I love me a little rhyme

 

I've named my felted fella "Bert".

 

His bunnies keep his feet free of dirt.

 

His mug is very steamy,

 

and his face is quite dreamy.

 

He's planning his late-night dessert.

A felted fella

He's coming along and it won't be too long before I can display him in his altogetherness.  I'm working hard to get things done by next Saturday for delivery to the old hotel for the Christmas fair.  The Treehouse is a disaster and I can't find anything, but I have no time to clean now.  All in good time.  I did just receive a shipment of felting supplies which included new needles for every purpose.  I'm anxious to try my new bunny-slipper needle. 

Not much time to blog either.  But you have to admit, I'm doing better right?

This is enough Fall decorating, isn't it?

 

I used to love the annual trek to the pumpkin patch each year with kids in tow to pick out just the right ones for carving.  We'd usually pick a few apples too.  But now I've moved on, preferring to spend some quiet time in my recliner, and I'm happy with my hand-crafted paper mache version.  No more hauling a rotten mess out to the woods or the garbage can.  It keeps nicely on the top shelf of my craft closet.

So, I've moved on from the October craft fair at the old hotel....where I did very well and sold most of my needle-felted items.

Now I'm elbow-deep in preparations for the Christmas fair....with more felted items.  I have a couple of weeks before I have to deliver them.  Here's a snowman-in-progress:

I've also made a few more hobo bags. I love the hunt for fun, whimsical fabrics which seem to appeal to certain people in a strange sort of way...

 

You all know about Mr. Gadget and his obsession, I mean his admiration, for all kinds of tech toys.  This includes one of those devices with a female name that you can call out to and request her to play music or set the egg timer.  And I'm remembering the days when we had little kids in the house and we had to spell things we didn't want them to hear.  Now we have to spell A-L-E-X-A.....lest she butt in and set off on a rant of some kind. 

It's quiet in the treehouse.  I think I'll just stay here.....

A little more stitchin'

For me, embroidery is kinda like the long-stemmed crystal glass of sorbet they give you in fancy restaurants between the appetizer and the main course.  It cleanses the palate.  It's a clear sign I'm full-up with needle felting and in need of a short refreshing pause before forking into the next course of deliciousness.

I love to embroider, but like many of us stitchers (or so I've heard) I'm not a good thread organizer.  I usually end of with this.....

I can't be bothered with winding my thread onto those cute little cardboard bobbins....or clothespins that seem to be popular with stitchers today.  So I was very happy to read about a new tip that suits me to a T.  If I gently pull the thread end that's nearest the paper wrapper with the color number on it I'll avoid that pesky knotting business.  I'm thrilled to pass along this handy tidbit of good advice.

And speaking of clothespins.....

I've been making more hobo bags, and you know how I always love a little bit of whimsy.

It is what it is

You know how we bloggers are.  We were out of the gate like a bunch of race car drivers back in the day when lots of us thought we had interesting stuff to share with the world. Then we noticed the gas gauge starting to get down to the dangerous zone. I almost ran out.  But not quite.  I siphoned some out of  Mr. Gadget's generator.

So, we've just returned from our summer Calcondo visit and there's no doubt we're out of California now.  Yesterday I had to brake for a turkey family crossing the road.  They were slow, but not as slow as some of those meandering texters in crosswalks you see in Cali.  Drivers out there actually stop for people in crosswalks (or even not in crosswalks).  On the east coast there would be many more fatalities.  And probably a few dead turkeys too.

Here's a sample of some crazy embroidery I did on a pair of jeans back in the 70's.  I had a chance to revisit them recently when I had lunch with an old friend to whom I had gifted them.

I must say, she kept them in pristine, museum-quality condition.  I do remember wearing them to work one day...back when there was a certain expectation that young women would dress in proper office attire.  My office mates had seen me stitching for many months in the lunch room and they wanted to see me wearing them.  So I took a chance and wore them on a Friday when surely no serious office business would take place.  And then I had to take some important papers over to the president's office.  In the executive suite.  But I guess nobody noticed because I was able to leave that job several years later on my own terms.

I'll just leave it at that for now.  But I'll keep my eye on the gas gauge.

I can't stop

I can't seem to stop knitting pumpkins.
Yarn colors call out from my stash.
I'll need a U-Haul the day of the craft fair,
where, with luck, I might score a little cash!

Hoarding

I've been amassing a stash of knitted pumpkins with the fall craft sale in mind.  They are fun to knit, and the only tweak I've made to the pattern is to stuff them a little fuller than suggested.  I like me a fat pumpkin.  You can find the pattern here if you want to knit yourself a fat, or a skinny, pumpkin.

Once I get the knitted-pumpkin urge out of my system I'll move on to needle-felted pumpkins.  I have some started that need stems and finishing touches.  I hope people don't start calling me Pumpkin Lady. 

So, I'm about to begin the crazy-quilt-square-picture-hanging odyssey.  Mr. Gadget has offered his assistance.  He's already been to Home Depot to get a couple of things that he thinks might be helpful, although after reading the package directions on the sticky hooks it doesn't appear that many gadgets will be needed.  With the two of us working on this project together, it might be necessary for me to knit a therapy pumpkin when we're done...

What's a little wind?

Since the last time I posted we've had a tornado.  And I thought to myself, as I watched the trees leaning sideways and listened to the wind howling, this isn't Kansas....this is Connecticut!

Our condo complex was lucky.  Just a few trees down and others damaged, a couple of fences knocked over, and some flying cupolas.  And no power for two days. Others were not so fortunate.  Apparently, our town (Brookfield) took the brunt of it.

Mr. Gadget, with his fondness for gadgets both big and small, had purchased a portable generator some years back.  I thought he was being silly. After all, we have plenty of flashlights. Little did I know. We were able to power our fridge, hot water heater, and a small microwave oven for several hours a day.  And as a side bonus, we invited our neighbors (the ones who haven't spoken to us in 5+ years) to plug in an extension cord so they could save the contents of their freezer. It kinda broke the ice.....

So now things are getting back to normal and the power all over town is being restored.  It's a beautiful day, and we are very thankful.

In the meantime, I've been working on a fun project.  I saw these bags while I was perusing Pinterest one day and they struck a creative nerve.

I'm using fabric scraps from my stash, and I'm trying to tailor some of the patches to my interests.  I'll make a tote bag one of these days.  Lord knows I need another bag....

Framed

A few years ago I got on a kick to make embellished crazy quilt squares.  I stitched day and night (I might have been slightly addicted) and I ended up with some very nice pieces....and some painful arthritis in my stitchin' finger.  So while I rested my finger I did some knitting....because it's impossible for me to sit still with quiet hands....and that didn't seem to aggravate it as much.

Meanwhile, the 4 finished quilt squares sat in a pile in the Treehouse.  My plan was to make them into fancy handbags.  In fact, I did eventually make a bag and I even took it on a cruise.  But I wasn't happy with it and I ripped it apart because.....a couple of weeks ago I came up with the perfect plan.  I would frame them and put them on the wall above our sofa.  I've been procrastinating for years, I mean valiantly searching, for just the right artwork to put there.

So here they are on the dining room table waiting for me to read the directions on the package of Command hooks.  Mr. Gadget, who always has just the right gadget, is standing at the ready with his level.

Bag lady

In my last post I mentioned going to Knitters' Heaven.  I meant to put a link in.....so here ya' go.  It's a great place to visit if you're a knitter or a crocheter or a weaver---if you find yourself in that part of the world.  There's always stuff on sale in their big back room.  I've already finished my rainbow knitting and I'll show you a picture...eventually.

Today it's about the bags.  My loot from the South America cruise.

This is a leather bag I bought in Montevideo, Uruguay.  It was very reasonably priced considering it's leather and has lots of hardware on it.  By the way, did you know that Uruguay is pronounced with an "er" sound at the beginning rather than a "u"?

I picked this one up in Costa Rica.  Could you tell?  It's small and will carry a cell phone and a few other necessities.  Did you know that cruise passengers--at least those in our age bracket--always want to know where the nearest shopping opportunity is.... and the restrooms....

This is a good-sized shoulder bag.  It has some of the colors of Peru.  I didn't buy it in Peru however.  I bought it on the ship, on the last day of the cruise, for half-price.  I bought a bright blue one for Big City Girl.  I would call it a knitting bag.  BCG would call it a carry-on suitcase.

This is a hobo-style bag in some of my favorite colors.  It's from Peru and says so right on the front.  It has a little flower up near the top that is just begging to be embellished.  I have plans to do just that.

So now I have bags for almost every one of my projects.  It will be a good way to keep them all sorted out.  And if I start any new projects--as I am often known to do--I'll just have to take another trip.

Knitting rainbows

My friend, other Marcia and I made another trip to Knitters' Heaven last week.  It's too bad St. Peter let me in because I bought another 3 skeins of yarn which I don't need.  But it looked so pretty and I just knew it would be fun to knit--what with all those colorful stripes appearing to surprise me along the way.  It's Cascade Yarn's Pinwheel and the colorway is Rainbow.

When Mr. Gadget and I were at the Calcondo last, I knitted some preemie blankets for the local hospital as part of a charity effort.  The pattern called for them to be 12" x 18" and I was sure that was a mistake.  Much too small I assumed.  But no.  That was just right.  So when I saw the Rainbow yarn I decided to make some more to take along with me on my next trip.

The bowl, which also kinda looks rainbow-ish, is a project I did with Big City Girl a while back at the local paint-your-own pottery place.  They were out of the big yarn bowl thingies, but they did have these small snack serving bowls.  It works great for keeping a ball of yarn from rolling all over the floor.  I'm still a wind-your-own-ball gal.  I have one of those fancy winders with a crank, but I seem to always get an error message.

So Mr. Gadget and I have recently returned from a wonderful cruise (big surprise, I know!)  We did all of our flying ahead of the cruise (Los Angeles to Buenos Aires) and ended up back in Los Angeles just a 20-minute taxi ride from the Calcondo--and without jet lag!  I usually don't buy many souvenirs, since I'm now in the scaling-down part of my life.  But it was impossible to pass up the beautiful textiles in beautiful colors that just sort of reached out and grabbed me in Chile and Peru.  I will share some of my treasures in the next post.

Knitting a painted desert

This has been my project for the last couple of weeks.  I'm knitting a shawl for my aunt who we'll be visiting soon.  She lives in Arizona, near Flagstaff, and loves all things southwest.  I'm knitting the shawl in Lion Brand's homespun Painted Desert.

My aunt celebrated her 100th birthday last August, and Mr. Gadget and I missed her party. She's my dad's sister--the oldest of my grandparents' 4 children--and she's outlived all of her siblings.  We call her our family treasure.

So now I'm back to needle-felting.  My plan is to work on fall things while we're here this winter, and Christmas things when we visit again in the summer.  But now I'm in the mood to make a cat.  So it might have to be a black cat.  Unless I find myself making a yellow cat, and then I will have to abandon my carefully thought-out plans.....which I have a long history of doing.  Whatever....


Today I'm celebrating the completion of our new shower.  I'm sure I mentioned the reconstruction work that's been going on here at the Calcondo.....again!  The guys have worked hard to finish this shower so we'd have one in working order before they started the second.  A shower might seem like a small thing...in the great scheme of things.  But it will be nice not to have to tote my towel and soap and shower shoes over to the gym to bathe.  It reminds me of those oh-so-painful days of junior high.

A room of one's own?

With just over 1300 square feet here in the Calcondo, and with Mr. Gadget and me not having much to do except wait around for assessing/repair/delivery/reconstruction people, things get a little tight....not to mention, tense.  So when I saw that the dishwasher delivery person had left the box on the porch it got me to thinking.


I could find a nice comfy place on the grass where I could plant myself and ask Mr. G to put the box over me.  There's no way I could fit through a door in the box (like I did when I was 4) but I could cut a window at about eye level that would be just big enough to slip a few bon-bons through.


With my clip-on book light I could read or knit, or just sit there and enjoy the quiet.  If any nosy neighbors strolled by, I could pull the flap on the window closed and avoid unnecessary questions.  I would likely attract a crowd of onlookers, but that wouldn't bother me.  I'd just eat my bon-bons, and maybe even a small dish of dulce de leche ice cream, and let those looky-loos gawk.


I think I could sit there enjoying my little retreat for most of the day, or at least until Mr. Gadget called me in for the nice dinner he had prepared....just after he had done a couple loads of laundry and had everything neatly folded and put away....

What was I thinking?

So, you may remember Vinny--the chef doll I made for an Art Doll Quarterly magazine challenge a few years ago.  Well, I don't know what got into me but I decided to give it another go. The subject of the new challenge was "The Age of Aquarius." Although I wasn't a flower child back then I did wear bell bottoms, so I decided that was enough to qualify me for the doll challenge. "Far out!" 

It was quite a challenge as it turned out.  That was mostly because my working-on-doll mood would frequently leave me in the dust. But I did persist and managed to get the silly old thing, I mean the wonderfully whimsical art doll, finished and delivered by the deadline.  Check the spring issue, due out around the end of February, to see if I made the cut.  They have yet to tell me that beforehand.  In my case, I'll probably hear about it from a friend. Mr. Gadget and I are at the Calcondo where we get forwarded mail sometimes in a timely fashion.

So yes, the Calcondo.  We've had another flood....of sorts.  The sewer again.  It happened mid-November, so we decided, rather than coming out here then, we'd let the cleaning crews do their thing.  This would leave us with just the putting-it-back-together part. Lots less smelly we figured. Turns out that was probably a mistake.  The demolition guys came in and tore out way more than they should have.  In fact, a mop and some Fantastik would have been sufficient based on what our contractor reported when he did a walk-through before the demolition.

I'm not usually one to think badly of people.  I leave that to Mr. G.   But the guy who owns the demolition company was at our front door soon after we arrived to tell us what a great job he could do rebuilding it all for us....for a hefty sum.

We were very worried that the place wouldn't be in good enough shape for us to live in during our winter visit, but we've managed to make it quite comfy.  And it's 80 degrees outside today in L.A. and we could be at the Concondo were it's going to be 5 tonight. So what's a little sewer water?

Bowled over

Over the Thanksgiving weekend Big City Girl and I went to the local Pottery Factory.  I had never been, but she knew the drill.  And, thankfully, there was no technical knowledge required.  You just pick a piece of pottery, throw on some paint, and presto!  You're a ceramic artist.

I picked this little snack bowl with a place for your thumb.  But I quickly envisioned a yarn bowl.  This would make the perfect accessory for my knitting adventures.  The yarn would stay safely in the bowl--rather than wandering around on the floor--and I could just pull it out of the hole. It worked beautifully for my crop 'o pumpkins.

You can find the pattern for the pumpkins here.  The only change I made to the pattern was that I stuffed the pumpkins a little fuller than Denton suggests.  But either way, they are fun to make and were very well received by those to whom I gifted them.

.....Sorry!

.......I just had to take a coffee break.  But I'm well-caffeinated now and I have some new projects percolating, so stay tuned!