Time And Relative Dimension In Lace

Irish lace is an incredible crochet technique for joining individual motifs with chain "mesh" to make one fabric. 

This example is one I found online but there are many others... collars, bags, even jackets and dresses, especially wedding dresses.


Each of the motifs is made first, they are arranged in a pleasing pattern and connected by the mesh into a work of art.  I cannot compete with that.  lol  I can't.  I have such respect for the women of old who turned a ball of cotton thread and a crochet hook into  a living, making this awe inspiring lace.

I can however be inspired by their legacy, and spin it into something totally geeky.  :oP

Abigail Bailey uses this "motifs held together by mesh" technique in her Time And Relative Dimension In Lace (TARDIL) shawl pattern.

Fans of Doctor Who will recognize the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), daleks, cybermen, weeping angels and adipose in my version... as well as a sonic screwdriver, bow tie and fez.  Because bow ties (and fezzes (and Eleven!) )are cool.

Once the panel made of motifs and mesh is complete, the shawl is crocheted around it.

It can be time consuming to go through so many steps, but I think it's safe to say whether its true Irish Lace or this geeky version, its definitely one of a kind!

Wibbley-wobbley, timey-wimey stuff

My son-in-law Andrew does some amazing drawings!  he also does portraits and will have a booth at the upcoming Phoenix Comicon.

So, I have been crafting away on geeky things like The Hobbit inspired dwarf gloves, kid sized super hero gloves, some characters, and some wibbley-wobbley, timey-wimey stuff...

like this tote.  It may seem like an ordinary bag to you... but for fans of Doctor Who, this is a great joke!  You see, the Doctor has this time machine called a TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space). 

The TARDIS looks like a blue police phone box but in reality, that's just because its chameleon chip is stuck.

The coolest thing about the TARDIS, and the one thing everyone says when they get to see it, is that it is "bigger on the inside"... and so is this bag.  No, really.  You'd be surprised how much you can fit into one of my crocheted bags!

I made one for Steve last year to carry his 'ready at hand' stuff while we were on vacation.  We walked out of the hotel lobby after checking in and someone asked to buy it from him.  I was very impressed with myself!  And, ever since, I've had lots and lots and lots of requests for it.

The tricky part is that I really am a crocheter with a short attention span.  I rarely, and I mean rarely ever repeat a project.  So... here we are, it's the month before Comicon and I want to give Andrew my most requested item for his booth.  I made another tote.  While I was at it, I made two totes.  One for Andrew, and one for my Etsy shop.

If you ever wanted a TARDIS tote, now is the time, because this short attention span crocheter can't say I will ever be making them again.



But... you should watch for Time And Relative Dimension In Lace, coming soon.

March of the Entwives

Lord of the Rings fans will recognize Ents like Treebeard, but movie watchers may not know about the Entwives. 

This fantastic design by Michelle DuNaier might be something the Entwives would wear on their march through the forest to find new fields for planting...

Another project using Wolle's Yarn Creations color changing cotton, and I must say to dramatic effect with this pattern!

I used 1,160 yards of yarn and No 6 czech glass beads over several rows in the edging.  The original pattern called for leaf shaped trim at the bottom edge, but I had trouble keeping them in shape and I thought they might be a snag hazard.  (Yes, I am always worried about my tendency to bump into things.  :oP) 

Anyway, I finished the edge with a row of chains and beads, which I think turned out really lovely.

This shawl is available on Etsy - Just for Fun 2291

 

LAST MARCH OF THE ENTWIVES
(Treebeard and Fimbrethil Reunited)
‘Tis many years and seasons past, since I saw your face,
Walked beneath the woods and felt the strength of your embrace.
Still deep within my heart I treasure, never to forget
Those memories of happy times, though tinged now with regrets.
Yes, I know that it was I who left and went away
Though you begged me change my mind and in the woods to stay.
We two had different paths to travel, oaths we must fulfill;
Yes, I left you long ago, but it was not my will.
Now Middle Earth’s Third Age is ending, much we treasure lost.
My sisters and I ask each other, was it worth the cost?
I’ve travelled long to find you here, deep in Fangorn Wood,
Leave behind sad memories, recall again the good.
So let us bravely march once more, by root and bark, my friend
Although we know for Ent and Entwife this will be the end.
We’ll sing together all the songs we knew and loved the best,
Bid farewell to Middle Earth and march into the West.

