Estonian Craft Camp - Wood Box

On our third day of workshops Mr. Crafty and I made bent wood boxes! This is a bit far from my usual fiber arts experience, there was splinters, saws, and maybe a tinsy bit of blood...

Our instructor usual teaches week-long classes. And thus he often starts with planing the wood from raw planks and using goose feathers for stitching. He explained the process, which involves stripping the fluff and soaking the stems until soft, but we did not have enough time for such an involved method.

 Instead we had planks precut, soaked overnight, and thin enough to bend with just soaking (as opposed to steaming.) In the background are pine roots, dug in the spring. We stripped the bark and split them, some were several feet long! Having been soaked as well they were soft and supple.

 The strips are wrapped and clipped, holes drilled, and stitched. The stitching process involves splitting the root a second time and drawing it through from behind. The result is a look like split stitch in embroidery. Pictured here are two boxes and two lids, Me and Mr.'s.

Here's where the photos become sparse as I was working frantically to finish the box that day. But, after making the sides we marked on planks the outline of bottom and top. The bottom sits entirely inside the ring of bent wood. The top, however, overhangs the side and so had to be cut down with a chisel. (This is where the blood happened...)

The entire box is free of metal fasteners, the lids were held on with small pegs whittled down from wood slivers. The end product is still sturdy and well fitted. After the sides dried they drew in and hugged the lid and bottom even tighter!

I had enough time after completing mine (and waiting for Mr. Crafty) to add some decoration. The teacher had a wonderful pyrography tool, made in Soviet times and therefore with no temperature limit. I was able to turn it up rather hot and burn quickly and efficiently. I am considering hacking my burning tool...

 Here's all the workshop participants! Even using the same materials we all managed to add our own flair in shapes and details to the box. The box came home with me filled with stones from our trip, and now holds ritual items and special artifacts.  I would love to make more! It was a reasonably challenging project for a woodworking newb, but not brutally difficult.

Check out my other projects from Craft Camp - Bone Carving & Mulgi Embroidery.

Do you want in on this awesomeness? Registration for Estonian Craft Camp 2016 is open!

Turning Red

I'm preparing to do a teardown and rebuild of my spinning wheel this season. She put in a whole lot of hours for spinzilla, she deserves some pampering. In addition to the wood spa action, I was considering spiffying up the old girl. I intend to stain it a new color, and add some wood burning.

 First, is the making of the stain. (Of course I'm making it, that's how I roll.) I used alkanet as the dye stuff, alkanet it a root with a rich crimson color, but the dye particles are only soluble in oil or alcohol. Traditionally it has been used to dye wines a darker red,  color wood, and in cosmetics. So, basically for making stuff look like other stuff (buyer beware!).

I added the dried root to olive oil, and heated it in hot water. It sat overnight and then I strained it. The gentle heat helped the herb infuse without breaking down the oil. I then added beeswax, broken up and grated. Can I just say that grating wax is the smartest thing I ever saw in a Pinterest post...

After the mix cooled, it became a very soft paste. I found an object to test on - an old spoon that has never satisfactorily seasoned. I gave it a light sanding since it was already lacking in a good finish, and polished it with generous blobs of the oil/wax mixture. 

As you can see, the results were less than mindblowing. The polish has brought out the grain, and given the spoon a much needed protective layer. But it's not really all that red...

I did some more reading, and will try adding the rest of the alkanet, ground to a powder, to infuse into the polish. See, not even a Craft Bitch gets it right the first time!

My Own Little Piece of the Woods

Ever since getting a wood-burning tool every piece of unadorned lumber has become a potential canvas. Everything in the garden can be labeled, utilitarian can become decorative, and sticks in the yard have a chance at becoming something more!

I had gathered an ash branch from the tree in my front yard, and a pine branch while I was out cutting limbs to be my Yule Log. My boy's folks have some power tools, so I cut these branches into neat little disk on my last trip to their house. A very simple way to get nice rounds, I personally like the bark on them as well.

