Morbidly Cute - My knitting and crafting blog

2009-04-09T19:20:00.002-02:30

This is what I did today. I haven't done any felting in a really long time. I've been meaning to make a bigger and better version of the shrunken heads I used to make, especially the "Elvis" one. I used a foam ball as the core, to save wool. I think it made it a little sturdier too. This is easily the most detailed thing I've ever made, but it only took a few hours. I'm looking for just the right kind of string to add some stitches to his eyelids and lips. I start to giggle every time I look at it, and I'm completely jealous of his hair.

2009-02-24T11:15:00.003-03:30

I wanted some lacy wristwarmers, and I liked the v-shape on these. The pattern is called "Wristwarmers in lace pattern" by DROPS design. I used a heavier yarn than it called for, so they didn't turn out as lacy. I used Bernat Soy Natural Blends yarn in Oatmeal, which is super soft and silky.

2009-02-24T11:06:00.001-03:30

My grandmother's pin storage. It just made me happy for some reason.

Some past projects continued...

2008-11-03T11:26:00.003-03:30

Rose necklace. Needle felted. Beads are wet felted.

Ring pincushions. Needle felted.

Embroidered sideshow poster.

Calla lily. Wet felted.

Crocheted cloche hat with wet felted lily.

Some Past Projects

2008-11-03T11:07:00.004-03:30

In no particular order:

Mr. Brumbletrout. Soft doll painted with acrylics. I love his spats.

Bride of Frankenstein. Embroidered for a swap. Tinted with crayons. Frame is thrifted. I need to try to recreate her for myself.

2-headed kitten specimen. Needle felted. I also made and antiqued the specimen label for the jar.

Mini beret with buttons. This was a custom order. I've made a bunch of these mini berets, but I think this is my favorite to date. I think I might make a winter hat for myself based on this.

Ladies' undergarments embroidery thread bobbins.

Vulva keychain. Made for a friend as a going away/pride week present.

Orchid wall hanging. Wet and needle felted. Made for my mom, who loves orchids.

"Urchin" beret

2008-10-09T21:49:00.002-02:30

I found this cute yarn and knew right away that I wanted to knit an "Urchin" with it. I love how the texture came out. I think it looks like beach stones... or something. I think I'll do a little more blocking, I don't like how it falls so flat on the top.

Earrings!

2008-10-09T21:25:00.004-02:30

I found these gorgeous semi-precious stone briolettes from Lillys Bead Box on Etsy. I couldn't resist the garnet because it's my birthstone. I think the name sold me on the other ones - Whiskey quartz. Love it. They're a nice size, and they catch the light really nicely. They garnet ones are an adorable shape, but they're almost too tiny. They drill holes are really small, so I had to use 28g wire. I went with a gunmetal finish, but I think if I make more, I'll use oxidized silver instead. The 28g wire was really flimsy, which made it a bit hard to work with, so the wire wrapping is less than perfect.
I also found these cute translucent flower beads. I matched them with some faux pearls and oxidized silver findings.

I wanted to make some earrings like those as Christmas gifts, so I ordered some more briolettes in people's birthstones. I'm going to use sterling silver wire for those, that way I can oxidize instead of buying wire that's already oxidized.

My 2 new favorite things!

2008-10-02T20:16:00.007-02:30

I bought my first pair of bamboo knitting needles a couple of weeks ago. Instant love! I never want to use anything else again. Luckily, thanks to a great deal on Ebay, I never have to.

Single-pointed needles. Sizes US 0-10.5, I believe. The really small ones seem so fragile!

DPNs. I don't even have a full set of metal DPNs, and these came in sets of 5 of each size (. They're way lighter and nicer on the hands than the metal ones, of course. Dig it.

Plus crochet hooks!

I think I got them all for around $40 CAD, including shipping. Not too shabby. I think 1 set of 2 bamboo needles is close to $10 at Michael's, and around $5 at Wal Mart.

Another knitting related discovery: like a lot of people, I like to watch TV or movies while I'm knitting. That works great when you're knitting something basic or repetitive that doesn't require you looking at your work. I started a moderately intricate lacy stole recently, which I do have to look at as I'm working at it. Then I discovered online radio stations that play old timey radio shows. I listen to them through iTunes. Drama, comedy, mystery, scary stories. I rally Antioch Radio. They include the original ads, and even try to play shows that played on the same date that they were originally aired. I think that's pretty neat. Another one I listened to for the first time last night is ACB Treasure Trove ACB Treasure Trove, which is a resource for the blind community. They play vintage drama and comedy shows. Both these radio stations are provided for free, so if you discover that you like them as much as I do and you want to listen to them regularly, please support them with a donation.