April Fools!

Well, we've done it... no foolin'.  My daughter Amanda has partnered with me to offer some of my projects on Etsy.

Right now we have a few cool (literally and figuratively) shawls, made from cotton or sugar cane yarn.  Trust me, I'm in Arizona, I know cool.  :oP

In fact, I wore my love knot sugar cane shawl yesterday... it was so nice!  Nothing shades you better than something cool and slinky.  lol

I've also started a new Ravelry group called Just For Fun - Crochet Q&A.  It's a comfortable low-key space for crocheters with questions to ask and answer.  If you crochet, I hope to see you there!

I've been in LOVE with the color changing cotton yarn I got from Wolle's Yarn Creations. 

You've seen Arizona Sunrise and It's Full of Stars... the green one above as well as this flirty red one are both from the same Michele DuNaier pattern inspired by Downton Abbey.

The green shawl is full sized, but the red one is the shorter shawletter version, which makes a perfect scarf or cowl.

Did I mention they are both available on Etsy?  ;o)




I made a couple other projects with this amazing yarn as well.


First is the Mary Poppins scarf I have wanted for some time. I'm not sure why I was waiting really, until the PERFECT cotton yarn showed up and I knew it was time.

The pattern is a relatively simple "v" stitch, which lets the color changes in the yarn shine.

 

 

I also tried an experiment using two skeins of the same color changing yarn, one worked dark end first, the other worked light end first.  It might be better in another colorway, but I like the effect!

 

Otherwise, I've been working on toys for the treasure box.  Such small projects, but they bring a lot of joy.  Makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside to make and share them.  I hope you find joy in making and sharing too!

It's full of stars!

Nebulas are full of baby stars, and this shawl is no different!

My second shawl with Wolle's Yarn Creations Color Changing Cotton (say that 5 times fast!) is also my This Is Not An Astronomy OWL project.

I used 1,164 yards of yarn and 800 beads... but still ran short and had to skip a few rows of edging per the pattern.  I'll just have to make another some day!

 

 

 

Arizona Sunrise

Sunrises are different here in Arizona.  They say its the dust in the air that reflects off the swamp gas from Venus, yadda yadda yadda.  All I know is that we have rainbows in a clear sky.

 When a friend of mine mentioned that my latest shawl reminded her of Arizona skies, I had to agree. Here is my Arizona sunrise!

It's 1,065 yards of specially made cotton fingering weight yarn by Wolle's Yarn Creations.

She varies the strands within the yarn to create the unique color changes.  I have yet to find any other yarn like it, especially in cotton.  Since cotton is so light and scrunchable, this shawl will be a versatile piece.  I can't wait to make more!

What a busy week... month... winter?

I am shocked that I haven't been updating my weekly projects since before the holidays.  I've still been crocheting away, but it seems all the doctor appts and physical therapy have wreaked havoc on my schedule.  I've been working on improving the range of motion in my feet and ankles so that I can walk for longer periods of time.  Along with the Dyna-Splint in the photo here, it seems to be working.  I have my doubts as to how long it will last without continued therapy, but that's a story for another day. 

We finally replaced the family tables we gave to Amanda... and it's wider... and looked empty. This is definitely not your Grandma's doily! (Well, unless you are one of my grandsons.)

I made a couple of bags, one in QR code for Doctor Who fans (if it doesn't scan easily, hold your scanner a little to the right of the image).

 

 

And another for Cars Land!  It goes nicely with my wallet, don't you think?

 

 

I made a baby girl blankie to give away at the hospital when little Brayden is born...

 

 

And, I still had a little time to score a Quidditch goal for The Mighty Hufflepuffs.

 



Ummm... yes.. that is a week's worth of work.  So, multiply that by 12 or so and you'll know what I've been doing the last few months!  ;o)

"The Hobbit" Inspired Gloves

I enjoyed The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey very much... especially when I saw that there were fantastic fiber pieces!

In particular, I am a fan of fingerless gloves, and I saw oh so many different kinds.  Even better, most of them looked easily done in crochet.  So, I set out to figure out a few... Gandalf, Bombur, Ori and Oin.  I haven't been able to get a good look at Bofur's yet... but I will!

The free patterns are available on Ravelry.  You must be registered to download the pattern.

Here are the movie versions.. and my crochet versions.