Monthly Archives: June 2013

Asia Handicrafts #2

Asia Handicrafts #2

Today I visited Dusit Park’s Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. This is a museum made a wonderful display of the handicrafts of Thailand. Sorry this isn’t my own photo, but they did not allow cameras in the museum.

A highlight was the beetle collage. What is that you may ask? Well there is a type of wood boring beetle that has iridescent wings. When the beetle dies the Thai collect the wings to embellish their handicrafts. In this picture the beetle wings have been cut very thinly and weaved with a local bamboo to create the chandelier and panels next to the portrait. The green you see in the picture is the reflection of the beetle wing. This crafting form is actually dying out, however, the Queen is trying to preserve this art form by establishing crafting schools.

More info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beetlewing

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Up Up and Away!

Posted in Getting Crafty by

For the last year I have been planning a wonderful 7-week vacation to Southeast Asia. It has felt like a lifetime, but the day to get on the plane is here! I am super excited. A rough decision had to be made. As we are backpacking, I decided not to bring any projects to work on. I know horible right? I debated this and even asked for opinions on Ravelry. However, it came down to the fact that a project would take up space I need. So unfortunately my hands may be very idle this trip.

Don’t despair my readers as I plan to post lots of pictures about my travels as well as the types of crafting that are popular in Hong Kong, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Check back soon!

School’s Out for Summer!

Posted in Getting Crafty by

Summer vacation is here!!! I work in the education field, therefore I have 2 1/2 months off to knit and craft as much as I want! Usually in the summer, I make blankets or detailed sweaters since I have less distractions. Recently, I saw Oblivion with Tom Cruise. As I was watching the movie I noticed that one of the female characters had this great grandpa-looking sweater.  I love the look of a masculine cardigan with a rolled collar and those weaved buttons. So my project for June: Grandpa sweater meets modern girl

I ran to my LYS and ran into an issue. What color? I debated and thought. I have tons of blue sweaters (the character’s sweater was blue) and I wanted to expand my horizons. I came across a lemon yellow and I decided to take a chance. I brought my goods home and sat down to sketch. At this point in my knitting life I can pretty much create a sweater from memory (without a pattern). I do consult my “holy book,” Vogue Knitting Guide when I get to the sleeves and neckline, just to ensure proper alignment. Here is what I sketched:

 ImageI have designed a basic cardigan with bobble accents on the shoulders and elbow sections. I am still debating if the bobbles should be yellow or a tan contrast color. The collar will be rolled down and there will be pockets on each side. I also found the best light tan weaved buttons! I am super excited to see the finished product. Check back in to watch my idea turn into a sweater.

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