I have an excuse.....

....for being away from the blog.

Mr. G. and I made the trip to the Calcondo.

Soon many relatives arrived.

We entertained them.

We took them to the beach.

We provided airport shuttle service.

We did laundry.

I celebrated a big birthday.

On my official birth date.

I ate lemon meringue pie.

Several times.

(Why are my pants tight?)

Anyway, here I am

with nothing but time to blog

and make things.

 

  A needle-felted Santa.

Beard fiber is at the Concondo

and will be installed later.

 

Some needle-felted beads.

Just wanted to try them.

Need to get necklace fixings.

 

Some embroidery

on my hand-me-down

iPad case.....

to tide me over till I can

make a more artistic one.

 

A journal of daily doodles.

 

I have more projects planned.

Too many to finish in

the life I have left. 

But I will try.

So I'd better get started....

Just one more....maybe

I'm working on one more embroidered owl from the Kleenex box.  The downstairs bathroom (aka the powder room) has now become my personal art gallery, and there's one blank wall.....over the toilet.  Since the ladies now have something to look at while they're using the room, it seemed fitting to give the men something to gaze at too.  

I've been doing lots of embroidering lately, and because of that I've been looking at lots of embroidery websites.  I'm especially impressed with this artist's work.  She uses DMC floss as I do, but in a heavier version.  If you check out her site, scroll through a few pages till you come to Sherlock.  I was blown away.  I have no hope of ever being this proficient.  I was, however, pleased to learn that her thread ends up in the same jumble as mine.

Once upon a time.....

.....there was a crazy crafty lady who loved to construct things out of fiber.  She cut a sleeve off of an old sweater....

....and had the wild idea that she could use it to build a Santa.  And what do you know!  The building inspectors were impressed.  They gave her the go-ahead to forge ahead.

Then there was an unexpected delay.  Her loving husband told her to put on her goin'-out-to-the-city clothes because he had a surprise day planned. She could only assume this would be an early birthday present.....since she had a really-big birthday coming up...one that required a loving husband to make a really-big splash.

So off the two of them went, on the 11:14 train.  And then there was a wild taxi ride across the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn Bridge Park...where who do you suppose they happened to meet?

Big City Girl.  She had a little surprise up her sleeve too.  A private tour!

And then there was a subway ride back to Manhattan and an early dinner at a lovely little restaurant.  And then.......

It took the crazy crafty lady a few days to recover from this overdose of festiveness, but she was, eventually, able to return to the construction zone.

Rummaging

I'm really happy I didn't donate my bright red 100% wool Gap sweater to the thrift shop years ago.

I always loved the color, but the sweater is a little scratchy.  I haven't always made clothing purchases wisely. Now that I'm needle-felting I'm very thankful I've kept this old sweater around. It's about to become a Santa...with plenty left over for one or two more. 

First, I cut a slice out of one sleeve.  Think calamari. Then I drew a pattern for an oval shape that would close up the slice on the larger end.

This was fairly easy because the sweater fabric is stretchy and has some give. Then I cut out a red oval and whip-stitched it to the sleeve tube with red sock yarn (remember the red sweater ornaments?)

 

I put a beanbag (left over from an old craft fair) in the bottom and filled the tube with stuffing.  Next, I threaded some wire (a Mr. Gadget cheap tool store purchase) through the top for bendable arms and gathered the open end of the sleeve tube almost closed.

Then I dove (make that belly-flopped) into my bag of wool roving (gifted to me by other Marcia) and found a nice piece to wrap around the wires.

He has a ways to go to become a Santa, but I'm not in a hurry.  I have other things to work on.  I love to juggle projects.  I also love to rummage.  It's fun to see just what I can come up with using things I have in my stash....which is exactly what I'm planning to do for dinner.

Dear, dearie, dearest

Mr. Gadget and I are not users of mushy endearments.  I never call him honey or sweetie.  He never calls me darling or sweetheart.  Sometimes I do call him Mr. Gadget.  And sometimes, when he's really feeling loving toward me, he calls me Mrs.  Which is why I was compelled to purchase this mug the other day at Home Goods.

It has a few imperfections and it leans a little.....mostly to the left.....and it holds more than a cup of coffee....so it suits me to a T.

