What I've Been Up To: 4 Finished Projects

Upon finishing my Mario Granny Square Rug, I decided to tie up some loose ends (heh.) with some other unfinished projects that had been looming about about for the last few weeks (or even months) before starting even ANOTHER big project. There is still a doily sitting in my Box of Estranged projects, but hey, no one really needs to know about that.

These are just a few noteworthy projects I've made recently. I've linked to the ones I can, but a couple of them are from either magazines or books (both of which I've mentioned).

1. Archipelago Handwarmers 

Okay, so they're actually called Ravenna Mitts, but the colors I chose were 'low tide' and 'sand', and since I happened to be making them to the tune-age of the Chrono Cross OST, well, the name just fit. I used some bamboo yarn I had gotten on sale at Michael's, and it ended up being (I think) just under 100 yards total. I've worn these a few times when typing (or crocheting, even), and I have to say that they're very lovely!

2. Cafe Wristers

 

 These were a project in the most recent issue of Crochet Today magazine, and I literally started making them within 5 minutes of seeing them. I didn't even flip all the way through the magazine before I had my yarn and hook out. This color was a skein of Caron Simply Soft I bought back in December because I had a gift certificate to Jo Ann fabrics and I thought "IT'S SOFT. AND BLUE." Since it was lying around anyway, I decided to use it. I wish I had gone with something a *little* different, since I use so many blues, but the wristers came out nicely nonetheless.

If you happen to have this issue of Crochet Today, or have just managed to stumble upon the pattern, my only suggestion is to make the ties quite a bit longer. I couldn't make a bow, I could only tie them once, and I'm sad to miss an opportunity for a cute wrist bow T^T

3. Stargazer Tarot bag

I've been reading Tarot for a handful of years now, and after buying my 3rd deck of Tarot cards almost 2 years ago, I was sad that they didn't really have a place to belong. My other decks stay in wooden boxes, but my newest deck was just wrapped in shoddy fabric. When I found the pattern for this, I decided to, once again, use some random yarn I had bought because of a gift card, and once again I thought. "OH. SHINY. BLUE.", and thus, this bag was born. I love the color, and it's a silk/bamboo yarn, so it's incredibly soft, and I'm certain my tarot cards are very warm and happy in there. As I recall, I didn't have to make even the slightest change to this pattern, and my cards fit perfectly. On top of that, it's super easy, pretty much just single and double crochets alternating. Love it.

4. Misty Taupe Broomstick Lace Hat

This was my first broomstick lace project, and also my first project from Kristin Omdahl's "Crochet So Fine". The band was supposed to be a sort of 'faux cable', but my skills are clearly not up to par with the book, so I alternated fpdc and bpdc to make a ribbed pattern. It's not as elegant as the book, but I'm happy with it.

I used a size 3 bamboo yarn infused with aloe, and I want to rub this hat on my face forever. The texture of the broomstick lace is not only amazing to the touch, but also keeps the head surprisingly warm. I was also pleasantly surprised at just how easy broomstick lace actually is. Wouldn't mind playing around with broomstick lace on other projects at some point.

As of right now, I'm just about halfway done with another huge project, it's a Doily Wrap, also from Kristin Omdahl's "Crochet So Fine", and I can't wait to share it with you guys...although probably not for another few weeks! The first few parts have taken me about a week, and I spent almost the entirety of today trying to figure out how to put all of them together via a very stressful session of trial and error. In the end, I managed to get it together, and I think it's going to look very nice when it's done :)

Beautiful Tarantula Photography - AshLee Loverin

Today, instead of showing you how to create something, or even showing you one of my own creations, I'm going to try to get some beautiful tarantula photography some exposure.

"Invertery Box"

As a tarantula enthusiast, I see picture after picture, photo after photo, of tarantula owners taking pictures of their beautiful pets in unflattering scenery: Their own cage. It's not that cages are particularly ugly, or that tarantula owners have ugly cages FOR their pets, it's that it doesn't do the animal justice. If you were a model, would you have all your photoshoots in your room?

