So much to report!

After a busy summer, we've been getting back to crafting this fall! It's time to report in!

First report: We finished our Sunflower Squares Afghan!

Nemo and Mittens love to sleep on it already.

We have the pattern for this project up for sale in our Etsy store now, too.

New Projects!

We have two new projects underway!

The first is a blanket that we saw pictures of and saw Etsy Alchemy requests for, that was similar to this one:

Because it was so hard to find a pattern for what we are calling the "Sunflower" square, after much researching we had to make up our own pattern for it. It will probably end up for sale in our Etsy shop, once the blanket is done.
We used 21 colors in 168 squares, with each color represented in each layer 8 times, and no color patterns repeated. Here are some progress pictures:

You can also check out the project status on our Ravelry site.

Geometric Crochet Sunrise

Our moms have created a new piece of geometric crochet sculpture art! This time, they have made it in the colors of the sunrise!


This piece of geometric crochet is made from acrylic yarn, and crocheted using the pattern for a hyperbolic plane (and an H hook). Each row has more stitches than the last, by N=4, such that every 4th single crochet has 2 stitches in the same stitch.
The number of yellow (315) > orange (274) > red (235) stitches. This pattern is based on the work of Daina Taimina of Cornell University and this article in Science News.



You may need your sunglasses when you see this item in the Etsy shop!

Feature-Mini 31: Sparkly Strandz

Next Etsy Feature:

SparklyStrandz

SparklyStrandz is a lover of cats and crochet, just like our moms! She loves to make custom and/or sparkly pieces and match them to fabrics she sees. She has a cat like Nemo named Gatsby, too. Learn more on her blog.

Her advice: "Just keep doing what you love!"

EtsyFAST Trunk Show!

The EtsyFAST Trunk Show at the EtsyLabs turned out really well! We were all able to watch and meow because Michelle helped set up a WebCam so we could all come into the Treehouse at the Etsy Virtual Labs and chat it up and see all the cool items other EtsyFAST-ers had brought.

Michelle even got her own Fan Club!

In addition, we got a moment on the FRONT PAGE to advertize the Trunk Show.
Check out the "Everything Nice" baby blanket! Go EtsyFAST!

There's a Monkey on My Back!

Ok, not exactly a monkey, more like a monkey hat! (Stuff on my cat again?) My mom made up this cute monkey pattern and then appliqued it onto a crocheted hat for kids. You can find it in the Etsy store. It's a bit large for me, Nemo; however it would be perfect for your young toddler! Please, adopt Mr. Monkey today! Help get this monkey off my back!

Fiber Friday Showcase!

Our moms are showcasing some of their fiber art pieces in the Etsy Showcase on Friday Sept 7!

Check out their pieces along with more EtsyFAST members' items as well--there are sure to be beautiful yarns as well as finished goods.

Meow!

"Hey-- It's a fiber art showcase? We better get over to Etsy and check it out!"

Preview Time!

Well, it's almost time to put the consignment order together--it's going into the store this Saturday!

Here is a quick preview of the mechandise that will be for sale:

If you want to see it in person, you can stop by Suwanee Springs on 306 S. Main St. in Ann Arbor!

We just had to say meow! (and now it's bedtime!)

Lazy Cat at the Art Fair!

For those of you who don't know, the ART FAIR is a big deal in Ann Arbor, MI. People come from all over to purchase items from artists and vendors who travel for miles to display their wares on the streets of Ann Arbor.

This year, our moms are going to be able to sell some of their Lazy Cat Gifts crochet jewelry at the Art Fair! The nice owner of the Busy Hands yarn shop has some space in front of her store, and she is letting our moms set up a table there!

Busy Hands is at 306 S Main St, inside the little shop building there (with Swanee Springs), a couple doors down (south) from Starbucks (Liberty and Main).

The Art Fair runs July 18-21, 2007: Wed through Fri 10 AM - 9 PM and Sat 10 AM - 6 PM.
So come on down to the Art Fair on Main St and look for our moms' crochet jewelry! :) They'd love it if you stopped by to say "Hello."And tell all your friends!

Newest Geometric Crochet!

Here is Mom's newest Geometric Crochet sculpture! This one was made using a much tighter configuration (rho=2), such that you add a stitch every other stitch. That makes for a very quickly increasing hyperbolic plane. You can compare this one to "Floral Reef" in a previous post.Mom says: "This piece I'm calling "Brain Coral" because the ripples remind me both of coral and of brains. This one is tight enough that you can wear it on your wrist as an interesting cuff or bracelet. Our cats can wear it as a fashionable lion-style collar. :) You can even make it look like a weird monster face!"

This piece is currently for sale in Mom's Etsy shop. Go check it out! :) http://lazycat.etsy.com.

Geometric Crochet: Results!

Here are some pictures of my first geometric crochet attempt-- a hyperbolic plane in dark blue, dark purple, and red that I am calling "The Floral Reef":



This piece was made with acrylic yarn and stitched with an H-hook using the N=4 pattern. It has 12 rows: 7 of dark blue, 3 of purple, and 2 of red. The number red stitches (490, 2 rows) > purple stitches (427, 3 rows) > blue stitches (361, 7 rows).

You can see how it starts as a twist, but can be formed into a whole variety of shapes! You can change it daily! :)

I have one more piece I am working on, pictures coming soon. I may post both of these for sale on my Etsy shop http://lazycat.etsy.com if I hear any interest in them.

Mom's turn at Geometry and Crochet

We're going to let Mom explain this one....

I was inspired by a thread in the Etsy forums http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5042733 to try to make some "geometric" crochet. I started out with the hyperbolic plane, where you add a stitch ever N stitches such that the surface area of the plane expands with each row. It starts out as a curly-q and then can be twisted to form all sorts of cool shapes. Here are the beginnings of my first attempts:

H-hook, N=4

F-hook, N=2

I hope to add more rows and more colors to these as they grow.

Here is the original article (love the pictures in this one)

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20061223/bob10.asp

and here are crude instructions (I'm going for rho=4cm)

http://www.math.cornell.edu/~dwh/books/eg00/supplements/AHPmodel/index.html

I'll come back and post more pictures as this progresses. If anyone is excited about purchasing it, use the email link to the left. Please feel free to leave any comments below.

And, I promised I would put something in about the cats, so here are Nemo and Mittens being super cuddly:

PS (from the Cats): Our moms' shop has also been featured as a "spotlight seller" on DIY Divas! Check out their feature! http://diydivas.myfastforum.org/sutra253.php#253

Also, the Aspen Necklace and Earrings set is featured on http://nolestyleandbeauty.wordpress.com/ so please check that out as well!

We are working our way up the ladder to fame... ;)