Studio Spotlight: Criffin Designs

A few years ago I worked in an airplane factory.

It has become known as the good ole days around my house.  We were working on a cool product, with a young, well-funded, entrepreneurial company and the people were the best.  Seriously top-notch... as in these people are the yard-stick I use to compare all others I have worked with since.

Things didn't turn out quite as we had hoped, but the plane still lives.  A lot of us moved on, and some of us moved on to very interesting things...

Jerry and I used to work at the airplane factory together.  He was a quiet guy... at least when I was around.  He worked really hard and I could always depend on him.

I knew he was a Colorado guy, so of course his cool factor started a few notches higher than the others.  Then after we both left the airplane factory, I found out that he and his wife used to have llamas for trekking.  So the cool factor went up a few more notches.

We were chatting on Facebook recently when he shared his website with me.  All I can say is WOW!  Beautiful, incredible, modern jewelry designs made from aircraft aluminum.

The benefit of using aircraft aluminum is that he can make something large and structural that weighs only a few ounces.

So I suggested that it might be fun to do a little Q&A here on Kathryn's Brain.  :-)

Anticipation Necklace

How did the idea for Criffin Designs come to fruition?


I had a coworker who had a pair of earrings made from Phillips Head screws bonded to earring posts, and my immediate thought was, “Hell, I can do that!” so I started taking screws and bolts and Hi-Locs and rivets and anything else I could think of, and cutting the heads off then bonding earring posts to them, giving them to Mary, my wife. Some worked, most didn’t. True aircraft hardware is typically just too big to use as earrings.


However, it was after a visit to the Tucson Arizona Aircraft Graveyard that I took the leap from “nuts and bolts” into aluminum.


I have always been creative and my current position disallows that.  So Criffin Designs has been an outlet for my creative side.


I’ve always been able to manipulate aircraft aluminum to whatever specifications I needed. Could I then, instead of creating stringers, doublers and frames, create something much more finite?  Take something that no longer had purpose and give it a new history?


From that Tucson visit Criffin Designs was born, and old aircraft aluminum is now turned into jewelry that is structurally architectural and modern in design.  And since every piece would need an item number, why not name each design style after WWII and Korean War aircraft nose art, an art form created by the pilots and crews who flew America’s amazing warbirds? So instead of item number XX001, we have the Miss Behavin’ Bracelet.

Miss Behavin' Bracelet

Something our customers seem to get a kick out of is the card we provide, which shows the nose art their particular piece is named after along with the “care and feeding” instructions.

Hematite has become CD’s flagship stone. Not only is the black stone a great contrast to the polished aluminum, it’s considered the stone representing peace.  Which is a nice balance to the reclaimed military aluminum. Yin and Yang. War and Peace.

Glamouras B24 Necklace

What is a Criffin?

Criffin is actually the area in southwest Ireland where my family originated from, the Land of Criffin.

How long have you been designing jewelry?

I started playing with this stuff before the demise of that airplane factory back in 2008 but it really wasn’t until late 2010 when I got my first “gig” with a gallery in Omaha of all places.  You have to start somewhere, and if it wasn’t for that gallery, it may not have gone anywhere.

Raz'ng Hell Necklace

Did your wife think you were crazy when you proposed the idea to her?

No she didn’t! It was not something I or we set out to do, it just happened.  One thing led to another and the next thing we knew, we have a national boutique jewelry gallery carrying Criffin Designs Jewelry.

What a big help Mary, my wife, has been with this whole thing! I must admit I came up with some far fetched ideas in the beginning, in true airplane fashion, but with her help and my own keen sense of style *wink*, we have taken monumental strides in the right direction, remaining true to our aircraft heritage but retaining the glamorous aspects of what the public wants for jewelry.  I try to keep the designs simple, ordered and structured, which has to do with my nineteen years in aviation.  So the designs tend to be very architectural and they have to be something I can build since you don’t solder aluminum together like gold or silver.

Mary is my supply chain expert and list-maker.  So when I get orders of over 670 pieces, she helps ensure we have all the piece parts needed for the build, essentially eliminating surprises.

What did you think of me when we worked together?  No!  Don't answer that.  ;-)

Carolina Moon Necklace

Where can people find your designs?

CriffinDesigns.com

Primarily the website is imagery, versus an actual storefront. Our catalog, which does include pricing, can be downloaded in .pdf form from the site. Of course you can also send me an email at criffindesigns@gmail.com.

