and, the day before, I posted a tutorial for how to make a fine and fancy little Elfin  jacket :Link

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Today,

I am posting

the ‘how to’s’

for the rest of

the Elf Clothes:

The little woven hat

and spiffy little

wooden glide shoes.

The Elves would

probably appreciate

some socks and a tee,

but I’ll leave that up to

your imagination….

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Let’s start with

the hat.

With a 2 inch square

Weave it loom,

(or pins pushed into

graph paper)

and red embroidery floss

Weave one square.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Turn the square

so one point is

at the top.

Bring 2 adjacent

sides together

and sew them,

forming a cone

shape.

Weave in

all ends.

Turn the

hat around…

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

and fold up

the lower point

to shape the

brim of

the Elf’s hat.

If you have a

very tiny bell,

or a teensy pom pom,

you might want to

stitch it to the tip

of the cap.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

To make the

shoes, carefully

cut 1/2 inch from

each end of a

wooden craft stick.

Sand the cut edges.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Cut 2 pieces

of narrow ribbon

(1/4 inch wide)

that are each about

3/4 inch long.

The next bit is

fiddly…

a small hot glue

gun works best to

glue the ends of the

ribbons

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

to the edges of

the wooden

soles.

It helps to use

a toothpick to

push the ribbon

ends into place.

If you are going to

hang the shoes on

the Christmas tree,

glue strings to the

heels of the shoes.

And, there you have it….. a complete set of fine and fancy clothes for The Christmas Elves!

And a very Merry Christmas to the Elves, and to you and yours!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Today, I’m going

to show  how

I made a tiny

pair of trousers

for the elf.

With a 2 inch

square Weave It

loom, and blue

embroidery floss

(lightweight yarn

like sock yarn would

work, too) weave 2 squares.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Stitch the squares

together from

the upper edge

half way down

the squares.

This forms

the center

back

of the trousers.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Fold one square

to the front and

stitch the

inseam of the first

pant leg.

Fold the second

square to the front,

and stitch the

center front seam

and then the other

inseam of the second leg

by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Weave in all the

ends – leaving them

inside the trousers.

Cut a length of

embroidery floss

for the drawstring.

Starting at the

center front,

stitch in and out all

around the waistband.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Pull up the

drawstring

and tie a bow.

Trim the ends.

And, there you

have it!

A fine and fancy

pair of trousers

for any little

helpful elves

who happen to

be dancing around your Christmas tree!

Tomorrow- how to make a very spiffy hat and shoes for the Shoemaker’s Elves.

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I thought that it

would be fun

to make some

Elf clothes

to hang on

the Christmas tree-

just in case there are

some worthy elves

who needed new clothes.

A few weeks back,

I posted a tute

on how to make

a mini Bog Coat.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

That’s where I started with

the Elf coat-

BUT… made a

modification to

adjust the basic

shape of the Elf

coat.  Get out

your graph paper

and draw a 3 inch square.

Then, draw the lines on

it like those in the diagram.

Dotted lines for folds,

red lines for snipping.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Pin the pattern

to a piece of felt.

I upcycled an old

melton coat, and

a scrap of it works

great for this project.

Check this link

for a labeled diagram

of the pattern.

Cut the square out

first, then

snip the under arm cuts

and the neck opening.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Fold the fronts

at the side edges.

Pin the fronts in place.

Work blanket stitch

along one cuff edge,

using one strand of

embroidery floss.

Having the fronts

folded and pinned in place

helps make sense of what

you’re doing.

Next, fold the sleeve

down, and

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

work blanket stitch

along the under arm

seam.

Then, work

baseball stitch

(tutorial link) to

join the lower

section of the jacket

front to the upper

section.

Then, work

elf-clothes-coat-photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

blanket stitch

along the lower

center front edge,

and across the hem

edge and up the

other side of the

center .

Then, work

baseball stitch

to join the second

front sections.

Stitch the under arm

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

and the hem of the

second cuff, using blanket

stitch.

I carried the thread

along the inside of the

sleeve and along

the inside of the stitching

at the front, then

worked blanket stitch

around the center front,

neck edge and

the other center front seam.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I bought a doll skirt at

a garage sale last summer

for the 6 miniature

buttons.

