Crocheted Doll on a Swing

Completed Project for Art Class

Today was the final exam for my 3-dimensional design class.  This is my final exam project.  It was fun to crochet, but not exactly easy.  The first task was to figure out how to construct a working swing.  The connectors/structure of the swing are covered with variegated nylon cord done with a G hook.  The bar on which the swing is is called a fulcrom.  Two rings hold the swing on the fulcrom and allow it to swing back and and forth.  The doll was fairly easy to make, but figuring out how to attach it to the swing was not.  The swing seat is plastic canvas between two crocheted rectangles,  During class I asked my classmates what to name the doll and the answer was Harriet, so Harriet it is.  Kinda looks like a Harriet doesn't it?   The grass is a single crochet mat glued to foam core.
   It took quite a while to crochet, but it was both challenging and enjoyable all the way.

One of my class mates made a video presentation on Chicago's graffitti.  It was really good, very colorful and I learned about all the different kinds of grafitti.  I added to her knowledge by telling her about yarn bombing and offer to send her my fotos of yarn bombing especially the ones I took at the Morton Arboretum of yarn bombing last fall.   The world of crochet has expanded a bit to my young classmates.

Crocheted Doll on Swing

Progress.  The doll is now on the swing and she does swing back and forth.  Still needs some adjustments and finishing, but now I know the project will work because it blows in the wind -- or at least with my hot air....
  This is the project for my final exam in the 3-dimensional design course I am taking at Northeastern IL univeristy.  Only two more classes and then I have my Fridays back.

crocheting for 3-dimensional design course



Crocheted mini swing in progress

 My final exam is to create something that illustrates the fourth dimension. The 4th dimension seems to have varied interpretations.  I settled for TIME.  The sculpture must show the passage of time in space somehow. Here is my as yet unfinished creation. 

I am crocheting a little girl to sit on the swing.  When the wind blows the swing will --- well -- swing back and forth.  The existence of the swing as you see it is now in the passage of time.  The first push and swing upward shows the passage of time in that it is a moment later.  The 4th dimension is not visible in our world even tho it is there - today is yesterday's tomorrow, ... the passage thru yesterday, today and tomorrow takes place in time.




Little girl will sit on swing and be pushed by the wind into the future.



Monday, February 13, 2012wire crochet sculpture





Pill bottle crocheted with 18 gauge bare copper wire
apple with 18 gauge stranded copper wire

 I am taking a 3-dimensional design course at Northeastern IL university. Our first assignments were to create 3 objects using 18 gauge copper wire. The expectation was to construct the objects using a soldering iron. I, unknowingly, bought stranded wire, and it wouldn't work so I said "what the heck" I know what will work. I crocheted the apple with the stranded wire, not knowing if it was acceptable or not. Fortunately, it was. I then got the bare wire and crocheted the pill bottle with it. The removeable red cap is 20 gauge copper wire, I actually bent a crochet hook crocheting with the bare copper wire. I enjoyed doing this immensely, even tho i have a callus on my right forefinger, and a bent, scraped crochet hook. I am going to make more apples.

The next assignment is impossible to crochet because it requires me to use a "flat" foam board to re-create these two objects, plus a third one that I made using a soldering iron. I have burns from that one, but I did learn how to solder.

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Labels: crochet sculpture, soldering, wire crochet

shawl



Shawl Crocheted with Popcorn St Granny Squares

 Shawl crocheted with popcorn st granny squares.  Shawl design my own - triangular shape with straight edges formed by half granny squares.  I had a pattern for the popcorn st granny squares, but not for the half ones in purple which edge the shawl.  I combined the squares different ways until I settled on a triangle, with an open neck which ties (can't see ties in this foto) and tassels on the bottom.

Popcorn granny square

I am crocheting a shawl using a granny square which has popcorn stititches in a diagonal pattern.  I found a pattern for the granny square.  However, the design of the shawl is my creation.  The most difficult task was the creation of a triangle using this same pattern.  After about three tries I developed one which worked perfectly for my shawl.  The shawl is edged with the triangles which fill in the empty "squares" on the two diagonal edges of the shawl.  I am in the process of crocheting all the squares and triangles together.  The CC is purple which will be the edging on this fisherman-color shawl.  Hope it looks OK.  I will add it to this blog when it is finished.

Belly Blanket

Belly Blanket

I just finished crocheting a gift for a very kind man who has selflessly helped many people. He contracted a disease in the country where he selflessly helped very poor desperate people in need of medical care.  Since the disease involved his abdomen I made a very warm, double, crocheted lap robe and am calling it a belly blanket to keep his tummy extra warm.
  Here is a photo of it.  I used reverse lacy shell stitch because it forms a double fabric and is very warm.  I crocheted an afghan for my bed using this, and it is so warm that I only use it on very cold nights or I get too hot.  I hope the doc likes it.

