photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

The flowers from

flower looms work

beautifully  in combination

with crochet.

I quite like using

unusual yarns with

the flower looms.

This is slubbly quite

hefty silk handspun

in a shawl.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Here are a

bunch of flower loom

flowers in another

shawl- also all

made in handspun yarns.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

The rainbow  flower

was made with

spool knitted cord

on a flower loom.

The white flower

was made with chained

yarn…..

so you can really play with

your yarn before you use it

with a flower loom.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

What are those flowers part of?

Well…

a wild and wonderful

freeform crocheted, spool knitted,

tatted, woven, sewn, sculpted

doll made with all manner of

found objects.

Yes…. her

head REALLY is a vintage

shaving brush.

Aren’t her shoes cute?

The red square was made with a

magic loom and soft ribbon.

flower looms and freeform crochet photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Here’s the back of the doll.

I used black  ribbon with

the flower loom,

and with the magic loom,

and a fair amount of spool knitting,

and crochet, with lots

of vintage buttons, a little lego,

beads, and found objects.

Putting together

all the diverse elements

in a cohesive way

can be challenging.

flower looms and freeform crochet photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

But, seeing the possibilities

for creative adaptive re-use,

aka: Upcycling found and

discarded objects and

using them to create

wild and funky dolls

that are an expression

of human experience

is one of the great joys of

my life….

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photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

When I was getting

ready for taking

the photos of the

projects, I wanted

to make some

pumpkins that

were the right

size for the

dolls.

I decided that a

pumpkin pincushion

would be perfect.

When I cut out the fabric for the pincushion, I popped a scrap into one of the little cauldrons and that inspired me to make the first set of pincushions. ( I posted about them at pincushion cauldrons)

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Here’s how I made

the pumpkin pincushion:

Cut a rectangle of

light weight orange fabric,

4 inches by 8 1/2 inches

on the bias.

Gather the upper and lower

long edges.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Stitch the short

edges together.

Pull up the gathering

thread on the lower

edge, and stitch shut.

Stuff the pumpkin.

Pull up the upper

edge, and stitch shut.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Stitch and overstitch

the centers of

the top and bottom

of the pumpkin.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Thread green yarn

into a sharp needle.

Take it through the

pumpkin  and stitch

the segments

by pulling the green yarn

up tight.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

To make the stem:

With 2 strands of green yarn

held together,

spool knit a cord

that is about

1 1/2 inches long.

Cut the yarn, leaving

20 inches

Take the end through the

stem and pull it up a little

to curve it.

Stitch it to the top of the pumpkin.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Use the yarn

ends to embroider

leaves around the

stem and to stitch it

to top of the pumpkin.

I cut stickie paper

eyes, nose and mouth

to make it into a jack ‘o lantern.

You could embroider the features

if you want them permanent.

I think I’ll take the stickie bits off, and leave it without a face and just use it as pincushion without features.

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photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I find the distortion and playfulness

of shadow images to be endlessly fascinating.

For a long time,

I have been

contemplating

designing

a series of

scarves that

are crocheted

shadows.

I have been posting for days now about spinning the streamers from the Blue Man show.

I wove a Unicorn with the first of the upcycled paper yarn, then a Fairy doll, then a basket.

As I came to the end of the paper yarn, I realized that I just had to do something very special with the yarn.

When I flipped my sketchbook open to start some new drawings, I saw sketches and notes that I have made about shadows, and

VOILA! I knew what I would use the last of the Blue Man streamers for: I would crochet my shadow!

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I realized that I

didn’t have

enough

paper yarn to

complete a

full crocheted

‘Shadow Scarf’.

So, I dug out a

crepe paper streamer

that I had bought at

a garage sale this

summer.  I had been

planning on experimenting

with spinning it, so this seemed perfect.

But, blech! It was awful to spin on the spinning wheel!  So, I grabbed my Navaho spindle and:

So, eventually, I had enough upcycled handspun paper yarn to finish the Shadow Scarf.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I LOVE IT!

Here’s

‘Patient Zillah’

my upcycled

cardboard Mannequin,

modelling it

for me.

Doesn’t she look

fetching?

LOL! Patient Zillah

is kind of related to

the upcycled paper yarn

scarf!

Link to order scarf pattern

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

They both began their lives as trees,

and are now living

quite different lives as guests in my studio!

If someone had told me

that going to see

the Blue Man show

would have triggered

such an explosion of

creativity for me,

I would have been amazed.

Well, okay, no I wouldn’t.

But, anyhow, I am pleased

as can be with all the deliciousness

that I have had with upcycling  the streamers from the show.

And now, I can play with my shadow anytime I want to, whether the sun is shining or not. Peter Pan would be jealous!

The Shadow Scarf is an original design by Noreen Crone-Findlay and is copyright protected.

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photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

With the upcycled paper yarn,

I wove a Unicorn.

crocheted a fairy

and crocheted a basket.

I am down to the

last of the Blue Man

streamer paper yarn,

so I feel like I want to

make something

that is a ’statement’ piece…..

I have been mulling and mulling it over… after all, this is quite special yarn, so I want to design and make something that is worthy of the yarn. I also want it to be fun, and quirky and funky and tongue in cheek.

A couple of people sent me some suggestions about what to make, and I appreciate that so much!

I got all inspired, which of course meant that I had to get out my sketchbook and start sketching.

Well! as I flipped through my sketchbook, I found a sketch with some notes that made me go- Bing! YES!

And, I KNEW that I had found exactly what I needed to work on.

I got out paper, pens, scissors and started drawing and cutting a template.

The first three versions ended up tossed into the fire.  We heat the studio with a wood burning stove. It often eats up rejected templates, sketches and drawings!

I finally got the template to the place that I am now happy with it, and have started crocheting the last project with the Blue Man streamer upcycled paper yarn.

Am I going to show it to you yet? Nope. Not yet.  I’ll keep working on it, and hopefully, it’ll be worthwhile showing off!

So, stay tuned…. more will follow!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

I promised to show what I have been doing with the upcycled paper yarn.

Well…

I’ve been working on a couple of things.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I knitted a little pocket doll with the yarn.

Myeh.  It wasn’t magical.

So I frogged it.

And, then, I followed my intuition. One of the b5 bloggers wrote recently that her little girl was saddened by being told that Unicorns are not real.

I thought…. hmmm…. why not show her that the realm of imagination is alive and well?

So, I got out my potholder loom, and started weaving the paper yarn.

and guess what I wove?

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

A Unicorn, of course!

Weaving the paper yarn

is a lot like weaving wire.

Neither of them have

any give, so it’s essential

to warp the loom so loosely

that it is almost crazy making.

BUT…

the completed weaving

is wonderfully maleable

and sculptable, so

the pain in the neck-ed-ness

of weaving with it is worth it.

Although, weaving with normal ‘yarn’ yarn is infinitely easier!

The  paper yarn crochets well too and I quite like the way it can be sculpted. I am working on a crocheted piece that I am making with the paper yarn that I upcycled from the Blue Man streamers. Stay tuned! I’ll post pics of it.

The pattern for the woven unicorn is available at: Potholder Loom Magical Creatures because, yes, the world of imagination is indeed essential, important and must be cherished!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

At the end of the show,

they fired off special effects cannons

that launched paper streamers at the audience.

I thought:

“Ooooh …. all those pre-cut strips of paper!

Perfect for spinning! ”

So, after the show,

I scooted down to the  floor,

and asked the guy who was sweeping up

the streamers if I could have some.

“I’m a spinner and weaver and I would love to make them into yarn!”

He looked at me like I had just sprouted a  second nose.

He muttered something inaudible and handed me an armload of the streamers.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I wondered how it would be to spin

the streamers on my spinning wheel.

Usually, I spin paper with spindles.

I was amazed and

impressed.

Spinning the streamers

with a spinning wheel

is very do-able!

You have to use a

very long draw,

and it’s good to

over spin

to get lots of twist.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I had to keep

fluffing the streamers

to keep them

from interlocking

with each other.

I developed a rhythm

in which I would spin

with one hand controlling

the spin, while the other

hand scrambled madly

for the next streamer.

I made a little YouTube video of it.

I have started working with one of the projects that I am making with the streamer yarn, and will post about it when I am further along with it.

Here’s the video, which shows how I join the streamers:

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

BIG tip: To set the spin on the paper yarn, squeeze the copp (the ball of yarn on the spindle)  hard with your hands while it is still on the  spindle. Voila! the twist is set.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

As well as knitting

and crocheting

handspun upcycled paper yarn,

you can use flower looms

to make wonderful

flowers.

I recently broke and

then repaired my

vintage flower loom,

so am rather careful with it

nowadays.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I wasn’t sure

about how much

stress the paper yarn

would put on the flower

loom, so I made

myself a wooden one.

That’s it on the left.

It works great, and I am pleased!

For a tutorial on how to work with a flower loom see: Flower Loom Tute

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I experimented with

several different

variables:

This flower has

4 layers of wrapping,

is stitched with yarn,

and has a vintage

button stitched on the front.

There’s a pin glued on the back.

I think that 4 layers is a bit too

much.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

The experimentation

kind of turned into

a ‘Goldilocks’ thing.

I tried just 2 layers

of wraps for this flower,

and stitched with yarn.

I drew a tiny face and

glued it to the center.

I think that 2 layers

is not enough……

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

And, this flower

feels

~just right!~

3 layers of petals,

stitched with the

paper yarn.

I drew a face, glued it

to a paper heart and then

glued that to the center of

the front.

A pin on the back finishes it up.

These upcycled paper yarn flower pins look great on bags, hats or lapels. They would also work beautifully in scrapbooking.

I now hoard and spin every bit of tissue paper that I can lay hands on!

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photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I have to apologize

for a mistake

that I made

when I was

making the video.

I have been

plying yarn

like mad, and

I always spin it

counterclockwise

when plying yarn. So, I kind of was running on ‘automatic’ and just kept spinning counterclockwise, which is not a problem, as you can spin tissue paper yarn either clockwise or counterclockwise.

BUT… I said I was spinning clockwise, when I wasn’t. So, doh, brain function.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Actually,

ahem.

The entire

video is

rather ‘casual’!

My husband came

into the studio

as I was shooting

the video, which

sent the dogs into

orbits of exultant and noisy delight.

And, at the end of the video, I whalloped into the camera stand and sent it careening. Oops….. ah well… c’est la vie!

It may be wonky, but it still shows you how to upcycle tissue paper into rather spiffy yarn.

Here’s the video:

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Today,

I got out my

28 gauge copper wire

and fine steel crochet

hook,

and a wonderful

vintage button.

I love bracelets

and decided that

it was time to  turn

this button into a

bracelet.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I wrapped the

end of the wire

through the shank

of the button

and around the

end of the hook

to form a loop.

Then….

I crocheted and

crocheted

and crocheted, and frogged and frogged and frogged…. sheesh… for a simple bracelet, it took a heap of attempts to get it right! humph.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I finally settled

on working a

simple shell stitch

pattern for the

bracelet.

Isn’t it amazing

how long it can

take to get

to the simple

solution?

Have to try out all

the permutations and combinations first….

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Happily,

I got there

eventually!

I am pleased!

Here’s my design for a shell stitch crocheted bracelet. I used 28 gauge wire and a #7 Milwards steel crochet hook.

Each shell is about 1.25 inches wide and about 3/4 inches tall.

The pattern is, of course, copyright and may NOT be copied or transmitted, or shared – please share the link freely, though!

Wrap the end of the wire several times over the end of the crochet hook, through the shank of the button.

Insert the hook into the wrapped loops, and ch 3.

Crochet the shell: (5 dc, ch 2, 5 dc) into the loops.

[Turn, ch 1, sl st into the top of the 1st 5 dc, ch 3, work shell.]

Repeat from [ to ] for desired length of bracelet.

Ch 1, turn, sl st in 1st 5 dc, ch 11, sl st to top of next dc. Turn, ch 1, work 1 sl st in each ch st, sl st across 5 dc, cut wire, pull end through last loop on hook. Weave end into bracelet. Enjoy!

Hmmm…. this would make a great gift… get out your grandmother’s button jar and start making those bracelets!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

It’s important to me to use ‘cold connections’ in making the jewelry from the vintage buttons, because I don’t want to damage the buttons.

Also, I need to be able to undo it, if I want to use the button in another way.  Here’s the link to what I did yesterday: Link

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Today,

it’s all about

playing with

wire.

I love this

big fat

pewter button.

So….

why not

wear it as a ring?

Easily done!

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Just take

a steel

crochet hook

and

chain some

copper wire

(26 gauge)

that’s long

enough to go

around your

finger.

Take it through the shank of the button and give it a twist, and Voila! An instant ring!

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

This adorable

vintage bakelite

button has

always reminded me

of a bumble bee.

So, why not

crochet a

flower for the bee?

I used a hook

that was small enough

to go through the holes

of the button, and chained

and sc’d my way around it.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I freeformed

flower petals

into the chains.

Here’s the first

round of petals.

I did more chains

behind the petals

to build up more

layers of petals….

I decided to

not make

the petals

symmetrical.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Instead,

I went for

a more

random approach

to the petals.

After all,

in nature,

lots of times,

the petals on

a blossom are

not all identical!

I did 3 layers of petals

in all.

And, then, on the back, I wired a pin, so I can wear it.

So, now, my cute little bumble bee vintage bakelite button will get to see the light of day!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn