Is this the same high Spiderman fans have after Comicon? I don't know, but I feel pretty amazing after Chicago Craft Social. A raffle, snack table, and the promise of Chipotle chips and salsa upon exit. There were about 15 tables, and I wish I could've stayed for two days. Here's what I got for my $20. 
First, I joined Iris from Polyform as she walked our double table through Mokume Madness. Basically, you stack up several thin sheets of brightly colored Sculpey clay, beat it up with tools, then shave thin slices off the top. Those shaved slices (due to the abrasions, cuts, and dents) display fantastic patterns in all those colors you stacked up. We used those funkadelic clay slices to fill bracelet, necklace, and earring blanks. Not only had Iris already prepared our clay for us, she had about a dozen tools, extra clay, and boxes for us to take our completed work home. 
It was just like being at Unconditional Craft Night. She praised our work, whether we were fast, slow, sloppy, or exacting in our jewelry making. I'm so glad I brought my big backpack, otherwise I don't know how I would've carried all the free swag. If you want to try it on your own, here's how to do Mokume Gane. I can't wait to craft more with my boatload of fresh clays. Thank you Polyform!!
My next move was inevitable. I couldn't resist the gravitational pull of Arcadia Knitting's table of yarn cakes. Arcadia is easily my favorite Chicago LYS. Sharon lead the team in Flip Flop Fun, providing all the yarn and flip flops. Armed with my trusty size 8 needles and an upholstery needle, I dove in.
First I cast on 60 stitches with this funky three-yarn blend. I worked about 10 rows of garter stitch, then I bound it off. The piece was approximately 12"x2". I left a tail of twice the length of the piece, then used the upholstery needle to whip stitch the piece around the flip flop straps. Before starting to stitch, I tied a scrap of yarn at the midway point of the swatch. This project obviously doesn't demand exacting measurements, but I felt more in control marking the midpoint, Eyelash or fuzzy yarn is probably the best idea for this project, seeing as it's more forgiving in the stitching department. What I'm saying is, this should be a low-stress project, and in the words of Tim Gunn, just "make it work."
First I cast on 60 stitches with this funky three-yarn blend. I worked about 10 rows of garter stitch, then I bound it off. The piece was approximately 12"x2". I left a tail of twice the length of the piece, then used the upholstery needle to whip stitch the piece around the flip flop straps. Before starting to stitch, I tied a scrap of yarn at the midway point of the swatch. This project obviously doesn't demand exacting measurements, but I felt more in control marking the midpoint, Eyelash or fuzzy yarn is probably the best idea for this project, seeing as it's more forgiving in the stitching department. What I'm saying is, this should be a low-stress project, and in the words of Tim Gunn, just "make it work." The knitting makes an otherwise cheap, uncomfortable pair of flip flops very comfy and fun.
To the right is a picture of everything I came away with. Not pictured are all the yummy snacks and camaraderie we all enjoyed. I'm so glad I braved the threat of thunderstorms. I'll definitely come again.
1 comment:
Post a Comment