Feeling Inspired

My support team of friends and family are awesome but sometimes I need help with being inspired and I like to look at different cultures and traditions to create new interest and spark those creative juices.

Inspiration is different for everyone.  It can also come out of unexpected moments from sources that we never even thought about in that context.

When I need inspiration I turn to people around the globe to connect with.  Just watching their videos fill me with a sense of grounding and repurposing. 

So for my blog post today, I wanted to share a few of the people that inspire me the most with you.  Some may resonate with you and you might find a new source of inspiration that is outside of your normal realm.

If none of them inspire you then find people that do so when you need a pick-me-up then you always have them at your fingertips.

They are in no particular order and I am not being paid or supported in any way by mentioning them.  I have found them inspirational at one point or another and keep gravitating back to them to find grounding.

Zentangle 

Zentangling is the art of taking a doodle (they have a huge list on their website) and creating it without judgment or a plan.  This Zen way to doodle untangles your mind as you create and get lost in the art.  Zentangle has been a huge asset for me with anxiety and creative blocks, plus, I really enjoy creating the tangles.  They have had daily updates during Covid 19 and it is has been fun to learn new tangles every day for me as well.

Chiropractic Medicine - 

Dr. B is part chiropractor part guru.  He works with a patient on every level and uses many techniques that he has honed through studying across the world.  Some people use his videos to reach ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) with his videos and he tries to promote this.  He explains the process that he goes through to correct skeletal imbalances with attention to the smallest details that contribute to poor health like diet or water consumption.  I find him very relaxing and very grounding.

Michelle Khare - 

I have watched Michelle grow as a content provider.  Her "dare accepted" series is amazing.  She has gotten to do so many things and had a wide myriad of experiences.  My favorite videos are ones where she takes on the challenge of working in a profession that is high profile.  She has trained at NASA, been a stuntwoman, worked as a police officer and firefighter, dressed up as a superhero, and even helped her friends and fans get healthy.  She has a good heart and it comes through.  She is also very human and I like that about her.  I am always inspired by her taking on challenges where she has to push outside of her comfort zones. 

Jonna Jinton 

My sister introduced me to her when she showed me the videos of ice singing and I fell in love.  Jonna is a beautiful Sweedish goddess that lives in concert with the world around her.  I am so inspired by this woman.  She paints with pigments from nature, she sings like an angel, saws through the ice to make an ice pool (which makes me shudder, but I admire her perseverance) and lives with the Aurora Borealis dancing above her house.  Her filming is stunning. I get lost in her kind smile and beautiful world in every episode.  

Peter Hollens 

I have been part of the "Hollens Family" for a while now.  There is something about the way this man sings acapella that really hits me in the heart-strings.  I am amazed by his range and creative talent.  I listen to everything he publishes and I have downloaded quite a bit of his music to listen to on my phone.  

PearlescentMoon 

There are a bunch of inspiring Minecraft YouTubers that I watch so it was hard to pick one.  PearlescentMoon is someone that I have been following for a while now.  She is really talented and doodles with blocks to create these amazing builds that are really stunning.  Even if you don't care about the game you can probably agree on the creativeness of this artist.  If you do play the game, you might learn something from her unique style.

Liziqi 

When I need some inspiration to start something I start here.  Liziqi is a beautiful Chinese goddess who takes care of her Grandma and lives off the land.  Everything is filmed with a visual element to delight the senses.  When she cooks you can almost smell the delicate flavors laid before you.  When she works with silk you can imagine how soft it feels under your fingers.  I love learning about a different culture and way of life.  I get lost in every video she creates as I fall deeper in love with her world.

Alton Brown 

Alton Brown is a family favorite.  We used to watch his show on the Food Network.  He made us laugh while simultaneously teaching us how to improve our cooking.  Alton mixes science with comedy and cooking to create educational yet funny videos that always teach me something new.  He has a whole quarantine series he is doing right now that is so much tasty fun!

shin lim - 

Shin Lim is jaw-droppingly amazing.  His sleight of hand is the best I have ever seen.  His shows are creatively fresh in the world of magic.  he is an awesome magician.  He also seems like a really nice guy who is eager to help others on their journey into the world of magic.

