Cuppa?

Cocoa with marshmallows and a chocolate chip cookie

Mocha latte

Yum! 
These are done using the tapestry crochet technique.

Highbush Cranberries

Carolyn enlightened me about this wonderful wild berry that grows along the edge of fields and forests in our area and invited me to pick some that grew along her hedgerow. And here is the fruit of my labors. Carolyn gave me a sample of her sauce and I was smitten! What could be better than preserving a food that practically offers itself to you? I also thought it fit in with our craft blog. Afterall, I think preserving the harvest is also an art!

Porch Weaving Taking Shape

Ralph, King of the Frogs

Ralph, is a crocheted frog with a ball, tie, crown and beads for warts. The pattern came from InterWeave Crochet and was quite easy to make. He was a big hit at the pond the day we went to catch frogs. Next year there will most likely be a Queen of the Frogs, too, then the little princes, etc.

Tapestry Crochet Done Correctly

Kyla showed me that to do tapestry crochet properly, you have to crochet backwards on a flat piece. For a circular piece, you don't need to. Neither of us can crochet backwards, so my first round piece became a purse.

Tapestry Crochet - a beginning

Kyla and I have discovered a new type of crochet, tapestry crochet. This is an original design, (obvious) but there are many patterns for this type of work. We discovered  that  this Tapestry Crochet website offers information, videos and links that have launched us down a new road. Kyla will post soon.

More on Needlefelting...

I find needle felting an enjoyable craft and these brooches are a fun way to make a completed project in only an hour. Needle felting requires very few tools and materials. For tools, all you need are a few special needles in various sizes, and for materials, carded wool in an array of colors and a foam pad will get you started. The needles are barbed and poking them into the wool over and over again causes the wool to felt. As you poke the needle up and down the wool becomes more and more felted. Different needle sizes are used during the process as you will need thinner needles as the wool becomes thicker and more dense. The rest is limited only by your imagination!

Plaid Rug

Hi, this is my first weaving project on my rigid heddle loom. I made it to be a rug but I don't want to walk on it so for now I have it on my chair.It's almost big enough to be a blanket, so it may end up to be so. Kyla

Rigid Heddle Loom Weaving has begun

This is my first rigid heddle loom which I bought from Joan, another member of the weaving class. There are 6 yards of cotton warp on it which will provide lots of opportunities to practice the various techniques of weaving. And I have lots of leftovers, mill ends, and scraps of yarn for practicing tapestry techniques. Plans are for place mats, and a large wall hanging that will actually go on the exposed chimney someday. Weaving is restful and stress reducing so far. Waiting for some new books with ideas for techniques and projects. Betsy will be so pleased when she returns home from Spain.

Needle Felted wall hanging

I've been enjoying experimenting with needle felting and this is my latest creation. I made it for a friend who prunes apple trees. I love the texture and feel of wool and needle felting offers so many possibilities, from two dimensional wall decorations to three dimensional sculptures to wool beads for jewelry. I will share more how-to photos in a future post.