What Do History and Yarn Have in Common?

Crafters Co-op supports National History Day.  www.nhd.org

This year long academic competition is taught by one of our co-op members in the Oak Harbor, Washington School District and has sent students to the national competition at the University of Maryland for six of the past seven years.

Well, today, one of the NHD students from Oak Harbor won the National GOLD medal!  

In celebration, if you come into the shop from now through Saturday evening at close (8 pm) and enthusiastically say:  "History Day ROCKS!", then you will receive 10% off ALL supplies...yarn included!  And, not just any yarn.....Handspun, hand dyed...right in the studio.   Our Whidbey Isle yarns, Whidbey Isle handmade 100% wool felts, fiber arts, papercrafts supplies, beading/jewelry AND lots of fabric are all included in this special celebratory sale!

So, join us in congratulating student Riley Borden, teacher (and fellow co-op member) Dena Royal and the Whidbey Island community for the NHD gold medal.  Yippee...History Day DOES Rock!

Rugs, Rugs and More Handcrafted Rugs!

I adore handcrafted PRACTICAL items. And of these, rugs are probably my favorite. They are sturdy, yet provide a squishy soft comfort to your cold feet early in the morning, welcome guests as they enter your house and are often passed down from generation to generation.

Tomorrow I begin a new semester of volunteer teaching elementary and middle school children in fiber arts. These next 18 weeks, the students will explore many kinds of rug making....braided, prodded, hooked, sewn, looped, and much more. We will make "mug mat" samplers of each technique and then the students will individually choose their favorite technique to make a small rug of their own.

The first project? A sewn rug, using wool yarn scraps and recycled burlap coffee bag sacks. I can't wait!

Please remember to subscribe to this blog and to "like" our FB page at Everything But The Oink and our NEW FB page Crafters Co-op. Only six more weeks until the opening of the Crafters Co-op retail store, an upcycling craft store, class studio and craft artisan boutique.

"Outta the landfill and into your heart!"

What's In My Sewing Basket Today: Tie Rug

I'm using a hand tie technique for this rug and while it is quite laborious, I actually enjoy the sensory contact with the handspun yarn yummi-ness!

This rug is being created for the MoNA (Museum of Northwest Art, LaConnor, WA) show/sale on March 17th. This is a fun way to use up many of my small skeins of handspun and hand dyed wool skeins.

What are YOU working on today? :)

EnJOY!

Please "like" our Everything But The Oink and our Crafters Co-op pages on Facebook.

Make It Mondays! Cashmere HandWarmer Tutorial

Everything But The Oink means we use everything.....I mean everything of our recycled sweaters and other natural fiber items. It's eco friendly, frugal, responsible and fun to find ways to use every last piece. We even cut up the teensy scraps and use them to "stuff" our Mini Mice, Alien and Monster Buddies and our Bird Ornaments.

When we have a precious cashmere sweater find, we don't want to waste any teensy weensy piece of this luxurious upcycled fabric. So, we created Cashmere HandWarmers, filled with organic lavender and (uncooked) rice for a special treat to keep your hands warm during these cold winter months.

Here's all you need for this simple, easy-peasy project:
A small rectangle of cashmere felted "fabric"
Coordinating length of natural fiber yarn, threaded onto a large eye needle (chenille works well)
uncooked rice and organic lavender buds (optional)

STEPS:
1. Fold your rectangle of cashmere in half so that is square shaped.
2. Sew up all but one side of the square with a whip stitch.
3. Fill the cashmere "pocket" with uncooked rice and lavender buds.
4. Finish sewing up the last side of the square.
5. Heat in microwave for 30 to 60 seconds and then put it in your glove, your coat or pant pocket to keep your fingers warm and your body relaxed from the yummy lavender. :)

This can be reheated and re-used, over and over, and over again...for many years. These would make wonderful Valentine's Day gifts and your children can even sew these up for their teachers and favorite aunts.

Of course, you can make these out of other natural fiber scraps, but the cashmere handwarmer is...well.....just extra special.