Now that I have the first of the two owl embroideries finished, I've been doing some high-speed stitching on the second.

It gives me a chance to let my needle-felting finger pokes heal, and to rest my thumb joint from the knitting arthritis.

Knit, purl, pedal

I hate to exercise.  I know there are people who actually enjoy it (Big City Girl who likes to box), and lots of people who don't mind it too much (Mr. Gadget).  

Yesterday I discovered a way to work out that might be a little less annoying.  I found out I can knit while riding a stationary bicycle.  This might just be my greatest discovery since I learned I could sew with two toddlers underfoot by putting my sewing machine on the kitchen counter where I could easily disengage the foot pedal.  I love when this happens.  With enough ingenuity nothing and nobody can ever interfere with my hobbies.

So now I'm working on a new witch....in the Treehouse...by myself...sitting down....with birds chirping outside my windows.

I sketched and cut out a pattern from card stock.  I had to add some length afterwards because I had forgotten to allow for the paper-bag style bottom that will allow her to sit.

I traced around the shape on a double thickness of muslin and stitched it together all around.  I made a small slit in the middle of the back for inserting weighting pellets and then I stuffed it firmly.  I realized, again afterwards, that it needs more weight.  Next time I might plan a bigger bottom.

Then I applied a coat of gesso to the front and sides of the head, and after it dried I added the paperclay and began sculpting the face.  As I've said before, I love making witches because the less perfect the face the better they look.  From a primitive point of view.

While I'm working on her I'll try to think up a good limerick.  Or maybe while I'm biking and knitting I can come up with one.  I'll be so busy I won't even know I'm sweating.

Little red fuzzballs...

.....also known as needle-felted beads.  I'm planning to make a necklace....after I talk to my jewelry-making friend Sally who can advise me on chains and fasteners and stuff like that.

You might be wondering how I plan to end up with beads  all the same size.  It's going to be a challenge, but I have a plan for that too.  I'll designate one bead as the role model for all the others.  If some of the others don't quite measure up, I'll inject them with steroids (or, add a little more fuzz).  And if some are slightly overweight, I'll send them packing to the locker room for some deflategate (or do more poking). 

I'm making two crockpot dinners this week--both new recipes.  The crockpot is the next best thing to not cooking at all. Well, I take that back.  If Mr. Gadget cooked, that would fit in right between those other two.  But Mr. G. forgot everything he knew about cooking when we got married...with the exception of toasting a bagel which he does very well.

We had CP dinner #1 last night and we both gave it a thumbs-up. We are fans of Mexican food, so if you are not you can just skip right over it.  I did use flour tortillas and made burritos instead of tacos

CP dinner #2 is cooking as I type, so no report will be available until I post next.  Smells good though, and I did throw in some extra mushrooms. (I didn't post in a timely manner, so I can tell you it was another thumbs-up.  Add a little red wine to kick it up a notch.)

I think I've told you before about how I hate to have blood drawn and that on one or three, or maybe more, occasions it's been just short of a torture session.  Sometimes I've been forced to lay down with a committee of three surrounding me to discuss options.  Now that there's been a change in my insurance, I'm required to go to a regular lab (as opposed to the doctor's office).  Yesterday I had some blood drawn and I did a happy dance all the way to the car.

So I'd better go give the crockpot a stir.  We need to eat early so Mr. Gadget can attend the condo association meeting tonight.  I'm so glad he doesn't insist that I go.  The meetings are usually loud and contentious.  He handles them better than I do.  After all, he grew up in New York in an Italian family....  And I don't mind saying that I hope tonight's meeting goes into extra innings because I have lots of good shows saved.

And before I go, here is one of my Kleenex owls all framed.  I did it myself with a frame I had on hand.  Don't pay any attention to the waves above his head.  Those are just emanations from his aura.

Wax isn't just for ears

A witch known for being unconventional

dreamed of life atop a golden pedestal.

But it wasn't to be

without an exorbitant fee,

so she sits in old wax from a candle.

A treehouse tale

I'm working in the Treehouse today and making some progress on my latest clay witch.

