Woven Kindle Pouch + A Hot Mess

Hubby and I have both had nasty colds, so I haven't been very creative the last several days, but I thought I'd share the woven pouch I made for my Kindle Fire before I got sick, plus the hot mess I made before the pouch. I didn't have a pattern for either, so I made them up as I went along.

 



I configured a long rectangle with my Martha Stewart loom kit and use hombre yarn to weave the pouch, including a place for my stylus on the front. I haven't sewn the sides together yet, because I haven't decided whether to use it as just a sleeve or to have it with a flap and closure, as in the top picture. I have also decided that it might not be thick enough protection for my Kindle Fire. My old Kindle is not as heavy or vulnerable as the Fire. This would be plenty of protection for it. I could pad the pouch and make it thicker, I guess. Now that I'm feeling better, we'll see. :)

Okay, this is a hot mess, but I thought I'd share it anyway. I configured a large square with the MS kit and since I couldn't find anything on weaving a pattern like this, I just improvised on my own, which wasn't a good idea, and I saw that as soon as I started weaving the heart with the different sized and textured yarn, but I was determined to make it work. The background is a heavy bulky yarn, which I love. I weaved all of it, leaving a heart shaped hole, then filled in the hole with the other yarn. Unfortunately, I didn't allow enough in my count or something and the top of the heart turned out a mess and the whole thing puckered on me. I still think I can figure out a way to fix it and use it for a pillow top or something. I could unravel it and reuse the yarn, but unraveling isn't that easy, so I'm going to think on it a while before I do anything with it. It'll work out somehow! I didn't really fail, because I tried. :)

I am enjoying weaving so much that I'm considering a table loom if I can find one in an affordable price range. Something for my wish list! Maybe by the time I get one I'll be experienced enough to know what I'm doing and can make something good on it. :) I'm doing a lot of research online and learning and experimenting, so I'm having fun, and the process is what it's about for me, so I'll keep on keeping on until I decide to learn something else new.

I haven't ditched my mixed media projects, art journaling, quirky doodles, dolls, etc. They are merely resting while I explore other things for the time being. I have also been playing with digital drawing on my Kindle, so I will be sharing other stuff along as I do it, the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. I hope you enjoy my creative adventures, at least some of them. :)

Happy creating, learning, and experimenting!

Learning Saori Weaving...

I have not abandoned my painting, journaling, etc, but learning to weave is taking most of my attention lately. In researching on the web I came across Saori weaving,  http://gingerbreadsnowflakes.com/node/352 , which is a kind of freeform weaving using scraps of yarns and fibers to make different projects.

 

This is the beginning on an oval shape that I configured out of my Martha Stewart Knit/Weaving loom kit, which hubby got me for Christmas. I used some fun yarn from an old stash of yarns, plus some new yarn yarn that I picked up at Wal-Mart to practice with.

 



This is the finished piece as a wall hanging. It is approximately 24 inches long, including the top and bottom fringe. I am thinking that I may add some beads to the bottom fringe. My mama just loves the colors in the piece. I don't know how well they show up in the photo, but there are several different textures of yarn included.

 

This is actually the first one I tried, and it is on a handmade cardboard loom. I tried different textures and stutches on it. The yarns wrap all the way around the loom, then are cut and tied off to make the fringe. Here it is still on the loom. 

 

 

This one is about 10" x 12", including the fringe. I'm not liking the fringe much and am thinking I might trim it off some. These can be used for coasters (smaller weavings), mats, journal covers, embellishments on tote bags, etc. Whatever I want!

 

Both pieces hanging against a large mixed media WIP painting that I have redone so many times it's not even funny. She is about to wind up in pieces for art journaling, I think. Anyway, Saori weaving is a lot of fun, and I think I prefer the handmade cardboard looms over the MS looms. They are easier to handle while weaving, at least they are to me. :)