once again, I was irritated with the patterns I found. Too dainty, too frilly, needs elastic, made in three pieces (three pieces! For a baby bootie!), too lacy, has buttons. You name it, I hated it. I ended up playing with an idea I had when I made my husband's slippers. It called for working the bootie in a single piece, from toe to heel, all in rounds. No seams. No sewing. Just a continuous tube of bootie.

I also had to settle on a size, and I decided that, since I've been told to buy the 6 month size for my newborn, I should make a 6-month-old sized bootie. For those of you who are baby-size stupid (that's me, too, so don't worry), this is about 3.75". I set to work, and had a cute pair of booties together in about two hours. Most of that time was spent experimenting with the cuffs. Once I figured that out, it was a breeze.

The booties are now in a bubble envelope and awaiting a trip to meet their new mommy, who, with any luck, will be a new mommy within the year.

Lessons Learned:
1) Babies have very small feet
2) I have a strong distaste for Red Heart's baby yarns - they split and fray too easily
3) Bernat's baby yarns are much more stable
4) I should write down the patterns I design in case I ever need to recreate the item

I'll eventually get around to making baby booties for my Etsy store, but for right now, these were just a goodwill item that I hope will put a smile on Jenn's face.

My first custom request (Crazy Purses)

2007-03-14T10:15:00.000-06:00

I received my first custom requests when I offered to trade something in my store for an adorable handmade puppy dog from Peihan's Etsy Store. Turns out that Peihan liked my coin purses, and wanted a few in a wider color range. It seemed like a fair trade to me, and I was off to make the new purses.

Problem was that I hadn't actually made a coin purse like that in two years, so it was going to take some heavy remembering to get them done. Once we established color and size, I set to work. They came together quickly, as soon as my fingers remembered the motions.

And so, I've posted two "new" items, a mini-purse in black (the size 3 cotton yielded a purse too big to be called a coin purse) and a coin purse in navy blue. I'm pleased.

Lessons Learned:
1) Fiberfill should come in more colors than white, because white fiberfill is very noticeable on dark yarns
2) It takes awhile for your hands to become reacquainted with a size 7 steel hook after using size I wooden hooks for months
3) Taking a decent photo of stitch detail on a dark, small item is nearly impossible
4) Custom projects are infinitely more fun than regular projects because you know who they're going to, what they want, and how they will use the item. Very fulfilling

I posted these items to the new "Reserved" section of my shop. If you would like me to make one for you, or want any other sort of custom work done, just drop me a line!

Ghosts of Projects Past II - Head to Toe

2007-03-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

My second Ghosts of Projects Past feature is dedicated to the presents I've made for the mamis in my life. Specifically, my Mami and my mother-in-law.

The first is a simple modified cloche I made for my mami just after Christmas 2004. She wanted a hat to go with the scarf I made for her from Trendsetter's lovely Sorbet line. I decided on Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride for the body of the hat, and used my scrap Sorbet to trim the hat. The cloche can be worn with the brim up or down. The hat came together relatively quickly, and I eventually fulled it lightly to give it a more solid feel.

The second is a pair of felted slippers I made for my mother-in-law on the drive home from Kansas in August 2005. This one actually took some trial and error. I used a Fiber Trends pattern as inspiration, but used a different yarn weight, a two-tone style, and a modified fastener. The fiber here is (once again) Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride. The first pair came out of the washer huge, even after three cycles. They would've fit a clown. The second pair came out perfect on the first cycle. I was incredibly pleased, and hopefully my mother-in-law is, too.

I haven't played around with felting for nearly two years now, but I hope to have another felted project in my portfolio soon. When I do, you'll see it here!

Ghost of Projects Past I - Bra Purses

2007-03-10T19:26:00.000-07:00

The Ghost of Projects Past will feature projects that have long since moved on to happy homes. Sometimes I find these pictures on random flash drives or CDs. Others come from appreciation photos I get from happy friends and family members.

From 24 December 2004, are two bra purses I made for my two favorite professors. The black purse was for my elegant, articulate mentor and professor, A.J. It was fashioned from a black sateen 36B bra, some beaded fringe, lace, ribbon, and flowers. The denim purse was for the happy-go-lucky, open, friendly professor I TA'd for, Chris. She is a graduate of Colorado State University, a podunk little cowtown-turned-college town. It was fashioned from a denim-cotton blend 38C bra, some leatherette fringe, bandana trim, some denim-toned appliques, rivets, beads, and conch ties. Both received uber-compliments arnd requests surrounding the purses.

The only "Lesson Learned" I remember from these projects is that a cheaper sewing machine lacks the foot clearance to handle a padded bra. It was this project that started me on the path to my new Janome QC6260.

Now a secret... I have another bra purse in the works. Stay tuned for more!

Things are starting to look up...

2007-03-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

I've been on Etsy for nearly a month now, and I've already started to field some custom orders. Nothing incredibly special when compared to more experienced sellers, but exciting for me nonetheless. Some of my recent requests include:

* Making a new BBB Layette with different thread accents
* Designing an Eeyore-style crochet hat
* Making different colors and sizes of coin purses

I was also fortunate enough to stumble upon an old friend whose boss owns a small boutique. With any luck, a few of my items may start appearing in local Denver boutiques. I just hope that my uncontainable excitement about the prospect doesn't jinx my chances of it happening.

So, although business is still small and based on trades and friendly conversations, it is going very well. I'm creating something new every single day, and thoroughly enjoying myself in the process. You can't get much better than that!

Prayer Flags Phase II - Sewing and Stringing

2007-03-09T00:10:00.000-07:00

I've finally finished my prayer flags. They are (in my humble, yet incredibly biased opinion) *sweet*.

When I last blogged about this project, I was planning on using my rolled hem foot to hem each one of my panels. That didn't happen. Instead, after much fighting with my trusty machine, we came to an agreement - the rolled hem foot is not something I should ever use again. Partially because the silk was too slick to run under the foot to the feed dogs. But mainly because it was easier to do it by hand.

In any case, I decided not to hem at all. A bit of background on prayer flags. The flags themselves are designed so that they will fray. Yes, they are *supposed* to come apart. As the wind and time pulls the fibers apart, your prayers are carried to the gods for fulfillment. Cool, huh? I felt it would defeat the point of having prayer flags if your prayers were trapped by a rolled hem.

That left a new problem: how to get them strung. After playing around with some casing options, I settled on something much simpler and sturdier. I decided to use cotton wide bias tape to add a top casing. The cotton is more sturdy than the unhemmed silk, and it preserved more of the original panel art to add the tape to the top rather than fold the silk down. So I sewed the bias tape to the heads of the panels.

Finally, I had to create a stringing system. I had my heart set on crochet, and I had a ball of cotton/linen blend lying around in my stash, just waiting for use. I suspended the flags on slip stitched chains; the panels themselves being held between two simple chains. It's easier to understand by looking at the pictures. To create the tiebacks, I just tied on some extra line and braided the ends. This had a two-fold benefit. First, I didn't have to slip stitch in as many chains, and second, I didn't have to weave in any loose ends.

As always, I'm rather proud of my finished project. Lessons Learned:
1) Silk frays easily
2) Silk does not like feed dogs
3) Linen fibers are not at all smooth
4) Braiding linen is incredibly fun

Look for these soon at my Etsy store!

Still havin' the blues (Fat Bottomed RAINN-y Day Purse)

2007-03-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

As I continue to try and work my through my yarn stash, I am faced with 5 remaining balls of Gedifra Velato (I'd already used 4 on the cowgirl hat). What to do...

I again turn to my pattern collection for inspiration, and face three separate patterns from three different sources. Amazingly enough, they all tend to look alike (furthering the notions that no idea is truly original and that great designs imitate one another whether they intend to or not). The design is for a fat little bag with round handles. I jump at the opportunity to try something new. I have never made a purse that incorporated non-crocheted elements.

Just as with the cowgirl hat, I instantly find things I don't like about the patterns. Single crochet is too dense. Herringbone half-doubles are clunky and create holes I just don't like. None of the bags are lined. All of the bags rely on some cheesy motif for accessorizing. That just won't work for me.

I settle on simple, plain, half-doubles. I decide I'm going to line the bag with blue satin. I'm slightly concerned that some of the blue will show through to the outside of the bag, but I figure it'll just deepen the blueness of the turquoise fibers. I contemplate wrapped brass rings instead of the now ubiquitous bamboo rings, but figure that I'll give bamboo a try for now. Then I set to work.

The project worked up relatively quickly. I had a few issues with sizing; I wasn't sure how wide I wanted it and in what direction I wanted to stitch seams to go. In the end, I settled on vertical seams and a purse around 12x7". It's cute.

Lessons learned:
1) Hand-sewing satin lining into a crochet piece is an incredibly big pain in the ass
2) Cute as this bag is, I just can't see myself using it
3) Figuring out how to accessorize this purse has been difficult. I tried ribbon and motifs, but I think both are too overdone. I think I'm just going to have to keep a lookout for some cute little pin to add to it

Keep a lookout - this should be up on Etsy soon!

A blue hat is a new hat (Cowgirl's RAINN-y Day Hat)

2007-03-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

I decided to use one of the many patterns I've collected over the years and decrease my yarn stash. As an aside, my yarn stash is a little out of hand, and I've been telling myself for years to start making little hats and scarfs to whittle it down.

Anywhoo, there was a pattern in Debbie Stoller's Happy Hooker that intrigued me. It's called "Yeehaw Lady", and it's essentially a crocheted cowboy hat. It's done in red worsted cotton. Now, I'm not a cowgirl (despite living in D-town, a town which has extremely cow-y roots), and I really don't care for Western fashion, but I'd gotten bored with knit caps, cloches, buckets, and flapper hats. So it sounded like a decent hat to try.

A few problems around here. I had no cotton, I don't like working in spirals. I'd rather work in joined rounds - even if it means having a barely noticeable seam on the item; I just don't think that a spiral piece looks as balanced in the end. If you wear the joins in the back, no one is the wiser! But I digress. I didn't care for the crossed-stitch border in half-doubles.

So being me, I tweaked the pattern a bit. I used an elasticized tulle ribbon yard from Gedifra called "Velato". It's a yarn they don't even make anymore, but I've loved. I've made cardigans and camisoles from it and it is amazing. It gives a lycra-esque stretch while holding its form like a cotton-blend. It seemed the perfect yarn to play with for this project.

It took me two tries on this hat, and only because I forgot to take into account the stretch in this yarn. Cotton doesn't stretch much, whereas there's abouta a 50% stretch to Velato. My first attempt turned out bumpy because of this. Once I factored that in, this hat still scared me at times. It looked like a pointy top hat, which seemed hideous. But as I plopped it on my model and shaped the wire-line brimmed, it transformed into an adorable little 1-gallon bucket.

Lessons learned:
1) Remember the stretch of your yarn
2) Don't be afraid to try a pattern just because you disagree with the away the construction was done
3) Floral wire and tulle do not get along
4) Cowboy hats require wearing in order to be shaped right

So, other than the few little snafus at the beginning, I have to confess that I'm pleased with the end result. Look for it on Etsy in the next few weeks!

I'm a RAINN-Maker!

2007-02-26T15:57:00.000-07:00

Well, y'all, I just wanted to let everyone know that after two weeks and a bunch of edits, I am officially a RAINN-Maker.

What exactly does that entail? It means that RAINN recognizes me and my little Etsy shop as official fund-raising sources. They even have a link to my little store from their website (well, they should by week's end). I can now officially and legally say that 100% of the RAINN-y Day line and 10% of everything else is donated to RAINN.

I'm so excited! It's publicity! It's officiality! It's a great cause! You can check out RAINN's link to me at their Shopping for RAINN site. And, of course, you can check out my store at http://kreations.etsy.com.

So help support the National Sexual Assault Hotline, both the phone and (beta) online versions AND support my crafting habit by picking up a few lovely items from my store. You'll look good and feel good, too!

"V-Day 2007" Line?

2007-02-24T23:41:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the closing night of the Auraria Campus's V-Day 2007 production of the Vagina Monologues. It was me and my Dear Husband's 3d year working the technical aspect. It's become a sort of family affair. A bit of background: My junior year, I had just joined TrIota, the Women's Studies honor society, and I was wanting to become more involved in making women's issues more visible. I figured V-Day was a good place to start. After some asking around, I found out that I needed to talk to Zoe, the 2005 production organizer. It was simple, really. I asked if they needed help. She said yes, they needed a lighting and tech person. I knew nothing about that, but my Dear Husband... that's passion. He was just starting to get back into theatre, and jumped at the opportunity. Even though he knew nothing at all about the Vagina Monologues.

Fast forward to tonight. He now knows most of the monologues by heart, we've been honored as Vagina Warriors, and we have an extended family of sisters in the V-Day cast. This year's production was done on a shoestring budget. Scott lit it with four lights attached to dimmers (the other 6 lights were dead), a projector, my trusty MacBook Pro, and a PA system (for some reason, we couldn't use the installed sound system). We had no crew. It was just Scott. He had a month notice. That's it. And you know what, it still went off wonderfully. Another successful year calling attention to women's issues, causes, and gratuitous shouting of the word "cunt".

Anywhoo, as I was crocheting in the makeshift soundpit, I thought it'd be cool to launch a V-Day inspired line of something. Jewelry, most likely, but not necessarily crocheted with wire. I even contemplated silk scarves, since those turned out so nicely. Maybe different images of the letter "V", the vagina, and perhaps the word "vagina" and it's different nicknames (a la' the intro from the monologues). But who wears silk scarves? Then I thought fabric cuffs or garter belts, but I don't know if I feel that confident with elastic yet.

At this point, it's just an idea. I was thinking that I could donate them for auction during the actual V-Day events, and then run them in my Etsy store. So they'd have the regular 10% donated to RAINN (a great cause that definitely falls within the spirit of V-Day) and another 10% to whatever the local spotlight organization for the year is. If there are multiple (usually are), then give the purchaser the choice of which organization gets it.

Hopefully, I'll get this idea off the ground sometime this year. Stay tuned for more info!

New Additions to the RAINN-y Day Jewelry Line

2007-02-23T23:27:00.000-07:00

Today, as I was killing time before my OB visit, I decided to use the last of my wire on earrings. I'd never made earrings before, but they seemed pretty straight forward. I made them the same way I did the bracelets. Well, sort of. Just one chain of seven beads on a french hook. But I think they turned out pretty nice.

The earrings hang about 1.5" total, and feature six seed beads and one focal bead. As with the rest of the line, they benefit RAINN. Need to know more about RAINN? Check out their site! http://www.RAINN.org.

I also created another anklet, a three-strander comprised entirely of seed beads that's about 10" long with toggle clasps. And a kid's bracelet, a two-strander comprised entirely of seed beads that's about 5" long with a lobster clasp.

So there you go! The new additions should be up on Etsy in the next few weeks.

The BBB (Blanket/Burpie/Bib) Nursery Layette

2007-02-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

When I found I was pregnant, I immediately went into nesting mode. Never mind the fact that I was already in the second trimester and had law school finals to study for. I was determined to make things for my baby. I am, after all, a crafter before a law student.

I decided to go for blankets and burp cloths. After all, I knew that moms can never have too many of these, regardless of how we feel during the baby shower onslaught of receiving blankets. Janome suggested a pattern fashioned from a yard of cloth, but I didn't really like the size. The blanket seemed too big for strollers and car seats, and, although I like the longer, curved burp cloths, I find them less versatile than their smaller, cloth-diaper-sized counterparts. I also wanted bibs to match.

I raided my nephew's bib stash to measure and evaluate his bibs. The best were about the size of a letter-sized sheet of paper and had snaps instead of velcro or ties. Most were reversible, so you could (attempt) to hide the mess he made on the other side. I favored the rounded rectangle over the oblong-eggy shape, so I sketched out a bib based on all the features I liked.

Next came blankets. Receiving blankets range from 24" - 36", and some are square, some are rectangle. 24" seemed a bit small, and 34" seemed a little big. I liked the idea of having a mostly-rectangle so I could drape it over my stroller better. I settled on 27 x 30".

That left the burp cloth. I figured, if I did it right, I could cut the blanket and bib, and have the perfect sized scrap for a burpie. Sure enough, I had worked it out. 3/4 yd off a 45" bolt yields a blanket, a bib, and a burpie. I was thrilled.

Finally, I decided I liked top-stitching and reversibility, so all the pieces had to be double-layered and top-stitched. Easier said than done; this is a lot of turn-and-stitching, but well worth it. In the end, I had amassed an impressive stash of flannel in complimentary colors and fun colors of threads. I set to work, and the fruits of my labors are showcased below.