Basket Blessing

Stick of Butter

The work of my hands.  The Journey to completiion was most fun of all.  Almost sorry they are finished.

Blessing of the Food on Easter Saturday

Sausage,Apple,Pear,Banana,Toast

For the last two Easter Saturdays I have gone to Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in Glenview, IL for the blessing of the food, a European custom, in this case a Polish Custom.  I was impressed and delighted to be a part of it and glad that my friends Anna and Dick invited me.  I decided to bring my own basket next time - a croheted basket. I've been working on it for a long time - finally finished it and really really like the end result.  It was hard and I designed it from scratch.  Once finished, the playful side of me decided to add crocheted food to it.  I don't know if this is acceptable for the actual blessing, but the crocheted food can be replaced with real food.  The crocheted food can be used for little Willa Michaelem to play with when she gets a little bigger.  I got a list of what this basket is customarily filled with, and started there.  For some of it I used a pattern, for others I adjusted a pattern, and for others I just created my own creation.  It has been so much fun - and I think I got all the required food now, even a bottle of wine.  I want to keep the basket and to give it to Anna and Dick at the same time. 

Filling the Easter Basket

Polish Sausage with Ketchup and Horseradish

Easter basket now has Polish Sausage and Horseradish in it.

Frog Kissers Unite

Anyone have an E-Z   quick to do  frog pattern????

Frog Kisser

Crocheted Frog with a mouth that opens

Be a FROG-KISSER.  According to the Fairy Tale, and my former Pastor Judy, kissing a frog turns him or her into a Prince or Princess.  From a frog to royalty is a big frog jump and an improvement.  Soo kissing a frog simply means that your kindness to the "frog" makes him or her a better person.  As we know some forgs are easier to kiss then others! Don't let that stop you.
   I found this frog pattern on the internet, tho I can't remember to whom to attribute design.  It is quite clever because the mouth is a bag, and the long red tongue is the drawstring!
   Though I think I can crochet a cuter frog, I can't beat the clever mouth.  Of course the bug eyes are cute.
   The original pattern had crocheted flies to put in the mouth, and I hope that doesn't happen when you kiss a frog.  Don't put bugs and irritants -- that does not make a better frog, nor does it make you a better kisser or person.  Remember the person who kissed the frog in the fairy tale was already a princess - princess' don't give bugs instead of hugs.  They give good stuff, like gold coins, little crowns and tiaras.  One of my frogs has a clicker in it - not sure what that means, but I really like clickers and they fit nicely into the mouth.
    Please kiss as many frogs as you can.  This will result in many more Princes and Princesses in your life.
   Wait til you see the next frog I am crocheting.  If you know the designer of this one, tell her thanks for me.

Designing and Crocheting a Basket

I decided to use a bowl for support instead of using the tapestry method of shaping because this bowl is intended for the practical use of holding food.  It is to be used for the blessing of the food, a Polish custom in some Catholic Churches on the day before Easter.
  I started crocheting in the round from the outside of the basket bottom, fitting it to the bowl as a progressed.  I wanted the basket to be wider at the bottom then the bowl so I did a little extra increasing in that area, knowing that I would add stuffing later (sorta like stuffing a turkey to keep its shape..). 
  Following the shape of bowl to a little ledge in the bowl about one inch below the rim, I used the back loop only method for that one row so it would fit to the bowl and also help to maintain its position on the bowel.  Up and over the rim, and slightly down the inside, requiring more back loop crocheting to faciliate the turn down over the top.
   I couldn't make it in one piece because I would have to stuff and to add handles which I wanted to extend under the bowl for strength, so I started crocheting the inside at the bottom, separately increasing as I went, this time to fit the bowl as perfectly as possible (didn't succeed but came close enough that I could do a little fudging later).  Not good to be perfect.  Was only perfect once in my life!  Imperfect is more human.
   I crocheted the handle and stuffed a long piece of plastic canvas inside of it.  Positioned it under the bowl and centered it -- boy oh boy that was a challenge because I only have two hands (tip: never put on hand lotion before your try this).  Once that was done I slipped the handles through the openings I had left in the outsidie of the basket and through the crocheted handles.  That's a simple explanation of a complicated task.