If you don’t have

tiny buttons,

punch cardstock

or plastic to make

wee buttons and then sew them

to the front of the coat.

And… Voila!

a tiny jacket, just perfect to

hang on the Christmas tree

for the Shoemaker’s Elves….

Tomorrow: I’ll show you how to make tiny perfect trousers for the Elves.

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

If you need a little

inspiration for some

fun and quick

yarnie gifts,

then get out

your potholder loom!

(My daughter in law

found a totally acceptable

potholder loom

in the Dollar store last week…

we were impressed!)

The 1,2, 3, Easy as Can Be

Potholder Loom Critters

are speedy little  cuties to weave up on the potholder loom-

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

and are great little gifts for kids.

The Weavagarumi Critters

are also quick

and easy to make

with the potholder loom.

They’re great

stash busters,

as they can be

made with

odds ends of yarn left

over from other projects.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Still working with

the potholder loom

but this time,

making fab

one of a kind

vests-

(I love vests…

layering them with

shrugs and  shawls

is perfect for winter.)

Virtuoso Vests

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Speaking of warm

and cosy-

and happily

speedy to whip up…

7 different Hats to weave

on the potholder loom.

Potholder Loom hats

So…  there are lots of

quick ways to whip

up some great gifts

with the potholder loom…

Happy Christmas Making!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay

Here we go with the links!

Creative Dreamer
A Christmas tree named Charlie….and the elfin magic that makes him special.
meet-charlie.html

Gadabout Media DIY
Do you really need jewelry pliers? And what is the difference between all those different “noses”? Chloe has a basic guide to get you started.
what-are-all-those-pliers-for/

The Artful Crafter
Just look at the darling ornaments you can make from mini clay flower pots!
daddy-snowman-clay-pot-ornament.html

Hankering for yarn
I became a grandmother for the first time last week, and so I’m over the moon. I made some cute little mini folders for baby pictures and have posted a tutorial on how to make these dandy little treasures.
how-to-make-a-mini-folder-for-photos/

Mixed Media Artist
Make a stab-bound scrapbook or journal to hold all your Christmas cards and memories this year!
stab-bound-scrapbook-or-journal.html

So there we have it! Have a wonderful week, and I hope that it’s all smooth sailing for all of us!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

There were so many

‘lost and founds’ this week.

It makes me wonder if

there is something in the stars?

Speaking of stars,

one of the lost and founds

was a Cordelia cordmaker that

I was trying to get off to it’s new

owner.  I couldn’t find the one

that was on my website, so I

made a new one.  I had the

coat of gesso and the first coat of

paint on it, and it disappeared, too.

Arghhhhh! I spent an evening and morning tearing the studio apart, looking for it.  My son-in-law said to me: ‘It’s obvious that you have to make another one, because neither of the first 2 are right for her. The other ones will show up after you’ve shipped ~the right one~ to her.’

So, I made another one…. and got it all packed up and shipped off to the lady. Whew.

Then… Ack… I got a virus on facebook, which was a stinker to deal with…and even ended up being one more of the ‘lost and founds’, as facebook shut me down (even though we had done the re-set and virus scans up the ying/yang) 

As my son and daughter in law were leaning over my computer, working on it, I saw, hanging among templates…. you guessed it….  the missing  Cordelia!   Lost and found.

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

The virus was mighty

annoying and left me

feeling really frazzled.

When I am frustrated,

I will usually head out

to the workshop, to

do a little woodworking,

and get myself settled down.

Now, earlier in the week,

I had tried to make some new

of my ‘Blessed Bunny’ tatting shuttles.

They are the hardest tatting shuttles to make!

If I am not bang on the ’sweet spot’ for them, it’s completely hopeless. I can’t force it. If the Blessed Bunny’s don’t want me sculpting them, then forget it.  I always go through a ‘oh crumbs, oh crumbs, oh crumbs, am I going to be able to do this?’ when I start sculpting the bunnies, and when I tried just before our grandbaby was born…. Rats! I had lost it completely- I was too anxious about the baby being late etc, and simply COULD NOT get the bunnies to happen. Sigh. I put them in a box and left them.

