Today, I am posting a video tutorial showing how to add the closures, by crocheting them to the ends of the bracelet.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

As I was taking the pics of the bracelet, my small dog hopped up on the bench. He  helped by gently placing his little paw right beside the closing hooks and loops to point them out.

How could I resist a photo op like this?

Choosing the hooks and loops to close the bracelet took a bit of time, as I had to try out several different styles of closures.

Because the bracelet is about an inch and a quarter wide, it needed to have an extended closure. One hook wouldn’t do it.

I didn’t want to use lobster claw style closers, as I wanted the findings to be more ‘passive’ and kind of ‘laid back’.

When my darling mother in law passed away a couple of years ago, I inherited some of the sewing notions from her sewing corner.

In amongst the various vintage treasures, there was this wonderful  old card of

‘Newey’s  La Poupée All British Hooks & Eyes, By Appointment to H.M. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother- Hook & Eye Makers’

How could I resist? A Mother’s Day Bracelet with Hooks & Eyes made by appointment to the Queen Mum? LOL!

And, besides, ‘La Poupée? [which is French for 'Doll'] hooks and eyes? I love it.

Check the pic…. in the lower right hand corner, there is a tiny drawing of a wooden penny farthing doll:

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

This is such a charming bit of vintage packaging that I think I will have to hold onto it and take better care of it.

I hadn’t paid any attention to it until I started looking for the perfect way to close the bullion stitch bracelet.

Just goes to show…. we don’t always recognize the small things that need to be cherished.

Okay…. and now for the video:

How to crochet closures to a bullion stitch bracelet.

Or any other textile, for that matter!

PS: Here’s a closer pic of the hooks & eyes:

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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I hope you have had a wonderful day that included lots of lovely green living

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

and eco projects, and that you are going to do something special for Earth Day tomorrow.

We are going to plant some baby trees.  That’s them in the pic to the right.

The Spool knitter is one that I made from a chunk of old wood that we found in Jim’s Dad’s workshop 10 or so years ago. Jim’s Dad was a champion recycler.

He would upcycle stuff in the neatest ways…. nothing much got thrown away around Mum and Dad’s house. If it could be re-used, repaired, re-purposed, reclaimed, or restored or renewed, you know it would be!

In amongst the things we found in the workshop after Dad passed away was a very old handle from some kind of gardening or maybe woodworking tool.  The wood is super hard and wonderfully worn.  You can feel the years of use that have gone into wearing the grain into the wood.

So, I have been really enjoying being able to upcycle that old handle into spool knitters for jewelry makers to create wonderful treasures with.

Today, as an ‘almost Earth Day’ project, I finished up  a bracelet that uses a fun bit of upcycling and reclaiming: (as well as the upcycled wood in the spool knitter itself, that is!)  I spool knitted a bracelet with copper wire, and pushed a vintage marble into the center of the spool knitted wire cord:

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I bought the marble at our favorite second hand store, because it looks so much like the earth.

How perfect for an Earth Day bracelet.

Spool knitting with wire is somewhat tricky, as wire has no give. It’s worth it, though, as you can do fab things with wire!

There are a few things that I have found over the years that make spool knitting with wire much easier, and so I have made a video to help show these special hints and tips:

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so I made a second one:

Because I had a plan…. bangle bracelets look better when there are more than one….

(BTW, the flash does nasty things to the bracelets…. in real life, they look smooth and kind of irridescent. The flash seems to expose their undies. How rude!)

AND, because I love Furoshiki.

What’s  Furoshiki?

It’s an ancient and elegant Japanese solution to carrying things in the greenest possible way.

Here’s a link: FUROSHIKI

I’ve impressed the heck out of all kinds of people by whipping a headscarf out of my purse and tying a couple of knots in it to make a market bag.

I have also been using bracelets  as handles for my version of furoshiki.

Here’s how:

Tie 2 adjacent corners to one bracelet, and the other 2 corners to the second bracelet….

and VOILA!

You have an instant, earth friendly, eco happy market bag, GREEN tote bag, carry sack, re-usable, upcycled, recycled tote!

HURRAH!

(image source: photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay. Copyright, not to be used without permission)

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Part 1- upcycling a bag of funky mystery thread

So, I got out some of the tatting shuttles that I love to carve and filled them up with multiple strands of the threads:

Part 2 – Choosing colors and loading tatting shuttles

Now, some folks might say that this is NOT really tatting… but it is!

Really!

Part 3- The Josephine Knot worked over the bracelet

Changing colors might seem tricky, but it’s not….

Part 4 – Color changes

And, one bracelet was good, so 2 were even better! Besides, now, I can multitask with them!

Wear them as bracelets, then whip them off and make a magic market bag- INSTANTLY!

