photo by Jim Findlay copyright

So, I am going to make a short list

of some of the posts

that I loved the most this year.

Hands down, my absolutely

MOST favorite post has to be

the announcement that:

I am a granny!

Sweet Baby James

changes

E V E R Y T H I N G for us….

Sigh… a moment out for blissing…. okay, I’m back…

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Albert Einstein says that

being creative

means looking at the world

and seeing it in new ways.

Well… I saw the creative potential

in the paper streamers that the

Blue Man Group fired out

of a special effects canon

and ended up

spinning them into paper yarn

and then designing

a wonderful Shadow Scarf….

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

One of my most popular YouTube videos

this year was the one

on how to make

Flowers on the

Vintage Flower Loom.

Here’s the link to the

post and the video:

Vintage Flower Looms

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Another really popular

video is a tutorial

that I made on

how to wind yarn with a

nostepinne.

Here’s the link

to the post and

video tute:

Nostepinne

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

This year, I have switched

formats in the way that

I self publish my

designs.

I am focusing on

the pdf format,

because readers have

told me that this is

how they want to

purchase their books.

So, Spooligarumi,  and so are Weavagarumi and Virtuoso Vests.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Sock knitting is one of my great passions.

I live in clogs and crocs,

which are really

really hard on socks,

so I am constantly darning

my socks.

Another of my most popular

video tutes is

‘A new way of darning socks’

So, there you have it… a few of my favorite posts from 2009- I have more fave posts, so will gather them up for you, soon!

I hope that you have lots of lovely memories from this year, too, and not just painful ones because of the economy.

Things will get better. And all shall be well…..

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

Well…. I didn’t  think that the buttons were hideously ugly…. just kind of

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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 knitting and make a flower doll?

Why not indeed?

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

So, I spool knitted

2 cords- an 8 inch one

and a 4 inch one.

And, I took one

of the flowers

that I had previously

made with my flower loom,

and plugged in my

hot glue gun.

I don’t usually use a hot glue gun in doll making, but, I was feeling kind of , ‘ah, what the heck’- so, what the heck?

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

First,I glued the face button

to the flower.

Then, I folded the

8 inch cord in half,

and glued it to the

flower.

I made feet on the long

cord and hands

on the short cord

by folding the ends over,

wrapping and gluing to secure them.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I glued the arms to the

body and made a little

paper heart by

punching out a heart

from a piece of junk mail.

I glued it on, and

Voila!

A surprisingly sweet

little flower doll.

So, the next time someone

says to you:

“Blech! This is soooooooooooo ugly I am going to throw it in the trash!”, you might just want to think for a moment before you let them toss it.  A very sweet little doll might be hidden in the “ugliness”.

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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  I’ve done a lot of designs for spool knitted bracelets and other jewelry.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Spool knitted cords

make great simple necklaces as well.

You can spool knit a cord,

join the ends

to make a loop, and

hang a bead, charm,

found object

(or in the photo

a tatting shuttle)

on it, and Voila!

a necklace!

When making a spool knitted necklace, feel free to be experimental about combining yarns and threads to create unusual effects.

Dressing the yarn up by making interesting color combinations and textures will go a long way in making the necklace more unique and special.

Spool knitting is a natural for jewelry making and  it can be used to create some absolutely gorgeous accessories and other treasures!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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.

Photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

One of my favorite

tiny gifts to make

and to receive

is a bookmark.

This bookmark

combines  little

squares woven on

a vintage Weave it

loom, trimmed with

tatting.

Here’s the link for the how to:

Bookmark

Hope you’ll enjoy making some small, but precious gifts for the people that you love… I’ll be posting more tutorials and lots of links for great ideas for yarncentric gifts!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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 the bottom of

the tin onto graph paper

and draw lines at the center.

Find a chunk of foam or

use several pieces of

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

cardboard so

you can stick pins in it.

Pin the 2 cords to the center

of the pattern.

Bring one of the cords around

the other,

and then,

coil them

in a spiral,

until you fill

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

in all the lines.

