Apple Picking

Second time was the charm for apple picking this year! Rather than being rained out we had the most beautiful day yesterday to spend at Shelburne Orchards. Here’s some shots from the day, and stay tuned for some delicious apple recipes!

Fall Cowl

A rainy weekend foiled my apple picking plans and established a damp chill that I just couldn’t shake. I decided to whip up a thick, cozy cowl for damp autumn and winter days while being forced to spend my Saturday indoors!

While going through my closet to switch my summer clothes with fall and winter attire, I found an old hat and scarf set that I’d made years ago that were ill-fitting and awkward. I decided to repurpose the yarn into my cowl project.

Using this pattern from Lion Brand Yarn, I unraveled my old knitting projects and wound the resulting yarn into three separate balls, as the pattern called for knitting with three strands together.

The pattern worked up quickly and I was able to finish this project completely in the one rainy weekend! While the cowl used a lot of yarn, it would be easy to find some thrifted sweaters to unravel and use as yarn. I might try making another of these using three different complimentary colors.

Nature Prints: 3 Tutorials in One

Using the leaves I found during my leaf peeping, I decided to try some print making techniques to see what effects that using a leaf as a stamp or stencil could create.

Silhouette

1. Place leaf on a piece of paper. It doesn’t have to be blank—use previously printed paper for interesting effects.



2. Hold the leaf down, or attach with removable adhesive. Using a sponge, dab paint around the leaf mask. Experiment with different colors and amounts of paint.



3. All done! Carefully lift up the leaf and admire the result!

Stamping with Ink

1. Pick a leaf with distinct veins. Press the vein side into a pad of ink—darker colors work best.



2. Make sure the leaf is entirely covered with ink, paying particular attention to the veins. These veins are what make up the stamp imprint.



3. Place the inked leaf ink-side down onto a piece of paper. Place another piece of paper and use a brayer or bone folder with firm pressure to lay the ink on the page.



4. Check carefully throughout the brayering process to see if all the ink has been deposited on the page. Once done, remove the top page and the leaf and admire your stamped image!

Stamping with Paint

1. This process is similar to stamping with ink. Brush the paint on the vein-side of the leaf, making sure to cover the entire surface of the leaf—again, darker colors work best.



2. Use the same method of brayering as with the ink print. Once all of the paint has been laid on the paper, lift up the leaf and cover paper and enjoy!

These techniques can be used in lots of ways! Try using them on fabric to make seasonal totes or tablecloths, and use your paper prints in cards or framed artwork. Try using other types of botanical materials, like flowers or twigs. Comment with your creative ideas!

Leaf Peeping

I may be a native Vermonter, but I still leaf peep like a tourist. I am always amazed at the beautiful color of fall foliage, and so I used today to wander around my neighborhood to peep and collect leaves for craft projects. Here are some pictures, so you can do your own virtual leaf peeping!

Check back for craft projects featuring the leaves I found on this excursion!

Happy Autumn!

It’s the equinox and we’re starting to see it in the trees! Fall is undoubtedly my favorite time of the year, and being the first in three years without classes means that lots of crafting will be happening! Follow what inspires me on Pinterest.

Welcome Summer!

90 degree weather and colors everywhere seem a fitting welcome to the first day of summer! I was inspired by the bright flowers I saw in my neighborhood this morning, and had to share.

Happy Solstice!

Upcycled Plastic Granny Square Beach Bag

We’ve all heard about the mind-boggling amounts of plastic bags that end up in our landfills every year, and the not-so-mythical plastic continent that is forming in the Pacific Ocean. When I stumbled upon the idea of “plarn” (plastic yarn) I was immediately inspired to create something to use up the plastic bags collecting in my cupboard. Coupled with recent spring cleaning and the discovery of water stains on my favorite beach tote bag, I decided to use a material I had never worked with before to create something functional, eco-friendly, and, most importantly, fun!

I started by creating the plarn, using tips from this online tutorial. I separated bags into different colored piles and sliced them into long strips, joining them together with simple square knots and rolling them into a ball. Then, I took out my size N hook and began crocheting. Granny square construction is really easy for those with basic crocheting skills. The plastic squares end up only with three rounds based on the bulkiness of the plastic, each measuring about 6 inches. I used twelve squares, six each for the front and back of the bag. Once they were all complete, I sewed them together to create the front and back panels. Using just the single crochet stitch, I made a strip 4 inches wide for the bottom and side panels of the bag, to give myself just a little bit of extra room for that beach towel I’ll be carrying. Finally, I constructed straps with a drawstring from an old laundry bag and tied knots with plastic strips around the string to reinforce and decorate the straps.

While I love crafting, I am always trying to find new ways to reuse things so that I create art without creating waste. I am really pleased and proud of how this turned out, since at first it is fun and funky, but also because of the meaning behind it. While the actual construction was not difficult because the techniques I had used before, actually working with the plarn was not immediately easy, it was challenging at first. But, it was well worth the effort, because I love the final product and I can see a huge depletion of my undesirable plastic bag collection. While I try to use reusable bags or recyclable paper bags at the grocery store, there are just some times I cannot avoid the plastic, and so I know now that I have a great resource for future craft projects.

Happy Earth Day!