Make Something Everyday #28

Just in the nick of time!

I've finally caught up with myself. Posting on the day I make!

Tonight I made this with my Serenade.

And then I tried out my Imagine serger for the first time, OY.

I had some thinking to do.

The serger requires no tension dials, nor threading of loopers or even threading the needles either in the conventional sense.

I feel like I've gone from a Model T to the Starship Enterprise!

 

Sad little example isn't it?

I console myself with the fact that I'll have plenty of labels for my clothes where I'm going to spend the rest of my twilight years.

Here you can see my nuno felted scarf getting fancied up, a little Serenade, a little Embellisher (what a relief it was to operate this old friend!)... these 2 new Babylock things make me feel like whining a little and sucking my thumb. Time to go to bed and stop trying to figure out new inventions.

Make Something Everyday #26 and 27

Whew holidays and company sure throw a spanner into "make something everyday". I do make but can't always post.

 On the 26th I kitted out this dry felted snowman as a cowboy.

 In January on The Welcome Mat we will be making dry felted snowman, it is our part of our monthly pattern and plus a bonus comprehensive , start to finish construction video lesson!

We will also be starting our January Journals, this year titled Day by Day. if you are not a member it is a great month to join, not to mention our yearly free class coming in February.

And the 27th I continued to knit on my gift for Erin, a set of Sleeves... so you can read at night in bed and not freeze your shoulders and arms off.

Wood heating women of the world unite!

Make Something Everyday # 24 & 25

I spent the day making tons of food and serving it all to my family. So nothing was really made to be shown here. But I was the master of ceremonies at an archery contest

 There is a movie I made of this but it is being released on HBO in February.

Owen won the contest. Improving the gene pool in every way! We welcome that.

Today I made a rocket out of a pop bottle and a half and some sand, cardboard and duct tape.

We all did!

 I loaded it on a rocket launcher

I pumped 

I pumped

And finally I pumped enough.

I raised my foot and stomped the release

 Lift off and a shower all at once!

Landing spot?  Wokingham!

 That's some stomp!

Make Something Everyday #23 Stove porn alert

Today I made the parts of a Scottish Breakfast my family loves on a special occasion. We will be have a nice Christmas breakfast tomorrow. They would love it daily but I'm no fool and because I don't live near a Scottish Bakery so I have to make the parts myself.

 On show here are the potato scones. They are not really scones but that's what they are called. All you do is add about 1 and a 1/2 cups of flour to two pounds of  boiled and mashed potatoes.

Traditionally they are triangular in shape and dry fried, no fat. But I like to make patties and fry them in butter one side.

The other thing I made tonight for this feast was square sausages, not sausages at all but made of mince or hamburger as we call it. With coriander and nutmeg, water and bread crumbs added, they are a delightful treat with a really nice flavour. And I don't make them square but also round for expediency.

Going to wrap some gifts now!
 I wish you all happiness and joy with your loved ones.

Make Something Everyday! #22

Today Santa Came EARLY!!!
 I used my virgin brand new Serenade sewing machine and made triangles that turned into rosettes to decorate my very plain curtain, I'm so in love with grey just now I can't see enough of it!

Make Something Everyday #21

I made a dress up skirt for my little table. It has the tree on it and it looked pitiful!

 I had the bullioned overskirt so I just made the flowing on the floor under garment. I think they might call me to work in Stratford in the costume dept. any second.

It especially looks ridiculous because my tree and my house just don't suit the fancy but you know what? I'm gonna glam it up!

 If you look carefully to the left top corner you can see Rabbit and he is wearing his Christmas turban.

Although it is rude to lift up someone's skirt I had to show you how Birdee has taken up residence under the table. She is giving me quite a look, she thought no one knew.

OH OH #2

As I was dyeing last week I had a mishap, the first of its kind.

Lovely turquoise dye all strewn abou the floor.

That's what I/64 tsp looks like when it gets tapped into the measuring cup but jumps like a pole vaulter right over the edge of the cup to land some distance away on the floor.

I'd like to tell you the safest and most effect way to clean this up.

First vacuum the area about a foot around the area, working your way toward the epicenter.

Suck it up last.

You will be left with a smear of dye that is still dry.

Get several damp cloths, I use paper towels.

 Again work from about two feet out and go towards the center, change your cloth frequently.

