Uli's Creative Corner

I'm going here on no lunch and only a marginal breakfast and just a bunch of coffee........... yuck.  My fault for missing lunch because it was a catered lunch and I didn't get there on time.  I assumed someone would "buzz" me when lunch was ready - but nobody did and I just kept on going along, not even thinking about the time.  I guess that homemade spaghetti dinner I have to create when I come home will taste awfully good and of course, it's one of those days when we're in a rush and when i come home hungry all my WW rules fall out of my head and I ignore the warning bells that go off in my head that say "too many points, too many points - eat some carrot sticks instead".

In the last week or so, I've been working on what I consider my show piece - my first sterling silver chainmaille necklace.  It is made with just under 400 little sterling silver rings.  The wire gauge is 20 gauge and each ring, on the inside is only just over 0.25 cm or just around 0.1 inch aka it's a fiddly job.  I love silver and blue so I added the sapphire coloured swarovski crystals.   And guess what, I ordered more sterling silver to make another one and I will use either amethyst coloured crystals or I made go for the real thing - real amethyst beads - it's a Christmas gift......... psssst - nobody tell the recipient. :-)

So what do you think?  Silver is so hard to photograph!!!!

For some things that are much easier and quicker to create, I've added some new knitting cell charms to the store: yarn and needles, sweater in progress and Love to Knit. 

And how's this for trying to be frugal - I tried to make a new pair of mittens from some of my new Opal 6-ply stash.  I wanted a few more pair for my last few craft shows.  I have one tomorrow night and Saturday and then my last one - Creative Finds - on December 1st.  So I started one mitten.  When I finished it, I decided that I didn't want to waste any yarn on making a colour match so I started a hat........... then the yarn had a knot in it and the pattern went all out to nowhere..... and I kept going on the hat but it was turning out too big for the size that I wanted - so I ripped the hat.  Now, I have one mitten, a bunch of pulled apart yarn and nothing finished................. all for the sake of saving a few yards of yarn. :-)  Pretty smart, eh?

Happy Thanksgiving to my friends down south.  Have a good turkey day.

maybe Shelley will tell you all differently but just a week ago, I got a chance to help her at the Creative Expo at the Tradex in Abbotsford.  On Thursday night, she taught a basic sock knitting course and I came in the help out.  We had a small class and it was good.  Of course, I had to switch gears because I never knit with 4 needles - always a set of 5 - and we all have our "own" ways of knitting socks.  It was fun helping.  I found my groove after a while and really enjoyed the evening.  On the next day, I came back to spend some more time at the Fun Knits booth as well as to check out one particular vendor.  At the Fun Knits booth, I helped put some comfy fuzzy sock kits together.  Those are great - a blend of solid coloured Opal and I think it was mohair lace weight from Sweatermaker.  So comfy and cozy.  I even talked to/helped some people since I looked so "official" with my vendor tag, making up kits etc.  I felt so in my element - thanks Shelley for letting me come visit and play.

Of course, my day didn't finish without yarn purchases.  I went a bit crazy with the 6-ply Opal.  I bought a couple of skeins of the Best of Opal 6-ply - I came home with the 1714 and 1715.  Then I also got some of the Rainforest 6-ply in pretty girlie colours - I got the Flamingo, Ladybug and the Parrot.  I've been in a mitten/little sock mood so I've knitted up a pair of little socks but they aren't matched and now it's driving me crazy so I have to go and knit the matching sock for each of the unmatched socks.  Then I created this cutie pair of mittens:

These are in my store right now.  That just means I have to whip up a pair for JR this weekend - his need to be a tad smaller yet.  For the little Miss I've been working with the Ladybug yarn on a pair of mittens and just need the thumb now before they are done.  I'm trying to have some more mittens and little socks and some small hats made up with the 6-ply for my next/last show (Creative Finds).

I also picked up some of the Sweatermaker Lace mohair that I helped kit up to put my own little fuzzy sock kit together at home since I had enough solids to used up at home.  And then a big hank of Kauni came home with me.  I think I got colour EG - beautiful progressive shades of red into pink into grey.  It will be something lacey.  I'm thinking a re-vival of the Gothic Leaf Lace Stole by Sivia Harding.  I started it with Koigu and beads.  I went off the rails early on with a mistake I couldn't figure out.  Put it in the drawer and left it there.  I'm thinking I will use the Kauni because I love the colour graduation idea for it and leave out the beads - just because of the many grabby hands around the house.

The other vendor I was really interested in was Best Craft Organizers.  I've seen them advertised in the beading magazines.  I thought they were US only so I had kind of written the idea off but then I saw them at the show.  Well, it turns out that their head office is in Abbotsford.  I think I will miss the show special because that expires this weekend but I know that one day soon, I will get this desk for all my beading supplies.  For starters I will probably get KIT J - the light wood desk with the drawers without the hutch.  Later on, I can add on.  Over the Christmas holidays, I fully intend of converting my so called yarn/craft room which is a mess right now into a real studio where I can retreat to work on my creations.  I'm getting to serious about that part of my creative life that I need a serious work space.  Carrying little trays of things back and forth and working on the kitchen table is just not cutting it any more.

To leave you, I'd love to show you a few new things that are in store:

Have a wonderful weekend.  It will be busy at our house with cleaning, activities and dinner guests.

After the business of last week's preparations for the craft show, I figured I could take today off from making things and just do "my thing".  Well, with chores and extended family around, that was maybe a bit of a big plan but I did sit and knit with a cup of coffe for a few minutes this morning and I did pick it up a couple of times along the way.  I started knitting a pattern for the Little Miss from an old German Sandra Knitting magazine.  It's maybe not that old - a few years back but I've had the yarn and the pattern in the stash for quite some time.  It's a little, very simple, lace number with a nice zig zag garter stitch border at the bottom.  I'm making it in a lovely lavendar/purple colourway.  Just her colours.  Hopefully I'll get a picture of the progress and a scan of the pattern page to show off soon.

The only other creative thing I came up with today are some great charms.  I've called them cell phone charms but really they could be charms for anything and everything.  Maybe a cell phone, an I-pod... they could attach to a digital camera or a digital camera case.  How about a jacket zipper?  How about a favourite purse, backpack or purse?  I'm sure there are many other fun uses - maybe a knitting or a project bag?  Tell me other uses you can think of for these wonderful charms.  I've though of knitters, crocheters and spinners and the first one I created is the "I love to Knit" charm:

Isn't the little dangly ball of yarn with needles at the bottom the cutest?

The knitting one is listed in my store now.  The crochet and spinning one will probably be up some time tomorrow.

I absolutely love the little spinning wheel.

Let me know what you think?  Would they make great stocking stuffers for fellow knitting, crocheting or spinning buddies?

And remember, below, the "Pay It Forward" project is still on.  So far, I've only had one comment.  There's still room for #2 and #3 to participate - see previous post.

I think the kids are sleeping now so I'm going to go and knit a few more rows.

Found this over on Spinny Bunt's Blog and I love the concept:

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.