Tottie Talks Crafts Blog

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)

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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

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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.

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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]

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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!

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February 12, 2009 · 10:05 pm

Tiny Spool Knitted Angel

spool-knitted-tiny-angel-plain-1000

When I am feeling sad and upset, I find it really helps if I make some Angel dolls.

This week has been a corker, with the death of our beloved old horse, among other challenges.

We have done a whole lot of soul searching, and have decided that we just can’t handle having horses anymore. So our dear little girl horse that we adopted a year and a half ago is going to go back to live with her momma and birth brother. She’s going to be well and truly loved and cared for.

This has been one of the hardest decisions we’ve had to make in a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng time, so believe me, I really have been needing to find comfort. (And yes, I certainly do pray, and meditate, so those are the source of great comfort, but making angels is also a HUGE comfort.)

So, in the interests of invoking Angel Energy for ourselves and for everyone else, too…

I have designed these sweet little, easy to make spool knitted angels.

I began with a design that I had developed a few years back and have re-fined and polished it. I am really happy with it now.

You can make the little angels very quickly and easily and can make them truly one of a kind by changing the yarn (handspun would be perfect)

and whether or not you add buttons for the face,

spool-tiny-angel-hair-1000

or add loops or other kinds of hair…..

I also like to stitch a pin to the back of the Angel, so I can pin it on my lapel, or scarf, or shawl, or bag, or hat….

I need to make a bunch more so I can send them and give them to friends and relations….

The more Angels there are, in every way, the better it is!

You can order the pdf for the pattern for the charming Tiny Spool Knitted Angel from:
https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/48409301/pdf-pattern-for-tiny-spool-knitted-angel?ref=shop_home_active_3

Please note that the images on this blog are copyright protected

and are NOT to be copied without permission.

Thank you.

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February 8, 2009 · 5:21 am

farewell to a dear friend

good-bye

Explanation of this pic is here : Dear Boy

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February 7, 2009 · 9:33 pm

Requiem for a much loved horse

horses-1-qs

See the big guy standing there, taking care of little sister? That was our two munchkins last summer, in happier days.

Well, last night, in the deep cold, surrounded by the beauty of frost covered trees under a clear, cold and moonlit sky,

our beloved old guy died a very painful death. He got colic, and could not be saved.

Our vet had another emergency at the same time, so it was several hours before she could get to us.

We did our best to ease his pain, and when she finally was able to get here and end his suffering, we lovingly sent him Home……..

It was a grim and horrible night, and we are feeling a lot of pain, but also are grateful that our dear old boy is NOT in pain now…..

He was a rescue. We adopted him and his older sister (who passed on 2 years ago) 15 years ago.

He had come from a really nasty situation, and because of having been abused by his previous owners, was never a boy who could tolerate having anyone on his back.

So, we said: Fine, Big Fella! you just hang out and eat grass and have a good time!

And he did.

He and our Newfoundland/Chow cross dog were the best of buddies, and the two of them loved mousing in the pasture! Amazing to watch a horse catch a mouse and then let his dog buddie scarf it down. urk.

He was also a very tender caretaker of the two foals that we had at one point. When we adopted his new little sister after the death of his birth sister 2 years ago, he immediately adopted her, and the two of them have not been more than a few feet apart since.

Because it is the weekend, the truck that will come to take his body away won’t be here till Monday, so we have put the canopy from our truck over him, to protect him from the huge coyote who’s been lurking in our pasture. Our little horse is guarding him, and has not left it.

We will have to decide quickly what to do about her situation. She won’t be able to handle being an only horse. So, in the middle of our grief about him, we need to take action.

By the way, our DIL’s beloved kitty has been in medical crisis for the last 2 weeks, and has undergone surgery, so I am carrying him in a sling a lot of the day while his mommy is at work…… it’s been a harrowing time…..

Happily catkins is doing well.

The challenge of adopting animal companions is that sometimes, you go through very dark times….

and even so, it is always worth it.

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February 6, 2009 · 10:08 pm

Some handmade books – 1

I am inviting people to a Green Challenge of making a handmade book that has big envelopes or plastic sleeves to hold their sketches, notes, clippings, pdf’s etc.

See: Challenge posting

Just for fun, I thought that I would post a few pics of some of the handmade books I’ve made over the years:

Here are some handmade books that I made and then glued origami angels to. (yes, I made the angels)

The angels are all very eco friendly and ‘green’ as they are recycled and upcycled, as they are all made from junk mail or magazine photos

handmade-book-origami-angel-11 handmade-book-origami-angel-2 handmade-book-origami-angel-3 handmade-book-origami-angel-4 handmade-book-origami-angel-5 handmade-book-origami-angel-6 handmade-book-origami-angel-7