"Statues"

AshLee is fearless. She takes her tarantulas (Fair Tease, Creech and Midreavus the Misfortunate are some of her favorite models), out and about into the world, on people, and in strange and beautiful items (A typewriter, large yellow flowers, and in mouths are just a few of her choices for locations), and does a magnificent job positioning them in beautiful and graceful ways. Where many tarantula owners are possibly nervous or worried about handling their spiders, or having something happen to them, she is very experienced and knowledgeable about their behavior and personalities.

"Five Records"

So maybe she has that advantage over everyone else. I have two tarantulas, one of whom is supposed to be 'tame' but tries to bite everything, whether it's alive or not, and the other one is so fast I am scared it's going to run off into the sunset like a racehorse. I am aware that I am not capable of handling my tarantulas, especially multiple ones at once, so I don't. I suggest you all do the same, unless you really know what you are doing.

"Wind Chimes"

A lot of people are frightened of spiders, tarantulas especially. I, personally, am not sure why anybody is afraid of them. Most of them are too scared to even come near a person, and those who are brave enough hardly ever think about biting them. Maybe they look scary, but with photography like this, how could anyone even think that? Ashlee captures personality, and gives people just one less reason to be afraid of these animals. She injects grace and beauty into a subject where those attributes were already overflowing, and she just happens to find a way to help everyone else see it.

"Old Fashioned"

So maybe tarantulas are scary. Maybe they are the things of your nightmares, and your greatest fear, but I think AshLee's photography is just another reason why that's not true. As a tarantula, and all-around spider, enthusiast I can tell you there's absolutely nothing to be afraid of when it comes to spiders, and there are pictures like this in the world that reinforce those feelings and thoughts. Beauty is present in all sorts of animals, even those we tend to find frightening or worrisome, and it truly shines in Ashlee's photography how incredibly elegant and gorgeous tarantulas really are.

"Bluemore"

For all of AshLee Loverin's photography, please visit her DeviantArt. She has many, many more tarantula pictures, as well as photography of other subjects.

Inspiration Part 2 (Spiders and Princesses)

It's coming up on 3 AM, and I've done nothing artistic all day. I had a lot of things to do today, because some people have asked me to make them things (have PAID me to make them things) and I am neglecting them. It's not that I don't want to. It's not that I don't like these people, or that I don't like art. I am tired of making things right now. The same way people have weekends with work, people should have weekends with art. I hope they understand.

Here is some inspiration, and maybe a couple good reasons why arachnophobia is uneccesary.

 

The story behind this one is pretty neat. The man on the right was at Disney when Snow White came up to him and said "I made a wish today, a very special wish. Will you help me make it come true?" He replied with "I'll do my best", when to his surprise she put one of his hands on her hip, and grabbed the other one and began to waltz with him. 

Using this gorgeous Scorpio pin-up to bridge the gap between beautiful women and arachnids.

 

This is a colored pencil drawing of a P. Metallica, AKA the Gooty Sapphire Ornamental Tree Spider. This one definitely inspires me to maybe eventually draw/paint/color my own tarantula.

Juvenile Avicularia Versicolors are stunning. Its beautiful things like this that make me wonder how and why anybody could be afraid of spiders.

While this is not a princess nor a spider, I don't know who couldn't appreciate a chinchilla-sitting dog. Enjoy.

Inspiration Part 1

I recently heard a piece of advice, that I fully intend to take to heart:

"Feed your mind with the thoughts, words, and images that are most consistent with who you want to be, what you want to have, and what you want to achieve."

And what better place to put those things than in this blog. My space for creations, and of course, the source for those creations: the inspirations. I'll be making a post full of beautiful things every so often in hopes of inspiring myself, and maybe even a few other people.

Arthur Rackham is a Victorian era artist that I just discovered, and absolutely adore.

This picture was my desktop until just yesterday. A beautiful, strong fiery woman...why not me? I need a stronger backbone, and some fire behind my actions when I move, talk, smile and laugh.

So maybe not exactly the "inspirational" woman any person would put on their list, but she's beautiful and strong...maybe I just need to start doing some push ups in the morning? *Chuckles*

"Better a creative mess than tidy idleness"

Eyjafjallajokull.

"And in the middle of winter, I found there was in within me, an invincible summer"

“Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

If you, too, would like to be inspired, maybe improve an aspect or two of your life, and to see where I got this advice from you can go here.

"One Day" Poster

I got a magazine with this poster on it today, and I absolutely can not stop looking at it.