Fiber Monday

In Which It's Not the Secret/Mystery Project
But It's Still Cool!

Last week, I posted a picture of one of the thread-based crochet projects I was working on - a pair of lovely lacy gloves from 1943. I had only a couple of sections done, and today I'm pleased to announce that I have finished...

The fronts & backs of each hand.

I still have to sew them together and add the thumbs.

These are made from the same ecru crochet thread as the other project,
and the pattern is quite elegant!

It's a little easier to see the lovely filet pattern on this shot

I have a few... concerns about this 1940s pattern. For one, these hands look awfully narrow, and while I'm certain that adding the thumb will give a lot of wiggle room, I'm concerned that each finger might be too narrow. I also am concerned that it will be hard to round the fingers as I'm sewing them. I do, however, have a possible solution to that.

Instead of sewing the palms and backs to each other, I may just try to crochet them to each other using either single or half-double crochets, depending on how tight the squeeze is. This is, of course, a very experimental approach, since I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm willing to try!

I'm also using this project as a way to test out the pricing guide I'm putting together for myself, so I recorded about how long it took me to work on this altogether!

So far, these gloves have taken approximately nine and a half hours to make. That's... not a very quick make. By my math, these gloves are probably around 30 bucks. Which... is actually in keeping with the Etsy estimates! I think my math may be good! Yay!

Now, I am actually keeping on with the big crochet-along Mystery/Secret Project I started ages ago, but my first few attempts at sewing today did not go well. I'll have to carry on with that later in the week I think lol!

As for the rest of tonight, I think I'll relax for a bit and then go to bed. I've been sleeping very poorly and I'd like to get some real rest.

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Thursday Art Walk

 

In Which I Need To Plan Better

Thursdays are hard, man.

Not only am I trying to make art, but I usually don't know what I'm making until the night before, so then it's a CRUNCH, and it means I neglect things I'd also like to do - like shower and talk to my boyfriend.

But you're not here to hear me whine about how I can't manage my time, you're here for today's artwork, which is a strange little pixel DEDBERT!

DORDBORT - digital 2022
(It's actually pretty good sized, I don't understand computers...)

I think next time I try to do a digital Dedbert, I won't try anything fancy. I'll just go for colors, shading, and then post.

This experimental bubble/pixel piece is cute, but boy did he take way too long. Again, it's all the background's fault. Inevitably, I gave up. It was too muddy and busy and took away from my boy.

As it is, I think I did pretty well on the mirroring everywhere but the beak, so I'll be practicing that, too!

I would also love any suggestions for 100% free, non-pirated artist's software that anyone might have! Bear in mind, of course, that I have an older laptop with limited GPU, so I'll never be making anything exquisite, effects-wise, but if it has some better brushes (I cannot figure out how to make or import brushes on Paint.net, so it'll have to be super duper user-friendly...) or a cleaner interface, I'm down to try it!

Hopefully next week, I'll have an easier time of it!

Time management has always been a struggle for me. I've never been tested for anything, but if you've read even one of my blogs, it's probably pretty clear that I struggle to think in and operate in a straight line. Not trying to pull the "I'm so special!" card here, I'm just stating a fact. I've never been able to accurately lay out what I'm going to do, in the order in which I'll do it, actually follow the directions, and then finish something in a timely manner. I've just never been able to.

So I'm going to try to trick myself this week.

I'm going to start a pixel project, and if I get a commission-lite this week, I'll work on that when I get it. If not, you'll see what I'm working on on Thursday. Hopefully before 9pm...

That's the plan!

I'll see you all next week on Monday, where hopefully I'll also have more of the crochet-along project finished!!!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday

 

In Which I Am Blob

For the last couple of days I've been taking advantage of the cool weather and just popping outdoors at the slightest excuse. I saw the hawk yesterday, watching out for tasty pigeons in my yard, and I've been holding scintillating conversations with the savage little hummingbirds who keep throwing beaks at the feeder my mom put out. I've also been a bit racy by watching birds bathe in the bath we put out.

But I haven't just been luxuriating in the springlike temperatures!

I've also been trying to figure out what good pricing would be for crochet projects!

Obviously I can't compete with Fast Fashion, they've got some vastly underpaid children working 18 hour days in a sweatshop to make their crochet goods, but I've been trawling Etsy and other handmade sites, looking to see what the average prices for things might be!

I've been surprised by some of the prices, especially considering what the materials costs must be, but it also does my heart an enormous amount of good to see craftspeople really valuing their time and efforts! I haven't seen a single major garment under fifty dollars! How cool is that?

