Susan’s Joy Piece:

Susan's joy piece copyright

Susan wrote:

Hey Noreen,

Here is my first entry! I had a great time making this. First time all around! I chose a butterfly because they are signs of renewal and Spring is all about renewal of trees, flowers, everything! So I call this Renewal of the heart.

I made the square out of Bamboo Yarn on my Hazel Rose weaving loom 4 inch, followed by my colorful butterfly which I spool knit and the antennas are chenille stem with lil black beads. So as not to attract away from my butterfly I used yarn to free hand a flower LOL! I am very proud of my lil french knot in the middle of flower! Took me a while to figure that out. Thank God for the internet!

Not sure of what I am gonna do with this frame it without glass or magnet for fridge? Any ideas much appreciated!

Please let me know if you are able to view it and it will need to be resized I am not good at any of this blogging or posting pics.

Thank you so much for this challenge! Now on to my next creation!

Thank you
Susan

Caroline’s  Healing Mini quilt:

Caroline's healing Goddess mini quilt

Caroline wrote:

I thought you might like to see this small quilt embroidery that I stitched in 2007after my return home after a cancer operation ( see the scar! ) I hung it near my bed where I could see it when I woke in the morning….. the phoenix like image ties in to my sun sign, Scorpio. It was a way of expessing a lot of emotion without using words.

Sorry didn’t mean to sound so serious but I was SOOO glad to be home…..PURE JOY!!

Bye for Now

Caroline

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I was so excited I could hardly stand it.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Last week, a very kind person sent me a note, saying that she had found a book on her shelf.  She knew that I would love it, and was sending it to me.

She also laughed about some of the rather strange projects in the book.

Needless to say, I was intrigued.

The title sounded vaguely familiar, so I googled it and discovered that it was uploaded on several websites.

Wow! I was about to own a copy! I could hardly wait until it arrived!

I have been peering into the mailbox each day in anticipation, and today, the mailbox contained this treasure!

To actually get to hold this 100 year old book in my hands was a thrill.

It amazes me that Mary McCormack wrote about spool knitting with 2 peg spool knitters 100 years ago.

I had never seen anyone doing this (yes, I had seen lucets, but not 2 peg spool knitters), and had, through a process of reduction, worked my way back to working with and designing and making 2 peg spool knitters over several years of trial and error.

I really love the speed of working with 2 peg spool knitters, as you can produce miles and miles of cord really quickly when zooming along on just 2 pegs.  (For some projects, you WANT miles and miles, really quickly).

When I flipped the book open, I saw what  I think the sender of the book had meant by

‘odd’ projects….

Um…. what the heck?  The book lists it as a ‘muffler’.

A ‘muffler’? Okay….  well it doesn’t look like any scarf I have ever seen… but things may have changed in 100 years.

you just never know…..

Anyhow…. it’s an utterly charming book and I am thrilled to have it in my collection. It’s a real treasure!

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My daughter, Chloë Findlay-Harder, made a gorgeous set of curtains for her brother and his wife.

The curtains are a heavy, soft brushed denim in smokey green.

Chloë spool knitted cord with Lily Sugar’n Cream in ecru, and then pinned and stitched Celtic Interlaces to the top corners of the curtains. She also did this at the lower edge of the curtains.

They’re beautiful!

If you have a plainjane set of curtains that are ho hum, get out your spool knitter and have fun embellishing them!

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Cyndi always has great tutorials to inspire you. Check out this week’s: She shows how to make absolutely gorgeous monoprint papers.

I just loved Chloe’s tutorial on making woven heart bags, so I couldn’t resist including it in today’s roundup:

A New Creative Journal
Heather Goldsmith is starting a new blog about journal writing.

How to Make Window Envelope Cards
Which do you prefer – the stamped or digital version?

Recycling and upcycling for threadies
My  husband bought me a bag of mystery threads which I recycled and upcycled in a neat way.

Some spool knitters with special connections
A jewlery maker contacted me with a special request. This lead to a whole lot of fun….

Trails End Quilters’ Quilts
Mary Emma, at the Trails End Quilters, ponders over the origin of a wedding quilt and urges you to write down the history of your quilts.

Image by Noreen Crone-Findlay (copyright)

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Tottie Tomato began her life here on hankering for yarn.

And, she’s undergone all manner of transformations.

Such a busy life for a little tomato!

She now has her own blog in which she and I share our love for spool knitting, crochet, tatting, knitting, small loom weaving, sewing, doll making, puppets, wood working, recycling and eco crafts, to name just a few.

She’s just getting started, but do check her out: Tottie Tomato

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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A week or so ago, I posted about the silk/wool/eco-spun combination of yarn that I was spinning.

Here’s what I was spinning it for: A ‘Here Be Dragons’ stole that I just designed…..

I’ll be publishing the pattern in a little while….

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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I have been spinning up a storm this past week…..

Here’s some bombyx silk that I’ve spun up and am spool knitting like mad with to finish a project for workshops I am teaching in September.

Spin spin spool spool….

spin some more

spool some more…..

(As I get  things completed, I’ll upload pics. Right now, there’s a million half done projects all in a flurry of studio whirling!)

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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I love teaching workshops at the Knit and crochet shows….. workshops

I love to bring together lots of different fiber arts in my workshops: mask making, doll making, crochet, tatting, spool knitting, freeforming and all manner of other things unfold in workshops.

It’s always a ton of fun!

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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A few weeks ago, I begged him to puhleeeeeeeeeeeeeeze spend some time at the lathe for me… so, bless his heart, he picked up his chisels and started turning….. yay!

Ah, bliss….. I love having all that ‘blank canvas’ potential!

And here’s what I’ve been up to in betwixt and between meeting book deadlines…

A Fairy Door Mighty Mamma…..

There were 2 Homages  to Jane Austen, but one of them has already flown away.

This Jane Austen is wearing a blue cloak.

And, last but not least, this Mighty Mamma is going to be a Gnome’s garden….. when I have a chance to actually finish up the painting!

For now, the little Gnome Girl is looking longingly at her empty garden, wondering when it’s going to bloom?

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright 

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One of the most common ‘FAQ’s’ that I receive is:

Q: What can I spool knit with kids? (or my 8 year old or 7 year old etc)

A: That depends on your child. When my daughter was tiny, she was more skillful at a lot of the needle arts than many adults.

So, you’ll need to look at different projects and then decide if your kidlet has the interest, manual dexterity, and attention span to take on some projects.

If they have trouble with a small spool knitter, find them a larger one.And, have fun with your spool knitting! and with your kidlet and their spool knitting!

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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