Creative Projects > Crochet

Links to crocheted projects (this blog page will be updated as more projects are added):




Evolution of the Crocheted Kraken 



Crochet Terms, Definitions, and Conversions




Beginner's Crochet and Basic Crochet Starter Projects

The Confluence: Dabbling in the Waters of Leonardo da Vinci

"Water is the driving force in nature."

~Leonardo da Vinci~

Leonardo daVinci, Notes on the Movement/Physics of Water.

 Confluence: (n) a flowing together or meeting of two or more things at a common point.

Leonardo daVinci is confluence personified: an artist, scientist, inventor, engineer, musician, and architect with a constant sense of questing.

Leonardo was fascinated with water, wanting to comprehend it's nature, properties, how it shaped nature, and how to control and use it. Water inspired his art/music, science, sense of wonder, and his urge to invent and engineer.



He often compared the flow of water to the flow of blood, rivers to veins, and used these workings to understand both systems better.

daVinci, Studies of Water Moving, 1508-09.

 

Leonardo studied and sketched water throughout his life, one of his early sketches shows his study of the Arno River (Italy), including the movement of water. Other sketches and notes show his scientific approach to understanding water.

Leonardo daVinci, 1473, Study of a Tuscan Landscape, Arno River.

Da Vinci mapped water as it impacted people:

(click maps for larger images)

 and landscapes:















Many of his inventions and engineering studies dealt with water:



















 and how we could potentially *capture* it.

My personal favorite?
How could it not be

da Vinci's underwater breathing device?

 Do you have a favorite?

Leonardo daVinci also explored expressing music through *capturing* water, here is a peek at the NOVUS build of the water organ designed daVinci (Chuck Zimmerman's YouTube):

A version  of the water organ that you can hear *playing*, built by Joaquin Saura following daVinci's sketches, plans and discussion found in the Madrid Codex II at the National Library in Madrid (Joaquin Saura's YouTube).

Leonardo da Vinci also used water to help capture some of his more symbolic and fantastical musings:

Leonardo's Allegory of Bull, Wolf, and Eagle.

Leonardo's sketch Neptune, 1504-05

 Da Vinci's association with water is something that I think many of us feel, a connection.
I'll leave you with a some final thoughts from da Vinci, 2 quotes:

" Water is sometimes sharp and sometimes strong, sometimes acid and sometimes bitter, 

sometimes sweet and sometimes thick or thin, sometimes it is seen bringing hurt or pestilence, sometime health-giving, sometimes poisonous. It suffers change into as many natures as are the different places through which it passes. And as the mirror changes with the colour of its subject, 

so it alters with the nature of the place, becoming noisome, laxative, astringent, sulfurous, salty, incarnadined, mournful, raging, angry, red, yellow, green, black, blue, greasy, fat or slim. 

Sometimes it starts a conflagration, sometimes it extinguishes one; is warm and is cold, 

carries away or sets down, hollows out or builds up, tears or establishes, fills or empties, 

raises itself or burrows down, speeds or is still; is the cause at times of life or death, 

or increase or privation, nourishes at times and at others does the contrary; at times has a tang, 

at times is without savor, sometimes submerging the valleys with great floods. 

In time and with water, everything changes. "

~ ~ ~

" The body of the earth is of the nature of a fish ...  

because it draws water as its breath instead of air. "

Leonardo da Vinci- 15 April, 1452 to 2 May 1519.

Release the Bees! -or- How to Build a Bee House (in less than 3 hours)

Last year our apple and pear harvest was ridiculously small;
the year before we made a huge batch of cider (hard and soft ;) , apple and pear pies for everyone, apple butter, preserved pears, and apple mint jelly... so, we really missed all of that with our small harvest! We also noticed very few bees last spring. We garden organically, and we aren't sure of the cause, but we're not taking unnecessary chances with our harvest so we've bought some mason bees to boost our crops!

(follow this link to a post about the wonderful mason bee!)

We're also setting up different types of housing for the bees, so the females can pick and choose where they want to lay their eggs (every mason bee female is a *queen*, lays eggs). This post covers how to build a bee house that is easy to clean (a clean house helps keep the bees healthy!) and reuse from year to year. The instructions include videos and photos.

