Felt Bunny

This little bunny is made with my own handmade felt.  I made it without any knitting and virtually no sewing!  To make felt you simply lay out an interlocking pattern of merino wool and agitate the fibers using your hands with soap and water and - hocus pocus - you have felt!  It's very magical and I've taken to felting like a duck to water.

I made this bunny using a "resist" which allows you to create a 3D piece of felt which is later cut open and, in this case, stuffed.  When he was all dry and stuffed I needled felted on his facial features and added a red glitzy heart that sparkles.  There is no way this bunny can hide his big heart.

I'm keeping this fellow for myself because he reminds me of something similar we saw in a bed and breakfast where we stayed in New Zealand.  I definitely try to make things that remind me of places that I've been and enjoyed.  Sometimes I wonder if I'm trying to hold on to memories and need an anchor or they will simply drift away. 

Particulars:  Felt Bunny made by following the free felt tutorial by Inger who writes the blog Daily Felt;  Finished Dimensions 13" x  9" (after felting).   I cut open the bottom of his feet and used a knitting needle to push the filler inside (100% polyester) and sewed him closed with matching embroidery floss.  I used merino top that I purchased from Inger's etsy shop.  I also made him the green scarf he's wearing in the middle picture, which is wet felted.  If this project seems a bit too advanced you might consider using traditional knit felt and sewing a toy together with a contrasting blanket stitch similar to Kristin Nicholas' Fat Cat or use commercially made wool felt.

Toast and Honey

Work has been a slog lately, but one must still find time to eat.  These are my own baked loafs using the Tartine Bread cookbook.  How I love this bread.  Let me count the ways.....

Toasted and slathered with butter and honey and my morning cup of Joe.  Truly an inspired combination.  If you don't have the time or inclination to bake your own bread, an English Muffin will do in a pinch.

Until next time, be well and love well and remember that simple pleasures add immeasurably to quality of life.

Funky Fall Gloves and Halloween Crafts!

When I first saw these gloves I thought "oh how perfect for Fall!" But then I hesitated. They were knit in pink and day glow white and the effect was just a tad too girlish for a woman of my mature years. But then a kit for the gloves became available in blue and green. Why I could see instantly what a huge difference that made. You can see it for yourself, can't you? These gloves are much more mature and age appropriate...

Okay, so maybe the gloves are teetering on wrong side of the "big mistake" equation. But, it's not like I'm going to wear them to the office. No siree Bob. But they cheer me up and certainly announce the arrival of Fall!

If I wasn't so beleaguered with work these days I would have ripped these back and knit them with bolder stripes and eliminated the orange stripes. Le sigh. Maybe they'll grow on me. I also knit the top I'm wearing. It's knit in Rowan wool cotton on US 4 needles. I knit it years ago, long before I was blogging. I love Rowan wool cotton, it's such a comfortable yarn to wear and holds up really well. The pattern was written out for me by the LYS where I bought the yarn, L'Atelier in Santa Monica. I told them I wanted to knit a top in this yarn and they wrote up a pattern for me. That's one of the nice perks of buying yarn at a LYS.

At the very least, I can wear them to a pumpkin patch to buy a Halloween pumpkin!

Particulars: Dial Up Gloves; 4 skeins Spud & Chloe FINE sock (superwash 80% wool 20% silk) - brown - blue - green - orange; US 2 needles (circular needles and magic loop technique until I reached the fingers and then switched to double pointed needles). I found this pattern frustrating because the color join is very "frugly" despite my best efforts to try and diminish the unsightlyness using various techniques. I'm sure there is a "fix" for smoothing the color join but, frankly, I was just too tired to make the effort, and the yarn did not frog well, so I just pushed forward. These gloves are knit in the round and then turned inside out (i.e. reverse stockinette) and that may have exacerbated the problem. Or maybe it was just me. My only modification was to add some shaping. I began the glove in the large size and then made gradual decreases (1 stitch every 9th row after I was 2 inches from CO edge) until I had the number of stitches for the medium size which took place just before the thumb opening.


