Kitchen angel

It's amazing how much blog fodder I've discovered while rooting around in the closets for craft fair offerings. Here is a kitchen angel I made some time ago. Her hair is cloves, and her arms and legs are cinnamon sticks. She used to have bay leaf wings, but they got dry and brittle and broke in a few places. I just replaced them with fabric. As soon as I got them sewn and pressed, I realized they were going to flop around rather than stand out straight. So after considering several fixes, I decided to try brushing on Stiffy. I haven't used it much, so I wasn't sure how effective it would be. It worked great. Now I'm thinking Stiffy is probably just an expensive version of Elmer's Glue watered down a bit. I will have to run an experiment to see how it compares......but not today.

And here is the Santa hat picture I wasn't able to post yesterday. I will mention that I wasn't able to find the fishing line that has been sitting on a shelf in the basement for years. Mr. G. borrows it to fix the toilets now and then, but he always puts it back. So I'll have to come up with an alternate plan for the ornament hangers, or make a trip to the sporting goods store. Not.

So I've had a few nice blog comments, and I really appreciate them! The craft fair I'm doing on Saturday is in Bethel, CT at St. Mary's Church. It's from 9 til 4, and it's on Rt. 302 just east of Rt. 58 for anyone who is interested in driving over.....or flying in for that matter...heh..heh.. I'm going to have an eclectic mix. I think that's also known as a mish-mash. I'd like to unload, I mean clear out a few of my older things so I can make room for the new.

I haven't done a church fair in a while. They are fun and fairly predictable, except for the take-home pay of course! They're usually held in the church school gym or cafeteria, and the fair committee prepares by covering all of the tables with shiny red foil paper. I immediately cover this up with my own tablecloth for kind of a homespun look. At some point during the day, the priests come by to say hello, and this is followed by a visit from Santa. There is always lots of food available......usually hot dogs, hamburgers and chili. Sometimes the church ladies make something special like apple pie or strawberry shortcake. And there is non-stop Christmas music.

So I told Mr. Gadget I'd put our artificial tree up tomorrow so it will be ready for him to put the lights on while I'm gone on Saturday. He doesn't like the assembling and the never-ending "fluffing" job that is required. I find the light installation incredibly boring. While I'm fluffing, he'll be watching football, if things go according to tradition. And while he's putting the lights on, he'll no doubt be watching football. He might even be having a beer. On Sunday, I'll decorate the tree while he watches a little more football. It all sounds pretty festive to me.....

Santa ornies

Here's the first of my Santa ornaments. Usually......I mean always, the first of something ends up as part of our family decorations. That's because most of the time there's something wrong with it. When I finished this guy, I decided maybe he needed a little trim of his bangs. And it was late and I was tired, and I kind of cut through his hat. It's impossible to see in this picture, since I positioned him just right. But it's definitely not up to craft fair standards. He has 2 green felt holly leaves on his hat, with a few small red beads sewn on for berries. I will get a better picture when he's hanging from our tree in brighter light. I do think he looks more handsome with a little hair around his hat. I haven't decided what to use for a hanger, but maybe fishing line. I have some on hand and it's pretty much invisible.

So here is a look at how I made Santa. I started with muslin, which I ended up lightly tea-dying. I traced around a cardboard pattern for his head, and then stitched on the line. As I mentioned earlier, I left the top open for stuffing. This worked well, as the hand stitches I used to close it with are hidden under the hat. What a great idea! Sometimes I surprise myself....

Then I moved on to making the hats. It seems Blogger doesn't want me to post this nice, red colorful picture. I used the same process with a cardboard template that I traced around and then stitched on the line. I wasn't able to get the hat to hang down on its own, so I helped it a little with a few hand stitches. I could have used glue, but I've been doing more and more handstitching when possible. If I'm selling something, I like to feel confident that things won't come apart. I've heard stories......

Maddie asked me a while back how I attach the beards. I use small hand stitches with white sewing thread. The wool locks tend to hang together, so just a few stitches holds it in place pretty well. I don't have to be too careful sewing the hair on his head because, again, the hat covers all the sins of the seamstress.....