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

The other day, I was tatting with one of

my ‘personal’ (ie: not for sale)

Blessed Bunnies, and noticed that the

ergonomics of the shuttle was

slightly ‘off’.  So, I got out a knife

and started carving and whittling.

Voila! The bunny balanced perfectly!

I thought- Whoa! I wonder if this means

that I can actually start carving the bunnies again?

So, I rushed out to the workshop, and spent the day, carving and sculpting a cluster of bunnies! Wheee! bliss!

Knowing how tricky it can be to get the ‘Bunny Groove’, I stuck with it until I had carved several of them- yay!

Then, yesterday, when I was putting the third coat of varnish on them, I counted…. and  ACK!!!! I seemed to have lost one of them!

I thought…. oh for crying out loud! am I going to go through the whole song and dance that I went through with the star Cordelia?

And, a little bunny voice said: ‘Look in the pocket of your vest’….. and Whhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeee! there was the missing bunny!

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

One more ‘lost that was found’…..

I have happily been patting the

little bunnies on the head,

and hoping that I won’t loose

the ‘how to carve them’ groove

so thoroughly next time I want

to sculpt some more!

We had a series of other

lost and founds this week, too,

with lots of frustrating vehicle issues… which are hopefully all resolved, now.

And, the biggest and scariest thing that happened this week, was that my brother’s wife had an accident that looked very serious at first. Happily, she is making a very fine recovery, so that is the best  of the crises and challenges and thank heavens we didn’t lose her!

AND… another frustration was that we were without internet for 20+ hours…. which explains why I am sooooooooooo late getting this post up!  Another ‘lost and found’….. wow…. is it ever frustrating to be without the internet! eegads and little fish!

All in all, it was a heck of a week. Next week will be better.

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Of course,  my husband and I

want to be able

to carry pics around with us,

and to be able to add

more pics to the stash easily.

I decided to make

miniature file folders

to hold the pics,

and am just tickled pink

with the way they have

turned out.

They are really quick and easy to make, so make great little gifts to tuck into cards and letters to friends and relations.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

One legal size file folder

makes 4

mini photo file folders.

Take a craft knife

and cut down the fold.

Then fold each piece in

half again and cut

apart on the fold.

by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Fold it in half.

Trim the upper

corner  to round

it off.

Fold the bottom

up about an inch

and a half.

Press all folds firmly.

Cut a ‘V’ shape

piece out at the lower edge

to facilitate folding.

Save the scrap of paper.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Go check your recycling to

find an old tea box or

other lightweight card stock box.

If you have a round

punch, punch out a

one inch circle.

If you don’t have a punch

trace around a quarter and

use scissors to cut it out.

This is to make the button

for the closure on the

front of the mini folder.

Place the circle of card stock

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

on the edge of

of the front of

the mini folder

close to the

mid line.

Push a craft knife

through both

the circle and

the folder to make

a slot.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

You’ll need a connector.

I love stationery stores

and neat little stationery

stuff, so I used one of

those nifty brass

2 prong  fastener thingies.

Push it through

the slot and then

fold the prongs

open on the back.

If you don’t have a brass

fastener, don’t cut the slot,

and sew a small  button on.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Now, you’ll use the

triangle that you snipped

out of the lower fold.

You don’t want

the prongs from

the fastener

to scratch the photos

so, use the triangle

to cover them up.

Glue the triangle

over the prongs, and

you won’t have to worry

about it causing problems.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

To make the other

half of the closure,

thread embroidery floss

or yarn into

a sharp craft needle,

and take it

through the back of

the folder

right in line

with the

circle on the front

of the folder.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

And, Voila!

or as some folks say:

Wallah!

You have made

a dandy little

folder to carry

around photos

of your sweet babies

and other loved ones!

I have to admit that

I pop mine into a small

plastic bag because

my purse is so full of

stuff that could wear the

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

folder out, and that wouldn’t do.

Oh, for goodness sake!

I forgot to

mention to

glue your

fave pic

onto the front of

the mini photo file.

That’s my grandson’s

hand grasping my

finger just moments

after his birth….

now THAT is a moment to treasure!

I hope that this mini  photo file will be something that will work for your treasured photos too….