Fun and Easy Fall Crafts

As I alluded to above, work has been unbearably miserable lately. I've decided I would not make a good soldier, because when life is reduced to work, sleep, and duty it isn't long before I'm not a happy camper. I do still manage to find time to craft though, as it is necessary to keep me sane. Since I suspect I'm not the only one who is pressed for time I'm going to share some quick and easy craft projects to get you ready for Halloween!

Needle Felt A Magic Pumpkin!

This is a needle felted pumpkin using a "soft" technique and it's perfect for the absolute beginner. I bought this as a kit from Fairie Bling and it came with everything I needed. Instead of making two small pumpkins I opted to make one larger pumpkin. Finished size is roughly 3.5" x 4.5."

Decorate a Vintage Halloween Ornament

The inspiration for this vintage Halloween ornament came from last year's Create & Decorate Magazine (October 2009). It was very simple and fun to make and I'll probably fill this one with candy and give it as a welcoming gift to our new neighbors, once it gets a little closer to Halloween. I haven't actually met these new neighbors yet. I'm hoping they aren't too stuffy. But, if they have moved to the far reaches of Topanga, odds are they are a bit eccentric like the rest of us.

Particulars: paper mache cone (10.5" x 4") sold online at The Craft Shop for $1.99; I painted and decorated it with various and sundry Fall decorations picked up at craft stores. I particularly like the Vampire Blood gift tag (sold as a set of 6). I can also see adding these tags to a wine bottle as a hostess gift or tied onto a wine glass stem like a toe tag/name tag! These ideas just come naturally to me. I think it's my practical nature. Oh, before I forget the tags are made by Crafty Pagan Designs who has an Etsy shop filled with fun paper goods.

Until next time, be well and love well and take the time to decorate for Halloween ~ I know it will make you smile!

Everything is Coming up Pumpkin!

Poor Mr Puffy had to have wee bit of surgery on his toe last week. Quite upsetting for all of us. But not to worry, he's doing great and his vet was very impressed with how well he handled the procedure. In fact, he seems to really like Mr Puffy.

However, I don't think it can be fairly said that Mr Puffy shares his warm opinion. I'm afraid Mr Puffy came home with all kinds of complaints. While he has no complaints of the procedure itself he complained that the room service was erratic and slow; the food was not at all what he's accustomed too; and his room was noisy and did not have a view. Oh dear. I received quite the earful on the way home in the car. Mr Puffy's advice to you all - if it says Veterinarian on the door - keep driving. It's much better to stay at the Holiday Inn!

It's Pumpkin Time

Every Fall I make lots of pumpkin goodies and this is my favorite pumpkin treat. Unlike the pumpkin bread I shared last year, this is a sweet treat and a great choice for those occasions when you need to bring a dessert.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chips Squares


It's a Martha Stewart Recipe found here (with just 1 or 2 clarifications and steps that I find helpful).

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice (or a mixture of: 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ginger; 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon each allspice and ground cloves. I've reduced these measurements considerably from the original recipe so that they equal 1 tablespoon of spice in total)
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 & 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (Note: It calls for 1 cup - not 1 can! Also use pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling)
1 package (12 ounce) semisweet chocolate chips

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9x13 inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides.

2. With electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium to high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled).

3. Remove from mixer and mix in dry ingredients with wooden spoon until just combined. Fold in Chocolate chips. This is what I would describe as a dry batter. Don't worry - it will bake up very moist because of the pumpkin.

4. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes.

5. Cool completely in pan. When cool lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares.



Needle Felting and Fairies.....

Here's a sneak peek at a needle felting kit I bought. It's a kit to make a magic pumpkin and the seller Fairie Bling ,an etsy shop dedicated to all those who still believe, included some of her signature fairie bling. Fortunately, I know a little fairy who was in need of just such a gift and is now happily ensconced in her bling. I've never tried needle felting before and I can't wait to make the magic pumpkin - it certainly looks easy enough!


Bell Curve Skirt Update

Although I have finished my Bell Curve Skirt I am not quite ready to show you pictures because I've decided it's going to need to be lined. Yes, it will definitely need to be lined before I take pictures. This is a family friendly blog after all!

Lastly, I hope you are all enjoying the start of Fall and will have a chance to enjoy some of the treats and experiences of the season such as visiting a pumpkin patch to select your Halloween Pumpkin! Be sure to write that one down on your to-do list.