Knit Linen Stitch Cowl

I’m loving this stitch!  Knit 1, with yarn forward, slip 1.  That’s it! 

2 strands of Koigu Merino Wool on size 6 round needle.  Cast on 100.  5 rows k3p1 ribbing.  K2tog to start to have an odd #, then many inches of linen stitch. To finish, 5 more rows of ribbing before binding off.  That’s it!

Another blustery day:

Of course I baked some more bread!

I’m so glad to have finished this new neck warmer.  Now when I brave the cold tomorrow I’ll have something to keep me cozy, replacing my damaged scarf.

Winter Baking

Earlier in the week I was putting together a blog post and had some pictures of snow: 

(Tried to capture the flakes as they fell.)

A picture of bread baked during the snowfall (naturally, half eaten before I got my camera out):

Didn’t get to post it.  Was home yesterday and took more pictures of snow:

Took pictures of more bread that I baked while 10 more inches of snow fell:

Do you see a pattern?

My family loves sourdough bread, so with all the baking I’ve been doing for them lately, I decided to get a sourdough starter from KAF.  It’s much healthier and more economical to supply the kids with bread this way (vs. buying commercial organic bread) – they eat quite a bit of it each week.  The second loaf pictured was a multi-grain bread.  I added whole wheat, flax, oats, wheat germ, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds.  Maybe multi-grain isn’t the right word for it – but I added a bunch of stuff.

Sometimes I’m not sure how much of these photos, or baking pictures I should include here.  It’s a “crafty” blog for me; trying to capture snowflakes on film, and baking bread are creative, so I think they fit. 

Next time I’m stuck indoors I have to finish knitting the new scarf I’m working on.  What do you like to do when you’re stuck inside?

Felted Clapotis

 

I’ve worn this scarf all winter long for years.  Love it.  Keeps me warm, looks good. 

All was fine until I dropped it in the mud last week.

Wasn’t bad enough that I picked it up so fast that it flung mud all over me right before going out to dinner.

After a long evening, I threw it in my washing machine, intending to give it a cold, quick wash on delicate cycle in the morning.  Who knew teen #2 would decide to wash her jeans that day?  Warm?  Regular cycle? 

As soon as I realized what was happening I yanked it out, but it was too late: 

I’ve stretched and pinned it to get it large again… but now it’s matted, thicker and just a little rougher than it was before.  Maybe I’ll add a fabric lining to one side of this and keep it as a scarf.  Maybe I’ll think of something else to do with this fabric – perhaps even another full run through the wash this time – maybe it can be turned into something else?? 

The funny thing is, I’ve been trying to update my ravelry projects list and for the last few weeks had been thinking about taking a photo of it while wearing it.  Trying not to be very disappointed about this… … lessons learned.

Visit to an Art Gallery

 

By Michael deMeng, top row from left, details of: Water Lily,  Hijos, Manzana.  Second row: La Paloma, El Corazon, Hijos.

School vacation week, got a chance to visit the NEC Art Gallery today with my girls to see Diablos and Detablos by Michael deMeng.  These are the details that caught my eye on some of his assemblages.

Each piece was so full of detail and very interesting to see in person.  Until now I’ve only been able to see his work online. 

Have you ever had a chance to see art that you’ve only been able to admire from afar?  What did you think?

Engineering Creativity Handbag Construction

Here’s the new bag I completed today and offering for sale locally:I know, must also get my online shop re-stocked with new things… going to work on that!

On Wednesday of this week, this is the picture I took of my kitchen counter: I started off with a wool, knit and wet-felted tube.   My original plan was to make it into a purse by itself, but I thought it was too bulky to stitch together into a simple clutch – I ran out of yarn and couldn’t knit it any longer.  That’s when the “engineering creativity” began. 

Using some purple fabric I had stashed for ages… I stitched, ripped, basted, stitched again and re-did the bag over until I was happy with it today.  Inside is a drawstring center:  It slips inside pretty nicely and the bag turned out well!  I love how the black fades to blue then purple as the knitting progresses to the top. 

Making one-of-a-kind bags can be tricky sometimes, and I can’t make as many to sell as I’d like because they do take a lot of time.  I know there’s someone out there that’s going to love this bag!

I used to hate doing things over, but now I take my time and have a lot more patience because I know that it’s worth the effort in the end.  Crafters, do you do the same?

Handcrafted with Love

Thank you for your messages after my last post.  This bug is still lingering, so I’m going to try and take it easy for a while.  What does that mean?  Sitting on the couch.  Can’t just sit there and do nothing, so I finally finished hand stitching this skirt I started in the fall.  All I had to do was add the waistband! 

I hesitated for so long because I was scared to work with the fold-over elastic.  Each time I’ve tried to sew with it on the machine, it’s ended in disaster.  This was added with a simple stretchy stitch all around – and now I’m not afraid anymore! 

All it needed was some patience.  And love.  “Happy Valentine’s Day!”

A Not So Common Cold

Took this photo Tuesday morning.  Yes, it snowed again.  And then the cold hit.  The worst cold I’ve gotten in years.  Then everyone in the house got it.  We’ve all been taking turns napping, coughing and blowing noses.  I hope to be back to crafty pictures in a day or two.

In some ways, I feel like the snow cleans things up and makes way for the freshness of the next season.  I need this bleakness to contrast and appreciate the hope and life that springtime will bring.

EtsyBloggers Carnival – Romance and Winter

This week’s EtsyBloggers topic is hosted by Linda (pruitthandcrafts):
1) Next week is Valentines! We have already had a "love" theme, so tell us about your favorite "romantic" book or movie and what you like about it.
2) We are also in the middle of winter! Write something about you/your family's winter experiences. Let's see if you can make the "cold" come thru your writing!

Maybe I’ll have a little of both 1) & 2) in this post.  For #1:

“Music From Another Room"* is a really charming movie, and it was the first one that came to mind when I read this topic.  If I had to chose a genre of film that would never be on the top of my viewing list, it would be romance,  but I was drawn to it the first time because I saw Jude Law’s name on it. Yes, I’ve seen it more than once! 

There are subplots that really make the story and family endearing, making me cry and laugh all in the same movie.  Honestly, the sister Nina’s storyline is what I love the most… I can’t say much about it so I don’t give anything away!  If you’ve seen it, or get to watch it, please let me know what you think! 

As for #2:

It’s cold here in NH... For weeks I think the average has been 25°F (my unscientific, slightly-fact based, frozen-toed opinion).  Here’s a shot into my backyard, it’s been snowing each week and accumulating steadily.  Every week the kids have had a delay or school closure because of road conditions.  And, it’s cold enough that it just piles up and doesn’t melt – I’m predicting mid-April this year till the last bit of snow disappears!

Without wool socks, wool scarves, wool gloves, layers of snow pants, boots and hats, I don’t think I’d enjoy it here – but bundled up, it’s not so bad! 

 

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