I think I'm spoiled.

2007-07-24T01:40:00.001-02:30

I never want to spin anything but silk ever again. I bought some hankies and some caps on ebay. I spun all the hankies and half the caps in a couple of hours. Drafting was a breeze, it was a pleasure to handle, and I love the finished product. The hankies were pink with purple corners. I got 2 black caps and one lime green. I plied the pink with some black. I've still got some pink leftover that I haven't plied yet. I just finished setting the twist and I'm waiting for it to dry. I'm hoping it'll be enough to make a neckwarmer. If not, I guess I'll settle for making a wristcuff. I think I should have enough for a neckwarmer if I spin up some more black and ply it with the rest of the pink. The black doesn't seem to have the same sheen as the pink and the green. I don't know if it's because of the colour or because I drafted it wrong. I had trouble getting the layers apart and I think the fibers ended up in the wrong direction. I definitely want to make a scarf or a neckwarmer with this silk, actually. Even if I have to order more and put off making it. It's sooo soft, and apparently it's as warm as wool. I think it'd be wonderful to wear in winter. I can't really see me wearing a pink one too much though, so maybe I'll go with the green and black.

The only thing I don't like about it is that it catches on everything... any little dry spot on my hands or cuticles, chips in my nail polish, stubble on my legs. I've still got little spider-webby fibers clinging to me. Makes me feel like I'm too crude to be working with silk or something. lol Is it wrong to smoke, drink whiskey, and make dirty jokes while wearing a handspun silk scarf?

Happy Mustachioed Cactus Pincushion Tutorial

2007-06-14T21:33:00.000-02:30

Materials:
Felt – light green and dark green, you’ll need less than one sheet of each
Embroidery thread – black and red
Air soluble fabric marker or chalk pencil
1.5” terra cotta flower pot
Polyfill, or stuffing of your choice.
Strong glue
Embroidery needle
Pins
Scissors
Cardstock or paper
Pen or pencil
Optional:
Something to weight the bottom of your pincushion – kitty litter, stones, glass marbles, etc
Label or sticker to cover the hole in the bottom of your flower pot

1. Using the photo below as a guide, draw a template on the cardstock and cut it out. It should be roughly 5” x 1.5” (12.5cm x 4cm). The top should be rounded on each side and come to a point. (The shape is pretty forgiving so it doesn’t have to be exact, but you should try to make it symmetrical.)

2. Cut out 4 pieces of felt using your template, 2 light green and 2 dark green.

3. Draw your cactus’ face onto one of the light green pieces of felt with your fabric marker. Remember that you’re going to need room on the edge for the stitching.

4. Separate the strands of your embroidery thread. Thread the needle with 2 strands held together. Embroider the face, following the outline you just sketched out. I use satin stitch for the eyes and mustache and backstitch for his mouth.
*If embroidery isn’t your thing, you can always paint his face or cut the features out of felt and glue them on.

5. Take 2 pieces of felt – 1 light green, 1 dark green. Pin the edges together on one side only. Thread your needle with 2 strands of black embroidery thread again. Sew the entire length of that side, using either a whip stitch or folk art stitch.
*Hint: The smaller you make the stitches, the rounder your cactus will be. If you make the stitches large, he’ll have ridges at the seams.

6. Repeat with the rest of the fabric pieces, alternating a dark green piece with a light green piece. You’ll end up with a cylinder with a dome at the top.
*Don’t worry if the bottom looks uneven or untidy, it’s going to be hidden inside the flower pot.

7. Stuff your finished cactus all the way to the bottom. Remember that he needs to fairly firm in order to poke pins into him easily. If you’re not sure if you’ve stuffed him enough, just give him a test poke.

8. Cover the hole in the bottom of the flower pot with a sticker or a piece of tape that’s cut to size (from the inside). Put another sticker over the hole on the outside of the pot. Fill the pot about halfway with kitty litter. Remember to leave enough room to “plant” your cactus!
* Weighting the bottom will make it harder to tip him over. If you’d prefer not to, skip this step and put more stuffing in the bottom of your flower pot.

9. Squeeze a generous amount of glue around the inside of your flower pot, near the top. “Plant” your cactus in the pot. Make sure he’s in there deep enough to be sturdy. Check from different sides to make sure he’s standing up straight. Once the glue dries, it’ll be too late to fix him.

10. Finally, stick him full of pins! Trust me, he loves it.