Friday, July 15, 2011

Something fun!

Some of you may read my friend Andrea's blog, Stitch Parade.  The other day she posted a fun swap-type-thingy and I decided to participate!  I've never taken part in anything like this, but I just couldn't resist.  Who doesn't like receiving a fun, surprise package?  And so much the better if it includes hand-made items!

Andrea has the link back to where she got the idea from, but here's the basic idea: in choosing to participate, I agree to make for and send something to the first five people who comment on this post that they want to participate, as long as they agree to post it on their blogs as well and do the same for their first five commenters.  I know some folks are blogless and that would seem to exclude them, but I'm wondering if this could somehow be extended to those who use things like Facebook (which I don't), Twitter and the like.   So if you have ideas about this, please to chime in!

I looked at the blogs of a few of the people who have participated so far, and it seems to me that it has mostly focused on sewing.  Andrea mentioned that she had some ideas about what she would make for her buddies, and while she didn't say what those were, it got me to thinking.  She and I share a love of lists, and recently I began making a list of different arts/crafts I have done throughout my life.  Want to see?  This is what I have so far:


FIBER
knitting
crochet
spinning - drop spindle and wheel
weaving - inkle
weaving - tapestry
weaving - four-shaft
basket weaving
temari
sewing
quilting
rug hooking
tie dye
silk dying
fiber dying - natural and chemical
cross-stitch


PAPER ARTS
silk screening
paper making
paper marbling - western
paper marbling - sumi nagashi
calligraphy
small books


GLASS
glass bead making
glass fusing
glass blowing


JEWELRY
precious metal clay
metalsmithing
bead weaving - loom
bead weaving - off loom
wirebending

You may have guessed that I get bored easily!  Some of these things I had just a passing interest in and tried out, like tapestry weaving and rug hooking.  Others I was intensely involved in for quite some time, like calligraphy and glass bead making.  But knitting is the one hobby that I've done my whole life and never gotten tired of.  And I don't see myself ever tiring of it!

So all this is to say that as I've thought about what I might make for my swapping buddies, sewing is not the first thing that comes up.  I'll leave it at that!  Since I'm busy with my nephew and niece this month, I'm going to ask that if you decide to participate and are one of the first five, that you email me with your address.  I'm adding a page of contact info under the header.  I think this will save me having to scramble for addresses later on.

In other news, I'm having a great time with my nephew!  We did indeed take the water taxi downtown on his first day:

view from the Chicago River

and ended up at Navy Pier, where we played mini-golf!  Yesterday we took in a movie.  And today I'm thinking of taking him to Millennium Park to see the Bean:



3 comments:

  1. Wow, that’s quite the list. My attempt at drop spindle spinning was a disaster and I have a loom that was rescued from the garbage that I’m dying to try. One of these days…
    Thanks for paying it forwards!

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  2. I must have missed this original post last month. I would love to play along and pay it forward as well!

    Seeing the list of your crafty endeavors made me remember a long list of my own (mental list, that is) along with cabinets, closets and drawers full of crafty supplies. Mine won't involve sewing, but definitely something made by hand!

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  3. Janet, that's awesome! I'm putting you on my list :-)

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