Life Lately // 2

I made some late-night whole fruit margaritas. I felt bad about using the Vitamix for evil. Then I had a few margaritas and I felt a little better about it. (Thanks for the Patron, Deja!)

Braised cabbage that stinks up the house, but is oh-so-good. Cabbage, onions, apples. Cider vinegar, garlic, dill, turmeric.

A postcard from Big Bend. Someone I love is on a major roadie. I miss you! ♥

Nicky’s birthday present! We can’t have ribbon because Penny eats it all and it gets tangled up inside him. So I tied it together with a nautical-looking knot. I likey.

Late-night snack gorge. Ants on a Log: as tedious as they are delicious.

In other news, I re-photoed all my shop pics – I am loving how everything looks. AND, and and. Look at what Kristina, The Nerdy Sewist, did – quite possibly one of my all-time favorite interpretations of my Binary Folk Pattern (or any of my patterns, for that matter). Yee-haw!

Broomstick Lace Tutorial

This is a very wordy and picture-ey tutorial because it is a pretty involved process, so please bear with me! I’ll break it into four parts: Tips, Starting the Base, Working the First Row of Loops, and Making the First Row of Lace. This is gonna be intense . . . Ready? You can do it, I know you can!

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TIPS

1. Be patient with yourself. Broomstick lace has a bit of a steep learning curve because it is so awkward. Take heart! Practice makes perfect, as they say.
2. Pull your lace loops snugly around whatever lace tool you are using, but not too tight.
3. If you are a beginner, I suggest using a synthetic or synthetic blend yarn. Anything with a little give and stretch will be easier to work with.
4. This tutorial shows my way, using this pin. This is not the only correct method. There are many different ways to make broomstick lace, so do what feels right for you. Here are some other methods: video by Crochet Geek, picture tute at Crochet Cabana, picture tutorial at Crochet Spot, picture tutorial at Kootooyoo.
5. You can make your own pin, like I did, or you can purchase one here. You can also use a broomstick, a ruler, a knitting needle, a pipe, or a turkey baster.
6. You may want to use a lifeline. You can read about how to do that here.
7. Inevitably, once in a while you will discover that you are one loop short. That’s okay – just make the correct number of single crochets in your lace loop groups and keep going.

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STARTING THE BASE

You can start your first “loop” row right after you make your chain, but I find it is easier to make a more sturdy “base layer” with a row of single crochet. First, you must determine your multiple. Decide how many loops you want for each of your lace groups – it can be any amount. Then, decide how many lace groups you want/how long you want your row to be. Here is the formula for your beginning chain: (number of loops per group× number of lace groups) + 1. For this tutorial, I decided on five loops per grouping and I want four groups. So, my formula looks like this: (5× 4) + 1 = 21. Chain 21, then single crochet in the second chain from the hook, and in each remaining chain to the end. If you are following this example, you will have 20 single crochets for a base (do not remove your hook):

WORKING THE FIRST ROW OF LOOPS

After you finish your base row of single crochet, pull up a big loop with your hook (through the last stitch you just made). This loop will already be there, you just need to yank it up:

Remove your hook and set it aside for now. Grab your pin or lace tool and insert it through the loop you just made. Pull the ball-end of the yarn to make the loop snug (but not tight!) around the pin:

Okay, here’s where everything gets awkward. I’m going to show you what works for me, but you very well might come up with a way that works better for you. Do whatever is most comfortable/makes most sense to you! Weave the yarn through your fingers, as you would normally do for controlling tension, and slide your hand up to meet the pin. Grasp the pin. I am right-handed, so my yarn and pin are in my left hand:

For “loop” rows, always work through the back loops only of the single crochets. You will pull up a loop for each single crochet from the previous row (so for this example, I will have 20 loops at the end). Insert your hook through the back loop of the next single crochet and grab the ball-end yarn that is wrapped through the fingers:

Pull that yarn through – make the loop as big as you want – and at the same time, slide your middle finger down the hook so it is also in the loop:

Next, insert your ring finger into the loop as well. Now you have the hook, your middle finger, and your ring finger all inside the loop:

