Working On “Special” with Some Nice Results

ScannedImageSo I am one of those people that will eat dessert last. If I eat it first, it means that I am skipping dinner. Even as a kid with T.V. dinners, I would save that little two bit dessert of fruit cobbler until the very end. I still do this today; I eat my most favorite part of any meal last.

So now what does this have to do with crochet? Well not a whole lot, except that if I find a “special” yarn or accessory I have a difficult time getting around to using it. I want to “save” special until I find the right fit.

This is true with a couple of things I have received over the last year, but I am forcing myself to bring them to use. After all how can I truly enjoy them if they are tucked away somewhere “special”. So I begin this process by making my own necklace.

DSCF0881

My “Special” Creation with Mini Masterpiece Pendant and Kreinik Twist Yarn

Those that see me often know I do not where all that much jewelry, just a simple necklace of a single pearl, a pair of earrings and a handmade bracelet. All things that have some sentimental value to me, and bring back memories, so receiving a Mini Masterpiece Pendant this last summer from one of its creator Shelby Allaho, immediately placed it in a “special” category.

I will admit the pendant is a little bigger then I am use to wearing, at least daily, but I think that I would put it to use on “special” occasions. So the Mini Masterpiece Pendant is actually a small wooden frame, it is light weight and has a simple, yet decorative design. It is meant to frame a piece of stitching, (or anything your imagination can conceive of), but this also became a “special” hang up for me. What is “special” enough to be placed in the frame…( I possibility might have a problem here)….

A few months ago I also received some Kreinik Twist Carry-Along Yarn color #339 Teal. So this carry along yarn is a lace weight, and has a lot of sparkle. So it got me thinking….these are two things that I might be able to combine. I played around with many possible small motifs created out of Twist, and found that the yarn is very soft, has a nice elastic quality in the stitches, and as I stated earlier, has a nice sparkle. This yarn is intended to be used with a heavier yarn, to add a little something extra to your overall fabric, but I decided to use it by itself. I was quite happy with the result.

I made a simple 2 round motif (if you want to make one too, here are my notes on the pattern:Rnd 1: Ch 10, sc in first ch, *ch 9, sc in same ch as sc; rep from *2 more times. (4 ch=9 loops)Rnd 2: Sl st in each of the next 3 ch of ch-9 loop, ch 4, 4 tr in ch-9 sp, ch 5, *5 tr in next ch-9 loop, ch 5; rep from * 2 more times, sl st to top of beg ch 4. Finish off. ) Then stitched it to the frame, I then added a single pearl bead to the center. It is airy, light, and I enjoy the shape created in both the positive and negative space.

This is a very creative concept to “frame” your stitch work and it does give you something to think about…What would you frame? I have always felt that crochet is an art; I guess I may need to get some more frames.

My New Kitchen Lights

ScannedImageI usually chat about crochet, and how crochet has influenced my life, my designs, and my way of life, however today I am sharing another project, my new kitchen lights.

IMG_6615.1

My Mason Jar Pendant Lights

My husband and I have been working on refurbishing our older home. It was build in the 1920’s (by California standards it is almost historic), and over the last ten years, we have added such modern conveniences such as insulation, and current electrical wiring. Along the way we have attempted to keep the older charm.

Along with the house we obtained a root cellar full of canned goods. Now most of these items were canned a good thirty years ago, so they were not on a list of things to be consumed, but we found many of the jars interesting, and after cleaning them up an doing a little research we learned that a vast majority were from the 1930’s. Many ideas for their use came to mind, but one that was settled upon, and that my husband helped me to execute was to create pendant lights.

IMG_6625.1

Mason Jar Lights at Night

IMG_6629.1

Mason Jar Pendent Lights during the day

Fortunately my husband has tinkering skills, likes working with tools, and fabricating things, so together we managed to make the vision into a reality. We are pretty happy with them. So even though it is not in any way related to crochet, it is still related to the principals that I believe crochet holds, to create, to share, to enjoy.