Smatterings

  • well… hmmmmm…

    Every now and again, someone asks if I crochet.  It’s difficult to answer.  I’ve made scarves.  I guess the only pattern I’ve ever tried to follow would have been for a potholder.  But, I have crocheted quite a lot of free form sculpture.  Rather large pieces, as a matter of fact.  I don’t have any of them, anymore.  Somewhere in my files, I have pictures.  What I do have, are these….sort of an ongoing fascination.

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    Surprised??,  Don’t all go screaming from this blog at once.  The next one is set in my mind.  I have the umm… specimen, but the fiber has been eluding me.  I need something dark greyish, hard, maybe with a bit of waxy shine.  The baskets are small, 1"-2".  Doesn’t take much, I just can’t find what I’m looking for.

    16 responses to “well… hmmmmm…”

    1. What IS that inside the basket? I’m all creeped out.

    2. cyndy

      I think those are very cool. What is the fiber that you used to crochet with?- I cannot tell from the photo…

    3. Rachel H

      The crochet I can live with. The fact that you’re apparently keeping small alien creatures as pets is creeping me out more than a little.

    4. What ARE those things? The last one looks like quartz, but the first two look like petrified embryoes or something. Heh.

    5. What is in those baskets??? It looks like a giant bug or something. Dime? for scale? yikes! Stuff of nightmares.

    6. Love it!!! ..something different! I’ve been meaning to tell you how much I loved your shawl, too! Color is gorgeous!

    7. Cool baskets! Crochet is good for somethings and what you’ve created is very neat.

    8. Manise

      Those are insects! The top one looks like cicada and the one below it looks like a beetle of sorts! Very cool. My mother would have loved these!

    9. What are those crocheted from? Looks like pine needles but I think that would be too short. Some kind of dried grass stalks, maybe? Whatever it is, it counts as crochet!

    10. Have you been keeping this from me Judy?

    11. Lee-Fay

      Please tell us how they are made – and what inspiration lies behind them. I am somewhat fascinated – they are sooo different from the other things that you normally make.

    12. You are so courageous to come out of the crochet closet! That basket is quite cute (rubber bands?) but the others are right one of the little doo-dads in the basket does look like a petrified alien embryo. You mentioned wanting something gray and shiny for the next basket… Maybe some skinny wire from Home Depot? Just a thought. Oh… The shawl was lovely. Forgot to post that before. Such talent!

    13. Intriguing little specimen nests! The baskets have a great organic look.

    14. Inquiring minds want to know – what are they made out of?

    15. Very cool. Some kind of vine or twig I assume? Soaked within an inch of it’s life? I don’t know about the gray — you might have to age it or something. Or dye it. So interesting, Judy!

    16. Crocheted with binder’s twine? Can you dye it for your gray? How about gray electrical wire?
      So… here I am knitting a sweater of my handspun – but don’t tell any of the crochet cronies…

  • yummm..

    Lunch was cause for poking around in the fridge.  This is what I came up with..

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    • 2 eggs
    • 1 ear of corn
    • milk
    • maybe 1/3 c flour (who measures)
    • dill, salt, & pepper

    Served with salsa and a beer.  On the deck. 

    (Oh, prep. time: 5 min. )

    9 responses to “yummm..”

    1. Sounds delicious! Baked?

    2. No cheese? That looks delicious! I have some corn in my fridge . . .

    3. So THAT’S why you didn’t come to Boston!

    4. Do you either hire out as a personal chef, or have a Fiber Folk recipe book?

    5. You cook like I do. Hee. Love it!

    6. And the recipe?

    7. Yeeuhhhm is right. That looks fabulous!

    8. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

    9. Prep time 5 mins?? How do you do it???

  • swallowtail shawl

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    Swallowtail Shawl
    pattern: Evelyn Clark
    yarn:  2 skeins of my own hand-dyed lace wt merino/silk
    needles: #5 circs.
    beads:  coral dyed stones
    shawl pins:  Leslie Wind

    This is a small shawl, a "shawlette".  It was an interesting knit and I love the shawl.  I probably will knit another.  It would knit up nicely in almost any weight yarn.  The nupps gave me the most trouble.  Next time, I would think about experimenting with another bobble making method  and perhaps one size larger needle. 

    25 responses to “swallowtail shawl”

    1. I love it! And what a great “spicey” color, too!

    2. It’s just gorgeous! Love the shawl pin as well. I saw her at CT S&W and really loved her work.

    3. That is lovely – and the shawl pin is perfect. Really makes it stay in place and show to its best advantage. Is this for you? It’s a great color for you.

    4. Beautiful shawl, just lovely!

    5. Just beautiful, and in my colors!

    6. cyndy

      That shawl is just sooooo pretty….I love what you did with the beads…perfect!

    7. Looks beautiful, Judy!!!!

    8. That is just stunning. You KNOW how much I love that color! When I completed my Flower Basket, I swore off lace and shawls. It’s just not for me, I thought. Turns out, I wear that thing all the time — as a scarf with the point in front and the ends wrapped around the back. So now I feel that I would consider knitting another shawlette like that. Of course, the yarn I used didn’t hurt — it’s Copper Moth sock yarn, which, as we know, was an extremely limited edition thing! And so soft next to my neck, as yours is, too — having felt it, I know yours is even softer!

    9. Simply gorgeous! I love the color you’ve chosen for your shawl. It’s a really lovely pattern.

    10. It’s wonderful and the color is perfect for you.

    11. It’s wonderful! And you wear it well;-)

    12. That came out great! I see good looking nupps, too, if I squint. It helps to see the sizing. (I have somewhere in my email, some upsizing hints from a NY knitter.)

    13. suzanne limoges

      At the risk of being redundant, that is the most beautiful shawl I have ever seen.
      The color is magnificent and the beads accent it perfectly.
      Even though I love lace shawls, I have been resisting lace knitting because I find them too fussy to knit but you have converted me. I know it will be worth all the extra work.

    14. Nice work, and I love the beads, they are perfect!

    15. Lee-Fay

      Its been fun watching the swallowtail ‘unfold’ on your blog – the result is just beautiful – I especially like the beads you’ve chosen that are the perfect colour.

    16. I love everything about it! The color, the beads and the pin is fantabulous!

    17. I really like the way you’ve pinned that. Very cute and wearable.

    18. Absolutely beautiful! I love the color.

Our lives are dyed the colors of our imagination.” ~ Marcus Aurelius

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