Enter Free Children’s Book Drawing on July 10, 2008

Recently, Amazon fulfilled my order request for a book entitled “A Squash and a Squeeze.” It is a rhyming children’s book with a moral teaching: be content with what you have, instead of always wishing for more.

I would like to give this handsome used book to a reader who might like it for their child or grandchild. Just leave a comment, and the random generator will choose an entrant’s name if you respond within 10 days.

One of the reasons I purchased this book was that it was a childhood favorite of mine. I asked my husband if he knew of the book, and his negative response was enough for me to hunt down this little gem. It has charming, timeless illustrations of farm animals.

Here is a UKSchoolRadio synopsis of the book:

A rhyming story about a woman who turns to her friend for help to find more room in her tiny house, as she finds it rather a ‘squash and a squeeze’! Following his advice, she brings all her animals into the house. She then finds the house even smaller, but when she is instructed to take them all out again, she finds that her house is gigantic for one!

At the end of the story, the little old lady is delighted to realize what a fine home she had before all the animals came to live with her. The last page says: “She’s full of frolics and fiddle-dee-dees. It isn’t’ a squash and it isn’t a squeeze.”

There is a lesson of being content with present circumstances that we can all learn, no matter our age.

(The copyright on the book says 1993, but the original date had to be prior to 1950, because my older brothers also had a book by this title in their bookshelf prior to my arrival.)

Just leave your name in the comment section below to win a chance for this delightful book.

Making Knitting Needle Knobs

While knitting, fun looking needles gild the lily when working your mojo with pretty yarns.

This site, Flying Fingers, sells knitting accessories galore, and some with pretty embellishments on the tops of their needles. Lots of those unusual looking needles can be seen here.

Would you like to make some yourself? It is easy and inexpensive (about $1 per pair if you already own the wooden needles, and you will have lots of clay left over).

I looked up some references on making those pricey looking needle knobs and found a nice tutorial here: handmade_knitting_needles.

So I made a couple of knobs just for fun, and came up with a few unusual designs, one of which is shown in the photo on right.

Steps for Making Knobs:
1) purchase modeling clay in color(s) you desire (Sculpey is readily available;
2) work the clay until pliable and then mold in any desired shape;
3) place clay bobber on non-working end of wooden knitting needle;
4) bake in preheated oven at 265 degrees for 25 minutes, having knobs lay over edge of cookie sheet;
5) cool and polish with wet, fine sand paper, if desired

Be creative; you could go wild and your knitting buddies might take over your stock.

Making a Mosaic from Digital Pictures

Photographic mosaics can be made on this site: Mosaics; the process is free and explained fairly simply.

You DO need to establish a Flickr account (free), or have pictures previously uploaded to a URL to use this program.

After uploading your favorite pictures, the program runs your personalized mosaic. Here is what MOSAICS generated for me from my Flickr "knitting stream":

Then I decided to be a bit more adventurous in making another mosaic, and used digital photos containing pictures of only flowers. Again, I uploaded my floral pictures of to Flickr from a previously saved file and created a new summer mosaic.
There are a number of applications where this program might come in handy. For instance, Mosaics would be a good source for making a Christmas card of favorite family pictures.

Stay tuned. Christmas is just around the corner.

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A new painting completed!!

Here is a newly finished house-warming gift in oils which I finished yesterday for my sister-in-law, Kathy Kinsey. It is painted on a 16" x 20" canvas, framed in white wood (frame not shown). Belated congratulations on your new house, Kathy!