October Wrap-Up...Finally!

What a busy start to the month I have had! So many work obligations, so many appointments, so many meetings...but finally things are calming down as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday week. Thank goodness!

I finished two little things in October, as I am slowly starting to get my crafting mojo back as the colder months approach. 

Here is a cute little pin-loom pumpkin that I made:

I used my pin loom to weave a few orange squares, sewed them into the shape of a pumpkin, and then used one of my Purl & Loop Minute Weavers to weave the stem. I got the pattern and idea from WindsweptMind.com. 

I also finished this knitted blanket square, which is going to be made into a blanket with many squares from other friends for a mutual friend who is currently working through some medical problems. 

The pattern for this square can be found on the DROPS Design website, though it is just a basic 8" garter square, so it's not too difficult to make up your own version if you so choose. Just choose your needle and yarn carefully to get the right size of square! 

So, what's in the works now, you might ask? I am currently working to knit a much-needed hat, I'm crocheting some Christmas decorations, I'm nearly finished with a knitted gnome, and I hope to get some work done on the woven towels that have been languishing on my loom for the past few months. Now if I can just find a bit more crafting time! :-) Hopefully the holiday week next week will afford me a few more moments to relax and craft. I hope the same for you. 

Happy crafting!

September Wrap-Up

I actually got some crafting done this past month! I'm slowly climbing out of my crafting slump, and I'm in love with the projects that I worked on this month. 

I completed two items:

1. A crocheted potholder/trivet, kit by Casa Marengo Studio. 

2. A shape loom Christmas tree, loom also by Casa Marengo Studio. 

I also started a few other projects that I'm excited about:

1. A blanket square in a vivid pink color for a collaborative blanket with some friends, pattern is "Happy Patch"

2. A new Mystery Knit Along gnome, pattern by Sarah Schira of Imagined Landscapes, pattern is "All Work, Gnome Play". 

3. I started some sewn masks, but they still need nose clips and ear loops. I'm using my usual pattern from Sewing Therapy. 

I've already been working away on the three WIPs above in the last few days, so I hope I'll be showing you pictures of those finished objects in the near future!

Selling Crafty Possessions

I have recently been trying to sell off some of my mother's craft books. She passed away in 2016, so it is far overdue, but the emotional labor behind getting rid of such things has been intense. I finally have started by posting some things on a craft website, Ravelry. 

She had so many books of so many different kinds! Embroidery, quilting, knitting, crocheting, mixed media, felting, spinning, cross stitch, the list just goes on and on! She was a life-long lover of all things craft, and it really shows as I work my way through her library. 

I have been fortunate enough to offload some of her cross stitch materials to online acquaintances that I know will love and respect her books and magazines. I sent a huge stack of cross stitch magazines to a friend on the West Coast. I just sent a few books to a friend in Denmark. I hope to pass more along to other craft lovers as it goes. 

Here is a picture of ONE stack of craft books I have gone through so far. There are sooooo many more. 

So, here is my question- do you ever have craft books you want to offload somewhere? What do you do with them? If I can't get them sold online somewhere I will probably give them to Goodwill or a local craft re-store. Any ideas I can get would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks, and happy crafting!

August Wrap-Up

What did I accomplish in August? Honestly, I didn't finish a SINGLE THING. Not my finest craft productivity. But I had good reason- I'm pregnant, and the fatigue was so intense I couldn't bring myself to craft most days. I did work on a long-term WIP, however, and it is almost ready to bind off and be complete. It is my brioche cowl: 

I'm also excited to finish the current towels I have on my loom, plus I've been asked to make some samples for a shape loom shop, so I have my work cut out for me! I'm still going to be crafting slower than normal, (a friend recently told me, "You're crafting constantly when you're making a baby, it's just not on the outside") but I'm hoping to get some things done this month. I'll keep you all posted!

Happy crafting!

What do you craft in the hottest part of the year?

The heat is here! We have had heat advisories in our neck of the woods for the last few days, and we are scheduled to have more in the near future. 

So what should we craft? I can tell you that knitting and crocheting sounds much less appealing to me when it is hot outside. I need small, quick projects that don't require me holding warm materials on my lap! Here are some ideas:

1. Face masks

Yes, I am still making face masks. I work around 250+ people per day, and until my young child can be vaccinated, I will be masking. I've made three masks for my son, two for my spouse, and one for myself so far this month. Sitting at the sewing machine with a small project that doesn't drape onto my lap is no problem in the heat! Here is my preferred mask sewing pattern/tutorial: https://sewingtherapy.net/diy-mask-with-a-replaceable-filter/

2. Shape loom weaving

The shape looms I have been working with are quite small, very portable, and require few supplies, making this an easy project to work on in front of the TV (and under the ceiling fan). I currently have a small pile of looms from Casa Marengo Studio that I am working on weaving up as samples for her. Look at these cute little ornament looms! 

3. Cross stitch

Cross stitch is an excellent idea for this time of year. I prefer to make smaller cross stitch projects anyway, so maybe some ornaments, or cards, or other small seasonal things would work for you. I found quite the collection of free patterns here, and I really enjoy the back-to-school patterns that I found here on that site. Lots of cute teacher gifts!

4. Origami

How about a little paper folding to keep you cool? I loved origami as a child, and I still have fun breaking out the pretty papers once in awhile. I found a bunch of fun tutorials here. The same website (gathered.how) also has other papercrafting tutorials. 

So, what will it be? What craft is going to be doable while staying cool for you in these late summer months? Let me know in the comments, I would love to hear! 

Happy crafting!

July Wrap-Up

 Hello hello! It's been a wonderful summer so far, and as it's wrapping up, it's time to look at what I accomplished in July. Honestly, it wasn't a lot of crafting. It was a lot more resting, relaxing, having fun, and exploring! :-) Just as a summer ought to be. However, I did craft a bit:

I finished this cute cat weaving, which is a portrait of a friend's cat:

I finished up this set of three tapestry weavings, which were little exploration pieces, testing out new-to-me techniques:

I made this macramé paw print, pictured with the cat portraits that I gifted with it:

And, perhaps most impressively, I finished this complicated woven lace wall hanging:

That last one was quite the workout! 

As fall arrives and I get back in the swing of things, I have some different projects on the horizon. I've been asked to make samples for a shape-loom maker, so some weaving is in my future, plus I plan to finish up some works-in-progress. I have a brioche knit cowl, some woven towels, a baby quilt, and some sewn face masks to finish up, and I'm ready to have them done! 

I look forward to getting back into the swing of blogging this fall, and I hope to have many fun projects and tutorials to share. Remember, if you follow me on Twitter (@fuzzydorff), Facebook (@fuzzydorffcreations) or Instagram (fuzzydorffcreations), you'll see much more frequent updates and lots of progress photos. I hope to see you there!

Happy crafting!

June Wrap-Up

It's time for the monthly wrap-up! 

I tucked in the last few ends to finish up this cute knitted gnome that I started working on clear back in December:

I made this cool weaving. It reminds me of stalactites:

I made this weaving of a happy, sleepy cat:

I crocheted this chunky rope basket, perfect for holding craft supplies:

And I also worked on some other weaving projects, but I haven't finished any of them yet. FOs coming soon! 

I hope you're all having a wonderful and safe summer! Happy crafting!