Green Crochet. Green Yarn Not Required.
07 Feb 2012 2 Comments
So I keep finding new projects and stuff that I want to do. However, with two little ones to chase around/play with/take care of, a handsome hubby to hang out with, and a Lord to serve/spend quiet time with, it’s hard to find the time! then add in my looming return to work (got a new job, whuut uuuppp!!!), and time becomes quite the rare commodity. That being said, I thought these two newest finds were just too fantastic not to share! They both do their part to reduce waste, reuse materials, and in such creative ways!
The first idea crossed my path a few weeks ago, I forget how, but somehow browsing crochet online, I saw some comment that mentioned “pop tab crochet”. At first I thought they USED the pop tabs TO crochet, in place of a hook or something. But then I found THIS!
Handbag made entirely of pop can pull tabs crocheted together!
Can you say “Wow!”? I’ve found some videos on YouTube of kids who are weaving them together to make bracelets and belts, but to efficiently make more of a fabric, crochet is the way to go. So I found this tutorial from someone who had made purses, and tried my first swatch:
First swatch of pop tab crochet!
I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. I’m planning on making a small purse soon. Have a few hat orders to fill and then I’ll give it a try.
The possibilities are really endless. The technique has its roots in Brazil, where ladies would gather up the pop tabs from cans that littered the beaches and streets, and then crochet them into pieces that they can sell. Much love to Escama Studio, an organization that sells these fair trade bags, helping the artisans in Brazil to make a living. Check out their website, such incredible handiwork! “Escama” actually means “fish scales” in Portugese, which is definitely what the handbags resemble.
My next “green crochet” find was when I googled “Plarn” = plastic yarn. A commenter on a PopTab purse site mentioned that they use plarn to crochet, and I didn’t know what that was. So I found a YouTube channel by a girl who put this video together.She uses regular old plastic shopping bags, cuts them into strips, interlocks them and uses them as a type of yarn to crochet! 
I have a bunch of bags, so I’d looove to give this a try in the future. There’s a company called FatBottomBags who, through the contribution of 25 families, have kept 7000 plastic grocery bags out of landfills, SO neat!
Anywho, that’s it for today — E and A are both still sleeping soundly, so not only will my blog be updated, I’ll be able to finish up these hats that need to be shipped by the weekend.
Thanks for visiting!
xo
-Annie
What a HOOt!
29 Jan 2012 1 Comment
Freshman post: Stitches.
Sophomore post: Sweets!
I had the joy of creating this sweet cake for my cousin Jaime’s Baby Shower. As you can see the theme was owls, and it was adorable. A friend (family member?) of Jaime’s used some wicked scrapbook-y/papercraft skills and there were cute owl decorations that matched the invites all over, even some mini versions used as napkin rings! Über cute.
Sooo….here she be!
Mommy and Baby Owl!
Complete with rattle and cutesy little bow!
so...many...leaves... lol. Only slightly tedious, but SO pleased with the outcome!
Okay, okay, the leaves really weren’t that bad, I just had to wait for my fondant to dry slightly after kneading in the colour. Especially to get the deeper shades, you have to add a significant amount of icing colour, and it makes the fondant really sticky. To add to the matter, working in the colour warms up the fondant, increasing the sticky factor…
Anywhooo… I had someone at the shower ask me if I had the Cricut Cake, and seemed shocked when I said no. I have one little leaf cutter and did them all by hand, which is incomparably cheaper than a Cricut. The machine and the sheets that it uses are NOT cheap…and I am. So there. *folds-arms-across-chest-with-a-”hmph”-sound*
It turns out I lied… Sophomore post: Sweets….and more stitches! I couldn’t post the cake and NOT post the owl hat I crocheted for little Baby H.
All I knew from talking to the shower host was that the theme was owls…so I was pretty pleased when I got my actual invitation to the shower, and saw that the owl on the front was uncannily similar to the hat! Bonus!
crazy-similar, right??
Thanks for reading, next few posts may be more sweets than stitches, as I’ve got a few cake orders in the next few months. Stay tuned!
xoxo
-A
New is fun!
12 Jan 2012 2 Comments
Heeeere we go!
Hi there! I’m Anne, a wife and mother who is about to lose her blogging virginity. Okay, okay, I HAVE written a blog post before, but it stopped at one and that was over a year ago, so I guess I equate that to just “fooling around”. ;) I’m creating this blog to chronicle my adventures in, you guessed it, stitches and sweets! Specifically crochet and cake decorating; both of which are relatively new ones for me.
Caking started in April of ’10, when I started taking the Wilton courses at my local Michaels store. I loved them. From there I started doing cakes for friends’ and family’s special occasions, and word spread. I have branched out to do outside orders and continue growing my skills and clientele. Here’s the link to my first/old blog post from last October with some pics. I’ll work on uploading what I’ve done since then.
My first original pattern!
Crochet is the real newbie in my life. I randomly decided to explore it when I was going through an old box of yarn my mom gave me. She had taught me to knit years ago and I never got into it. Among all the knitting needles was a lonely crochet hook. One week and a dozen YouTube tutorials later (my favourite teachers are Beth In Texas, Mikey and The Crochet Geek), I was crocheting beanies, scarves, small bags…. I was HOOKED, pun most certainly intended. I have learned SO much, mostly from my YouTube teachers, and have learned to read a pattern, modify a pattern, even design my own. I LOVE that crochet came to me so quickly….
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any requests and orders for yourself. I think what drew me to these hobbies was that they are both things that I enjoy doing, but that when I’m done a project, others can benefit from it as well.
I’ll do my best to upload my adventures on here somewhat regularly. Hope you enjoy!!
Thanks a bunch for visiting!
xo
-Annie-