Willow - AnArtisan Market

·         2400 West Main Street, Littleton, Colorado 80120

LocalCharm

·         *  Park Meadows Mall, Lone Tree, CO

·         *  Boston Logan International Airport, 2 Faneuil Hall Market Place, Boston, MA

·         *  Water Tower Place, 835 N Michigan Ave, Ste 6000, Chicago, IL

·         *  At Block 37 108 N. State Street, Suite 130 Chicago IL

·         *  Mall of Louisiana Baton Rouge, 125 North Theard Street Covington, LA

·         *  1 Poydras Street Riverwalk, New Orleans, LA

·         *  Mall of America, 150 S Avenue, Bloomington, MN

Bright Rain Gallery
Old Town, Albuquerque, NM

Twitter: @CriffinDesigns

email: CriffinDesigns@gmail.com

Prices range from $40 to $300.

Jerry has generously agreed to offer a Blog Special of 50% off retail for the next three months.  Just let him know when you place your order that you learned about him on Kathryn's Brain.  :-)

So Jerry is a Colorado guy, who used to have llamas, with roots in the Emerald Isle and designs some amazing jewelry and has an amazing partner in his wife, Mary.  I think his cool factor just went up a few more notches.  :-)

Please take a moment to visit Criffin Designs and if you are so moved, please support this terrific artist.  A portion of all profits are donated to the Freedom is Not Free organization that helps wounded US Veterans and their families.

Fiber Arts Friday: Awesome Sweater Remake, part 1

My fiber-y mojo continues to be in a lull, so I began the disassemblage of my old Awesome Sweater.

A big improvement over the last time I disassembled a sweater is that I have a head-lamp now.  Which made it a whole lot easier to see which was the sewing thread and which was the yarn.  I was hoping this would allow me to get longer pieces of yarn than before...

but it turns out that it didn't matter.  Because the whole thing was steeked!  So all of my balls of yarn are going to be short.  *angry face*

At least the yarn is in good condition and the bag of tiny balls looks really pretty.  See how I am looking at the bright side?  Besides, weaving in ends is a pretty fun conversation starter for airplane rides. ;-)

Although I'm also kinda of thinking about the Russian Join that Its_Lily suggested a while back.  It seems like this might result in a better finished fabric.

I'm just not sure which would be more tedious.  I have some time to figure that one out though, since I've only ripped out about 2/3 of the first sleeve.

Meanwhile, my top choices for the New Awesome Sweater are:

81-14 Pullover by Drops Design - I like the shape of this one, but it may just be the model and a creative placement of color.

22-23-16 Striped Pullover by Pierrot - I really, really like this one, except it's written in Japanese and I don't read Japanese.  :-(

Honey by Amy Miller - I like that this is top-down with raglan sleeves but I do not like the pockets.

Pipit by Heidi Kirrmaier - this looks to be of simple construction with the design elements built into the structure.  This one is probably the leading contender right now.

I hope you all are having a great Fiber Arts Friday.  .  ;-)

Be sure to check in with everyone else over at Wisdom Begins in Wonder and have a Happy Easter!

Fiber Arts Friday: My Awesome Sweater

As Spinster Beth astutely noted several weeks ago, the sweater I was wearing in a photo is awesome.  :-)

It was one of the first gifts that Hubba ever gave to me... back before he was Hubba or even Fiance.

This sweater has been well loved for more than 15 years... and it shows.  As such, Hubba and I have been looking for an appropriate replacement.  But no luck thus far.

So I have been thinking a lot about making it into a new sweater.

It's always been too big.  So I think that if I take it apart I could knit it into a sweater that fits better.  Then it could live on, which would make both of us happy.  :-)

The challenge then is to find a pattern that I want to make.

I like my clothes to be basically simple with an occasional pop or splash of fun.  So I've been thinking about a couple of ideas:

• A basic crew or v-neck, slim sweater with the colors on the sleeves and maroon as the body
• Something still simple but with a little fair isle or lopi going on around the neck and/or wrist

The yarn is pretty light weight so it would most likely be knit on a US2 (2.75mm) or US3 (3.25mm) needle.

I have been trying to eek one last winter out of it and figured I would start to disassemble the sweater in the spring... of course with the recent weather, now may count as spring.  ;-)

So I wonder, do you have any suggestions?  Do you have a perfect, simple sweater pattern that you love?

Of course since it's Fiber Arts Friday, be certain to visit everyone linked in over at Wisdom Begins in Wonder. :-)

Fiber Arts Friday: Adding Twist

While I was working on the Recycled Wool Nightcap I swore to myself that I would add twist to and relax the recycled yarn before I used it again.

Before:

I'm not sure if you can see in this photo that it's really acting like 3 strands of yarn rather than a 3-ply yarn. But you can definitely see that the kink from it previously being a sweater is still very much present.

As you can see, I still had a lot of tiny balls left over from the Recycled Wool Project.  So I separated the yarn into bigger balls and smaller balls, tied them together as I was plying and then gave it a good long soak.

After:

I now have 1268 yards over 3 skeins and 7 5/8 ounces of recycled lamb's wool in a lovely 3-ply yarn, all ready for my next project.

I will make a mental note to take more care when separating the panels of the next sweater I recycle.  Fortunately the plan I have for the yarn means the knots should not be issue... let's hope that's true.

In the meantime, I hope you are having a lovely Fiber Arts Friday.  Be certain to see what everyone else has been up to over at Wisdom Begins in Wonder.

Fiber Arts Friday: Recycled Wool Nightcap - Not Quite Finished

Woo Hoo, I have finished knitting my Nightcap and most of the zillion ends have been woven in.  :-)  The only thing is...

Hey, Hey, Hey... it's a little big. :-/

Yes, I swatched.  Yes, the swatch met gauge.  No, I did not compare the circumference of the hat pattern to the circumference of my head.  :-/

So, not only is this hat too big for me, it's also too big for Hubba.  (He would not let me take a photo to share with you all.)

So I've been taking suggestions for ways to make the nightcap useful because I am not going to rip it out and start over...

• felting and subsequently shrinking it in the washer/dryer or a bucket with a plunger
• adding elastic
• adding a drawstring
• finding a larger than 24.5 inch head
• lining it and adding a strap to make a purse

I haven't done any of these things before, so any advise from the wise Fiberistas out there is greatly appreciated.  Please and Thank you. :-)

Of course, you're sure to see some great projects that may even fit if you head over to Fiber Arts Friday, hosted by The Wonder Why Gal.

Fiber Arts Friday: Recycled Wool Nightcap is Progressing

It has been cold and rainy for much of the last few weeks and I have been on the road some, so I've had a lot of knitting time recently.  Which means I have made a lot of progress on my Recycled Wool Nightcap.

If you've been reading my brain for a while, you may remember the bag of a zillion tiny balls of yarn...

Once I made it past the main body of the hat and all of it's yarn overs, I decided the plethora of knit and purl rounds on the peak was the perfect place to use up these tiny yarn balls.  I don't think I'll use them all, but certainly most will be consumed.

I made the big move from circular needles to dpns.  This step always gets me excited because I know I'm getting close to being finished.

However, I'm really slow on the double-pointed needles.  So I decided to try out the two circular method...

I'm definitely faster with the two circulars and since this hat only decreases 4 stitches every 3rd round, I can use all of the speed enhancers I can get.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!  Please be sure to visit the other Fiber Artists because you're sure to see some interesting work.

Fiber Arts Friday: Doormat? Nope. Awesome Dog Toy

Earlier this year I was sitting out on the back stoop watching our new puppies.  I didn't want to bring any of my yarn projects outside to where they might decide it would be a fun chew toy.  So I thought the baling twine doormat that Dutch Hollow did a while back would be a good puppy-sitting project.

The twine is a single-ply polypropylene material... aka plarn.  It's basically a waste product that we have in endless supply.  So I decided it would not a big deal to me if the puppies wanted to help.  Which of course they did.

I had been using a J hook which I think is too small for the twine.  Both Dutch Hollow and Voie de Vie suggested I try a S (super honking big) hook.  So I finished off the current strand with my J hook and gave the girls the ugliness.

They don't care that it's ugly and even Frieda wanted to play with the new toy.

I think the girls are happy.  :-)

Of course, I will start the Doormat project again because I NEED to replace the glued down carpet on the back stoop.  Blech.

I love being able to incorporate fiber (even if it's plarn), puppies and alpacas all in one post along with reusing something that we would otherwise throw away.  :-D

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!  If you're keeping track, that's one down and six to go. 

Outcome Metrics

I've been paying attention to how much trash and recycling gets put out each week.  It is what's called an Outcome Metric.  It's a result of living at our place each week.

This Outcome Metric has generally gotten smaller over the last few years.

I know you can't see the garbage, but essentially it fills the big bin up to about the level of the recycling bin. It's a couple of tall kitchen bags plus a week's worth of poo from three dogs.

Our garbage and recycling has gotten smaller because we've been more focused on the Driving Metrics.  As in being aware of the packaging when products are purchased.  The less we bring into the house means the less we have to send to Waste Management.

Certainly there are weeks where there is more of both garbage and recycling than this photo shows but overall I'm pleased with how we're doing so far.

