I designed this spool knitted and woven heart a year or so ago.
I’ve just re-worked the instructions and have them available as a pdf tutorial.
Click on my website for the contact info for the download.
Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright
Monthly Archives: November 2008
Another healing/prayer shawl made with the mitered loop method
Last week, I wrote about weaving healing and prayer shawls on my Cricket Loom, using a method that I have developed (the mitered loop shawl). Here’s the link to the tutorial
This is one of the shawls that I have just woven for my daughter. The colors didn’t show up at all well… sigh. It’s much prettier in person! Much more turquoise-y.
Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright
Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving
Green crafts- hand made book with spool knitted binding cords
Oh my.
This week….. winter arrived…..
So, it’s time to get to work on Christmas presents.
I love green and eco crafts – recycling and re-using things to up-cycle new treasures…
I am making my sister-in-law a hand made book with wooden covers.
The wood has been hanging around our barn for more than 20 years.
It was part of an old stage set from my days as a theater set designer.
I cut out the covers and and sanded the edges and scuffed up some layers of the paint.
I then painted gold around the edges.
I drew a Celtic Interlace then drew a tree over top of that. I connected the tree into the interlace and erased the bits I didn’t want. I painted and etched and drew, until I was satisfied with my version of the Celtic Tree of Life.
I tatted 2 butterflies and a dragonfly, and glued them to the inside cover.
Then I spool knitted 3 cords for the binding.
I folded some recycled/reclaimed pages that had been used on one side and punched 3 holes in them.
I put them all together…..
And all in all…. I am very pleased with it….
Hopefully, my sister-in-law will enjoy her book. She’ll be able to put more pages in when she fills these ones up.
Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright
Weaving a healing or prayer shawl on the Cricket loom
Recently, my sister-in-law had an abscess in her brain, which is devastating and life threatening.
Her friends and family rallied around her and have formed a loving caregiving team.
I decided that as part of my caregiving, I would weave healing and prayer shawls for her and some of her closest friends.
So, I warped up the Cricket Loom from Schacht (I love this loom…. it’s beautifully engineered and weaves like a dream. It’s small enough to be portable – you can weave in the car, and big enough to handle full size projects.)
Here’s the Cricket warped up for one of the healing / prayer shawls:
I put approximately 150 inches of warp onto the loom, which is pushing the limit, but there’s a reason for that.
I used Caron Simply Soft combined with some tweed weaving thread from my stash for the warp, and the tweed thread for the weft.
I used 2 strands of yarn in each of the slots and holes. I put the tweed yarn only in the holes and the mixture of yarns in the slots.
After I wove the long strip of fabric, I folded it, and stitched the ends together like this:
This forms a long loop. Trim the excess warp strands to a few inches. If you use a sewing machine, use a zig zag stitch. If you do it by hand, work a Philipine edge first to secure the warp strands
Now, fold the ends into points:
Pin the folds in place, and sew the center seam. Stitch the ends in place, and steam and press.
Voila! a beautiful healing or prayer shawl:
Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright
Green crafts -Twig buttons with spool knitted cords
I was given a leather coat about a year or so ago. I was delighted, as I have always wanted one.
But…..
I ended up leaving it in the closet…. it just felt frumpy.
I thought that perhaps I might turn it into a leather skirt, as I have always wanted one of those, too.
But then, my daughter showed up wearing a great leather jacket that she had just bought at the second hand store. She looks fabulous in it, and it made me think….. hmmmmm…..
maybe I should look again at the leather coat.
I realized that it was the buttons! Boring, boring boring….
So, I decided to get adventurous.
I consulted Tottie Tomato, who suggested:
that I use some of my stash of treasured arbutus wood (aka madrona) twigs.
I LOVE arbutus, and when we make our yearly visit to the west coast, I always bring home twigs that my sister in law saves for me when she prunes their arbutus tree. (Arbutus don’t grow where we live, sigh.)
So, I cut up one of the arbutus twigs, drilled holes and sanded the ends.
Voila!
a box of fine buttons!
Next step: Spool knit 4 or 5 inch long cords for the buttons:
and sew the ends together to make a loop
and choose flat buttons to be the anchors on the inside of the coat.
Then, sew the buttons on:
and now the coat is REALLY fun to wear!
I am just loving it.
The arbutus twig buttons remind me of one of my most favorite places on earth, and an old coat that was languishing in the back of the closet has a whole new life.
By the way, the wire pin doll on the lapel is one that I made with wire from a yard sale.
I’ve been making wire dollies since I was a little kid. My dad used to bring home scrap wire from work for me. I was a dollmaker even then, and designed the little wire people and gave them to all my friends and relations. And, here I am , a million years later, still making little wire people from left over wire…..
I was born to be an eco crafter.
Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright
Filed under eco crafts & green projects, tutorial & how to
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