 You will be shocked out far out dye particles are and can't be seen.

Do one last wiping.

Don't try to recover the dye.

 It isn't worth it.

Even if it is part of a jar, it  is just too easy to aspirate.

Making Something Everyday #20

Today it's a little secret that looks like this:

I got lots done with the help of the TV, I somewhat ashamed to admit.

It is very very soft Suri.

Lovely and warm and alpaca... and yes Mary had a few problems like laying right on the ball and gathering up the rest of the yarn to tuck under her chest.

No harm was done to the knitting.

Mary is in contact with her sponsor.

Make Something Everyday #19

Today it was spinning day!

 I was feeling way to scattered to start winding something up so I settled for embellishing my pre-felts for my nuno scarf. I'll be adding them to the bottom edges in random patterns.

I was gilding the lilies.

Going way over the top, but I love it!

I can't wait to get it done and start wearing it.

Make Something Everyday #18 - What you can't see?!!

Ok, I don't quite know how this happened but I did about a kajillion things today and I have nothing to show for it, except I did make some colourful things and I also made two dyeing videos for the Welcome Mat subscribers, one about dyeing 3 colour dip dyes and the other about over dyeing grays tans and reds, these are not on view for public consumption...

 I also made an info sheet including maps, a calendar and contact info for the Springmount Spinsters.

 I can't show you that either!

 I also dyed some colourful fluff. Fluff is for all.

And the results of one of the videos!

Pretty aren't they?

Make Something Everyday 15,16,17 - Coming out of the Closet

Maybe I should have named this post coming and going in the closet.

Be cause the traffic in the closets of this house has been unprecedented in the last two days.

BTW

If you use wood from a wall in your house to light the fire in your houses' furnace are you causing your house to be a cannibal?

Causing it to eat itself? What is that even called?

This is keeping me up some nights...

Not that I did it but what it is called when you are caused to eat a part of yourself.

OK

Today I made this lovely curtain.

It is lovely because behind it is 

ALL MY DYE EQUIPMENT !!!!

And some stuff I dye, like panty hose and yarns waiting to be coloured.

This shit used to take up a whole room! I feel so happy, between the Isalas and this closet, this house looks normal, well as normal as it can seeing as I live here. 

Here you see the making work of yesterday.

I cleaned out this closet after selling my loom to my friend Brenda.

It made us both excited and happy to make this transaction.

And now I can also store my fleeces and spinning materials out of site.

To the left you can see my giant sheet of foam I use to cut into squares to dry felt on and distribute to my felters. The sunlight discoloured it before I caught on and stored it in the dark.

And last but not least on Dec.1 I planted my crop of cat grass.

It has to remain in a dark closet until germination. It is now out of the closet and being mowed down each day. The seeds were a little old and are not all springing forth at the same rate.

I promise not to take you on any more tours of any of my closets,

 this year.

Make Something Everyday #14 Dry Felting Class

Close Up of Three Snow persons from class!

And the video I made of today's felters.

Make something Everyday #13

I decorated my wire sculpture with glass balls and some rough felt hearts with my hand dyed silk ribbon, they are rough because I didn't use roving but curly looks that were dyed. I also used a cookie cutter to form them, something I've never tried before.

Tomorrow we are having another dry felting class here at the studio, I can't wait!

Make a Something Every Day # 12 Wire Sculpture

A high crown of wirey goodness, this is what I made today, fencing wire becomes swirly and twirly and fun!

Maybe this will be our tree because we don't have room for one.

We are swoll up with Daughter #1's couch and three too many cabinets and unfinished closet renos.

 I'm whittling 'er down though, day by day.

One thing I got rid of was a big rug I'm not ever gonna do and it felt so good to make this decision. I've moved beyond what and who I was when I started and and I cannot turn back time!

To put the wool for it back on the shelf for other uses was simply wonderful!

Make Something Everyday #11

Some cheery yarn to brighten our day, it was Monday spin in with the Springmount Spinsters and I loved watching this beauty appear through my fingers.

Oh Oh

Is my inner Paula rearing her head again?

OH My! You can tell me the honest truth.

Make Something Everyday #10

TOO MUCH STUFF!!!

 I want you to think seriously about this before you go buying even more stuff during the season of over abundance.

