Fun and interesting links from the week.
Underworld: The Intrepid Cave Photography of Robbie Shone
Beautiful, varied lamps made from vintage and discarded glass
One wonderful balcony, please.
How to Make a Knotted Steek - Definitely want to test this for my next major color work project.
Now I want giant, silly pom-poms for my bike too.
Looking along the beach towards Venice and Santa Monica.
A collection of fun and interesting links from the week.
The amazingly bright paper sculptures of Zim&Zou
Such an adorable baby sweater.
Mini Citrus Tarts; Might be the perfect use for all those meyer lemons in my fridge.
DIY: Twill Woven Stool; Thinking about doing this with yarn instead. Maybe even handspun.
Being a beginner is hard.
Pom-Pom Love: A tutorial
A collection of fun and interesting links from the week.
Tiny Pom-Pom Key Rings and Tassels
Neat video tutorial from Ysolda Teague for knitting short rows without the wrap and turn.
Fun and imaginative playgrounds.
No snow around here. Just clear skies, a light breeze, and pleasant temps during the morning walk to the farmer’s market.
Printable Gift Tags by Abigail Halpin
Cloud Forest: Misty Czech Bohemian Forest by Kilian Schonberger
Lucy Knisley sketches the Winter Grumps. Yep, I can relate.
Creative Compulsive Disorder: Remembering Zina Nicole Lahr
The Woman in the Arena by Zen Pencils
This isn’t what it looks like. It’s a disheveled pom-pom that doesn’t quite look like a house. Okay, so it is what it looks like. Let me explain. I saw a tutorial for these adorable little house pom-poms over on the Mr Printables blog. Seemed like an awesome idea to make a few as Christmas ornaments.
Before I committed myself to making 5+ of the things, I decided to whip one up as a test. The wrapping diagrams were pretty easy to follow and the step-by-step photos answered the rest of my questions. Once the pom-pom form was loaded with yarn, out came the scissors. The resulting pom-pom looked nothing like a house. Since I spent at least 10 minutes cutting the thing open, it was abundantly clear that my scissors just weren’t sharp enough to trim it to shape. So, I cut my loses and chucked it across the room. It doesn’t make much of a house but it does make a cushy projectile.
With the right yarn, sharp scissors, and some practice, I think these pom-poms would actually look like a house. When I have all 3 of those things and a complete lack of mailing deadlines, I’ll try again.
Occasionally, I can see the house that it was supposed to be but, most of the time, all I see is a balding cyclops.
What did work surprisingly well was the DIY pom-pom maker also from Mr Printables. I cut it out from a cardboard box and held everything together with rubber bands instead of alligator clips. If you can’t get your hands on an actual pom-pom maker, this version will definitely work in a pinch.
I’m halfway through spinning a lovely and slippery bump of orange superwash merino. It’s been a great big learning curve but I think I’ve gotten a handle on it. The second half shouldn’t be so tough!
What It Means to Be an Introvert
How to be a Super Awesome Fan-Girl (or Guy) at Fiber Festivals
Halloween Pom-Poms! - Skulls, eyeballs, ghosts! I must make a few of each.
An empty parking lot becomes a temporary mini golf course.
Malted Chocolate Chip Whoppers Cookies - I made these cookies on Thursday and they do not disappoint.
My bobbins have been empty for long enough. Time to fill them up again and try something new. I’m going to try my hand at an intentional slub yarn. Well, that’s my weekend plan. What are you up to?
Knit, Purl, Sow - A wonderful exhibit of knitted flowers and plants going on through January 2014 at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. I’d love to see this in person.
Abandoned: Mark Twain Public Library in Detroit
DIY Watermelon and Pineapple pom-poms! - Would it be weird or awesome to cover a tree entirely in pineapple pom-pom ornaments?
Knitted Fungi by Brome Leighad Martin - I’d love to walk across these mushrooms in the woods.
Once ripped, the re-knitting of this tangled yarn pile has taken a lot longer than I thought it would. At least garter stitch makes it easy to read and knit at the same time. I’m rarely so caught up on my RSS feeds as I have been these last few days. Next up, that backlog of ebooks.
Finding Freedom and Writing Memoirs with Meg Warden (via Rowdy Kittens)
Nuance AKA dancing with light.
Ever wonder about different ways to finish handspun? This “Finishing Yarn” post on the Knitty Blog samples 5 different methods.
INeedAPrompt.com has churned out some interesting writing prompts. My favorites so far are “A fearless rabbit on the International Space Station,” and “A blushing octopus in the morning.” It’s customizable and good for a laugh even if you don’t have writer’s block.
After watching this video about making multiple pom-poms at the same time, I have pom-poms on the brain. Won’t be able to resist much longer. (via All Untangled)
While we’re on the subject of pom-poms, make a giant one in 60 seconds. (also via All Untangled)
I would have loved to live in this tiny house during college.
A few nights ago I was feeling a bit like a grump but the feeling has mostly passed and I’ve returned to the whole Christmas thing. The latest Adventures of Superhero Girl sums up my feelings on the matter pretty well. Anyway, presents have been wrapped. Plans have been made to bake cookies. Christmas music, though, still isn’t going to happen. I can only listen to Bing Crosby sing “Frosty the Snowman” so many times before my right eyebrow starts twitching.
The whole Christmas Grump unfortunately didn’t just start two night. It’s been around at least since the start of December and is probably the reason my gift knitting is done. Just didn’t feel like burning that last drop of midnight oil to knit something for everyone on my list. Blasphemy, I know. My love of yarn is still eternal though. It just made a brief layover for pom-pom’s.
Pom-pom’s may be questionable additions to clothing but make excellent ornaments 100% of the time. Way back in November I saw the Clover pom-pom maker at work and was quite intrigued. After buying a set, I dug out all of my leftovers to have a bit of fun. Makes me glad I don’t get rid scraps and odd grams of yarn even if I don’t particularly like it or know what to do with it at the time.
It took me a while to wind a few dozen grams of sock yarn onto the arms but the end result is worth it. Plus, who knew purposely cutting yarn could be so much fun. It’s almost as fun as fluffing the giant ball of wool that comes out of that thing.
Another fun thing about pom-poms, they’re pretty easy to play with. I turned this one into an apple without any trouble at all. I just slipped the loop through an eyelet and pulled it into place. FYI, the leaf is from the ever so handy Winter Leaves pattern by Lee Meredith.
Before I go, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Skip the stress and the have a some fun instead. I’ll see you on the other side.
Hi! My name is April Klich. I write about knitting, spinning, and straight up making with a focus on playing and finding joy in the process.
