Tottie Talks Crafts Blog

March 18, 2010 · 12:07 am

Out takes from The Woven Bag

Yesterday, I posted pics of some of the bags that a reader said she really liked (after I posted pics of bags that she didn’t like) 🙂 Link to yesterday’s post: Link

I also said that I would share a few bloopers with you.

Well… I don’t know if this qualifies as a blooper, but I have to confess that I was gobsmacked by discovering that the bag in the middle of the photo above, didn’t make it into the book. I was taking pics of the bags, and wanted to show how neat it is that the inside of a couple of the bags is different from the outside:

I checked the book to see what the final name of the bag on the right was (it started out as ‘Market Bag on the Square’).

I couldn’t find it… I checked again…. eh? (I’m Canadian, and yes, we actually ~do~ say ‘eh?!’ sometimes, especially when baffled and perplexed….). I went page by page…. and …. um… it’s not in the book…

Then I cracked up, because, I have done revision after revision, and re-reads, and checks and checks and proof read after proof read, and I just noticed ~NOW~?!?!?!!? that this bag got bumped? eegads and little fish.

I don’t know why that struck me as being so funny, but it did.

So, The Market Bag on the Square isn’t so much an ‘out take’ as a ‘take out’….

Now, there’s another bag that I have done some ‘take out’ on, too…

It’s the Knotted Fabric Market bag:

Having eco and green and upcycled components to the book was really important to me. I am really pleased with the reclaimed fabric torn into strips, and used instead of yarn in the body of the bag.

What I don’t like, is that I was experimenting with the handles for the bag, and I don’t much like the fabric handles.

Yes, they are soft, and yes, they feel nice in the hand.. and they are in the spirit of upcycling…. but- BUT –

they just look clunky….

So… I have done some revision.

I had a pair of handles that I bought at a thrift shop- they were on a hopelessly worn out bag. I bought the bag, and cut the handles off, and have re-used them on the Fabric Strip Market bag:

I stitched them on with the same fabric strips that I made the bag from, and I am much happier with the look of the bag:

It’s still in the spirit of upcycling, as the handles were re-claimed and are being re-used, and I am much, much happier with it now.

So, there you have it… a few ‘out takes’ and ‘take outs’ from The Woven Bag!

Oh yes! I forgot to say yesterday, that I have started a group on Facebook for The Woven Bag, and people are starting to post pics of the bags that they are weaving. You are MOST welcome to join and post pics of your bags, too!

Link to Facebook group for The Woven Bag; Link

Show us some more bags she said

Last week, I got the nicest letter from a lady. She said that she had pre-ordered a copy of The Woven Bag…. BUT….

When I showed

some pics of

a few of the bags

on the late hankering blog,

she didn’t like them.

So….

she canceled her order.

Eegads and little fish!

THAT’s not good!

Then…

she noticed on

Amazon,

LINK

that you can search

inside the book

and take a peek

at some of the

other bags in the book.

So, she did that,

and loved what she saw.

She ordered the book,

and when it came,

she was THRILLED!

She loves all the neat

techie stuff in the book

and that it’s like having

a workshop at her fingertips.

I asked her if I should

try this again,

and show more pics

of the woven bags.

She said, ‘YES!’

I asked her which ones

she thinks I should

show, and she listed

off these ones,

so I pulled them

out of the trunk

where I am storing them,

and got the camera out….

so, here’s another look inside the book!

woven-bag-patchwork-princess copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay

woven-bag-happy-dancer copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay

woven-bag-tandem copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay

woven-bag-woven-roving-posy-bag copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay

Tomorrow, I am going to share a couple of little blooper secrets from the book… stay tuned….

4 Comments

Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving

Tagged as bags, purses, The Woven Bag, totes, woven bags

March 15, 2010 · 12:05 am

Tottie and the Teddies Take Tea

Tottie Tomato is always up for a tea party. Today, she’s sipping tea with a group of teddy friends.

