Crochet Kind of a Day

I love to look at all the cute babies on Etsy.
Tonight I worked on 2 crocheted necklaces. I'm mostly done but I still have the ends to sew in. They are very light weight so I'm wondering if that will be weird and if I need to add some beads, charms or buttons to weigh it down some. It's funny how we expect jewelry to have some weight to it. Then our jewelry ends up weighing so much as we pile it on we about need a forklift just to stand up.

I also made a new Treasury tonight that will be up just a few days called Frilly. I'd love to wear any of those items I listed.

Crocheted Scarflette/Necklace

I spent most of today making a crocheted necklace, working on a trellis scarf and sorting through random bags of yarn and projects trying to bring some order to the process. I have two other crochet blogs if you want more details on the craft of crochet. It's tedious to put links in every single post. Just know that you can find my other blogs all listed on my profile page. Many of them have only a follower or two so be sure to follow the ones that might be useful or entertaining to you.

I've noticed it's the trend now to have lots of blog give-aways and gimmicks, and reviews about endless artisans, but I am trying to veer far from that and keep my blog on track. I hope people come here to see my creations or get some tips. I don't want to dilute it with a bunch of other nonsense. Plus I want to make as much one of a kind art as I can before I die, and so many things take big chunks out of that rare creative time.

Soapstone Mold

I'm trying my hand at carving soapstone. I'm making a mold for soap out of one piece and a signature chop (stamp) out of the other. I'm using some rasps I got in Quartzsite AZ. The soapstone was some scrap from a roadside that my friend gave to me. It's white with gray stripes. Most people just buy soap molds from a store or online vendor, but I always wanted to carve my own so no one else has the same ones.

Welburn Gourd Farm

I was wrong. I guess we did need some more gourds. I wanted to take them all home I guess. Luckily I had a list this time and hopefully got just the right ones. If you've never heard of the Welburn Gourd Farm click on the link to go see their webpage. I already got the ones I wanted so feel free to take the rest home.

Soapstone

My friend gave us some odd bits of soapstone so today I thought I'd try carving them. I'm going to make one into a triangular mold for soap and the other one into a 'chop' or hand carved stamp to put on my artwork. At this point I want to make a dragon handle but that may be beyond my skill level.

I'm not sure why I keep picking projects that are hard on my hands. I finally had to give it up for the night and let my hands rest until tomorrow.

Earlier in the day I did some cable knitting as well, which is also hard on my hands. And I cut out a denim plush monster. So I got a lot started today and nothing finished. Story of my life.

Gourd Fever

Here is why I should be working on gourds. And we are going to the gourd farm on Friday. Because we think we need more gourds. We are insane. I think it's called gourd fever.

I'm now accepting pre-orders for gourd witches and santas. I'll have some listed in my Pigglewiggins shop soon.

Gourd Drum in Blue

My boyfriend just finished another gourd drum. Now he's finished two and I haven't finished any. I still have to do some sanding on the rim of mine before I can put the head on it. But his experiments with lacing will help me do mine better, so it's all good. I find the whole process intimidating, but seriously what's the worst thing that could happen? I could tear the head? Crack the gourd? Both things can be fixed, right?

I asked my friend on Etsy what I could paint on the head with and he said acrylic or henna. So I told my boyfriend that. He got very excited because he wants to make another canvas quiver and painting it with henna sounded like a solution to a problem that he's had for awhile. Henna is made from plant leaves and is a lovely reddish brown usually.

Making Quivers

Saturday and Sunday we had a fellow over learning to make arrows. He's so happy about his new archery skills. He wants to make a leather quiver next. I was discussing different kinds of quivers with my boyfriend. He's made some great ones. I said leather is heavy and if you are doing archery on a roving course, every little ounce adds up as you are climbing over hill and dale with your bow, arrows, quiver, bracer, water bottle, and other gear.

Some light weight alternatives for quivers include yucca, basket, bamboo and canvas quivers. You have to decide if you want a back quiver or a side quiver. I find side quivers much easier because they fasten on with a belt and you don't have to lift them over your head and shoulders. Also you don't sweat as much as you do with leather strapped to your back. Just remember there are a lot of alternatives. And I know leather fringe on a quiver is very popular. But leather fringe is heavy. You can add plenty of other embellishments in lieu of leather fringe, like hanging beads, coins or talismans.


Yucca Quiver


Mini Quiver


Side quiver


Leather quiver

Also, if you've never looked down inside a quiver, most of them have some padding in the bottom to protect the arrows from hitting the bottom. That can be foam, fur, or stuffing of some type. It keeps the arrows from rattling around too.


Canvas Quiver