6.22.2010

Neglect

Oh dear I have been neglecting this blog! And I have been making crafts quite obsessively. I'm working on my third knitted shirt in two weeks! (It's so exciting, I don't have pictures, but it's this pattern.) It's a little ridiculous, but crafts are AWESOME. Plus I have no money so I never go out and do things.

It's interesting how much the ATCs I make have changed in the last few months...getting new craft supplies has a lot to do with that though, especially a set of acrylics!

Fire ATC Night City ATC
I've also gotten some more rubber stamps. I really like stamping on an ATC background then washing it out with water, it blends the shapes and colours really nicely. Here's a couple cards where I've combined that technique with wire:

Bubbling Tree ATC Wired Clearing ATC


I'm also getting fond of using hot glue as a material in its own right. I wish I could dye it though...

Miss Crabb Goes Dancing ATC Nightbubbles ATC


Texture just seems to get increasingly fascinating the more I play with it. I'd never really thought about texture all that much, but working with (and cuddling) a lot of yarn, plus some drug experiences (sometimes drugs AND yarn!), have really helped me focus on it a lot more. Plus flat ATCs are boring!

Above the Snowline ATC Brown Study ATC


I also now have an account on ATCs for all. It's a rather badly designed site, but there's a lot of spectacular art on there. (And of course some not-so-great-art, but that's only to be expected.) The best part is that everyone is so enthusiastic about trading, and I really like being able to pick the cards I get (that's my main problem with ATCs on swap-bot).


I have also been learning to spin! It's great but I'm not very good at it; try as I might I can't get non-slub yarn. Luckily I LIKE slub, but still. The biggest problem is that right now I only really want to make big projects (mostly tops) and I don't have the skill or patience to handspin enough yarn for one. Sigh. So my handspun is sitting around for now. But I have learned to ply on a drop spindle, plus dying yarn is SO MUCH FUN. I just love bright colours, and since I'm just using food colouring (with vinegar as a mordant) it's super easy to get them! Here's one example:

Handspun Sunrise Yarn

The fiber is this super-soft wool I get from Yarn Indulgences. This yarn is unplied and terribly slubby, but I just love the colours in it!

I've also been experimenting with some weirder fibers. I picked some dried milkweed fluff from a field which I'm going to try blending with wool. It's too short and straight to use by itself (at least I don't think I could), but it's sooooo soft and silky. I just need to pick out all the seeds first, which is going to take forever.

I also tried making plarn! I spun it as well, which was super easy since I didn't have to tease the fiber at all. It was much less satisfying though....probably for the same reason. So, to make it more interesting, I plied it with some polyfil I dragged back from Toronto. I like how the polyfil goes sort of puffy!

Polyfil and plastic bag yarn


And, of course, I've been yarn bombing things! Here's a couple, both crochet:

Double sided Spots tag

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