   Ahh - now I'm into new territory - a hot glue gun!  Never used one of those before, but I learned and burned quickly - don't let the glue touch your fingers.  I glued the overlapping outside of the crocheting to the inside crocheted piece. Could only do one side of a time in order to fit and shape it, and because I am not an octopus.  It worked.
   This simplified explanation is of a more complicated process.  I got totally absorbed in the process -- always planning a little ahead - should I increase or decrease the next row? Change colors? why won't the darn thing stay still?  How do I get the handles under the basket? The plastic canvas is too short -am not going out an buying a longer piece too much stash, how to add another length to make it long enough while keeping it strong enough?  this is a method of crocheting which I like to call the WHAT IF method, some might call it flying by the seat of your pants -- I got b-i-g  pants so I had a lot to worth with.
   Also, the video attached was new territory never made a video like this before and never able to attach anything like it to my blog.  I feel quite satisfied at all my accomplishments here - imperfect as they may - with a lot of frogging I DID IT!   Will you please ooh-and ahh over it with me?

Problems

Am having problems with blog. Probably won't post for a while.

Tisket a Basket

Does anyone know how to crochet horseradish?  I'm into crocheting fruits and foods now.  When I finish that I'm into FROGS.  I am a Frog-Kisser.....

Back Again

Yes, I am still crocheting.  Many projects have been created since the last time I signed on.  Currently I am crocheting booties and baskets.  The booties are for newborns in the Congo area where my church has medical missionaries.  The layettes sewed and created are drawing cards to get pregnant ladies into the hospital to deliver their babies, and also for pre-natal care.   The booties are so very tiny.  Imagine the tiny feet they will cover.

Reverse lacy shell afghan WIP

Reverse Shell Afghan of Many colors

This is still a WIP (work in progress) which means I need to sew in the ends and create an edging for it.  I crocheted it in strips using mango as the main color in all the strips but changing the contrasting color in each strip.  Designing it was really fun.  Crocheting it was complex enough to keep my attention.  Only one in three rows is ever turned.  The result is an afghan that is quite different on each side.  The upper part of this foto shows the contrasting color side, while the lower part shows the main color, mango side.  I crocheted this for myself.  I made it to the measurements of my bed.  If I were to do it again, I would add one or two more strips to make it wider.  I used Caron's Simply Soft.  It is ultra ultra warm because basically it is the thickness of two afghans on top of each other.  This particular lacy shell stitch creates a double fabric. 

Close up of reverse shell afghan

This foto is a close up with the the afghan folded so that you can see both sides.

  Whew!  I am glad it is almost finished.  I refused to make it a UFO even tho I wanted to crochet Christmas presents and a few other fascinating things.  What
 do you think?   When I am completely finished with it I will write out the pattern.  It is a bit tricky and has to be exact in order to match up the over 100 rows.

Crochet Kookie: Covenant Villagers Crochet

Crochet Kookie: Covenant Villagers Crochet

Covenant Villagers Crochet

It has been my privilege and my delight to teach crocheting at the Covenant Village of Northbrook, IL.   Four residents completed the class on beginning crochet.  Our project was my Runny Nose Scarf, a scarf which I designed many years ago and has been a big hit.   Susan Stevens coordinates the Creative Arts Center there, and provided us with crochet hooks, cheers, encouragement, smiles and a place to crochet in the Center. 

From left to right: Marion, Jean, Ann, Luella

   My 4 Stars all were able to crochet before they graduated.  Each started at a slightly different skill level.  I feel really good about being part of their creative lives from now on.  They might donate some of the scarves to CVC's Holly Fair in November.

Luella Checks Out the Goods!

   Luella R., Jean L., Ann P. and Marion G. have entered into the crochet world full force.  When I told them I was coming to the Holly Fair and I wanted to see their scarves then, I was told "You better come early or they all will be sold by the time you get here."    Such wonderful fun and confidence!!

Marion models her finished scarf while she
starts a second one.

Suzie cheers us on behind Ann.

   As you can see from the fotos, all are dazzlingly engrossed in crocheting Runny Nose Scarves.   When I asked to take Marion's foto she was quite adamant (funny) about wearing earrings when I took her photo.  She came to class without them, and just didn't want to be photographed without them.  Jeez, it was almost like she was being photographed for the cover of Cosmopolitan - so important this was to her.  We all had suggestions for her earrings -- lots of stuff in Suzie's craft room.  I offered to take my crochet earrings off and have her wear them for the foto but she declined.  Others in the room offered too.  Someone even offered  gorgeous rings on her fingers as substitute earrings -- it was a lot of fun, and finally Suzie dug up a pair of purple earrings from somewhere and these matched Marion's outfit....Sigh! At last this dilemma is resolved and I could take photos. Please look for the earrings in the fotos!!   A lot of laughs and love and a little sweat are in the scarves!!! 

