Yours 'til Niagara Falls

Til Niagara Falls

I took a nice walk around the park at Niagara Falls this afternoon.  On the left is a view of the Horseshoe Falls.  On the right is the Bridal Veil Fallls.  In the winter, it's beautiful in a very different way than during the warm months.  It was nice to take a walk, I haven't really taken one since Bailey died.  I still miss her so much.  I miss her personality and spending time with her, but in addition to missing her, I miss having a dog.  I think I will be getting one at the end of February.  A good-natured rescue mutt is what I have in mind. 

In case anyone has ever been curious, I took the name of my blog from an old autograph book verse. I'd love to know how other folks came up with their titles, some are pretty clever.  As always, thanks for coming to visit me.

The Final Bits and Bobs of 2007

Last night I made another pair of mittens.  I lined them with lambswool, so they are so warm and cozy.  I'm hoping to make a number of pairs for my weaving guild's outreach program which is Adopt-an-Elder.  That's a charity to benefit the elders of the Navajo nation.  I'm also posting a picture of a scarf I made last year.  The pattern is Jacob Marley from Knitty.com.  It's a fun technique which shows you how to make the links of the chain interconnect.  Very little finishing and fun to wear when it's done.  

Done and Done

The triangle shawl is done and I'm pleased with it:

P.S.  One little elf I know enjoyed his first Christmas!

Lined Mitts Plus a Fleece Blossom Tutorial

I wanted to make another pair of Betz White mittens with a red lambswool sweater that I bought at the thrift store and felted down in the machine.  Even after the felting, the sweater material was still kind of light gauge.  I decided to make two pairs of mittens from the fabric and use one pair to line the other.  The result was a yummy warm mitten.  Which needed some embellishment, so I made fleece blossoms.  Here's how:

1.  Take a small amount of fleece (when making two, make sure you measure out two equal amounts of fleece so they will match) and a 1 1/2 strip of cardboard.

2. Wrap the fleece around the cardboard strip.  The fleece should cover about two inches.  Bunch the fleece together so it covers about one inch.

3.  Run a needle along the edge of the cardboard, under the fleece and slide the fleece off the cardboard.  Pull the tread tight and spread the fleece into a blossom shape.

4. Tack the blossom onto the mitten cuff.  I chose to sew a button on to the center of the blossom.  I might have chosen black buttons if I had some handy, but these red ones are vintage and work just fine.  Cozy, cute mitts!

From Record to Bowl

On a trip to the thrift store for sweaters to felt, I picked up a vinyl record for 30 cents.  Here's how to make a record into a bowl:  Place the record on an oven-proof bowl.  Put the bowl and record into a cold oven.  Turn the oven to 250 degrees.  In five minutes or so, the record will have wilted, creating fluted edges.  Remove the bowl and record from oven.  You have a short window of time (less than a minute) to shape the edges slightly, if desired.  The resulting vessel is kind of brittle, so don't expect it to become a family heirloom.  It's a good way for a record, in this case, a Jim Nabor's album (yikes) to end up.  

Warm Fuzzies

I've spent the first half of my day trying out the mitten pattern from Betz White's Warm Fuzzies book.  The first pair I made is wearable, but had some shortcomings.  I chose to zig-zag around all the seams to finish them.  That turned out to be a mistake because the seams are not supple enough to lay perfectly flat and they don't feel so nice for the wearer.  But they are toasty warm. In addition, The thickness of the back of the hand was different than the palm fabric which made things a little wonky.  The second pair I made is nicer.  I did not zig-zag the seams, and I used the same fabric for the lower palm piece which minimized the wonky factor.  I think this pattern would be ideal for making mittens for charity.  It takes less than thirty minutes to make a pair from start to finish, as opposed to the hours it takes for even a simple hand knit mitten.  Great pattern, Betz!

Sweet Twisted Blossom

When I lost my Bailey, the kind comments people left made all the difference.  Tracy, author of Twisted Blossom sent me the loveliest package.  Take a look:  There is a vintage hankie with the tiniest cross-stitch floral motif and two old-time postcards (one of Niagara Falls). There's a very clever puch made with wide grosgrain ribbon and an antique needle-lace button.  In the pouch I found the most wonderful pin.  It was made , I think, with microscope slides foiled and soldered around the edge.  The image is a girl and her dog.  On the reverse side, the peice is inscribed "Forever Friends" which really touched me.  It is the essence of how I felt about my dog.  I will wear the pin with pride and pleasure.  Thank you, thank you, thank you Tracy.  Your kindness means the world to me.  

Just What I Need... A New Hobby

Last week I received my copy of Betz White's book Warm Fuzzies.  Naturally, I didn't have the time to really delve into it, but it has a ton of cute projects to make, far beyond the world-famous cupcakes she makes (once on Martha Stewart's show!) Today I went to a thrift store and picked up five wool sweaters to work with.   I fulled/felted them in the washing machine and took a good look at them.  I had mixed feelings about "wrecking" perfectly nice sweaters, but the trip through had machine rendered them unwearable so that made it easier to think about chopping them up.  There had been none of the pretty ice-cream colors that Betz seems to have an endless supply of.  I had brought home a selection of darker colors.  Fair Isle patterns are a favorite of mine to knit, so I guess I found them appealing to work with.  There was no perfect match of my sweaters and Bet's patterns.  Additionally, I was unsure of how my sewing machine would behave with the bulky knitted fabric.

I cut off the sleeves and took a good look at them.  The knit pattern had ridges in it which made a natural fold line.  The cap of the sleeve reminded me of something... a tea cozy.  Easy Breezy!

1. cut two ovals, in this case 20" by 14" inches. Cut a 6" by 2"  strip for the top loop 

2. With right sides together, sew the long edged of the 2" by 6" rectangle.  Turn the tube right side out and baste it to the top of one of the ovals.  With right sides together, sew the two ovals together, leaving a 2"  inch opening for turning.   Turn right side out.

3.  Tuck one end into the other with the loop on top.  MAK yourself a cup of tea.  You earned it!

Now I have complete confidence in fulling, cutting and sewing sweaters.  But... I need a new hobby like I need to fly to the moon.  As always, thanks for visiting me.

Hmmm... Something Seems to be Missing

We haven't had a real tree for years.  We decided it would be a nice change.  Louis bought the tree and put it into the trunk of the car for the short drive home.  On the expressway, he heard a thud.  The tree had tumbled out of the car.  He picked it up and brought it home.  Minus the top 18 inches.  It's been quite a conversation piece.  Merry Christmas from me to you!  

Done, But Not Done

I did not, in my wildest imagination think I would complete this shawl in time for Christmas, but I did get the weaving part done.  Much like knitting, There is quite a bit of finishing to complete before the item is completed.  I have to make the fringe and full it.  The last shawl I made, I thought I'd be clever and put it in the dryer to full.  So... I tossed it in the dryer, let the dog out and ended up having to chase her down the street after she ran after a squirrel.  By the time I got back, the shawl had irretrievably shrunken to a triangular scarf.  A lovely scarf, but not the shawl I had planned.  Better luck this time.