Crochet Wallhanging Update: Day of the Dead #2

i have been working on this piece a lot lately... wanting to finish it so that i can hang it in the house. i am actually loving how this piece has turned out.

it's not "completely done" (is any piece ever completed?) ... i am trying to come up with a crochet design for a marigold ... and want to make a strand of yellow & orange marigolds (and maybe some beads... mmmm... beads) to drape over\around the piece.

marigolds are used in Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations ... the scent of the flowers lead the spirits. also, in India, strands of marigolds are used for joyful celebrations and for reverence.

i think a strand of marigolds will really set this piece off... we'll see!

here are some close up shots (up --> down) showing some of the details.

this piece is mostly free form crochet... i have also made crochet motifs and appliqued them to the piece... the stitches used are mostly sl, sc, dc, ts & bobbles (lots of bobbles) made with dc.

i have also incorporated loom knitting and small-loom weaving to the piece. and then the embellishments! i used vintage and new buttons; and beads of glass, plastic & metal.

i had so much fun picking out & placing the embellishments!

here are some side-to-side views

i created this piece from all acrylic yarns (mostly red heart yarn). i like using acrylic yarns to make something i consider beautiful from something so looked down on as a medium... mostly because of the snobbery involved. i really hate that look you get from "serious fiber artists" when you mention acrylic.

don't get me wrong... i love and use wool yarns... i splurge on lux brands sometimes... but i actually adore the spectrum of colors and textures that are offered in acrylics. they are bold and fun... which is what this piece is all about... a celebration of family & life.

THERAPUTIC STITCHERY (starting a new piece for fun and relaxation!)

Before, during and even after the holidays, I was involved in very functional items...most were gifts: scarves, hats, bags, afghans, etc. One of my resolutions for 2009 was to "finish up loose ends"... figuratively, as in straightening out some personal issues... but also literally, as in finishing up some hibernating fiber projects.

I got a good many of the fiber projects finished; and so I decided to to start a strictly non-functional freeform project. For me, it is so enjoyable not knowing how a project is going to end up! I can just add on what and where I feel like. It is a very relaxing... almost meditative quality, for me, in just mixing up colors, stitches and types of yarns ...i get so in the zone that i have been told my mantra should be "loop...loop... stitch." (are they making fun of me?)

Here are pics of the new piece, a Day of the Dead inspired piece. I love all of the bright colors associated with the festival; and I love the appreciation of ancestors ... and really the appreciation of life and its cycle. So far,this has been a fun piece to work on!

A MINI LADYBUG BACKPACK

ok... i admit that i am such a slacker when it comes to finishing projects! i can't help it! i am fairly certain that i suffer from undiagnosed attention deficit disorder... lol.

i start a project... full of ideas... and then either i think of something else and want to start on the new project or a hit a "roadblock" on how construction (a pitfall because i am not a pattern person! lol)... this trait of mine is a bad thing when you undertake to make something for someone else...

i have been working on a lady bug backpack for my cousin... it is all done except for a closure and some embellishments.

well, one of my new year's resolutions has been to clear out my hibernating projects; so i hope to be finishing it this week. but first i made her the snazzy beret below!

and then thought that i would make a little mini-backpack for her daughter too!

so here is a little something that i whipped up for Baby D!

i didn't use any pattern... just went "on the fly".

i used d rings to make adjustable straps.

here is the inside.

here is a close up of the ladybug!

and here is a close up of the bobbles on the front.

I sure hope that D and her Mom like these bags! (and forgive my slowness!)

DANG IT!

I was working on one of my WIPs...when i ran out of yarn...dang it! I hate it when that happens!

As you can see, my first attempt at matching dyelots hasnt really worked out. The original is more pink...while the first replacement attempt is more "purpley"... dammit!

wish me luck!

BETTER PICS

Here are some better shots of my newest wallhanging. It is a "stashbuster": made from scraps of acrylic yarn. It is freeform crochet over two metal craft rings; and measures approximately 12" across.

I like to do projects that show that acrylic yarns can be beautiful.