Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Needlework Tuesday - Update on a few projects

What a crappy week! I was fighting a cold and other maladies this week, so I didn't really get much done...crafting, reading or much of anything. I'm feeling a little better today, so I'll be working on a few book reviews this week and perhaps a little more crafting.

I did manage to get a little done before my cold really took hold of me. Here's an update on some of my projects.

Temperature Scarf: Before starting there were a few decisions I had to make. What day to start? I didn't want to start any old random day, so I decided to start on the first day of summer, June 21, 2013. That way, I'll have warm colours on the ends of my scarf and the cold ones in the middle.

I also had to settle on some temperature ranges and assign the various colours. I basically went with the colours suggested by Bernat (see temperature scarf link above), but I added two yellows (between the orange and green) and substituted another blue for the purple. Our temperatures are considerably colder than Toronto, so I made my ranges from -30C to +30C. I just did a little math and divided up the temperatures in between and assigned the various colours.

The last thing I had to decide was what temperature to use. I knew I was going to use historical data, even though it was somewhat limiting. I really wanted to use the "feels like temperature" (or humidex), however, that information is not available...at least not that I could find. So, I settled on the regular high for the day. I wish I could have somehow represented our hottest and our coldest (overnight temperatures in winter) temperatures, but I couldn't figure out how to do that and still be consistent.

When I started I thought I'd be changing yarn quite frequently to represent the different temperatures. However, my ranges span 6 or 7 temperatures and the days I've done so far have been fairly consistent. I'm not sure why that surprised me, but it did. Here's what I've done so far:














I probably let a few days or weeks build up before doing any work on this. 

Branch Weaving: I finished my first one. It's not as bright or ornate as the other samples I've seen, but I like it anyway.














I'm about to start another one. Just as a reminder, I got the idea from Jenclaire at Bayou Quilts and Dolls.

Zentangles: I did a few more of these. I mentioned last week that I was going to try to figure out how to make this a yearlong project. I really haven't been able to come up with some guidelines for this, probably because I'm been fuzzy-headed from the decongestants. Besides, I'm having second thoughts about it. I love the idea, but I can't "see" what the project would look like. Maybe it'll be better with a clearer head.

Anyway, here are this week's pieces (Mr E, Graancirkel, with the lines/orbs going the wrong way, an incomplete Paris, with two extra lines and a mismatched pattern, Opus, Cirquital, with the shading not quite right.):













As you can see, a few of them have "mistakes" in them. I did these well away from the computer so that I could refrain from copying them exactly. As a result, I got some of them wrong. Oh, well.   That's how my week went. 

Needlework Tuesday is hosted by Heather over at Books and Quilts.

4 comments:

  1. :) I like your branch weaving! I enjoyed making my branch weavings, too.

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  2. So sorry to hear you are not feeling well. Fortunately colds don't last forever. your scarf is looking terrific. I really must find some yarns and get started on mine. The branch weaving is great. you could use all sorts of materials in those.

    As for myself, must do more Zentangles. They are such a relaxing thing to do and I do enjoy the results.

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  3. Sorry you've been sick. There is nothing worse than a cold in the middle of the summer. Hope you feel better with each day!

    The temperature scarf is such a neat idea. I should join in on that. I love the branch weaving because its so unique and yours looks great.

    I popped into Micheal's on the weekend and came home with new yarn for an afghan - nice autumn colours that I like. Other than that I'm working on dishcloths for my mom and I just ordered a sock pattern. I'm going to attempt socks and I imagine that could end up being quite interesting. Lol.

    Hope you feel better!

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  4. The branch weaving is so cool! Do you have a link where you learned it? Or you should do your own tutorial!

    Love the temperature scarf - can't wait to see it in 9 months :)

    Your zentangles are great! I haven't caught on to the shading yet. Good job!

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Thanks so much for your comment. I really appreciate it. Unfortunately, I've been getting lots of spam comments, so I'm turning on word verification to help keep spammers away. I know it's a pain; I don't like it either. Hopefully, in time I'll be able to turn it off again. Thank you!