About Me (But Don't Worry, More Bread Coming Soon)

So I've realized that the majority of people following me don't actually know me in person.  That's kind of cool!  But it also means you have no clue why some lady is busy posting tutorials about everything from hair bows to sushi.  So I thought I'd do a quick post about why I started crafting and blogging.  Most of my favorite blogs are much chattier than I've been, anyway!  So I'll try to slip in a little bit more about my life in the future. 

(The promised bread-baking post will go up soon ... the pics are on my hubby's phone because the camera battery died.  I'll have to corner him and force him to upload them under threat of no-more-homemade-bread-until-you-get-it-done.)

I've always been artsy - my undergrad degree is in lighting design for the theatre - but I can't draw or paint to save my life.  I'm much more of a fiddly, hands-on, 3-D type.  So I always liked to craft, although I never spent enough time on a specific craft to get good at it. 

I'm also a big crunchy hippie - I even lived on a farming commune once - and I believe very firmly that crafting makes a statement.  It's a rejection of quick-satisfaction consumerist culture that separates us from the process of creation and from an understanding of our interdependence.  It's also a fun and meaningful way to reclaim traditionally female domestic arts for the modern feminist.  Fun with philosophy!

But what really got me to start producing and selling was a lot of heartache.  Two years ago, literally days after we got married, my husband lost his job.  I finished up grad school in a hurry and we had to leave a city we adored in search of work.   We were lucky to find something for both of us halfway across the country, but my husband had to take a very low-paying position that only lasts a year.  It's been a great experience for him, but that year is almost up.  Is he going to be able to find fulfilling and decently compensated work in his field?  I don't know.  Is that work going to be in Timbuktu?  Maybe.  So basically, even though I'm lucky to have a very wonderful and personally meaningful job that pays the bills, I've been feeling very out of control.  Not my favorite thing.  Really not.  Really, really not.  And that's on top of the normal stress of starting over in a new city, trying to make new friends, find a new synagogue, and just generally put down our poor aching roots again. 

So re-enter my crafting.  It's incredibly soothing to be making something beautiful and tangible.  Being productive makes me feel valuable, and reminds me that there are parts of my life I can control; I can always nurture my creativity and try not to let stress or depression get the better of me.  That helps me let go of the bits that never go as planned anyway.  I also love the idea that I can make things to bring a little happiness to other people.  And hopefully it will also generate a little extra income, especially if one or both of us winds up out of work again. 

As for why I'm blogging about it - I really want this to be a vehicle to connect with other creative people.   So please leave a comment, share links to your blog and your favorite blogs, or just be in touch.  Let's be friends.

Ribbon Rose Tutorial - or, I'm Sick and Lazy

I'm good and sick this week.  Unless you want a post on how to make three million cups of peppermint tea with honey, I don't have a whole lot to offer by way of my own crafty endeavors. 

Instead, I'll share my favorite tutorial on making ribbon rosettes.  I have several barrette and bobby pin designs in my shop with folded ribbon roses, and this was the tutorial that got me started.  It's simple and vaguely cheesy, but it's very clear and easy to follow.  Also, the narrator lady has the best prim-and-proper British accent EVAR.

One big difference - I recommend using hot glue to hold the rose together, instead of thread, at least for the outer few leaves.  I can't find a good way to hide the threads and they annoy me.

 

This is addictive!  Happy folding.

Tutorial : Knitted Hair Bows

I love textiles.  Ribbons, fabric, yarns - you name it, I can waste two hours coveting it.  The problem is that, except for yarn, I don't really know what the heck to do with the stuff.  I'm just starting to learn to use my sewing machine (more posts on Me vs the Machine to come), and I just couldn't think of anything to do with ribbons.

So I started making hair pretties!  Check out my Etsy shop to see my barrettes and bobby pins.

I never thought of using my knitting chops to make hair doohickeys until my friend posted this pic on Facebook:

 

And lo and behold, I thought "I can do that!" Cue the looming-disaster music.  Actually, taking a close look made me realize that a knitted hairbow is really just a rectangle tied around the middle.  What could be easier?

So I knitted a rectangle out of pretty yarn (Noro Kureyon, for the curious):

 

Pinched it in the middle:

 And wrapped around the middle to anchor it.

Voila! Bow!

But can I be happy with moderate success?  Of course not.  I had decided to cast on at the short end, but the sides of my test bow looked a little sloppy.  So I switched to a slipped stitch edge to make the sides neater.  (This just means I slipped the first stitch of each row purlwise, rather than working it in pattern.) 

Then I thought, why not try casting on the long edge?  I think too much sometimes.  Bad idea.

Sitting back to admire my handiwork on a chunkier bow (Spud & Chloe yarn), I realized that the original picture looks more like the purl side than the knit.  So I flipped the bow around, and I liked that even better! Yay!

 

Then just for kicks I decided to make a tiny bow on sock yarn.  (Atacama alpaca ..love!)  And this way by far my favorite, and will be available for sale as a clippie / ponytail holder on my Etsy shop - as soon as I get around to buying some clippies or elastics.  Keep an eye out for it! 

Have you tried knitting or crocheting hairbows?  Share a link and your advice!