Briana Borton 

Brianna may be new to the video world but she makes up for it in awesomeness.  I have been shopping at Dragontree for years (still not being paid for this) and I use their planner and their muscle melt.  Briana is a beautiful enlightened beautiful spiritual person and I always find her videos uplighting and supportive.  She has been focusing on helping the spiritual, mental, and physical issues that are arising in people from staying at home during the Covid crisis and she has really helped me learn tools to cope.

Whitney Avalon 

Whitney is just plain fun.  She sings parodies, a lot of Disney, rap battles (hubby and I love those), and is really talented at morphing into different characters.  I've been watching her for years and she always makes me smile.  

(just a warning some of her videos contain explicit lyrics - so kiddies only watch this one with an adult - those rap battle can get quite catty) 

Yaya Han 

Yaya is a beautiful costumer, designer, and cosplayer.  She oozes with creativity.  She makes her own cosplay costumes and they are always amazing.  I am always inspired by the time, detail, and creativity that she puts into her cosplays.  Right now she is sewing face masks to help out in this crisis.

Lindsey Stirling 

Lindsy is so talented.  She can sing, dance, and play the violin; sometimes all at the same time.  She creates her own music as well as covering many favorite tunes from movies, anime, and games.  No video would be complete without an awe-inspiring costume to go with it.  Really this beautiful woman is so creative I always gain a little inspiration from watching her play or dance or sing.

Downshiftology 

I have a gluten/dairy intolerance that makes it really hard for me sometimes.  This woman is a creative cook who gives me some great gluten-free options for cooking.  I've learned a lot here and I really like her easy cooking style.

Learn Do Teach Hairstyles 

I have had long hair most of my life so I am always looking for new things to do.  These styles are just some of the most beautiful hair-styles I have seen outside of a movie set - so much creativity!

ChemKits Tutorials 

If you want to dye yarn, this is your girl.  She shows a lot of ways to dye and tons of ways to mix colors to create the look you want.  I have learned so much about gradient color from her; which is my favorite color style.

So, these are just a few of the people that inspire me on YouTube and each one brings a different element of encouragement to me.  Some help me to relax and re-ground.  Some energize and fill me with new ideas and purpose.  And some of them influence me to step outside of my box and learn new things.  I hope at least one of them resonates with you, but if not, that is okay too.

Just remember that creativity flows from everywhere.  

Nature is full of inspiration, colors, sights, and sounds that are sure to inspire or ground depending on what you need right now.

Art Museums are open virtually right now so you can tour someplace in another country and experience a bit of another culture.  I just visited the Louvre and it was amazing!

There are a lot of free classes, virtual knitting circles, and tons of new ways to connect and feel connected.

I hope you find things that inspire you and bring you joy!

Safe socially-distanced hugs  🤗

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Sending love and light to everyone being affected by this virus.  

May you be safe.  

May your loved ones be safe.  

🙏
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Next week we will work on making a hug.  I haven't sussed out all the details yet, but I am really inspired.

Thanks for reading!

If you have any questions regarding this or any of my other tutorials, please feel free to leave a question in the comments.

Happy crafting!

Ruinwen

😀

Playing Ball

All-day there is something that surrounds you that most of us just don't think about: your clothes.

If our clothes are covered in dyes and chemicals then those toxins are being absorbed into our skin.  Many people are developing skin problems, breathing issues (especially asthma), and other health problems from these coatings that are being placed on our clothes by additives to the wash or from dryer sheets.  The coating that makes your towels extra fluffy and makes them smell like a rain shower also keeps them from being as absorbent as they could be.  If you have anti-wicking wear it will dull the effectiveness over time.

Dryer sheets are also hard on your dryer.  The coating that covers your clothes also is deposited in your dryer.  The lint trap becomes full of residue that blocks the holes.  It becomes harder to get the lint out of the trap and more lint will be unable to be trapped and the lack of flow of air not only makes your dryer work harder but it also deposits the lint back on your clothes.  The coating also can cover a moisture sensor (if you have one) that then causes your clothes to overdry.