Fiber Arts Friday: Designated Hitter

With my fiber funk over the last couple of weeks, I have not finished spinning the second skein of Aspen, so I had to leave my quasi-commissioned piece waiting patiently at home and bring my designated hitter to Minneapolis with me this week.

This piece is very small and easy to travel with.  I'm making it for myself which means it has no deadline.  So I only pick it up when I'm unable to work on other projects.  Which means it's been a while since I've mentioned it.  I am making this nightcap with yarn taken from an old favorite sweater.

I have just started the decreases.  They are every third round so this hat will have a very long "peak" that should flop over and reach near the shoulder when finished.

Also, now that I'm beyond the lacey portion, I am using up the smaller balls of yarn.  There will be a lot of ends to weave in, but this way I reserve the larger balls for an eventual pair of socks.

I am ready for spring.  It has been very spring-like at home in Colorado (even if it doesn't look like it this morning).  It is still very much winter in Minnesota.  So I am resorting to baseball metaphores to get me through.  ;-)

Please be certain  to head over to Wisdom Begins in Wonder and give all of the Fiber Artists there some comment luv.  Happy Fiber Arts Friday and Think Spring!

Fiber Arts Friday: Recycled Wool Project

Earlier this year, I embarked upon a Sweater Recycling Project.

I finished disassembling it months ago and ended up with a lot of short pieces of yarn.  I'm certain if I had taken more care in separating the panels of the sweater, I would have more longer pieces to work with.  But this was my first time, so live and learn.  Right?

The disassembling portion of this project took a lot longer than I expected, so I bagged up the yarn and put it in my stash until I felt ready to come back to it.

Finally in early October, I didn't have too many projects in work, so I decided it might be time to go back to my recycled wool project.

Initially, I was planning to make socks.  But since there are so many short pieces of yarn, I think I would have lots of knots in my socks.  Knotty socks would be uncomfortable and the wool is really too scratchy to have right next to the skin.  So instead, I have decided on this nightcap which I have wanted to make for a while.

Since the pattern has a lot of detail, I decided to knit it exactly as written.  I didn't want to take a chance of messing it up by making a different size.  However, since I do not own any US#0 needles, I knit a gauge swatch with US#2 needles.

Fortunately the gauge came out about right.

Initially I was challenged by the yarn over (YO). Making it is fine, but knitting the YO stitch on the next row was an issue.  I dropped several stitches.  Which means I started over a several times since I don't know how to make those corrections.

Finally, after a few tries and a few rows I got the hang of knitting the YOs and could read the stitches pretty well.

Anyway, I've been working on this nightcap when I want a break from the plumber sweater.  So there isn't much progress to show, but here you go...

Please be sure to head over to Wisdom Begins with Wonder because it's Fiber Arts Friday.

Fiber Arts Friday - Earth Day Edition

This was my favorite sweater.  It had big holes in the sleeves.

I first noticed a little hole in the left elbow last fall.  I was disappointed, but love a well worn sweater.  So I kept wearing it.  In fact, I loved the sweater so much, that I wore it most of the winter. It was a comfy sweater for hanging out.  Perfect for lounging with a cup of tea after doing farm chores.

I thought about darning and patching but just didn't get to it.  So there I was with giant holes and a little idea...

Many of the yarnies I listen to recycle yarn.  They take the yarn from an old garment and give it new life.  So when I realized the holes had become too big to patch, I decided to disassemble my sweater and use the yarn to make socks.

My sweater was knit in sections and then sewn together.

I've only unravelled the cuffs so far.  I have three types of yarn as a result;

pieces that are long enough to wind into small balls,

teeny tiny pieces that could be stuffing, and

pieces that are somewhere in between.

I have a lot of unravelling left to do.  Then I need to find a set of sock needles and a pattern to try.  I would love recommendations for easy, first-timer sock patterns.

Remember to go find inspiration from the other Fiber Arts Friday Folks.

Earth Day Post

We are always trying to be more mindful about the choices we make. Which is one reason why I like the idea of One Small Change.  It's never too late to start making a difference, so why not do it a little bit at a time?

After I wrote this post, I realized it sounded like the reusable bags were the first and only thing we had done.  So I thought it might be good to share all that we are doing, attempting to do, struggling with and are definately not doing to reduce our impact on our environment.

Cleaning:

• We use a "green" dry cleaner and always return the hangers.
• We buy milder and organic soaps, shampoos, conditioners and lotions.
• We could make better choices with our household cleaning products.
• We've been hand washing our dishes for almost a year.  I would like to say it was to lessen our impact, but it's because we haven't had a working dishwasher during that time.  In our previous home, we always used the air dry function on our dishwasher with the intent of conserving energy.  When we do purchase a new dishwasher for our new place, the air dry function will be very important to us.

Travelling:

• I use small re-usable plastic bottles for all of my "fluids."
• I leave a re-usable coffee mug and grocery bag at my client's office that I use when I'm there.
• Carpooling - I take a shuttle to the airport and share rides at my client site when we have multiple people on a project.
• Combine and order errands to minimize miles driven.
• I do still buy plastic water bottles when I am travelling.  I think bringing a reusable bottle would be better, but the TSA checkpoint has been a mental block until a few days ago.

Re-cycling and Re-using:

• We recycle paper, plastic, glass and aluminum.
• We reuse grocery bags and food storage containers.
• We use the plastic shopping bags we do have to collect doggie poo.
• I check consignment shops first when looking for new clothes.
• We have reusable water bottles that we use around the house and when we're out for local errands or events.
• We are migrating to non-plastic food storage and haven't purchased any new containers in over a year.
• We piled our alpaca manure over the winter and have started using it in the flower beds on our property.
• Wear clothes and use bath towels multiple times before washing.
• Our trash bin is mostly empty each week, but our recycling bin is quite full sometimes.  Which makes me think we can make better choices about the packaging that comes with the products we purchase.

Food:

• We buy local and organic as much as possible.
• We buy in bulk as much as possible.
• We buy from farmer's markets when they are open, May to October.
• We are looking for other options for local, organic, food during the off-season, October to May.

In the House:

• We turned the heat down and wore more sweaters and blankets in recent winters.
• In Albuquerque, we installed ceiling fans so we did not need to use the swamp cooler during the summer.
• We bought a low water washing machine when we moved into our new place.

Future Plans:

• Planting an organic garden.
• Purchasing a freezer, so we can buy local, organic meat in bulk as well as store the produce from our garden and local farmer's markets.
• Harvesting rain water.
• Installing solar and/or wind power.
• Adding insulation and improving seals on our doors and windows.
• Installing more ceiling fans.
• Building a compost bin for food and yard waste.
• We have a clothes line in the back yard, so I am thinking about line drying our clothes on warmer days.  This will be interesting since we live in a farming area and sometimes the aromas are quite earthy.

Here's a great list from my cousin who is especially awesome at living lightly.

• compost
• recycle (we throw away one small bag a week partly because we are vegeterian so we compost so much and also because we buy a lot of our grains, pasta, honey, herbs in bulk where we bring our own container)
• Make at least one vegeterian meal per day.
• Save AC condensation water, rain, and shower water to water plants. I grow my own organic veggies and herbs so I use a lot of water, all recycled.
• Flourescent light bulbs
• Unplug a lot of your appliances, electronics...never leave your computer on
• Support local farmers
• When purchasing anything, think of how it was made and which materials are more renewable
• Make your own beans (bpa is in all the canned stuff) and freeze them
• Pack your lunch in a cooler and use glass or steel containers.
• Don't buy bottled water
• My husband bikes to work/school and I have a small car.
• Plant native plants that do not require as much water
• Set your heat/AC on a timer so that it's not always working full blast especially when you are not there
• Install low-flow shower heads and toilet thingies.
• Why always flush? Whats the saying "if its yellow let it mellow, if its brown flush it down."
• Put a timer in your shower
• Use curtains to filter light when its hot and to keep drafts out when its cold
• Bring your own bags shopping everywhere, not just the grocery store.
• Don't forget to turn off your lights
• Don't use detergents and soaps with chemicals in them...they end up in our rivers. You can purchase chemical free ones from most stores, buy it in bulk at others, or make your own :)
• AND educate others :)
• etc....etc...etc...there is so much you can do, but nothing happens overnight, especially with a budget. We re-budgeted our funds and got rid of cable so that we could grow our food and the rest we buy from companies that don't have crap in it.
• There are some great resources out there to make your house more energy efficient. You can contact your local gov't utilities department for an evaluation. We got the materials we needed for our shower head and for our rainbarrels for free from the city.
• Check out your local extension office to learn about native plants and gardening. You don't have to live in a hole in the ground to make a difference. I feel like it's all about trying.  Every little thing counts, when you think about how many households there are. All these chemical free items will someday be a little cheaper if more people buy it...it's already happening.

Finally, here are links to One Small Change, Hip Mountain Mama and No Impact Man for more ideas on how to lessen your impact on our environment.

Do you have anything to add?  What successes and failures have you had?  I would love to know what other people are doing.

Earth Day is Thursday, April 22nd.