Love for my Roommates

Here are the scarves I crocheted for my roommates over this past Winter Break. I had done so much work related to art and sculpture the past quarter that I just wanted to get back to doing more practical projects. Oh, and of course, I wanted to give my roommates some gifts to celebrate the holidays!


This particular scarf uses the same pattern I had in the scarves I previously posted, but adds some fringe and a few inches of length. I love using this stitch because it's quick and easy and at the same time has such beautiful results! I'm glad Jane chose a beautiful shade of dark brown. Unfortunately, the pictures don't do justice to the richness of the color.


Next, Lindsey's scarf uses the puff stitch, which creates thickness, warmth, and texture in a scarf that otherwise would have been too thin to provide any protection from the cold (I know, I know, where's the need for a scarf in sunny San Diego? Well, it gets windy sometimes...). I used three colors which I alternated and varied so that each block of color would be shorter in length as they got closer to the ends of the scarf. I tried to take into account the different autumn and summer colors that Lindsey tends to wear in her everyday wardrobe, complimenting it with a little bit of brightness in the Salmon-like color.


Finally, for Karishma's incredibly long scarf, I utilized her favorite color and made up a pattern inspired by one of Natalie's scarves. Natalie's had 2 rows of simple flowers set on a background of crocheted mesh and outlined with 2 more rows of double crochet (in other words, a thick solid band). I simplified Karishma's scarf by using one row of similarly made flowers, keeping the mesh background, and outlining it with a thin band instead. I think the result is a scarf that looks pretty different, but at the same time retains the qualities of something that looks delicately made.

Writing this blog post felt as if I were writing descriptions for products for a catalog, but I really didn't know any other way to do it, so thanks for being interested if you were! It's been a while and I'm slow with posting, so I might make another post on some other projects I worked on during the break. Stay tuned, 9 followers! Hahaha

Happy New Year,
Dada

Yarn Self-Portrait

This project reflects an exploration of the idea of representation. While painting is a laborious approach to depicting a subject, crocheting offers an even more complex opportunity to create an image based on a subject. In that the traditional sense of crocheting has to do with creating a shape or form stitch by stitch, this piece utilizes self-representation through thoughtful and meaningful stitches that have been carefully planned to possess the color changes of the human face. The use of texture and some volume furthermore enhances the material quality of yarn, juxtaposing such qualities with photography, painting, and other forms of representation.

The process of creating this piece began with a photo of myself that I redrew onto a large sheet of paper. I then tracked tonal variations by coloring different blocks which corresponded to the lights and darks in the picture (I matched these with the limited colors I had in yarn). After crocheting as close to the "plan" as possible and finishing every color block, I ended up with an unsatisfactory project. I knew that with yarn there would be limits, but I was incredibly unhappy with the results as I was aiming for much more realism. After a couple of days, I ended up going back and crocheting free-handedly over the eyebrows, nose, lips, and hair to create more volume and 3-dimentionality. I also smoothed some areas where colors changed too dramatically from light to dark.

So where does this piece stand now for me? I'm not even sure anymore. I've worked on it for so long and have gone over it too many times. I know I may not ever be happy, but I feel like I can always do so much more. For now, it's "finished," but chances are, I'll go back over it once again. We'll see in weeks or months to come.

Reclaimed Islands

Class: VIS107A (Sculpture)
Project: Reclaiming the space atop Mandeville's trapezoidal blocks through personalized island-spaces
Group Members: 7


Pictured are some of the 7 island-blocks created. The 7 different islands were as follows:
- beach
- yarn world
- bbq picnic
- living room/indoors
- study/office
- tea party
- abstract structure/pathway.

My island included overflowing containers of yarn, a table with all my knitting and crochet tools, a floor made of granny squares, and a backdrop/curtain of crocheted banners. I completed the environment by wearing a self-made beanie and actively crocheting during the performance.

This piece represents my interpretation of creating a personal, yet highly publicized space. When thinking about the potential for making these island-spheres, I was inspired by the thought of a world engulfed by yarn and the craft of both crochet and knitting. Yarn as a medium has fueled many areas of my personal exploration in sculpture. As my first major group project, I am pleased to have had such a unique and positive experience. My group members were amazing!

*Note: the first and last photograph in this post were lifted from The Guardian's website (UCSD newspaper).

