Still Here, Still Crafting

I haven't fallen off a cliff, I promise.  I'm just in the middle of a very hectic time.  The family is dealing with something pretty big, and I'm running all over the place trying to get things done.
More posts are coming soon!

Found It!

I finally discovered why I was not at all satisfied with my new beading wire...
IT'S NOT 7 STRAND

I did some google-ing to find out why the wire I had recently purchased was so different from what I bought before.  Google told me I needed 7 strand beading wire to be satisfied.
7 strand beading wire is made up of 7 individual strands of wire woven together and covered with nylon.  You can find beading wire with a higher strand count, and more strands = more flexibility.
I got mine at Walmart in silver, but they  have in several other colors, and you can pretty much find anything on the internet too.

I promise I'll try to get that vintage latch hook kit finished up this afternoon, and I'm working on a super fun tutorial as well!!
Happy Crafting :)

Beading Wire

Maybe I'm just hard to pleas, but the only beading wire I've found that I can work with is this:

It's almost like the perfect balance of stiff and movable.  I don't know why, but everything else I have tried is just atrocious.  I thought I was purchasing an equivalent when I got this today:

I was totally wrong.  This beading wire is way too stiff to work with.  It was the right gauge, but it's just not possible for me to work with at all.  

I'm headed to Walmart tomorrow to hopefully get my hands on what I need so I can get back to jewelry making.

Etsy Store!

It would make me all kinds of happy if you would visit my Etsy store, so here is the link!
Every piece of jewelry I have made to sell is posted and more is to come.

Vintage Snow Owl Latch Hook Kit

I am really into owls, maybe a little bit more than I should be, so my mother gave me this vintage latch hook kit from 1974.

She found it on ebay, and I thought this would be an interesting one to share.  As you can see I've already started, but I want to show you how it's done.

The outside of most modern latch hook kits has step by step directions on the outside, but they're confusing, and the drawings just are not very helpful to me.

1.  Slide hook through the hole and under the line keeping the hook open.

2.  Slide yarn under the shank of the hook, making sure it is even on both sides.

3.  Slide the shank down, causing the latch to come up, make sure both sides of yarn are inside the hook when it closes.

4.  Pull the latch hook all the way through.  You should be left with this:

Thankfully I had my mom to show me how, but if I was on my own to learn having real pictures instead of misleading illustrations would have been a big advantage.  

I'll be sure to post a picture of the finished product!

It started with a latch hook kit...

When I was younger I would watch my mother work on her latest needle point project and wish I could do something similar.  I eventually tried to do some needle point, but in my young age I became frustrated and gave up.  My mother then told me she used to latch hook, and I decided to try it.

She gave me latch hook kit for a snow man pillow.  I had fun doing it, it was easy, and we use that pillow every Christmas.  I did a few more kits, but then I just stopped...I have record of getting into something for a while then quickly moving on. I was maybe 10  when I started and 12 when I stopped.

About a week ago, I got the sudden urge to do something creative.  I was so bored I didn't know what to do with myself, so I walked up to my closet and dug out a latch hook kit I never even started. Now I'm on my way to finishing it and moving on to several new kits to decorate the home my fiance and I will share.

I also recently discovered a love of making beaded jewelry! :)

With this blog I hope to document my crafting journey and keep myself motivated.  I will not get bored and walk away from such a "ladylikely" thing to do.

By the way, this site  has a wonderful selection of latch hook kits as well as other things.

Projects and pictures are on the way!