Concerning Zarina 
What I have been up to on the creativity front:
Jun 30, 2008
Weaving instructions
Need to save this for future use - most likely to teach my niece the kinds of needlecraft that is available. This link is from Full Circle which provides more projects for kids.
I was looking for inspirations for another HDT. It came from an Elle sports blouse which I had bought two years back. I really love the color combination on black.
The HDT was done together with the first bouganvillea HDT. I could not come out with pink (actually it was simple), so I had to replace the lighter shade of pink with yellow.
I have *completely* stopped dyeing or tatting to work on my master's project.
As you can see, I am busy collecting answers to my questionnaire. (These bookmarks are for ten who helped me to test out the questionnaires.) I am please to inform that as of Jun 30 at 4 am, I have 113 answers. For those who are BookCrossers and have not done the survey, kindly go to this link to fill up the questionnaire.
|Jun 16, 2008
First Bougainvillea Garden HDT
When I first loaded the first shuttle using the thread, it was at my sister's house. Her daughter (the niece) helped me to unwind the thread from the 'ball'. She asked me, 'When are you going to buy me the small pink shuttle?'
I too want to go back to the craft shop and get some more supplies. As it is, the place is a bit out of my way. Either I go out during working hours or when we are in the vicinity. The jam to that area is horrible. Plus, with the price hike I have to think carefully where and when I drive. Just hold on darling.
Here is the HDT wound the way they are sold over at Etsy. The pink was not the shade that I wanted. And there is no blooming plants with that color. I am planning to make another batch hopefully with a darker shade of all the colors.
Here is the HDT all tatted up using another of my favourite bookmark from Kersti.
Jun 13, 2008
Want to Discuss Privately?
I have registered the email address a long while back, but only now publishing it.
So, want to chat with me privately, click E-mail Me!
|Jun 11, 2008
Let's Start at the Beginning
when we sing, we begin with DO, RE, MI.
when we HDT, we begin with the primer colors.
This jingle has been playing in my head every time I think about my first HDT. I already have the second in mind, which mum's garden gave me the inspiration. To be exact - the bougainvillea I swiped from her.
That is what I did. After collecting my supplies from the craft shop in the morning of Wednesday, and the other supplies from Tesco later that night, I finally took the plunge last night. Since I am new in dyeing, I used the three primary colors. So if the colors tend to bleed too much to the other colors, it does not matter because it will become the secondary colors. Luckily, since I got into that exact trouble.
Here is the HDT in its full show.
I have to give my thanks to three people for making me venture into this: Sherry, Marilee, and Pamela. Especially to Marilee since she has very thoughtfully put up pictures of what I will be doing. I doubt I will be selling the HDTs but I am thinking of selling the bookmarks that I will make. My sister is thinking about it so I may have her do it for me.
Since it took me awhile to post this journal, I have made more bookmarks with the thread. As you can see, I have also started playing with beads. Now, most of my tatting have beads - but only in chains. Not yet ventured further than that.
Here is a hint of the second HDT which is actually drying right now at home.
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Adding a green thumb too
I'm also trying to rub my green thumb onto my niece. Hehehe...
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Jun 6, 2008
Grooming a tatter
Last night I finally showed my sis Sherry's HDT that bears her name. I was right - she LOVED it. And not yet, I have not used the thread at all. I just loosened the thread to see the full colors. That is when she says we should sell the bookmarks - and it will be cheaper since I will be making my own HDTs.
My four-year-old niece was there too. She saw the shuttles which I purchased from Sherry. I was so happy to hear her say the following (the actual language was in Malay but this is the gist):
Mak Long (that is what she calls me meaning the eldest aunty), can you buy for me this that is small and pink (pointing to Sherry's white ceramic shuttle). I want to do like you do (she has seen me tat so she knows what's its for).
Ah, if only you can grow faster. I have many ideas planned for you. There is even a small cross-stitch kit I bought for you to introduce to the world of crafting.
|Jun 5, 2008
A Long Overdue Post
This is my last piece of tatting before the sabbatical break. I did not take the picture in time for the previous post. It is a bookmark of Mary Konior's Tatting with Visual Patterns using the Black Magic insertion.
Most of you have seen this. This is the May Towel Exchange for the Shuttles-and-Needles group I am part of. My partner, Aileen has posted it on her blog. You can view the towel here because mine is at home while I'm at work.
This will complete all my 25 motifs for the 25 Motif Challenge, with one motif to spare (but that is another exchange which will have to be kept hidden at the moment.
Ais did mention about my Favicon and looking at Pamela's apple blossom bonsai, I took out my gardening gloves and did mine as well (excuses excuses!!)
This is the oldest bonsai I had which I just trimmed the leaves and roots.
This is a new one. I took one of my mother's bougainvillea tree and made it into a bonsai. It had lost all its leaves after three weeks (I think) but there are already new shoots.
There was another one I wanted to turn into a bonsai, a palm tree but the pot which I bought eons ago is missing. So that has to wait until I go shopping for pots. Another excuse not to work on my master's project. But then that will make me a dull girl.
|May 21, 2008
Zarina's Craft is Going Sabbatical
Dear Friends,
It saddens me to say that I will have to hang up my shuttles until I have completed my master's project. I have been assigned a supervisor and just waiting for the letter of appointment to come out to formalize.
The research question has been done up in my previous semester, so now its just expanding it to become a mini thesis. For those who are with BookCrossing, then it will be nothing new to you. For those that are not, well, don't wait but join in. Its fun but it does require lots of reading. Here is the abstract of my paper:
There has been many studies on virtual communities that encourage expanding an individual’s social network and status seeking. All these specifically use communication online as the primary channel of communication. BookCrossing is a special virtual community where not only are ‘gifts’ contributed online, but physical objects are being exchanged. Here, the paper argues that both status and altruism drives the members to participate actively.
I will still be reading all the blogs (which is something I do everyday like reading the newspapers) but then I will be drooling all over the place. But it should provide me ideas and build up my stash of HDTs. Oh yes, I should be able to tat in full gear somewhere in September. Actually now I am tempted to try a bit of dyeing myself. Only on a small scale and for my own use. Will do some research and keep you posted on this idea.
Please continue to drop by. I may add a thought or something interesting I have learned from my reading for the project. I foresee that I will work on my knitting for a short burst - meaning one row a day (that's how boring knitting can be).
The last two motifs for the 25 Motif Challenge is done but they are part of an exchange which the recipient has yet to receive. So those will be posted in the next few weeks.
And if you have noticed, I have finally put a favicon. You can see my bonsai beside the name of the website on top. No more a blank sheet.
Your truly,
Zarina
|Copyright © 2008 Zarina ZA