Part 5- How to turn bangle bracelets into an oh so Green, eco friendly market bag

No animals were harmed in the making of these bracelets.

She did, however, supervise the whole process VERY closely.

(image source: photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay. Copyright, not to be used without permission)

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This is a rather unique approach to tatting…. there are no lacy bits, no loops, picots, chains, just plain Josephine Knots over a simple flat wooden bracelet with upcycled funky thread.

(Feel free to do this with gorgeous thread! It will be – well….. gorgeous!)

Now…..

What if you want to change colors?

Easy peasy….

1 choice is to cut the first color, leaving a few inches to spare.

Just pick up the next color, and hold the thread end from it together with the last  thread end, and carry on as if you were in your right mind.

When you make the first pass with the second color, make an ‘e’ with the thread to encourage the thread to tighten up.

Squish the threads really close together.

Sometimes, let the threads at the inside of the bracelet lay on top of the previous one to make them fan out a little and get maximum coverage.

Continue to add more colors, working with just one tatting shuttle at a time

OR

With all your shuttles all at once.  Don’t cut the threads, just carry them along the outside edge, and tat over the non – working threads.

As you decide that you’ve done with one color, snip it and work over the ends to hide them. When the bracelet is done,  snip the last colors, thread the ends into a sewing needle and take the ends inside all the wraps.

Voila! an upcycled thread tatted bracelet!

Ahem. I know I shouldn’t…. but I just couldn’t resist:

Always, Mum, you take the silly pictures of me…..

this will cost you in tuna.

(image source: photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay. Copyright, not to be used without permission)

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I didn’t tie the thread to the bracelet (by the way, this would work on any bangle bracelet).

I just took the thread through, and pinched it to the bracelet with my left thumb.

Then, I started making Josephine knots over the bracelet. What’s a Josephine knot?

Basically, it’s the blanket stitch.

∞The tatting shuttle goes through the bracelet, from the front to the back, and a loop of thread goes over your left index finger.

The shuttle comes up through the loop and then is pulled tight. ∞

The thread ends are carried along for awhile and eventually snipped off.

Repeat from ∞ to ∞

until you want to change colors……

(image source: photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay. Copyright, not to be used without permission)

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Not primo for sewing… so what to do, what to do….

Hmmmm…. good for spinning… yes! Will set some aside to use when spinning ‘designer yarn’.

Wait a minute…. this is T H R E A D, right?

T H R E A D !

Thread = tatting……yessssssssssssssssssssss………..

And, then I HAD it!

I decided I would  finally get around to finishing some wooden bracelets that I made last summer.

My plan was, cut out plain wooden circle bracelets and crochet yarn around them.

Good plan…. but – I have a BETTER one!

I will use the mystery thread and tat it around the bracelets! Yes!

I picked out a group of colors that I thought would work together….

Then,  I grabbed one of the bracelets, and a spool knitter,  and some bamboo skewers. (Every studio should have chopsticks and bamboo skewers!)

I slid a bamboo skewer through each of the spools of thread and put them on top of the spool knitter to separate them. You could stick the ends through a shoe box to achieve the same result, but this was easier for me.

And, then, I started winding thread onto tatting shuttles

To wind thread onto a shuttle that is closed at the top like these Great Mother ones, or a traditional netting style shuttle, you loop the thread over your index finger and slip it over the head. Flip the shuttle and repeat.

I had to put the shuttle down to take the picture, but you don’t do that when you are filling the shuttle.

I decided to leave the pink out, so just filled 4 tatting shuttles with thread: Royal blue, tan, silver/pale blue, and dark brown.

(image source: photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay. Copyright, not to be used without permission)

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(You weren’t supposed to WASH me, human! I no hold together when wet!)

Loved the colors, tho’, so had a little think about it……

(image source: photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay. Copyright, not to be used without permission)

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Fun Advertising & Junk Mail Art
Check out Sandy Schimmel Gold’s take on some music legends.

Memory Pillows & Throws From Neckties
Quilters share queries about using neckties for quilts and fabric art.

What’s the Best Craft from Recycled Materials?
What’s best for you depends on whether you craft solely for fun or also for profit, as well as what recyclable materials you have access to. But here are a bunch of recycled craft ideas from Eileen to get you started.

Bloggy giveaways on Hankeringforyarn
My contests to win butterfly and dragonfly earrings as well as a handmade tatting shuttle continue until Sunday. Be sure to enter!

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These earrings are ones that I have just designed and made.

Congratulations Anne Phelen! Your number was 42 and that’s what came up! Please send me a response to the email that I sent you, so I can mail your treasures to you!

Hope you will enjoy them!

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Post from: Hankering for Yarn