Crochet Cthulhu and Other Yarn Craziness

I didn't mean to start crocheting again, but last year in one of my half-hearted attempts to clean and organize, I pulled out the box labeled "Knit & Crochet supplies" and thought I should get rid of this because I haven't knitted or crocheted in years. Then next thing I know I'm reading books on crochet flowers and amigurumi and then I'm pinning hat patterns on Pinterest and buying more yarn. My rationalization is that I needed to make things to sell for the MARN Artibles and Warped Milwaukee holiday craft shows, of course... The nice thing about crochet is that small projects are easy to carry around and work on in my spare time.

I had made a crochet Cthulhu as a (belated) Christmas present for my dear big brother, starting with the pattern posted on the Cthulhu Crochet blog but adding more rows and stitches to get the shape I wanted. Then some of my brother's co-workers also wanted Cthulhus (see above line up & what is the plural of Cthulhu?). Apparently they have "Take your Cthulhu to work" day there. If you're interested in a basic Cthulhu, check out my Etsy shop. Not satisfied with that original pattern, I also decided to add some legs and a tail, so I now have a deluxe Cthulhu available as well.

I was also looking for a fun hat pattern and found this design by Leslie Nelle-Urinyi of Wool Mountain Studio on Etsy. I made this hat to donate to the Southeast Wisconsin Alzheimer's Association fundraiser this spring as they had a wearable art auction.

So obviously that box of knit and crochet supplies did not go away. If I am a better blogger this summer, I'll take some photos of the experiments in yarn made from old t-shirts....

I'm Baaaaack! (and still not organized)

Really I was never gone, but just very busy with non-artsy work. I had every intention of posting "before" and "after" photos of how I organized my creative space this spring, but unfortunately I never got past taking the "before" pictures. I did accomplish a few organizational things such as moving a good chunk of the art supplies out of the dining room and living room.  Here are a few very carefully cropped and staged photos that give me a vague sense of accomplishment while completely hiding the mess piled out of sight.

The living room was briefly craft supply free with new pillows made from fabric found at the thrift store. The area behind the couch that had been craft supply-infested is now "The Library." (And I admit there's a big pile of crochet supplies on the library table now.)
 
In the "Craft Room" we finally hung up the pegboard that had been sitting in the closet!

And the Ikea Bygel rail & cups that had been sitting on the floor! (Just ignore all the stuff that was piled on the floor next to it.) Unfortunately every time I try to clean I get distracted by things I would rather be doing. ("Look, unfinished art projects!" Or "I'd better go look up some storage ideas on Pinterest!") So it will be awhile before you see any real "after" photos.

Art Trader, Pinterest & other Distractions

I realized that I never posted back in July that I was interviewed for the Summer 2011 issue of Art Trader Magazine, the FREE on-line 'zine for all things mail art. You can download the PDF file here. Be sure to check out their site because they also have contests and offer on-line workshops. (I took the Fantastic Faces workshop in the spring.)

Also this summer, I am attempting to reorganize my office/work area, though no one can tell when looking at the space, because it looks as messy as ever. I keep getting distracted by looking at other people's beautiful work spaces on-line and browsing for storage ideas. My friend Mel got me hooked on Pinterest, a site which allows you to "pin" links and images to your own themed boards. So perhaps I spent more time pinning inspiration to my Art Studio Ideas board than I should have....

And two of my Pinterest boards on cats and Edgar Allan Poe translated into my first Etsy treasuries. (And I was not in anyway procrastinating the cleaning and organizing when I made these.) And one of my minor accomplishments this summer was getting a few more of my quilted ornaments listed on Etsy. Now back to work...

What's in Your Drawers?

MarysMadness has started a blog called What's In Your Drawers for those of us who love looking at other people's art spaces and supplies. Of course, in my workspace, it's more like "What's not in your drawers?"

Here is our dining room table covered with my stuff. Most of it should be in that cabinet in the back corner, but I'm an "everything out" person. (I read this in an an organizing book, so it must be true.) I like to have everything where I can see it. Things in drawers get forgotten! I also tend to remember where things are in relation to other things stacked around it, so if anyone moves my stuff, I can't find it! Pity my poor husband (though his domain in the garage doesn't look much better) or my poor grad school roommate who was a "nothing out" person.

So I have tried to become more organized, buying clear plastic bins and labelling things, but when I work, everything comes back out again and is spread out over every available flat surface! This week, I tried to put some stuff away. Here's my dining room cabinet looking somewhat organized. About ten minutes after I took that photo, I was already pulling bins back out again.

I love the idea of storing my supplies in fabulous vintage tins and jars and having color coordinated baskets and a wall covered with art inspiration and peg board for tools, but until then here's a staged photo of my organizational microprogress. Vintage tins filled with bottle caps! Wooden bingo counters! An antique strainer filled with Altoid tins and random round things! Enjoy!