Getting Greener by the Minute...

So many crafts.
So little time.

Well, that's not exactly true... I mean the time part, not the craft part because you KNOW there are like millions of things that people do as crafts.

Some of them are cool, exciting, interesting and/or unusual.
Some are just odd, weird or down-right scary.
(taxidermy, I'm really thinking taxidermy)

Of course, Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder... and my eyesight isn't the best.

But seriously, recycled beer can hats and tote bags?

I like to crochet and the idea of reusing something as opposed to throwing it away is appealing to me. And my Mom was a recycler/reuser/reducer WAY before it became popular...
like before I was born 40-something years ago...
back when she was living in the post-depression depressed economy of Pennsylvania where there was apparently no jobs, no money and not much of anything else.

But I digress...

So recycling is something I agree with. I see the validity of it. The rightness of watching out for Mother Nature since WE (I mean the human race) has really mucked it up.

But using beer cans?
And what about those styrofoam meat package trays?
And dryer lint?

Yes, I did say dryer lint. Did you know there are people whose hobby is to spin dryer lint into yarn? No, really. They do!

Using colored glass bottles to make mosaics and jewelry pieces and wind chimes I get.
Turning an old T-shirt into a tie-dyed pool-cover up for a toddler is pretty cool.
Making a laptop messenger bag out of an old pair of HeMan Hubby's jeans - is something on my list of things to do when I get my sewing machine repaired... again!

Turning found items into something else. Finding a new purpose for something that has outgrown it's original one.
Totally so worth doing.
And so creative and NOW!

Too bad that wasn't the case when I was growing up...



I wonder if all those kids who teased me because my mom made all my clothes, because my mom used "trash" to create things like quilts and blankets and Girl Scout projects and Christmas ornaments...

If I could just point out to them that we, like Bill Gates, were pioneers of the future and that they are late to the party?

No, I don't think they'll buy it either.
But hey! It was worth a shot.

Just a Little More Time...( Felted Tie Pattern)

How many times have you said that , or at the very least thought that very same thing? I seem to be thinking it and saying it too much these days myself. I have been trying to figure just exactly how to find more time in my days, but unless I decide to give up on sleep altogether I cannot see any way to add more hours to my day... maybe Congress could vote some more hours in for me? LOL!
I have been working on getting my craft room in some semblence of order, a daunting task indeed! But on the bright side I actually FOUND an entire bin full of yarn that I did not remember having!
I am working on several projects at the moment-- crochet, knit and cross stitch, as well as trying to get my online store launched. Still have not come up with a good name for it... My hand-crafted item site including Jewelry, Purses and accessories is called DHDesigns, but I was hoping to come up with something a bit more catchy for an online store. Hopefully I can come up with something that works in the next day or 2 and get my store opened!

I promised a FREE PATTERN so here is the first one. It is easy and requires no real gauge.
I used Paton's Wool in blue and it looked like one I saw at the Mall before Christmas that was on sale for 59.99.... It took about 1/3 of the ball of wool for this project.

Crochet Felted Teacher's Tie

Supplies:
Size H hook
Worsted Weight Wool of choice ( real wool not acrylic)

Chain 32, turn
hdc in 2nd chain from hook and each chain to end (30 stitches), chain 2, turn
continue this pattern until tie is 48 inches long
Final row sc across to end and bind off.

Finishing :
Place tie in basin of HOT water with 1/2 tsp of liquid dish soap. Squeeze and agitate the tie in the hot water for 6-10 minutes then rinse with warm water until runs clear. Roll tie up into a ball and squeeze as much water out as possible.
Repeat this process until there are no visible spaces between stitches so that tie appears to be made of a solid fabric. It may take 3 cycles of hot water and rinsing to acheive this depending on how loosely you crochet. The tie should be about 1/3 smaller than when you started if you have felted it completely.
When you are satisfied with your felting and have sqeezed as much water out as possible fold a bath towel in half then lay the tie out on the towel with the tie folded in half. Roll the towel up with the tie inside applying pressure to the towel as you roll. Do this several times to remove as much moisture as possible from the tie.

To dry the tie unroll it and block it so it is square on each corner and the sides are straight and let it dry over night. To finish use an iron set on wool setting and lightly press the tie by placing the iron on the tie for several seconds beginning at one end and moving it along the tie to the other end. Be sure to lift the iron and set it down in the next spot- Do Not Slide it along or it will make the tie look uneven or crooked along the edges.
Voila'! You have now made a hand-crafted wool tie comparable to those found in high end retail stores for upwards of 100.00!!!
Great for gift giving with a nice Tie Tack or Tie Clip

DHDesigns.... That's Me!

Well it would seem that I have finally decided to join in the Blogging fun and here I am.
Who am I, that is the queston.
I am ~d of DHDesigns. I make jewelry, fashion accessories, purses and more. I crochet, knit, sew, enjoy wire wrapping, beading and am now trying my hand and making my own silver jewelry and accents.
Some of the jewelry collections available for sale via the web can be viewed and ordered at:

www.AllJeweledUp.com/Dhanlon

Don't see something you want , or need a different color scheme-- just email me, tell me what you want and I will make it!

A little about me... I am 40-something and have a rather large family including 6 children, a husband, a dog and some hamsters. My hobby is bird breeding so I have several pairs of lovebirds and other small parrot species right off my craft room. I enjoy reading, crocheting, knitting and creating jewelry and purses in various mediums. I love to experiment and try to let my imagination do the talking when it comes to my creations.

Getting my business off the ground is my priorty for the 2007 year and so far it is looking pretty good! To help get it going I am offering specials to all who order jewelry from me in months of January, February and March. For more info on the specials I am running please feel free to email me.

Feel free to take a look at the available jewelry collections and stay tuned for new postings with patterns for jewelry and crochet items.

I tend to ramble at times and tell stories about my daily life and my simple pleasures. I hope you will come back to share these with me soon!