Rocks in my head

I picked up this rock the other day when Mr. Gadget and I went to check out a new walking path in town.

I had in mind making another one of these:

Nice round rocks are not easy to find, unless you live near a river. At a beach not far from the Calcondo there are millions of them, but they're at the bottom of a steep hill. The climb back up is difficult, especially with a big bag o' rocks.

But the longer I look at this newly-found rock, the more I realize it's really more of a potato.

If only I'd gathered more of them I could've made a nice stew.

See that green felt the veggies are sitting on? I'm going to make jeweled doll slippers out of it. Whenever I'm in a fabric store, I keep my eyes out for a whimsical flannel print for another one of these:

Last week I found just the thing. I got enough to make two.

Slithering along

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts and kind words. I'm finding it helpful to stick to my usual routine as much as possible, and that includes regular trips to the Treehouse.

I've set the hanger project aside for the moment and have moved on to the crocheted snake challenge.

Perhaps it looks more like a slug. Here's what I'm hoping it will look like eventually:

It's a little tricky because each round consists of slipped stitches and single crochets, and there's counting involved. And you know I'm not a math gal. And if there's something good on TV, I'm likely to sink into the crochet pit of despair.

This pattern is from a book of really cute crocheted critters.

I love the crab. It's my zodiac sign. But it looks even more tricky than the snake. That's why I'm practicing on Slithers. I've only ripped him out twice, and now it looks like I may have slipped slightly into that despair pit. It may be due to my habit of turning on that HLN channel and then trying to drink coffee, and maybe have a little snack at the same time, while endeavoring to count stitches. It's a fun project though and I hope I can finish him....before he bites me and I have to go back to hangers.

Home to roost....

....or to collect dust in the china cabinet.

Vinny arrived home a couple of days ago, and what a cushy trip he had! First class all the way. He was lovingly cocooned in bubble wrap and placed in the middle of a huge box surrounded by popcorn. Next time I fly across the country that's how I want to go.

I'm continuing my work on the hanger project.

Single crochet 9 across, turn, single crochet 9 across, turn....till it fits all the way around the hanger. Mindless crochet. Calming. Just what I need right now.

I decided, rather than using 2 wire hangers held together like Grandma did, I'd find something to wrap a single hanger with that would also add some padding. Terry cloth is not the right choice....unless I like being covered with snow....which I don't.

I ran out of yarn while crocheting the orange and yellow strip above, but not to worry. I have some socks made out of this yarn....somewhere. I never liked them much. Not particularly comfortable as I remember. When I find them, I'll start ripping and I'll transform them into a set of pretty hangers. It won't be long before I'll have a festive closet. Wouldn't Grandma be proud!

Stickers

Tech Guy and I had a mutual quirkiness when it came to stickers.

When Mr. Gadget and I took a cruise to the Baltic a few years ago, we were issued stickers for our cameras that allowed us to take pictures in St. Petersburg.
I affixed mine to my camera and have yet to take it off. I like cheap souvenirs.

Among the things we retrieved from TG's apartment was his scale. We decided we'd put it in our closet to replace an old one with a dark dirty smudge that's becoming harder to read...although that is not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to a scale.
Tech Guy had certain strong ideas about things. His father and I were usually accepting of his opinions...which he probably found irritating because I'm sure he would have loved nothing more than a spirited debate.

A few days ago, Mr. Gadget took a bottle of Windex out of the cupboard and headed for the basement. He said he was going to clean the scale. TG was never one to dust.

"That's good," I said. "Just don't remove the sticker."

Laundry

Laundry has no sympathy.

It piles up no matter what. Yesterday I did 4 loads. And while I waited for the washer and dryer to beep and chime, I vacuumed the floor and mopped the kitchen. It's good to keep busy, and the more mundane the chores the better.

And as long as I was doing laundry, and I had more than one load of towels--because it's been like the Holiday Inn around here this past week--I decided to throw in one of my crocheted bowls to see if it would further felt.

It did felt further and it looks pretty good, but it might benefit from one final further felting.

All felting aside, Mr. Gadget and I are doing ok. We are alone again, now that we've bid good-bye to our relatives. I really miss Mr. G's younger brother (Mr. Garlic) who did all of the cooking. I tried to convince him to stay, but he made some silly excuse about having to get back to work. Thank goodness for turkey pot pies.

Sadness all around

I haven't been around the blog lately because on Feb. 13 we lost Tech Guy. We are back in Connecticut, dealing with the arrangements, and trying to accept the reality of it all. I'm doing ok. Friends and relatives have been amazing. Mr. Gadget is doing ok too. We are holding up as they say. I will be back after the weekend.

Cat fight?

He looks like he's been in a real doozy, doesn't he? Lucky for him, he's not in pain, although he's getting fed up with my poking and prodding.

Yesterday I added his haunches and hind legs, and I gave him more of a chest. I also added ears--cut from old manila folders and glued on. I'm not happy with the ears though. Now that I've looked at some cat pictures, I realize they're not quite right. I'll re-address those after I'm done with my scalpel and hemostat. I need to add a little more brain matter. I'm sure he won't be very pleased with that little procedure either.

I stuck a tail on him too, but it's hard to see in this picture. All will be revealed eventually, and hopefully he'll be in fine form for the big cat show.

Haute couture

I've been making new clothes for the grandma hangers.
Mr. Gadget is quite taken with the multi-colored one but refuses to use it in his manly closet. This is a great little project for using up sock yarn. Grandma's version was made using crochet thread and triple-crochet stitches; mine is made with sock yarn and single crochet.

While I was working on these I had a grand idea. A couple of my elder friends in Connecticut gave me some sock yarn that they had purchased to knit socks, but then found the smallness of the project too challenging for their not-so-nimble fingers. I really have no need for more hand-knitted socks, so I've decided to make them each a couple of covered hangers using their gifted yarn.

I did a little work today on the paper mache cat. Mostly I poked and pinched and squooshed. I'm not satisfied yet with the shape. I need to look at more cat pictures. Then again, I'm mostly aiming for whimsy.

Here's a picture of my first foray into paper mache.

I think I called him a goonie bird. Believe it or not, this was a college project. I was in my first year at the local community college taking a class called Art for Elementary School Teachers. It was fun making him, but not nearly as fun as carrying him all the way across campus to the parking lot.

Bag lady

I finally found some time to start on the paper mache cat. The first step was to gather a few supplies, including a large brown grocery bag. I stuffed it with wadded-up newspaper to make a nice, well-rounded cat body.

Then I rolled up more brown paper (saved from a recent shipment of a Mr. Gadget gadget) and glued and taped 2 front legs to the body. I had plenty of length so I bent up the bottoms of each for paws.

Next, I stuffed a small brown bag (from one of Mr. Gadget's hardware store purchases) for the head and placed it on top of the body to check for proportion. Not too bad, but it will need more squooshing and shaping. I'll need to ge some decent masking tape--the best friend of paper-machers--since this cheap dollar store tape is not doing a good job. I might even call my glue gun into action. Just about anything works when constructing the form because it all gets covered with strips of paper and this hides a multitude of sins. I've found the same to be true of capri pants.

This is not my final answer to the challenge of making a paper mache cat. The process is not unlike the first draft of a writing project. You just get everything down on paper and then you sculpt and shape and squoosh. I should be able to make good progress as long as Mr. Gadget continues to shop.

Not just a fashion statement

I always thought persimmon was just a fashion trend. I remember back in my teenage years, when I had a subscription to Seventeen magazine, girls just weren't hip unless they were wearing "in" colors of the season. You know, like quince, fig, avocado, persimmon or eggplant. It was always some sort of produce as I remember. Today's fashionistas have even included a variety of wines. I'm so pleased because I've always looked good in chardonnay.

I never considered persimmons a fruit worth tasting.....until recently. I was in the Asian grocery store the other day and they had a whole pile of persimmons. I decided it was time to try one. Well.....what a tasty treat! The secret to getting the full enjoyment out of a persimmon is to let it ripen in the fruit basket till it's just the consistency of the Pillsbury doughboy. Just pleasingly soft. Then you just cut it into quarters, take the skin off, and enjoy!

Later today another one of Mr. Gadget's brothers is coming to visit. He'll stay through the weekend--long enough to watch the Super Bowl with plenty of time to recuperate. There'll be lots of wine, plenty of snacks--including some quac--and enough testosterone to force me out onto the back patio with my knitting.

So I guess I should go and spiff up the bathroom, corral the dustbunnies, and chill the wine. And hide the persimmons.

Family jewels

When I was young, one of my favorite gifts from my grandma was a few of her crochet-covered hangers. Although, I must say, I'm much more appreciative of them now than I was then. On occasion, she would give me a 5-year diary or some stationery--both of which I liked--but neither of which survived the ages.

I could probably make some of these hangers with left-over sock yarn. I'll bet Big City Girl would appreciate having some....even if they don't come with batteries, remotes or touch screens. The instructions for use are simple enough: hold hanger in left hand, apply coat with right hand.

I have one more finished object to share.

I'm getting kinda tired of making socks. I'm much more of a sock-knitter than a sock-wearer. Maybe I'll just crochet sock-yarn hanger covers. I'm a big hanger-user, although I haven't always been. In my younger years, like Big City Girl, most of my clothes were dustmops.

So today I went to see my west-coast hairdresser, Clara. She gives me a nice haircut using mostly a razor. This works well with my thick hair. Clara never comments on the haircuts I get from my east-coast hairdresser. But when I get back to my Connecticut haircutter (I think that would be my Concutter), there are sometimes a few cutting remarks..heh...heh... Like, "Oh, I think the right side is a little longer than the left," or "Yeah, that's the way they cut hair out west." It would be nice not to have to worry about hair. I've told Mr. Gadget I'd be happy to donate some of mine to him, or that I might even let it go gray. But he politely declines my offer, and then strongly suggest that I not un-friend my hairdressers.

Finished objects

The green sweater is done. And best of all, it fits. This is not always the case when I knit something to wear. Mostly I end up with the sleeves too long. But these are just the right length. I'm going to make a note of the measurement.....and hope I remember where I put it when I get ready to knit something else.

The tiger scarf is also complete. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite hide the turkey neck as I had hoped. Maybe if I tie it in a big bow... I think it will look especially nice with my black shirt. And if I wear it at night, maybe no one will notice the little mistakes....or the neck.

In a couple of hours I will have finished another project--a big pot of split pea soup. Mr. Gadget and I are quite fond of soup, especially on a day when there's a little nip in the air as there is today. The temperature hasn't managed to get up out of the 60's.

My 15 minutes

Here's Chef Vinny in all of his glory. It's hard to remember what he used to look like in his youth.

Here's the magazine cover, in case you're looking for it on the newstands (after Feb. 1.)

He's on page 79. Take a look at some of the other bottle-doll challenge entries too while you're at it. He's in good company. I'm excited, but trying to keep my exuberance in check so I don't get nuttier than I already am. But, I'll admit, I have been trying to figure out how to affix the magazine to my keychain so I can take it along with me everywhere I go...

Meanwhile, in a section I will be calling News from the Neighborhood, workers have been replacing a roof on one of the condo buildings down the street. Before we arrived there was a fire. From what we heard--from our plumber, Gary, who knows everything--someone was melting cheese in their microwave and hit 3 minutes instead of 30 seconds. G the P (as Gary is known on his license plate) said that in the last several years there have been 3 fires in the complex--all started in microwaves. So, I'm thinking it might be wise when elders give up their licenses to drive, they should also give up their microwaves.

I'll have a few finished items to show you soon, including the earthquake bird who now has legs and is, thankfully, still standing.

Strike up the band!

Sorry I've been away from the blog, but I've been celebrating. I found out from my little circle of dollmaking friends that Chef Vinny made the cut for publication in the Spring 2012 edition of Art Doll Quarterly. Here's the cover:

The magazine should be out in stores on February 1. I have a subscription but haven't received my copy yet. Mr. Gadget and I have our mail forwarded once a week while we're at the Calcondo, so I'm hoping I'll have mine tomorrow. I guess if I was a gal who wore a cap, there would be a nice feather in it! Stay tuned for pictures.

As usual, I have taken on too many crafty projects. I haven't had time to start the paper mache project yet. I did finish knitting the green sweater and have started the sewing-it-together process.

I've done a little sanding on the clay bird and now have to make him some wire legs and feet. I'll be setting up my work table outside later today since we're now having some nice high-70's weather. Have I mentioned it's been a bit nippy?

I have to finish the toes on this pair of socks. This is the part that requires total concentration and absolute quiet. I've sometimes had to resort to duct-taping Mr. Gadget's mouth for the duration.

And then there are the sunsets--which require a person to drop everything and run outside with the camera. This is not, by the way, a good time to finish socks or stir fry.

Marvin Gardens

There are some residents here at the Calcondos who really miss the big yards they once had, and the opportunity to garden. Our neighbor, Marvin, is one of these. No sooner had he moved in than he took on the job of planting and embellishing the small areas of dirt around our building. The grounds crew takes care of the large bushes, but there is lots of nothingness in-between.
Dolly, who lives next door to Marvin, was inspired to do a little garden decorating of her own.
Mr. Gadget and I, who reside next door to Dolly, were so embarrassed by our lack of garden art we couldn't even open our curtains or show our faces in the neighborhood. So I moved the painted rock turtle out by the front gate.

Things look so much better now and we can hold our heads up high. Although, all things considered, I think I'd rather live on Baltic Avenue or the Boardwalk.

So I've been perusing paper mache websites in preparation for starting a new project. I have something in mind to make and I've found some wonderful inspiration. Once I get underway, I'll share the process.

Meanwhile, I need to clean up a few of my little areas of interest (you know, like those crime story persons of interest but much more messy.) There's the green sweater--a sleeve here and a front there, the tiger scarf--on the verge of becoming a dust rag, the clay bird with only one wing, and the photo-sorting ordeal. Maybe I'll just forget it all and go ask Marvin if he needs an apprentice.

Beauty queens

I just read in the newspaper that Miss Wisconsin won the Miss America title for 2012. If she happens to be reading, I'd like to offer her my heartiest congratulations...

As I was walking around the neighborhood earlier today, I noticed the large variety of vegetation and I got to thinking.....what if there was a beauty contest for trees.

This one would certainly be up there in the top 10, whereas.......
.....this one would have to hide its head in shame.

So this weekend, I'm pretty sure, is known as Football Weekend all across America. Men everywhere are planted in front of their big-screen TVs, and women are shopping. Well, all women except for me. I've been making guac for Mr. Gadget and keeping him well supplied with chips and beer.

This morning, during the first game--or the 3rd of the weekend 4--I started a small clay project. A bird. A bird whose head might be a little too big for its body. A whimsical bird. It's much too early to show him on the blog, but he'll be similar to the one in this post that I made long ago. He'll be an earthquake bird. If we get a little jolt--as we so often do here in SoCal--he will most certainly fall over, and then I can call the news channels and report in.

And from the Only in California file......on Friday I went to the grocery store, and on my way out of the parking lot I almost ran down a pickle. Yes, there was a big green pickle sauntering across the lot not even looking where he was going. Come to find out, he was on his way to the corner--his office as it were--where he would hold up a sign and shake it to and fro to advertise a store in the shopping center called "Mr. Pickle." I don't know if it's a franchise. And no, I don't know if it was a sweet pickle or a dill....

If only I'd waited.....

....I could have celebrated my 6th blogiversary with 6 palm trees. Wouldn't they have looked nice on top of a cake! A big chocolate cake. With sprinkles and buttercream frosting. Oh well....

Mr. Gadget and I arrived at the Calcondo on Saturday, after a pleasant and uneventful flight in our usual seats--17A and B. Mr. G is a creature of habit, and I'm just kinda like a cling-on. Things were shipshape in the condo, and best of all the ants were gone. They must be vacationing in Mexico. Although I did get quite a fright when I opened one of my plastic craft storage drawers and saw a big pile of black stuff in the back. I was sure it was an ant cemetery. But then I remembered I'd filled Chef Vinny's wine bottle with black sand and some had leaked out of the bag.

And speaking of Vinny, it won't be long till I find out if he made the cut for the Spring issue of Art Doll Quarterly. It should be hitting the newstands around the first of February. Meanwhile, I've been pondering what direction my dollmaking might take in the future. I love making cloth dolls, but craft shows this past season were not very profitable. It's nice to have selling opportunities, otherwise they collect in the closet and there's no end of trouble then.

I have a few projects planned for my west-coast time. One is to finish a green pullover sweater I started long ago. I had to rip out the front and back because I made such a stupid mistake I'm ashamed to tell you, so I won't. I'm also going to hand-sew the hem in the tiger scarf--the one to hide my turkey neck. There might even be a clay project starting up soon. Lots of possibilities.

Mr. G and I had plans to follow a healthy eating and exercising regime while we're out here. The weather is nice for walking and the farm markets are open all year. Yesterday we walked to the local market (about 3 miles round trip) where I bought a bag of nutritious brussel sprouts and Mr. G bought some corn muffins and a small rum cake. I told him I'd trade a few sprouts for just a teeny tiny taste of his cake, but he wouldn't budge. That's ok. I know where it is. I'll just wait till he takes out the trash.

A mishmash

Mr. Gadget and I packed up all of the Christmas decorations, and then promptly filled the void with boxes of family pictures. We now have a new photo scanner. Soon we began the tedious task of sorting--sitting side-by-side on the couch, looking through them one-by-one, and voting on the good, the bad, the ugly. It was almost as painful as wallpapering with a spouse, but nothing hurts quite as badly as that.

There were a few surprises in the boxes. One was a ziplock bag containing old shirt buttons. Another was this teeny, tiny letter written by my great-grandmother to my mother--which required a magnifying glass.

It's a sweet little letter from a grandma to her granddaughter--not unlike one a grandma might write today. Except, just before she signed off she said she had to go milk the goat. I'm not even sure I'll ever have grandchildren, but if I do I don't think I'll ever be a goat-milking grandma.

