Day 23 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- A video tutorial for making a tiny upcycled sketchbook and easy ways of drawing simple faces in it
I made a video tutorial that shows how to make an upcycled tiny sketch book and then how to draw simple faces in it as an ongoing daily practice.
That’s because I am going to be releasing a new pattern tomorrow for wonderful spool knitted dolls and I want people to be able to draw unique, one of a kind faces for their dolls.
I have found that using tiny upcycled sketchbooks to practice drawing faces is a lot like practising a musical instrument.
Daily drawing is the way to build creative stepping stones.
A little bit at a time, all the time.
Large gorgeous sketchbooks with expensive paper can be really hard to work with, but tiny ones that fit in a pocket and are humble paper make for carefree drawing.
About 30 years ago, I bought a small loom online and the seller tossed in an old spool knitter. Ooh! it had a face on it! My childhood spool knitters were spools with nails and NO faces. That little face on a faded old spool knitter inspired me. I thought: I could make dolls with spool knitting!
Ever since, I have been designing spool knitters and spool knitting. Hmm: Why only 4 nails? Can spool knitters be bigger? How can I use spool knitters in unexpected ways to make fun and useful things?
As a child, I loved spool knitting, and competed with my siblings to wheedle more yarn from our mother and grandmothers so we could furiously keep spool knitting. We would eye each other’s spool knitting to see who had the biggest ball of spool knitting and the longest cord. It never occurred to us that the spool knitting could actually become something useful!
Last summer, I wondered if my nephew, Kieran, (who is training in woodworking with his Dad) might be into turning spool knitters on the lathe. I suggested to my master woodworker brother Jonathan (@distinctivewoodworking), that we co-create some spool knitters. And, so we are working together (even though we live almost 4000 Km apart) to make wonderful, one of a kind spool knitters. (and small looms- but those are still in the ‘R&D’ stages).
I’ve made 3 tutorials showing to make papier mache spool knitters as well.
AND most important! I have been working on fun designs for things for people to MAKE with the spool knitted cords, because after all, you can infuriate your sibs by having a bigger, better, longer spool knitted cord than they do, but really- there’s a lot more fun to be had than just one upmanship in the realm of sibling rivalry. 🙂
And now, I’ll get back to work editing photos and finishing projects and writing instructions…. more will be unfolding as my 100 day project moves along.
For Day 21 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- I made a video tutorial showing how to make a spool knitter from upcycled cardboard and bamboo skewers, finished with papier mache whimsy.
It’s a lovely and sturdy little spool knitter that is a delight to work with. For more information, please go to http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com
Day 20 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- What does joy look like even when things go splat?
Oh crikey, today was one of those incredibly frustrating days when the gremlins seem to get into all the technical stuff and one thing after another goes splat.
GAH! I found myself crumbling and I stopped and thought- Time to change the channels… So?
What would joy look like right now?
I immediately grabbed one of the spool knitters that my brother Jonathan (@distinctivewoodworking) and his son, Kieran turned for me, and I drew the sweetest little face that I could summon, and a flower, and for good luck, a Lady Bug, too.
And, it made me feel so much better.
May a Lady Bug land on your shoulder and may sweetness rise up to cheer you up!
For Day 18 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms I made a video showing how to spool knit a flat panel cord on a 5 or 6 or 7 or more pegs spool knitter.
Day 16 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- A video tutorial for making square 2 peg cord on almost any spool knitter
For Day 16 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms I made a video showing how to use any size of spool knitter (with any number of pegs) like a lucet to make square cord by using only 2 pegs of the spool knitter.
Day 15 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- My brother in a Bowler Hat, no a Bowl for a Hat
Our family had a lovely Sunday dinner together and then, our daughter, Chloe, said how much she loved the pic of Jonathan with a bowl on his head.
(First of all, there is this goofy thing that everyone in our family does, which is to try on all kinds of unusual things (bucket? Yup) as hats).
So, when she said that Jonathan had posted a pic of himself with a bowl on his noggin, I was surprised that somehow I hadn’t seen it (stupid algorithms! Of course I NEED to see a pic of my brother Jonathan (@distinctivewoodworking) with a Bowler hat, no a Bowl as a Hat).
And, I was not disappointed.
It’s delightful. In fact, I think it’s one of my most favorite photos ever of my serious engineer/master woodworker brother. Hurrah for a little silliness! I am still chuckling!
Day 14 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- When Spool knitters aren’t spool knitting they talk to rocks
Several years ago, a friend saw a spool knitter that I had made by upcycling, drawing and painting on a wooden bowl. He loved it and bought it- not to spool knit with, but to place a beautiful geode on. It’s a winning combination.
I told my brother Jonathan (@distinctivewoodworking) about it and he thought that that was neat, so I took some pictures of bowls that he and his son Kieran had turned and I had made into spool knitters.
Jonathan wanted to see what I was talking about, so I had fun balancing random rocks and crystals on my spool knitters. Pardon the pun, but, they rock.
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