Tag Archives: yarn

LOYALHANNON SPINNERS

LOYALHANNON SPINNERS

n Spinners

Loyalhannon Spinners has been helping interested folks learn to spin and explore the world of fiber arts. They are active in the fiber arts community and conduct educational demonstrations in the Westmoreland County Fair, the Fiber to Shawl Contest in Washington Count and the PA Farm Shows in Harrisburg. They meet the third Saturday of the month from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. at the Grist Mill on the campus of St. Vincent College, Latrobe, PA.

Follow them on Facebook.

 

 

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BUTLER (PA) MACHINE KNITTERS

BUTLER (PA) MACHINE KNITTERS

The Butler Machine Knitters was founded by Jackie Huff, Shirley Grossman and Ruth Schnell thirty years ago. Still going strong, membership currently totals about twenty active machine knitters. they meet the third Thursday of each month at St. Peter Roman Catholic Church, 127 Franklin Street, Butler, PA. Members come from Pittsburgh and Meadville, Ohio as well as Butler County. The group always picks a charity to help. This year, they are knitting Christmas stockings for the local shut-ins that St. Peter Church treats during the holidays. Below are samples of Butler Machine Knitters’ handiwork including the Christmas stockings.

To contact the Machine Knitters, send an email to Jackie Huff: jac@centurylink.netqueknitting

 

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WEAVING PROJECT: FENCE WEAVING II

WEAVING PROJECT: FENCE WEAVING II

The craft Fence Weaving was adapted from the project “From the Yard/Fence Weaving” found in All-Around-the-House Art and Craft Book by Patricia Z. Wirtenberg and published by Houghton Mifflin Company in1968.

Materials:

One fence preferably a chain link fence

Ribbon, yarn, pipe cleaners, tassels, string, rope, feathers, strips of fabric or paper, and anything else that easily woven through or tied on a chain link fence

Pompoms, beads, tiny shells, paper dessert cups, and anything else  glued to ribbon, yarn, strips of fabric or paper, etc. and attached to the links in the fence. Bits of drawings or photographs can also be used.

Scissors

Glue

1)      Weave, loop or tie materials such as pipe cleaners, ribbon, yarn, rope, strips of fabric or paper and string diagonally, vertically or horizontally through the links in the fence.

2)      Weave or loop or tie the ends of fabric, ribbon or paper through the links in the fence and secured with glue. The more you material you use, the more festive the fence looks.

3)      Glue artificial flowers, beads, tiny shells, and similar items to ribbon, strips of fabric or paper, etc. Weave the ends through the links in the fence.

4)      Make a garland of paper or similar material and attach the ends to the fence. Celebrate the Fourth of July with a red, white and blue garland!

5)      Cut paper letters and/or numbers and glue to a long strip of paper or ribbon and attach to the links in the fence at each end. Anything goes! The signs can say “Happy Summer!”  “Enjoy Summer Camp!” “Hooray for Summer!”

6)      Another idea: decorate the fence according to themes: nature; summer/seashells; art; Disney; cars/trains/airplanes; sports, etc.N

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WEAVING PROJECTS: FENCE WEAVING I

WEAVING PROJECTS: FENCE WEAVING I

The craft Fence Weaving was adapted from the project “From the Yard/Fence Weaving” found in All-Around-the-House Art and Craft Book by Patricia Z. Wirtenberg and published by Houghton Mifflin Company in 1968.

MATERIALS:

One fence preferably a chain link fence

Ribbon, yarn, pipe cleaners, tassels, string, rope, feathers, strips of fabric or paper, and anything else that easily woven through or tied on a chain link fence

Pompoms, beads, tiny shells, paper dessert cups, and anything else  glued to ribbon, yarn, strips of fabric or paper, etc. and attached to the links in the fence. Bits of drawings or photographs can also be used.

Scissors

Glue

PROJECT:

1)      Weave, loop or tie materials such as pipe cleaners, ribbon, yarn, rope, strips of fabric or paper and string diagonally, vertically or horizontally through the links in the fence.

2)      Weave or loop or tie the ends of fabric, ribbon or paper through the links in the fence and secured with glue. The more you material you use, the more festive the fence looks.

3)      Glue artificial flowers, beads, tiny shells, and similar items to ribbon, strips of fabric or paper, etc. Weave the ends through the links in the fence.

4)      Make a garland of paper or similar material and attach the ends to the fence. Celebrate the Fourth of July with a red, white and blue garland!

5)      Cut paper letters and/or numbers and glue to a long strip of paper or ribbon and attach to the links in the fence at each end. Anything goes! The signs can say “Happy Summer!”  “Enjoy Summer Camp!” “Hooray for Summer!”

6)      Another idea: decorate the fence according to themes: nature; summer/seashells; art; Disney; cars/trains/airplanes; sports, etc.

 

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ART PROJECT FOR KIDS: Paper Weaving.

ART PROJECT FOR KIDS: Paper Weaving.

 

The craft PAPER WEAVING was adapted from the project “Stitches, Scraps and Haute Couture/Paper Weaving” published in Arts and Crafts Activities Desk Book by Joyce Novis Laskin and published by Parker Publishing Company in 1971.

MATERIALS:

Large sheet of thick paper or cardboard for the frame of the mock loom

Two or three different colored and/or pattered papers cut into strips

Ribbon (optional)

Scissors

Ruler

Pencil with eraser

Glue stick or scotch tape

  1. Fold paper in half. (Choose any size paper or cardboard from 8 ½” x 11” and up.) Draw lines ¼” to ¾” apart down the length of the fold.
  2. Look at Step II below. Make incisions with the scissors, starting from the fold up to ½” of the edges of the paper. Don’t cut all the way to the end or you will cut the paper/cardboard into strips! Cut up to ½”  at each the end of the paper/cardboard and draw a line across. (In other words, leave an uncut margin at both ends.) This is the weaving “frame” or “loom.” Open the paper or cardboard.
  3. Measure and cut strips of paper to weave in and out of the paper loom. To minimize mistakes, make sure that the strips are a little longer than the width of the loom.
  4. Choose two or three different colored papers to weave through the paper loom. (Alternate ribbon with paper for a different look to the weaving.)  Start at one end and work your way up to the other end. Alternate the in-and-out pattern with each row. (Refer to photograph.)
  5. Trim loose ends and glue the ends down using a glue stick.
  6. Use your paper weaving as a place mats or give it as a gift.  What else can you do with your paper weavings?
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Indigenous Crafts: Dream-catchers

Indigenous Crafts: Dream-catchers
Dream-catchers

Dream-catchers

The Lakota hang dream-catchers where they sleep or over the cradles of babies. Good dreams go through the hole in the center of the dream-catcher while bad dreams are caught in the webbing like flies in a spider web.

MATERIALS:

6 inch embroidery hoop or large metal ring

2 yards of string or yarn

Beads, wood, feathers

Scissors

Glue

PROJECT:

  1. With a pencil make 8 equidistant marks around the embroidery hoop. If using a metal ring, make the marks with the black marker.
  2. Knot one end of the string or yarn on one of the marks. Leave about 3 inches hanging.
  3. Tie the yarn to the next mark and so on until there is yarn looped to each mark.
  4. Tie and loop the string from the middle of one loop to the middle of the next. Do not pull the string or yarn tightly. Continue to loop in this way making three or four rows of loops while occasionally stringing a bead. This is optional.
  5. When only a small “hole” is left in the center, pull the string tightly and knot the end of the string to the previous row. Tie a second knot to prevent unraveling. Trim excess string. A bit of glue will reinforce the knot. This is optional.
  6. Take the original 3 inch piece of string and tie it to the inside of the web. Tie a second knot and trim any excess. A bit of glue will reinforce the second knot.
  7. Tie a piece of string about 5 inches or more to the bottom of the dream-catcher. Toward the bottom half of the string loop two or three (or more) beads and tie a knot. Leave enough string to tie around the tip of a feather. You can make as many as two or three of these but vary the lengths to make a more interesting design.
  8. Reinforce the knots if necessary with glue. Insert feathers into the web of the dream-catcher. This is optional.
  9. Tie a loop of the string or yarn at the top of the dream-catcher so you can hang it up.

NATIVE AMERICAN ART – A BRIEF INTRODUCTION

Native Americans imbued art into everyday objects: baskets, textiles/weaving and pottery. They placed all their hopes and fears into their art. Colors, patterns and symbols reflected their views of the creator and the inner spirit of people and animals.  These colors, shapes and symbols held different meanings for different tribes but some general meanings apply.

Colors:

Blue: female, moon, sky, water, thunder, sadness

Black: male, cold, night, disease, death, underworld

Green: earth, summer, rain, plants

Red: war, day, bold, wounds, sunset

White: winter, death, snow

Yellow: day, dawn, sunshine

Shapes:

Curves and spirals

Parallel lines

Flowing lines, i.e. plants and flowers

Birds, fish and human faces

Triangles, rectangles, squares and other geometric shapes

Bibliography

Haslam, Andrew. Make It Work! Native Americans. Minnetonka, MN: Two Can Publishing, 1995.

Gooch, Randall and Temko, Florence. Traditional Crafts from Native North America. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications, 1996.

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Lazy Day Crafts: Weaving With a Simple Frame

Lazy Day Crafts: Weaving With a Simple Frame

 

Materials:

Cardboard

String

Ruler

Pencil/eraser

Scissors

Yarn

Large-eyed tapestry needle (optional)

Ribbon

Feathers

Wool

Strips of fabric

Leaves

Twigs

String

  1. Weaving consists of a warp and a weft. The warp comprises the vertical strings of the loom while the weft consists of the yarn horizontally interlaced through the weft. Take a piece of strong cardboard. Measure and cut ¼” incisions at regular intervals of ¼” to 1/8” on both ends of the cardboard.
  2. To make the warp: Take heavy string (i.e., kite string) and make a knot at one end. Stretch a continuous length of string across the cardboard. In other words, loop the string from one end of the cardboard to the other and back up again. When finished, cut and make a knot in the back or tape it to the back of the cardboard. Always leave a little extra string for knotting at either end.
  3. To make the weft: Think of a theme or a design for the weaving. The design is up to you! Use a variety of materials to weave in and out as you did with the paper weaving. Start with about an inch and a half of warp at the bottom. Make sure strips of material alternate with each row.  Roll the material into a ball if possible and pass it through the warp back and forth for several rows depending on the design. Tuck the end in the back of the warp. Do not tie a knot.
  4. Tips: You can using the tapestry needle to weave. A ruler will help you if the warp so you can pass material through easily but you must lift every other string.
  5.  When weaving is finished, cut any loose thread in the back of the warp but don’t cut too close to the weft.
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Smicksburg PA Photo Sampler

Smicksburg PA Photo Sampler

I took two separate day trips to Smicksburg PA with a friend this October. Smicksburg is a country village in Indiana County with all kinds of craft and gift shops. (It even has a  US Post Office.) It is not far from Punxatawny Pa (home of the famous groundhog, Punxatawny Phil) to give you a geographic landmark.

The area is home to about 300 or so Amish families so it is not unusual to see horses and Amish buggies going by. Besides the craft and antique shops, we stopped by an apple orchard (excellent apple cider and apples) on the first trip. I bought so many apples that I was cooking with apples for a whole week!

The second trip included a visit to  an Amish farm so I could get my quilt repaired. We also visited a spinning studio and yarn shop (Silverbrook Fiber Arts and Sheepskin) in nearby Marchand PA where “spin-ins” as I call them, are held once a month or so.

If you want a day away from the city, consider a day trip to Smicksburg.

The photos above give a sampling of the many sights of Smicksburg PA. For more information go to: www.smicksburgh.net

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Ojo de Dios (God’s Eye)

Ojo de Dios (God’s Eye)
GOD'S EYE

                                    GOD’S EYE

Materials:

Chop sticks or dowel rods (12” in length)

Yarn in assorted colors

Scissors

White glue

  1. Cross the chopsticks or dowel rod in the center. Pick a color for the center of the God’s Eye. Tie securely with the end of the yarn.
  2. Loop the yarn a couple of times to secure it further.
  3. Holding the center of the sticks, wrap the yarn under and around one of the sticks a few times. Make sure the sticks don’t show by pushing the yarn together on the stick. Pull snugly.
  4. Pull the yarn to the next stick. Wrap it under and around.
  5. Continue to wrap the yarn from stick to stick by wrapping under the sticks.
  6. If you choose to change colors, tie the yarn to a stick and cut off the excess. Tie on a second yarn.
  7. Continue to wrap until the sticks are almost covered. Make the last wrap and tie the yarn to the stick. You will need extra yarn so cut this piece about 5 “– 6” from the knot.
  8. Place a small amount of glue on the end of the stick. Wrap the end of the yarn over the glue, covering the entire end of the stick. Snip any excess yarn.
  9. Make two small God’s Eyes to hang on either horizontal end of the larger God’s Eye. Use pencils or narrower dowel rods and wrap the yarn like you did in Steps 2 through 8.
  10. Make a loop. Tie it to the opposite vertical end of the stick and hang.

TIP: Small God’s Eyes make great Christmas tree and/or window ornaments. Use pencils to make these smaller Ojo de Dios.

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Summer Camp: Drawing with Yarn and Starch (or Glue)

Summer Camp: Drawing with Yarn and Starch (or Glue)

 

Materials:

Three small bowls

Scissors

Liquid starch or glue

Yarn

String

Cardboard in any color of choice

Yarn in various colors and thickness

 

  1. Pour liquid starch into bowls.
  2. Cut some of the yarn into 12” lengths.
  3. Soak the yarn in the starch separating the white (if you are using white) from the colored yarn because some of the colors will run. Leave the yarn in the starch for a few minutes.
  4. Lift the yarn out one strand at a time and run your fingers down the length to remove the excess starch. Do this with the string if using it along with the yarn or instead of the yarn.
  5. “Draw” with the yarn by dropping it on the cardboard in a random pattern. Repeat this with the other strands of yarn combining the colors in a pleasing design. Alternate with string.
  6. Fill in some of the shapes that you “drew” with more yarn so that some of the shapes are more solid than others. Consider separating some of the yarn so that white or negative space shows throughout the design. (See the samples.)
  7. Finish the “drawing” and place the art on a flat surface until it dries. Weigh down the corners with heavy objects in the meantime.

ALTERNATIVE PROJECT:

Draw a design or object on the cardboard and follow the procedure above.

Inspired by: All-Around-the-House Art and Craft Book by Patricia Z. Wirtenberg

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