so i decided to name my "business"  little fish  after lyrics in a reel big fish song:  "i'm just a little tiny fish, that's all i'll ever be...  here's the logo i came up with:



 any comments/suggestions would be welcome... thanks!

are you supposed to ply the yarns before or after setting the twist?

i've been practicing for about two weeks now, and i think i've spun some pretty decent yarns, but i can't get past the park & draft method!  the book i bought said i would move on quickly, but that just doesn't seem to be the case.  i tried spinning the drop spindle faster, and then slower, but it only spins for a couple of seconds before spinning the other way... this is very frustrating because in all the videos i've watched the person has the spindle spinning for much longer than i've ever gotten it to do...  do you think it's me? or could it just be the spindle?

any and all advice would be appreciated, thanks!

this christmas, having discovered the wonders of crafts & the craftster forum, i decided to craft most of my gifts:


this is a bag i made (thanks to tinafish for her awesome tutorial):



sorry it's so dark, but here's a closeup of the stencil:



Of The Dead is her favorite band, by the way

the lining is red satin (the color's a bit off, it's a nicer red than this):




Here's a scarf i knitted  (this pattern came from a post on craftster, but i can't find it... let me know if you can so that i can give credit):



close up of pattern:



and these are my favorite so far--knitted beer cozies!  i modified the pattern from the wine cozy pattern from knitty and added monogram letters for each person's name.. unfortunately i only had one beer for a model, but you get the idea:



close up of the cozies:




and i still have more to go!!   


is anyone else going crazy like i am?  post your finished products!!

p.s.  Happy Holidays to all the Craftsters!

i just received my first spindle & wool in the mail the other day, and i finished my first skein!  take a look:



the thickness is a little inconsistent, and some parts are overspun, and i think it might have felted a bit while i was setting the twist (or is it supposed to be fuzzy?), but i think i did pretty well and i'm proud    
 
i'm not sure how much you can tell from a picture, but if anyone has some tips or anything they would be very much appreciated... thanks for looking!


p.s.  one quick question:  is there a special way you're supposed to finish the end of the yarn?  or do you just snip it off?
and oh yeah, how do you guys get the yarn into such pretty shapes for display & pics?

hi everyone,

so right now i'm in my second year of college as a double major: art education and theater.  just recently, i've decided that i'm not really sure i want to be an art teacher, and that i want to do something a little more "crafty" i guess.  i was thinking something like costume/set design or something, but i wanted to know what all you craftsters do for a living so maybe i could get some ideas... also, if you have any suggestions that would be awesome too.  i'm into sewing, knitting, embroidery, screen printing/stenciling, soon to be spinning... i'm open to anything and i'm always looking for new things to try... thanks for your help!

i've been lurking in this section all morning, and i think i'm interested in spinning.  i just lost my job (there wasn't enough work for them to keep me) and i'm looking for a way to turn my love of crafts into a source of income, so i have a couple of questions, and can't seem to find the answers in any sites...  is there anyone out there who spins for a living?  i understand wheels are a bit costly, so can you make a living with drop spindles and such?  how long does it take to spin a decent sized ball of yarn on a drop spindle, and how much do you sell it for?  and finally, is it worth it?  i think i'd like to give this a shot even if i can't make any money off of it, because i also love to knit and i'm taking a weaving class next semester, so maybe i'll get started early.

i realize these are a lot of questions but i'm hoping you guys will help me out.  thanks a lot in advance! 

december 2nd is my 4 year anniversary with my boyfriend, and i wanted to make him a card... the outside is going to say "we may not be perfect" and the inside will say "but we're perfect for each other."

here's the problem:  i'm not quite sure how to poke fun at our not-so-nice qualities without being too harsh, know what i mean?  any suggestions?

december 2nd is my 4 year anniversary with my boyfriend, and i wanted to make him a card... the outside is going to say "we may not be perfect" and the inside will say "but we're perfect for each other."

here's the problem:  i'm not quite sure how to poke fun at our not-so-nice qualities without being too harsh, know what i mean?  any suggestions?

i'm trying to make my costume this year and i want to be a pirate... i was gonna wear a corset over a white top, but i'm having trouble figuring out how to make the shirt... i was thinking of something like this:



my corset doesn't have straps though... any tips?  i was going to reconstruct one of my old white button down shirts (i went to catholic school and had to wear uniforms) but i don't think i could get the fabric to ruffle like that