Hey, Are Boys Allowed?

HEEHEE ... nice photo of Toddsy in his newly knitted cap!! OK, yet another idea is popping out of my brain. Anyone surprised by that? I think I am just feeling awfully left out of the knitting circle. :( No, no prob. SO ... here is a link that supports my thought: http://softexpressions.com/software/notions/VWInkjetPrint.php#v2
Seeing that Mom (Grandma June, Great Grandma JuneBug) is the recipient of the first project (and I LOVE that she doesn't have a CLUE), this one would have to go somewhere else ... perhaps to someone who is cold in Iraq right now. YES, it is cold there and they don't really have cold weather stuff. Ummm ... photos of everyone in the family printed on fabric squares. Mom thought that idea was AWESOME, for family history purposes, of course. Since I am NOT KNITTING, all I have to do is sit around THINKING and eating BON BONS, naturally. I remember Aaron's quilt ... it was SO cute, I recall. I thought it was made with ordinary crayons, Pol.

Todd and his new hat

Here's Todd with his newly knitted hat!

Aaron's Crayon Quilt

Here's some pictures of a quilt that Polly showed us, that was made by a church group after Aaron was born. Pol's not sure if they used regular crayons or fabric markers or what, but I just wanted to share this with you,maybe someone has an idea how it was actually made. It looks like it's held up well over time.

Mom'a afghan is just about done!

Val and Polly worked hard last night on finishing it, but Polly had to take it home to complete it, since Val and Chad headed back to Renton this morning. We'll take pics of it, and hopefully some with Mom and it when we present it to her. She still has NO idea she's the recipient.

We're Cracking!

Val's been working fast and furiously on crocheting these blocks together. She's also knitting stocking caps for both her dad and grampa! We're hoping to get the afghan completely put together this evening. Pol's on her way out to help. Its looking good!

Stamping Squares

Hi there! I was thinking about stamping ... they make fabric ink for it. That would be a particularly fun, simple, and quick project, especially for young ones. What do you think? By the way, I am willing to be the coordinator for the non-knitted squares if need be. Hope everyone had a great holiday. It's OVER! Let's get cracking! teehee ...

Flower Pounding Book

I just ordered that book. I found a relatively cheap used one in Washington state from Amazon.com....so it'll be here in a few days. I think it might be really fun to say just do two blocks and put them with a couple regular quilted blocks, for a neat wall hanging. Not sure if it would be the right method to use for a larger quilt that will be USED

A note and question on the Flower Pounding-

Here is the website for the Flower Pounding book:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1571201165/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Read through the book description and reviews and see what you think. I think it sounds fascinating, but I have some questions. There may be a significant concern about the cleaning and care of the finished product with this method. It sounds fun and gorgeous, but will the recipient be able to easily use and take care of the quilt? Or will the pigments be too fragile? Will they be able to curl up with it in front of the TV with a mug of hot cocoa, or will they be afraid of getting dust or sunlight on it?

So I guess the question we need to ponder about the quilt we're going to make is, how do you imagine or desire that this quilt be used in daily life? What kind of "life" do you want it to have? When you imagine the person using this quilt and you get warm fuzzies, what are they doing with it? Wall hanging? (Cleaning once a year, can be fairly fragile) Cuddling in it on the couch? (Cleaning once a month plus spot treatments from food and drink, must be durable) Bedspread? (Cleaning every 6 months or so, fairly durable)

Flower pounding may work for what we want for our quilt's "life" to be like- I don't know enough about it yet. But let me know (e-mail or here), even more importantly, how you would like our finished quilt to be able to be used in daily life by our recipient, and that will help us decide what method to use.

Felting?

Ok I'm not sure exactly what this means. Knitted and then put in the washer to make it felted, or just using regular felt? The pounding thing sounds interesting. I'd have to take a look at the book though. Val I'm sure you're on that. Maybe we'll have to pick it up over Christmas. Peggy thanks so much for the ideas!! I'm thinking about axing the crayon idea and just buying regular fabric markers or fabric paint. I still haven't done a sample yet. If we use colorbooks for designs, I have a light table left over from Todd's college stuff, so that would be neat for tracing designs onto the muslin.

Amen on Flower Pounding!

OK, all you cricket clubbers ... I vote for flower pounding AND crayons on 100% cotton. Separate quilts? I don't know ... I just LOVE both ideas. Crayon quilts for new babies?? Flowers for old ladies?? Hmmmm. I also love the idea of felted squares for ??? Well, that's my two cents. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL ... even red hiney'd sock monkeys!

