Lack of yarn :(

So i ordered a lot of yarn back in September and its still not to my lovey home in South Korea. going on 5 weeks. Yeah not happy about it. Things getting to a military post take any where between 2 to 6 weeks. There are rare instances where the mail never shows up. Those are usually a result of a bad line on the shipping label. So while i wait for yarn i have been getting dragged in to online games and other hobbies. About once a day i look at my hooks and lack of yarn and go i want and i wish. I am also short on all my other hobbies. So my crafty side is going nuts and my dork side is going more DR Who. I am going to be attempting cross stitch while i am on mission. I have gotten as far as prep work done but i dont want to start yet another cross stitch project and leave it unfinished. Currently have 2 of those. However i would be me if i didnt have at least 2 random unfinished projects  lying around. Since i have been in Korea i have manage to finished the yarn related one and of course run out of yarn while making a hat. I do apologize for the lack of crafty related pictures and my absence this month. I will try to post more in the future.

Have Alter cloth will travel

Mabon Alter set up

 Well this year I am working on reconnecting to all things faith related. Due to a mishap on my part. IE I forgot that I was working on Mabon. Well the big ritual and all the planning I spent all week working on, Down the drain.  So getting ready for work today I grabbed my pentacle alter cloth, my new athame, 2 red candles, 1 small box or raisins, 1 small box of cranberries, a green apple and my power bracelet.  Just prior to midnight I went outside and found a nice place to sit. I prepared my travel alter dried fruit and apples represent the holiday I was celebrating.

Apples are special to the craft when cut in half across the middle the seed pods form a star.  When you look at it, they resemble a pentagram.  Green apples when cut in half also show a heart with the vein.  So candles lit and my bracelet in my left hand. I began to meditate. As of late my rituals have been out doors and silent. I like listen to the chirps of crickets and the fell of the wind on my face, the smell of the changing seasons in the air and the leaves swirling around me.  Magic is all around you, in nature there is balance.  I find peace in the knowledge that Gaia is amazing and I live in am wonderful time.  My ritual was a success in my mind and the result is my secret to keep.  However the purpose of this blog is more than my ritual. 

 

a closer view of my little project

yes thats a duck :)

How to make your own power bracelet.

So this craft requires a trip to Michaels or Hobby Lobby or another craft store.  You will need to get the following :

1 link bracelet

Around 20 head pins

Needle noise pillars

Gemstone beads: personal choice, need to have a healthy knowledge of gemstone lore,

If you can find them wood beads J

Seed beads/ beads of odd shapes: colors  are what matter get a rainbow of colors, healthy knowledge of color symbolism

Charms that are important to you they can be anything they choice is yours

Understand that the price to get these can run a bit high I think I spent $50 when I did this and all ready had the gemstone beads.

Assembly is done carefully with each head pin string beads and charms and attach. Keep like colors and symbols together. But the look is what is important to you.

Mine has seen the abuse of a toddler so it’s lost a few pins, the Gods smile at the exploits of children and pets.

Once assemble prepare your circle and bless your new tool.  I am right handed so when charging it I hold it in my left hand. When using it I hold it in my right.  When meditating I balance it between both hands.  When not in use it hangs out on my  alter. I could go on. This craft is all up to the maker.  Have fun

Up Cycled Moon Water Jar

The original jar

 I figured that this time away from my family I would spend the year working on completing old projects and  reconnect with my faith. So I had this old odd shaped jar.I had tried to do a granny square base but it did not work well. My crafty friend then showed my a daisy patten for a bowl shaped jar and i adopted that pattern with a few changes. To start off I chained about 9 with an I 5.5MM hook. The 1st row is done in the back loop in the 2nd chain from the hook. As each row is worked its done in the back loop. This causes  little ribbed look. I worked it till the was a gap of one row and attached the piece with a single crochet instead of a wiped stitch. Once this

the start of the project

done i slipped the new cozy on the jar and began to make the bases. With a blunt sewing needle i began to lop thread from on corner to another in the side loops. Once the bottom was finished i warped the top using the corner to corner method. Now the lid offered a challenge. The only paint i had at the time was my oils which i did not want to use for this. They are messy and take a while to dry. I had planned on using the jar later in the night. So my solution was my rank paint. It was a little messy but easy to wash off.  

All Finished

Once the piece was dry it long with my other new items went outside and i cleansed them and prepared my moon water. Now my moon jar is complete and prefect for my pagan alter.

Challenge accepted

 In the words of one of my husbands favorite shows. Yes I watch way to much "How I meet your Mother". I decided to join in the fun of Crochet Crowds Fall's Challenge. Links are provided for the pattern, the challenge and the snowflake i made that is attached.  This undertaking has been a big pain for me. I normally only make baby blankets and afghans so this was an undertaking and yes a challenge. I feel like I have over use that word. So the yarn used is Red Heart® Super Saver® Yarn – Economy Size in Shaded Dusk (#0984). And your normal Red Heart white to accent. Both yarns are left over from Red hearts Dusky Snowflake throw. In the challenge it was memtioned that we could use any yarn we choose and decorate any way we choose the only thing we could not change the core pattern. This project should have taken 5 hours well it took me 5 days. I crochet in my off time from work and i had a little time. Well it turns out that is vary easy to loose you stitch count on a simple pattern.  I tore it out like 5 times before i said OK. The finished project is even to tight so i am trying again. to increase or decrease size you add or sub tracked mutiples of 2 from the base 24 chain.  While working on this project given the nature of what the yarn was left over from i decided to make a winter theme. Hench the snowflakes. I think they turned out well but i cant wear them so i am off to remake them in white and try to figure out what to do with the set i all ready have. 

http://www.thecrochetcrowd.com/challengess.html
The challenge

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/give-%E2%80%98em-spirit-crochet-wristers
The pattern

http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/crochet-snowflake.html
The other pattern only worked to the second round. 

Experiments with Crochet stiches

I Have been crocheting for a long time making simple things in my mind like baby blankets. Well i got it in my head the other day to try broomstick lace. Included are the pictures of how i did the stitch and how it turned out before i tore it out. I tore it out and restarted because I did not like the way it looked. I also figured how better to start my random crafty, pagan life as a soldiers blog and to show that i am not perfect and i can mess things up. I hope you all enjoy this. :)

ok this was the first row and i thought it looked well at the time. 

Pattern was
row 1:chain 21,  sc 2nd ch from hook sc rest of the row 20 stitches.
 row 2: draw up a loop on the hock add to 25cm dowl continue drawing up loops trow previous stitches till 20 are on hook.
row 3. pull 4 loops from (broom) and ancore with slip stich. sc 4 times, gather up 4 more loops sc4 times repeat till end of row.
row 4 chair 1 sc in top of every stich
repeat rows 2-4 until desired length  

the yarns i was using

stage on of broom stick stitches

 

Ok by the time i got here i realize the the scarf  I was making was stiff, way to stiff. and my adding a row of stitches was causing an odd ripple effect every other set. and was not the same on the front of the back. I just didn't like it. so right after i took this last picture i tore out all my stitches rolled up the yarn and started over. Also at this point i was 15 hours in to a 24 Hour Staff Duty. I did 3 sets of the revamp and called it quits currently working on another project.