Big Damn DIY Round-Up
Since I'm in a total crafting mood right now, I realized I haven't been posting any crafting in ages, so I thought I'd make a round-up post of all the projects of the last couple (five or so) years. Don't worry, it's not that much because I tend to take years to finish anything, especially the knitting and stitching projects since I usually only get the crafting urge in oyster months (any month ending on R). And yeah, since it's October (how, how did we get to October already? I'm not ready for another semester and desperately looking for elective courses and all those not even started papers closing in why why why is it already October?) I'm in full ALL THE CRAFTS mode. So... have a couple projects :)
Warning: picture heavy. Totally not dial-up friendly!
Projects Past:
Knitting:
A shawl that was supposed to become a scarf but I totally miscalculated how heavy the wool would be so I decided to use it as a shawl and I love that thing to death now. No, you can't get it! Hands off everyone!
A scarf I finished in September. The yarn was for 20mm needles (no kidding, it really was for monster needles but at least that meant that even I could finish it in under two weeks) and it was the first time I actually knitted a pattern with instructions (I usually make up my own patterns) and even though it took me ages to understand the damn thing, I think it looks pretty nice. What do you think?
There's one more scarf but it's in one of my crates and I actually forgot it until now so maybe I'll get it out when I feel like it. And, last but not least, mittens I made for mackenziesmomma a while back (I made the same pattern for myself but the moths got to it before I could :( ):
Okay, so that was knitting... on to...
Painting:
I have more paintings than those you'll get to see but they're not available since they're pastels that are in one of my crates. And I just realized that an oil painting is hanging down the hall but I'm too lazy to get up so maybe you'll get that later, as well :)
Anyway, those are two aquarel paintings, the first from spring and the second and third from fall. I like the spring one a lot better because it's just... I don't know. It just looks better. Well. You decide, anyway ;)
(yes, that's my parents' book shelf. One of 791941014. My parents are awesome.)
(yes, those are chestnuts in a littles glass. Yes, I'm a better decorator than painter.)
This one here I made on my birthday, when my sister took Mom and me to Paint Your Style where you can paint pottery
they provide blank. It's awesome and I definitely want to go there before Christmas to paint tiles as coasters with a quote from A Christmas Carol, kinda like a puzzle, if you get what I mean. Well. Anyway. Here it is, my little tea pot:
And now for something completely different.
Origami:
When I started my tumblr, I briefly looked into the origami tag... and there were hundreds of reblogs of those tiny folded stars. In jars, in bowls, in bottles... and I wanted to know how they are made (and found out that actually, they're kirigami but don't tell anyone). I found instructions and since I had recently bought a couple nice origami papers, I started working my way through a sheet of each of them. This is what came out of it:
(the bowl in the first one was made by my mother, including the painting and glazing. She's a really good potter, actually.)
Last but not least...
Friendship bracelets:
I learned how to make them when I was about twelve or so because then back it was all the rage. Then I discovered a new book with instructions and freundschaftsbaender.at and I was hooked again. Incidentally, friendship bracelets seem to be the only craft I actually like to do in summer, probably because it reminds me of long summer days on the pony farm my sister and I used to spend two weeks each summer for four years. So... have a couple pics (most patterns from freundschaftsbaender.at. I can really highly recommend them, even for English speakers because the instructions to the patterns themselves are in English, as far as I remember):
So, that's about it with Projects Past and we'll now get to...
Projects Present:
Knitting:
Too many. Definitely too many. And I'm actually thinking about starting a new one *rolls eyes at self There are two scarves, both with a cables patterns and a sock. I actually had about half a heel of it but I forgot how to finish the damn heel so I had to break it down and start again. And well, I didn't get really far, so you won't get to see the yarn in all it's glory. Sorry :S
I'm actually planning on finishing the first scarf this fall/winter but we'll have to see.
Next category is...
Stitching:
All three projects are table cloths, all with pre-printed patterns that I only fill in. The Christmas one is ages old but I do intend to finish it some day. The fall one with the leaves is still my favorite and I'm pretty confident that I'll get to finish it this or next year. The one with the owls I bought a couple weeks ago and once I get back to catching up with Rookie Blue, I'll probably also get back into stitching owls. Don't ask.
And now that we're done with this (are you still with me, guys?)...
Projects Yet To Come:
First of all...
Stitching:
I bought a book with flower patterns a couple years ago (there's a really scandalous lack of stitching patterns in Germany, I can tell you. The best books are all in English. How sad is that?) and this year I finally decided on a project. I already bought the fabric and the yarn and all I need is my sister someone to help me cut the fabric and I can start. This is how it's supposed to look:
Next project I'll tackle this year is... window color. No, seriously, I ain't kidding. I actually like windo color. I used to have a dragon in the left and right upper corner of my window and I couldn't take them with me when I moved back to Berlin, so I decided I'll make another set and this is the pattern (only without the chimes):
Okay, so I guess we're done with the pictures but there are a couple more projects I'd like to try in the next couple months, such as knitting a blanket (possibly either this or this). I'd also like to try out painting porcellain dishes (also with book quotes, yes I know I'm obsessed with book quotes, shut up), like this (you use graphite copy paper to copy the quotes to the dishes and then paint them with special porcellain paint markers, then put it in the oven, et voila, dishwasher safe). And then I made the mistake of buying Better Homes and Garden's halloween edition and also want to make the spider wreath from page 16 and a couple other halloween decorations. It's gonna be a busy fall/winter, I guess...
