Day 42 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- How to Make a Lucet from Upcycled Chopsticks and How to Make Lucet Cord with it
One of the unexpected bonuses of doing the 100 Day Project is that it reminds me of things that I have designed and then set aside and forgotten.
One of those things is the delightful Lucet Cord maker (Lucets are flat 2 peg spool knitters) that I use upcycled chopsticks to make. They are such a pleasure to work with and I love making cord with them.
Day 35 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- Lots of Links for How To Use Spool Knitted or Lucet Cord
Spool knitting and using lucets to make lovely cord is relaxing, meditative, contemplative and just plain fun. But, people often ask me: What do you do with all those cords after you’ve made them?
Here’s a list of useful links to videos that I have made about ways of using spool knitted and luceted cord. (Lucets are flat 2 peg spool knitters))
Go to my Etsy shop to buy pdf patterns for fun spool knitted projects:
Day 24 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- Well Well Well Spool Knitted Dolls
I designed the Well Well Well Spool Knitted Dolls as a wish that everyone, everywhere, would feel well, and that our precious planet would feel well, and that anyone who makes these dolls will feel well, and happy, and safe and hopeful and live in peace, and equanimity.
As I made them, I asked myself: What does JOY look like today? What does peace and safety look like today? What does this doll want me to know? How can this doll feel like hope or sweetness today?
I invite the doll makers to play with drawing their own unique, one of a kind faces for their Well Well Well dolls and have made a video tutorial to help them do this.
I hope that these joyful, playful, happy dolls will bring all good things to the people who make them, and if the Well Well Well dolls are meant as a gift that they will bring love, light, laughter and hope to those who receive them.
The pattern includes links to 3 video tutorials for how to make your own larger spool knitters as well as videos on how to spool knit in the round, and how to spool knit flat panels as well as spool knitting 2 peg/nail cords.
The pattern has complete step by step instructions for making the Well Well Well Spool Knitted Dolls with yarn and with fabric strips too.
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!
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.
Tottie Talks Crafts Blog 