Materials (for exact house), metric sizes given are close approximates:

• 1"x6" x ~ 8' (closest metric standard to ~2.54cm x 15.24cm x 2.44m) for cell trays, house sides and house bottom (do NOT use cedar or treated wood for the wooden trays/cells); cut to
• (10) cell trays- 1"x6" (closest metric standard to ~2.54cm x 15.24cm) each at 5 1/2" (13.9cm) long (fir, pine, hemlock, etc)
• (2) side pieces- 1"x6" (closest metric standard to ~2.54cm x 15.24cm) each at 8 3/4" (22.26cm) long (adjust length if needed, but the pieces should equal the height of your stacked cell trays and the spacer pieces)
• (1) bottom piece- 1"x6" (closest metric standard to ~2.54cm x 15.24cm) at 6" (15.24cm) long
• 1"x8" x ~18" (closest metric standard to ~2.54cm x 20.32cm x 45.72cm) for roof (cedar may be used, but do NOT use treated wood); cut the (2) roof pieces by cutting board exactly in half with a 45 degree angle (which creates the roof peak joint)
• (2) ~ 1/2"x3"x 5 1/2" (1.2cm x 7.62 x 13.97cm) spacer pieces (clean scrap wood)
• 1/8" or narrower (.32 cm) x ~2' (60.96cm) long  metal rod (non-corrosive e.g. stainless steel) for stabilizing rod; cut in half or cut in place to correct length 
• screws
• (8) #8 1 1/4" deck screws (or similar)
• (5) #6 x 1 5/8" trim screws (or similar)
• picture hanging wire and (2) screws
• wall hook
• silicone caulk 
• glue (non-toxic) or small nails/brads/screws ~3/4" (used to attach 2 spacer pieces)
• optional:
• roofing metal/adornments ;) - copper, plexi, etc.
• stain/ sealant/ permanent marker
• wood and/or wire trim

Equipment:

• clamps (can use elastic/ bungee cords or ...)
• saw
• drill 
• 5/16" to 3/8" drill bit (~8.5mm to 9.5mm)
• 1/8" drill bit (size slightly larger than stabilizing rod) (3.17)
• driver bits or screw drivers (to fit screw heads) 
• clamps 8"/ bungees (2) that will hold the blocks tight while you work with them

Methods:
Finally! Here we are, finally getting to the "how to"! No worries, this is pretty easy... and if you have any questions post them to me and I'll help you sort it out :) . If you aren't used to woodworking these directions will walk you through making the bee house pictured above (and then add your own unique detail touches if you want); if you have some experience with woodworking you can just riff off of the techniques used here to create your own unique style of bee house!

• Assemble all of the materials and equipment
• Measure and mark 1"x6" board at 5 1/2" length each for 10 cell tray pieces

• Cut 10 cell trays

• Stack the 10 cut cell trays together, cut side down, and prepare to clamp them together

• Clamp together and prepare cell trays for drilling and then number the boards on the side, in order, 1-10 (this will be important later)

• Set up to drill holes in to the cell tray boards. You want the cell holes to each end up 5 to 5 1/2" (~14cm) deep, this may take a couple steps to achieve. First I drilled the holes using a drill press to about 4 inches deep (I was in a hurry to do this and didn't want to wait to buy a longer drill bit ;) , which created a very straight start, then followed that up with a regular drill to get the depth to 5" to 5 1/2".
• I spaced the holes about an inch apart. You can mark them if that helps you keep track.

• Drill the holes! Drill holes directly into the joints between the boards. You are creating the bee cells where the boards join so you can easily take the cells apart to clean and care for your bees and bee house.

-

• Drill the holes between 5" and 5 1/2" deep (note the numbered boards ;) . I followed up the drill press, which gave me a nice straight 4" deep cell hole to start, with a handheld drill to drill the holes to 5 1/2"

• Note the numbers (1-10) on the side of the cell trays

• Drill a hole (using a bit slightly larger than your stabilizing rod) through all of the cell trays in each of the rear corners, for 2 stabilizing rods that will keep the cell trays from slipping. My drill bit was NOT long enough to drill through all of the cell trays at once so I drilled through four at a time and kept removing the top two cell tray boards to drill down through two more cell tray levels until I went through all of the cell tray boards in the stack

• Build the house walls for the cell trays by pre-drilling the holes, then using the deck screws to attach the the side walls to the bottom of the house, making the internal width of the house the same as the width of the cell trays. Make sure to line up the back edges of all pieces evenly so the extra lip of the bottom piece sticks out the front of the house. Silicone the joining edges of the wall and bottom on the inside

• Drill stabilizing rod holes in to house bottom/base, use bottom 2 cell trays as a drilling template to line up the holes for the bottom insert. Do NOT drill all the way through the bottom/base! You want the bottom to hold the rod in place.

-

-

• Temper the insides of each cell with a propane torch. This will help clean up any bits and darken the inside of the cell

• Affix the 2 spacer pieces, one to the center of the bottom of the bottom cell tray and one to the center of the top of the top cell tray. Set the stack of cell trays in the housing... it should be a snug fit. 
• Put the stabilizing rods through the cell trays and push firmly in to the bottom/base piece. 
• Use 2 deck screws (pre-drill!) to attach the top edge of the house walls to the top spacer Be careful not to over-tighten as you will seasonally remove these screws, and these screws are just there to give extra (probably unneeded) stability

• The back of the bee house, with picture hanging wire. Roof is only set in place at this point to make sure the stabilizing rods are cut to the right length. Cut the stabilizing rods!!! Put silicone between the 45 angle of the roof and join the 2 pieces. If needed, use a box to square up the roof corner, pre-drill, and use three trim screws to screw the two halves of the roof together. Silicone the roof joint. I also sealed the top and sides of the roof, because I wanted to keep the color of the roof light and watertight. Line up the roof so about 1/4" of the roof overlaps to the back of the house, which gives the front a large overlap. Center, pre-drill, and attach the roof to the sides of the bee house using the 2 remaining trim screws, silicone over screw heads.

and from the front......

