Fingerloop Braiding

Fingerloop Braiding

Links of entry

Sometimes you need some cord and one fun and fast way to make one is fingerloop braiding (for tutorials see Links below).
It is a medieval technique and I used it several times with good results.
On the photo you see two of my self-made cords.
The most difficult part is for me to get the cord evenly, because you must adapt to the loops become shorter while working.
But it is only a question of practising ;-)


Links:
Fingerloop.org:
Basic Braiding Instructions

Phiala’s String Page:
Basic Braiding Instructions
Fingerloop braiding for two or more people

The Tudor Costume Page:
Making Finger Braids (many explaining photos)

Hochmittelalter Infoseite:
Fingerloop Braiding (German, very good illustrations)

Coin Ring

Coin Ring

Links of entry

Browsing craftster I found one day the thread about coin rings.
Somewhere in the thread is also a link to a tutorial on how to make your own coin ring (with many explaining pictures).
I can’t image that I will ever do this, but I find it interesting enough to present it here.

Perhaps someone wants to make their weddings rings this way? ;-))


Links:
craftster: ‘coin rings! i’m an addict!!!’

Tutorial on how to make a coin ring

Fractal Pop Up

Fractal Pop Up

Links of entry

I already cut different pop ups, and I find this one quite elegant.
I haven’t done it yet, but I surely will one day.

(If you like the fractal repeats, take a look at the previous mentioned Fractal Art.)

 


Links:
Fractal Cut

Wikipedia: English entry for ‘fractal’ – Deutscher Eintrag für ‘Fraktal’

Here at unikatissima:
Fractal Art

Organic Stripes

Organic Stripes

Links of entry

Note: the Random Stripe Generator doesn’t exist any more, but you can find two new links in my entry Random Stripes Generator.

While knitting or crocheting you sometimes want to stripe your workpiece. I find it difficult to design organic looking stripes.
Math can help here (although I’m not a very mathematical woman ;-)): At Fuzzy Galore you can find an article about the Fibonacci sequence which sounds perhaps difficult, but is quite easy.

And those who don’t want to figure out their stripes themselves can use the Random Stripe Generator. (I just tried the generator, but it didn’t work properly. Hopefully it will ‘recover’.)
(It did work properly, but I didn’t know how to use it ;-)
My problem was, that I entered a stripe width and thought, that this was the max. width.
But for the stripe width selection, it requires that you specify exactly which widths you want. So if you want widths of 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 rows, you need to select all five of those check boxes, rather than just the box next to ‘5’.
Try it and you will get wonderfully striped patterns. :)))


Links:
Article about the Fibonacci sequence
Random Stripe Generator

Here at unikatissima:
Random Stripes Generator

Light Bulb Window Vase

Light Bulb Window Vase

Links of entry

I really liked the idea of making a little window vase out of a recycled light bulb (for tutorials see Links below).
And I had to try it myself ;-))
On the photo you see my first attempt. I wrapped it with paper maché and have not yet formed a wire to hold it. And as I made the photo, I had no flower either ;-)
So I took one of my crocheted flowers and – voilà ;-)


Links:
Light Bulb Window Vase

instructables: Light Bulb Vase

Jacob’s Ladder

Jacobs Ladder

Links of entry

Once a friend gave me a couple of photos of her grandchild to make something special with them.
I thought about it and then remembered the Jacob’s Ladder (the children’s toy).
A little research in internet showed me, that there are tutorials but they all refer to the wood-and-ribbon version (for links see below the Links).
So I figured myself out how to do it with photos.
On the animated picture you can see that it worked.
I wrote a tutorial to download (PDF, appr. 230 KB).
You may used it as you wish, but if you do, please give credit.

Addendum: Later I found several paper Jacob’s ladders, I added the links below.


Links:
Make a Jacob’s Ladder from your photos (PDF, ~230 KB)

Tutorials on how to make a Jacob’s Ladder from wood and ribbons:
instructables: A Traditional Jacob’s Ladder

Jacob’s Ladder (English)
Jacob’s Ladder (German)

Tutorials for Paper Jacob’s ladders:
Invisible Jacob’s Ladder Technique Class (English)
Jacob’s Ladder Christmas Card & Gift Card Holder (English)
Mini-Scrapbook – Jacob’s Ladder (English)
Jacob’s Ladder Tutorial (English)

Inkjet Transfer Stamping

Inkjet Transfer Stamping

Links of entry

As I mentioned before, I don’t often stamp. Therefore I found the tutorial on how to make stamps with an inkjet printer very interesting.

I haven’t tried it yet and possibly I never will, because printer ink is also expensive, but who knows? Because I really want to ‘stamp’ the image on the photo and I’m sure that I wont carve it from an eraser ;-)

 


Links:
Craft Chi: Inkjet Transfer Stamping

Here at unikatissima:
Eraser Stamps

Zentangles

Zentangles

Links of entry

While surfing I found Zentangles, which is nothing else than doodling.
But when I browsed the galleries I really, really wanted to try it, although I normally don’t feel at my ease with doodling.
My first attempt was ugly, because I tried to ‘create’ something. Then I took a little sheet of paper and started doodling without thinking about.
I was surprised at how beautiful it turned out ;-)


Links:
Zentangles

Freeform Embroidery

Freeform Embroidery - Freeform Sticken

Links of entry

On the photo you see my idea of Freeform Embroidery which was highly inspired by ‘Rock Pool’ and ‘Laying It On The Line’.

I used a piece of old (but clean! ;-)) bedsheet as base. First I laid some worsted and funky yarns on it which I fixed with couching stitches (at the top of the photo). Then I stitched some french knots (light yellow on the photo). Below is my first attempt at ply-split braiding which I fixed with some couching stitches too.

It is one of my many UFOs (‘unfinished objects’), but one day I will come back to it ;-)


Links:
Inspirations: ‘Rock Pool’ / ‘Laying It On The Line’

English Embroidery Stitch Diagrams
Deutsche Stickstichbeschreibungen

Couching stitches (English)
Couching stitches (German)

French knots (English)
French knots (German)

Ply-split Braiding: a (very) short description and resources
PDF Ply-split tutorials by Peter Collingwood (scroll down)