photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Bless her heart,

she gave me a couple more

of the fab wire baskets

that she made a few years ago.

Here’s one of the

new ones,

sitting on the

shelf that lives

on my knitting machine

table.

When I was

busy admiring

the new baskets,

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I realized how  much

I love using baskets

for organizing studio

stuff, and that I have

baskets by the dozens.

(There’s another one of

Chloe’s baskets in this

pic, too)

So, I started taking

photos of some of

the baskets in

my studio,

and before long

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I had taken

almost 50 photos….

I won’t bore you

with photos of

all the studio

baskets, but

there are a few

baskets that are

dear to my heart…..

The blue wicker basket

is an old one that I bought

when I was a teenager. I painted a sheet of masonite with a homage to oriental carpets, and wired it to the top and used the basket as a table. Now, it holds a huge whopper of a melon basket that I found at a garage sale this summer. They are both great for yarn storage.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I thought that I would

also include a pic

of Ms Kitty examining

a couple baskets

that I have just recently

made.

I posted a tutorial

on how to spool knit

the basket that is full

of spool knitters.

The crocheted basket is made

with yarn that I spun from

paper streamers from the Blue Man Group show last month.

Baskets are one of the most ancient ways of organizing the stuff of our lives.  They are also a wonderful way of expressing creativity, because every handmade basket is, by it’s very nature, completely unique.

Do you have any favorite baskets?

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

That is, until a spring snow storm blew in and dumped feet of snow on us.

It was a wild and woolie night… I kept getting up to watch the snow  building up.

The snow storm began as thick thick fog that gave up on itself and flopped down as wet mush.

That picked up it’s spirits and so , then it really got into the swing of things.

It  started dumping hefty globs of snow and sculpting trees and wires and fences and windchimes and and and

our little corner of the world turned very white, yet again….

The geese, who had just battled it out with their travelling companions over who was taking possession of the pond, walked around, baffled and bemused.

At one point, the geese swam towards each other and left a heart shape in the pond: You can see it under  them….

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I was worried about the big old crabapple tree outside the studio window, so I went out on the deck and pushed at the tree with a broom. The snow sounded like a very small avalanche in training wheels as it whuh-huhhed and crashed off the tree.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

All in all, it was a very intense day… we lost power and the phone has been dodgie. It even did odd things to our water system.

While the power was off, I re-arranged some furniture in the studio and took pictures for what I thought was going to be today’s blog entry. When the power came back on, I started working on this post.

I noticed that there were some spams that needed to be turfed, so I went through and declined all the offers to make me larger, smaller, stronger and richer. BUT, there was one email that should NOT have gone into spam.

It was a lovely note from Carol, about the Face of Joy challenge.

Carol wrote a  WONDERFUL blog post about the importance of playtime, and designed and made a delightful Face of Joy.

Do click on the link above, and go see her Face of Joy, and read her entry!

I was so inspired that I set aside the posting I was working on, and went right outside and started sculpting a little Snow Face of Joy!

It’s been years since I’ve made a snow man, so it was great fun to carve a snowie little playful face.

And, of course, to stay on topic, I had to include yarn, so I gave the happy snowface a coronet of tatted flowers that I had almost thrown out, but not quite….

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I’d love to see YOUR   F A C E  O F   J O Y  – however and whatever playful way you find to make it…… even if it is snow and melts away…. the joy remains…….

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

It’s called Project Spectrum.

Logo by Lolly (copyright) http://lollygirl.com/blog/project-spectrum

If you have ever gotten into a feeling of design doldrums, then join in on Project Spectrum.

Here is a link that explains how this year’s theme is the Compass Rose and the four directions with all the aspects that relate to it.

She has set up groups on Ravelry and on Flickr.

I’ve  joined and will be participating throughout the year.

Since March and April’s color is green, I have decided that my Project Spectrum project is my Spooligarumi Elf.

The Spooligarumi Elf feels especially appropriate, since today is the first day of Spring…. oh Springtime!

It’s been a record breaking bitterly cold and long winter. And so, thoughts of springtime waft around me, tantalizing me with dreams of green returning to this harsh white, grey and brown landscape….

Wake up, you little Elves of springtime and bring the buds and blossoms back to us!

Spooligarumi Elf designed, made & photographed by Noreen Crone-Findlay (copyright)

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

I asked people to list off everything- and I REALLY DID MEAN  E V E R Y T H I N G – in this photo.

21 people left comments (thanks everyone – big hugs & waves)

But….

Guess what?

Nobody guessed E V E R Y T H I N G!

Alright….now don’t hate me for this….

this was a game in creativity, after all…..

Here’s the list of    E V E R Y T H I N G in the photo:

1. The table!  There is a table holding E V E R Y T H I N G up!

2: The blue shawl on top of the table, under the

3: Knitted lace shawl (from wool I handspun)

4: Ball of handspun yarn (yep, I spun it)

5:  The Blessing Hand (I loved the way different people described it! I bought it at a garage sale, and it was plain brown. So, I painted it to make it look more the way I thought it deserved to)

6: Rigid Heddle – Boy was that ever a bearcat to make.  That’s the Minoan Goddess of the Bees burned on. I’ve only ever made a couple of rigid heddles, and there’s a reason why.  erg.

7: Top whorl spindle. Yes, that IS a chopstick glued into a toy wheel and  burned. And, it works great!

8: Nostepinne: Jim turned her for me and I burned her.

9: Bobbin that Jim turned, and I burned. Jim made me a spectacularly beautiful boat shuttle for my birthday a few years ago. I had taken a weaving workshop and came home all wistful because one of the other women had a wooden bobbin for her shuttle. He not only turned me a bunch of bobbins, but made me the boat shuttle, too…. he is amazing and wonderful.

10: Spool knitter- I adapted a purchased wooden spool to make this spool knitter, and it’s very nice to spool knit with.

11: Knitting needles: About 20 years ago, I bought a couple of pens that had little Matroushka dolls on the top of them. I cut the dolls off, and drilled, oh so carefully, into them. I cut the knobs off a pair of bamboo needles and inserted them into the Matroushka dolls. They have really faded, but I still love them.

12: A tatting shuttle that I carved at least 20 years ago…. I don’t make this style of tatting shuttle anymore, as I have far too much fun making the sculptural tatting shuttles that I am focused on now.

13: Handcarved crochet hook. I carved this one a couple of years ago.

So, you see, nobody got everything…. but several people got ALMOST everything.

I decided that we would draw for 2 winners…. one to celebrate my homecoming to Hankering for Yarn                               (I LOVE being home on H4Y!) and one to celebrate the launch of Bliss Tree.

I didn’t tell what the prizes were.

The winners will get their pick of either of these patterns:

pdf pattern for 7 different hats  woven on the potholder loom

OR

pdf pattern for the Knitted Lily Doll.

Lily is one of my most favorite dolls that I have ever designed.

And, now…. drumrolls please, the winners are (according to the numbers: #6 and #15)

That would be Pirk and Debbie!

Congratulations Pirk and Debbie and I hope you will enjoy your goodies.

(You get to choose which one you want)

Thanks again to everyone who entered.

I’ll be emailing Pirk and Debbie asap.

I will be having more contests to celebrate the launch, so stay tuned!

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

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

Earlier this morning, I took this picture out the studio window:

This is our second heavy duty snowstorm this week…. enough already!

Well…. I declare that ‘Snow Day = Yarn Day’!  so I am going to do some serious playing with yarn, here in my cosy studio.

We knew the storm was coming, so we brought in lots of extra firewood for the woodburning stove here in the studio.

Just a couple of other notes to post and then, I am diving into a fun and frivolité project.

Did you know that tatting in French is ‘Frivolité’? I love that….

Snow days need a little light heartedness…….

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

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

There have been a heap of changes and I am soooooooooooo excited to be part of the new direction !

One of the biggest changes is that Hankering for Yarn will soon be part of Bliss Tree, which is an oh so nifty website/community.  I am looking forward to seeing how this all unfolds!

I have all sorts of ideas and plans for Hankering for Yarn, so stay tuned!

I will be playing with all things yarn:

Which is why I combined all those things in the picture.

If you can tell me what everything in the picture is, leave a comment in the comments section below, and you’ll win a prize!

Alrighty… you have until Tues March 10 to list off everything in the pic, and tell me what it’s for….

and yes…. there is a  mystery object in the picture…. let’s see if anyone gets it!  LOL!

I feel like I have come home again…..  I am happy dancing! Won’t you join me?

Thank you so much everyone who has posted so far…. I had planned on masking the answers, but woke up this morning to discover that answers were showing up….. oops!
That really ticked one reader off, ~sorrrrrrrrrrry~
SO – being a very creative hoppitty bunny, I am going to award MORE than one prize!
Alrighty?

(image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright)

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

When I was in Portland at the Knit and Crochet Conference , I met a kindred spirit who is doing fabulous work with silk, wool and other natural fibers: Lisa Horner of Purple Lotus Fiber Design. (doesn’t click through yet, sorry)

Lisa dyes ‘Gourmet Art Yarn’.

Rats…. a picture does NOT do it justice….. ah well… imagine great lusciousness!

Lisa doesn’t have her website up yet, but her yarns are available at the most wonderful store:

Abundant Yarns in Portland OR. Wonderful wonderful wonderful!

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

Here are her websites: elegant crochet and elegant crochet freeform

On the friday evening of the conference, Bonnie and I got giddy and disolved into giggles as I was showing her the basics of shuttle tatting:

Her students were cracking us up, and we decided that a busy table full of laughing women (at the end of a lonnnnng day) is not exactly the best place to learn something as odd as tatting.  (Tatting’s not odd, really, but there’s this weird little flip thingie that can be baffling at the best of times, and to try to catch it while in the middle of a very active social situation – well….. ahem….. )

But it was fun…..

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

Over the years, lots of great friendships have been formed because of a neat list on yahoo-

the International Freeform group….

Usually on the Friday evening of a conference, the freeformers will get together and it’s always fun….

There’s Bubbly Bonnie and me and darlin’ Pirk!

And gorgeous Myra and wonderful Jorel in her galaxy vest and marvelous Mel wearing colors that she doesn’t usually work with (but it turned out great)

And then we grabbed Margaret and said, “Get into this picture!”

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

One of the people on the freeform list is Beth Boshears. Beth’s bundle of joy and a real sweetie.  It was great fun to finally get to meet her…. and oh no! I didn’t get a pic of her!

Beth blew me right out of the water when she handed me ‘an apple for the teacher’ when she was taking one of my workshops.

It’s wonderful! Look at this…..

It began it’s life as a glasses case, but Beth has re-purposed it by embellishing it with gorgeous crochet, beadwork and embroidery.

And, she’s done the smartest thing inside it:

Isn’t that clever? she’s attached the scissors and needles and bobbins with magnets.

I love it. Thank you Beth!

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Post from: Hankering for Yarn