As a family of allergic, skin problematic people, we always use only natural cleaning products.  So when a family member was staying here and using dryer sheets, we noticed.  The coating stayed in the dryer.  I had to run a bunch of floor towels (that we use by the door in the rain or snow) through a few times on steam sanitize before the coating broke down on our dyer.

To add softness to our clothes, towels, and sheets we use wool dryer balls.  Which, are just balls made out of 100% natural wool.  I only use natural, non-dyed, chemical-free balls (but you can use anything you wish as long as it is wool).  These balls are easy to make with things you might already have in your stash.  When you are done with the balls, some 1,000 loads later, they can be composted into the earth.

Wool balls create a bit of humidity in your dryer by absorbing some of the moisture in your dryer with your wet clothes.  This helps lessen static cling and the time it takes to dry your clothes.  Clothes come out softer with little to no wrinkles.

These balls bounce in between clothes that would normally stick together and allows warm air to pass between those layers, which in turn will dry your clothes quicker and more efficiently.  The balls heat up as well and boost the heat that your clothes receive as they bounce along.  This helps to save you money over the long run if you use fabric softener or dryer sheets since the balls replace both these items.

Here are a few helpful hints if everything isn't going to plan with your dryer balls.

Static

On those days when you can't walk across the room without getting shocked by static, you might want to wet your balls before putting them into your dryer.  As the clothes dry faster, the humidity the balls give off will help lessen or eliminate static.  Also, don't overdry your laundry, try setting your timer to a shorter setting.

Noise

Okay, this one is just a given.  The balls bouncing in your dryer will make some noise.  My Mom used to use tennis balls and those made a lot of noise!  Wool balls make a softer thudding noise.  I barely notice them, my husband's jeans make more noise with the button fly hitting the side of the dryer than the wool balls.

Lint

The first few runs through there might be some lint, but it shouldn't last.  If it does, you might have a bad batch of balls.

Fire

I am going to put this here because I try to cover all angles when I post about something.  I know that a lot of people use essential oils on their balls and love that they can add scent to their drying laundry.  Essential oils can be highly flammable.  They can build up in the lint that is concealed in the dryer and cause fires.  They can suddenly combust at high temperatures and cause fires.  For that reason, I will not be advocating their usage in this post.

If you would like to add scent to your clothes you can always make a sachet that you can throw in your drawers or hang with your clothes.

Two yarn dryer balls and one roving ball. 
The yarn is 100% organic wool and the roving is from my stash, so it will be a gift.

Making Your Own Balls

I would suggest making a test ball and this is why.

The two balls on the left are the result of the balls I show you later on.
The roving one came out smaller then I wanted.
It is easy enough to add more yarn to the roving ball.
I'm adding a video at the end that will show you how to add roving to your ball.

You will need 2 - 6 balls.  Here are two different ways to make them.

Using Yarn:

60 yards of 100% wool yarn will make one ball

I had a 10 1/2 diameter ball to start with and ended up with an 8 1/2 diameter ball, which was perfect.

If you have some organic wool yarn you can wind it into a ball about the size of a tennis ball.  Secure the end by taking a tapestry needle and bringing the yarn back into itself and then place it in a pantyhose leg or sock.  

One of each of the balls in a stocking. 
If you stick your hand down to the toe of the stocking and then place the ball in your hand while bringing the pantyhose over your ball it makes it easy to get it all the way down to the bottom.

Push it all the way down to the toe and then make a knot securing the ball.  This will help it keep its shape in the wash and dryer cycle.  Tie off the sections and throw in the washer on hot.  You can wash them with towels or other items so that you aren't wasting water.  Then dry them.  You may have to wash them more than once.

You will know when they are thoroughly felted when you can't move the yarn.  This method takes more washing and drying than the roving method because the yarn is so firmly packed.

You might have trouble getting the yarn out of the stocking at the end, just keep pulling gently until it all comes off.

