Art, Craft and Needlework, April 2014

[Nancy]

Thanks Ivy, I have enjoyed this prayer shawl project got some pink yarn for another one to do up this summer. I am nearly done with the hood on the other one.

[Ivy]

You're welcome, Nancy.

I went to our walk-in closet, 2 totes are on a chest-type thing, out of the way, & off the floor. I also have 3 stacked boxes of gift bags, which 2 totes are on, which are also out of the way & off the floor. I decided to have them stay put for the time being. The grandsons use the bunny room, for their laptop, backpack, clothes, books, notebooks & things. If I put totes in their now, I'll just need to move them later. I decided to bring 1 project at a time, to the bunny room to work on, when I crochet.

What type of yarn are you using on your prayer shawl?

[Nancy]

I like red heart super saver, getting lots of accent colors in stripes an excellent stash buster my focus this fall & winter has been so much fun, I saw the bigger skiens but not in the colors I wanted. I have been thinking about a needle set I need more length on circular needle that I do not have.

[Ivy]

I finished facecloth #2 & will begin #3 soon. It's relaxing! I "need" that, especially right now.

[Harriet]

Tonight I researched a technique for dd. Making a colored background for sketching by scribbling any-which-way with watercolor pencils and then wiping in a circular motion with a baby wipe. You need to prime the paper with gesso if it's not thick enough to handle moisture. Instead of watercolor pencils you can also drop a few drops of an acrylic paint and wipe that with baby wipe in the same way. When paper gets wet you dry it with a hair dryer to return it to flat, dry condition. You can do this more than once on the same paper if you like to get the look of a background you like.

I would think that some paper done like that would be pretty for bookmarks, too!

[Ivy]

That paper background sounds pretty for accordion book covers, for blank cards with a sticker or rubber stamped image on the front or for a hand-bound journal or Nature book or art sketch book, made by hand, too. There's a book I have called, "Books, Boxes, & Wraps," by Marilyn Webberly & JoAn Forsyth, which goes into various things like this to make, which would be good from that paper you're speaking of, Harriet. I got the book in 1994, while attending college calligraphy courses on the weekends for 8 - 10 hours a weekend day, from a Master Calligrapher, Reggie Ezell. His stuff is on the Internet if you "Google" search it. It was very grueling, he flew in from Chicago, every 1 Friday night a month, went home late Sunday or early Monday. It was a wonderful experience, very difficult to do, but I learned a lot about creativity, like doing it to music, and books for special homework, too. Like "Walking on Water - Reflections on Faith & Art," by Madeleine L' Engle. I fell in love with the sound tracks to "Mission," & "Backdraft," too. We had to put in 4-hours a day of study work & practicing our calligraphy M - F. If anyone ever gets the opportunity to do something like this, DO! It was costly, about $1,200 - $1,400, but I learned I didn't want to be a pro calligrapher. However, I learned I CAN DO anything I want to set about doing- hence, I started writing professionally at age 53. Later bloomer, I guess.

I love how you're always doing new things, creatively, Harriet!

[Nancy]

I have started and ripped out and restarted a striped knit cape learning quite a bit on this project love the stripes!

I have a pink prayer shawl started I am loving this larger project for spring and summer.

Neon scarf for dgd is nearly done I am to the last couple of inches on it I will try it on here today to see how it works for her.

[Ivy]

Finished a facecloth pattern, which makes #3. Did #4, which was V-Stitch, but too wide. Chained shorter chain, to make it into a better facecloth size for my hands, which will make the yarn go further, because of this certain stitch being holier & also, it'll be a smaller facecloth.

I'm having a BLAST! It's so nice to crochet again!

[Nancy]

Drat forgot to measure thar scarf on dgd this week will have to do it next wk. Mittens to do after that us done.

Striped cape is coming along nicely . I am weaving inds in as I go.

[Ivy]

The original V-Stitch dishcloth pattern was:

Chain 40, DC-chain 1-DC in 5th chain from hook, across, DC in last chain.
Turn, chain 3, do DC-chain 1-DC in chain-1 space across, DC in last chain, repeat.
Edge in SC or HDC or DC with 3 stitches in corners, join to 1st stitch, weave in end.

BUT it made my so-called facecloth so wide!!!! I improvised the pattern, which you or anyone can do, by chaining any even #, or make it into a shawl or afghan, too. This is my facecloth pattern, which fits on my hand perfectly, for washing my face:

Chain 26, DC-chain 1-DC in 5th chain from the hook, across, DC in last chain.
Turn, chain 3, do DC-chain 1-DC in chain 1 spaces across, DC in last chain, repeat.
Edge in SC or HDC or DC with 3 stitches in corners, join to 1st stitch, weave in loose end.

It's a VERY versatile pattern, I love the size of the stitches, which are used by using a "G" size hook, however, if you'd care to use an "H", it'll make the weave of the stitches a bit looser, is all, a bit more flimsy. Also, if you used an "E" or "F" hook, using this pattern, it'd make it a bit more on the sturdier side.

Gotta run & hang up clean dry laundry!