Crocheted Pigs

My friend Jen LOVES pigs, so for her 21st birthday I decided to give her a pair of them-- a mama and a baby.
I love this project because it's fun and easy, plus it gave me a lot of inspiration and insight into the possibility of shaping crochet into just about anything. YAY pigs! Credit to Claire Garland for the pattern

I was going to end this post with a list of more cute animals I want to crochet, but I'm afraid that list would never end. I'll probably have to consult Jane about list making.

Broomstick Lace all over the place

Hah I feel so clever about the title of this post. I'm actually just exhausted from an amazing weekend playing at (and winning!) an ultimate frisbee tournament. Love my teammates.

Anyway, I made these scarves using the "broomstick lace" stitch I learned off good ol' youtube (another one of my loves). I started with the white one as a project for my a project for myself, but ended up making the purple-ish one for my mama and the other 2 for my best friends from high school. I miss them both dearly and they now go to school in Chicago and Washington, D.C., so I wanted to give them something that would keep them warm and thinking of home.

(some cool things i didn't make)

Today, I made buttermilk and chocolate chip pancakes from scratch for all my roommates, cleaned up the kitchen, did laundry, baked bread, and planned an art project for my sculpture class. In honor of my productivity, I have been lounging and doing a whole lot of nothing for the past hour.

So... crochet zebra head? This was being sold as a children's room decoration for a "safari" theme. I'm so gonna make a life-sized zebra for our living room! HA

The other pictures I've included are inspiration for a project I have in mind. Stay tuned! :)

Yarn Labyrinth

I know I just posted maybe 10 minutes ago, but I want to get the ball rolling in terms of having a bunch of my projects here. Otherwise, it may be a few months before I revisit my blog. This is a "yarn labyrinth" of sorts that was assigned in my VIS3 class.

Project guidelines: Make something as big as you can for $5. I spent less than $3 and didn't even get to use all of my materials, but at least it was relatively big.

Materials: black acrylic yarn

Ch-ch-ch-changes

I'm gonna start posting about stuff I've crafted, which includes sewing, crocheting, drawing, painting, and cooking projects. I hope I stick to some kind of theme on this thing or I will delete my blog. I never have much to say, anyway.

<3 Dadabear

Health and Crocheting

Today I'm glad I have a blog for 2 reasons:
1) I've taken a sick day and as a result am lying in bed with nothing to do but cough, use stumbleupon.com, and get dizzy every time I want to start doing work. Such is the life.
2) Jane has called me out on both blogs to ask me to post something. I figure I should start here so if I mess up, it won't have everyone else's name on it.

Health update:
The rib contusion I got on Thursday night has strangely shifted from the part of my rib closest to my sternum all the way around the rib towards my side and back. I imagine it's just all the muscles moving around and readjusting after my attempts to throw around at these past 2 practices, but man does it hurt. Yay frisbee for being a non-contact sport; boo to me for always assuming it's not a foul.
Also, today will mark my first practice since the injury. Judging from the pain level, I won't be able to make it through the entire thing, but I'll try anyway and just ease into it. (That's what she said? Haha oh, immaturity.)
I tried google image searching something related to a rib contusion so I could illustrate this post, but ended up seeing a picture of open chest surgery. I now have seen too much and take it as another reason why I do not want to become a doctor. Why do these things always happen to me?

Making things:
I've realized these past few years that while I enjoy crafting and find myself dabbling in a bunch of different types of crafting skills, I want to slow down and take more time to develop each. Sure, I can try to learn a new craft every day (which would be AMAZING), but if I were to want to retain such skills and use them to their full potential, I should be able to take the time and become more of an expert in each of the crafts. I want to be able to pick up a crochet needle and say I can make any thing or shape I please without having to look up a pattern, or look at a dress and immediately be able to produce a paper pattern for it, etc. The following are crochet-specific crafts I'd like to make when I get the chance. With each project, I intend to develop my knowledge of the craft, as well as make something useful/fun, not to mention get a head start at becoming a total grandma.
- Beer Cozy/Coozy/Koozie/Coosy/however you spell it (I looked it up and there is no consensus)
(from craftzine)












- Slippers


- Mustache Beanie (yea, that's right!)
(from etsy)













I need to hit up a thrift store soon. They have so much yarn for so cheap.

Yay, second post!
hahaha
dadada