Happy Christmas, You Monkeys.

I don't know about you guys, but in my last minute madness to get stuff done for Christmas, my Cricket's Club knitting has come to a screeching halt. I have 2 squares- that's it! Well, and another on the needles. BUT, I do have a ridiculous Christmas picture to share with you. :)

Chad and I were over at our friends' house taking a pic for their Christmas card, and trying to get their toddler to smile and laugh (he was quite firm in his view that dinner was much more important than this picture nonsense, and 2700 repetitions of the word "cheese" wasn't helping).

But come on, who doesn't smile at Sock Monkeys? Did you see Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium? I loved it, and that cute little sock monkey just broke my heart. Well, ok, their red hineys are just a bit wierd and creepy, but still, I think everyone needs one (a sock monkey, not a red hiney).

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Helpful Tips from Peggy

Hi everyone! Peg e-mailed with the following tips and suggestions for our quilt project:

After working with quite a few quilt block creations via school the last seven years, I can tell you black sharpie on

muslin yellows around the edges after awhile looks a little gross. Looks a little like chewed black licorice saliva dried around

the design. You really do have to use permanent fabric markers. Regular crayons will work only on 100% cotton. If it is a blend

of any kind you will have to use fabric crayons. The fabric crayons will work on synthetics and blends.

There is a technique called flower Pounding. It makes a pretty quilt. With all the flowers the possibilities are endless and you

will not have two squares looking the same. There is a book called Flower Pounding: Quilt Projects for All Ages by Ann Fischkorn and Amy Sandrin. You actually pound the pigment from the flowers to the Muslin after pre-treating the Muslin. As it says for all ages anyone can do it.

This year Dana's class is doing a native American quilt with felted wool squares (You use 100% wool). They are cutting out totem characters with the wool then basic stitches to hold the design. Not really washable though.

Have a great day.

Thank you, Peg! That really helps a lot.

Oh, picky, picky!

Umm-yeah, that's what I meant to say- Thanks, Mom!

Yarn doesn't come in "bolts", so I don't need to know that word.

Picture of Muslin

Crayola Quilt

Ok I think Val meant to say I have a whole BOLT of muslin (which is a little bit more than a block) :) It was my mom's favorite fabric to create those beautiful cathedral window quilt blocks she loved to do. So I think she most likely special ordered it from JoAnn's Fabrics. It is permanent press, and pretty good quality muslin. Just sitting there waiting to be used!! I'll take a picture of it. I'll be trying out the crayon method some time this weekend.

Call For Quilt Ideas and Lab Assistants!

You Guys Rock!! I just have the Best family ever, this is so fun for me and I am so glad you guys are joining in. I love you guys!!

Shan, you are a Crazy Knitting Fool! Your blocks, washcloths and scarf are beautiful. Way to go!

OK, so we need to come up with a second project for those weird, strange, unnatural people who for some un-understandable reason, won't be playing with sticks and string. Oh, all right, I guess pain or illness MIGHT be a valid reason to not knit obsessively. Maybe. It's a bit of a stretch, but I GUESS I can let that slide. ;) (Just kidding!)

QUILT Requirements: Simple quilt blocks that can be decorated, permanently, without any sewing necessary. Must be machine washable and dryable. Must be simple enough to be done by both Little and Big folk.

We have an entire block of permanent-press muslin at my Mom's house, which we can use- but we need to find a method and materials by which we can permanently create Beautimus and Magniferous artwork upon it.

FIRST IDEA- Sharpies and Crayolas on the muslin. This method involves using black Sharpies (or other marker what will be black and permanent on fabric, perhaps a real fabric marker would be better?) to draw or trace coloring book or other pictures onto the quilt blocks. The block is then given to an Official Colorer, who uses crayons to bring it to life! Then, we place some paper over the block and use an iron to melt and set the crayon wax into the fabric. This will hopefully be permanent and washable and dryable- BUT I don't know for sure.

So, Lab Assistants, let's get to work! Get out some scrap fabric, sharpies, and that box of broken crayons and start experimenting. Does it work? Do the blocks need to be in hoops or have some kind of backing for a little kid to color on it? Will it survive a hot wash and dry beautifully intact, or turn into a kaleidoscope of tie-dyed hippie craziness? Stop by your favorite fabric or craft store, or call/visit your quilting friends, and harrass the experts for ideas and advice.

