Have any winter hobbies?

[Charley]

We take rocks that we find while hiking around river beds, wash them and sort as to similar size and hardness. Then we put them in the tumber for one week with coarse grit. Take them out, rinse them, look at them, sort again thinking of what we want to do with them. Some may go back in the coarse grit, but most will go on to the fine grit for a week of tumbling. Repeating the process of rinsing and sorting, then there are three days that they tumble in the prepolish and, again after rinsing and sorting, a week in the polish. Then they are shiny and ready to use. It is so neat to see them change into shiny vibrant rocks.

These have no holes in them they are just wrapped. I am setting some aside to wire wrap for napkin rings...sorting some out based on color and size. Some are set aside, mostly chips, for glueing on photo frames. A friend glues rougher stones to his birdhouses. Your imagination can run wide with ideas.

We do have a drill that will drill holes through them for beading. And many people have saws that will cut them. We are just starting out and I do enjoy the wire wrapping. I'm starting simple and hope to get fancy later on.

 

[Basketmiss]

Charley,

Do you ever use gems?

We go to NC every summer and Gem mine, then we have these gems. My friend got a rock tumbler and wanted to make jewelry out of the gems, but the tumbler didnt do much to them?? Dont know why? Is there better rock tumblers you should use?

She wanted the rocks more rounded and not sharp edges, but that didnt happen...

 

[Charley]

We have done some gems the same way.

Most likely she didn't use enough grit or wait the full amount of time for each cycle. Some gems are very hard and may need to go back in the coarse grit an extra week while some are softer and may not require as much time.

 

[A Yankee In NC]

I am an avid crocheter......

This year I am focusing on felting...felting makes some beautiful purses. My husband's Grandmother bought some yarn with her Christmas money and asked me to make a sweater for her ...so I am working on that...My husband likes the skaters cap I made him and wants a few for in diff. colors ....and I have at least 6 other projects inthe works as well!

However, NC weather isn't all that bad....I am used to spending long CT winters crocheting like a mad woman....

I spend much more time outside now that I have moved south!

When I put down the crochet hook....I am trying to get better at knitting...and then I spend way too much time online!

 

[Sterling]

Ellen...please enlighten us on what felting is! I'm imagining little felt squares........?

 

[Charley]

I love to crochet. I just finished a skater's hat for my son....plain black. Mostly I do eco market bags and potholders. I like small things...but I'm looking at the Japanese amigura (not sure how to spell it) patterns for animals...they interest me at the moment.....there is a doll pattern that I really want to try.

I also love to weave, but haven't done much lately. I have kitchen towels warped on it right now.

Ellen....I am interested in felting too. Would love to hear how you do it. My daughter shrank a sweater and brought it over for me to make it into a purse. Have you every used something like that to make anything felted?