August Highlights

Pins and Needles

Recently, I have been doing a lot of hand sewing. Trying to find the right needle was getting a little frustrating. I have a billion pin cushions and I love every one of them, but it takes forever to find the needle I am looking for. I started sticking my "working" needles into a little quilted piece that I had left over. That way, I could fold the needles up in the pad and put it with the thread I was using. Very convenient. That started me thinking about something.

When I was a little girl, I had a summer sewing class with the lady next door. Several of us went to her house a couple of times a week and sat in the living room with our sewing on our laps. I remember this specifically, because I sewed the apron we were making out of handkerchiefs, to my skirt! I was so embarrassed. Also, I remember this because they had a pet monkey that once threw a whole case of full coke bottles all over their carport!

But, back to sewing, the first thing we made, was a "Needle Book". This was made out of a couple of scraps of felt with pinked edges and we stored our needles (and pins) in these little books. Recently, I was looking for something in my Mother's sewing basket, and there was a Needle Book someone had made for her. This one had a Christmas decoration on it and so was probably a present from some little child. My girls made them for me. I snatched it right up. I even think I will make some more of them. What a great idea.

 

 The perfect place to store project needles. 

Pieces of a Puzzle

a little knitting

a little crochet

pieces of a puzzle

Hot Bundle

Yellow Rose petals and magenta Carnations bundled in silk and dyed with a tea bag.

Free Form Knitting and More String

Ruffled Scarf

You may remember this yarn. I bought it as a coil of pencil roving, spun it and then plied it with itself. The roving was dyed in shades of blue grey, lime green, lavender and dark grey. I am thinking maybe I shouldn't have plied them together? Too late now.....

Here is the scarf I made from the yarn I spun. Aren't the colors strange? I don't know whether it is really horrid or I have just looked at it too long. Or maybe it is really cool and different? It is strange to me that the ball I wound off the spindle came out with the light blue on each end and the green and dark grey in the middle. The scarf is knit of the merino wool on size 3 needles.

A Different Crowd

As you can see from the new "header", I am hanging with a different crowd at the beach!

The guy on the left is really thirsty.
The one in the middle has sand in his ears.
The one on the right is waiting for a chance to
run off with the ball.

STRING

Here is the string I made from the directions in India Flint's new book, Second Skin. I tried it first with the muslin I had unsuccessfully dyed in the pickled beet juice and then with some commercial batik fabric that I had stripped for Locker Hooking. It took a while to get the hang of it, but it is really easy once you get going, except for the joins. Adding in a new strip will take some practise. I tried some silk too, but I didn't really like how that came out. I will try it again, but for now anyway, I like the cotton better. I found it easier if I kept the fabric pretty wet and rolled the strip against my leg.

My Dad suffered from dementia and was in a care center the last five years of his life. Once when I went to see him, he took some loose threads out of his pocket. He had twisted them together and told me that "these were good for fishing". I thought about him while I was making my string. I think I will make some more. It might be good for fishing.

Out Of the Vat

T-shirt yarn from the Indigo vat.

Wool Yarn

At the Thrift store yesterday, I found three wool sweaters to unravel. Up until now, I haven't seen anything wool. But Fall is approaching and even though it is still 100 degrees outside, I imagine they decided it was a good time to bring out the sweaters.

New Book

Too excited.

My copy of India Flint's new book,

Second Skin,

arrived today.

I know what I will be doing this afternoon

and tomorrow and

the day after that and

the day..........

Still Stitching

Can you feel the end of your finger tips?

I think I have killed every nerve in mine and then

 I prick them again and I know I still have some.

Just For Fun

Here is a funky bracelet made out of crocheted T-shirt yarn

and a large button.

The crocheted chain is about thirty six inches long

and wraps around the

wrist,

head 

neck!

It takes about five minutes to make something fun.

 Maybe that could be a challenge project.

 Make something fun in five minutes!

Hand Sewing

I'm taking a break from spinning and weaving to work on another project. These are hand sewn and quilted (will be!) panels that I will put together.  They have been waiting patiently for me to get back to them. It is so hot, I think I will enjoy working on something that is not fuzzy........... 

Sampler in Black, White and Grey

Woven sampler. Funny how crooked it looks in the photo!
The edges are better, but still need work......
I think I may add some black buttons or something across the top.
My favorite part is the wavy black and white lines.

Birthday

My beautiful

MOM

 has a birthday this week.

She will be

91

Two weeks ago, she slipped and fell

breaking her left arm and cracking her pelvis.

She is in a Rehab center now.

Follow Me

Can you see them?

Mother and Child

Pear Lemon Marmalade

The fruits of my labor

Pear Lemon Marmalade

with

cinnamon, cloves and cardamon

Paper Yarn

"Casey's Birthday"
Yarn spun from recycled birthday tissue paper
plyed with a synthetic glitter yarn.

Thinking about you Casey!

and then there were three

Watercolor and Weaving

This woven piece should have been included in the July review
but I forgot about it! I am still experimenting here with weaving
on previously painted paper. I am not sure about this one. I like the red one better, but I like it enough to keep playing around with
the process.