Post your experimental results and pictures, and let's see if this will work.

Thank you, Juneanne, for writing about your experience with this method- I hope we can make a quilt this way, it sounds fun.

DO YOU HAVE OTHER IDEAS FOR MAKING THE QUILT?
Please let us know if you have any other ideas or experience that will meet our requirements above for this quilt. I am officially NOT a skilled, experienced Quilty-type person, so any suggestions, tips, or ideas are greatly appreciated!!

The long blue strip on the side is a scarf I am working on for Sam, the green and blue quare in the upper right, and the cream one below it are dishcloths I have done...so all in all i think I have 11 more to contribute.

Shan's Squares

Hey guys, wanted to show you the squares that i have done....not the best picture...but will give you the jist. Our color scheme....wow....wonder how it will all look put together....LOL

Crayon Idea

Hey Juneanne, do you have any pictures of them? It would be neat to see them on here!

CRAYONS ON MUSLIN IDEA

Hey, Val! Your Mom told me that you have her on a test mission. Just so you know, I had the kids do hankies for Derrick for one Father's Day when they were pretty little. Crayons on white cotton hankies then set with the iron ... paper over top of crayon side ... worked GREAT!! He treasured them. They are with him now. Birdies theme? Hmmm. I got a book on bird poems today. Looking through it to see what I could pull out for something creative for the bird-woman ... our current Matriarch. Uhhh ... would be neato to incorporate into a few squares, eh? Tell me what you think ...

Pokey Knitter!

Hi Val! So, I've got one done and another partial. My goal is to have TWO whole squares by the time I see you! Not near as quick as Shannan, obviously. Oh well, it' the thought that counts, right? Btw, congrats on passing your test! That's awesome!

Hi Val,

I have about 10 more squares at home....do you want me to get them to you Mom prior to you coming home, or just get em to you when you are here?

Um...super cool BTW....love the site.

CRICKET WOULD BE PROUD!

Val,
this is SIMPLY AWESOME! I want to contribute ... but, my goofy fingers won't let me knit or crochet. Sooooo, what can I do?? ~ol' auntie in Idaho

Projects for Little Ones

If you have very short persons around who would like to get crafty with you, we'd love to have them too! (Or maybe you'd like something simple and fun to do yourself.) Here are some ideas:

-Some children learn to crochet or knit as young as 5 years old. Help them work on a square with you- you can keep going on it when they get distracted and trundle off.

-Help them make Pom-Poms to attach around the edge of the afghan. Here is a site with instructions: http://www.craftown.com/knitpat6.htm

-Help them make some Tassels to attach around the edges. Site: http://www.nezumiworld.com/crochet_057.htm

Take pictures!!

First Project Instructions

Since knitting is my obsession, I chose a patchwork afghan as our first project. It's an afghan made up of 7 x 9 inch squares, which can be knitted or crocheted (the picture in Mom's post shows some we've already done). The idea and patterns for the afghan are from the charity knitting organization "Warm Up America!" Their website is here:
http://www.warmupamerica.com/home.html
They do accept squares and afghans to distribute, but they encourage people to get organized and distribute them in their own community.

Here is their page for the square patterns:
http://www.warmupamerica.com/patterns.html

The materials you will need are:

-Size US 7 (3.75 mm) straight knitting needles, about 9-10 inch length (you don't need the long 14 inchers). If you are a beginner, get wood or plastic, metal will be very slippery and frustrating.
-Crochet hook size G (4 mm) or H (5 mm). The H is bigger and may be easier for a beginner. Metal or whatever is fine, it doesn't matter as much for crocheting.
-100% Acrylic worsted weight (weight 4) yarn. Any color that you enjoy. Vanna's Choice, Red Heart Soft, and Caron Simply Soft are good brands that are widely available.
-A 7 inch by 9 inch template. This is important! You can use a ruler, but having a pre-cut template out of cardboard or whatever is great for checking that your square is the right size. The squares must all be approximately 7 inches by 9 inches to fit together. I can fiddle them in if they're off by an inch or so, but not too much more than that.
*If anyone needs supplies for any reason, let me know and I'll send you some, I usually have extra yarn and stuff hanging around!

If you are new to knitting or crocheting, don't worry- both are quite simple and easy to learn, you'll get the hang of it quickly with a bit of practice. Most people prefer one over the other, if you are new to both, I encourage you to try both and see which one comes more naturally to you. I prefer knitting, I feel like a fish out of water crocheting- others, like Polly, can't knit worth a darn (hee hee!) but crochet at the speed of light.

