About Me & My Artistic Expression (or Thread Obsession)

When I was a small girl, every Sunday afternoon my mother took us kids to visit my Grandparents. While my mother and grandmother chatted at the kitchen table over coffee, I wandered through the company rooms of the house admiring all the fancy workings that adorned the furniture. Every table top was covered with at least one fancy working. Towels were trimmed in lace, as was every hand cloth, pillowcase and tablecloth. And every week this fascinating display changed!

In my Grandparents home my Grandmothers "private" area was in the basement right next to the cloths washer and across from a very large stove. While my grandmother sat waiting for the cloths to wash and the oven to bake, she would create her fancy workings. As a little girl I would sit on the floor at my Grandmothers feet and watch her knit or crochet. This is how I learned . . . . by watching. To this day I still knit backwards.

What fascinated me as a child remains a passion of mine today - some 40 years later. I naturally gravitate towards century old patterns and have a fondness for Victorian and Celtic designs. I draw a great deal of my inspiration from nature, which is probably why I'm so hooked on Irish Crochet. I also recently I began creating some of my own designs and will some day put them to patterns. I work with a variety of fibers in creating my work such as cotton, bamboo, wool & linen - and lots of color!

In this blog I'll talk about things like fiber, crochet tips and techniques, and share my knowledge in the crafts history. Resources are immense with the internet, but I'll list my favorites here too.

My greatest passion is crochet, but I do still knit from time to time.

You can browse through an array of my creations at:

Artistic Needlework: www.etsy.com/shop/ArtisticNeedlework

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Artistic-Needlework/101214780007413

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/ArtisticNeedleW/

Posted by Artistic NeedleWork

Crochet: The Big Finish

   When you have a 'to do' pile as big as mine, the task of weaving in loose ends, cleaning and blocking is just plain painful! Well it's raining today, so no more excuses! Enough procrastinating! Fact is, if I don't get busy now, given my obsesses compulsive crochet behavior, the pile is just going to get bigger! Actually I enjoy this part of the process (not the weaving part) the pleasure that comes with fruition. Let me start by saying that if you don't secure ends tightly your work will eventually unravel. I repair a lot of old pieces of lace and can attest to the fact that your work will last for generations. So make that big finish and do it right.

To start I'm going to suggest a book 'Crochet Bouquet' by Suzann Thompson. Turn to pages 14 and 15 for joining and weaving basics. This is a very easy, clean and neat method of finishing your work.


Here's How I Do It:

It's not difficult, but what you want to do is create that "seamless" end, so you must be neat about it. And the object is to HIDE the thread. The end also needs to be secure so it doesn't poke out its ugly head in the future. BTW, weave ends in BEFORE you clean and block.




Thread the end into a yarn needle. I use a two inch long, sharp needle. Stitch into the back of the work or through the middle of stitches so the thread cannot be seen from the right side. I weave in two or more inches then pull on the piece stretching out that end with the piece so the end doesn't pop out when blocking. Then secure by weaving back over the end and trim. Where unraveling is a concern is at the end of your work. The beginning is not such a concern as you generally work over this end and the starting stitch is a good knot. Not so at the end of your piece. I needle join at the end of my work to create a seamless 'no bump' look, but I must knot somewhere or it will unravel.

Blocking is a subject that, in my crochet book, is deserving of its own post so I won't go into its detail here. Some don't block their work they just wash and press with an iron. And their work reflects it. We don't use a gauge and consistent tension for nothing, so please block. While your blocking look for any loose ends that may have popped out and trim.

End Notes:
• Don't create loose ends! If they are not there you don't have to weave them in! Never break thread.
• If you can, always weave as you work or work over ends while creating. This is best and makes you feel like your miles ahead of the game!
• Don't watch TV while you do this. Glancing from your work to the TV is really bad for your eyes. Focus your eyes on your work only. Pop in an Emmylou Harris CD or James Taylor - good relaxing tunes is what you need.
• Weave in a good amount of thread 'cause if the little end should poke out in the year 2035, it can then be snipped off without worry.
• Take a minute to look over your work now. Better to find errors now than in blocking. Sometimes I make the stupidest mistakes. My first husband comes mind . . . But seriously, it is literally impossible to tear out a starched blocked piece, so look for errors now and make the choice to either live with them or start all over.

Happy Crocheting Everyone!


- Denise


Go to this page for my complete cleaning and care instruction:

http://www.artisticneedlework.blogspot.com/p/care-instructions.html?m=1
The End

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