Category: Crafts

The Downfall of the Background

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In painting, colored pencil, basically any medium, a single color background makes the task easier. You just use one paint/pencil/marker/etc. and can use broad strokes to fill in the space more quickly.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite work that way in cross-stitch. Sure, you don’t have to stop and change thread very often, except when you run out. But you still have to make each individual stitch. And thousands of single-color stitches at a time can start to drive a person crazy.

Fortunately, I am finally done with the background, but lack of motivation to complete the ocean of yellow has thrown me way off schedule. What started out as 300-ish stitches a day quickly became nearly 700. Which means I better find some more motivation as the picture starts to define itself. Or this birthday gift will become a father’s day gift.

I have go to start these gifts much earlier…

Multiplying Minions

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Seriously, once these things get started, they don’t seem to stop.

I got a request for this little guy to be made two weeks ago. I had about five days to make it and its partner hat:

Luckily, this was on my week “off”. Took no more than an hour for the hat and an hour and a half for the doll. I think I am becoming an expert on these minion things.

For Art

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I recently read from Carina at Häkelmonster about a project called #100WomenProject. I’ll give you the explanation of the project from that page:

The goal for this project is for at least 100 women to crochet one or more of these wisteria vines and submit them for display in an installation that will be shown in an exhibition that opens on May 1 at Lovebomb in Richmond, VA, USA. The aim of this project is to showcase the strength and individuality of the women who participate. That is why the color of yarn and length of the vine are left to the discretion of the participants. Each woman will also submit an index card with their name and hometown on it and the cards will be compiled in a book that will be displayed alongside the installation.

This project is the capstone piece of the artist, Amy Reader’s, time as an undergraduate student and is a part of her Honors Thesis Exhibition at the University of Richmond.

I think the craziest part of all of this is that I have contributed to an art project across the country, that I found out about from someone who doesn’t even live in the same country. It’s amazing how interconnected we all are on the Internet.

If you want to contribute a vine (or a noodle, as my friend who teaches the kids’ swim classes called it), you have until next Friday (April 10) to get them into the mail. These take almost no time at all to finish. I learned about it last Friday-ish and got both into the mail yesterday morning. There is a crochet pattern and a knit pattern, so you have options for however you want to make it.