Oh, and before I forget it: there are still a lot of free spaces in the 2013 Holiday Fic Request Meme. New fandoms include Arrow and Rookie Blue, as well as Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire and a couple I forgot about. But ask and you shall receive an answer if your request is doable or not. So... have at it, guys.
Warning: picture heavy. Totally not dial-up friendly!
Projects Past:
Knitting:
A shawl that was supposed to become a scarf but I totally miscalculated how heavy the wool would be so I decided to use it as a shawl and I love that thing to death now. No, you can't get it! Hands off everyone!
A scarf I finished in September. The yarn was for 20mm needles (no kidding, it really was for monster needles but at least that meant that even I could finish it in under two weeks) and it was the first time I actually knitted a pattern with instructions (I usually make up my own patterns) and even though it took me ages to understand the damn thing, I think it looks pretty nice. What do you think?
There's one more scarf but it's in one of my crates and I actually forgot it until now so maybe I'll get it out when I feel like it. And, last but not least, mittens I made for mackenziesmomma a while back (I made the same pattern for myself but the moths got to it before I could :( ):
Okay, so that was knitting... on to...
Painting:
I have more paintings than those you'll get to see but they're not available since they're pastels that are in one of my crates. And I just realized that an oil painting is hanging down the hall but I'm too lazy to get up so maybe you'll get that later, as well :)
Anyway, those are two aquarel paintings, the first from spring and the second and third from fall. I like the spring one a lot better because it's just... I don't know. It just looks better. Well. You decide, anyway ;)
(yes, that's my parents' book shelf. One of 791941014. My parents are awesome.)
(yes, those are chestnuts in a littles glass. Yes, I'm a better decorator than painter.)
This one here I made on my birthday, when my sister took Mom and me to Paint Your Style where you can paint pottery
they provide blank. It's awesome and I definitely want to go there before Christmas to paint tiles as coasters with a quote from A Christmas Carol, kinda like a puzzle, if you get what I mean. Well. Anyway. Here it is, my little tea pot:
And now for something completely different.
Origami:
When I started my tumblr, I briefly looked into the origami tag... and there were hundreds of reblogs of those tiny folded stars. In jars, in bowls, in bottles... and I wanted to know how they are made (and found out that actually, they're kirigami but don't tell anyone). I found instructions and since I had recently bought a couple nice origami papers, I started working my way through a sheet of each of them. This is what came out of it:
(the bowl in the first one was made by my mother, including the painting and glazing. She's a really good potter, actually.)
Last but not least...
Friendship bracelets:
I learned how to make them when I was about twelve or so because then back it was all the rage. Then I discovered a new book with instructions and freundschaftsbaender.at and I was hooked again. Incidentally, friendship bracelets seem to be the only craft I actually like to do in summer, probably because it reminds me of long summer days on the pony farm my sister and I used to spend two weeks each summer for four years. So... have a couple pics (most patterns from freundschaftsbaender.at. I can really highly recommend them, even for English speakers because the instructions to the patterns themselves are in English, as far as I remember):
So, that's about it with Projects Past and we'll now get to...
Projects Present:
Knitting:
Too many. Definitely too many. And I'm actually thinking about starting a new one *rolls eyes at self There are two scarves, both with a cables patterns and a sock. I actually had about half a heel of it but I forgot how to finish the damn heel so I had to break it down and start again. And well, I didn't get really far, so you won't get to see the yarn in all it's glory. Sorry :S
I'm actually planning on finishing the first scarf this fall/winter but we'll have to see.
Next category is...
Stitching:
All three projects are table cloths, all with pre-printed patterns that I only fill in. The Christmas one is ages old but I do intend to finish it some day. The fall one with the leaves is still my favorite and I'm pretty confident that I'll get to finish it this or next year. The one with the owls I bought a couple weeks ago and once I get back to catching up with Rookie Blue, I'll probably also get back into stitching owls. Don't ask.
And now that we're done with this (are you still with me, guys?)...
Projects Yet To Come:
First of all...
Stitching:
I bought a book with flower patterns a couple years ago (there's a really scandalous lack of stitching patterns in Germany, I can tell you. The best books are all in English. How sad is that?) and this year I finally decided on a project. I already bought the fabric and the yarn and all I need is my sister someone to help me cut the fabric and I can start. This is how it's supposed to look:
Next project I'll tackle this year is... window color. No, seriously, I ain't kidding. I actually like windo color. I used to have a dragon in the left and right upper corner of my window and I couldn't take them with me when I moved back to Berlin, so I decided I'll make another set and this is the pattern (only without the chimes):
Okay, so I guess we're done with the pictures but there are a couple more projects I'd like to try in the next couple months, such as knitting a blanket (possibly either this or this). I'd also like to try out painting porcellain dishes (also with book quotes, yes I know I'm obsessed with book quotes, shut up), like this (you use graphite copy paper to copy the quotes to the dishes and then paint them with special porcellain paint markers, then put it in the oven, et voila, dishwasher safe). And then I made the mistake of buying Better Homes and Garden's halloween edition and also want to make the spider wreath from page 16 and a couple other halloween decorations. It's gonna be a busy fall/winter, I guess...
Oh, and before I forget it: there are still a lot of free spaces in the 2013 Holiday Fic Request Meme. New fandoms include Arrow and Rookie Blue, as well as Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire and a couple I forgot about. But ask and you shall receive an answer if your request is doable or not. So... have at it, guys.