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...
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....
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.
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.