Here is what came home to roost this week:

1 3 sided sectional

4 BIG hooked rugs

6 bolts of wool

1 large bag of superwash mill ends

a box of felting supplies ( tools and roving) 

1 box of books

1 box of magazines

(I confess I'm worried about being bored this winter.)

BUT ARRRGGHHHH

This couch has caused a seismic shift in the doings of the household.

This room became that room, that room became the dining room, the dining room became the storage room, this couch went there, that went over here... YIKES. The cats mill about looking for something familiar to no avail. There is a not even a space for a tree ! 

There is great turmoil.

You might be wondering right about now why I'm blathering on and on and not telling you what I made.

OK

 Here's is the story and how the aforementioned relates.

I had a Karlstad chair from those clever swedish guys and yes it came from the As Is dept for a song. It has three outfits too, the best dressed chair in the house! My work space/ section of the big open space we mostly live in, the center of our house, where I sit to write this, the Welcome Mat, my articles and all my computer work was also the sudden new home of all my 4 chairs, two black, two gray. As a result my office chair became very much in the way and unsightly, crowded and big bottomed it was uckky. Yes, UCKKY. An assault to the senses.

I decided to affix casters to the bottom of the Karlstad so that it can be turned toward the desk when needed and turned towards the other chairs when it feels sociable.

I feel incredibly clever right now.

I think I deserve some popcorn.

 Karlstad facing the desk

 Casters perfectly installed

Karlstad being social

Making Something Everyday # 9

I knit a cowl out of my hand spun.

 You can too.

 Here is Ashley to tell you how

Make Something Every Day #8

My nuno felted scarf, still drying and I have a few pre-felted additions to add on the fringes when it is dry.
More on this project later.

Make something everyday #7

Rovings and locks dyed for tomorrow's project, nuno felted shawls.

On top of the rack you can see my handy salad /roving spinner.

 I belong to a fiber of the month club and that's where I got those lovely locks, this months's delicious December offering came today. Stellar chocolate locks with blonde tips smelling like the barn. Delish!

Make Something Every Day # 6

Pillow sham #1, what fun, no sewing machines were harmed in the making of this project.

 BUT I forgot how much I hate winding bobbins.

That would explain the phalanx of pre filled bobbins for sale at Mother's yesterday.

Make Something Every Day #5

This day's offering- a duvet cover, pillow shams and special pillow to follow.

I ruined one sewing machine and a serger doing this.

Material and wonderful advice from dear Wendy at Mother's Fabrics.

It is reversible but the two sides don't match because I'm like that.

The little white tornado aka Nessa came today and turned my house into a sparkling wonderland.

It is good to lie in your plague bed and see sparkling.

Make Something Everyday #4

I spun this wool on my Little Gem. 

That's all I could do. I believe I have the plague.

I just heard someone call out in the street, send out your dead...

Coming....

Stephen Noble

Make something everyday #3

Don't you think it sounds better to make something everyday, then to have me say make a thing a day.
I'll bet before this month is over though there will be submissions that could only be called "things"
The ideas don't always come to fruition in the way they are conceived or intended. Something like children.

I have a big bag of sweaters and unwanted woollen yd. goods, too thick to hook with and I can't bear to throw them out. I might as well confess right now, there are two of them.
 I want, I need to throw them but every time I look at them I say, these coulda been something. They coulda been a contender.

I made a gift bag out of a sweater from that bag today for a woollen shibori scarf destined for Man's staff party.
 I'm too sick to go in many ways I cannot itemize but yes, in that way too.

Here is both the scarf and the bag.
Truthfully the bag looks like it should be a hot water bottle holder but it is festooned with bunnies and foxes and pine trees. Good for any outdoor education specialist man, woman or beast. Ties up with a hand spun tie - it's okay. Instead of a "good thing" I'll say - "It's a done thing and that is good." Same as children.
Going to rest my sicko head now.

Make a Thing a Day # 2

Resurrecting a very felted wool sweater I made this wreath.

It was extremely difficult to find a wreath form.

 Why would that be when wreaths make a body so happy?

I like it!

Make a thing a day #1

Yesterday my December tradition..... make a thing a day started. Every day for the month of December I make something crafty and chronicle it on this blog.

Day 1

I made a video of us making dry felted figures at hook-in. We had so much fun!