Wily Wednesdays - Horticulture Wreaths

Check out my Thanksgiving post on Homegrown Revival to view some of my latest wreath creations: http://homegrownrevival.blogspot.com/2013/11/wreath-making.html

Wily Wednesdays - Crochet Devil Horns

Hi there, remember me? It's been ages since I've posted something here! As you can imagine, I've been all consumed with my mad hot romance with horticulture, which hasn't left much time for crafting and blogging. But I have a few rare free moments tonight, so let me bring out a new and silly craft to share.

More horns!

I promised my friend Chris -- a whole year ago -- that I'd make him a crochet horned helm. I don't know why, but devil horns seemed to suit him. It arrived just in time for Halloween.


Of course I have to try them out.

Wily Wednesdays - Duct Tape Sheath

I wanted to get serious about this pruning stuff, so I bought myself a nice pair of ergonomic Bahco hand pruners -- pretty top of the line in the field and highly recommended. The only problem is, I couldn't find a suitable sheath that matched its unique shape. There are plenty of generic sheaths out there, and specific brands have their own leather holsters, notably this one from Felco...but screw that. I have Bahco pruners and I want the proper shape. Sounds like the perfect opportunity to do some leather working, right?


Well, I had my first pruning field trip today, and not enough time or supplies for leather working, so I ended up taking Randy's silly suggestion and fashioned a holster out of duct tape. You know, a quick, temporary solution -- wrap it around sticky side up, then wrap it again sticky side down. But it's me, so I made it a little more complicated...







It's a perfect, snug fit, so you can hold them upside-down without the pruners falling out. And, uh, good grief this is dorky. I'm not a duct tape freak, but I kind of love it. Eventually I'll grow up and make myself a more professional looking sheath out of leather.

Maybe.

Wily Wednesdays - Psychedelic Swish

This is actually a tease for the next WW...

Wily Wednesdays - Mixed Media Tree

Polymer clay. Paint. Wood. Go!

Here's my Yule gift for Kai. I wanted to try some new techniques with this piece, so it was a nice excuse for experimentation. I went for a filigree style with the sun, moon, and leaves, and then I tried braiding the tree with long strands of polymer clay. I have discovered that braiding clay is hard, but it has so much potential for some cool Celtic designs.

Wily Wednesdays - Dragon Mandala Weirdness

From the archives. I don't know if this colored pencil drawing is from high school or college. Also, I'm not sure what I was thinking when I made this, but it's kind of weird and neat. The image is a little blurry, as I had to stitch it together from multiple not-so-great photographs.

Wily Wednesdays - Crochet Demoness Horns

Last year, I crocheted my own version of a viking hat, and this year I got a request for a similar hat, only with more curved horns inspired by the demoness on the left:


Dude, this was fun to make! I was a little nervous about the horns, especially because I was working with bulky, unconventional yarn for 3-D crochet. But once the first one started taking shape, I liked what was happening.

Wily Wednesdays - Hat for the Hero of Canton

Nothing new this week, so I'm posting an old little crochet project I remembered while going through the craft closet over the weekend. I do love geeky crafting, and I can't wait to reveal my next project (which, sadly, is only in my head at this point).

And yes, for all you diehards out there, Jayne Cobb's hat should be knitted instead of crocheted, but thankfully I don't care about losing geek cred.

Wily Wednesdays - Funky Clay Bottle

This week I ventured into polymer clay again. When I was crafting last Yule, I loved sculpting clay around glass bulbs for tree ornaments, so I wanted to try it out with a vase or bottle. Here's what happened:

Wily Wednesdays - Treasure Chest

Okay, I've got to own up to something. I have a guilty pleasure (addiction?) for geeky Perler Bead creations. This silly medium lends itself too well to pixel art, and I can't help indulging in some nostalgic Nintendo crafts. I made little Hylian shield, and then I realized it needed a container, so I set out to build a proper treasure chest. What ensued involved a bit more time and beads than I had originally planned, but I'm glad I put in the extra effort.


Here's what the individual pieces look like. For the right-angle edges, I really wasn't thinking, otherwise I would have alternated the beads in a jagged fashion so they locked together on the sides. Oh well, noted for future projects. To create the domed top piece, I only ironed one side and bent it into the proper shape while the plastic was still hot. I had no idea how well that was going to work, but it came out better than expected. Next, I lined each of the pieces with blue felt.

When I was ready to assemble the pieces, I toyed with the idea of sealing them with heat, either using the iron (which is a tad awkward) or a heat gun (which could easily and quickly ruin the box if I messed up). Threading it together with embroidery floss seemed like a pretty good idea, and with Kai's insistence, I went that route instead of using heat or glue. I even sewed on the hinges, because...why not?

Wily Wednesdays - Cosmic Dance

Time for another fractal piece. This one's from 2007, I believe.

Wily Wednesdays - Nine-point Star Afghan

This afghan has been in the works for over two years, but I finally finished it! It's the second biggest crochet project I've ever completed (the first being the rainbow striped afghan). Inspired by my friend Chaya, who crochets in such a wonderfully free-form manner, I wanted this project to be a little less patterned and uptight. (It's a little sad that something like this is a challenge for me -- guess it says something about my personality and how I need to loosen up!) My original thoughts were to start with a basic shape and move outward, without a predetermined set of yarn, a pattern of stripes, or final dimensions for the afghan. In fact, I purposely committed myself to only using yarn I already owned (goodness knows I've got enough of it). I enjoyed the process, and I'm pleased with the way it came out. I set it aside occasionally for months at a time, but so it often goes with long projects.





Bonus: It folds up in a more creative way. Rectangular folds are for squares.




In 2010, I toyed around with the idea of selling this afghan, but once it took shape, there was no way I was going to give it to a stranger. Happy belated birthday, Chaya!

Wily Wednesdays - Chainmaille Bracelet

Or chain mail, or chainmail, or chain maille, or maille, or however you prefer to spell it. I had a couple of small craft nights with my mother when I was in Ohio, so I decided to try my hand at chainmaille. This resulted in a basic box chain bracelet. Unfortunately, and I didn't realize this at the craft store, I purchased aluminum jump rings without thinking too much about it, and turns out they're really cheap. The metal was so weak I could bend it easily with my fingers, so I wouldn't be able to wear something like this without damaging it.