Felting Time

While Granny Squares are not my favorite thing to crochet, I am excited about felting them into a groovy handbag. It's been a long time since I've felted (or fulled) anything fun. Hats are my favorite thing to felt, but I'll be making mittens, purses, slippers, and more. I think I'll get an electric tea kettle to use down stairs. My water is hot, but it doesn't stay hot enough and I like to add a kettle of hot water to it as it cools down. I was making myself nervous carrying a kettle of boiling water down the stairs.

Crocheting or knitting something and then felting it in hot water is my favorite form of felting.
Wet-felting is fun, but I tend to make a huge mess! Needlefelting is something I'd like to do more of. I've never been "artistic" in the drawing or painting sense, but needle felting seemed to coax the creativity right out of me. It flowed so easily as I painted with the wool. So, I'll be working with some raw and colorful fibers very soon!

Time's A-Wastin'

Summer is on the downhill slope now. There's a chill in the mornings and it's starting to get darker earlier. School will be starting in 10 days or so and it's soccer season for the local soccer club.
Sorting through the leftovers from last school year, my son found all his old papers and notebooks and decided to have a "Ceremonial Burning of the Notebooks." Out with the old and in with the new. He's not looking forward to going back to school. My daughter, on the other hand, has her outfit already picked out and is super-excited.
As for me, I'm looking forward to having my quiet time again. Ever since the kids were little, I've loved having them home with me. I suppose it was a separation issue at first, but, since 9/11, I've just been much more at-ease knowing they're safe at home. It will be nice to have my time alone again so that I can get caught up on some things. I've been putting off scrubbing the carpeting. I need to finish painting the kitchen cabinet doors, and gather more stuff for a huge garage sale.
All that aside, my true love of design and fiber arts has me dreaming of Fall Fashions and jotting down notes as to what I can make with my yarn stash. I'm hoping to get started on some jackets and sweater coats and stock up on scarves, hats, and mittens.
But first...that boy needs a haircut!!

Faux Fur

I was watching "The Thin Man" again the other day and they showed a brief, but beautiful photo-biography of Myrna Loy, the "Queen of Hollywood." I scoured the net looking for a particular picture that they showed, but couldn't find it. The one I saw was of her wearing a coat with a huge fur collar - one that goes down the front of the coat as well. It was big and fluffy and obviously real fur of some sort.



I came across a few examples, though none of these are exactly what I had in mind. I have some loopy Italian mohair yarn in dark rust that I've had set-aside, waiting for inspiration. Well, I think I've found it. I'm picturing a coat with a big furry collar. I'm not sure yet if it should be detachable, or worked directly onto the sweater. I like the short coat with big buttons too.

I love finding inspiration from movies and vintage fashions. While there are many gorgeous movie stars, there are a few that I find fascinating. Katherine and Audrey Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall, and Greta Garbo - to name a few. Perhaps I was born in the wrong era? I think I'll work on some hats while I'm at it. And I'd love to hear who or what inspires you!

Vacation was great!

Catching up on work and gardening since I've been back from vacation. Here's a shot I got of the wild ponies of Assateague. My family and I had a wonderful stay at the beach. It was very relaxing!

My garden grew tremendously while we were away. Look at these gorgeous lettuces. The red leaf head must have been 24 " wide. I stuffed it into this large bowl for the picture. They taste as delicious as they look too!

And, finally, a great vacation picture. My husband got this awesome shot of this polar bear via the underwater walkway at PPG Aquarium at the Pittsburgh Zoo! Isn't that incredible?

I was able to finish this knit shawl while I was away. I think it turned out great! Check it out at my Etsy shop if you'd care to browse!