It’s a good idea

to pin the cords to

the pattern,

but you might

prefer to not

pin….

you’ll begin

the stitching

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

process at the

center of the

coils.

Stitch through 3 cords

at a time, working

your way around

the coils.

Place the stitches fairly

close together for

sturdiness.  As you stitch,

the shape of  the base of

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

the basket

is being established,

so squinch and

squeeze to make

the base fit the pattern.

When the base is

complete,

lift it off the foam

and continue wrapping

2 cords around the tin.

Stitch through both of them, and through the last cord of the previous round. (Remember, you always stitch through 3 cords at a time).

What do you do if you run out of cord?  Grab your spool knitter and spool knit some more!

You can weave in the ends later, so don’t worry!

Finish the basket by cutting the last round of spool knitting, taking the end through the stitches at the end of the cord, and weaving them into the basket.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

And, before

you know it-

Voila!

Or as some people

say it: Wallah! LOL!

you have made

yourself the

most wonderful

little basket…

perfect for holding

your spool knitters

and spool knitting or

other fab yarnie projects!

I made a little video about basket making , for those who like to see things in motion:

Happy Spool knitting! and Happy Basket Making!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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 the crocheted mask gallery of

Nicki Hitz Edson: Gallery

The woven masks of Susan Barrett Merrill are breathtaking. They are an exploration of spirit and soul: Zati Masks.

And what if you need a snoozy little mask to ease your naptime? Ah, then, the  Goodnight Mask by Regina Rioux Gonzalez is the answer.

So…. there you have it… yarn is unmasked as the secret ingredient of all manner of masks, from giddy to glorious!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

I search second hand stores for vintage spools and buy them whenever I find them:

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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 who is using spools in a delightful and engaging way to create a collection of magical dolls.

Recently, I profiled Phillipa England, who makes scrolls with vintage spools. They are heart rendingly exquisite!

AND… here’s a VERY clever tutorial on how to make a holder for circular knitting needles:

Jennifer Tallapaneni on PieKnits used spools in a whole new way – oh so creative!

Spools – they are soooooooooo wonderful! sigh.

What have you come up with to showcase your wonderful vintage wooden spools?

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

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

photo and project by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

They can stretch and stretch and stretch. Not so good.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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 have the handle become the sides and bottom of the bag, too.

To make handles like this, you need to make a loop that is the desired length of the handle plus the measurement of the sides and lower part of the bag. Having a continuous loop for the handles and outside of the bag gives a really nice finish to a bag.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I used 2 strands of Lily Sugar’n Cream in black and one of my larger 6 peg spool knitted cords.

I spool knitted 86 inches.   Then, I cut 2 strands of parachute style cord that are each 180 inches long.

I folded them in half and put a large safety pin through the fold. Before I took the spool knitting off the spool knitter, I slid the safety pin into the spool knitting, drawing the parachute cords through the spool knitting:

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I folded the ends of the parachute cord through the loops, and then used duct tape to secure the ends:

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

When the ends were secured, forming a big loop, I slipped the ends of the spool knitted cord together. I stitched the ends to each other.

And, now, it was a spool knitted loop that would not stretch.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

And then, I pinned the loop around the  back panel of the bag.  I stitched the loop to the back of the bag:

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

And then pinned and stitched the front of the bag to the spool knitted cord:

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

The Butterfly fairy on the front of the bag ended up with a few changes.  I included 2 tatted fairies in the butterfly wings, too.

Here is the bag that I made using the Lily Speed-O-Weave loom, spool knitting, vintage flower looms, crochet, tatting and hand sewing.

Lots and lots of techniques in a fun new bag:

photo and project by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

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 the cord.

It can be a little confusing to work out the sequence, so I have made a video tutorial that shows how to keep it all straight.

Of course, there are hints and tips about the whole process.

This cord is part of the series of tutorials that I am presenting about working with the Lily Speed-O-Weave Loom, so stay tuned for more videos!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn