Crafting Every Day

Came across KatKnits and her video of all the crafts she attempted and finished in 2010.  You can see it on her blog.  Kat says:

My goal is to spend time everyday working on something handmade for a year & photograph it. 

And she pretty well did it!

Here is a new challenge Kat mentioned that sounds fun from Iron Craft:.

Welcome to our 2011 craft challenge!
Crafting connects us. Glitter glues our friendship together. If we embark on a quilting expedition, we will put on our pith helmets, and do it together. Across the miles, we admire, advise and sympathize.

Here’s how it works:

Every Thursday one of us will post a creative challenge to be completed by the following Wednesday. The challenges maybe as specific as a particular pattern or as vague as a theme. They'll cover the gamut of crafting skills: knitting, sewing, quilting and so on. Every Wednesday we'll spotlight the results of the previous Thursday's challenge from our Flickr group. We'd love to have you join us for the year of what we hope will be a lot of fun.

Entry details can be found here.  Are you up to it?

Kaffe Fassett Collective Fabrics & Sewing Workshop Pattern

Here are samples of two Kaffe Fassett fabric purchases recently ordered from Sew, Mama, Sew, a favorite blog.

Each of these fabrics were ordered online because our one local fabric store in town does not carry this line.

Kaffe (pronounced "kay") Fassett is well known in the knitting world for his use of unusual color combinations.  He has expanded into books, yarn lines and fabrics from his London base.  He has a huge following in the fiber world.

This is the pattern I'll be using to make blouses with these fabrics:

It is the Tribeca pattern from The Sewing Workshop that Linda Lee owns. Each blouse requires 2.5 yd. of 45" fabric, plus notions.

More about Linda from her bio:

Linda Lee is the owner of The Sewing Workshop Pattern Collection, a group of patterns for distinctive garments using innovative sewing techniques. She is a licensed interior designer and member of ASID since 1974. Linda is featured in the Bernina "Portrait of the Artist" national advertising campaign.

Linda travels the country teaching fine sewing techniques and the art of combining beautiful fabrics and distinctive design in garment creation and home decorating creations.

Ms. Lee creates very loose clothing that is fashionable; and the clothes do not bind.  I became interested in her construction techniques because skin that is sensitive to touch requires looser clothing.  (If you are interested in reading about skin sensitivity, especially as it relates to clothing, this site is about the only one I found dealing with the topic, although there were no answers there about dealing with skin sensitivity.)

Have a look at all Linda Lees patterns.  It's something I really like.

Let's Have a Wonderful Life in 2011!

It is MINUS 4 degrees Farenheit in Grand Junction as I wish you all a Great New Year!

Lunch today includes Hoppin' John, ham, roasted potatoes, and Apple Charlotte for dessert.

Photo from Michael Ruhlman's blog

Try This On For Size

Ten stitches made all the difference.

The fingerless mitt on the left had a 60 stitch cast on with size 3 US needles.  The one on the right had a 50 stitch cast on with the same knitting needles.

My husband claimed the left mitt and the other one is mine.  Now I have to make two more in the same (differing) sizes.

Maybe I can find us purple matching polyester running suits, and then we can wear them with our mitts when we walk the dogs. 

On second thought...not.

Moebius Cowl

This is my second knitted moebius scarf with the free download of the Cat Bordhi pattern found here.

One skein of a chunky yarn and a 47" circular cable was used (thanks, Natalie, for the use of your cable).

Here is some information from the Berkeley Lab about the moebius, which has no beginning and no ending:

Möbius symmetry, the topological phenomenon that yields a half-twisted strip with two surfaces but only one side, has been a source of fascination since its discovery in 1858 by German mathematician August Möbius. As artist M.C. Escher so vividly demonstrated in his “parade of ants,” it is possible to traverse the “inside” and “outside” surfaces of a Möbius strip without crossing over an edge.

Once the cast-on is mastered, it is just a matter of knitting in whatever pattern you like; infinite possibilities, of course.

Here is Bordhi's video explanation of the Moebius cast on:


 I'll definitelyt knit this pattern again.

A Christmas Thought on Being Thankful

What is it all about?

Go here for a ponder.

Rudy Favard, 17, cradled Sammy Parker, 8, as he carried him upstairs. (Essdras M Suarez/Globe Staff)

Christmas Blessings to all, especially to the caregivers among us who often give more than gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Father Plough Shares at Christmas

This is taken from a series of homilies written and compiled into a spiral bound book "Father Plough Shares" by Fr. James Plough of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Grand Junction, Colorado:

...What did Joseph and Mary hope for on that first Christmas?  Remember that they were on a journey; they were away from home  They faced an uncertain future.  They lived in darkness.  The story of Bethlehem inevitably suggests a comparison between that moment and our own.

Our moment is a time of darkness, to be sure.  We face an uncertain future from weapons of mass destruction and shadowy networks of international terrorists.  Has the world ever known a more dangerous time than now?  The holy family had less to fear from the wicked King Herod than we do from today's radical extremists.  The holy family trusted that God's word to them would be fulfilled, that Mary would bear a son to be named Jesus.

...The story of the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, taken in a particular place and in a particular moment of time, reminds us each year that our personal lives and the communal lives of nations are also journeys, moving always into an uncertain future, remembering the past and renewing its wisdom, but never simply repeating the past, a journey made in faith and trust, confident that the final word of the story will be one of light shining in darkness and life triumphant over death.

Hey! Granny Square Afghan Finished

...and I am not even a grandma!

In all its glory:

The husband does not like all the colors.  And I can just hear my mother saying "...if you would make one in off-white and beige, it would look better with my decor"...  But I like it because it makes me happy.

Awkward Family Photos

Some of the best Awkward Family Photos can be found HERE.  You must, absolutely must, peruse this site for plenty of guffaws.  They are even having a "Best Family Photo Submission with Holiday Spirit" that is open for submissions until midnight December 22, 2010.

A few holiday favorites:

by Brad

Shhh..I'm just about to scare the crap out of this nice little girl

My submission the the 2010 Awkward Family Photo Contest (my daughter in 1971 on the lap of a boozy Santa):

Another priceless photo can be seen on my husband's blog found here.

We laughed for an hour over these photos. 

Merry Christmas !

Useful Dog Tricks

Thanks, Ronn!

Carving on Cottonwood

The man of the house has been encouraging me for several years to take up carving.  He may be wanting me to try this new hobby because a while back, he gave me a Dremel tool set that has not been getting much use.  Brother John bequeathed me wood carving tools and a heavy hand turned solid wooden mallet from a white elephant exchange a few years ago, so why wait further to begin a new hobby, right?

Having all the appropriate paraphernalia (including several pieces of tree wood, the Dremel set and wood carving tools, sandpaper and paints), inspiration was all that was needed.

My first thought was to try and carve a forest gnome from this "raw branch" from the wood pile we use as fuel for our fire pit:

But wait!  My analytic side said that a web search on wood carving was also needed.  A refresher course on the Dremel tool for wood carving was found here; carving on wood information was found here; more basics on how to carve were found here.  And finally, rules for carving faces from Gene Graham were found and can be accessed below the page break.

This rescued branch had an outgrowth of small twigs growing from it. After a bit of finessing with the Dremel sander and various small drills, it began to resemble an open mouth. Those twigs were filed down and refined and lo and behold, they began looking like big old teeth!

This is what the "Christmas deer" or gnome, or dog is looking like, but he still needs lots of work on his ears, forehead and temple.

It is a warm Saturday, so more carving refinement might be on today's agenda.  And it will need paint!

To read more about carving heads from Gene Graham: