The Crafting Thread - Show Us What You've Made!

Dad gave me some knives my grandpa made, and J’s dad gave me some blocks of wood as a Christmas present.

So I’m whittling. I’m making a fish, I thought it’s a simple enough shape to start with after not having done anything like this in over 20 years.

I had to stop before I developed a blister, though, so I didn’t make very much progress yet… 😂
 

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Dad gave me some knives my grandpa made, and J’s dad gave me some blocks of wood as a Christmas present.

So I’m whittling. I’m making a fish, I thought it’s a simple enough shape to start with after not having done anything like this in over 20 years.

I had to stop before I developed a blister, though, so I didn’t make very much progress yet… 😂

That's awesome, seela! Please keep us updated on your progress. :)

Guys, I'm falling deeper and deeper into crafter weirdo territory because I got a small Cricut machine and a rug tufting gun to make more shit with for Christmas. I don't have the time to craft like I'd like, but I'm definitely going to learn how to use these things. I'm not sure if the gun is a very good one or not because I don't know anything about the damn things, but I thought even a cheap one would work for learning, right?
 
That's awesome, seela! Please keep us updated on your progress. :)
I will! It won’t be fast, though, because turns out my hands are weak and baby soft. 😂 I’m also still crocheting the squares like a madwoman. I might have to make the blanket a little smaller than I originally planned if I ever want to finish it…
Guys, I'm falling deeper and deeper into crafter weirdo territory because I got a small Cricut machine and a rug tufting gun to make more shit with for Christmas. I don't have the time to craft like I'd like, but I'm definitely going to learn how to use these things. I'm not sure if the gun is a very good one or not because I don't know anything about the damn things, but I thought even a cheap one would work for learning, right?
A friend of mine has made some really cool things with a tufting gun, so I know what that is. And actually she prefers tufting old school by hand with a needle, she finds it meditative and likes that it’s quiet. I’m bigger projects she uses the gun, though.

But what do you do with the cricut machine? Do you have a project in mind already?
 
I will! It won’t be fast, though, because turns out my hands are weak and baby soft. 😂 I’m also still crocheting the squares like a madwoman. I might have to make the blanket a little smaller than I originally planned if I ever want to finish it…

A friend of mine has made some really cool things with a tufting gun, so I know what that is. And actually she prefers tufting old school by hand with a needle, she finds it meditative and likes that it’s quiet. I’m bigger projects she uses the gun, though.

But what do you do with the cricut machine? Do you have a project in mind already?

You can do it! I've got faith in you.

The Cricut is a vinyl cutter, if that wasn't immediately obvious. The one I have is fairly small, but they come in different sizes. The first things I'm going to make with it, once I get some vinyl and figure out how it works, are initial monograms for the back of mine and my mother's cars, to replace the old ones that we have on there now that desperately need replacing. (We both drive vehicles that are common and black, and having those on the back makes them much easier to pick out in parking lots, lol.)

I'll also probably go around labeling things until I get a better grasp on how it works. Then, I might start making things like monograms to sell, and I might not. Depends on how much trouble it is!
 
You can do it! I've got faith in you.

The Cricut is a vinyl cutter, if that wasn't immediately obvious. The one I have is fairly small, but they come in different sizes. The first things I'm going to make with it, once I get some vinyl and figure out how it works, are initial monograms for the back of mine and my mother's cars, to replace the old ones that we have on there now that desperately need replacing. (We both drive vehicles that are common and black, and having those on the back makes them much easier to pick out in parking lots, lol.)

I'll also probably go around labeling things until I get a better grasp on how it works. Then, I might start making things like monograms to sell, and I might not. Depends on how much trouble it is!
Interesting! Do share once you get the hang of it!
 
A general fishy form has started to emerge.

I’m trying to figure out how to make the fishy have a little curve in its body (like it’s turning to the right/left) while still being round and fishlike and it’s so difficult to figure out where to carve and how much.

I’m beginning to suspect I might actually be a medical marvel and only see things in 1D, maaaaaybe 2D, but definitely not in 3D. This shouldn’t be so difficult, right? It’s like I just lack all spatial understanding. 😂

When I did the whale in school, it was so much easier because I could always ask the teacher and I had a sample to look at and touch. Now I’m just making this up as I go and it’s hard.
 

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A general fishy form has started to emerge.

I’m trying to figure out how to make the fishy have a little curve in its body (like it’s turning to the right/left) while still being round and fishlike and it’s so difficult to figure out where to carve and how much.

I’m beginning to suspect I might actually be a medical marvel and only see things in 1D, maaaaaybe 2D, but definitely not in 3D. This shouldn’t be so difficult, right? It’s like I just lack all spatial understanding. 😂

When I did the whale in school, it was so much easier because I could always ask the teacher and I had a sample to look at and touch. Now I’m just making this up as I go and it’s hard.

This is awesome! I have no advice to offer, as I have pretty much zero spatial intelligence (you should see me try to put shoes back in a shoe box the way I found them!). But I'm super excited about your fish and can't wait to see it once you figure it out. :)
 
This is awesome! I have no advice to offer, as I have pretty much zero spatial intelligence (you should see me try to put shoes back in a shoe box the way I found them!). But I'm super excited about your fish and can't wait to see it once you figure it out. :)
I so get the shoe box thing!!!
 
Ordered some vinyl for the Cricut the other day, and it should be here Wednesday. Since Tuesday and Wednesday are my days off, I'm using them to test the Cricut and the rug gun!
 
Ordered some vinyl for the Cricut the other day, and it should be here Wednesday. Since Tuesday and Wednesday are my days off, I'm using them to test the Cricut and the rug gun!
Did you get to try your new toys yet? ☺️

I continued to work on my fish after taking a break for a couple of weeks. I have a major blister now. Boo. Everyone was so worried that I’m going to slice myself into tiny pieces with the knife (to the point that J’s dad told me to never whittle when I’m home alone 🙄), but no one ever warned me about a very painful blister.

During my whittling break I worked on my blanket project, and I’m now close to 50% done with the squares! I ran out of yarn, hence the switch to whittling. I tried to order more yarn, but most of the colors I need seem to be out of stock everywhere. I’m slightly worried now that I won’t be able to finish, ever, because what they call temporarily out of stock will turn into permanently out of stock. Yikes.

I’ll have to google to see if the yarn is still produced.
 
Did you get to try your new toys yet? ☺️

I continued to work on my fish after taking a break for a couple of weeks. I have a major blister now. Boo. Everyone was so worried that I’m going to slice myself into tiny pieces with the knife (to the point that J’s dad told me to never whittle when I’m home alone 🙄), but no one ever warned me about a very painful blister.

During my whittling break I worked on my blanket project, and I’m now close to 50% done with the squares! I ran out of yarn, hence the switch to whittling. I tried to order more yarn, but most of the colors I need seem to be out of stock everywhere. I’m slightly worried now that I won’t be able to finish, ever, because what they call temporarily out of stock will turn into permanently out of stock. Yikes.

I’ll have to google to see if the yarn is still produced.

No, I haven't yet, unfortunately. My vinyl delivery was delayed (and of course, it's a size you can't get in the craft stores). By the time it got here, I was swamped with other stuff, so i still haven't had a chance to play with any of it yet. :(

I'm sorry about your blister and the fact that you can't find the yarn you need. I know how frustrating that can be! I hope they still make the yarn you're looking for so you can finish.

I'll let y'all know if I'm ever able to try the Cricut and the rug gun, lol. I also got a giant infinity knitting loom for blankets and a couple of sock knitting looms I need to use.
 
No, I haven't yet, unfortunately. My vinyl delivery was delayed (and of course, it's a size you can't get in the craft stores). By the time it got here, I was swamped with other stuff, so i still haven't had a chance to play with any of it yet. :(

I'm sorry about your blister and the fact that you can't find the yarn you need. I know how frustrating that can be! I hope they still make the yarn you're looking for so you can finish.

I'll let y'all know if I'm ever able to try the Cricut and the rug gun, lol. I also got a giant infinity knitting loom for blankets and a couple of sock knitting looms I need to use.
I found one store that currently has all the colors I need in stock. But it’s a little farther away than I’d prefer, so I think I’ll wait until my preferred store gets a refill of the colors. The yarn is not discontinued, I checked the manufacturer’s website. They have discontinued another weight of the same yarn, but luckily not the one I’m using.

I think it’s so cool that you know how to use a loom!

A friend of mine has started to weave rugs and carpets with a big floor loom and it looks so cool. And difficult. 😁
 
I finally made a rough plan for my blanket project. The colors aren't an exact match, it's just a guide for me to figure out how many of each color, I'll roughly need.

I decided to make the blanket a little (a lot...) smaller than I originally planned. I originally aimed at 21x27 squares (567 total), but when I laid 21 squares on the floor to test it out, it felt a little too wide for my purposes. The plan is 18x27 squares (486 total) now, so its quite a bit fewer squares to make. I'll also crochet a frame for the squares in a solid color, so that's not counted in the measurements.

The final pattern may end up changing a lot as I start to sew the squares together. I'm slightly worried that many of the blocks will end up being too large in real life. Each square is about 7 x 7 cm (2.75 x 2.75 in).

I've made 206 squares now, which is about 42% of the total! I actually might finish at least making the squares by summer, even if finishing the entire blanket will be a tall order for me.
 

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Haven't been making much lately--too much other stuff to do--but I did finish this Easter egg bunny in a flower cozy. Other than the wonky ears, he pretty much looks like the pattern says he's supposed to.

Easter Egg Bunny.jpg
 
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