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Jim Findlay copyright

So, I am going to make a short list

of some of the posts

that I loved the most this year.

Hands down, my absolutely

MOST favorite post has to be

the announcement that:

I am a granny!

Sweet Baby James

changes

E V E R Y T H I N G for us….

Sigh… a moment out for blissing…. okay, I’m back…

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Albert Einstein says that

being creative

means looking at the world

and seeing it in new ways.

Well… I saw the creative potential

in the paper streamers that the

Blue Man Group fired out

of a special effects canon

and ended up

spinning them into paper yarn

and then designing

a wonderful Shadow Scarf….

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

One of my most popular YouTube videos

this year was the one

on how to make

Flowers on the

Vintage Flower Loom.

Here’s the link to the

post and the video:

Vintage Flower Looms

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Another really popular

video is a tutorial

that I made on

how to wind yarn with a

nostepinne.

Here’s the link

to the post and

video tute:

Nostepinne

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

This year, I have switched

formats in the way that

I self publish my

designs.

I am focusing on

the pdf format,

because readers have

told me that this is

how they want to

purchase their books.

So, Spooligarumi,  and so are Weavagarumi and Virtuoso Vests.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Sock knitting is one of my great passions.

I live in clogs and crocs,

which are really

really hard on socks,

so I am constantly darning

my socks.

Another of my most popular

video tutes is

‘A new way of darning socks’

So, there you have it… a few of my favorite posts from 2009- I have more fave posts, so will gather them up for you, soon!

I hope that you have lots of lovely memories from this year, too, and not just painful ones because of the economy.

Things will get better. And all shall be well…..

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Ellen Gormley copyright

I love doing interviews

with other designers

and hearing about

the design process in their lives.

Today, I am interviewing

the lovely and talented Ellen Gormley.

My questions are in green

and Ellen’s answers are in black:

1. How did you create your life as a designer?

Like everything else, my design career has evolved. Long before I quit my “real job” my co-workers and I would talk about what we would do if we could do any profession we wanted. I used to say, “I want to get paid to crochet!”. When the kids came along and we decided I would stay home with them, I decided that I would spend $100 pursuing crochet. I made decision charts about various ways of crocheting for profit… craft fairs, custom orders, publishing, etc. And I decided to see if I could sell patterns so that I wouldn’t have to sit in a booth all day (who would watch the kids with DH busy working?). Also, I knew I didn’t have the time or temperament to mass produce items for sale.

2. Do you have a favorite  aspect of all that you do?

I’m a compliment junkie. Time and resources are limited for our hobbies, so when someone chooses to spend her (or his) free-time on one of my patterns, it is a huge, huge compliment. What a thrill!

photo by Ellen Gormley copyright

3. What aspect of being a designer

is most challenging to you?

The most challenging part of designing is grading garments.

When I do math, I have to “show my work”

so that I can follow what I’m doing.

It is very easy to get myself confused.

I find that if I write out my rationale long hand, it’s a little easier (but still hard!).

photo by Ellen Gormley copyright

4. What part of designing

is the most rewarding to you?

When I see photos posted

of projects that crafters

have made from my patterns,

it’s the best thing

in the whole experience.

5. How long have you been designing  professionally?

I began designing in 2004. I have been crocheting on and off since I was 10 or so. I have been crocheting steadily since 1994.

6. What triggers your creativity? What is most inspiring to you?

It is really inspiring to make a gift for a specific person. What looks good on her? What colors does she like? How will she use it? I find smooth yarns more inspiring than textured ones. Smooth yarn feels like more of a blank canvas with limitless possibilities.

7. Are the fiber arts your main focus?

Yes, the last few years I am all stitching. As a child I was obsessed with spiral-graph drawings. I was a photography major in college, until the world went digital at the same time I got busy with family. Growing up, my Mom and I were always doing some sort of stitchery, embroidery, macrame’, basic sewing, cross-stitch, etc. But since 1994, I have been consumed with crochet expanding to knit.

8. What is your favorite way of getting your work out into the world?

While I love Ravelry, I’m having much fun posting about my work on Facebook and Twitter because it allows my Aunts and Cousins, high school friends, to be exposed to the art that I love.

photo by Ellen Gormley copyright

9. Does where you live

influence your work in any way?