Her face is done and now needs some spray-on sealer.  Usually I brush it on, but this time I used watercolor paints and colored pencils so the spray-on finish will, hopefully, keep the colors in their places.  I'm flying by the seat of my pants using watercolor paints on clay.

Here's her hat.  A ball of crochet cotton works splendidly as a drying rack. 

When Big City Girl and Tech Guy were about middle-school age, I used to fantasize about how I might escape now and then from their crazy-making antics.  I would visualize a treehouse sitting in the branches of a big oak tree in our backyard.  Here was my plan:

While the two dastardly rascals were away at school, I would have a couple of construction guys come to the house with a load of lumber.  They would build a simple treehouse that would be big enough for me, a comfy chair, and a cooler for refreshments.  I'd ask them to attach a rope ladder that could be raised or lowered at my discretion.  And, of course, they would have to make it spider-proof.  That goes without saying.

If the guys worked quickly, they would be gone and I would be up in the treehouse with my knitting when the kiddies arrived home from school.

I could only imagine their surprise.  "Mom, what are you doing up there?" they'd yell.

"I'm knitting," I'd say.  "I don't know when I'll be coming down exactly," I'd tell them.  "But I'm sure you can find a way to get along with each other and fix yourselves some dinner."

"This is not fair, Mom!" they'd scream.

"And don't forget to feed the cat."

What's for breakfast?

Coffee with a side of yarn.  Although, I do like a little protein...just enough to keep me out of the fridge till lunch.

Yesterday, other Marcia and I took a road trip to the Connecticut Sheep and Wool Festival.  It was a beautiful sunny day, but winter still lingers.  Hats, scarves and mittens were in order....which is not necessarily a bad thing at a fiber festival. There was lots of wooly goodness on display.

I bought a skein of sock yarn, but with no intention of knitting socks.  There are so many patterns now for beautiful scarves made from sock yarn, and the variegated skeins make some of the prettiest ones.

The mug was an impulse buy (well, maybe the yarn was too..heh..heh).  I like to pay homage to sheep for the years of enjoyment they've given me.

Here in the Treehouse I'm working on a new clay witch.    

The clay is now dry and I'll soon begin the painting, dressing and wigging process.  Oh, and the hatting thing too.  I'm confident she'll be ready for Halloween.

I also have a paper mache witch underway. 

I started her over a year ago and then banished her to the time-out shelf.  I did a poor job on her arms.  They'll need to be amputated and reconstructed.  I'd like to give her a jack-o-lantern to hold...big enough for a battery-operated tealight...so the new arms will need to be sturdy.  And the hands....well, they're always a challenge.  I have a long way to go to perfect sculpted hands.  Can a witch wear mittens I wonder?  It's so much easier to make a Santa...but only half the fun.

So now it's lunch time and that means I'm free to raid the fridge.   

Cucumbers

I've been knitting leg warmers for Big City Girl. 

She tells me there's no hurry....now that the weather is Springy....which will be followed by Summery....and then the hot, steamy, unbearable east-coast weather that precedes Fall.  And if next winter is anything like this last one, she'll need leg warmers for her leg warmers.

Here's a close-up of the stitch pattern.  It looks difficult but it's not.  The pattern is free from Ravelry (for all you knitters out there).  It's called Spiral Rib Leg Warmers (by The Purl Bee) and I used Cascade 220 superwash yarn.

So Mr. Gadget and I took a walk in the park yesterday.  As I've mentioned before, the park is a repository for some wonderful craft supplies.  While we walked, my eyes were focused on the grounds around us so as not to miss any special treasures. 

Along the way I noticed a big branch that had fallen from a tree. It definitely had possibilities, but it was much too big to carry and way too long to fit in the car.  I decided to ask Mr. Gadget for his opinion.

"I've been thinking about what to use as a base for my needle-felted witches," I said. "Round wooden circle thingies would work great. Do you have a saw that would cut something like that?"

"What exactly do you mean by circle thingies? he asked.  I should have known that a woodworking man wouldn't understand all of the terms used by a crafty woman.

"A slice," I said.  "Could you slice a tree branch up like a cucumber?"

"Yes," he said.  "I have a saw that will do that."

So I showed him the branch I'd zeroed in on and he walked into the woods to look it over.  He stomped on it to see if he could break a piece off.  No luck.  "Next time we come here I'll bring my saw."

I thought it would be a good idea to check the list of prohibited items posted near the park entrance.  Saws could very well be on it.  They aren't something you'd bring to a picnic or a baseball game.  Therefore, we'd have to be discreet.  I might have to bring my really big knitting bag. I could visualize a scenario.

"No,"  I'd tell the officer with his menacing look and his hand on his gun.  "We didn't mean any harm.  My husband was just planning to cut me a few circle thingies.  Honest."

Springing into Fall

Spring is here.  It's starting to warm up.  The birds are singing. The brown grass is turning into green grass.  This can only mean one thing.  I must start making witches.

This one seems to have a bee in her bonnet about something.  I think she's annoyed at me for taking her picture.  Or maybe it's because she just realized she's going to have to bide her time in the Treehouse till October.

So tomorrow Mr. Gadget is going to the NYC auto show with his friend Jack.  I'm happy he has a traveling buddy so I don't have to go.  I'm not a big car fan.  I like a car that's dependable and has an easy-in for groceries.  I have no other requirements.....although I am sort of fond of the bun warmer.

I like a house that's dependable too, and easy to operate.  I could do without the programmable stuff, the remote controls, the beeps, and the 6 smoke alarms that chirp at different times and sometimes for no apparent reason.  Since this is the house we have, I've impressed upon Mr. Gadget how imperative it is that he survive me.

Mr. Gadget likes all the stuff because, after all, he is Mr. Gadget, and he's always trying to sway me over to the ways of the modern world.  It's quite possible, though, that I'll have the last laugh.  After I'm gone he won't have a moment to think about dating.  He'll be spending all of his time fixing things.

Happy Easter and Happy Spring!

A good time for chipmunking

You may remember a word I used a few years ago to describe how I go about approaching certain projects. Chipmunking.  I don't think you'll find it in the dictionary.  I mentioned it here along with some other terms I may, or may not, have invented.  Chipmunking is a behavior I adopted after observing a backyard chipmunk visitor.  He used to circle repeatedly....sometimes till he was silly dizzy....around a dish of sunflower seeds before homing in on it for a big feast.

Today I put several unfinished projects in the middle of the Treehouse floor and began circling.  I stopped short of the silly dizzy part (that's my normal demeanor) and homed in on this scarf.  I know it looks finished, but it's not. I think it needs a little more fluff.

Here's how I'm making it. With yarn I crocheted a long strip--as long as I wanted the scarf.  Then, on the right side I used the crochet hook to attach strips of yarn.  Think of rug hooking.  The yarn is lots of colors and textures from my stash. I thought it might result in a dent in my stash, but it just made a little dimple.

Soon I'll be circling again.  I have lots of unfinished stuff.  That little chipmunk was almost like a member of the family.  We named him Bob.  One time Tech Guy was staying at the house while we were gone for a couple of weeks--you know, to keep the house safe.  He invited Bob inside to join him for dinner.  I guess it's a good thing we didn't stay away longer.  We might have come home to deer, foxes, squirrels and a gaggle of turkeys sitting around having a few beers.

Spring? Fagetaboutit!!

Here's the view from my Treehouse on the first day of Spring.  Do you like to display small treasures on the windowsills like I do?  That's a painted house rock on the left--made by a friend's daughter.  The round one is a piece of coral from Grand Cayman.  It was sitting on the edge of a dock--probably placed there by a swimmer who spied it in the clear waters.  Finders keepers.

So Mr. Gadget and I are doing a little shopping this morning.  It's my favorite kind of shopping.  He goes to Costco and texts me at home with a picture of something he thinks I might need or want.  Do I really need/want some kitchen-cleaning brushes?  I thought about suggesting he move on down to the dessert case, but thought better of it.

I'm still working on felted Santa ornaments and will put some beards on them today.  It will be good to have something done early this year.  I'm thinking of trying some snowmen.  Yep, that's what happens.  I think I'm done early, but I'm never done.  It's always a mad dash as Fall approaches.

The week ahead will be a busy one.  Mr. Gadget has a birthday.