• Location! location! location!  The bee house should be mounted in a sunny south-facing area where it also gets early sun, preferably on a wall or solid fence of some sort. We mounted ours on the wall next to our garden area. We pre-drilled the hole since the wall is cement board. Make sure to mount it sturdily.

• The bee house ready for the bees!

• The bees in the house. The top spacer piece is a perfect place to set out the bees as they are getting ready to come out of their cocoons.

Coming Soon!

• More about mason bees (link)
• More about North American native bees (link)
• More about honey bees (link)

Beginner's Crochet and Basic Projects (Crochet #1)

And now for something completely different...

Two weeks ago I was shown a really cool scale design that had been crocheted... I suddenly, and unexpectedly, realized I wanted to know how to crochet so I could make this really cool design, but in light-weight wire. So, I realized that I suddenly, and urgently, needed to learn to crochet! (yes, i was in shock too, i absolutely didn't see this coming).

Happily the friend who is to blame ;)  for this sudden urgent "realization" (she is the one who showed me the really cool scale pattern that she had crocheted using yarn) had an extra "K" hook with her, which she gave me, and a bit of extra yarn along with a very quick reminder lesson in "holding your yarn and crochet hook", "making a starter chain", and "single crochet for those sitting there with their mouths open". To be blunt her hands moved so quickly and efficiently that I was having a hard time seeing exactly what she was doing, but I'd watched my grandma when I was little (she'd taught  me some finger crochet) and I got the general idea! I needed to learn some basics about crochet before I could crochet wire scales! (imagine that!  ; )
On the way home I stopped and picked up some yarn...  ;  )

The next day I checked out a "how to" site online, which I can HAPPILY recommend as a very good tutorial site for crochet (very good for basic "what's that?" and  "how to" stuff and for advanced information too!) and very convenient to watch (over-and-over) closely to pick up the stitches, Crochet Geek! [ Crochet Geek seems to be an excellent source for crochet information and the Crochet Geek videos on YouTube are wonderful!  I'll likely do a few "how to" crochet blog posts, but I'm very new to this (and likely to make some unusual pieces) and Crochet Geek is *2 thumbs up*. ]
 



Anyway... so that day I crocheted a 24 stitch x 13 row "face cloth" blue "square" (anyone who crochets knows that, at best, the first time you crochet this standard practice piece  the best you really do is approximately rectangular  ; ) . I used this as an opportunity to learn the basics: chain, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet, and triple crochet (in the interest of total disclosure, as i said earlier, i must confess that i learned some "finger crochet" eons ago from my grandma ; ) .

 

Some important things to keep in mind when choosing your yarn / string: washable?, dryer safe?, yardage (how long is it?), yarn weight (is it considered lace =0, super fine =1, up to super bulky =6?), size of crochet hook or knitting needle suggested, etc.; happily, this information is usually found on the back of the packaging! Many packages also have a pattern on the inside and/ or a web address with free patterns.

The next day I started on a hat! I have decided I want to make a squid / kraken (on the way to knowing enough so I can make the wire scales) so I'm making a couple projects that I want before I get to the scales! Along the way I want to explore how quickly one can start making very useful and creative things using crochet, and next I wanted to see if I could make a hat, off the top of my head  ; ) , so, on this first go I didn't use any guides. The hat turned out fairly well, and fit nicely, except for a localized bump where I started making the hat too large  ; )  I was distracted from my crochet practice for a few days and when I returned to my "finished" hat I decided to pull it apart and start over! This is one of the things I really like about crochet, if you don't like what you've done you can easily deconstruct it and start over!



This time I was quite happy with my finished hat!
Unfortunately I do not know enough to be able to tell you exactly how I made this (or to share how you can make one just like it), but this second build started with a chain stitch loop and 24 half double crochets into the middle of it and then the bulk of this one was rounds of half double crochet and double crochet.

I will also figure out, as I learned to read crochet patterns, how to write them so I can share what I make with others!



Now it's time to build another hat (this time using some instructions and new stitches) and start on the squid/kraken! I really want a squid that will fit on my hat (no, I'm not given to sticking things on my hats,

so there is NO real explanation for this sudden shift in behavior    ; )  , and with a different yarn texture than my hat, so I think I'll start with ............



~> ~> ~>

Join us in our ongoing Quest...
... continued ...