I burned the outline of a pine on all the pine disk, and a tall ash on the ash disks. I know, super creative of me. Now I have items to use for crafts, jewelry, or to burn as offerings. I've already begun seeking deadfall from other types of trees...

In the Woodshop - Part II - Spinner's Delight!

As a continuation of last weeks Finds, more fun and useful items for fiber artist from the workshops of these wonderful wood-makers. Spinners and dyers will find these are convenient tools to make our work simpler and more pleasurable. And you thought spinning couldn't get any better!
It diz what it diz... which is what? A diz is a tool for drawing fibers through before spinning to get a desired thickness. The picture shows it in use with a comb, but it's just as useful with prepared rovings or carded batts. TheSpinnersEmporium has pieces made from fine woods with great grain and color, if something is useful it might as well be lovely too!

For learning to spin, or portability, or spinning funky yarns, or plying... or looking cool! Nothing beats a drop spindle. SpindlesandFiber has this neat looking piece, the segments of wood remind me of a spider web, and the striping of the wood grain completes the effect. The weight of this spindle makes it suitable for spinning chunkier yarns as well.

For spinning from a cake of roving without needing to constantly join, a spinner is super helpful! (That's right, spinners for spinners, are we clear?) Craftiness has some really beautiful pieces, and this one is made from my favorite wood! Knitters and Crocheters of course can also use this to feed yarn off a cake without tugging at a center-pull or letting the ball roll around on the floor.
A perfect tool for those who don't have an SO to patiently hold a skein out while we wind it into a ball or cake, an adjustable and packable swift from MountainStreetArts. It is in fact much faster to use a swift than a buddy's hands so even if you are tied up you will still find it useful! perfect in conjunction with...

... this lovely hand-turning piece in a light green. (what is it?) This nostepinne (don't use that kind of language with me!) from SunsetTurnings is useful for any crafter who works with yarn! Ok, I'll tell you what it is... a nostepinne is used for winding a center-pull ball of yarn. (ahh... I still don't get it?) The yarn is wound around the wood and then pulled off leaving a gap in the center of the ball.

Finds - the Woodshop

There are many many crafty things I do, but sadly woodwork is not one of them. I gaze enviously at those who weld power tools and sandpaper to create things from the husk of trees. Fortunately I am able to use the fruits of their labors for my own creative endeavors! Here are this weeks woody finds...
Are there many things more fun than a luscious lucet? These are ancient Scandinavian tools used to make long cords (similar to an i-cord). Syrendell has elegently shaped and beautifully colored lucets made from natural woods. They are easy to use, a quick youtube search brings up many videos to show the technique quickly and easily. You can use them with any size or type of yarn to make quick braided style cords and trim!

The home knitter who likes to curl up on the couch with the cats and a good telenovela swears by the knitting bowl! It allows the yarn to spin and unwind freely without rolling all over the floor (cats everywhere are saddened by this) OneGoodTurn4U has lovely lathe made wood items with the gorgeous natural finish of fine woods.

Here's an item from Granny's box of secrets - a darning egg! Placed inside a sock to fill out the shape when one is darning holes in the toes and heels. CustomWoodDesigns has this one in fabulous rosewood, and many others in different shapes and sizes (everyone has a preferred style). If you have ever spent hours on a pair of lovely hand-knit socks and then worn through the bottom... learn to darn!

Now here is a tool one cannot have too many of, I am always looking for mine! (I own two, perhaps that isn't enough) This needle gauge tool from LladyLlamaFiberCo is both utilitarian and super freakin' cute! You could make a gauge in any shape, why not one that's neat? And these come in several colors so you can find your favorite - and then tell small children that Llamas grow that color naturally...

And naturally a very important part of the knitting process... the needles! Sistermaide's lathe turned wood needles have lovely grain and finish. Wood needles are light, warm and easy on the hands, and environmentally friendly! Your handmaking enterprises deserve handmade tools.
I had so many sweet finds that I couldn't fit them all in one post... so next weeks finds will be a continuation focusing on the spinners arts!