EnJOY!

(Soda) Straw Weaving Tutorial

Even though it's not a "Make It Monday," since we've taken such a long hiatus, thought we would return with a fun, easy family fiber arts tutorial. Where have we been? College visits, History Day competition preparation and lots of good ol' Whidbey Island winter storms.

It feels good to be back on a semi-schedule and to indulge in fiber arts relaxation again. :)

Now for the tutorial....if you have these three items, you can weave!
Soda straws (3 to 5), yarn, duct tape.

Cut soda straws to 2/3 length. Measure approximately 18" pieces of yarn and run a piece of yarn through each straw. (You can choose either a 3 straw or 5 straw project.) After running the yarn through the straw, bring approx. 1 inch of the yarn over the top of the straw and use the duct tape to firmly wrap around the yarn/straw. Tie the yarn hanging out of the bottom of the straws together into a knot. You now have your WARP (a weaving term for the horizontal threads/yarns.)

For your WEFT (a weaving term for the horizontal pieces of yarn), take a ball of yarn and start weaving in front of a straw, then behind the next straw, then in front of, then behind, then in front of (for a 5 straw project) turn the yarn and come back the opposite direction.

You'll have to hold the straws for the first few rows, but then the weaving will hold the straws together. Keep weaving until the straws are covered with yarn, then gently push the weaving down to make more room. Eventually the completed woven yarn will be down to the knot at the bottom of the straws. Take off the duct tape and tie the warp/weft threads together at the top. Voila...you have an AWEsome bookmark!

Other project ideas with longer warps? Belts, headbands. Add more straws and create wider projects, including mug mats or wall hangings.

This fiber art craft is great for age 5 and up. Older kids and adults can create patterns by changing weft colors/yarns.

With skinny straws and embroidery floss, your teenager can create friendship bracelets for all of his/her friends!

EnJOY!

(We're doing this with our fiber art elementary youth tomorrow, so will post pictures after class.)

Make It Mondays! KoolAid Dye Tutorial and GIVEAWAY!!!

Okay, you've been to Resweater or your local thrift store and have purchased/felted a lovely wool sweater. Why don't you try handcrafting some projects? And, don't settle for boring, monotone yarn/threads....dye your own instead!

I often purchase wool tapestry yarns at the thrift store, usually not paying more that 75 cents for a ten to thirty yard skein. A lot cheaper than your yarn shoppe skein! But, when I dye them, they look so lovely in a felted wool project.

While commerical dyes are available and I use them often, KoolAid is an expensive, convenient dye for the novice dye crafter. So, raid your cabinet and pick out interesting colors. You'll also need the following additional supplies:
White Vinegar
Glass bowl and lid (I use an old Pyrex dish/lid and use this ONLY for dye projects)
Recycled wool yarns, threads (or other natural fibers)
Gloves, masks optional (but I do strongly recommend masks/gloves for children, as even KoolAid powder is not good for the lungs)

Step 1: Soak your yarns in vinegar water in the sink for approx. 5 minutes. (1/4 C. vinegar to a gallon of water...aprox.)

Step 2: While your yarn is soaking, heat to almost boiling a couple of quarts of water with an additional 1/4 C vinegar. Vinegar is the mordant for your dye, meaning it will keep the dye in the fiber.

Step 3: Place your wet yarn in your glass dish and sprinkle on the KoolAid powder. You don't need to cover all of the yarn...diffusion will do it's job when you add the hot vinegar/water. :) If you have more yarn, then place a second layer, along with more KoolAid powder. Kind of like making a fiber lasagna...LOL.

Step 4: Pour the hot water over the yarn until the yarn is covered with water. DO NOT STIR!!! If you do, you'll get muddy colored yarn. Cover the glass bowl immediately and let the hot water and steam do it's thing. Don't be tempted to peek!


