FEED ME!! OR: Excuse me garcon, what is the craft du jour?

9.26.07
My inner craft beast requires daily sustenance, and rather than risk a cranky muse I feed him well, and often. Of course you can’t eat the same thing every day- variety is the spice of life and all that, so I’ve got to be creative with my craft "menu planning." Really, if I’m not working on several projects at any given time life just doesn’t seem complete. So I’ll share a bit of what is on my plate lately…

Let me see, I’d like to start with the graphite and fiber sheet appetizer
Returning to my humble beginnings I dug out a pencil, sifted through my dog-eared sketchbooks for a blank page and started sketching. I’ve been drawing as long as I’ve been allowed to hold a crayon and although I often become enamored with a new art-form when I return to my sketch pad it’s like slipping on a comfortable, old boot. It’s broken in, unpretentious and infinitely comfortable. Although I’d be a liar if I said it was always a successful venture.
After a fabulous brain-storming session with my blogging-partner-in-crime that left me reeling (you’d be reeling too if a tutu-clad gorilla rampaged through YOUR head *see my last blog entry for an explanation of my craft-insanity*) I was left with a few new ideas for t-shirt designs. Thanks in part to the miracle of web businesses I’ve been able to put my past drawings to use on Cafe Press with some surprising success. At the moment I’m working on some sketches for Lil Vlad, Lil Frankie and Lil Edgar lines. They still will need to be perfected in Photoshop and uploaded to our Cafe Press site, but they should be up there in a week or so for you to peruse. In the meantime if you’d like to see some of our other designs you can look at http://www.cafepress.com/nighfallaccess.
I’m also working on a design I’ve been drop-kicking around my head after my last reread of Dracula by Bram Stoker. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve read Mr. Stoker’s seminal novel, but it’s inspiring each time. This time around the book had me pondering dear Dr. Abraham Van Helsing. If the good doctor had his own crest or coat-of-arms, what would it look like? Of course I’m looking at it as a post-Dracula crest, complete with all the tools in the arsenal of a vampire-hunting-Victorian-era-hero. Fun, no? This may not make it to Cafe Press for a little while longer while I refine my design, but hopefully it will be available just in time for Halloween!

For the main course I’d like to try the acrylic linguine
If they will admit to it, any fiber artist (a.k.a. the obsessed crocheter or knitter) can tell you how easy it is to suddenly realize that your yarn stash is completely and utterly out of control. It’s an insidious disease that will affect many a good yarn enthusiast even after only a couple of months of fixation with the craft. I’ve been feeling pretty guilty lately about my HUGE stash of cheap acrylic yarn. It’s what I used as I was beginning to teach myself to crochet about 3 years ago. I made blankets, blocky, shapeless sweaters and an endless numbers of scarves with the stuff. Now that I’m more comfortable with crochet and am able to work on shapelier garments I can appreciate the luxury of a nicer natural-fiber yarn that can make a garment truly special. But what to do with all that old yarn? That’s when The Snuggles Project inspired the philanthropist (phil-animalist?) in me.
The Snuggles Project helps to give animals in shelters the physical and psychological comfort that they need so badly by providing them with crocheted, knitted, quilted and other home made blankets donated by the community. So that’s what I’m doing. I have vowed that every yard of my excess yarn will be used to make comfortable, and more importantly, washable blankets for these poor animals. You really do have to appreciate the durability and versatility of a man-made yarn for projects like this. These blankets should be able to withstand endless washings and rough treatment while remaining warm and relatively soft. I’ve been making blankets like a fiend, and after contacting a couple local shelters that participate in the project (and a couple that didn’t but jumped at the chance to take in snuggly blankets for their charges) I’m off to spread some good karma!
If you’re interested in helping out there are a couple of options for you. I do not yet have permission to post a link to The Snuggles Project, but be sure you can find it by giving it a quick "Google." You can also contact local shelters in your area to ask about their donation policies. Some veterinarians will also accept these kinds of donations to help their overnight patients relax more comfortably as they heal. If animals aren’t your thing hospitals, nursing homes, and even fire departments have needs for warm blankets, but of course you’ll have to contact these places yourself to find out what their needs are.

And for dessert I’ll have the alpaca parfait, hold the nuts.
For those of you who crochet you could have hardly missed my favorite book: Stitch and Bitch: The Happy Hooker which is now sold at practically every craft store, book store and online yarn boutique. If you love to crochet and haven’t seen this book then I must assume you are crouched under a rock with your eyes closed and crochet hooks in your ears! This book is pretty much how I evolved from a hook-wielding Neanderthal who was struggling through bulky, boring projects to something more akin to a nimble ape with a crochet hook who could now accomplish a few fun accessories and one or two flattering garments. I laude my profoundest thanks at the feet of the pioneering gals who brought this book to the public and showed all of us closet hookers that granny squares and doilies were not the only option for frustrated crocheters. Even after owning this book for a year or two I haven’t made even half of the available patterns, but I resolve to partially remedy this by starting another project from this book- the Unseemly Sweater. It’s a lovely design with plenty of easy shaping and a simple silhouette that will go great with anything from jeans to skirts.
But the real reason I am as amped as an alpaca on amphetamines is the yarn… Being an obsessive crocheter I’ve worked with a lot of different kinds of yarn from man-made monstrosities to exquisite blends; fascinating novelty yarn and ultra unique naturals, but today I’ve got my hands finger-deep in the yummiest baby alpaca yarn ever. Never before have I worked with such a soft yarn and it promises to be such a treat as I continue. If you haven’t worked with alpaca yarn before I urge you to give it a try, it’s a delight! Even those of you with wool allergies may find that alpaca doesn’t give you the itchies and bumpies so it’s a wonderful alternative to wool. Of course this statement will have to be fully tested by our resident allergy-ridden Art Fiend, but I’m sure you’ll see her discourse on the subject sooner or later!

Check please!

Lyzard