neglected knitting

I've been neglecting my knitting since finishing the baby sweater in favor of other projects. I have a bit of crafter ADD.
I do hope to finish this Jess Hutch bunny for Little M before Easter but, as you can see I'm still on the head.
Cross your fingers for me.
Happy Weekend!

tiny treats

Yesterday, I went to Tinsel Trading in NYC. I've been planning this trip for weeks. The store was so neat and full of goodies of the best kind. You can check it out online here.
I had to exhibit restraint and self control but, I did purchase these sweet notions for myself. The mushrooms, buttons and silver thread are vintage and the tiny millinery flowers are velvet. The ribbon was purchased across the street in their companion ribbon store and can be used to do ribbon embroidery.

lace garters

Last night, I sewed cotton lace trim on my knee highs to keep them up and yes, it did work. However, the way I sewed them on is a little too tight and so I was cutting my circulation off a bit today. Don't worry, I will adjust them.
I'm going to leave the subject of my knees alone but, I will tell you a little story. While I was a Photo Editor at a place called Archive Photos now a part of Getty Images I was told by a photographer to please cut off a middle aged female actress' knees from a photo because she hated the way they looked. This actress' initials are SS and she has adopted a few boys. Can you guess who she is?

spring is here!

The crocuses in front of our building have arrived.
After, last week's post with complaints of snow, I felt compelled to share this tiny bit of joy in our front garden patch.

Happy Spring!

a wee sleepy

Here is a wee sleepy spring gal I made over the past few days. It is a Wee Wonderfuls free pattern and was simple to make. It's also a handsewing project too so for those of you without a sewing machine if you are feeling crafty give it a try.

I am feeling a lot like this wee the past few days. I have been unusually low on energy and not gotten as much crafting done as I would like. I also hosted a family tea party for Mick's family. I love having a party but, there is always a lot of work involved as well. My biggest mistake however was drinking caffeine in the afternoon. I only can handle it in the morning and still that is just recently. I gave up caffeine for quite a while and then went to half and half in the morning and then a full caffeinated cup. The rest of the day must be decaf though. I really learned my lesson on Saturday. I had to take a sleeping pill to finally get to sleep.

button bobbies

Can I tell you... I'm having so much fun making vintage button bobbies. I *heart* my glue gun and I love vintage buttons. I just finished putting them on cards when my camera battery died so you can see them all here together on a lovely paper towel. I'm going to be adding them to the shop at some point in the near future.

x my heart

I am learning to love the x'ing. I mean cross-stitching although it is murder on my eyes. Perhaps that's why the past few nights, I've passed out much faster than usual. Or is that, cross- stitching is like a good bed-time story. It is addictive, very slow and meditative.
I like to switch up my craft projects thinking this way I am giving the motions in my hands and shoulders a switch.
This project is part of Mailorder and it's one of the smaller projects. My heart is a wide one as I didn't realize until the end (duh) the x's are supposed to overlap (go into the same square to make the next one. Live and learn, right? Also, as you can see I went with the error starting on row 7 to the left of the middle which is where there is a line of extra squares. So, okay, it was my first one and it really is not that bad.
Next one will be perfect... Perhaps, I should get a magnifying glass as well.

dreaming of paris

With Spring, my mind starts drifting with all the heady scents of the flowers blooming.
Okay, who am I kidding, that hasn't happened here yet. We still have snow on the ground. Wah! The bulbs were sticking out but, I think they went back into hiding. It's always like a slap in the face when it snows in March or god forbid, April.

A girl can dream, no?

a baby bolero for a little gal (who may come sooner than we think)

I finished knitting this baby bolero sweater from One Skein over the weekend. It is knitted with organic cotton so it is perfect for a spring baby. I made this for a little girl due to arrive in May however, my sister-in-law, was put on bedrest a week ago as she started dilating so she may come sooner than we think. I had started this about 2 weeks ago then put it aside but, when I found out that this little girl wants out I felt I needed to finish it quickly just in case. It was an enjoyable project until the end. The finishing just took so long and it was a bit tedious picking up all those stitches around to do the ribbing.
I love the eyelet motif which according to Eastern folklore is believed to bring luck and protection to the wearer no matter his or her size. Plus, when baby outgrows it the sweater can outfit a bear or doll.
Here are the photos from the book as mine don't really give it justice. Plus, it looks a lot better/cuter with the baby wearing it.

vintage sewing patterns

This box of patterns arrived Thursday from Kim. Oh my! I can't believe how nice it was for her to mail these to me. She found them at an estate sale and was giving them away for free. I commented that I was interested and now here they are. Thanks so much Kim! I'm going to be working on a little something for you soon so expect something in the mail.

Some of my favorites:






I have a few in mind that I'd like to try sometime in the (hopefully not too far off) future.

Now, this leads me to answer a question posted by my friend the other day about where I am storing all my crafts.
Answer: all over the bedroom and a few supplies in the closet of the dining room. Storage is at a minimum here. I have no craft room...boohoo! We have one closet for all my clothes and stuff in the bedroom and an armoire for Mick's clothes in little M's room plus we each have a dresser. Thankfully, we also have this built in cabinet in our bedroom which houses all kinds of things: Books, supplies, socks, tights, shoes... However, there is also stuff shoved under the bed and in the closet and in corners of the room. It's not a good situation. I have a hard time keeping my supplies tidy and sometimes have to search through stuff to find what I am looking for. I really could use a professional organizer to come help me out. It is a never ending battle here. One successful solution has been to store all my Etsy items in a suitcase. This way they are kept nice and tidy and away from prying hands and claws.

radical lace, subversive knitting and a dinner date

Yesterday, I got out to see Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting which I have been dying to go see. It was really amazing. Some of the pieces that stuck out in my mind were:



Althea Merback's medical wire knitted silk pieces like these gloves.The details on these miniature garments were so amazing.

Yoshiki Hishinuma's seamless machine knitted Casablanca is so lovely.



Hildur Bjarnadottir's crocheted/tatted cotton yarn pieces so delicate and Erna Van Sambeek's cut out pieces from floral fabric attached by textile glue and combined into one lacey fabric.

There is also a lot of wild and unusual pieces using non-traditional methods that are really interesting to look at.
This show does not disappoint and I am thrilled that I was able to go see it.

Also, last night Grammie stayed much later than usual so Mick and I could go out to dinner alone and use a gift card that my brother Christopher gave us for Christmas.

bits and bobs

I've been wanting to add a new jewelry design other than the brooches I've been making to the shop but, incorporate knitting into it as well. I'm not sure about a clasp yet but I kind of like just tying it in the back.

swatch portraits

I got so excited when I saw the Liberty of London Swatch Portraits that Purl Bee posted about that I just knew I had to put together some of my own. I know a few other bloggers got excited about these too. This is one of those projects that is cheap and easy to do. So yesterday, during little M's nap I picked out the fabric cut it and assembled them and last night with Mick's help hung them up. I used fabrics that I bought recently from here and here. I don't regret using these really nice fabrics because now I know I will always have a piece of them up and on display.

clothespin dolls

I'm so glad Amy posted about making these as gifts a while back. I just gave a set of four to Kate who is 2 and her Mom said she loves them. Little M likes them too. He steals them off the desk and carries them around. They fit perfectly in little hands and anyone who has kids knows how much children love to walk around holding things. I'm tempted to keep them for myself because I find them so adorable.

Here is a tutorial if you are so inclined:

Supplies:
A package of wood doll pins
Ultra Fine Point Sharpie Markers
Fabric Scraps
Glue or Glue Gun
Fine Point Pigma Pens

all available at Dick Blick except fabric scraps

First draw the doll face on with Pigma Pen. Use Sharpie for hair and accents such as cheeks. Cut out fabric scraps to fit around doll and a little extra for wrapping. Add glue around doll where fabric will adhere to and roll around doll leaving seam in back. Add glue to the extra fabric at seam and press down. Voila! Now embellish to your heart's content.

tip me over and pour me out

I've been asked by relatives who own a tea house to make a handle for 12 of these here teapots. "The handles get super hot and we don't want our customers burning themselves." Well, yes, of course we can't have that.
It has an odd curve to it. Do I quilt a square big enough to grab the side and top and attach to a string? I've no idea how to do this but, I think I can figure it out. Do I make a cover that can curve and is padded that closes with velcro? It needs to be removable and washable.This is a tough one.