The back of Santa's head remains hairless, so I've printed with red pen "Christmas 2006." I always enjoy knowing when I bought a new ornament for my tree, and I like to think others do too. And I also have no shame. Doesn't it make sense to lead the buyer of a nice handmade ornament to consider the possibility that there might be another equally nice one for Christmas 2007? I'm just saying is all......

Sheep redux

Here is Mr. Sheep modeling his new duds. I was thinking of naming him Sherman. I used to work with a man named Sherman, and the receptionist in our office used to affectionately (?) call him Shermy. So I think I'll write Sherman on his tag, but while he's here in the treehouse awaiting the big craft fair on Saturday, I'll call him Shermy. He has been very patient with me while I've tinkered with his clothes and his body parts (hands and feet only!) I've grown quite fond of him.

Here is a close-up of his face. The hair is real sheep's wool and I sewed it on by hand. His nose and mouth are embroidered and his eyes are painted. I knit the scarf out of left-over sock yarn. I cast on 12 stitches with #4 needles and knit garter stitch for about 18". It was fun knitting with the self-striping yarn again, but not as fun as knitting socks where the colors seem to change more often. The boas go faster, but I'm not sure about a sheep in a boa. Hmmmm......

So this morning I went out and hung two Christmas wreaths by the front door. I used to buy the real ones, but a few years ago I bought some artificial ones on sale at Michael's. They look real enough and they don't turn brown and drop their needles. When I take them down at the end of the season, I throw them in a garbage bag and store them on top of Mr. G's pile o' tires in the garage.

Soon after I was done, Mr. G. mentioned that maybe he'd go out and put lights on the little tree in the front yard. I offered to help. We used to put lights on all of the bushes along the front of the house, but that was back when we were younger and much more energetic. Now we just put lots of lights on one little tree. It's festive enough to be neighborly, but doesn't cut into precious knitting and football-watching time. We've decided that as we grow older we should slow down the pace.....and read more cruise brochures......

Primitive Santa

Now that the Thanksgiving guests and their respective menageries have departed, and I've vacuumed up the pumpkin pie crumbs, cat hair, bunny hay and pellets...and the occasional bunny poop, I've moved on to craft fair preparations. Well, there was that one short interruption when I assisted Mr. Gadget in getting the boxes of Christmas decorations down from the garage storage area. It seems that our neighborhood (mostly the newbies on the block) have already begun decorating in earnest. Mr. G. assures me that he isn't going to start putting the outside lights up today. He's only getting them down so they'll be easy to get to when he feels like it. I'm guessing in an hour or so......

So in my effort to get organized for the big fair next weekend, I retrieved this prim Santa from the top shelf where he's been sitting since last year. I made him from my own pattern, but was never completely satisfied with him. His outfit is just slightly too long and since I put the hem in with my sewing machine, I haven't been in a big hurry to rip it out and re-do. Now I'm thinking maybe someone would be happy with him just as he is, long robe and all. The little tree is made from muslin that has been stuffed and painted. I did a running stitch with gold thread for the garland and put colored beads here and there.

I'm planning to do a few more Santas next year. This one was a good learning experience. I really enjoy needle sculpting the faces and I'd like to get better at it. It's really impossible to plan on a particular expression, so the character that emerges is always a surprise. Some of you may remember these.....faces I did for practice on potato rejects from my veggie-making phase.

As I remember, I named them (l - r) Ray with the bad toupee, Marian the librarian, and Lou who sells shoes. And speaking of Marian, doesn't she look like one of those old-fashioned librarian ladies who used to work in the library back in the day when libraries were actually quiet? Isn't that just another one of my pet peeves! Noisy libraries. And the librarians in my local library are the worst offenders. I didn't used to like those Marian types, but now I wish there were a few more of her kind around.

But I digress. I probably should stop writing and start sprucing up the other characters I want to take to the fair. First up is Mr. Sheep. He needs some new feet (not so pointy) and a new outfit (not so wrinkly) and a new scarf (not sewn....knitted, of course!) I know, I know. I should probably just start all over with Mr. Sheep! But he's got such a cute face and such a nice head of hair. He'd make a great companion for someone who loves to knit, and best of all, he'll need no vacuuming-up-after.

