First lesson at Digital Art Journaling class

Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, as I am still working through the class materials.  But the first theme word is HEART, and I got an image in my head immediately.

The class is over at Jessica Sprague.com and I am already way behind on the class!  Luckily, the class and materials remain available to you forever - I love the lack of pressure!

Jessica Sprague and Nancie Rowe Janitz; Digital Art Journaling Class:; background; map; staircase.; Scrapgirls Splendor kit; Keri Schueller: candlestick.

Explanation:  the words are from a psalm and the smoke represents prayers rising up to heaven.   I just finished reading the story of Jacob in Genesis, so that is probably what brought the staircase to mind.

Newburyport Street Front

I have been down with my usual winter illness.  I am hoping that the fact I was able to sit up for a while and create this means the siege is almost over.  I took a photo of some rocks that I previously converted to black and white, and made it into a larger piece.  (Duplicated layers, flipped, went over all demarcation lines with smudge tool and brushes.)  Then I looked through photos till I found one that seemed to want to go with that template.  I made four copies of the stone template to make its scale even smaller.  Then I posterized a duplicate of the photo.  I also made another copy with a layer mask to just reveal the brick layer.  I played with blending modes and opacity to get the final result.

Things I Want to Do

I decided to keep track of ideas here, so I can access them from multiple gizmos.

1)  Get five different yarns in all different weights and try out the same motifs in each of them.
2)   Do swatches in single and double crochet in all my favorite yarns.
3)  Start some kind of notebook to keep the swatches and notes in.

4)  Put together some slide shows for the blog to share some of our adventures.
5)  Work on "lines" photos.

6)  Finish Craftsy crochet course.
7)  Transfer Scrapgirl ebooks from Calibre to Kindle.

8)  Try to figure out how to make a My Little Pony amigurumi (a request)
9)  Get rest of last yarn stash run wound into balls
10)  Blog about Ladybug yarn shop - fabulous place

Waiting for Irene

Well, we are as prepared for Hurricane Irene as we are going to get!  In our part of Massachusetts, it will hopefully be Tropical Storm Irene.   They are warning us to expect power failures, possibly for two days.

But we are well stocked with flashlights, batteries, food and water.  My Kindle is charged, as is my cell phone.  I have gathered supplies to finish my little owl, and to make more plarn.  We also rounded up some games to play together.  So we are ready to stay home and ride out the storm.

Best wishes for everyone on the east coast!

Amigurumi Books arrive!

Now that I have finished Fred, I decided to get serious about doing some amigurumi dolls.  After hunting about in amazon, I decided to start with a set of three books by Ana Paula Rimoli:

Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet

Amigurumi Two

Amigurumi Toy Box

(The above links will send you to amazon.com.)

She shares cute stories about how her children play with them, or how the idea for the toy originated.  The patterns are pretty straight forward.  They all use single crochet, so there is no difficult stitch pattern to master, just the easy  rounds that make up the toys.  So as a reviewer, I highly recommend the books - the photos are great, and your creative juices will start flowing.

I am attempting to make one of her owls.  It began as a baby owl, and now is going to be something between the baby and the mommy.  (I did warn you I am pattern challenged, right?)  I think my mistake was not using a stitch marker for the rows.  But it is definitely going to be one cute owl!

Bottom line: If you ever wanted to see what amigurumi was all about, these books are a great visual introduction, with plenty of patterns to get you going on your own set.

My First Amigurumi Project - Meet Fred

Yesterday I caught up on the laundry and then - gasp - organized my sock drawer. I have two clear boxes that are drawer dividers, with space in the back for hose. I now have short socks in one, and long socks in the other, with all unmatched socks out and awaiting either a match or the trash.

On this heady wave of virtue, I managed to finish my first amigurumi project. I named him Fred. He (or she - depends on the day) is going to be a desk pet. Bright colors, looks welcoming, and reminds me I do get projects done. Plus, I smile when I look at him. What more can I ask of a desk pet?

Visiting the Crochet Me site

I just picked up Crochet Traditions while grabbing a ball of yarn.  What a fascinating booklet!

One of the ads caught my eye - it was for the Crochet Me site.    They ask for your email address but otherwise all of the patterns and several ebooks are free.  You can also find some crochet along projects.  (My skills are not that advanced lol - I am still a patternphobe.)  I had a lovely time popping around the site, and even found what I hope will be the answer to a project I am working on.  I am attempting my first amigurumi doll and I feel it needs a beak, and I have no idea how to make one! (The main doll and wings I am just making up as I go along.)  They had a free pattern for a spring chick - with a beak!