Any ideas are welcome. I'd love to hear them...pretty please with sprinkles on top.

Hmmm... I really need to put my thinking cap on for this one

a wee bird and a shop update tomorrow (hopefully)

Here is the little needle felted bird or duck I was telling you I was working on. I like to think of her as a duck. With little M walking now I am feeling a little like a Mama Duck with a little duck following behind.

Also, I managed to get some of the things on my to do list done and am hoping for a shop update tomorrow.
Here is a sneak peek at some blossom pins I made.

am tied and can't get away

While searching for googly eyes I found this postcard I had tucked away. It is postmarked September 7, 1910 and addressed to a Mr. Geo Cleveland in Worcester, Mass. How funny is this picture...even better is what Martin wrote:

-I wish you were here for you would have the best time you ever had in your life. See you soon.
Martin.

He was pretty confident, eh? Where was dear Martin and what was he doing?

It looks like he was in
Vinalha...and then it gets cut off by the stamp.

to do lists

Ah, to do lists. I am always thinking and adding new items to the to do list. So, I wondered if I take a photo of the stuff I should do first perhaps I will focus. One item missing from here is the little needle felted project I started. The other item is pick a book. Oh who am I kidding, there is also 2 knit projects to finish as well. Anyway, I got roped into hosting the next book club and sadly, only three people voted. The list is huge so it's weird no one voted. Maybe none of the Mom's have time to read a book anymore. I understand. So, I guess my vote could make it a tie or it could be 3-1. Now if it's a tie do I pick whichever book I want to read. So, here are the choices. What would you pick?

a) Life of Pi by Yann Martel
b) An Invisible Sign of My Own by Aimee Bender

I've got to send the evite today so let me know what you think.

So, in case you are wondering here's what's in the photo

*Yarn- for a baby sweater for a special little girl due to arrive in May
*A felted sweater case to be turned into a cozy
*Cross stitch pattern (and floss) from Mailorder
*Fabric cut out to be zippered bags and charms
*Silk thread, more thread
*Needle case from The Small Object with the needles to sew
*Paper to be turned into recipe cards for the apron swap (apron finished- phew!)
And, those fabric stuffed circles - they will be flowers.

red velvet cake

I sewed up this little red velvet cake for the Pincushion Challenge last night. The theme is 'Eats' and one is supposed to interpret their favorite tasty treat or savory dish as a pincushion. The pins double as candles.

i'm late for a very important date

with freezer paper stencils that is.
here is the result of the experiment:







now matty and i are ready to sail the seven seas.

-that is once we get rid of this nasty cold/flu that put a damper on all our plans this weekend :(

pretty storage & felt bead necklace

So, we 3 here have all been hit with the flu pretty bad.
I'm especially upset because I may have to cancel plans for this weekend. We are supposed to go see Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting with Srini and Anna and also get together with Alec, Gwynne and Mimi.
I'm praying for a speedy recovery. Being sick sucks.
I haven't had much time/energy for much other than this:




-a tape measure cover which rests on top of a velvet bag I made to store knitting patterns.

and this... an unfinished (no clasp yet) felt bead necklace.



Have a good weekend.
xoxo

the 70's revisited

The other day I tried out some applique on a onesie that little M is about to outgrow and a shirt that is too big that I picked up at the thrift store. This way if it turned out terrible it wasn't a big loss. Since it was my first attempt, I think they came out okay but, there are a few things I would do different next time. One being a different stitch around and the other allowing for more of a seam. Little M is obsessed with balloons but, that's another story.
I also finished up these booties which are the pom pom slippers from last week. I didn't use Debbie Bliss yarn. The book suggests it is best to use her yarn not only because it is a Debbie Bliss book but, as I learned also because the patterns are built around the yarn. So, my size 6-12 slippers are more like size 12-18 or 18-24 depending on your child's feet. This is okay though as I have a 15 month old so they became slippers for him. However, my little guy is obsessed with pom poms and so he keeps pulling on them and therefore ruining the pom pom. Perhaps they will just sit on the shelf.
Anyway, it had been some time since I made a bunch of stuff for Matty so he was due for some homemade Mom goodness. Now after making these and looking at them all together I thought about how much these items together were so 70's and I wondered did I subconsiously revisit my childhood on Wednesday?

See photos below and you decide...






I think so.