Sick leave

Sorry for the blog break. I've been spending lots of time with these guys....who I've affectionately named Ny, Ty, Zi and Rob. As friends go, I must say they've been very supportive. And now that I'm almost over the awful cold that came upon me, very fortunately on the day after the cruise, I've put them all back in the closet where I hope they'll be happy for a very long time.

So Mr. Gadget and I returned from the west coast last Monday and have just spent a very nice Thanksgiving here at the Connecticut homestead with Tech Guy and his two cats, and Big City Girl and her bunny. The cats shared a cage on the way over in TG's car, but had to return home in two cages since they got into some sort of disagreement and one started hissing non-stop at the other. TG seemed to think they'd be fine once back on their home turf.

Bam Bam the bunny and Big City Girl made the trip up on the subway and the train and arrived in fine shape. Bam Bam, unlike the cats who hissed and hid under the couch, was quite social. He won the award for "most cute." Here he is with his front paws on my bird socks, while BCG offers him some food. Aaahhhhh!

So now that I'm feeling better, the crafting will be starting in earnest. Next Saturday I'm planning to do a craft fair, and I must get organized. Not only that, I have a few dolls to finish up, and a few to dust off and spruce up. And I hope I can get a few of my Santa ornaments done in time. But before I can do any of that, I need to unpack my suitcase. Yes, it still sits. I'm so ashamed. Mr. G. got his unpacked the night we got home. But at least I have a good excuse this time. Those four rascals tricked me......

Reality sucks, I mean returns

Mr. Gadget and I are back from our cruise, and the laundry basket overfloweth. Mr. G. already has his suitcase unpacked and has separated out his dirty clothes. Mine still sits on the floor, but it is opened and I'll get to it eventually. He's a prompt, efficient person. I'm much less efficient and I procrastinate. We've been married 25 years because of the old saying that "opposites attract." Well, that and the fact that neither one of us would look forward to going through the horrid dating scene again......Just kidding Mr. G!

Here are a few highlights of our cruise. The sunsets are always wonderful and this cruise was no exception. This picture was taken early in the cruise as we sailed south out of Los Angeles harbor.

Another favorite cruising activity is the eating. There are endless ops to put on pounds. This guy poses near the pizza counter. Just a few steps away is another guy with a hamburger. And if this wasn't enough, there were the regular 3 meals available in the dining room, the almost-always-open buffet, afternoon tea, specialty buffets on the pool deck throughout the week (Mexican, sushi, and desserts to name a few) and the ice cream place. And don't forget room service, just in case there might have been 5 minutes with no food available elsewhere. Mr. G. and I were disappointed (but not surprised) to find that our sailaway clothes didn't fit so well on the last day. He's off to the gym this morning, and he very thoughtfully invited me to go. I politely declined however. I'm having coffee and chocolates for breakfast. After all, tomorrow is Monday....

Why yes, there were even a few knitting ops. Here I am working on the gray striped socks. Notice the cruise bruise on my left arm? I have no idea how that happened. I assure you it was not Mr. Gadget's doing. It must have been one of those pushy people in the buffet line. Someone who might have thought I was about to beat them to the chocolate eclairs or the strawberry tarts. I thought I had learned to recognize and steer clear of well-seasoned cruisers who have mastered the art of buffet-line interruptus, especially when it comes to sweets, but I must have let my guard down for a moment.

So now I guess I should go unpack and think about starting the washing machine, and maybe I should make a short grocery list. I suppose I'll have to make the bed too. Where the heck is Jeffrey the room steward? I guess it's time to get back to reality......but maybe I'll just have one more chocolate first.......

Happy hour approaches

Mr. Gadget and I will be sailing off into the sunset Saturday on a Princess cruise to the Mexican Riviera. This is a trip we've taken before, but this time our good friends from Connecticut, who are winging their way west as I type, will join us. They've never cruised before, but I'm sure they'll catch on quickly. One of the first orders of business on a ship is the lifeboat drill. This happens after boarding but before the ship sets sail, which means that most folks have had a little bon voyage cocktail, so it's always an interesting photo op. Everyone must put on their life vest and show up at their muster station to listen to instructions on what to do in an emergency. The ship's staff has no mercy for those who plead, "But I've done this before!"

We will spend two days at sea before making stops at Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas. I love the sea days. There's no place to go, no errands, no housework, and no dishes to do. We aren't usually ones for lots of excursions, since most of them have a shopping stop that's much too long and much too touristy, and we aren't big shoppers. But Mr. Gadget thought it might be fun to tour a tequila factory, so that's what we have on our agenda in Puerto Vallarta. I've heard there's tasting involved, and I'm sure there's a nice gift shop on the premises. Let's just hope we can find the bus back to the ship.....

Mr. G. was quite amused when I told him I'd blogged about his playgroup at the gym. And since he went again this morning, he informed me there were a couple of new characters I might want to add. There was Mr. Exercise Lite--the guy who wears expensive workout clothes, stomps out a cigarette on his way in, spends a couple of minutes on a few machines, then lights up as he goes out the door. And there's the head roller. This is the man who walks a long time on the treadmill all the while rolling his neck around. So far, the German yoga lady has been a no-show. He says even though she's quite elderly, she is able to contort herself into all sorts of weird poses--the strangest one being an apostrophe.

I'll be taking a blog break for a week or so. Cruise lines give their frequent cruisers free internet, but we aren't there yet. I may have some pictures when I get back, but I'll be sure to delete all of the life vest/tequila ones. So in the words of Arnold, who I understand is coming back for an encore performance here in California, "Hasta la vista, baby!"

Downtown

Here's a view of downtown L.A. from up on the hill where my dad's nursing home is located. Last time I was in town, the whole area was covered with clouds, so I decided to take advantage of the photo op. Dear ol' dad isn't doing quite as well as last time I saw him. A couple of months ago, hospice came onboard to help with his care. I was surprised when one of the nurses suggested it to me; I always thought hospice was just for the end of the journey. But I learned this isn't always the case. If a person meets certain criteria, hospice can intervene earlier to provide comfort to the patient and support for the family members. They've been able to manage pain he somehow couldn't tell me he had. Apparently, it's not unusual for someone to find it difficult to admit to pain--especially an elderly man who has always been extremely independent and self-sufficient. Yesterday he seemed agitated and uncomfortable during my visit, and when I asked him if I could do anything he told me he didn't know what he wanted. So I'm thinking some med-tweaking may be in order.

So while some would turn to elderberry wine to soothe their souls, I've been knitting on this....the Green Mountain Spinnery's basic pullover sweater in Mountain Mohair - color: elderberry.

It's so easy to knit and it's on circular needles, so no seaming required! My kind of project. By the time I get home to Connecticut, I should be all calmed down and ready to tackle the Noro shawl-collared sweater finishing project.

So while I'm not in much of a humorous mood this week, I should let Mr. Gadget write a blog post. Every other day he goes to the condo gym to work out, then he reports back to me about the interesting cast of characters he encounters. While he's on the treadmill, I'm sure he's thinking up good names for them all, so he can tell a good story. There's Billy two-shoes who must get up before dawn because his shoes rarely match. Then there's the spitter....no explanation needed, the puffer--a lady who exhales loudly and often, and the slapper who slaps her legs while she works out. Maybe it's just a circulation-enhancing maneuver. I wonder what they say about Mr. Gadget? Maybe I should embroider his name on his t-shirt so they'll know who they're dealing with.......

Fall follows me

No, I didn't pack this in my suitcase.....or carry it along on the bottom of my shoe. Fall happens here too.....I had just forgotten. There just isn't enough of it to warrant the purchase of a leaf blower....at least not in this neck of the woods where there is hardly an inch of land that someone hasn't built something on.

We did arrive safely yesterday, although I wasn't able to sit in 17A. I had to settle for 17F instead. I wasn't too annoyed. It was still a window seat with plenty of leg room and a nice view. And what did I see out the window? Lots of jets passing us going east. I can't remember ever seeing one so close that I could tell what airline it was, but yesterday there were several. I had a good book and my knitting, so I tried not to think about it. The pilot had one of those calm, confident, I'm-in-charge kind of voices, so I had to trust that he was fully qualified and duly certified.

Mr. Gadget and I always rent a car for the trip from the airport to the condo, and yesterday we got one of these:

It's one of those Chevy HHR's with the retro look. One time they gave us a PT Cruiser. We usually keep it overnight to get our full days' value and drive it out to dinner. I always get a pass on cooking the first night because of jet lag. So late yesterday afternoon we took a little spin in the HHR down to the beach to show Mr. Gadget's brother and our nephew Mr. G's old neighborhood--from his single days. We parked on the cliff above the ocean and I decided to stay in the car while they took a short walk. It wasn't long before an old lady who looked a little like a bag lady---possibly someone still in her Halloween outfit----and an old man stopped next to the car and looked at it like it was an alien spaceship.

"What is it?" she asked. "Hmmm, I don't know," he replied as he put his nose up close to the window and peered in. "Looks like something I used to see a long time ago," she said. They walked all around it for several minutes, all the while playing their guessing game which I could hear very clearly. I was very surprised they weren't trying to get my attention to ask questions about it.....until I realized the windows were darkly tinted and they couldn't see me. Now I know why Tech Guy had his VW windows tinted, even though we strongly suggested he reconsider. All the better for chick-watching.

Now that the stealth fun car has been returned and the jet lag is subsiding, I guess I'll have to do some grocery shopping and a little laundry. No curmudgeon sightings to report yet, but it's just a matter of time.....

Santa ornament

Here's my Santa ornament-in-progress. Actually, this is just the prototype (aka the ornament that will hang on our tree.) There are many of these decoration experiments on our family tree. They are one-of-a-kinds and always whimsical....

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, there are some things about him that need tweaking. I want the hat to hang down on its own. And maybe there should be just a little white hair showing from under the hat. The eyes might be a little smaller.....well, maybe the same size as the one on the left. Talk about whimsical. I'm always looking for ways to hide the opening for the stuffing so that the finished item looks....well.....more finished. It occurred to me that I could stuff this guy through the top of his head, since the stitches I use to close it with will be hidden under his hat.

One year I made some similar Santas that I sold as ornaments and pins. A year or two later, I happened to be browsing in a cute little shop a ways from my home, and the clerk who waited on me was wearing one! It's just so funny when I see one of my crafty things out in the world. I know that's where a lot of them end up, but to actually have an encounter is always a pleasant surprise.

So, since Mr. Gadget and I will be out of town on election day, we filled out absentee ballots. I made the comment to him that one of these days I'm going to refuse to vote for any candidate who trash talks his opponent. Then we both laughed when we realized there would be no need to vote. It continues to amaze me how the behavior of many people in business and government has failed to progress further than the kindergarten playground.

I guess I'll stop now and attend to the business of packing and the politics of sock-knitting. I've finished the left sock and now I'm working on the right.....

Angels

Today I finished the two angels and sent their pictures to the lady who ordered them. She was very pleased, and plans to pick them up on Friday. I guess she was happy with the carrot-top hair. When I picked out the fabric for the outfits, I had the auburn hair color in mind. But I think they look fine with the brighter shade. I've actually gotten pretty good at justifying all of my color combinations. I just call them "whimsical."

I was about to clean up the treehouse after I did the last bit of stitching on the angels, and then I decided to do a little more fiddling with the Santa ornament. He's coming along, but still needs tweaking. His hat doesn't flop over on its own, which is what I had in mind. I'll try a little different design. And the wired holly isn't going to work for the hat trim....it's too big. I may be able to find it in a smaller version, or I might just cut a couple of tiny holly leaves out of green felt and sew on a few red beads. I'll post a picture next time; Blogger must be sleepy tonight.

So Mr. Gadget and I will soon be closing up our respective shops here in the Connecticut homestead and getting ready for another trip west. We'll be leaving on Saturday morning for two weeks, the last of which will be a 7-day Mexican cruise. My sewing machine will get a much-deserved rest, and I'll take back up with my sock knitting. Blogging should continue, uninterrupted, for the next week or so from the west coast. I can only imagine how you all must be looking forward to a curmudgeon update.......