Using Roving:
1 ounce of wool roving will make 1 ball
Felting needle - a felting needle has barbs that dig in and hold fibers in place, please be extremely careful with it.

• Tear the wool into strips
• Take the wool strip and make a small clump at one end
• Wind it around itself until it forms a ball
• Use the felting needle to secure all ends before adding the next one. 
• Use the felting needle to shape at each stage to form a ball
• Keep winding new wool strips onto your ball until it becomes as big as a tennis ball
• Wind as tight as you can but it is okay if it isn't perfect
• Using a felting needle create a rounded shape and secure the ends

Secure the end and place it in a pantyhose leg or sock.  Push it all the way down to the toe and then make a knot securing the ball.  This will help it keep its shape in the wash and dryer cycle. Tie off the sections and throw in the washer on hot.  You can wash them with towels or other items so that you aren't wasting water.  Then dry them.  It may take a few cycles to get them to felt all the way down.


You might have trouble getting the yarn out of the stocking at the end, just keep pulling gently until it all comes off.

These make great gifts!

Here is my second attempt at a video.  It is a beautiful day today and my son was able to help me.  I hope you enjoy it.

Safe socially-distanced hugs  🤗

****************************

Sending love and light to everyone being affected by this virus.  

May you be safe.  

May your loved ones be safe.  

🙏
************************


I have to be honest, I have no idea what we are doing next week right now.  I need to meditate and get a little creative thought going.

Thanks for reading!

If you have any questions regarding this or any of my other tutorials, please feel free to leave a question in the comments.

Happy crafting!

Ruinwen

😀

Meshing

This weekend was our wedding anniversary and we spent a lot of it doing things that we loved so this will be a shorter post.

I hope that you include things that bring you joy into your week.  

It doesn't have to be anything grandiose to have a lasting impact on your health and well-being.

For us sleeping in for the first time since last summer was...amazing.  Just having some time to recharge and renew changed everything.  Hubby and I have decided to do this once a month from now on.

We also took time to game a bit.  It was fun to set out on an adventure together that was full of peril and unexpected terrain.  We really enjoyed it and gained quite a bit in the process.  We will have to do more of that too.

We enjoyed the outdoors for a bit as we went on Minecraft Earth and plundered some dungeons.  The weather was beautiful and some of the trees were still in bloom.  

An indulgent gluten-free/ dairy-free chocolate cheesecake finished off our day and it was delicious!

Safe socially-distanced hugs  🤗

****************************

Sending love and light to everyone being affected by this virus.  

May you be safe.  

May your loved ones be safe.  

🙏
************************

I worked most of the week trying to create a way to make a mesh that looks like it has been crocheted.  I got it to the point that I could increase and maintain the fabric but then in decreasing, it looked wrong to me.  So, you may see that later after I iron out the kinks.

I like a nice airy mesh.  This transitory weather where there is a little breeze is perfect for a mesh scarf.  It is a simple pattern to achieve with knit, purl, knit-two-together, and yarn-over stitches.

I find it fun to change up the colors on every two rows, but you can just keep on knitting with one color and it will look nice as well.

Scarf Pattern

Loosely CO 20 stitches in MC on needles that are one or two sizes bigger than called for on the ball band.

Row 1: K1, *YO, K2tog* repeat * * to last stitch, K1

Row 2: K1, purl to the last stitch, K1

Change to CC and repeat Rows 1 and 2 

Continue changing colors every two rows.  Bring the new color up around the previous when changing color.  Give the old color a tug after a few stitches to snug it up.  

Continue until the desired length.

BO all stitches.  

(Optional) Make fringe out of both colors and attach them to both ends of the scarf.

If your mesh is tight you can block it to make it airier.  I found that my first stitches were tighter than the others, so I blocked it a little more vigorously on the edge stitches to create uniformity.

Secure and sew in all ends.

Next week we will talk about making felted dryer balls.

Thanks for reading!

If you have any questions regarding this or any of my other tutorials, please feel free to leave a question in the comments.

Happy crafting!

Ruinwen

😀