Hedgehogs Or Hagglets

Day 77: For Christmas, a friend put together two build your own hedgehog kits for me, thinking (as she told me later) that it would take me about a month to make the first one (center). I had it done within an hour, and enjoyed it so much that I dug into my bead supplies. My next hedgehog's spines were multicoloured crow beads which, to my way of thinking, were less than attractive. That critter was re-homed, but I liked the one I made with white crow beads. The second kit contained a wild assortment of resin Murano-style beads which were substantially larger, but because I didn't have any bulky yarn on hand, I used the same hook and worsted that I'd used for the others. The resin beads were harder to work with, partially because of their size, but also because the facets on some of them dug into my hands. Nevertheless, the resultand hedgehog was cute and colourful. There's one problem: although they are supposed to be hedgehogs, I keep thinking of them as hagglets, baby haggises. Maybe I'm just hungry.

Beadwork

Day 133: Although what springs immediately to mind upon hearing the word "needlearts" (i.e., knitting, crocheting, tatting or other handcraft involving hooks, needles and thread), beadwork nevertheless falls within the definition of "art-needlework." I don't do as much of it as I used to, largely because the finished product is closer to art than it is to functionaltiy, but every now and then, I break out the hair-fine needles and waxed threads and settle in with pots of #11 or #13 seed beads arrayed on the table beside my chair. This, of course, is an invitation to CATastrophe despite the fact that both Skunk and Tip know they are not allowed on hard surfaces. Curious noses nevertheless investigate and the occasional probing paw dabbles where it should not, and tiny beads are enormously hard to retrieve from carpet plush. Nor is the fault always feline; I have been known to reach for my coffee only to knock over a stack of bead jars. Yarns and threads are much easier to untangle, therefore beadwork is done more or less as special occasions demand.

A Dime An Ear

Day 105: Do you remember when you could buy ten ears of corn for a buck? I do, and sometimes you'd even find it cheaper at roadside stands, the kind where the farmer would leave a jar on the table for the money because he trusted people to be honest. My, how times have changed! And which came first, the chicken (higher prices) or the egg (dishonesty)? It's an impossible question, one fostering the other in a vicious cycle. And where is it taking us, this decline into cheating and distrust? Can we stop it? I'd like to believe we can, but we can't wait for the "other guy" to act first. It has to start with us, each individual. To that end, I'm going to get up on my soapbox again and ask you to DO SOMETHING. Don't just sit there. You have it in your power to make a difference, even if it's only a small one. If you've had something gathering dust in your garage for five years and know someone needs it or could use it, give it to them rather than putting a price tag on it. You'll be surprised at how good it makes you feel when you make a gesture of kindness. A world based in greed cannot survive. Let the change start with you.

Day Projects

Day 40: Although friends may liken me to a bulldog when I have something between my teeth, that steadfast determination runs concurrently with an amazingly short attention span. My big projects consume vast portions of my time, but I tend to hit one, work on it for half an hour or less, and then pick up something different. As one is completed, another takes its place. In the end, they all get done by whatever deadline I may have set (if any). In addition to my regular diet of needlework and sewing, the occasional "day project" adds spice to the recipe. Day projects are quick fillers and although some of them may actually take more than a day to complete, most can be fiddled up in an hour or two. Having a store of short-term resources keeps me from getting bored. That said, another secret to bringing each thing to completion is that I don't allow myself to work on more than one item in a specific genre, e.g., I won't start knitting a hat if I have socks on the needles. If the hat was to be crocheted instead, that would be allowable as long as I didn't have another crochet project on board. Day projects may include such novelties as casting soaps, pouring candles, paper-making, beadwork, etc. The necklace and earring set shown above took less than an hour and will be a Christmas gift for a very special friend.

Crows In The Corn

Day 9: It looks like a pair of thieves have found the corn the farmer's wife was gathering for her harvest display! These tiny cobs are beaded, and for a sense of size, I've included an inset showing them with a penny for scale. With any of the needle-arts, I tend to gravitate toward the "fine" (size) end of the spectrum, preferring to knit with #5 or smaller needles, to crochet with a #10 or smaller hook, to tat with the finest thread available, and in beadwork, I never use anything larger than a #11 seed bead. The corn was made with #13 beads, even smaller yet.

