Little Gnomes Healing Hurt

My deep holiday blues were lessened by creating a lovely gnome. I was inspired by these rather large elementals to design and make my own versions. The pattern has been tested and just now released. My brother requested the Crone Gnome, so she's departed, and my bff asked for a little bearded guy. They have brought me some measure of equanimity in a time of pain.

Heart, Fruit, Houseplant Leaves

Last year I worked on a second  collection of crocheted leaves. If there is any way to characterize them, they all have an openness of form  and combine  filled and empty spaces in different ways. They are what folks call graphic, they are yarn drawings.

I don't know why I didn't  finish editing, testing and presenting them. I think I became both busy and discouraged. I'm generally busy  but encouraged, I'll pile another thing on. Prudence Mapstone's Hearts and Flowers endeavors reminded me of heart chains. The heart chains reminded me of leaf chains and this reminded me of heart leaves -- heart-shaped leaves or leaves that double as hearts.

I took the time to key in my fruit leaf -- it was a from a discussion on how to  interpret a leaf. I named my interpretation fruit leaf, because it looks like a fruit.

The houseplant leaf is so named because it reminds me of the one of the huge plants that grew in my grandparents' parlor.  I'm working on charts for them as well.
This is a bit of a challenge for the fruit leaf, but good practice for the brain.

Tags: blog tour, cgoa, Crochetville, project night night, tour through crochet country - See more at: http://crochetville.com/national-crochet-month-a-tour-through-crochet-country-begins/#sthash.rmhgQzXr.dpuf

EXPLODING ENLARGING the Joys of Scaling UP

Ah! The joys of ever larger applications of crochet! The dainty intricacies of doilies are appreciated anew when they are expanded to wall-size  decor, or used as stencils for  steel, plastic, and shaped into furniture.

I needed a break from the intense, lately pleasure-delimiting  thought-work of pattern writing and so asked a bit, read a bit  and looked at various doily and motif pattern books to start a rug.

I got some great advice -- I know because in choosing the piece that i liked the most, I didn't follow the advice and it's not working out! Sigh.

Four strands of LB WoolEAse is not  sizing up -- the motif in thread is 4.5" and done with 4 strands and a 10mm hook -- all I got was 11.5 inches, not an explosion!

So I've got to design more, add more rows. Images from 101 Motifs for Thread Crochet and Bib Book of Little Doilies.

Sizing Struggles

I've nearly finished the Amandla Sweater for my brilliant and beloved first niece. And I'm so delighted with it, that I've written the pattern and am now struggling with sizing the armholes...

It's simple enough in shape, but the fabric is complex and my brain nearly aches with trying to figure out what armhole sizes should be and how they should be worked. the back, fronts and sleeaves are straightforward-- prescribed by industry charts, but making and meeting the varying armhole sizes is less simple.

It just came to me that i can do a fudge -- where the decrease for the pattern might be too large, I can fill it in with sc and hdc...hmmmm.. almost ready to test and make another one!

Making Gifts

Doing my taxes plunged me into despair from remembrances of losses suffered last year
and reminders of new disappointments. I earned $403 and paid $145 in fees and spent $1020
on materials. Awful as it was, it was an excellent exercise. I sold more patterns than I did any other creations... so that should be my emphasis.

For holiday gifts I'm giving cowls... mine are more about when a hoodie meets a collar.

I started one using FPDCs on a Lang Joke --- a boucle mix of wool,mohair, acrylic, nylon and elastic-- and a L hook.

I started another using in double strands of brown Shetland Chunky by Patons using a M hook. ( I won this yarn and have fretted for nearly a year on how to use it. This dark almost chocolate brown will make a handsome gift for my DBIL.)

They recommended a J but the single strand seems very much a regular worsted to me, not a bulky and working with the M hook
makes everything a bit looser than I prefer--- but it suits the emerging garment.

This one begins with hdc for 4 rows and then expands with the dc and at one point I add a stitch and then I add a stitch again. I could see how a more pronounced funnel shape would also work.

I'm thinking of buying fingering and worsted to make some others and want another fabric. I did a swatch of sc-dc and like the nubbly texture having used and oversized J with a worsted weight acrylic. Now I don't know how this will translate with a multi
strand on a M/N/P but I'm excited to try. The multistranding is not for bulk or even speed, but for color, loft and a structure I envision...an architectural statement of
warmth. I'm guessing these will all be about 220 yds....

Loss and Giving

I'm feeling a bit adrift.

Sekou Sundiata, an old comrade, poet, teacher, creator, died last week at a mere 58. This opens afresh the wounds of loss, my dear friendf since high school, Doulgas David Walker, founder of the electronic music group Alien Planetscapes, died last year, as did another once-friend and brilliant musician, Hilton Ruiz. And earlier this year, a poet of long (30 year) acquaintance, Judith Dothard Simmons,

The folks touched me and shared incredible mythic and magic times with me. Douglas was such a touchstone, because he and I were among those in high school who organized and worked for creating a better world. And I learned that Sekou was an organizing progressive force as early as college.... not a surprise, just an affirmation of what was manifest when I met and knew him (1970s-80s).

So I am sorrowing and am making many little things, keeping myself busy. I'm experimenting with fiber and fabric and realize I need a teflon sheet or parchment paper to complete this experiment.

Thank you, MD, for the wonderful box of fibers. They are inspiriational! Tell me how to be in touch with you.

I working on several multimedia pieces using crocheted female figures as the focal pieces.



And I realized I need to recommit myself to giving, especially as my crochet workshop here has stoppped, I've got to make something with the intention of giving it away.

The Black Crafters Group is holding a green challenge and so I've focused on that for these figures and for the fibers I've been experimenting with---I intend to use this for wings, and for aTCs.

Speaking of wings--- perhaps I'll do another entry on them. I've not hit upon the wongs that I want for my women. Then I realized my leaf pattern would make a great wing, especially joined.

I want to mention this wonderful group on the web that continues to inspire me and remind me of ways of giving and the good good goodness that exists in the world as people fufill their desire to make and create and use their hands and hearts and then point this desire to meeting others needs. All praises!

All Crafts 4 Charity http://groups.yahoo.com/group/All_Crafts_4_Charity/

Spring Hat Again

I wanted it, but know I need to make product and so made it again, but this time for myself.... which freed me. I made thee crown roomier and the band a little smaller and added several of my leaves. I think I will add more, over time.

Developing the Leaves

ah! I've keyed in the instructions, but the challenge is how much I vary the leaves... I do something slightly different every time
and all the time--- sometimes sl st, sometimes sc.... and how to convey my overlapping decrease--- when i want 3 stitches to go to two I prefer to double decrease versus decrease and then do one stitch.

I am comforted to have created my own approach to these, to be able to contribute something to this great conversation
ebing held around and across the world.

Motifs for Free Form Doll

Bonnie P's motif is the rufffle spiral flower on the doll front and the block stitch medallion ( a new favorite) on the doll's back

Her arms are the front post double crochet cord done square.

She's 95% done--- I want to add some tiny leaves around her bottom and
I made up a tiny leaf just for her. Felted it turned out jsut right

Thanks Bonnie!

Valentine Ami

I used my tiny heart pattern to make a Valentine Ami.
it's both wetfelted and needle felted ( i think--- this is new to me, LOL) and is about 2.5 inches tall...
I think I'll make a couple more for V-Day.
I don't know if jabbing it with the 10 # 38 needles did much, though it seeme to improve and fix the mouth....
the step lady likes green , so I keep working with it.
Thir green and purple are the colors for some of my flowers

I am really please with the charm necklace, so much so I've begun another, just to refine, and continure to think it through

felting a flat cord helped me create a lovely bookmark for a special friend... though this is probably not the blue he likes, it was fun to develop this --- it feels both sturdy and delicate..again it's the tiny hear elaborated with the viney sc cord.....