He's an easy birthday guy.  He's happy with an apple pie. I did order him a little something though and I'm insisting he stay away from the front door tomorrow when I'm expecting it to be delivered.  I love how easy shopping has gotten these days, but it's lots more difficult to keep secrets.

Big City Girl's birthday was this past week, and she'll be coming to visit next weekend.

Her birthdays are pretty easy too.  She's happy with a gift card for books on her Kindle and a nice helping of chicken parm.  She did tell me that her boyfriend gave her some boxing headgear.  How exciting!  Now that she's moved up to advanced boxing at the gym she goes to, she says she needs some head protection.  Can you imagine someone coming at this pretty little face with a left hook?  Please God, just let me find a good place to stick my head in the sand.

Stirring up some Santas

I've been cooking.  On the menu: felted Santa ornaments.  I already have 4 cups, but I'm thinking it might be wise to make a double batch.  Now that people have tasted them, they might want a second helping.

Yesterday I took some time to clean and organize my fiber pantry.  Food storage bags work great for keeping the colors separated so they don't fight with each other.  They do that you know.  I hear them during the night sometimes. When I was done all that remained was a big pile of crumbs.  So I threw them in my stew pot and added a little wine.

Won't Mr. Gadget be surprised when he sees what we're having for dinner....

A batch of patches

Hi Everyone!  I'm back....after a nice little blog break.  I was kinda burned out.  I'm feeling all rested up now and ready to roll once again.  And rather than rehash everything that's gone on over the last couple of months, I think I'll just start from now.

I do have several projects in the works....with the end-of-year craft fairs in mind.  I'm also considering starting an Etsy shop....if I can get my brain to understand all the tech stuff involved (I did just get the Idiot's Guide and I can only hope I at least meet that criteria).  I also need to consider the fact that sometimes I'm here and sometimes I'm there, and I don't want a shop that's closed more than it's open.

I've been in stitching mode lately and have been embroidering more patches.  I started this patch hobby with the one I made for Big City Girl a while back.  I made one for each of two cousins during our winter stay in California.

 

 

And now I've just finished one for myself.

I do get embroidery burn-out after a while and have to move on to something else, but I find the process very therapeutic and very portable.  It's a great project for when Mr. Gadget starts to drone on about some sort of new tech gadget and my brain goes out for a coffee break.

A kitty ditty

Can I just say the cat ate my blog?

Lately the writing of it seems like a slog.

Maybe the Christmas cookies put my brain in a fog.

I should probably just excuse myself and

go out for a jog.

Stringy thingy ding-a-lingy

So maybe 2015 will be the year of the silly post titles.  I made some progress on the needle-felted string of lights (pictured here on dear-ol'-dad's fig tree with its winter haircut), but now I've put it away until later in the year when I may, or may not, add six more lights.

I have an experiment underway to make paper mache pulp out of cardboard egg cartons.  I put little torn bits of the cartons in my grandmother's old mashed-potato-pot-that-I-can't-part-with and I poured some boiling water over them. 

They've been sitting now for several days and I need to do something with them soon before they get moldy.  Which means that I will have to come up with a paper mache project idea.  As of right now I don't have one.

I've also been knitting on the cowl that I referred to earlier, using Noro yarn I was gifted.  I should hurry up and finish it and send it off to Big City Girl who is freezing her butt off back in the deep freeze that is New York City.  I'm sure her father and I made her feel much better when we sent her a picture of us sitting on the beach in 80 degree weather....

We've been very lucky this winter with warmer-than-usual weather here in southern California.  We did narrowly avoid another plumbing disaster last week, so all is not completely rosy....just so ya know.  Our condo complex is showing its age and needs to be propped up now and then...just like the residents.  I keep wondering who all these old people are who live here...

Red-sweateritis

I was prodded...or maybe I should say needled....into making a few more.  Someone else saw them and asked if I could somehow squeeze half a dozen more into my Christmas crazy time.  Of course I said yes.  So now they are done and I hope they've been received by now.  I had to mail them from California because Mr. Gadget and I are now at the Calcondo (where the temps are in the mid-70's) getting ready to celebrate Christmas with our Cali relatives.