Each cob has eight horizontal rows worked in square stitch over a pigskin core which was cut at one end to form the husks. Two decreasing rows were added after the main cob was completed in order to make the tapered tip.

I have made a larger version of these using #8 beads which are about the same size as a kernel of  "Indian corn." I worked them over a felt-padded raffia core, with raffia for the husks. They look real enough to eat!

Teensy-Tiny Beaded Corn

Day 87: A few days ago, I posted a photo of a Christmas ornament I had made using #6 seed beads to create a "cob of corn" approximately three inches long (not counting the husks). I mentioned to a friend that I had made similar cobs on a much smaller scale, so here they are with a dime for comparison. The beaded portion is 5/8" in length. They're worked in square stitch over a piece of rolled pigskin leather which also forms the husks. #13 seed beads were used in the construction.

As a very small person, I seem to gravitate toward the "micro" end of the scale with my crafts. I prefer knitting and crocheting with the finer needles and threads, seldom do cross-stitch on anything larger than 18-count canvas. Larger materials feel cumbersome in my hands; working with size 8 or 9 knitting needles and worsted feels like wielding a pair of spars to knit ship's hawser.

While fine yarns and threads are somewhat difficult to find these days, tiny beads are available in a wide selection of colors at my favorite bead store. That said, I normally work with #10 seeds unless I'm in the mood for corn.

A Little Birdseed, Please

Day 82: As you're hurrying about with the fixings of your Christmas dinner and trays of cookies, please don't forget to put out seed for the little "people" in your yard. Fill your feeders with black-oil sunflower seed, nyjer and mixed seed, and put out suet blocks if the birds in your area enjoy them. Provide water if temperatures stay below freezing for any length of time.

Many birds enjoy corn, and this little fellow is no exception. I crafted his corn cob using #6 seed beads in square stitch, applied over a rolled felt core. The husks are raffia. Several of his kin have taken up residence in my Christmas tree.

Braid With No Ends

Day 227: How can you braid the middle of a leather strip if you don't have loose ends to work with? Why, just like you'd braid anything else, right over left, left over right. Don't believe me? Here's how!

For practice, cut a strip of suede one foot long and one inch wide. Mark lengthwise lines at 1/3 and 2/3 inches, fold the piece in half and make a small snip at the center of each division. Unfold the leather, insert your scissors in the snip and cut along the line until you're one inch from each end. Do not cut all the way through the ends! (See the first illustration.) Now begin braiding, passing the righthand strip over the center, followed by the farthest left strip over the center (second image). Do these two moves two more times until the strands return to their original positions (third and fourth images). These six moves constitute one full sequence.

But oh, golly! Look at the mess on the other end! It braided itself while you weren't looking! Now you have to straighten that out!

Hold the braided section in place firmly with one hand, securing all strands in their original positions. This is the critical step, shown in the fifth image. See the back (unsueded) side of the leather with the pencil line on it? That's the "tail" you'll be using to unbraid. With your other hand, feed the "tail" back through the tangle, following the intuitive line of travel. You may find that some strands twist in the progress of the work. Just keep fussing with it until they straighten out (sixth image). But remember, you must hold the braided section in place! Don't let go, or you'll have a bigger mess. You may want to hold the braided section against the table until you get the hang of unbraiding.

Once you have the tangle sorted out, you're ready to do another full braiding sequence. Remember, there are six moves to each sequence. When you've done all six (seventh image), secure the braided section with one hand, and with the other hand, unbraid the tail again. Keep repeating the braiding/unbraiding sequence until you have a comfortable, relaxed braided section (eighth image). If the strands want to lay over on their sides, you've done too many sequences.
When your piece is done, work the strands with your fingers until they lay more or less smooothly (bottom left). If you'd like, you can press them between two big books to flatten them out. Or you can unbraid your practice piece and re-do it before starting on a serious project. The little bookmark (bottom right) is half an inch wide and contains only a single braiding sequence. A few beads, and you have a nice little personalized "thank-you" gift for someone.