Spread your ring and middle fingers apart to open up the loop and guide it onto the pin:

Snuggify the loop around the pin. Most likely, you will have to readjust your hands and yarn a bit now. That’s okay – just get back into position for the next loop. With some practice, all of these steps become more fluid and easy:

Continue making a loop for each of your single crochets until you get to the end (20 loops here):

Set your hook aside for now, and carefully pull the pin out completely. Here is an in-progress-pin-removal:

MAKING THE FIRST ROW OF LACE

And now, the moment we’ve been waiting for, the first lace group! Grab up your hook again and insert it through the first five loops, pulling them a little taut. Now get your ball-end yarn in working order through the fingers of your left hand:

To start the very first lace group of each row, we’ll need to “lock” it in place with a slip stitch. Grab the ball-end yarn with your hook:

Now, pull up the yarn through all five loops:

Yarn over:

. . . And pull it through to finish the locking slip stitch. This slip stitch does not count as a single crochet:

Because our lace groups are five loops deep, we need to make five single crochets into each group. Insert your hook through the “eye” of the lace group:

Grab the yarn from behind the lace group:

Pull it through:

Yarn over:

. . . And pull the yarn through both loops on your hook to complete the first single crochet:

Continue to make single crochets through the eye of the lace group until you have five single crochets:

For the rest of the lace groups, you do not have to make a locking slip stitch. Insert your hook through the next five loops, making sure they aren’t twisted, and that they’re all facing the same direction:

Yarn over:

. . . And pull the yarn through:

Yarn over again and pull the yarn through both loops on your hook to complete the single crochet:

Continue making five single crochets in each group of five loops to the end. You’ll have 20 single crochets and four lace loop groups. Do not remove your hook:

Pull up a big loop, take up your broomstick lace pin, and start all over again. Repeat to your heart’s content:

Broomstick Lace: Working with a Lifeline

My broomstick lace tutorial is getting heavy on the photos, so I am breaking it into two parts. Today, I’ll give a quick run-down on using the lifeline, and tomorrow I’ll bust out the lace tute (and list a few pins in the shop).

First of all, I think lifelines are mainly used in knitting, and they are threaded through rows with a needle. For our purposes here, the lifeline is worked through the lace row as you go – it is connected to the end of the pin. This lifeline is meant to help guide your hook and is especially useful for beginners, if you are working really long rows, or if you want to work in the round.

Choose a lifeline material that is easy to see and has a slickness to it. The slippery-er your lifeline is, the easier it will glide through your loops without pulling on them. Ribbon, waxed cord, or nylon cord will be good choices.

Cut your lifeline so that it is several inches longer than your finished row will be. For accuracy, you can work your chain or base row first and measure your lifeline based on that.

Now, attach one end of your lifeline to the pin with a knot that is both strong and easily removable. I use what’s called a slipped overhand knot. If you have a favorite knot, please share it in the comments!

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Start by folding over one end of your lifeline, so it forms an arc. We’ll call the top of this arc the “working end:”

Slide the working end through the eye hook:

Grab the working end and cross it over the top of the non-working end, then wrap it to the back and pull it through the circle you made when you crossed it over:

Pull the working end tight. You are basically making an overhand knot with two thicknesses (from when you folded the end over):

Make your broomstick lace as usual, and slide the loops off the butt end of the pin as you work (if you need to – in this example, the work was short enough that it was not necessary).

When you are done making all your loops, slide the pin out of the work, leaving the lifeline inside the loops. The lifeline has become a place-holder for the next step:

Now, carefully untie the knot and set the pin aside, leaving the lifeline in the loops:

To start the next row, follow the lifeline with your hook. The lifeline guides your hook correctly through the loops:

Work your row to the end, leaving the lifeline in place:

When you have finished your row, slide the lifeline out completely and tie it to your pin again. Now you’re ready for the next row!

Congee

Nicky was raving about this soup a coworker made, so I asked him to describe it. “She said it’s just rice. Boiled rice.” Hm.

“You sure? What’s so great about it? It’s just rice, then. Not soup”

I was skeptical. Very skeptical. However, after a bit of digging, I found what I thought Nicky was describing . . . congee. Am I the last person on earth to revel in this? Congee is rich, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth comfort food. And apparently, I’m in desperate need of comfort because I’ve made two big batches in the last week.

Congee is like a long, hot soak in a bubble bath. Like fleece pajamas and bunny slippers. And with just a few ingredients, it’s yours. It really can be rice and water alone, but it is infinitely customizable. I’m thinking wild rice and portobellos, or lemongrass and frizzled leeks.

Here’s how I made my first two batches:

You’ll need . . .

1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed

1½ – 2 inch nub of ginger, peeled and thickly sliced

4 – 5 cloves garlic, smashed

Salt, to your taste

Olive oil

4 cups vegetable broth

6 cups water

You’ll do . . .

Pour some olive oil in a large pot. Swirl it around the bottom and up the sides a bit. Dump in all the above ingredients, put it on the stove, and bring it to a boil. Turn down the heat so the congee is very gently simmering. Place a lid on your pot, but at a slight angle so a teensy bit of steam can escape. Simmer for about two hours, stirring occasionally . . . then more frequently toward the end of cooking. Don’t worry, you can do something else while it’s cooking. You’ll know it’s done when it looks like cream soup. Which, I guess it kind of is. Remove the ginger hunks.

Garnish with . . . anything, really. If you do a search for congee, you’ll find an endless list of combinations. I like scallions and cilantro. Nicky likes to add some hot chili paste. When reheating left-overs, just add a bit of water first.

A Story About Broomsticks, Turkey Basters, and Woodworking

So here it is, the big reveal of the TOP SECRET project:

Crocheters might be able to guess what this is . . . It’s a broomstick lace pin. TaDa!

A while back, I got interested in broomstick lace. Since then, I haven’t been able to find the perfect tool for making said lace. So I made my own. Interested? Read on . . .

Let me tell you a story:

As the name states, one can use the handle of a broomstick to make this lace (which is also called jiffy lace and peacock lace). This was the first “tool” I tried . . . and it was a disaster. Picture me flailing about on the couch, waving around a clunky broom and getting all tangled in yarn. Fail.

Next, I tried a turkey baster, because that’s what I had on hand that was similar in roundness to a broomstick, but wasn’t quite so unwieldy. This worked better, but it wasn’t ideal. And I certainly thought there must be a better tool than this.

I did a search for “broomstick lace pin.” The only thing I found was basically a single fat knitting-needle-looking thing. “Okay,” I thought, “This must be the holy grail for broomstick lace.” But wait, it has a little ridged stopper at the end. What if I want to make something wider than the length of this pin? Then what? Lame.

And yes, you can use a fat knitting needle. But, I didn’t need two knitting needles. Also, every honkin’ needle I found had a fat stopper end on it, so same problem as the broomstick lace pin.

So, I set out to make my own needle! It’s short enough that I can easily manipulate it, using just two hands rather than two hands and two knees (as most need to do with a long broomstick or piece of pipe). It’s nice and fat, yet lightweight – perfect for big, loopy lace. And finally, it has an eye hook at the end to attach a “lifeline,” making long rows easy and working in the round attainable! Here’s a peek at my latest project:

Easy, portable, versatile, and way less questionable than a turkey baster. I’m loving this right now, and I hope to have a broomstick lace pattern or two posted here soon. So, what do you think of my little Frankenstein? I’m thinking of putting some of these broomstick lace pins up in the shop soon, so I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Interview with Rachel of Cornflower Blue Studio

Hello, all! I’m so (majorly) excited to share this interview with you today . . .

Rachel is the genius behind Cornflower Blue Studio (blog and shop). I first saw Rachel on Etsy – a little thumbnail of a fiber sculpture appeared as a “favorite” in my Etsy circle. I was intrigued, clicked, then spent a long, long time looking through her shop. Rachel creates these utterly fascinating sculptures with yarn, sometimes combining them with thrifted frames or vessels. As if these weren’t swoon-worthy enough, she also crafts personalized, three-dimensional love notes (what?!), draws hilarious and endearing cat portraits, produces a few zines, and comes up with the best knitting and crochet patterns. AND, to top it all off,  she shares her adventures over at Cornflower Blue Studio blog – where there is, of course, much more. I could gush for hours, but let’s get right down to it, eh?

When and why did you first start to crochet? What was the first thing you made (in crochet)?

First I learned to knit (in 2004) because I wanted to try it out as a hobby, and I became totally addicted!  Like crazy-lady-who-gives-everyone-scarves addicted. And I kept seeing cute crochet patterns and figured I could easily learn this new yarn-related hobby, but I just couldn’t wrap my head around it because it was so different from knitting.  Finally I learned the basic crochet stitches just dove in to making up my way of crocheting without a pattern.  I think is why I like to make free form crochet pieces, but don’t usually make hats and scarves this way!  I’m honestly not sure what my first crochet project was, but it may have been a potholder : )

How did you happen upon your crochet sculptures? Was it a slow process or more of an immediate “click,” an “aha” moment?

I started making fiber art sculptures a few years ago when I wanted to enter a local art show – the theme was “Please Touch” and all the pieces had to be touchable! My background in Art History and ceramics had made me aware of the importance of the vessel shape, so I started messing around with crocheting small “vessels” which eventually became the pod shape that I work with today. In nature there are so many shapes that resemble a pod or vessel – barnacles, types of sea coral, fungi, seeds. I like to look around for these shapes in nature and translate the colors and textures I find into the yarns I choose.  It was really an “Aha!” moment when

I held that first “pod” piece!

How long does it take to complete one of your framed fiber sculptures? What is the process — do you start with a sketch, everything all planned ahead, or does everything just come together organically as you work?

A typical piece in my shop starts with idea from nature – perhaps something I saw on a walk in my own neighborhood or something from a scientific illustration.  Once I have the idea the next step is always to go my local yarn shop (I specifically chose my apartment because I can walk to the yarn shop in less than 5 minutes!)  where I hunt for yarns that have the color and texture I’m looking for.  I usually spend a few minutes staring at the vintage frame or wood piece that I’ll be using for my background and visualize what I want the finished project to look like.  Then I dive in!  It all comes together very organically once the crocheting begins, and usually work on a piece for at least a solid week if not longer.

For me, it can sometimes get overwhelming to have so many different ideas/techniques/modes floating around in my head. Do you find it’s difficult to have several creative expressions/outlets (drawings, zines, embroidery, crochet), or do they feed each other?

I really love doing so many things, so for me it’s energizing to be able to have a few different types of work to do.  It can be frustrating, though, when I want to spend some time making drawings but know that I really need some new fiber pieces for the shop so I should probably work on that instead.  Sometimes I make the business lady choice and sometimes I make the stubborn artist choice!

Your shop banner has a graphic that says art+craft. In my mind, you have blurred the two beautifully. Do you see a distinction between art vs craft, or do they live together?

This is such a great question!  My background is in Art History, so this dilemma is one that I’ve been thinking about for a long time and it’s the main reason the tagline to my shop is “art +craft.”   I’ve always loved the idea of traditional women’s crafts functioning as an artistic outlet in a time before women were widely accepted as artists, and the recent popularity of so many craft techniques has revived the discussion.  The contemporary art scene has opened up to many traditional craft mediums because there is so much exciting work being done.  Each person will have their own ideas about the art vs craft debate, but I like to see art and craft combined.

You use vintage photographs as props, and I remember seeing a vintage photo/crochet hybrid project on your blog. The combination is so amazing: will we be seeing more of this project? How did you think to combine these two?