Each layette features: a double-thickness burp cloth that measures 14.5 " x 11.5" - a great size for an over-the-shoulder burpie or (for cloth diapering moms like me) a diaper doubler (just fold in lengthwise quarters and stuff); a double-thickness receiving blanket that measures 27" x 30" - a great size for car seat, stroller, last-minute changing pad, or swaddling. If you have an extra-spitty baby, you can even fold it in half and throw it over your shoulder for an extra-large burp cloth; and a reversible bib measures 8" x 11" - the perfect size for your little one to grow into! My niece wore one this size from newborn 'til 18 months, so you'll get a good amount of use from it. It has snap closures; no scratchy velcro to irritate baby's sensitive skin.

Lessons learned:
1) I love, no *LOVE*, cotton flannel.
2) I hate hand-stitching.
3) Flannel comes in more adorable patterns than I have time to sew them all into adorable layettes.
4) A rotary cutter makes blanket-making MUCH easier.
5) Snaps are a pain to sew.

All in all, a fun project. I still have some cute fabrics laying around, waiting to be transformed into blankets. Cows, lions, and elephants. I'm sure they'll be more BBB's up here in the near future!

Circus Animals - BBB Layette

2007-02-22T16:50:00.000-07:00

Circus animals showing off their best antics! The reverse is pink, accented with turquoise thread. The appliques all come from the main pattern fabric.

Duckies - BBB Layette

2007-02-22T16:48:00.000-07:00

Perhaps my favorite pattern because of its simplicity. Duckies. Just duckies. The reverse is light yellow, accented with turquoise thread. There are no appliques on this pattern.

Cows on the Farm - BBB Layette

2007-02-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

Cows and friends on the F-A-R-M. The reverse is green, accented with pink thread. The appliques all come from the main pattern fabric.

Best Friend Bears - BBB Layette

2007-02-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

Little bears proclaiming eternal friendship. The reverse is lavendar, accented with purple thread. The appliques all come from the main pattern fabric.

Froggies and Flowers - BBB Layette

2007-02-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

Another one of my favorite patterns. Cute green frogs with big pink flowers. The reverse is light green, accented with pink thread. The appliques all come from the main pattern fabric.

Sleepy Monkeys - BBB Layette

2007-02-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

Sleepy Monkeys cuddled with their favorite treat: Bananas! The reverse is green, accented with green thread. The appliques all come from the main pattern fabric.

Turtles on Cloud 9 - BBB Layette

2007-02-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite fabric patterns!

Cute little turtles sitting on clouds. The reverse is pink, accented with turquoise thread. The appliques all come from the main pattern fabric.

The "RAINN-y Day Jewelry" Line

2007-02-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

While I'm on the subject of projects I've always wanted to do, let me talk about bead'n'wire crochet. I few of my books have wire projects listed, and I'll even go so far as to confess I have a book dedicated completely to crochet with wire. It seemed like a great craft to try. Unfortunately, in application, I found it a wee bit... difficult. I hadn't picked up a steel hook in years, so the small scale was maddening. My fingers (albeit puffy from the water retention all preggos go through) were just to darn big to get a good grip on itty bitty seed beeds, and my 24 gauge base-metal wire just looked hideous. My first project was a bead-encrusted bracelet, and I got 4" through it. I had to toss it. The metal just looked cheap, the beads gawdy, and my fingers were red and black from all the pinching and having cheap wire slide across my hands.

I vowed to try again, but this time following my own rules. I settled on silver-plate wire in a narrow 32 gauge and seed beads for lightness. I wanted something lacy, and no book had lacy. I realized that some people might actually want some focal beads, and figured I could accomodate that if I did it on a single chain instead of on a matrix of single crochet. Hook in hand, I set to work. What emerged was my new "RAINN-y Day Jewelry" line.

The entire line is comprised of 2-4 individual chains of beaded crochet. Most of these chains are seed beads, but some have focal beads spaced in there as well. I used both lobster and toggle clasps. I made them in teal, beacuse I wanted to have something I could sell to raise awareness of sexual violence.

And here comes an important tangent: the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network, RAINN, is a national non-profit dedicated to supporting survivors of sexual assault. They do this through lobbying state and federal legislatures, community outreach and education, online and telephone crisis hotlines, fundraising, word of mouth, and a host of other wonderful things. They also have a wonderful resource center. If you need to find a local crisis center, they can help you do that. Need a class on how support people can help cope with the feelings they have surrounding the rape of someone they love? They can point you in the right direction. Sexual assault affects 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men in the United States. To say it's a problem is an understatement. It's an unaddressed national epidemic.