We live in Southern Ohio

where winters can be cold

and summers are hot.

The winter necessity for fun hats and scarves

has really influenced

the projects I make.

10. Where can people buy your work?

My blog and Ravelry.

www.GoCrochet.com

http://www.ravelry.com/stores/ellen-gormley-at-gocrochet-designs

11. Do you maintain a blog or website? If so, what are their urls?

www.GoCrochet.com is my blog and there is a gallery link from it.

12. Do you have a crafting or arts community that influences you and is important to you? (online or ‘real life’). Is it important to you to be in touch with your peers?

I participate in a ‘Crochet and Chat’ at our local library. Online, I participate as much as I can. Participating with others in person is really important. Designing can be very isolating. It’s so secretive until the project is published. There is so much that can’t be said. Meeting with friends in person alleviates much of this and the common love for the craft is very inspiring. It is also humbling because there are so many very talented crafters out there!

photo by Ellen Gormley copyright

13. Do you have an all time favorite

piece that you designed?

I have a soft spot for

my daughter’s First Communion Dress.

I thought about that dress for months before I started.

Still there are things I would do differently,

but she liked it

and it’s now part of our family history.

14. Is there a project or product that has ever flumoxed you and just refused to work out?

I’m sure there is, but everything evolves so much from the initial idea. Oh, I know one, there was a tote bag once that just didn’t want to be structured like I wanted it to be! No matter what I did, it was floppy.

15. Many designers are immersing themselves in self publishing. Is this part of the way that you work?

I do have several patterns for sale as PDFs. I definitely see advantages to self-publishing. Many of the technical aspects of self-publishing; charts, graphics, etc are somewhat intimidating. Right now, I’m content to let others work all of that out and let me spend my time designing and stitching. It is also fun to be part of a publication with others so that you can share and talk about the experience. There is camaraderie in being part of a traditional publication that is missing from self-publishing.

16. Is there anything that I have missed that you would like to share with the readers of Hankering for Yarn?

I’m a mom. I crochet at soccer games and swim practice. I design because I love it, but it also contributes to our family’s income. This is a business and without business people creating, there would be much less crochet to consume and inspire.

AND:

1.  Ellen has a book coming out in Spring 2011.
2.  An interview with Ellen can be seen in the upcoming season of Knit and Crochet Today/Now

Thanks, Ellen! wishing you even greater success with ‘Go Crochet!’

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

But- I am also working on new designs for major projects

that I’ll be going into overdrive

on in the new year.

I have been working away

on a series of designs,

assuming that I was working

on a new book….

BUT…. after having conversations

with other designers about the transitional state

of the publishing industry, I am

going through a major re-think

about how I get this new work

out into the world.

I’ve been publishing designs in magazines and books for more than 35 years, (I’ve lost track of how many books and magazines

my work has been in) and have had 4 books published in the ‘usual’ way (My newest book, The Woven Bag, published by F&W/Krause will be released in February.)

As well, I have been self-publishing my designs and books for just about 10 years now, and have gone through major changes with that process.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Back when I started self publishing,

I used to build the books and

bind them with a coil binder.

When the coil binder died last year,

I bought some new equipment, and

published ‘Rosie Recycle’

as a paperback book, with a centerfold

staple binding.

Whew… what a monster load of work!

And then, I started asking my readers,

~you~

What do you want?

and the answer came back over and over and over: Not paper! PDF!

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

So, I have been self publishing my books

and patterns as PDF’s-

(like the Shadow Scarves pattern at the left)

and it seems to be a very popular choice.

This new collection of work…

I am not  ready to announce

what I am working on ~quite~ yet…

feels like it needs an extra dimension.

And so I am wondering….

would you be interested

in having DVD’s

that are video demonstration

how to tutorials as well as PDF’s?

(These would be purchased, not uploaded to YouTube).

I am still wrestling over whether to release it as a full book, or to sell it in modules so that you can just purchase the designs and patterns and how to’s for the projects that you are interested in?

I’d love to have your feedback… it will help me decide how to move forward with publishing a collection of new work that I am VERY excited about….. please let me know what appeals to you as a crafter and reader! Thanks soooooooooo much!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn