Arctic Hare Crafts

Some Suggestions

2010-12-03T18:45:00.003-09:00

Cyber Monday!

2010-11-28T22:54:00.001-09:00

Use coupon code "cybersale" during checkout all cyber monday and get 20% off! http://www.etsy.com/shop/arcticharecrafts

Black Friday

2010-11-26T15:13:00.002-09:00

In case you don't follow me on Twitter or Facebook: you should use discount code 'noschool' to get %15 off your order! Good until Sunday!

Two Things

2010-11-18T10:30:00.002-09:00

Number one I posted an awesome treasury you should check it out :http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4ce4b48cdd3f8eefd35f8b85/helens-list

Number two there is a new pair of earrings up!

Strawberry PB+J earrings

Marmalade

2010-11-16T20:39:00.003-09:00

I've been using some liquid clay to make new jams and such like. I think the marmalade is my favorite and the honey is my second favorite. I'm really proud of myself for being able to mix the colors properly :) especially considering how the clay changes color when you bake it. On that note there's a newbie in the shop:
Marmalade Toast Bobby Pins

New Ring Up!

2010-11-15T10:56:00.000-09:00

Waffle Ring!

French Toast makes a comeback

2010-11-14T11:18:00.001-09:00

Here is the first entry in the return of the french toast. You can find them up for sale here!

Peanut Butter and Honey!

2010-11-13T13:00:00.002-09:00

New Peanut Butter and Honey Bobby Pins

UPDATE:
I also just posted a matching set of earrings:

Peanut Butter Honey Earrings

These shoes are RAAAAD!

2010-11-12T19:14:00.003-09:00

I saw this shop on Etsy while I was just looking for stuff randomly. The shop's name is Stabbyvonkillerstein and there are some wicked awesome shoes you should totally check it out :)These are some awesome Beatles Shoes

And these ones are Bewitched shoes, one of my favorite "old school" shows I watched growing up!

New Fluffer Nutter Necklace

2010-11-12T17:12:00.001-09:00

Fluffer Nutter!

New Bobby Pins!

2010-11-11T20:08:00.000-09:00

Grape PB and J Bobby Pins

Fancy New Item!

2010-11-11T10:30:00.001-09:00

Happy Birthday Cake Necklace

Another New Necklace!

2010-11-09T15:09:00.000-09:00

Maple Donut Necklace

Donut!

2010-11-08T11:12:00.000-09:00

Frosted Donut Necklace

New Necklace!

2010-11-07T19:04:00.002-09:00

Yellow Frosted Cookie Necklace

Caramel Pear Tart

2010-11-02T16:55:00.002-08:00

Caramel Pear Tart Necklace

First Snow!

2010-11-02T10:07:00.002-08:00

When I woke up this morning there was a lovely blanket of white outside, barely lite because the sun hadn't really risen yet (I woke up at NINE this should tell you that I'm in Alaska :p). This means that winter is really here. I can't pretend it's just a cold snap and God is denying me sunlight because he is mad that I haven't been to church since August. That means I need something to cheer me up AKA sales!

10% off EVERYTHING in my shop until midnight Sunday Alaska time (-9) when you say "first snow" in your 'message to seller box' while checking out. I will also be offering 10% off any custom items you would like to commission also until midnight Sunday. The 10% for in-store items will be refunded through paypal and for custom items will be listed with the discount.

Blue Cupcake!

2010-11-01T10:59:00.000-08:00

Blue frosted cupcake necklace

Yesterday's Newbies

2010-10-28T13:24:00.002-08:00

Chocolate Banana Waffle Bobby Pins

Banana and Nutella Post Earrings (Metal Free)

Mini Strawberry Banana Cupcake

2010-10-26T10:49:00.001-08:00

Another new item in the store a mini strawberry banana cupcake! It's super cute and super miniature! It would make a great gift for a little girl!

More New Items!

2010-10-25T21:18:00.002-08:00

Pecan Pie Bobby Pins

Tamagoyaki Bobby Pins

PB+J in Love Metal Free Earrings

New Items!

2010-10-23T19:33:00.003-08:00

Metal Free PB+J Earrings

Peanut Butter and Banana Bobby Pins

Apple Pie Ring

FRENCH TOAST!

2010-10-20T22:15:00.003-08:00

The French Toast is coming back! I've had a lot of requests for making more French Toast. If you would like to reserve a set of bobby pins, earrings, a magnet, necklace or ring just let me know. All reservations will get 10% off the regular price! Regular prices are $6 for bobby pins, $9 for earrings, $5 for a magnet, $18 for a necklace and $8 for a ring.

And don't forget to enter into the giveaway raffle by telling me your favorite Christmas/holiday treat before October 25th to win a necklace or ring of your treat!

2010-10-18T21:37:00.002-08:00

Sorry I've taken so long to come back! If you want to see more of what I've been doing check my flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tundrakatiebean/). I'm also on facebook and twitter.

Right now I'm doing a little give away! If you leave a comment here, on facebook or @ me on twitter with your favorite winter holiday treat before October 25th you'll be entered into a raffle to make your favorite into a necklace or a ring!

Berry Pie Earring

2009-08-24T08:58:00.001-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29799327

Emo Blueberry Earrings

2009-08-19T07:07:00.001-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29545168

In a shocking revelation my new favorite word is 'emover' can you guess what it means?

Petite Fours Parade Earrings

2009-08-18T07:09:00.000-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29489226

Jelly Donut Horror Show!!

2009-08-17T07:45:00.001-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29433924

Sour Lime Pendant

2009-08-16T10:20:00.002-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29394319

Super Chocolate Pendant

2009-08-15T11:36:00.001-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29356065

Gingerbread People Earrings

2009-08-14T08:12:00.001-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29300863

Deluxe Cream Puff Earrings

2009-08-13T07:32:00.002-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29247985

French Toast Earrings

2009-08-12T08:10:00.003-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29197639

Hot Cross BUNS!

2009-08-11T08:54:00.000-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=29143072

Short Stack Pancake Earrings

2009-08-10T08:09:00.001-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29089340

A New Listing Every Day!

2009-08-09T13:12:00.003-08:00

Kawaii Eclair Earrings

Catacomb Earrings

I'm going to be putting something new in my shop everyday until I run out of stuff to put there! These two are already there and there are more waiting to come!

New Listings

2009-07-23T23:50:00.000-08:00

In my Etsy shop! Go check it out!

www.arcticharecrafts.etsy.com

Kawaii Creations

2009-07-16T20:18:00.005-08:00

S'moresGingerbread People

SUPER CHOCOLATE!

Hot Cross BUNS

"Buns" get it?

Jelly Donut Horror Show

Pancakes

Chocolate Covered Strawberry

Éclairs

Fried Eggs

Chocolate Donuts

Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

Popsicle Love

Mini Petite Fours

Berry Pie

Deluxe Creme Puffs

Sour Lime

French Toast!

Kawaii Machine!

2009-07-13T14:05:00.000-08:00

I've been playing around with clay! I'm making some cute earrings! I'll try and get some better pictures soon :)

Crazy Fun!

2009-07-11T14:52:00.003-08:00

I made myself some earrings the other day! I'm calling them the catacomb earrings!

Back Again!

2009-07-07T00:52:00.002-08:00

I've been back from camp for a little while, just getting around to posting pictures. I'm considering volunteering for the last camp of the summer too. We'll see how that turns out.

I've posted more pictures on my flickr account (click the banner at the left) if you want to see more!

P.S. One hundred posts!

New and Exciting

2009-07-01T21:49:00.002-08:00

I have set up an etsy store! I have two things for sale right now, both scarfs. So check it out if you're interested :)

Back from Camp

2009-06-12T11:52:00.002-08:00

I'm back from camp and for my brain summer has officially begun! The camper's child enthusiasm has infected me and I am pumped to get summer done right!

On my way

2009-06-07T13:29:00.002-08:00

I'm heading off to help council at a camp this week for first and second graders, the camp is three days since it's the first time most of these kids will be away from home.

My boyfriend and I stopped by the Anchorage Botanical Garden yesterday. I got some beautiful pictures in between slapping mosquitoes!
These are some of my favorite pictures that I took. I have more in my flickr account (there's a link on the left).

I hope everyone has a nice week!

YUM!

2009-05-26T20:56:00.002-08:00

I made more marshmallows! So far I've done lemon, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and the goldshlager ones are setting right now. In the picture is vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. I think they are the most beautiful things in the world <3 I'm just hoping other people think the same when I try to sell them :)

Homemade

2009-05-25T14:24:00.002-08:00

I made marshmallows. They were delish and I'm definitely going to be making more. They're very fun and easy and you can really play with the flavors you put in :) I made one vanilla batch (as you can see) and then a lemon batch to take to a bbq yesterday. And I will be making more today if I have my way!

Napkins = annoying

2009-05-22T23:20:00.002-08:00

I got some weaving done on my very first napkin (yay) but a warp thread broke before I had finished an inch of weaving (boo). So I had to spend some time figuring out how I was supposed to fix it. I got the front end right, but I couldn't figure the back end out so I just tied a knot between the new ward and the old one. So far it seems to be doing all right :P

I have some pictures to share of an exciting cooking adventure, but that can wait until another day.

Other color

2009-05-19T17:42:00.003-08:00

The last color set for my napkins. everything is tied up and ready to weave!

Startings of a new project

2009-05-17T01:51:00.003-08:00

Right now I'm warping a new project, napkins. I wanted three sets of napkins that matched but were in different colors. I'm warping this by tying all of the warps together - these means 280 tiny knots twice. I have two colors on there and just need to tie the last one on and then I can start weaving! I've already broken two warps, but they're at the very end and should be easy enough to fix once I get there.

Playing Catch-up

2009-05-08T16:52:00.004-08:00

I've been horrible about updating again! I've finished the Alpaca Tartan scarf, started and finished the Easter Scarf, and have started another project. None of my finished projects are washed, but that it easy to fix!

Here is the Easter Scarf:

The warp is 50% merino wool and 50% silk in "plum" and "daffodil" The weft is handspun rabbit fur (no animals were harmed!)

This is the start of my new project. They're a set of napkins as a gift for someone. I'm making 3 sets of 4 napkins and each set will have a different color stripe. They're going to be really cool because I'm making fringe all the way around! Super nifty!

The Alpaca Tartan

2009-04-28T20:14:00.002-08:00

A new weaving project has begun! The Alpaca Tartan Scarf has been started. The brown yarn is 100% baby alpaca and the green and orange stuff is 80% alpaca 20% silk. It's super delicious to feel.
This is how much weaving I got done today in an hour or so. This is very different for me because I'm not actually beating the threads down - I'm placing them with the beater to get the spacing that I want.
When I started this I wasn't really sure how far apart I wanted the pattern bits to go. While weaving today I decided that I am going to add 24 passes each time. So this last brown patch had 48 passes and the next one will have 72 etc. I want to do this so that nothing is really even. I have some sort of weird obsession with symmetry, so this is an exercise of a-symmetry for me. But I unconsciously have based the pattern on twelves. There are 12 brown threads before the color pattern starts on the left side and 24 after the pattern on the right hand side which is weird.
I'll get to work some more on this after tomorrow. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it when I'm done... I might sell it. We'll see.

A New Project

2009-04-27T11:31:00.002-08:00

Today will be the day of new projects. I get to start something new in weaving and get to show you this project. A while ago I bought some scraps of recycled Kimono silk and now some of the scraps are getting used. Here are the beginnings for the Kimono Quilt.

Tea Ceremony

2009-04-24T20:14:00.002-08:00

A quick picture from the Japanese Tea Ceremony I was invited to. It was great to see the process over and over again by different people just to see how they did things differently. This was the final exam for the Tea Ceremony class taught by my current Japanese teacher. I am definitely going to take this class when I get a chance.

I was also sent a picture from the ABC quilt's new home of the baby on the quilt. :) I'm glad to see things go to homes that will love them.

Operation Tapestry Completed!

2009-04-23T13:15:00.003-08:00

Here it is! All finished and off the loom! Now I get to move on the the thing I actually like and want to do ;)

I also should mention that the ABC quilt was gifted this week :) that is also a very happy ending!

Almost done...

2009-04-21T10:27:00.002-08:00

Just need to finish the sun, fill in the rest of the sky around it and build up the border! I can't wait for it to be FINISHED! I've already moved on to other projects in my mind. I did most of this work over the weekend, but I got a good bit done in class as well :)

Tapestry Update!

2009-04-16T10:20:00.003-08:00

Here are some pictures of the work I did yesterday. I did bring this home for the weekend so hopefully I'll get some more of it done!

Tapestry Progress

2009-04-14T20:04:00.003-08:00

I've gotten about halfway through with my tapestry. I'm not enjoying it very much - it is definitely not my cup of teas - but I'm sure it will look nice when I'm done. I'll get some more progress pictures tomorrow :)

The quilt is done!

2009-04-12T15:50:00.002-08:00

It is completed and ready to be gifted on monday! I washed it so that it was all nice with the least amount of pet hair on it as is possible in my house :p but I'm not going to wrap it so that I can show it finished to my friends before I hand it off. I have no idea what to do with my free time now :p

Really quick announcement!

2009-04-09T19:10:00.001-08:00

I've finished the quilting!!! Just the binding and a few repairs before it gets washed and given away! WOOO!

yikes

2009-03-31T10:11:00.001-08:00

I've been super terrible about updating and I'm just popping in to say that it's going to stay that way for a little while. I'm running pretty hard to keep up with school since it's the end of the semester and teachers are trying to cram that last bit of knowledge into our brains. I promise I'll be better once school is over!

Snow and Puppies

2009-03-23T11:26:00.002-08:00

It snowed a monstrous amount yesterday. I just want spring to be here - why does the snow have to come :( BUT we just got some super cute foster puppies, so I can just spend more time with them :) They are 5 weeks old and away from Mama (bad bad BAD). They are much to young to be without their mother, so whoever dumped these puppies on the rescue is stupid as well as the usual irresponsible. I have to admit that I have no patience for people who end up giving their animals away/ having them taken away or don't take care to keep more babies from happening. I'll stop ranting so you can look at these cuties! They aren't the best pictures since I took them with my phone, but they'll do.

Annita Magee

2009-03-20T13:07:00.006-08:00

My weaving class went to Annita Magee's studio on Wednesday. Annita is a weaver who is also a very good tapestry artist. She showed us a bunch of her awesome tapestries and she sells some special yarns that some of us bought to use in our tapestries.
This is Annita^
This is one of her tapestries from Norway (I believe) the writing in he corner means seven brothers if I remember correctly
This is a cute tapestry based off of a small piece of a larger famous one with a girl and a unicorn
This is what she was currently working on.

here's a close-up, you can see where the yarn has gone around the warp (white up and down) threads. You can also see how tightly packed the yarn is.

I'm back!

2009-03-18T11:45:00.003-08:00

I've magically appeared back home. The snow seems slightly more bearable and somehow more horrific at the same time. I have a lot of picture that I've put up on my Flickr account if you would like to see them. I took a lot of pictures of various flowers and there are some good ones from the Portland Zoo. I hope everyone is doing well.

I haven't finished the quilt yet. I'm quilting the border and then the binding and then I'm done. I am going on a field trip today with my weaving class so I'll bring back some pictures!

Vacation!

2009-03-05T00:13:00.001-09:00

I'm heading off on vacation! By this time tomorrow I will be on a plane headed towards 'home' aka where I grew up. I promise I'll come back with lots of pictures and there is a small possibility I will post while I'm down there but it is very, very slim.

Three cheers for Spring Break!!!

Nancy Perry's Studio

2009-03-03T10:22:00.003-09:00

Here's a whole bunch of pictures in random order from Nancy Perry's weaving studio/home. It was VERY cool and I am so jealous of the set-up she has! She works primarily with silks. She had GORGEOUS material all over the place and I just wanted to steal it all!

This is Nancy on a spinning wheel. Since all of us got so excited over it we get to have a spinning demo on Wednesday - so maybe I'll be spinning my own yarn for my last project ;)

This is a tapestry that Nancy had made, she said she doesn't do it much anymore though. Unlike 'normal' tapestry this has a back weft and then additional weft to make the white shapes - so the back looks like a plain piece of fabric.
This is Nancy's (huge) AVL (?) loom. It's honestly just a really basic weaving computer. I tried to get a video of her weaving but it didn't turn out and won't play on anything - I have no idea why.
Here is one of Nancy's hand dyed silk scarfs. This one was a really nice yellow color called gold rush, the picture really doesn't do it justice!
My mother squealed over this one so I took some pictures for her.

She did the same thing with this one

This is another hand dyed silk scarf is emerald isle green
This is Nancy with a huge stack of her hand dyed/screen printed sewing silk.

It was a great trip and really fun to see all the cool things she does!

Something new and easy

2009-03-02T12:45:00.002-09:00

I made myself a quick something yesterday. It took all of 5 minutes and now I have a lovely useful headband! I had this idea while I was falling asleep the other night and now I have implemented it. I used my (very favorite) stiff muslin and a nice light blue quilting cotton and a piece of thick elastic to make myself a lovely headband. It fits quite nicely and so far has done a very good job at keeping my hair out of my face. I'm thinking that over the summer I could make some of these to start up my own etsy shop :) let me know what you think and what would you be willing to pay for one of these if you have an opinion.

I have also been plugging away at the quilt. I'll see if I can get some pictures to show how far along I am. It's very small work so it's hard to take a picture of something that is mostly invisible.

Oh my goodness!

2009-03-01T14:11:00.002-09:00

Sorry I've been so terrible about updating lately, I'm trying to keep up with life and it's not working so well :p I had a craft fair thing to go to yesterday so I actually got up at a reasonable hour and sat at that all day and then ended up going to work and staying there until 2ish in the morning. I did make quite a bit of progress with the quilting yesterday though. I also got a little bit of weaving done, I'm almost halfway through my sampler. My weaving class is going on a field trip on Monday so I'll try and get some cool pictures of the weaving studio we're going to.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Sampler Progress

2009-02-24T10:35:00.002-09:00

I got some weaving done yesterday. I started with cord weave and have started on the pebble section. There is 3 inches brown, then 3 inches orange of cord then it starts in brown for pebble.

I'll post some quilting pictures tomorrow.

Slow Progress

2009-02-23T11:19:00.003-09:00

I've pinned everything together and have started quilting! I went to see the Harlem Globetrotters with my boyfriend, a family friend and her hyper-active young one. It was fun to see them an she was kind enough to give me some quilting thread that she had lying around. I'm really surprised at how closely it matches my fabric even though I didn't have it with me!

So, I'll try and take some quilting photos for you. It's nothing fancy and I've never done it before so it won't be the best example.

Quilt Pictures!

2009-02-21T13:07:00.003-09:00

Here are some pictures of the front of the quilt. I'm probably not going to get any quilting done today because I totally spaced on buying some quilting thread (stupid). I have some white hanging around but I want it to be the same beige color as the border here, the same fabric is used for the back. I'm going to do self-binding, basically it means that I'll fold the edge of the backing over to the top and then sew it down.

The border and the backing are made out of a beige flannel. It's super soft and I think it will be really great for a baby!

Happy Birthday Little One!

2009-02-20T22:31:00.003-09:00

The baby was born on the 19th! I've seen pictures and he is adorable with a great full head of hair :) so I'm working hard on sewing everything together. I have the back, the front, and the batting all cut and sewn together I just need to do the actual quilting. I'm going to start quilting tomorrow in between working on a paper for school. I've decided to hand quilt because I am strengthening my belief in the fact that I stink at machine sewing. I cannot make a straight line to save my life! No pictures for now, but I'll get some soon.

And it's final!

2009-02-19T23:12:00.004-09:00

I am finished with all of the embroidery! *does a happy dance* Now I can move on to piecing and quilting which I'm sure will kill me since I haven't done it before.

I'm super proud of the skeleton on this one! I tried to get it pretty accurate (it even has kneecaps!) and I think it came out really well!

This is sewn with actual yarn, some light blue stuff I've had since 5th grade just hanging around. I layered 'satin' stitched yarn the way you would wind a yarn ball and then stuck it down with embroidery thread stitches. I think it looks pretty good!
YAY!

ready, set...

2009-02-19T00:44:00.002-09:00

almost go! I've gotten all the tedious stuff out of the way for the weaving set-up and I'm almost to the fun part where you actually weave!
I was also told today that the baby (aka quilt child) hasn't been born yet - so I'm hoping everything is while with both mother and child (and father of course) since the Dad, my teacher, isn't teaching his classes right now. I'm glad to have another teacher in cahoots with me ;) it makes getting news a lot easier and probably a lot less 'stalker creepy'.

Lots of News!!

2009-02-18T00:14:00.008-09:00

Okay, I'm going to try to work through all the craziness so that it makes sense. Go-Go gadget number list!

1) weaving is going well. My green sampler is all washed and finished, waiting to be graded so that I can send it to my Grandma (she sent me her first project from her quilting class, so I'm returning the favor)

These are the colors for my NEW sampler, which is in the icky process of getting everything set up correctly. This one will be twice as wide and a little longer than the green sampler.
I'm tying onto the remnants of the last project, but since it's wider there are 60 strings on either side of the original that are longer. It's confusing and it makes my brain hurt.
2) The person who the baby quilt is for had their baby on Monday! Apparently I had a skewed time line in my brain so I am sewing like a fiend trying to get the blanket done soon. I have finished: W for Watch, T for Toothbrush, and U for Umbrella. I am working on X for X-Ray and I still have to do: Y for Yarn, and Z for Zipper. This all equals unparalleled insanity.

And of course on top of the crazy crafting I have all of my school and personal life stuff too - I think I might explode before spring break...

Progress!

2009-02-16T11:44:00.002-09:00

I have been making progress on my quilt! I promise I have, even though I've been bad about updating! So far I have completed S for Ship and V for Vine, I am currently working on W for Watch. I have been sneaking some more sewing time in by sewing in one of my classes. One of my teachers always shows up late - so my deal with myself is that if he is more than 5 minutes late to class I sew during his lecture. Teachers showing up late to their own classes is one of my biggest pet peeves.

I had a lot of fun doing the vine because I could just let it wanter around. I used split stitch instead of plain backstitch so that it would give a little more 3-d quality to it and it's easier to make things go over and under convincingly.

And Another!

2009-02-12T10:34:00.004-09:00

I just need to wash my sampler and then it will be all done and fancy! I also need to trim the fringe so that it is even on both sides, I'm not sure if I want to do that before or after I wash it. Because me and my Mom finished our first samplers so early we get to make a second one! Our teacher doesn't want us starting the next project until after spring break. I have chosen four different weaving patterns for mine: cord weave, pebble weave, a pebble variation, and something called bed ticking which is basically what they use to make old school mattresses out of. I am making mine wider and longer to be used like a shawl. The first sampler is 10" by 36" this one is going to be 20" by 48" when it's finished. I've chosen a really nice orange and a soft muted brown that really makes the orange pop. :)

Almost Finished!

2009-02-09T23:39:00.007-09:00

My very first weaving project is off the loom! Super duper woo-hoo! I have lots and lots of pictures and yet none of the project actually off the loom (weird I know, I got too excited). So here they are!
Here's the start, everything's tied up and I've started with plain weave. The weird colored stuff at the bottom is called 'header' and it's just junk that you weave in to even out all the warp threads (up and down bits) and you take it out when you're all done.Up close plain weave or tabbyTabby on the bottom and 1/3 or 1/4 twill on top ( I don't remember which it is)

Twill
Twill and (incorrect) basket weave
This is the twill and the mistake basket weave which I had to undo and re-do correctly. This is actually called double plain weave/tabby I think, I actually really like it. It makes me think of fish scales, like koi. I might want to do an experiment with that with some white and orange.

Twill and correct basket weave
twill and correct basket weave
basket weave and 2/2 twill
basket weave and 2/2 twill
basket weave and 2/2 twill
2/2 twill and herringbone
2/2 twill and herringbone. I actually quite like them next to each other like this since they are related. If you want me to get into the down and dirty of HOW they are related just let me know and I'll try to explain it.
This is so exciting! I love the wood color of the loom with the greens.
herringbone and rib
herringbone and rib
This is the last picture I have (I told you it was a lot!). I'll take some more on Wednesday and I might even post some of my mom's sampler (she cut her's off today too!)

R for Rainbow

2009-02-08T03:32:00.003-09:00

Is finally done! It looks pretty wonky and I'm not sure I'm entirely happy with it. But I can always redo it if I really want to. Right now I've moved on to S for Ship and that should be done tomorrow and then I move onto V for Vine, which I have really been looking forward to. I also have some weaving pictures to share (probably tomorrow) but they're on my boyfriend's camera because I forgot mine when I went to the studio today. I hope everyone's doing well!

wooo! progress!

2009-02-04T19:47:00.006-09:00

I went into the lab yesterday and got some work done so now I'm all caught up (yay!). This won't mean much to most people, I'll finish the whole thing with a version that kind of makes sense. So I have finished: sleying the reed, threading the heddles, tying onto the back beam, and winding the warp. I am in the process of: tying onto the front beam and fixing the mistakes that I made while sleying the reed. AKA: I have gotten all my threads through the important bits and I only have a little way to go until I get to start weaving :)

Here are some pictures:

All of the threads are 100% cotton and I really like my colors :) I think the two greens will look really nice together.

It is finished!

2009-02-02T19:50:00.002-09:00

So I finished the 'scrap scarf' today! I like the way it looks, I still need to wash it though. I took a bunch of pictures!

This is the part that reminded me of quilt squares- the darker purple is 9 square with a little extra ;)

And the fringe! Bonnie helped me out with taking it off the loom. Now that I'm done with this I am WAY behind on the first project so I'm going to try to go in tomorrow afternoon and get the next project started. Hopefully that will get me pretty close to the rest of the class.

I'm am oddly surprised by how sore weaving makes me! My lower back is a little sore now so it will be hell tomorrow and it makes my legs a little sore - my teachers warned me and I didn't believe them, but they were right!

Weaving Forum

2009-01-31T23:27:00.002-09:00

I've been looking for one and can't find one I really like. So I made my own: http://weavingworld.forumotion.com/forum.htm

Please feel free to join if you're just interested in weaving and don't actually work on it ;)

Nifty Keen!

2009-01-31T13:16:00.003-09:00

Random picture because I feel bad about posting so little AND I have something un-craft related to say.

As I'm sure you've figured out by now I am learning Japanese at UAA. There is a Japanese Club at school which I went to last night because my teacher from last semester was giving a talk. He is a Zen Buddhist Priest and was talking a little bit about his experiences and Zen. I not only adore him and his lectures but I was interested in the topic so I went (the extra credit doesn't hurt either). I am soooo glad that I did go it was great! I learned a bunch and 2 hours flew by without me so much as glancing at the clock or my watch because I was so interested in what he was saying. I'm considering going to one of the Anchorage Zen Services so that I can hear him talk more about it.

So anyone who couldn't make it last night, I'm sorry you missed it - it was awesome!

Oops!

2009-01-29T09:56:00.004-09:00

I totally forgot my camera yesterday -.-" and of course yesterday was the day I actually DID something in my weaving class. But luckily for you I have a pretty good camera on my new and nifty phone so you get weird pictures now and I'll take some better ones on Monday.

I did all of this weaving yesterday, which I'm sure is minuscule compared to established weavers, but I felt very productive :) I used the same gray yarn as in the warp (the up and down bit) and I used a wool purple yarn, which is first. I think it looks really nice and it will make a nice little scarf for either my boyfriend or my Aunt. I'll take some better pictures next time to show you how my loom works kind of and all the weird stuff that goes on :)
I'm not sure if you can tell, but the dark purple streak on wither side of the big white streak looks kind of like a nine square quilt pattern to me. Once again I'll take a better picture on Monday.

Exciting News on the Weaving Front!

2009-01-27T10:33:00.003-09:00

We drew our loom numbers out of a bucket yesterday and were told to change our reeds (the metal bit with the yarn coming through in the picture). I grab the reed I needed and went to change it and there was already some stuff on my loom from last semester. So my teacher told me to weave it 0.0! I really like the colors on in and I went and picked some other yarn for the weft (the back and forth piece). Bonny suggested that I change it so that the warp was closer together (the up and down bit). I had to leave and she offered to do it for me - so I get to start weaving before anyone else because whoever had the loom last was lazy and didn't clean it :D I'm super excited.

For the weft I chose the same fuzzy gray stuff as in here and a purple mix wool yarn, I think it will look nice, but we'll find out!

P.S. I have made progress on R for Rainbow, I just haven't taken a picture yet!

Weaving Beginnings!

2009-01-22T10:34:00.003-09:00

My weaving class is very interesting so far, but us beginners haven't started weaving anything yet, but will start on the looms in the next few weeks. But I have learned enough to say that we are all working on 8 harness jack floor looms! Some of them can be changed to four harness (like the one below) the looms are of all different makers, some that don't exist anymore. The loom below is holding a kitchen towel pattern in blue and white cotton that our mentor Bonny Kate (or just Bonny) was weaving while our teacher was going through equipment and such with us. The pattern is supposed to be four harness, but she used eight and somehow figured out how to make it work. She is a member of the Anchorage Weaver's Guild. For this piece she started with just the warp on, good progress I think!

This is one of the more advanced students, her name is Sarah and I love her choice of yarn! She chooses things with really fun textures.

I'm excited for this!!

Just for fun!

2009-01-21T21:49:00.000-09:00

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
- What I create will be just for you.
- It'll be done this year. (might be a little while)
- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry. I may draw or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

My extra addition: It may take a while to get in the mail bad weather + behind in school equals insanity!

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you have to repost. We can all make stuff!!

P.S. I have some weaving pictures to post tomorrow! Look forward to it!

O for Oyster

2009-01-19T13:42:00.003-09:00

O for Oyster is done and R for Rainbow is started. Now that school's starting again we'll see how fast these get done :p

I just wanted to point something out really fast that I think is cool: Neesy of Heyday Fashion made a post on her livejournal the other day about making your own laundry soap! I think it's pretty nifty!

N for Necktie the second

2009-01-18T13:17:00.001-09:00

I added a second colored stripe - bright green! I think it's a rather Joker inspired tie (why so serious?) fun colors :)

N for Necktie

2009-01-17T12:00:00.003-09:00

Here's the start for Necktie - I just have the stripes to finish. I'm considering adding another color stripe to it, but I'll see how I like it once I've finished the yellow stripes.

L for Lion

2009-01-16T20:16:00.002-09:00

Is finished! I've added some whiskers, eyebrows and a little bit of black to the nose that I think really made it better (Thanks Jessicah you were right!) Next it's onto N for Necktie.

And Another!

2009-01-16T05:54:00.003-09:00

But only for the school district, not the university. And since my job this morning was to make pizzas for their lunch I don't have to go to work! So I think my boyfriend and I will go out to breakfast before HE has to go to work :) Seems good to me.

This is what I worked on all of yesterday - it didn't take that long, I just kept setting it down to go do other things. These aren't the greatest pictures because it was really dark so I needed to use the flask, so the colors are a little lighter than in real life - but I think it's quite pretty. I bought the center piece at a bead fair last year (I think) it was just so pretty I couldn't pass it up. It is handmade and awesome - I have however lost the seller's business card so I can get more or send him a picture of the finished piece like he wanted. If this is yours let me know!

Two in a row!

2009-01-15T10:48:00.002-09:00

Second 'Ice day' in a row! I'll take some pictures of what I'm been doing and maybe some outside pictures and post them up in a few hours!

Here is L for Lion, I just have the writing to do. I think the face needs something more, but I can't think of what. Any ideas?

Ew...

2009-01-14T12:36:00.001-09:00

All Anchorage Schools (including the university) have been closed today - kind of a 'snow day' but more of an 'ice day' we had a bunch of snow, then rain, then it all froze over night. Pretty gross. But a perfect opportunity to stay inside and sew all day!

First Day of School

2009-01-13T10:25:00.002-09:00

I had my first day back at university yesterday. The very first class I have is 'beginning woven forms' aka weaving with the European floor loom. We haven't started actually weaving yet, but I'm already really excited! It's going to be really fun :D I'll try and bring my camera to class and take some pictures. My mom is taking the class with me, and here is where I once again deviate from a normal person, I'm really glad she is taking it with me - it will be nice to have someone to talk to about it. My second class is Japanese and one of my really good friends is in it and another friend from my last Japanese class, which is amazingly awesome. So far I'm really excited about this semester, we'll see how todays classes go - world lit and statistics.

I hope everyone's doing well!

Found it!

2009-01-11T12:30:00.004-09:00

I found my camera! It was in the huge plastic tube with all my beading stuff, if someone hadn't ordered something from my etsy shop I might never have found it!

sigh

2009-01-10T14:42:00.001-09:00

I have misplaced my camera. I've been looking for it and I really have no idea where it wandered off to. I have finished Q for Queen and started on L for Lion. I probably won't update again until I find my camera.

Oh My Goodness!

2009-01-06T14:07:00.003-09:00

Edited to Add: I have misplaced my camera o.O I'm sure I'll find it when I'm not so loopy from sleepiness.

I have finished P for Pig and I'm almost done with Q for Queen. But I am exhausted, I had to be into work REALLY early today. I don't have any pictures, but I'll try to get some before I pass out :p

Just popping in...

2009-01-04T13:41:00.002-09:00

...to say that nothing important is going on. I've started P for Pig, but haven't gotten very far. I keep getting distracted by puppies. Katya gets to go to her new foster home today (yay!) which means I don't have take any dogs for walks in the negative degree weather. The puppies are going to get neutered/spayed on Tuesday or Wednesday and we get 3 of the 7 back (the two gray ones and bagel). My brother starts school back up tomorrow and I might work since I don't start school until the 12th.

Hope everyone's doing well!

Quick Announcement

2009-01-03T01:31:00.000-09:00

Hey guys! Just a quick toss-out. I just set up my beading etsy store. There's a link and 'showcase' thing on the left hand side. Check it out if you're interested!

M for Mailbox and Morimoto!

2009-01-02T15:23:00.003-09:00

I'm most of the way through M for Mailbox! You can see the pencil lines on the right hand side, that's all I have left to do.
I once again used the 2 colored thread, I really like the way it can change the color. It's really just like mixing colored pencil colors - you can see the different colors if you look or you can see it as a whole.
I just chose a random number for the address. I think the numbers turned out pretty well for me doing them free-hand.
The reason M isn't finished is because I have been reading and I have to talk about how much I love this book!
Chef Morimoto was on Iron Chef (Japanese) and is on Iron Chef America. He has ALWAYS been my favorite Iron Chef - if you go up against him, there is almost no question that you will get your butt whupped and handed to you in a six course meal. So when I was trying to spend all of my Barnes and Nobel gift certificates and I found this I yanked it off the shelf without even looking at it and I am so glad that I found it.
It has recipes and explanations about why he does things the way he does - "I paired this with this even though they are from 2 different cultures because..."
Not to mention the STUNNING pictures that are all throughout the book.
What I like the most is Morimoto has written things about how he thinks things should be done and it often includes the way it's traditionally done in Japan and the way Morimoto does it. It's a really great book, and I would suggest it to anyone who is interested in Japanese culture and food or just someone who would like to see some very different and intriguing recipes.