Granny hexagon project

Spring 2018 we learned to crochet! Once we had the basics, we were ready for a project. A handful of us went to Webs in Northampton and bought a wide selection of colors of wool by Valley Yarns, their "Northampton" yarn, to make into a blanket we will raffle for the benefit of the school in September. Please join us!

Now it is September, the raffle is open at $5 per ticket, and we are finishing up the blanket so it will be ready for the winning ticketholder!

Thanks to several folks crocheting the hexagons at home and to those who came on Thursdays and did a few here and there, we have nearly 200 that we have stitched into a blanket. We plan to do the finishing touches just as the school year begins so it will be ready to auction.

Egg/gathering baskets

2018 Spring - exact dates TBA

We will make this kind of basket this year, using commercial reed or natural vines or willow that we harvest. If you have a source of grapevine or willow, please collect some to use or to share! Best is to twist it while still fresh and pliable into two wreaths the same size (each basket requires two), a sturdy thickness you think would be strong enough to be the handle. I suggest a 10-15" diameter, depending what size basket you want to make.

Once you have the wreath/ring, it can dry and you can make the basket later anytime.

The ribs of the basket can be thicker wicker round reed or something you harvest yourself.

For beginners it is easier to use the smooth, bought materials, but beginners who are willing to struggle a little can certainly use the wild goods!

Masks, hats and crowns

In honor of recent and upcoming festivals of Mardi Gras, Carnival, Purim, Holi, and the Asian Lunar New Year Lantern Festival, we will be making a variety of things this week on 3/1/18. Bring any materials you would like to use or share, and we will make costume masks, hats, or crowns, or painting with bright colors. It is also the time for making lanterns (see what we made 2017).

"People wear masks and costumes during many such celebrations, allowing them to lose their everyday individuality and experience a heightened sense of social unity."

Colored feathers especially solicited, if anyone has extras to spare! 

Other materials ideas:

• Felt
• Thread
• Beads
• Colored paper, foil, etc. 
• Paint, glitter markers, etc. 
• Scissors, glue, ribbon, elastic

Last year we had fun making felt Hamentaschen for Purim.

Crochet hearts

January 25, 2018

Intersecting our January crochet lessons and making hearts for the Hartsbrook Heartburst*, we are crocheting hearts this week! Help yourself to some yarn and fill from the box in the Hartsbrook Hall lobby, and find a size G crochet hook (use H for worsted weight yarn). 

*http://hartsbrookcrafting.blogspot.com/2017/02/hartsbrook-heartburst.html

Link to detailed step-by-step instructions (with picture) for a granny heart (pictured below)

https://lizziebellablog.wordpress.com/2014/02/01/granny-square-heart-tutorial/amp/

Link to video for simple stuffed heart (video shows each step close up and clearly, narration is in German)

http://ilove-crochet.com/easy-crochet-3d-heart/

Link to instructions for a different granny heart (bilingual English/Spanish)

http://anabeliahandmade.blogspot.com.es/2017/02/crochet-granny-hearts-free-pattern.html

Crochet!

January 2018 we will be learning crochet together! Beginners, bring a crochet hook and some yarn and we will start there. When you buy yarn, the label usually indicates the appropriate crochet hook size. 

We will have some spare balls of yarn to share for learning and enough crochet hooks to lend around.

Experts welcome (a needed resource!), and anyone may bring a pattern to make a specific item for yourself.

If you would like to make some “granny hexagon” sections for a group project blanket, we have wool yarn for H hook and a pattern to follow. We plan to donate the blanket to the school for an auction item.

We can help you start with the basic stitches and build your skills. A "granny square" is beginner level, so you can quickly jump in.

Photo of a granny square blanket from lovestitches.blogspot.fr

For anyone on Pinterest, here is a board of crochet links and images:
https://pin.it/gu3x2jgwalhxzi

Hartsbrook Heartburst

As an expression of love for our world, the Hartsbrook community will be making hearts to place in an outdoor, public place on Valentine's Day, for anyone to take one to keep or give to someone else. Please join us in making a heart (or 10). Heartsmade of stones, clay, shells, wax, wood, jute, wire, beads, etc. as well as yarn, felt and fabric... anything that can hold up to a little weather (not paper) would be wonderful.

If you can donate fabric, felt, yarn, wool roving for felting, or other natural materials for making hearts, please leave in the box in the Hartsbrook Hall foyer. If you need materials to make hearts, please help yourself from this box! There are some paper patterns for shapes.

Feel free to make hearts at home and place in the box by the main office anytime on or before 2/13.

We will be making hearts for this project at these sessions, if you would like to stitch love in good company:

• Thursday crafting sessions 8:30-10:45am in the Handwork room
• Friday mornings 8-10am in the Hartsbrook Hall foyer
• TBA: Evening or weekend gatherings (sign up on sheet by main office if you want to join this)
• Possible: Monday morning 2/12 9am-12pm in an early childhood classroom -- RSVP

Inspired by: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAdFAc7CzYM 

Hartsbrook hearts in Northampton 2017

Shaker stars

Back by popular demand, Kristin Hall will teach these basket-like starts again on Thursday, December 7, 2017.

No cost craft
Materials will be provided. Please RSVP to the School Store by 12/6 so we have enough basket reed ready for everyone.

We will have tools to share, but if you have them please bring:

• tape measure or ruler/grid, 
• scissors or clippers, 
• tacky glue like Alene's (available at Joanne's, Michael's, etc.), 
• lots of clothespins! (You'll probably use 12 or even 24, and can take them back home to use afterwards.)

February 4, 2016
We had fun making them and good conversation across the "generations" of parents -- 24-year veteran Hartsbrook parent Kristin and those of us with young children. Kristin had learned these stars from a parent named Susan, when her oldest daughter was in 2nd grade [Kristin please correct any facts!] and she was glad to teach us so we can carry on making them. A few people were sorry they missed this session -- maybe we can do it again.

Materials & Equipment

• 1/2 inch basket reed (ash):
  Each large star needs 4x20”+16x19” = 384” = 32’
  Each smaller star needs 4x12" + 8x10" = 128" = 11'
  Note: Depending on lengths of reed in an order, might need to order extra to have correct lengths for stars.
• Scissors are fine for cutting the reed
• Tape measure
• Quilting rulers or mat grid make the measuring easier!

Instructions

Soak reed so it's bendable but not too wet for tacky glue to stick. (10-20 minutes?) Have lots of clothes pins on hand to hold each intersection in place while glue dries.

These stars are made of two woven sides attached perpendicular and meeting at the points. So make two cross-woven shapes then attach them at the points.

Smaller star

This smaller, simpler star is made with  

4 pieces 12" long

8 pieces of 10" reed

Large star

4 pieces 20" long for centers

16 pieces 19" long

1. Cut softened pieces of reed to length

2. Measure with a ruler or quilting grid and mark the center of each reed lightly with a pencil.

3. Begin with two long pieces crossed at the middle, then weave two more shorter pieces on each side/direction.

Related link: https://shakervillageky.org/event/holiday-reed-star/

Materials cost should be less than $3 per star.