Some of her teddy friends are really tiny. One little mischievous fellow decided to go for a little dip in his teacup, which raised a few eyebrows. Other than that slight social faux pas, the tea party was a great success.

What’s the story behind Tottie’s tea party today?

Well, the other day, a lady asked me if I still had copies of my Crocheted Teddy Bears book. I checked on my shelf, and realized that I did, but only had 2 copies left and that I had tagged it to transpose it into pdf format.

So, I spent the day and evening working on re-building the book as an eBook.While I was working on building the pdf’s, I wondered what had happened to the original teddies from the book. I had crocheted a really enormous one, and knew that I had given that one away, as I just don’t have room to store it.

I knew I had several of the tinier teddies from the book scattered around the studio, but it took some searching to find them.

Some of them completely eluded me, but I just remembered that there is a collection of them in my workshop boxes, so I will have to see if I can lay hands on them.

I love crocheting teddies with unusual materials. Do you see the teddy bear that I crocheted from wire?

He’s the one who’s whispering secrets into Tottie’s ear. Because he’s kind of see-through, I put some precious objects inside him, which then makes him even more special.

I have stitched pins on the backs of the other really tiny bears, and I wear them as pins.

A friend made me the naughty little one in the teacup, and spool knitted a cord onto it to turn it into a fine little bookmark.

So, you see, teddy bears can do more than just sip tea!

They can do all manner of important things.

But, when you think about it, really, all a teddy bear REALLY needs to do, is to just be him or herself.

A lesson that we all could learn from, yes?

PS: If you are interested in the pdf patterns for my crocheted teddy bears, they can be ordered from:

crocheted teddy bears

Doodle Dolls and Friends who Zentangle

My friend, Pirk, posted a note to the International FreeForm Fiber Arts group, that has triggered all kinds of inspiration for the members of the group- me included!

Pirk posted the link to the Zentangle website: Zentangle (a delightful system of creating spectacular doodles based on working with constructed patterns.)

and a link to her flickr pics of her Zentangle drawn doodles and how she has interpreted them as crochet scrumbles (freeform pieces). Pirk’s links: Flickr and Blog

Doodling has long been

an important part

of my design process.

In fact, for lots of years

I taught workshops

about using doodling

as inspiration in doll making.

I even included a whole

chapter on the importance

of doodling, in my book:

Soul Mate Dolls: Dollmaking as a Healing Art.

This doodle doll

is a collaboration

between my husband

and myself.

We made it 4 years ago.

He turned her on the lathe

and I doodled and burned the

patterns onto her.

I love using twigs

for arms and legs on

dolls.

I didn’t realize how much

influence the doodled lathe turned doll was having on me,

when I was working on

my newest Doodle Doll.

After making the

Doodle Doll with

spool knitted arms and

legs for this post:

Link to first Doodle Doll post,

I assumed that I would

be spool knitting the arms

and legs for this Doodle Doll,

who I have named: ‘Potentianna’

(in honour of new possibilities)

I was just so

wrong about

spool knitted arms and legs

for Potentianna!

I spool knitted several

cords, with different colors,

different weights…

but, nope.

Potentianna simply refused

them.

I tried tatting them.

I spent hours spool knitting

and tatting.

To no avail. Same response.

A polite but firm, ‘No thank you!’

She was very firm about what she wanted, but it took me awhile to hear what she had to say.

What she wanted was: Twigs.

Yep. Twigs and only twigs. Thank you very much.

As soon as I , pardon the pun, ‘twigged’ to that, things went swimmingly!

Same thing with her hat. I was sure that she needed a crown.

No way.

Several color combinations and different thread versions later, I finally got it that all she wanted was a little piece of something natural.

And, a fragment of abalone shell was perfect thank you very much.

And, so, Potentianna is now happily completely herself and is hanging on the wall of the studio, beckoning me to pick up my pens and start doodling her some sisters and friends and family….

Oh yes! speaking of friends! I need to mention some other friends who are seriously into doodling….