It's often best to learn from a person who knits or crochets- a family member or a local craft or yarn store are good sources for one of these. But you can also learn pretty easily from books and the internet. Knitting and crocheting are red hot right now, your local bookstore or craft store will have dozens upon dozens of beginner's books. I prefer the ones written for kids, they have big simple pictures (that's how I taught myself). :)

Here are some good websites that have free videos that you can practice as you watch:

Knitting: http://www.knittinghelp.com/
This website is great because it has videos for the two main different styles of knitting: The English method (where you hold the working yarn in your right hand) and the Continental method (holding the working yarn in your left hand). Try both styles- one will probably be easier for you.
For knitting a square, the basics you need to learn for this project are cast-on, knit stitch, and cast-off.
For your first square, do the garter stitch square, where you use the knit stitch the whole time.

Crochet: http://www.hassdesign.com/StitchLegend/
For crocheting a square, you need to know chain stitch and single crochet, and how to tie off when you're done. Do the single crochet square as your first one.

E-mail or call me if you have any questions!

It'll be fun!

Great job on the introduction Val! I hope I can figure this out. I'm not sure how to put a picture on here, but I'll try right now. I took a picture of some of the finished knitted square we've done so far!

The How.

My goal for the projects we do is to keep them simple enough so that beginners and little ones can participate, and with some freedom so that everyone can have fun and "make it their own." There will be some "rules" that will need to be followed so that all the pieces can be pulled together into the final creation- so have fun, but remember to check that your pieces stay within the basic guidelines.

I will post here (and e-mail or snail-mail) the project instructions for our current projects.

Everyone will work on parts or sections of the project in the comfort of their own homes. Even better- get together with others in your area for crafting parties to work on it together- you can teach and learn from each other, have fun gabbing and spending time together, and cheer each other on!

As we go along, I'll be the "historian" of our fun and craftiness- e-mail or snail-mail me with stories and pictures of your adventures with our project (even if its as exciting as you sitting on the couch in your PJ's knitting- woo-hoo!), and I will post them here so we can all enjoy seeing each others' progress and fun. (Note- you are also totally welcome to post directly here to the blog yourself if so inclined- its very easy once you play around with it- but if you don't want to figure it out, just send it to me and I'll get it on here).

When your pieces are finished (as few or many as you feel like doing), send them to me, or drop them by my Mom's house if you are local to her, I'm there fairly often. When we have enough of the pieces, I'll work them together into the final object (maybe calling on the help of other Cricketeers), posting pics for everyone to see.

Then we'll present our Fantastic work of Art to the lucky recipient! This could be a family member, someone's friend in need, a charity one of us would like to contribute to... someone whose life would be a little warmer and brighter with our blanket around their shoulders (or whatever it is we're making).

Sound good? Ok, then, let's get started! (Or keep going for those who have already been plugging along since Thanksgiving!)

WELCOME!!!

Hi! Welcome to Cricket's Club! My goal with this little club is to provide the means for my family to "come together" and work on craft projects together-which will ultimately be gifts to family members, friends, or charities- without having to leave our homes, couches or even our jammies.

I have cherished memories of our big family getting together for holidays or other events, talking, laughing, eating, playing games (and pranks), and just enjoying each other in all kinds of crazy family goodness. Often at these get-togethers, I remember my Mom, Aunts, and Grandma working together on a quilt, under the guidance of Great Grandma (who was known as Cricket to my mother's side of the family). Many of us still have and cherish these creative, wonderful, unique gifts created by various family members working together, cutting, stitching, or painting their love, laughter, and good will into the fabric.

We're more numerous and busy and spread out now, but I think it would be fun to make more memories together this way, even if we're not all physically together. We've got a new generation coming up who may enjoy learning a craft or two while hearing stories about our family... we've got a Grandma who would enjoy following our progress and maybe receiving a gift or two made by all of us... we've all got family, friends, or even favorite charities whose heart would be warmed and day brightened by a gift of love from our joined work. I know we're all busy and won't be turning out huge volumes of afghans and quilts, but (humor my poetic cheeziness for a sec)- one cricket chirping in the twilight is delightful to hear, and one quirky, colorful, lovingly-made blanket can become a cherished heirloom that always brings a smile.

So- you're invited to participate, as much or as little as you want to, or just follow along as we have fun making something together to put a smile on someone's face. Stay tuned for more details, I'll be adding to this more over the next several days!