Tangled

I have been having fun trying out zen tangles lately.

These are initials that were tangled for a card swap I participated in. Loads of fun.

Can't You Read the Sign?

I just recently finished a custom sign for a friend of mine.  I love it so much I didn't want to give it up!

French Knots, Satin Stitch, Outline Stitch, Irish Roses, Felt Applique, Paint, and Sparkly buttons. I used the Frixion Pen in Blue to trace the text and when I was finished with the embroidery I ironed it from the back side and the ink disappeared on the front. I wasn't sure if it would work, but I didn't want to iron over the metallic thread. 

It was super fun and I learned a few things for future projects.

Nifty Thrifty Shopping

I have found some fun things lately while second-hand shopping.  Vintage needlework is so much fun to find and dream up uses for. I scored several crocheted and knit border pieces that I can't wait to add to cards and clothing or maybe a canvas!

Lately I have been obsessed with making lace collars.  I have only made one so far but then I found these vintage collars and cannot wait to start some more.  I want to add beads, and there is  a beautiful linen yarn in my stash that needs to become a Christmas present.  The recipient will love a lacey beaded collar!










Who can resist a potholder?  Well, maybe those people exist, but I don't know them.  These vintage thread ones I like to use like coasters or if bigger, under a plant pot to protect from spills.

I had been on the hunt for some black and white toile and the fabric stores were more cream and black. Goodwill saved the day! Two valances, which happened to be just the amount I needed for the bathroom.  One valance above the shower the other for the window.


I also found a great sweater that I was pretty sure was 100% wool and handknit to boot!  Well, I did a burn test on some of the pills under the arm to test my theory and they didn't burn to ash, so I figured I could wash it.  WRONG!!! It is wool and it is now small enough to fit my 7yo son!! Thankfully he loves it and it is getting some good wear.

Silently Stitching

Since it has been awhile (again), I will just post some pictures of what has been going on around here.

a little crochet

a little knitting

a little cooking

                                                          a little field tripping

The holiday season was fun and full of knit/crochet goodies, cooking, and games.  We always play Axis and Allies over Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

This semester started off slow but the kids picked up speed quickly.  The older two girls have to stick to their school schedule  in order to get all their schoolwork done and leave time for crafting of monsters for sale at the local coffee shop.  My younger daughter is working on her doll and bear patterns and working the kinks out of her designs.  Our living room is usually full of doll/bear/monster carcasses, stuffing, snippets of thread, dogs, and a little boy waiting in ambush with a rubberband gun!

He usually has warpaint on and sometimes camo gear. 

The first of the babies due by friends and family has arrived.  Booties, blankets, hats, and sweaters are flying off the needles and hooks and getting packaged up to send, along with some sewn items like dresses,toys, and pillowcases. I love making themed pillowcases for little ones.  My children use them for sleepovers.  It makes it easier not to forget, or to identify who it belongs to if they forget.     

                                                

Wow

Wow, that's how I feel about it being November!!!  I love the Autumn weather and cooler temperatures and the anticipation of the upcoming Holidays.  Even the sound quality outside is different with the leaves fallen and storm windows fastened down.

So to kick off  November, I had the girls all sign up for NaNoWriMo.  It will be a great writing experience for them.  If I will join them is yet to be decided.  I have a billion projects to complete and the thought of writing seems like too much to expect, but it could be a motivator or a catalyst for lots of productivity.

Another thing we are trying to accomplish this month is baking and packaging 24 different cookies, to give to homebound friends for Advent.  Cookies, biscotti, mini breads, and candy are on the list so far. We may even put in some little savory treats like hand pies, or mini lasagnas.

Happy November

I have been absent from this blog for far too long.  Our summer was so busy and full of fun and then school started and......I forgot about this poor blog.  Until, that is, today when I was cruising on Pinterest and came across some freeform crochet and I started thinking about why it always sets me on edge.


http://kase-faz.tumblr.com/post/4190379092/goodmemory-laniegannon-cinoh-batixa


I finally figured out that it reminds me of an overly decorated home with too many knick-knacks.  I like order and clean lines, not as sterile and angular as ultra-modern design, but even and balanced design. I have always been attracted to modern design, but have found in my own personal living space I cannot live with bare walls or white walls.  When I have had to live in such enviroments, I become messy.

What I love about crochet is it's order, and predictable outcome.  By varying where your increases are and when you place them, you can get a flat circle or a sphere.  Or by starting with just a chain and again adding stitches, again controlling where the increases are, you can make a ruffled, parabolic, 3-D structure.

With freeform crochet, the artist's usually vary the fibers and motifs and it can end up bulky and messy.  There are just too many details to take in at once.

http://www.flickriver.com/photos/prudencemapstone/2937061955/

An exception I do take is freeform lace made usually with Irish crochet.


http://olgemini.blogspot.com/


This type of freeform feeds my need for visual order and in it I can find beauty.

Laid back gardening

Peonies freshly picked and smelling lovely, I placed them on the window ledge at the top of the stairs.   Peonies and Bleeding Heart were two of my grandmothers favorite flowers. While she preferred pink, I have planted both in white at the base of my front entry steps.

My two oldest girls and I finally finished the front walk with edging and mulch and some new plants.  Some of the plants from last year didn't make it and the lack of mulch killed others when my husband mowed and didn't know what wasn't grass.  I have more plans for the walkway, but they can wait another year. I will likely transplant a lot of plants from the back yard to the front such as Lavendar, Wooly Thyme, Violets, and more Irises.

These are all new plants I bought on clearance!!  This spot has had a tough time keeping anything alive what with getting dug up for a gas line two years ago and a greedy mower that has devoured more than it's fair share of tender young plants. I should own the fact that mulch does help the mower see where the garden ends and the grass starts.  Now finally I think these plants, if they live, will enjoy a lovely life full of sun. I am excited for the Indian Summer Rudbeckia to get full and fill out the space.

The Allium are done blooming and a dear friend who has a knack for garden ornamentation brought over a cute chicken garden stake and tied the Allium round it.  I usually cut the allium at this stage and bring them indoors for a dried bouquet. Dried Allium looks great spray painted in metallics and tucked in a dried arrangement. The Echinacea is doing quite well around the Allium and I can't wait for them to bloom.  I picked them back quite a bit this year as they had spread much further than I wanted.

My garden is in desperate need of new mulch.  But here you can see the Roses are blooming profusely!!  The Rose plant much bigger than last year.  The Salvia is doing wonderfully and is also double the size of last year.   Next to the Rose I have some Irises that need thinning again.  They are white with a deep purple border and I love how the blossoms smell like licorice.

This is a tiny miniature Rose that has come back for two seasons now.  I got it on clearance at the grocery store.  I bought three and two have survived.  It is in front of the Rose and Salvia pictured above.  I have stuck to purple, yellow, and white for the flower beds with just a spot of pink.

These Primroses were so starved for water yesterday, but have bounced back wonderfully today.  They are filling in the space so nicely.  I planted some Gaillardia in front of them yesterday and mulched



.

The Thyme planted between some Hollyhocks and Rudbeckia is flowering, such beautiful little pale violet blossoms.  Two years ago when we dug for the gas line I dug this plant up and moved it elsewhere.  Last summer I found that I missed one tiny bit of the original plant and it had survived and is now almost as large as the original planting.  I love Thyme in bloom, especially when all the fat bumblebees are slurping up the nectar.