A blog about

A BLOG ABOUT CRAFTING ADVENTURES IN THE FAR NORTH

Thursday, December 22, 2011

News Trees and Snowflake Stars - 3 days till the big day!!

That's right!  It's time for the yearly holiday crafts creation!! Here are a few links to years past:
News Trees are a simple bit of decoration you can do!

Once again, it is time for us at the Capital City Weekly to give a little gift back to the fine folks of Southeast Alaska in the form of some DIY decorations.

In years past we’ve tackled topics such as wreaths, ornaments, coasters, bunting and gift-wrap, so this year it is finally time to get down to the nitty gritty of a holiday crafted tree. Unless you’re reading this story online, you are holding in your hot little hands the key to making a fun holiday tree, or a forest of them for that matter. As an added bonus we’ll also include a pattern for an easy snowflake star to keep your holidays bright and white.
Pattern for a news tree layer

NEWS TREES 

Tools: A CCW, a dowel, tape, a foam base, extra decorating tools (like glitter).
Directions: Place the dowel into your foam base — this will be the tree trunk from which you will build. Cut circles of CCW graduating in size from small to large. You may use a decorative scissors for a fancy edge or create your own wavy edge.
Cut a pie wedge piece out of each circle (see illustration). Starting with the largest circles, bring the two edges of the pie wedge together to create a cone shape. Tape the underside to secure the cone shape. Slide the cone over the dowel trunk and repeat this process placing the larger cones at the bottom and gradually getting smaller.
You now have a news tree. Use dots of glue and glitter to create a snow or ornament effect on your tree. With an entire CCW, you have enough to make a forest of winter wonderland décor.

SNOWFLAKE STARS
Tools: Square paper (you can use the CCW for this project too), scissors, glue or tape.

Directions: With two folds and three cuts you can build some lovely 3D snowflake stars. Take a square piece of paper and fold it in half to create a triangle. Then fold it in half again for a smaller triangle. Now cut along the three lines according to the illustration. Unfold the paper and you will have some triangle-shaped cuts.

click here for the original article in full and completion to snowflake stars . . .

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Seaside Yarns- a new knit shop and pattern!!

Check out this new spot downtown and the pattern for this fabulous cozy cowl:
From the moment you walk into Seaside Yarns, a cozy warmth washes over you, and it’s not just from the hanks of wool roving and skeins of yarn bursting out of every corner. Friendly shop owner, Melissa Highfill, has been peddling yarns, roving, tools of the trade and more out of her small bright shop in the downtown Wharf building since May of this year.

Just five short years ago Highfill looked up a YouTube video on knitting and was literally hooked. Since then her love for knitting, spinning and dyeing yarns has led her to find a community of crafters to share with. Catering to both locals and tourists, Seaside Yarns offers hand-dyed yarns (have you ever seen A Treehugger’s Wife yarns at a local craft fair? That’s her as well!), fair trade products and locally made crafts aimed at giving a lift to the small business-owner as well as working with a variety of budgets. And according to Highfill, there is room for more.

“There are so many kinds of yarn out there,” she said. “One local yarn shop cannot have everything.”
Seaside fills a spot alongside at least four local shops that carry yarn here in Juneau.
 Hang around at Seaside for a minute and suddenly you’re surrounded by women coming to wind a ball, grab one more skein to finish a project, or shop a bit while the kids play in their very own playzone equipped with kiddy kitchenette. And as knitting picks up in this town you may be apt see a few men picking up some fodder for holiday gifts as well (I know my husband has).

Seaside also offers a variety of classes like Hat 101, Fingerless Mitts, Magic Loop and Socks taught by Crochet and knitwear designer Amy O’Neill Houck. Or swing in for the free Saturday knit and crochet group from 2-5 p.m., or spinning on Fridays – it’s BYOS (Bring Your Own Spindle). Find out more about classes at the shop or on their group Ravelry page, friends of Seaside Yarns at Ravlery.com.
Here Highfill shares a pattern for a perfectly giftable infinity cowl.

SEASIDE YARNS INFINITY COWL
Click here for the rest of the pattern and article . . .

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Workin' the Runway

We have been having too much fun all over this town with our TP gear!
Fabulous Anna Hoke at Southeast Living Magazine (see more shots at her website!)
took some amazing shots at the "No Umbrellas" fashion show, and then I saw
such lovely ways of wearing TPall over Gallery Walk in downtown Juneau. 
If you're wondering where you might still get some check out 
Figment Gallery downtown in the Senate Building or www.tpalaska.etsy.com!
Shyla rocking a Lucy Cowl
The new Riding Hood looks cute up or down
Men need warmth too!
This model even flew in from Washington to get her warm on!