I may be somewhat alarmed, however, at how many women are apparently comfortable with the idea of a crocheted g-string. Then again, I'm just alarmed by g-strings in general, because I am a Square.

In any case, I'm going to keep working on my pricing guide, and then I'll start figuring out how to make enough projects to support selling them!

As for the rest of the week til next Tuesday, these are my plans:

• Art for Thursday - feel free to Ko-Fi me your suggestions for this week's piece! You have until Thursday morning!
• Gonna see what I can get done for Monday, crochet-wise, but no promises sorry
• Gonna blather more on Tuesday.

If I seem distracted tonight, I am! My brain is doing that whole "why can't I hold all these ideas?!" thing, and it's very annoying.

I hope you're all doing well, and I look forward to any suggestions, comments, questions, or random thoughts you may have!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Fiber Monday

 

In Which Today Was Too Nice To Stay On Task

Yesterday, it felt like 100℉/37,8℃ at times, so I was largely just plunked in front of a fan, staring at a screen and wishing the temperatures would drop.

I got my wish today!

The high was around 76℉/24,4℃, and despite the higher humidity, it felt glorious! I actually went outside for a while and had to change into an actual tee shirt! I haven't worn a tee in over a week - it's been to hot and muggy! Yes, tomorrow's going to be a little warmer, but it felt so nice today, guys.

So of course I was 1000000% scatterbrained and couldn't focus on the crochet-along we've been doing under the #secret project tag here.

Instead, I worked on a few creamy thread lace projects!

Some Lovely lace gloves from 1943

Which I keep tangling the thread on...

And a cream-colored version of the infamously unfinished Lady Sibyl shrug

I like to walk out to meet my boyfriend on Fridays, but it was so blisteringly toasty while the sun was out that I didn't make as long a walk as I prefer to. Instead of walking the 3.4 miles (5,5km) to and from one bookstore or the 2.2mi/3,5km to the bakery and back or the 1.8mi/2,9km to and from the other bookstore, I walked a paltry 1.4mi/2,3km to the local library and back. 

Why the library? It's a short walk, there's a lot of shade coverage, and it has the most powerful AC in town.

Also it has books.

And I love me some books!

So I picked up this book, Designer Crochet by Shannon Mullett-Bowlsby, and let me tell you, it is one of my favorite how-to books in that library. This may be the fifth time I've taken it out, and I desperately want to make everything in it.

For myself.

And also to sell, because they are Fashionable and I am 100% for getting these garments into the real world.

Which brings me to the next point.

I want to start making things for sale. Mostly crochet, but also eventually original artwork. I'm not going to get into a cost benefit analysis of Etsy vs Facebook Marketplace this week, but I am actively looking for sites to sell through, preferably ones that handle sales tax and don't charge me extra for a buyer using a credit card vs PayPal or whatever.

Or charge me for a listing. That would not be good for me.

If y'all have any suggestions, please do leave them in the comments (which I'm the sole moderator of, so I have to read them ;) ), along with any suggestions of what exactly I should make to sell!

I'm currently looking into what good pricing practices would be, so keep an eye out for any fiber additions to the How To Commission Me page in the sidebar!

Also, if you want a say in what I paint or draw this week, send me a coffee over on Ko-Fi with a message telling me what category you're choosing (also in the Commission Me page), and come Thursday, you'll see what I come up with!

I think that'll about do it for me tonight, those gloves have exhausted me!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Thursday Art Walk

 

In Which I Worked Digitally!

Today was... hot. It was about 86℉/30℃ and about 60% humidity most of the day. What's funny is that I felt... fine? Until now, when it's about 75℉/23,9℃ outside, but since I am above the kitchen, it is probably still 86℉/30℃. And if I switch my window fan to intake, I get bugs. Tomorrow's high will feel like 93℉/33,9℃, and we'll be getting rain - which I'm actually super okay with.

I quite enjoy a rainy walk in hot weather, generally.

Especially if we get some wind, too!

I'm less okay with the fact that I'll have to take my window fan out. Sounds like I'm spending a lot of time downstairs tomorrow.

But the main factor in me getting super toasty up here today was that I was on my computer, hunched over the tablet and keyboard, working on today's art!

The theme today was "WORD", and the word in question was... well... see for yourself:

"WOMBAT" digital art 2022

"WOMBAT" with background, digital art, 2022

I used Paint.net for this work, along with my XP-Pen Star G430S.

You wouldn't expect the thing that took me the longest to be that background, yet here we are, 3 hours after I started painting it!

It's because I couldn't decide what kind of background I wanted, how it should look, or how to make it.

I'm planning on making a bunch of "background images" I can copy/paste into any piece, too!

If you have any suggestions for types of backgrounds, colors, etc, I'd love to hear your ideas!

And if you want a say in what I draw or paint next week, feel free to shoot me a coffee over on Ko-Fi along with a message telling me which category you'd like to see next!

Those categories are, of course:

• ANIMAL
• VEGETABLE
• MINERAL
• LOCATION
• GEOMETRIC
• DEDBERT
• WORD

I hope you liked today's WORD, and hopefully, you'll like whatever comes next! For now though, I'm going to try to get some sleep - I'm wiped and tomorrow's gonna be toasty as heck!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday

 

In Which I Forgot it was Tuesday

This will be a short little blog, guys. Just here to touch base, basically! It's 10PM and today was 80℉/26,7℃ with 80% humidity so I did not do a whole lot! I ran the old Wahl over the buzzed area of my head (10/10 do recommend shaving your head for summer, even just halfway), showered, took the bottles back, bought chips that were too expensive (everything is), and mostly just played with colors and video games the whole day while watching random videos and listening to music.

All in all, a pretty enjoyable Tuesday.

My plans for the rest of the week are as follows:

• Art on Thursday - I haven't received any Paid Requests yet (see my Commission page in the sidebar), so if you want a say, go for it!
• Still nothing video game-wise, but I'll keep looking
• Still working on a lot of different projects, but the plan for Monday is to have more to show you towards a finished Mystery Project/Secret Project!
• Next Tuesday I'll be back to hopefully talk to you earlier in the day.

The heat has been killer on my sleep schedule, so when something like tonight's weird balmy-but-soggy weather happens, I take what I can get. I'm hoping to get at least five hours tonight!

How are all of you guys sleeping? Are you getting enough rest? Hydrating enough? I hope so.

In the meantime, though...

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Fiber Monday

 

In Which More Progress, however small, Has Been Made

When last we saw the Secret Project, it was getting super close to being done, and now we're even closer!

But not quite finished yet.

Today, I made three rings from copper wire and held them together with pipefitter's tape. Friction tape of any kind would work for this, including medical tape, but sticky tape probably wouldn't work well. See, making the rings small enough to function as a spot to join the strap to the body and serve as a front closure means there's not a lot of room to maneuver the tape without getting it stuck where you don't want it if it's sticky. If it's a friction-based tape like pipefitter's tape, then you can just cut lengths and they'll go through easily until you tighten the wrap.

Three Rings! They're each about the size of a nickel, possibly bigger.

You can use any kind of ring you want, and if you use premade ones, you (probably) won't even have to put tape on them! I Have the tape on mine because I didn't want the ends of the wire poking through the next step.

I also took this opportunity to finish the little hanging loop!

The hanging loop is a few slip-stitched rows of the red color, approximately 4" long. I folded that in half and then put 3 single crochet stitches through both ends, binding them together. After that, I made a ch1, then placed a single crochet in the back loops of each single crochet, turned, and went back around, making a sc in the remaining loops of those original 3 sc. After that, I increased from 6 sc to 12 sc by placing 2sc in each sc. At that point I tied off the loop.

This red ring will be for the closure!

To crochet over the closure ring, take your cap color and find a point on the ring, then put your hook through, yarn over, and holding onto the tail, pull the caught loop through to form a slip stitch. From there, treat the ring as though it was a magic ring, holding onto the tail. You don't have to be too terribly picky about how many single crochets you make around this ring, just try to minimize any gaps! Once you have covered the entire ring, slip stitch into the first sc made and fasten off.

A Finished Beige Ring

Cover the other two rings with single crochet in the same way as the first, using your body color (beige in my case). These will be used to sew on the strap!

All Three Finished Rings

When you've finished your rings, go back to that loop you made earlier and slip-stitch it into place on the top of the cap of the bag! Now you have a hanging loop!

The ridge left behind will eventually be covered up - stay tuned for next week!

I hope to have the bag 100% assembled and finished next week, but we'll see. I've been saying that for the last ten weeks haven't I? lol!

That being said, I've learned a lot from this crochet-together project, and I hope you all have, too! If you've been working along with me, I'd love to see some of your guys' progress! Feel free to, if you have Twitter, tag me in a picture of your work! If you have Instagram, I'm there, too, as Grumpmuffin89, so if you know what you're doing there, hit me up because I'm all the way out in the weeds and it's incredibly confusing.

That'll about do it for me tonight - I'm hot and sweaty and ready for beddy. If you have any requests for Thursday's art blog, please feel free to send me a Ko-Fi with a message telling me what category (refer to my "commission" page in the sidebar for categories) and don't forget to...

Go Enjoy Something!

FC