Z is for Zentangle

 

 

Z is for Zentangle

 

 

 

Zentangle is an art form that uses structured patterns to create beautiful images.  It's a form of doodling which is made up of  simple patterns.  I just discovered it recently and I really enjoy the simplicity of it.  I especially like the booklet "Zentangle 8" because it was about using it for monograms and alphabets. 

 

 

 

I thought it would be fun to make a monogram to hang on the wall.  You need a wooden letter, available at craft stores and a black sharpie.  I chose several zentangle patterns out of the two zentangle books  I decorated the letter E for my daughter's room.  It was my first attempt , but I think it came out ok.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you do this craft, provide a link in the comments so I can come see.   This would make a great Mother's Day gift. 

 The photos are for the same item which is a white letter with black designs.  But in the one photo the light reflected so I added another photo with different exposure so you could see the design.



Y is for Yarn

Y is for Yarn

 

 

Originally this post was supposed to be about Yarn protesting.  But because of recent national events  I've decided to postpone that post and just talk about yarn.

I love yarn, all kinds.  I'm eagerly awaiting a box of yarn I ordered off the internet.  Where I live, we don't seem to get much cotton yarn except for dish rag cotton and we don't get much fingering weight yarn.  It's mostly worsted weight.  So I ordered some fingering weight cotton yarn off the internet.  I was hoping to share a picture of it with you but alas, it hasn't arrived.  I think I ordered 8 balls in different colors, so I can't wait for it to arrive.

X is for eXcited

X is for eXcited

 

Yes, I’m cheating with X.  But,  I am very excited.  I found another crochet stitch pattern book, called 99 Post Stitches and in it they had the Brick stitch I was looking for.  As you can see it looks a lot more like bricks than the other crochet stitch I was using, plus it’s super easy to do.  So now I’m full steam ahead on the item I was making which I’ll share when I’m done.

U is for Ugly

U is for Ugly

 

I’m  making this Owl cushion from the pattern I bought. 

 

My first attempt was this. 

 

 

 

Ugly! Because as I said before I can’t always choose colors  So I went to her Etsy shop and studied the pix of the cushions and then I made this.

 

 

 

Ahh!  Much better and so pretty.   Even though this picture doesn't do the colors justice.  It's purples and pinks.

 Now I can’t wait to finish it and see it on my love seat on the porch. 

T is for Time

 

 

T is for Time

 

 

 

Which I never seem to have enough of.  Where does it go?  And why does the weekend seem to whiz by but the work week tends to drag.?  Why is an hour sitting and  knitting over in a flash, but an hour sitting at my desk at work making phone calls seem to last forever?  Why does ten minutes of pain from a migraine seem intolerable but ten minutes laughing with my daughter seem  over too quick?

 

 



N is for New Jersey

N is for New Jersey

 

            I love New Jersey.  I was born and raised here.  I know it’s the brunt of a lot of jokes but in my mind it really is the best state.        

It’s right in the middle of the Northeast corridor and so it’s accessible to big cities like New York or Philadelphia, but there’s still a lot of farmland and open space.  At least in the area I live.  We’ve got the beaches and boardwalks in the summer (what’s left after Hurricane Sandy) and we usually  get just the right amount of snow in the winter for a little winter fun but not so much that we’re paralyzed by it.

            It’s only a 10 hour trip to Myrtle Beach, SC.  Florida is only a road trip away.  My mother drove us there every summer for a week of fun.

             And my claim to fame is I’m originally from Freehold , the home of the Boss, Bruce Springsteen.  He was a few years older than me so I never met him but I knew the woman who let him use her garage to practice in when he was a teen.  She went to my church. 

            My only complaint about NJ is while lilacs and forsythia herald Spring in other states, here you know it’s spring when the road work begins.  The sight of traffic cones and steam shovels tells you the warm weather has arrived.  At least we don’t have to pump our own gas.  And I like that!

 

L is for Little Man

Mazz little One's photography





Here's a picture of a baby wearing my top hat and bowtie set available in my Etsy Shop.  Isn't he the most adorable little man?

Please visit the link above to Mazz little One's Photography blog to see more of her work.  there are also more photos of the baby above wearing the bowtie and hat  under "Our Charming Boy T" on her blog.

K is for Knitting

Knitting  VS. Crochet

 

Here is an example of similar “looks” in knitting and crochet.  I’m designing something that looks like bricks.

 

 

 

 

 

I like the knitted example much better because it achieves the look of bricks better.  However it takes a lot longer to make than the same size piece in crochet.

 

 

 

 

The crochet sample is okay but doesn’t look as much like bricks as I was hoping.  Plus the pattern was fiddly.  You had to finish off at the end of every row which means a ton of ends to weave in when done.

And that's a look into how I design projects.