So what does all that have to do with bead'n'wire crochet? The "RAINN-y Day" line has a two-fold purpose. First, teal is advocacy color for sexual assault awareness, just like pink is for breast cancer and red is for AIDS. Wearing a "RAINN-y Day" item will hopefully generate some conversation about your newfound accessory, and you will have an opportunity to tell people how important it is to stop sexual assault. Second, an perhaps more relevant to the commercial-capitalist society that is the United States, I donate 100% of the net proceeds of every "RAINN-y Day" item sold to RAINN. So you can look good and feel great, all from a piece of jewelry.

I've included some samples of my finished projects here, and you can view even more in the "RAINN Gear" category of my Etsy shop. Oh, and I donate 10% of the sale price anything you purchase from my shop that isn't a "RAINN Gear" item to RAINN. So, shop away!

Finally, the requisite takeaway lessons:
1) Bead crimpers really are necessary
2) 32 gauge wire does not like being bent at sharp angles
3) Seed beads look lovely suspended on a chain of silver
4) If you crimp too hard, you'll just break the bead, and have to start the whole finishing process over again
5) If you do it right, these pieces come together smootly and quickly (and isn't that what any crafter really wants?)

Again, another project I have to confess I am very satisfied with artistically and morally.

For more information on RAINN, please visit their website at http://www.RAINN.org.

Prayer Flags Phase I - The Silk Painting Process

2007-02-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

Prayer Flags are a project that I've been wanting to take on for about six months. I figured it was the perfect way to merge my silk painting (the flags), sewing (the hems and casings), and crochet (the cords) passions into one project. Having the idea was great; my challenge was how to implement it.

You see, we're in a one bedroom apartment, which isn't exactly the best place to set up a silk-stretcher. I don't have the cash for studio space, and the raw silk I use is too delicate for pushpin stretching. I didn't want to use embroidery hoops because flags are traditionally square, and I would waste too much silk creating squares in round frames.

My husband came up with the novel idea of using a scroll frame from my cross-stitch kit to stretch my silks. I could then run my resist lines for each panel, paint within the lines, temp-set, and scroll my way to the next panels. It sounded too good to be true.

So on 17 Feb 07, I started sketching my panels. I decided on three collections of flags, all based on contemporary womyn's spirituality: (1) Feminine Animals, (2) Goddess Imagery, (3) Symbology. I figured four flags per collection would be a good start.

Once I had my sketches done, I got my paint spread together, loaded up my scroll frame, and started painting. This was, admittedly, a tedious process. I worked the panels in pairs. Each time I had to scroll, resist, frame, trace, paint, and then give a temporary heat set with my blow dryer. Once I got through all the panels, I could finally do the heat-set and wash.

All in all, I was impressed. I now have a full-length silk scarf that I am somewhat hesitant to cut up and turn into prayer flags. The scarf itself is a work of art; it has an overall femme theme to it that I like.

My takeaway lessons for this part of the project:
1) Don't use a .09 nozzle, because it leaves too heavy a resist line for such a small (6" x 4.5") canvas
2) The instructions lie. You can't color water-based resists and expect it to hold the color. My initial resist lines were black, but when I did the final wash, it rinsed right out to create a classic white line. It still looks good, but I was trying for black.
3) Silk paintings are near impossible to photograph
4) All the photography doesn't really matter because I can only publish 5 images per blog anyway

It was an overall good start to what promises to be a fun project. Next step: go get some silk needles, learn how to use the rolled-hem foot on my lovely Janome, and get some hems on these panels!

Prayer Flag Panels - Symbols

2007-02-21T18:34:00.000-07:00

A preview of the Symbols collection of prayer flag panels.

From top to bottom:
Moon Egg
Spiral Love
Infinity Bowl
Spiderweb

Prayer Flag Panels - Animals

2007-02-21T18:31:00.000-07:00

A preview of the Animals collection of prayer flag panels.

From top to bottom:
Spider
Bird
Turtle
Snake

Prayer Flag Panels - Goddesses

2007-02-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

A preview of the Goddess collection of prayer flag panels.

From top to bottom:
Motherhood
Spiral Orb
Fertile Moon
Earth Mother.