I've started a new knitting project...on much bigger needles...which takes some getting used to after lots of teeny, tiny needles....and I will show it to you next time, after I've made a little progress.  It was one of those serendipitous things.  I had yarn that had been gifted to me and I didn't know what to use it for.  Then I happened upon a pattern for a cowl that is simple to knit, and one of the suggested yarns is my gift yarn.  And since I have some car time coming up (we're going north) it will be just the thing to help me pass the time, and refrain from backseat driving.  I know, I know.  But some people do need a little extra help.

A stringy thingy

I'm off on another needle-felting tangent. The ideas are never-ending.  The other evening I was just wasting time, I mean doing some important yarny research on Ravelry--that fabulous website that sucks me in and eats up my whole day--when I discovered a pattern for a string of knitted Christmas lights.  I thought they were so clever that I mentioned them to Mr. Gadget (I politely waited till an exciting football play was over).  "I'll bet you could needle-felt them," he said.

"Why yes I could!" I exclaimed.  I was gobsmacked by this great crafty idea coming out of his non-crafty head.  I ran to get my felting supplies. 

A dozen lights on a string will be just about right.  I could string them along the mantel, or even wear them as a necklace. 

So it was a busy weekend with me doing a volunteer stint at the senior center holiday bazaar and then our annual condo party (to which I took an appetizer that was a complete bust), and a Sunday dinner out with our cruising friends.  I gave my friend, Jane, a witch for Christmas. I know witches aren't at all Christmasy, but Jane was overjoyed.  It was one she had admired just before I drove the whole coven up to the October craft fair. 

As luck would have it, only this particular witch didn't sell, so I decided to gift it to Jane.  I had to be very tactful though.  I didn't want her to think this witch was a reject--a real undesirable that no one else wanted.  So I told her she had been hiding out at the old hotel and saving herself.  Jane was very pleased.

So now I'm done with crafts for the year.  Well, except for the can't-say-no sweater ornaments.  Someone saw the ones I donated to the senior center and chased me down to ask if I had any more at home. "Well, I might," I told them.  "Let me check and I'll call you back." 

Felting up some festiveness

The last time I was shopping for felting supplies I found some evergreen fiber and bought it with the idea of making Christmas trees.

They would look nice, I thought, sitting on the mantel with the collection of paper houses I plan to make....maybe using old Christmas cards....and illuminate with battery-operated tealights.  I have no idea when I'll get around to this.  Maybe in my next life.....if I decide to come back...

I hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving.  Ours was very nice and included some traditional activities-- a jigsaw puzzle and a game of Scrabble.  Luckily I had some knitting to work on because I find puzzles tedious, and my brain works too slowly to play word games with Mr. Gadget and Big City Girl.

No sooner had BCG and her boyfriend left on Friday morning, than our nephew and his girlfriend--both college students in Massachusetts--arrived. Thankfully, we had plenty of leftovers.  Dylan, our nephew, was quick to express his burning desire to visit the nearby go cart track--something he had done on a previous visit--but it wasn't meant to be.  He had arrived on crutches.  Something about a rough game of frisbee.

So, we came up with an alternate plan which was to take a nice picturesque drive up to the old hotel to visit the craft show.  They seemed agreeable although I know they were just being polite.

Once at the hotel, I was eager to show them my craftiness.  But, alas, there were very few of my items on display.  Could most everything have sold on the first day?  Unlikely.  So I checked with the lady working the check-out desk and found out that, yes, it was true that not many of my things had sold and it may have been because some of them were in the basement being saved for the second weekend--this being the first time they've held the show for two consecutive weekends.

I'm not sure I'm happy with this plan.  It probably suits the show organizers because they can have a fresh show the second time around, and they can tell their customers to be sure to come back because there'll be new offerings.  But it doesn't suit the craftsperson.  Something might not sell the second weekend--something that could have struck the fancy of a first-weekend customer.

I like the fact that I can deliver my crafts to the show location and let someone else sell them.  But the downside is that I don't have a say in how they're displayed or, in this case, when.  Whereas in a craft show where I've rented a table, done my own set-up, and stayed all day to do the selling, I have more leeway.  I enjoy that, but the older I get the less I like to get up before the sun and schlep everything somewhere.  So I'll just keep my mouth shut....which has never gotten me in trouble before.