Step 5: After the water is clear (that's why I like to use a clear glass bowl/dish) then pour off the clear water into the sink and thoroughly rinse your newly dyed yarn. I like to use a fiber rinse/conditioner product at this point to get rid of any residual vinegar odor, but this is not necessary.

Step 6: Let the yarn dry and then roll it into a ball, ready for your next project. These yarns look beautiful in a bowl on your coffee table also....while you're awaiting inspiration for that "special" project. EnJOY!

Now, a giveaway! If you do all three of the following:
1. Become a follower of my blog and comment on this tutorial or another post
2. "Like" our Facebook page at Everything but the Oink
3. Forward this tutorial to at least three people.
Then you will be entered into a drawing for two skeins of the tutorial yarn. :) The drawing will be next Monday and the winner's name will be posted on the blog.

Make It Mondays! Mug Mat/Hot Pad Tutorial

I LOVE blog tutorials! They not only teach me; they inspire me. So....I'm starting "Make It Mondays" with a tutorial (as often as possible) on Mondays.

Today's tutorial is for a simple mug mat or hot pad project. It is a stormy, high tide surge day here at the beach cabin, so ocean-y colors came to mind...and a cut of hot chocolate. (At the end of the tutorial, look for my "Heavenly Hot Chocolate" recipe...a 4H group favorite!

Okay, on to the tutorial....
Supplies needed: Recycled felted wool scrap, thinner craft felt scrap (or can use a thinner wool scrap piece), leftover yarn, large eyed needle, straight pin.

Steps:
1. Cut out your wool and felt pieces. I wanted a larger hot pad for this project, so I used a cereal bowl for my circle template.

2. If you want to embellish/embroider your wool felt, do it now. (I just did a simple ocean wave embellishment.)

3. Using a straight pin, pin your two pieces together.

4. Blanket stitch the pieces together with leftover yarn. TIP: If you use a bulky yarn and/or a thick scrap, use a sail, leather or upholstery needle. It will make your job much easier. Use caution with children using these "mega" needles however. I do not recommend using thread or superfine yarn. You will lose your embellishment in the thick felted wool.

5. Do not knot your yarn at the end. Simply weave your yarn end back and forth in your stitches and cut close.

6. For a more polished finished project, use an iron and steam your mug mat/hot pad flat.

Voila! These are a great family project and you can get an early start on Valentine's Day presents!

The final photo is of some of the yarns I dyed yesterday on our 4H dye day. These will be used for future button bag and other recycled wool projects.

Now to the promised Heavenly Hot Chocolate recipe! Disclaimer: Not healthy or low fat, but a delicious special treat!
In a mug, empty one packet of powdered hot chocolate mix.
Add a splash of milk or 1/2 and 1/2 and a spoonful of Nutella.
Fill with hot water and stir well.
Top with a heaping spoonful of marshmallow creme and microwave for 30 seconds (to melt the marshmallow creme.)
EnJOY!

Merry Christmas from the Beach Cabin

With the children at their father's house in Canada for Christmas weekend, it has been a time of rest and reflection for me. I feel so blessed to live in this wonderful beach cabin. Yes, really...the view is from my fiber studio window!

After more than a year of not being able to spin fiber (due to my autoimmune arthritis), I oiled up the wheel and spent some lovely time spinning today! The baby blue yarn is from Adrianna's 4H alpaca, which we hand dyed last year. After being made into a 2-ply yarn, it will be luxurious embellishment for a button bag. Maybe a diaper bag for a baby boy?

I'm not totally alone today. Dream, our 6 1/2 year-old "Lassie" collie, is busy supervising (between naps) from her favorite perch on the loveseat.

In between spinning and working on the latest button bag, I've also spent some time organizing more buttons. Aren't they pretty? Within a week, I hope to have DIY button bags posted on Etsy. The DIY kits will include the felted wool sweater purse, ready to be embellished with handspun and/or handdyed yarn (included), instructions, and of course....buttons!

Hope and prayers for a wonderful, relaxing Christmas for all of you. And, please remember to recycle from your holiday celebrations!