Handmade Gift Giving at The Woolery

You probably already know this, but we have some talented people working here at The Woolery. Not only are they talented, they’re generous too! So many of our team members have made beautiful handmade gifts this holiday season, that we felt we had to share them with you. Theses gifts span all sorts of different fiber arts including; needle felting, weaving, knitting, and crochet.

Some absolutely beautiful woven gifts have been floating around the shop. Our Customer Service Manager, Dani, has been weaving some plaid scarves on our floor model Schacht Wolf Pup.

We love the color schemes Dani is working with for these scarves! Also, the plaid patterns all all Dani’s own unique designs. How lucky are the members of Dani’s gift list?

Then, of course, our own Weaver Nancy has her own woven gift to show off! This beautifully textured towel was made on her Schacht Mighty Wolf using Maurice Brassard Cottolin Yarn in the Natural Lave color. The texture is a 5-thread huck lace 4 shaft pattern. The final effect is so stunning.

We don’t just weave here, Business Manager Mistene made a whole collection of incredibly intricate crochet doilies as a present for her mom and sister. The detail work on these is fantastic. They are so tiny and lacy!

Debbie, our Shipping Manager, has also been crocheting up some gifts. How adorable are these little canine inspired cup cozies? Debbie makes all sorts of different custom styles based off of different dog breeds. We are obsessed with the fuzzy eyebrows on the Yorkie one in the photo to the left. Too cute.

 

Our knitters are not to be outdone, they have been working on some gift projects of their own. Annie, our newest Customer Service Representative, knit up a cozy shawl and cowl for some lucky recipients. Annie is going to be teaching some beginning knitting classes next year at the shop so if you’re wanting to make some gifts like Annie’s check out our class schedule!

Socks are one of our favorite gifts this time of year and David, who is also a Customer Service Representative, has been knitting up some fabulous socks for his daughter. What an awesome dad! They aren’t quite done yet, but we’re confident he’ll finish in time for Christmas.

Emily, who works on our Creative Marketing (including writing this blog) has also been knitting away to finish some gifts in time for Christmas! The shawl to the left is for her grandma and if you’re curious, the pattern is Shaelyn on Ravelry.

Emily also has branched out into weaving since starting working at The Woolery (you can’t work here without wanting to try ALL the fiber arts)! And even wove up a scarf or two on her new Schacht Cricket Loom.

And finally, our Customer Service Representative Anna, worked some needle felting magic to create gnomes for some of her Customer Service co-workers! They are one big happy gnome family!

Have you already made some gifts this year, or did any of our projects inspire you? We would love to hear about any handmade gifts you have been working on this season! Share your projects below or in our Raverly Group! We can’t wait to see your creations!

On Making a Mood Board

Sometimes, starting a new project requires a little bit of planning. Mood boards are a fantastic way to organize your inspiration, and in the process you might think of a creative approach that you wouldn’t discover otherwise. Taking this extra step can also ensure that you have everything you need for a successful project from start to finish.

A cork board can be used to make a real-life mood board – the neutral background is great for helping your eye perceive color.

You may simply collect objects from around your craft room or household to create a real-life mood board, or perhaps you turn to Pinterest to find beautiful images, color combinations and projects to whet your creative appetite. While both of these options are great, there are still more ways you can make mood boards work for you!

By using a specific website or app, you can create digital mood boards quickly, leaving more time for actual crafting once your idea has come together. Another bonus is having easy access to your past mood boards, whereas a collection you create in real life is ephemeral (unless you have a LOT of storage space!).

Here are five of our favorite websites and apps for creating digital mood boards:

1. Pinterest. This popular free website is easy to use, and it allows you to create collections of images with a few clicks of a button. It’s quite easy to search by themes, and you can invite collaborators to your boards or create private boards which are visible only to you (and anyone else you’ve invited to the board). There are some drawbacks, however: for instance, the layout of the pins on your boards is not customizable – that is, you can’t move pins around  to see how different images look next to one another.
2. Moodboard Lite. This iPad app allows users to create customizable boards from a blank canvas, to which they can add photos, text, color swatches, and other special elements. There is a lot more creativity allowed here, and it also allows for easy sharing and export via email, social media channels, and iTunes. Moodboard Lite is a free version of Moodboard, both of which are available in the iTunes store.
3. Evernote. Surprisingly, this popular notetaking app can also be used to create mood boards! This blog post describes how to make a mood board in greater detail; if you already use this app to organize your day-to-day life, it’s a great option to consider since you’ll probably have the least amount of learning curve.
4. Canva. This user-friendly graphic design website is geared towards designing presentations and social media graphics, but it can also make eye-catching moodboards using its pre-made templates and editing tools. There are many free templates available for use, with other options requiring an upgrade to the paid version.
   
5. Niice. This website is similar to Pinterest, but without the social sharing element. The free version allows up to 3 free mood boards, and users will see banner ads, while paid options allow for more boards and other bells & whistles. Paid users also will not be shown ads. User boards are private, and any images uploaded/shared will not show up in a public search – so this is a great option for designers who are concerned about keeping their ideas under wraps.

For more mood board inspiration, click here to follow us on Pinterest. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to have inspiration and ideas sent your way each month – click here to sign up (you will also get a FREE Fair Isle Coloring sheet when you do)!

All the Best,

Wave, Perri & the entire Woolery Team

3 Unusual Materials To Use For Your Next Craft Project

Image © Homestead Weaver Blog

Necessity may be the mother of invention, but sometimes it’s fun to try something new just because. This month, we’re exploring ways to think outside the box, no matter which craft you prefer! While commercially-available yarns and fibers are always a wonderful choice due to their plentiful supply and ease of use, perhaps it’s time to shake up your usual routine with these three unique materials you most likely already have lying around the house!

1.  Plastic Bags: Plastic bags kind of have a bad rap; many cities have voted to ban them completely, and it’s true that they can cause quite a problem for wildlife and vegetation if they are improperly disposed of instead of being recycled. However, this clever tutorial shows just how easy it is to turn an ordinary plastic bag into a ball of “yarn” ready to be woven, crocheted, or knitted. A rug made from plastic bags can not only be chic, but it’s a wonderfully waterproof way to greet visitors at your front door! Click here to see more examples of rugs which are woven out of plastic bags.
2. T-Shirts: Breathe new life into old t-shirts by converting them into a long continuous strip of fabric which can then be woven, crocheted or knitted into a variety of useful items! Rugs, baskets, and more will look just dandy in those colorful tees you no longer wear. Here are a few free project ideas to get you started: Knit T-Shirt Rug, Braided T-Shirt Rug, Crochet T-Shirt Basket.
   

   Image © Callaloo Soup

3. Newspaper: This one even took us by surprise, but newspaper can be spun into some rather striking yarn! We first came across this idea here on the Resourceful Nomad blog. While it does take quite a bit of time and patience (click here for a step-by-step photo tutorial), the resulting yarn is pretty nifty. From there, it can be integrated into a weaving project (click here for some inspirational ideas), used to knit or crochet a variety of objects (click here to see a crocheted paper necklace on the FreshStitches blog), or just put on display because it looks so lovely on the bobbin!
   

   Image © Green Upgrader Blog

All the best,

Chris, Nancy, and the entire Woolery team