I've finished most of the machine quilting on the food quilt. The job I did is pretty pathetic, so I'm never going to allow it out of the house. On the plus side, there are so many busy prints they should distract from the uneven stitching and the bumps and puckers. I definitely need to read Quilting for Dummies before I think about making another one.

So Mr. Gadget and I are about to embark on our winter trek to the Calcondo. Preparing for this trip is lots easier than it used to be. Mr. Gadget has pretty much an entire wardrobe out there, so he doesn't need very much suitcase space. But since my clothing size is ever-changing I have to take more, so I encroach. I'm an encroacher extraordinaire.

Now I'm trying to think of something witty to end this blog post with, but I must be at my wit's end. Maybe I'll go look for a goat. Which reminds me....I had an older cousin who used to have farm animals. One day we were visiting and this cousin--I won't mention names--was milking his goat and he called me over to watch. And then he squirted fresh goat's milk in my face. I've never been fond of goats since then, and I've never forgiven my cousin.

Happy New Year!

I was lost in a hot-flashy brain fog,

when a friend suggested, "Why don't you blog?"

Did I really begin 6 years ago?

With this silliness you graciously undergo?

You could be watching old reruns of the yule log.

To lift or not to lift?

During my last two visits to SoCal, I had lunch with an old friend from my working days. We went to the same restaurant both times, and we even sat in the same booth. All of that sameness provided the perfect backdrop for assessing the results of the neck lift she had gotten between our visits. The difference was quite striking. In fact, it got me to thinking.....

Maybe one day I could say adios to my turkey neck.

As we sipped our wine, she related her surgery experience and the not-exactly-a-piece-of-cake recuperation. By the time we got to our second glass of wine I was having second thoughts. Then she said something that really sealed the deal. She said, "If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't do it."

When I got home, I started thinking about possible alternatives for ridding myself of my TN. Exercise? Nah. Preparation H? Definitely not. Magic wand? Perhaps. Then it hit me. The perfect, painless, low-cost solution. And I hopped in the car and drove to Joann's.

I bought a third of a yard of a silky-like fabric in a lovely jungle print.

I've never actually sewn a scarf before. The idea of putting something slippery in the sewing machine kinda scares me. But my Armenian friend--the lady from the writing group--used to be a seamstress and she gave me some pointers. I'm going to give it a try.

If I'm successful I'll be making lots and wearing them everywhere. They won't completely cure my TN, but they'll definitely take the edge off.

Leftovers

It's always nice to have plenty of leftovers in the fridge so you can put off a trip to the grocery store. Although it doesn't take much of an excuse for me to put off that trip. Did you know you can make an omelette out of just about anything?

Now that I'm in a craft-show hiatus, I've decided to finish the food quilt that's been languishing in the pantry for months. After all, it's almost the first of January when hordes of us usually resolve to make better food choices--like peppers, fish, greens, and the occasional jelly bean.

I very wisely gave up on the idea of hand quilting. My frequent companion, Arthur Itis, has taken possession of my main sewing finger and kind of put the kibosh on things. Fortunately, I have a fall-back positon.

I really thought sewing long, straight lines on a quilt sandwich would be a piece of cake. But no. The occasional bumps and detours along the way--which don't even qualify as food products--are causing some nasty indigestion. I keep reminding myself this is a learning project. Thank goodness for Tums.

The short version

Our Christmas was fine--

the salad dressing divine.

Antie Pasto stopped by

just in time for the pie.

Then we all found a place to recline.

Are we there yet?

Five days and counting. I wonder if anyone would notice if I just sat in my recliner and knitted till Christmas?

Things have been busy here, but I did discover a fast and easy.....not to mention cheap...way to make gift tags. It's thanks to these--something I bought long ago when I was into making fabric banners:


These would look much more festive in glittery paper, but I was interested in using what I had and avoiding another trip out into the hectic holiday traffic. I could, of course, glue some glitter on them, but then there's sure to be a nasty vacuuming job. I think they're swell as-is.

I gave the book of stories to the Armenian lady in my writing group and she was very pleased. Unfortunately, I took a picture of the wrong house. I was sure I had the right one--with that nice little shop area on the bottom floor. Tomorrow is the last scheduled meeting of the group, but they've said they want to continue without me while I'm gone--which I'm pleased about and which I'm taking as a compliment.

Big City Girl and Tech Guy will be arriving on Christmas Eve and staying over in anticipation of Santa's visit. TG and BCG sometimes get along like oil and vinegar, so I'm hoping this year we'll have a tasty, well-blended salad dressing.

I'm off now to wrap some gifts. Here's hoping your holidays are festive and full of cheer....and free of annoying salad-dressing issues...