Progress Report

Knit and Crochet: "They say charity begins at home". I say "been there, done that". I just gave 2 scarves, one hat and 4 pair of slippers to my family and made 1 pair of slippers each for my husband and myself.

Zazzle: Sales are improving and we're still designing lots of things with my artwork on them and just discovered that we can do ceramic tile there that can be put on everything from a trivet or gift box to a bathroom or kitchen. I got SO excited that I designed dozens of them.

My Studio: I'm still working on the dining room table because we couldn't afford to finish the old garage we were converting to studio space but I'm not letting that stop me from planning a series of workshops on color mixing and problem solving for watercolor and acrylic artists. Even if I can't do them here I can do all of the planning so that I'll be ready to go when things get back on track.

Organizing, Recycling and Downsizing: 3 bags of "stuff" went out to charity last week, some bins were emptied and others reorganized. My go to system for things these days is tote bags for each activity or place I need to go to so that everything is always sorted and ready. people say "you're so organized" but they'd be horrified to see what a mess my house is in. Somehow I can always find something more important or interesting than housework...I'm sure that won't surprise you.

Scrap Yarn Projects by hand and machine

 Merry Christmas to me. I managed to get a pair of slippers and a spare. (yes, I have been known to wear different colored slippers on each foot when no one's looking)

 There wasn't quite enough yarn on any of these cones to make more slippers so I decided to crochet a scarf or two, we'll see how far it goes.

Kindness, Surprises and a few more projects

 I finished these slippers yesterday

 This is a long scarf that I finished this morning. It's crochet of half double stitches on the back loops. I love the ridged effect it makes and it's really easy to do. When it's all stuffed in the scanner like this it's a bit hard to tell what it really looks like so I also scanned one end so that you can get a better look at it.

It's been a good day, we were treated to lunch at the local bagel shop and a friend sent stamps in her letter today. I've got one dollar and eighty cents in the bank and was feeling pretty low so thanks to everyone who made today special. it felt great to know that people appreciate us and miss my letters when I can't afford to write.

Progress Report

 I continue to work on those Dala horse ornaments in between other projects.

 I made this hat to use up some odd bits of yarns. I actually got about half of it done while waiting in line at one of the local food programs this morning. It made the time pass quickly and gave a few of us something to talk about besides the state of the economy or hard times. I finished a pot holder too but forgot to get a picture of that for you.

 I've actually gotten more done on these red horses but haven't shot pictures of that too.

I knit these slippers on the knitting machine tonight. My holiday gift to the family is to make sure they have something warm so I'm packing a big bag of things to take along when we get together for Thanksgiving dinner.

Finishing Slippers with Pom Poms

There are many types of pom pom makers available. The circle type come in a set of 3 sizes. For slippers I use the middle size. It's a simple matter of holding the 2 pieces together and wrapping the yarn around and through it until it's full, then you clip between the 2 pieces and tie it together before pulling the plastic pieces off.

If you can't find or afford a set of pom pom maker circles you could use a set of washers from a hardware store or salvage them from a junk yard or dump.

There's always a way to create the things you want in life, your imagination and determination are your very best tools.

Happy Crafting!

Treasure hunts and daydreams

It's windy and a little overcast today so it's a good day to finish up projects in the house. I made the card from an old drawing I "found" while sorting through another old bin and I finished another pair of slippers.
Now I'm cleaning the studio space for tomorrows painting group...who knows what I'll "find" next. That just sounds so much better than saying I'm hunting for the dining room table under all of my projects, doesn't it?  

So Many Hobbies , So Little Time

There aren't any pictures this time. I've been busy sorting through all the knitting machine supplies and making 2 more pair of slippers. I'm also sorting art supplies and re-organizing the studio. meanwhile the house is a mess so there's been a lot of general housework to do as well.
The good news is that I'm ready to start painting again so tomorrows post should be bright and interesting. I'm still considering starting a separate blog for the craft items but am waiting for a bit of feedback from you as to whether or not it's a good idea.

The Return of the Knitting Machine

A good knitting machine never dies (or at least this one hasn't). It's  a Bother  KH-260  that I bought back in the 1980's and haven't had out in about 6 years. I was surprised to see it in perfect working order and just needing to be cleaned off. The only real evidence of age was that the colors of the plastic housing had changed.

As I've mentioned before, the weather has cooled off around here so the first thing I  wanted to do was make some slippers for the family. Of course after all these years I couldn't quite remember how or find my pattern so I was pleased to see that there are a lot of resources for machine knitters on the internet so I was back to work at it in less than an hour and happy to find that I still enjoy it. I guess some things never change.

I generally finish off my slippers with pom poms, bows or buttons to cover the area where they're all gathered together but I was so excited that I couldn't wait to tell you about it and shot this picture anyway.
Thanks for stopping by and why you're here I do have a question. "since some of my posts aren't about gardening or painting, should I start another blog for crafts and fiber art?"

Making Room for Creativity

I decided to kick the comfy chair to the cub to make room for one more work table in here. I have an old Brother Bulky Knitting Machine that I used to make mittens, hats, scarves and slippers on so I thought it would be handy to do some of that again before the really cold weather sets in. 

Amazingly my hubby decided to get rid of his recliner too and  they were gone in minutes!!!
It was nice to see people so happy to get them and we're looking forward to the changes in here.

There wasn't even time to snap a picture of both chairs. What an interesting way to start a day!