queerbychoice: (Default)
queerbychoice ([personal profile] queerbychoice) wrote2006-08-13 08:58 pm

Sometimes I Make Things

Sometimes I make things. Sometimes I make latch hook rugs. Actually, the last time I made a latch hook rug, I hadn't even graduated from middle school yet. In fact, maybe not even elementary school. But recently I made one again - a much more challenging one, because unlike the previous ones, this one wasn't from a storebought kit with the picture and yarn pre-supplied and every step of the process all mapped out for me. Also, I didn't get my mother to sew up the edges for me like she used to do when I was ten. Plus, this one was about four times the size of the only two I ever made before, so many years ago.

But I wanted to make a latch hook rug again. A challenging one. I wanted it to be a gift for [livejournal.com profile] rekraft. And I wanted it to look like this LiveJournal icon of [livejournal.com profile] rekraft's:



I started working on the rug in December. I thought I could finish before March. No such luck. I'm terrible at estimating the time when I'll finish craft projects. I do, however, generally tend to finish them eventually. And eight months later, at long last, this particular one is finished. The yarn's hooked, the edges are sewn up, the back is coated with rubbery stuff so the rug doesn't slide around, the rubbery stuff has dried, and the rug has been packed away into a cardboard box with [livejournal.com profile] rekraft's name and address on the label. I'm taking it to the post office tomorrow. [livejournal.com profile] rekraft has no idea yet (this is a filtered journal entry), and ey won't find out about it until it arrives - which will probably take a month and a half, if typical shipping times to Singapore from California hold true.

[Edit: I unfiltered this entry after [livejournal.com profile] rekraft received - and much appreciated - the gift.]



The rug is about three feet by three feet. And it's 100 yarns by 100 yarns, just like the icon is 100 pixels by 100 pixels. I still wish I'd had more yarn colors to choose from, but unfortunately, textile manufacturers have no respect for the needs of art and do not provide many colors at all. And I didn't want to risk creating a non-colorfast rug by hand-dyeing yarn myself. Now I'm about half eager to brag about my work, and one fourth afflicted with crafting stage fright, and one fourth too relieved it's over with to even care about trying to judge whether it's good enough or not.

[identity profile] lilerthkwake.livejournal.com 2006-08-14 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
Gayle, it's AWESOME. Really! I love it. I'm very, very impressed that you did something that beautiful without a pattern or anything. I love love love it!!! Please do not have craft-posting-fright, because you are very, very crafty-cool.

[identity profile] queerbychoice.livejournal.com 2006-08-15 02:07 am (UTC)(link)
I only have craft-sending (through the mail, to its actual intended recipent) fright, not craft-posting (to LJ) fright. I knew that posting it to LJ would help assuage the craft-sending fright. :-)

[identity profile] sammka.livejournal.com 2006-08-14 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
Holy moly, that's amazing! I am very impressed.

[identity profile] spiritofnow.livejournal.com 2006-08-14 04:51 am (UTC)(link)
Gayle, I can't see the pic. Can you check and see if there's a problem?

[identity profile] queerbychoice.livejournal.com 2006-08-14 05:10 am (UTC)(link)
Hmm . . . the picture is posted to the same filter that the entry is, and you can see the entry, so you should be able to see the picture. However, I seem to recall in the past that ScrapBook doesn't update its records of who's on the filter quite as quickly as the rest of LiveJournal does. I don't remember whether you were on the filter before or not, but it's possible you weren't, because I might not have remembered to add you back to it when I last re-added you to my friends list. So my guess is that you'll be able to see the picture sometime within the next 12 to 24 hours, whenever ScrapBook next updates its filters. Sorry about the delay.

[identity profile] spiritofnow.livejournal.com 2006-08-14 06:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Good fucking God! That is incredible! But then I already knew you were talented. ;-)

[identity profile] spiritofnow.livejournal.com 2006-08-14 06:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, and by the way, I'm guessing this is a surprise for [livejournal.com profile] rekraft right? Because I just felt like telling em to head over to your journal and leave a comment for God's sake. :-P

[identity profile] queerbychoice.livejournal.com 2006-08-15 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
Yes, it's a surprise. No telling!!!!!! Everyone's sworn to secrecy!

[identity profile] insipidity.livejournal.com 2006-08-14 06:39 am (UTC)(link)
wow that's incredible... i wish i EVER finished anything i started. it's beautiful, a great gift.

[identity profile] yareach.livejournal.com 2006-08-14 10:59 am (UTC)(link)
Oh my! That's impressive! It's so very good!

[identity profile] joannasatana.livejournal.com 2006-08-14 04:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Jsin and I are COMPLETELY impressed!!!! I showed it to him, and after he ooooo'd and ahhhhh'd THEN I told him "It was made without a pattern!" YOU SHOULDA SEEN HIS FACE! You are AMAZINGLY talented!!! I'm absolutely 100000000000% certain rekraft will fall over dead with joy over this!!! (but will ressucitate soon afterwards to enjoy this masterpiece)

and TOTALLY off topic, I had a customer come thru my line yesterday that looked almost EXACTLY LIKE YOU but with straight hair instead of curly. I wanted to jump over the counter and hug the stuffins out of her LOL but resisted.......I knew there was NO WAY this evil doppleganger was you because of the sheer amount of packages of frozen tofu cubes she purchased. She DID buy 2 gallons of organic milk, so maybe she ALMOST coulda passed ;)

[identity profile] queerbychoice.livejournal.com 2006-08-15 01:46 am (UTC)(link)
Well, I sort of had a pattern, it was just that I had to make my own pattern from scratch. ;-) Or . . . from LJ icon, you might say.

And yes, good, I certainly wouldn't want any gift of mine to kill Rekraft! Your and Jsin's appreciation makes me really happy, though. YOU TWO NEED TO COME BACK HERE AND SEE ME AGAIN!!! MOVE SOMEWHERE CLOSER!!!

I think the weirdest part about you seeing my straight-haired doppelganger is the idea that my doppelganger must have a Texan accent!

[identity profile] rampling.livejournal.com 2006-08-14 05:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Ohhhhh, that is so amazingly gorgeous and stunning!

[identity profile] kk0isonlymyname.livejournal.com 2006-08-21 05:03 am (UTC)(link)
It's beautiful. I love the shadow on the eyes.