My friend, Margaret Bremner and I went to art school together a million years ago, and she’s just wonderful in every way. Her art is meditative, contemplative and just plain gorgeous: Link to Margaret

Margaret is so delighted with the Zentangle system of drawing that she is about to become a certified teacher. How neat is that?

And, one of my Artsy Blogger buddies, June, is also a champion doodler… definitely check out her beautiful work:

Link to June’s blog (and I REALLY do mean beautiful!)

So, whether you like to freeform in your doodling, or use your doodles for dollmaking, like I do,or your crochet, like Pirk, or your mandalas, or are intrigued by the delightful possibilities of the Zentangle system, I encourage you to pick up you pens and pencils and get doodling!

Happiness awaits…. it’s right at the tip of your pencil….

11 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as crafting, doodle doll, doodles, doodling, drawing, zentangle

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….

Spool knitting wire and making connections

spool-knitters-for-wire-4-peg-275 spool-knitters-for-wire-6-peg-275

Recently, a jewelry maker contacted me and asked me if I could make her some industrial strength spool knitters so she could spool knit wire for her jewelry making.

I went for a rummage through our stash and found a wonderful old piece of wood. It looked like it was an old handle off some kind of tool that had seen heavy and hard use. It was worn smooth but ripply and looked quite organic.

We inherited it from my husband’s Dad more than 10 years ago.

I cut some pieces off it and used them to make these 4 and 6 peg spool knitters.

Yipes! Is that wood hard! Drilling the holes and hammering the nails in was intense .

whew…. My tendons were screaming for mercy.
spool-knitters-for-wire-1-275

I love the way they feel…. the old wood is smooth and textured from having been worn by years of use- it’s quite alive!

The whole collaborative process is so inspiring to me. I just love it when someone says to me –

‘Can you think of a way of doing this or that….. ?’

Sometimes, I am not interested in making the new thing

(for instance, we just don’t want to make wooden potholder looms anymore….sorry)

But, lots of times, I am intrigued by the ‘Can you make a this or that’ question and end up in the workshop having a wonderful time!

This was definitely one of those times. I love working with wire, and do a lot with it. So, I am really glad that Vickey inspired me to make some super strong spool knitters for wire.

Just think. That old, old piece of wood out in the workshop would still be laying there, just waiting to come to life if Vickey hadn’t emailed me…..

This kind of thing makes me celebrate the joys of the internet.

Someone has a thought and sends a note to someone else a thousand miles away. Then, that person goes and finds a piece of the past and brings it to life in a new way. And that recycled, re-created, upcycled treasure goes off to the first person who creates all manner of magic with it.

Now, that’s creativity in action!

(image source: photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay. Copyright, not to be used without permission)

4 Comments

Filed under eco crafts & green projects, spool knitter & spoolknitter & spool knitting & spool knitting

Tagged as crafts, eco crafts, green crafts, handmade, jewelry, recycling, recycling crafts, spool knitted cords, spool knitter, spool knitting, upcycling

March 3, 2009 · 5:31 pm

Happy Girl’s Day! It’s Doll Festival Day

Today, Tuesday March 3, is a day to celebrate little girls and to wish them hope and protection.

In Japan, today is the day that elaborate displays of precious dolls are created….

Paper dolls symbolizing things that are unhappy are placed into boats and set afire, to take away the unhappiness…

And, little girls are invited to have marvelous teaparties with their friends and their dolls.

I wish I had known about this when my daughter was little, because we would have teapartied heartily!

It’s never too late to have a happy childhood, so I say:

Get out your dolls and have a teaparty!

Make some paper dolls that symbolize some kind of unhappiness that you are ready to let go of, and then burn ’em.

I am going to celebrate by sharing a picture of one of the new dolls that is in my just about to be released book:

‘Spooligarumi: Cute & Easy Spool Knitted Dolls & Toys’

Here’s the Fluffy Bunny Spooligarumi Doll – Perfect for celebrating Doll Festival Day:

spooligarumi-pink-fluffy-bunny-275

My new downloadable pdf book: Spooligarumi: Cute & Easy Spool Knitted Dolls & Toys

is now available from my website .

All text and images on this site are copyright protected and not to be copied or shared without Noreen Crone-Findlay’s permission

9 Comments

Filed under doll & dolls & dollmaking & doll making, spool knitter & spoolknitter & spool knitting & spool knitting

Tagged as crafts, doll, doll making, dollmaking, dolls, spool knitted cords, spool knitter, spool knitters, spool knitting, Yarn Crafts

February 24, 2009 · 5:49 pm

Mardi gras butterfly masks

mardi-gras-blue-mask-0n-orange-275 mardi-gras-white-mask-0n-orange-275

Somehow, I don’t think that I will ever go to New Orleans for the real Mardi Gras,

but that won’t stop me from celebrating in my studio!

I made these Mardi Gras masks with all kinds of techniques and things that I love:

Tatting, spool knitting, crochet, butterflies, Grandma’s vintage buttons, beads and other found objects, as well as woodworking.

Feels like a celebration to me!

Happy Mardi Gras!

Images and text are copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay and not to be copied without her permission.

8 Comments

Filed under crochet, spool knitter & spoolknitter & spool knitting & spool knitting

Tagged as beads, butterfly mask, butterfly motifs, crafts, crocheted mask, embellished mask, found objects, Mardi Gras, mask, mixed media, multi media, spool knitted cords, spool knitted mask, spool knitter, spool knitters, spool knitting, tatted mask, tatting

February 20, 2009 · 9:03 pm

Vintage Spool Knitter

vintage-spool-knitter-2-qs

Look who’s having tea with Jane Austen?

It’s Susie Spool Knitter!

Susie has just moved into the doll house, so she’s feeling a little shy and rather tired-

Hopefully she’ll settle in soon…. all the other spool knitters are welcoming her heartily!

Susie Spool Knitter is feeling a little jet lagged, as she has had a long flight across the continent from Conneticut (sp?) and was very cold in the airplane.

Besides, she’s not as young as she once was, so she feels the cold.

Luckily, her friend and namesake, Susan, wrapped her up all cosy, which Susie Spool Knitter appreciated sooooooooo much. (Thank you, thank you, Susan for this little darling!)

She really needs that cup of tea now, so perhaps, I had better go pour it……

[Images and content of this blog are copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay. Please do not copy without Noreen Crone-Findlay’s permission. Thank you]

8 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

February 20, 2009 · 6:23 am

Spool knitting comparisons

People often ask me- ‘How can you make different size spool knitted cords?’

There are several variables that will change the size of your spool knitted cords.

They are:

The size of your spool knitter: A bigger spool knitter will allow you to spool knit with thicker yarn.

A smaller spool knitter will allow you to spool knit fine threads into slender, fine cords that are not all loopy and droopy.

spool-knitting-comparisons-1

Another variable is the number of pegs:

spool-knitting-comparisons-2

The size of the hole in the spool knitter will affect the finished size of the cord, as well.

spool-knitting-comparisons-3

The thickness of your yarn or thread or cords or roving or fabric strips- thin threads = small spool knitted cords, thicker yarns or combinations of yarns= thick spool knitted cords.

In the picture above, I spool knitted with one or 2 strands of sport weight yarn with the larger spool knitters, and thin threads for the 2 ridiculously tiny spool knitters…… I’ve labelled each of the spool knitters, noting how many pegs there are and how many strands of yarn I used in each cord….. hope the image shows up the differences.

Note that you can make a thicker cord with the same spool knitter, just by using more strands of yarns held together.

The key to making great cords with your spool knitters? Experiment!

All images and text are copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay, so please don’t copy or share them without Noreen Crone-Findlay’s permission. Thank you!

1 Comment

Filed under spool knitter & spoolknitter & spool knitting & spool knitting