You all better come to the Holly Fest and buy them (but you'll have to beat me there).  The Covenant Village is at 2625 Techny Road, 60062. 

  Comments and Congratulations to the graduates would be appreciated by all.  There's a place to comment just below this entry into my blog.

Amazing Crocheter

Awesome, Amazing, Wonderful! are only a few words to describe what I saw and felt today at the Covenant Retirement Community in Northbrook, IL.  Susan Stevens who coordinates the Creative Arts Center where I was teaching crochet, brought out this most amazing rug crocheted from recycled plastic bags.  The photo shows Suzie holding the rug which was donated to CRC by a friend who does not live there.  Take a good look at the rug -- the woman who crocheted it is blind! 

Do You Know Crochet?

Funny Crochet Quiz with Answers

Crochet on the Fox River

There is a cruisette on the Fox River in September.  I went last year and enjoyed it.  It was mostly knitters, but this lonely crocheter was welcome.  Check out the Wool and Company web site.  Maybe crocheters could give the knitters a run for their money -- or should I say a Poke with a hook.  One stick versus two sticks.

Bias Workshop of Lily Chin

Awesome!  I expected a good workshop, given Lily's reputation -- and it was far from good--it was magnificent.  Whenever time passes for me and I an unaware of it - I am totally engaged in an activity.   Crochet with Bias, held today, at the Arlington Hts Library and sponsored by the NIC was  totally engaging.
  Lily is an excellent teacher, engaging, entertaining, informative.  Her timing and ability to keep all the participants' attention was without flaw.  She is funny, too. 
  I learned so much -- within the few five minutes I learned two new things.  After 6 hours my mind was as full and as overflowing as the room which holds my stash and UFO's.  I got an unexpected and valuable lesson in color theory.  I saw all the usual and unusual and creative ways to use bias crochet.  By the end of the day I had designed a top to fit me, crocheted on the bias.  I've written my own patterns many a time, but never for clothes -- as Lily put it -- I am a crochet clothes virgin.  I feel confident that I could crochet the top I sketched on graph paper to fit my measurements, right now, and it is crocheted on the bias.   I was seated next to Cindy and Jeannie and enjoyed that, too. 

Covenant Village Crocheters

A delightful group of ladies living at the Northbrook Covenet Village Retirement community are learning to crochet.    I appreciate the opportnity to spread the crocheting bug to these ladies.  The skill level is varied but I see muscle memory taking over their hands in a couple.  One beginner already has perfect tension even tho her edges are slanting inward as is common in beginners who still need to learn to count their stitches.    One lady obviously has had experience crocheting but her focus is narrow and she can learn the correct terminology and new stitches.  It is my delight to watch the progress of beginners, hear their comments and know that if they keep at it, they will eventually create something new under the sun.

Craft and Hobby Show at Rosemont Theater

Dorothy and the Ugliest Sweater Ever

Today was fun.  The Show was gigantic, colorful, interesting, delightful and entertaining.  Some of us from NIC taught crochet at the Craft Yarn Council of America's booth.  I was busy almost the whole four hours.  My voice started getting scratchy so I took a break and got something to drink to let it rest.  I taught young and old and in-between, inexperienced, some knew a little and even experienced crocheters who saw me crocheting cables, and wanted to see how I did it.  I thought it was funny, me teaching them cables when a week ago I couldn't crochet cables!!!  Another one wanted to learn the Afghan stitch but we hadn't brought an afghan hooks, so she went to another booth and "borrowed" one so I could teach her.  It was great watching her catch on and see where she had gotten confused by trying to do it from reading a book.  I saw an older lady watching us and I invited her to sit down even tho she knew how to crochet.  I told her to sit and rest a bit and we can talk about crochet.  she learned as a child, and knew a lot about the art.  Sharing her experiences was really a nice thing for both of us.  I know the greatest gift we can give to anyone is to listen to them -- and I did that today, too.   I also talked to the Crochet Dude, Drew Emborsky.  I follow his blog and have seen him on TV a few times.  He really is funny, and told us he learned how to crochet at the age of 5 when he and his many siblings were snowbound and the mother was looking forf something to keep the 5 year old busy during the snow storm.  It worked, and he never stopped crocheting either.  I got a photo of the two of us together.   I also met some friendly people and after my shift was over and I was checking out the booths, some of them stopped to talk with me with big smiles all the way around. 

The only Failure is to Quit!

