Handmade Wedding Gift

I hate to do things last minute, but this year around the holidays it seemed that all of the gifts that I was making were being made last minute. I had decided to make a blanket for my cousin's wedding and started in plently of time, well it would have been plenty of time had I not started over twice. Things just didn't seem to be working right. So I ended up starting the blanket that I actually gave them the evening before the wedding.

I crocheted with two strands of yarn and a large hook which helped the process to go quickly. I did double crochet for the whole piece and was happy with how it turned out. I got the blanket completed in about 5 hours. I have sworn to myself that I"m going to start making gifts early for Christmas next year. We'll see if that actually happens.

Ali and Ty Wedding

My second cousin Ali just got married last night. It was a bitterly cold evening outside, but what a wonderful wedding. It was great to spend the evening with family and friends.

They were married at Manor Church, and the reception was at the Cork Factory in Lancaster, Pa. This was my first time at the Cork Factory, what a cool place.

Grapes, newest scarf by Fabricatedends

I recently discovered the Yarn Garden,  a yarn shop located in Carlisle Pa, and bought some really fun yarn. This yarn is so soft, I just want to wrap myself up in it and never take it off. This scarf is a great accessory to add a little fun and flair to your outfit, along with some warmth. Once you put this scarf on, you'll never want to take it off. Stop by my etsy shop and make this one yours today. http://etsy.com/shop/amberkane

Fresh

I was working on creating a scarf for my mom for Christmas. I had some up with a design in my head that I wanted to try, however there were a few problems. One, I didn't have time to start the piece until Christmas Eve, two, since I was in a hurry, I hadn't planned out my pattern properly and didn't put nearly enough yarn on the loom, three, I didn't realize that I hadn't put enough yarn onto the loom until after I had cut the first part of the scarf off. There was supposed to be enough yarn left on the loom to create another half, that was to then be added to first part to create a triangular scarf. However, there wasn't enough yarn left on the loom, and not enough time left on the clock to start over. So I decided to give her something that I had already made, and save the new design for another day.

But now I had woven piece that was 45" , not long enough for a scarf, with another  45" of unwoven warp string still attached. I wanted to find a way to create something, as I hate to waste supplies. So I decided that I was going to create a open french braid with the extra warp strings. I"m really happy with how it came out and was surprised to discover that the open braid relates to the crocheted and felted pieces that I have been creating.

This piece is now for sale in my etsy shop: http://etsy.com/shop/amberkane

Here's the piece that it relates to

Ocean: Handwoven and stitched Scarf

Here's my newest creation. The piece is loosely woven on the loom and then machine stitched once taken off of the loom. I used various shades of thread to add detail and interest to the piece. I've been wanting to create a piece with a lot of overlapping stitching, and am really happy with how this piece turned out.

It is 76" in length and 14" in width, which allows for many styling options.

KristinaMarie Garland

Check out these great garland pieces created by Kristina Marie. http://www.etsy.com/shop/KristinaMarie?ref=seller_info

Kristina and I studied art together at Messiah College and I'm so excited to see her putting her amazing talents to good use.

Her work was featured in Martha Stewart Magazine and HGTV.

New Items for Sale

I've been busy crocheting these last few days and have added some great new items to my etsy shop.



Both of these were created by crocheting in the round and doing one row single crochet the next row double crochet.

Lauren DiCioccio, Sewn Images

I've really become interested in embroidery and sewing into my work lately. I was in awe when I saw work created by Lauren DiCioccio. I really enjoy that she just leaves the extra threads hanging.

 

Crocheted Cowl

Well somehow it's Wednesday and I haven't posted anything yet this week. Life just seems to be a bit crazy right now, and I haven't had much time to sit down at the computer.

I am determined to get my Christmas orders filled, Christmas presents made, the house decorated, and find some time to relax. It seems that I have so many ideas floating through my head right now, but I just don't have enough hours in the studio to get them out. I think that is one of the things that I am most looking forward to with the upcoming holiday, time in my studio!

Here are a few pieces that I just finished this week. I've really been having fun doing more crocheting lately, I really seem to go in spurts with how much I crochet. At the moment I've been crocheting so much that I"m in physical therapy because my form arms were starting to ache and tingle. No worries though, nothing a little stretching and strength training can't fix.



This piece is in progess, I just ran out of yarn, so as soon as I'm finished with this post I'm heading to the yarn store , so that hopefully I can complete this piece this week. Look for these coming soon in my etsy shop, http://etsy.com/shop/amberkane

American Craft Inspiration

I was looking through an old American Craft Magazine and these images caught my eye.






These amazing images were created with cotton thread sewn onto linen.