Category Archives: tutorial & how to

March 24, 2010 · 12:02 am

New video tutorial- how to weave with yarn on potholder loom

How long can it take to make a 10 minute video? LOL…. all day!

First of all…. you need to plot out how many looms you need to have on the go, and then get them set up so they can be grabbed quick like a bunny to keep the video flowing.

This means that each stage of the video has to be figured out, and just ‘that much’ weaving done on each of the looms.

I had a total of 6 looms on the go for this video.

So… let the taping begin….

Takes 1, 2 and 3 all were about 42 seconds long as I went… flubbadubba dubba…. cut…

Take 4 :

I bang into the camera stand and send it for a spiral dance, and drop everything as it goes ‘ga-doy-yoi- yoi-yoing’…

Delete.

Start over… (which does indeed mean, starting over! Unweave whatever I did in the video, and get all the looms back to their proper starting point…. EACH TIME – for EVERY TAKE!!!!)

Take 5 went really well, until I was baffled at why the weaving suddenly just seized up.

Oh… duh… I was standing on the yarn. sigh.

Takes 6 and 7 each had unique little moments….

I snipped the yarn on one of the squares,…… that earned me a re-start.

I BROKE the weaving hook in Take 7…. I have NEVER broken a weaving hook before, and Clever Clogs, I managed to do it in the middle of a video take. Throw that for a lark.

Delete.

Go out to workshop and carve a new hook.

Start over….

Take 8: The greyhound sees deer in the yard.

He yodels at deer.

He barks at deer.

He rushes to the door and pounds on it to take his barking and yelping outside.

He knocks me sideways….

Delete.

Start Over….

Take 9: Small dog decides to join the fray….

Delete.

Start Over…..

Take 10…. Brain locks up and tongue does a tap dance.

Delete.

Start Over…..

Take 11…

By this point, the light is fading and I am clenching my jaw in grim determination-

I AM GOING TO GET THIS VIDEO DONE! and that is that…..

Take a deep breath…. forget about Takes 1 – 10…. oh please oh please, may my brain stay in motion, may my hands go where they are meant to, may my feet stay off the yarn, may the dogs puhleeeeeeeeze not go daft again….

And then, it’s done…. take a deep breath… and attempt to upload the video! Fingers crossed… and…. yes! it’s a go!

Here is the link to the video: LINK

Please note: Everything on this blog is Noreen Crone-Findlay’s original, design, concept and work, and is copyright. Please do not copy without Noreen Crone-Findlay’s permission. Thank you!

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Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving, potholder loom, tutorial & how to, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as how to weave with yarn on the potholder loom, video tutorial on potholder loom weaving

March 10, 2010 · 10:23 pm

Tottie and the spool knitted doodle doll

Do you like to doodle? I do. I always have.

A friend mentioned that she’s been using

her doodles to inspire her in her

crochet design, (I’m going to be writing more about

this soon, with links)

and that got me thinking…

Why not doodle on wooden dolls?

So, I got out my Faber Castell artist pens

(link to where my husband bought them for me

for Christmas: pens

and did a little doodling on

a small wooden peg doll body.

Here’s the front of the doll body,

and

here is the back.

Because the doll is

tiny,

and this pic

is wildly blown up

it looks much coarser

than in real life.

I varnished the doll

body after I doodled on it,

and then

made little

wooden

hands and feet.

I varnished them

as well,

and then

drilled tiny

holes with a

very fine

drill bit.

That’s so I

could sew

the spool knitted

cords that

I made with

Cordelia cord maker

Link to Cordelias

for the doll’s

arms and legs

to the hands

and feet.

For the legs,

I spool knitted

a cord that is

6 inches long.

As you can see,

the cord goes

through the body.

I drilled larger

holes through the

body for the arm and

leg cords.

For the arms,

I spool knitted a

cord that is 4 1/2 inches long.

The hands and feet

are stitched to the

arms and legs,

and then the extra yarn

is wrapped around the

wrists and ankles,

stitched through

and woven into the

arm or leg.

Here’s the Doodle Doll,

cuddling with Tottie Tomato’s

puppy, waiting for Tottie to pour tea….

Tottie is a little distracted,

because she’s busy admiring

the new Cordelia cord maker

that I just made, with a

portrait of her on it.

Tottie is pleased with it,

and has suggested that

I put it to work,

making another Doodle Doll

to keep her new friend company.

I will have to do that,

but first, we ought to pour tea….

Woven and Spool knitted Heart

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

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Filed under spool knitter & spoolknitter & spool knitting & spool knitting, tutorial & how to

Tagged as spool knitted cords, spool knitted woven heart, spool knitter, spool knitting, weaving

November 14, 2008 · 9:11 pm

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

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Filed under eco crafts & green projects, gifts & easy to make gifts & presents, tutorial & how to

Tagged as Christmas presents, eco crafts, green crafts, handmade book, journal, reclaiming, recycling, recycling crafts, sketch book, spool knitted cords, spool knitter, spool knitting, upcycling

November 10, 2008 · 6:06 pm

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

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Filed under eco crafts & green projects, tutorial & how to

Tagged as doll making, dolls, eco crafting, eco crafts, how to make wooden buttons, reclaiming leather coat, recycling, recycling crafts, spool knitting, tute, tutorial, tutorials, twig buttons, upcycling, wire doll