Last week, at the Midwest Fabric and Fiber show in Grayslake, I took a chance.  I took Gwen's Crocheting Cables class.  Crocheting cables just seem too difficult for me to comprehend.  I am an experienced crocheter and a crochet teacher -- you'd think I could do cables!!!  Cable, schable, mayble, enable me please.
  The first time I tried to learn cables was with Addie at the NIC meeting, Gwen taught it then, too.  I just couldn't get my mind around those darned posts going backwards and forwards, and I felt inside out and outside in, and upside down and sideways....well you get the picture...I was a failure.  And what made it worse for my, my pride was wounded, my crocheter self-esteem was getting flushed you know where, because Addie caught on easily, and I didn't...  that was a blow, because usually I caught on first and then was able to help Addie catch on. I was a failure, or so I thought.
  Then two events took place in my life.  I joined Sparkpeople.com, where I made some online friends.  I joined a couple of teams on SparkPeople, one was titled something like Crochet Away the Pounds and another was Emotional Eaters.  One of my Spark People buddies told me that the only failure was to quit.   that's not a label I wanted to give myself -- quitter -- no way, jose.  After what I've been thru - don't dare call me a quitter
   The second event was when I saw Crocheting Cables being offered as a class.  Well, this time it cost me big bucks to take it, but and I "failed" Gwen's class last time, but I AM NOT A QUITTER.  Well, this was a small class, and Gwen an excellent and patient teacher.  I did the first swatch in class, and Gwen told me my post stitches were good.  Hah!!!  That was it, or so it seemed.  The second swatch got us down to business with crossed treble stitches going forward and backward.  I tried.  After a while and just two rows...WOE IS ME... here I go again.  I seemed to catch on, but I just couldn't visualize what when where, and, especially I couldn't keep my place in the darn pattern.  Gwen sat between me and Cindy and patiently showed me what I was doing wrong, and what I needed to do right.  Somewhere what she was saying registered, but I couldn't concentrate with the chatting going on, and became frustrated and started to think I was a frustrated failue AGAIN.  But then I rememebered the Spark Buddy saying "the only failure is to quit."   I fiddled with the piece until class was over, deciding I would go home, write out the complex pattern into lines with large print and separated by stitches not rows, and do the d...n thing. 
   that's what I did and this photo tells you that I am not a failure at all, but quite a success, especially now that I can chew gum, watch TV, not look at the printed pattern, and crochet these cables.  I even dreamed about crocheting cables.  So am I quitter???

Crocheted Cables aka I did it!

 I would like to hear your comments, and want to know if you have had a similar experience.  And say don't fail.
Keep on crocheting.  Don't miss a stitch.  Keep yourself in stitches.

Crochet Artist

Is Crocheting an art?   Yes.  Dictionary says "the expression of creative skill in a visual form such as painting or sculpture."   I have painted pictures by crocheting yarn.  I have created sculptures by crocheting.  Crocheting is expression of my creative skill in a visual form.  I crochet with different media, yarn of course, thread, mason line, wire, string, twine, pipe cleaners...if it is flexible and kinda stringy...it can be used to crochet.  Yes, all you fellow crocheters, you are artists in every sense of the word! 

Palette of Yarn for Crochet Artist

Cables conquered (almost)

Well, I finally made a swatch of treble cables.  I attended Gwen's class on Crocheting Cables at the Midwest Fiber and Folk Fair yesterday.  I worked and worked at it, and got the first swatch just fine.  At the beginning of the class I told Gwen how I just couldn't do cables the last time I attended a class on this.
  During yesterday's class I just couldn't get my head around the treble cables needed to create this beautiful swatch which Gwen showed us as a sample.  I was so frustrated and mad and disappointed that I almost could do it.  I just couldn't concentrate and I kept getting mixed up as to where I was in the pattern.
  Last night after I got home, I typed up the pattern in large type and lined it up so that it was easy to distinguish where I was in the row.  After a while and after doing a pete and re-repete and frogging, I finally began to see it. Today, I caught on, and began doing the trouble oops treble cable pattern without looking at the pattern.  My fingers just knew what to do.  My swatch is obviously a CABLE design, but it is still a bit messy and the tension needs improvement, but I DID it.  With practice it will become pretty like Gwen's.  I just hate it when I can't do something I think I should be able to do.  One of the SparkPeople (SparkPeople.com) told me that the only failure is to quit.      And it was fun in the class with other crocheters!   The marketplace at the Fair was good, too.  I came home with a pair of really funky earrings.  Thanks Gwen for your patience with me.  I will show you the swatch next time I see you.

Crochet Car Cover

Someone in Rome crocheted a very colorful cover for a Smart Car!  It is viewable in the link in the previous email.  You gotta see it to believe it.  Fun!  Wonder if it comes with an umbrella!!!  You know how heavy yarn is when it is wet....

One Crafty Car « ReadyMade Editors' Notes

One Crafty Car « ReadyMade Editors' Notes