Yes!  This was such a great project to work on – I happened to find a vintage reproduction of a military portrait at a local thrift shop and bought it for $8, but I had no idea what I was going to do with it.  I also collect a few Victorian and Edwardian era photographs, so it fit in with my little collection.  As I purchased more of these vintage photos I stumbled upon pictures of Victorian mourning jewelry, some of which involved making tiny and elaborate floral arrangements out of human hair.  This idea struck me as being both really weird and really awesome!  Of course, I could make tiny an elaborate floral-inspired arrangements with crochet!  So I used the portrait for that purpose and it turned out beautifully.  I have started a second piece based on the same idea, and I hope to be able to finish it soon!  It’s a great way for me to incorporate my photo collection with my fiber art.

Is there anything you’ve made that you just can’t bear to part with?

I am a person who becomes totally engrossed in something when I’m making it and everything else is zoned out – for me the act of “making” is the most important thing.  I don’t feel too attached to things when they are finished, I’m usually quite happy when they find a home with someone who shares my aesthetic and love for the piece!

Who inspires you?

I am so inspired by the poems of Emily Dickinson and Sylvia Plath, the movies of Wes Anderson, and the music of The Decemberists.  These are people whose work I come back to over and over again!

There are a few blogs I make sure to check every day, and I get so giddy with every new post (like yours!). What’s on your blog-reading radar these days?

I have a few blogs that I have read regularly for quite a few years.  It’s funny to think that I’ve been reading them for so long!  I really love Soule Mama, A Beautiful Mess, A Cup of Jo, and Emma Lamb.

Where does “Cornflower Blue” come from?

Cornflower Blue was the name of one of the shades of blue in the Crayola big box when I was a kid (it’s probably still there, but I don’t buy crayons anymore so I don’t know for sure).  Whenever I was looking for a nice deep blue I would pull that one out, but it was never as deep on the page as it looked in the box – I’d check the color and it was always Cornflower Blue!  That color would get me every time.

Any advice for how to stay inspired, fresh, excited about art and craft?

My advice would be to find materials that you like to work with – I recently upgraded a lot of the yarns I’m working with to organic cotton and other really nice fibers.  And I’m using new bamboo and velvet embroidery threads, too.  Make your work a pleasure, realize that having time to be creative is a privilege, and be thankful for every minute!

I really want to say a huge thank you to Rachel – I wish I could just spend a day with her and pick her brain! If you haven’t by now, head on over to Cornflower Blue Studio, stay a while, and say hi!

Life Lately // 1

It finally snowed/got cold/turned into real winter here this week. Combo: relief that apocalypse isn’t here/dread of shoveling and roof-raking. However, now the neighborhood gets to see the hilarity that is me, hoisting the roof rake and pulling snow down on myself.

I’m back on the green smoothie kick, and eating vegan. This is post-holiday detox. At the end of January. Because let’s get real – cookies and candies and stress linger long after December.

These are the library rentals on the Kindle right now: Print Workshop, The Mind’s Own Physician, Granny Square Love. Also, BTW, I have this awesome robot Kindle Fire case from Simbiosis – a shop I highly recommend. Love. It.

This is our coffee table. It is also our dining table, board game table, craft table. And now . . . it is our ping pong table. Mmhm.

I love avocados, but Nicky has just started getting into them. Always one to appease, I made a boatload of guacamole. It didn’t last long, probably because I started using it as a salad dressing. Or rather, I garnished the guac with field greens and tomatoes and called it a salad.

I’ve been pretty diligent about my little sketchbook. This here is a doodle of a crocodile stitching while eating food with a reindeer and a squirrel. Why? Here’s why.

This happened late, when I was tired. I don’t really know what it’s all about, but I remember I was pretty excited about it.

I decided to start saving my fortunes in the back of my sketchbook, to see if they ever come true. I keep getting pretty decent ones, and Nicky still gets dumb ones that aren’t really fortunes. I’m a little worried about that top one, though. Like, a dream I have at night? That could be bad, as I usually have bad dreams. I’m going to hope it means a life’s dream . . .

New Year, New Look

As you can see, I have been working out a fresh, new look. I’d love to hear what you think!

Also, I have been working on a TOP SECRET project that involves power tools. I can’t wait to show you – it’s either going to be a huge success or a HUGE fail . . . stay tuned!

♥ Heidi