‘Ugh!’, said the daughter of the woman who was holding the garage sale, ‘Take those ugly buttons, away! Please! Free!  Just take them!’
Well…. I didn’t  think that the buttons were hideously ugly…. just kind of
hopelessly kitschy.
I certainly wouldn’t
have bought them….
but the upcycler in
me just could not
resist the challenge.
I wondered if I could ever use the buttons in a reasonable way.
Hmmm… I could cover them with fabric, if worst came to worst…
This evening, I was looking for something else, and found the poor much maligned buttons.
I thought…. why don’t I use a flower from my flower looms and a little spool …read more

I’m very excited about a new design that I have been working on for ages. I’ve been experimenting with some neat new jewelry making techniques for spool knitting. I love Celtic Interlaces, and have designed a Celtic Interlace necklace. I’ve been working on it for a year or so, on and off.
Finally, I have finished
doing all the
photo editing
and writing
and pattern
formulating and
text editing
for the pattern.
Some designs
take a lot of work
to develop and refine,
and this is one of those ones.
But it’s worth it. I am pleased!
The Celtic Interlace Spool Knitted Necklace.
If you’re a regular visitor on Hankering for Yarn, you’ll know that  …read more

Now that November is here, the gift making season has begun.
Well, okay,
for me,
the gift making
has already started.
I’ve been having
a lovely time
working on
Sunbonnet Sue Needlebooks.
I just love making them, and I hope that the friends and family that are receiving them will love them, too!
Here’s the link: Sunbonnet Sue
If  needle books
aren’t your cup of tea,
maybe making
a bracelet or two
might appeal?
Here’s a tutorial
for how to spool
knit with wire.
Spool knitted wire bracelet
Spool knitting wire
is a great way to
showcase a favorite bead,
button, stone or found object and turn it into a one of a kind bracelet.
One of my favorite
tiny gifts to make
and to receive
is …read more

Since the beginning of time, people have made baskets.
They are useful,
and can be embellished
in endless ways
to make them one of a kind.
There are a million ways to make a basket.
One of the most fun
ways of making
baskets is to spool knit them.
To make a
spool knitted
basket,
you’ll need to
spool knit a heap
of cord.
Luckily, this is a
very pleasant and
contemplative task.
Make a couple
of yards each of
2 contrasting colors.
I like to use my 2 peg
Cordelia spool knitters
as they are so speedy
when I’m spooling up lots of cord.
Making a basket
is much easier if
you have a mold
to shape it over.
So, for this basket,
I used an empty
olive oil tin.
Trace …read more

A couple of days ago, I showed a quick and easy way to use spool knitting to embellish a handmade mask.
There are also tutorials
on the web
for spectacular
masks for
crocheters and
tatters.
Here are links for some dazzlers:
Have you seen the tutorial for the exquisite Tatted Mask on Instructables? Awe inspiring!
And, here’s a link for a gorgeous Hairpin Lace  Mask from Stitch Diva.
If you are looking for something a little more whimsical, then Melissa Mall’s crocheted critter  1/2 masks on Crochet Me might be just perfect: Critter masks
If you would like to be inspired  by the sculptural potential of crochet, then definitely check out …read more

There is something quite magical about wooden spools. When the thread companies switched to plastic spools, people everywhere sighed sadly.
I search second hand stores for vintage spools and buy them whenever I find them:
You can see in the photo what I have mostly been using the vintage spools for: Yep… spool knitters.
BUT…. other people are doing amazing and wonderful things with vintage and repro spools.
For instance:
Creating from the Heart on Etsy, is using spools and clothespins to create the most enchanting little dolls and critters!  The craftsmanship in these little dolls is superb!
Erica Daley is another doll maker on Etsy …read more

MYRA WOOD, author and designer extraordinaire, is one of the moderators of the International Freeform Fiberarts Guild.
She has just curated an incredibly wonderful show by 52 fiber artists from around the world, called, ‘The Four Seasons’.
The show is now online at: 2009 INTERNATIONAL FREEFORM FIBER ARTS FOUR SEASONS SHOW
It’s totally gorgeous, with painterly and sculptural pieces that include a broad range of mediums and techniques.
There will be a book available soon, featuring all the pieces that are in the show.
You can see my 4 pieces at:  NOREEN’S 4 SEASONS
Here is my Homage to Summer: Sophia at the Window

A simple, and very effective way to make a bag handle is to spool knit it.  There’s often a problem with spool knitted handles, though.
They can stretch and stretch and stretch. Not so good.
So, I use a couple of techniques to get around that problem.
Spool knitting with 2 interlocking colors works well.
Another way  to make a spool knitted handle that doesn’t stretch
is to spool knit over a stabilizing core of non stretchy yarn or cord.
I have been working on a bag that I have woven on the Lily Speed-O-Weave Loom.
I decided that I wanted to spool knit the handle and …read more

Here’s a really neat way to make a 2 color cord that won’t stretch.  Because this spiffy cord doesn’t stretch much, it is the perfect candidate for things like handles  or some decorative edgings.
How do you make this excellent cord? With the humble little 4 peg spool knitter – a tool that is under appreciated in it’s capacity for creating oh so nifty components for your needlework and yarnie happiness.
Spool knitting with 2 colors of yarn in the crossover sequence that I show in the video results in a cord that has 4 lines of color running the length of …read more

For ages now, I have been plotting and planning a narrow scarf. I keep going off in different directions with it, but have settled on a plan.
I have spun up some wonderful yarn for it, but can’t find the photo of the spindle  with the gorgeous yarn, so this one will have to do for now….
I keep trying different ways of weaving the scarf, but am debating about what to do for it. I think I am just going to give in and just get on with it!
The one thing that I know for sure about the scarf is that …read more