A Shawl to...Share?

Last week I finally picked up the needles to finish this shawl that I had started back in November to use up a bunch of odds and ends out of my yarn stash.  It was meant to be a gift when I started it before Christmas but I ended up making a different one for that person so this one ended up being for me...although my cat seems to be pretty sure it was meant for her.

I tossed it at the foot of the bed when I was done knitting it because I thought I would wear it over my shoulders when I was sitting up in bed reading at night.  Putty had a different idea and every time I go into the bedroom, there she is...hogging it!

I should have known this was going to happen by the way she always came to sit on it whenever I was knitting it and scowled at me each time I dared to move it a bit as I was knitting.  I actually had to pick her up and move her so that I could "borrow" it long enough to get these pics taken.

 Now she's miffed!

Slipper Clogs Made from Felted Sweaters

Slipper clogs made from felted sweaters...as opposed to the Felted Slipper Clogs I usually make.  I've been making the Fibre Trends Felted Slipper Clogs for quite a few years now and they are always well-received as gifts (we all LOVE them).  My parents each have two pairs and have brought them back to me a few times now so that I could put new bottoms on (from felted sweaters) since they wear them so much that they wear holes in them (yes I do accuse them of being "shufflers" and give them a hard time).  When I was repairing them yet again last month and thinking that perhaps they each needed a new pair, I thought that I should just find a way to make them - the whole slipper - out of felted sweaters, because that would be so much quicker and easier for me than knitting a whole new pair.

So...I thought I would use my Dad's upcoming birthday as a chance to try it out.  I made a pattern of what I thought the top should look like then traced the bottom of one of W's slippers to use as the slipper sole. 

I cut one top for each slipper and two bottoms each (since that is the part they always wear through I wanted to make it double thickness). 

Sewed them altogether then just slightly turned the ankle edge under (to the wrong side) to finish it off.

Then, even though I had already felted the sweaters before cutting, I threw them in the washer for a bit more felting to sort of tighten them up and finish them off. 

They came out quite nicely and I'm pleased with them.  W tried them on so I could be sure they would fit my Dad as well.  It probably only took about an hour total to make them and I think now that I've got it figured out I could make another pair in only half an hour - a big time saver for me compared to when I knit them.  We'll see if they pass the test when my Dad tries them out. If so, I'll have to tell him that now he can go ahead and shuffle to his foot's content since I can make slippers so much more quickly now.;-)

Fall Fashion....for Dogs?!?

One of the things that has been keeping us busy is this family member.  We came home from a weekend away of mountain biking and hiking to find that he needed surgery.  Thankfully he has nicely healed.  Instead of having him wear a plastic cone around his neck (to keep from scratching or licking his stitches) he wore soft cotton short-sleeve  t-shirts. 

The last two days he has had another wound and so, in keeping with the cooler temps., we outfitted him with one of W's outgrown flannel shirts.  Doesn't he look lovely? You can tell that he isn't too pleased with me taking his photo though.  Poor fellah, he's had a rough month.

Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do or Do Without

I was raised with that saying as a way of life...I don't remember if it was actually ever said but it was certainly lived.  My parents are part of a generation where that was simply what you did - there weren't a lot of material goods and so each item was treated with respect.  When things broke then they were fixed.  If they were broken beyond repair then the item was saved to be used in another way.  I have a very strong admiration and respect for that way of thinking and very much believe it is a way of thinking that our current culture could benefit from. 


Last year S brought home some wicker furniture that was on the side of our road with a free sign on it.  My husband knows that I love things made of natural materials, that I love a bargain and that I'm always happy to do what I can to make something last a little longer.  A little while ago he also brought home some paint so that I could fix up this weathered (somewhat sad looking) furniture.  I painted it and then I decided to use some thrifted cushions and some material I had been given to make some "new" seat cushions for the two chairs.  So now we have two lovely looking and comfy reading chairs, a table and a loveseat to put on our patio.  It makes me very happy to be able to furnish our lives in this way and to so rarely have to buy anything new, I very much enjoy being able to fix things in this way - it gives me a deep sense of joy.

And now I am also working my way to finding a balance in this.  I am determining what "projects" I can let go of and pass on to someone else.  I've realized that I can't *fix* everything, and that I don't want to spend all my free time working on things - remaking, repairing, re-purposing.  I realized that what was a very worthy value at one time - saving all material items to be re-used in some way - can quickly become overwhelming in this age of "too much" stuff.  That it isn't up to me to save everything from the dump and that I can let go of some of the projects I have tucked away so that I can free up some time to just be (don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean I will be throwing things in the garbage, it just means I won't be taking on any new projects for a bit and that I will see if I can find someone else who may be interested in some of the things I had planned to fix). 

Do you ever have those moments in your life where you see very clearly that time is precious?  Heartbreakingly clearly?  That it passes by so quickly that in a blink your children are almost grown and that things - those constants in life- can change in an instant?  Things are coming together right now in my life to show me this lesson clearly...and I'm grateful for the ability to be able to really *see* this.  And so, for right now, I am working on letting go of "too much" so that I can fully enjoy "just enough".   And for now this may mean some daily quiet reading time in my "new" comfy wicker chair. ;-)

What about you?  I'd love to hear if you have experience of this feeling.

Rag Rugs, Beauty and...the Humble Cabbage

I've enjoyed making crocheted rag rugs since my sister-in-law showed me how to about, oooh...probably almost 15 years ago.  A little while ago my friend gave me a couple old sheets that are the perfect colour to use as a rug in E's newly painted bedroom.  I painted his room as soon as we moved in and, since it has wooden floors, would like to get his rug done as soon as possible - they make for a great spot to sit while playing Lego or sketching and they also make it more likely that a feline friend will venture into your room for a nap. 

Crochet rugs are very quick to make once you have the ripped sheets ironed into strips (it really is worth doing this step because it makes for a much nicer looking and way longer lasting rug).  Normally I find this part of rug making a bit of a drag but in this house I decided to bring the ironing board into the sun room to make this task enjoyable.  Yes, that's right...enjoyable. No, I'm not an ironing fan but the view from this sun room makes any task a pleasure.  I mentioned how blessed we feel to be living here and this is one of the reasons.

Most of our time inside is spent in this room.  It makes a great spot to eat meals, read, play, chat, grow seedlings(!!) and just sit and look out the windows.  Beautiful!  I would like to make a rug for this room too (I have a feeling it will be a bit cold in the wintertime due to all the windows across the whole front) but I'd like to try making a braided one out of recycled wool clothing, that sounds like a good wintertime project.  Now the only problem is that his rug seems to hit a bit of a stall because we keep having sunny weather and I have a very hard time working on anything but the gardens when the sun is shining.

Now, I'm sure my dear friend would tell me that perhaps if I stopped doing things like rescuing people's cabbage seedlings (by pricking the extras out of 4 flats of someone else's seedlings) then I would have more time for other things but how was I to resist?  I never have been able to toss out or cut off seedlings and apparently I can't even bear to hear about other people planning to do this.  So...I now have about 88 cabbage seedlings living happily in the sunroom.  It's a good thing I hadn't finished making up my garden plan yet. ;-)

One of the reasons I couldn't resist is that cabbages are so easy to store for winter use and also because of my family's love for cabbage salad and coleslaw.   You wouldn't have been able to resist either, would you?

More Felted Sweater Slippers

I wanted to make a pair of slippers that were just a bit more masculine than the ones with the crochet trim. ;-)  I found a pattern that I liked here (and, surprisingly, I was able to print it out at the size I wanted without any computer help from my son).

The top pieces are sewn together and then I cut the bottoms out of a dark blue felted sweater for contrast.  This is what the finished slippers were supposed to look like but all three of my boys thought that they didn't quite look finished.

In the end I decided to use some of the ribbing from the blue sweater as a band around the ankle and we also decided that for this pair we liked them better with the seams on the inside rather than outside.

And I like knowing that most everyone in my family will have cozy toes each winter.  Wool makes such a huge difference in helping to keep warm.  I can't imagine living here at this time of year without wool slippers...and socks, and sweaters, and hats...

Felted Sweater Slippers

One of the favourite gifts that I have been making for family members the last few years are Fibre Trends felted slipper clogs.  This year, since I'm enjoying chopping up felted sweaters so much, I decided to try making some slippers from the sweaters.  I found this pattern and knew it was a must try so yesterday I made a pair.

The instructions on that link are very clear and I was able to easily put together these slippers even though crocheting isn't my strong point.

I like them so much that I think I'll need to make a pair for myself in January.

Re-purposed Skirt

I've always loved to make something new out of something old, I have a hard time bringing myself to get rid of anything made of natural fibres because I know that I could re-make it and give it a new life.  My friends and family know this about me and so I am sometimes the lucky recipient of things that others no longer use.  A friend of mine has been giving me all kinds of goodies lately and when she gave me a couple skirts I put them aside to  make into aprons - I knew they would be just right for this purpose. 

Unfortunately, I tend to have more creative ideas than I  have time so often these projects can pile up on my shelves.  I had some free time this past weekend so I decided I would re-make these skirts into aprons for gifts - making things for gifts always seems to motivate me to get going. 

I thought I'd share the process here because it really is a simple way to give a skirt a new life.  I seam-ripped the back seam and took out the zipper.  Then I used some scrap fabric I had on hand to make two long-ish ties.  I inserted the ends of the ties into the ends of the waistband (where I had seam-ripped it open).

Then I sewed the ties in as I sewed a new seam down each side joining the fabric and the lining into a finished seam (the old seam allowance from the middle seam became the turned under edges to make a nice finish).

And that was it!

A Pox on Us! (or Handmade Felted Sweater Heart Ornaments)

Well...it has been an interesting few days around here. W, our 15 year old has chicken pox. It came as a bit of a surpise, when they were younger I had hoped they would get them so that it would be over and done with but, I have to say, at this point, I'd sort of forgotten all about them and given up that they would get them. Poor boy has been feeling pretty wretched but, on the bright side, we're having quite a lot of quiet at home time. That means rest, reading and some coddling for W and crafting time for me. When I got my wool sweaters out to make the quilt I put aside a red woolen sweater for tree ornaments. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.

Whenever I've had a spare moment I've been fitting in a few of these handmade hearts. They're so quick and easy to make. Just cut out two hearts, stitch them together with a blanket stitch (put a bit of stuffing in just before you're finished) and that's it.

I've been making several for our tree and now I plan on embroidering the fronts of some with a little bit of peace, joy, love and hope. I wanted to do them yesterday but I ran out of the buttery coloured embroidery floss that I like so I had to dye some of my white floss with chamomile tea and then wait for it to dry. I have to say that there is a lovely kind of freedom that comes from knowing that you actually can't go anywhere - I could get used to being under "quarantine" every once in a while, there's something to be said for a time of isolation and quiet at this time of year (although I might not be saying that when E gets them next week). It certainly helps a person catch up on their handmade gift making.

Brrrrr!

We've been getting snow for over a week now and the boys are thrilled to be out sledding each day. The last little while has also brought colder temperatures (about -17 right now) so we have been quite happy to have more time at home and time by the fire each evening. 

There has been time to make applesauce (thank you mice for helping to keep me on task and not procrastinate!!).

I love getting spray free red apples because then I can cook them with the skins on and we end up with PINK applesauce - how fun is that? 

We been enjoying our daily walks and some days I've been remembering to take the camera (although we didn't have it the day we finally spotted a rabbit - we saw hundreds of tracks last winter but no bunnies).

 Snow has a way of making everything beautiful - even the dead or dying trees.

E has been enjoying the time at home to do some baking - his peanut butter biscuits.

And we've decided to have a puttering day at home (almost like an X day!!), where we'll get our work done early, try some new bread recipes, keep the fire going strong and have the whole afternoon for creative time (we want some time to make more gifts) and outdoor fun. 

I also wanted to show the back of the felted sweater quilt since several people have asked what it looks like.  I just used the edge of my presser foot as my guideline and did a regular seam, there is no backing on the quilt so you can see these seams on the back.  I quite like the look of it.

Felted Sweater Patchwork Quilt

I've been collecting wool sweaters for a couple years now and finally decided to make the quilt I've had my heart set on.  Some of the sweaters came from the thrift store and some were passed along to me because they had been shrunk or had a moth hole or two.  I love that this quilt is made almost entirely of sweaters that would likely have headed for the bin otherwise.  I felted the ones that were not already shrunken - all I had to do to felt them was put them in my ( top loading) washing machine with hot water and a tiny bit of dish soap, I let them agitate until they were shrunken enough then spun them and hung to dry.  I do have a tendency to overfelt sometimes because I have too many other things on the go (and, apparently, a short attention span) and I forget to check on the felting progress but I've decided to keep the superfelted sweaters for making thick, warm slippers.  Here is a bit of information on felting in case you are wondering more. 

Once they were dry I decided on how I wanted my quilt to look.  I wanted to have some big squares (all the less sewing and cutting to do) and some random-ish squares.  I decided to use one of my cutting boards as a template for the big squares and then I used a mandarin orange box lid for my smaller squares.  Two of the (smaller side of the) box lid blocks would equal one length of the cutting board squares ( I know that doesn't seem to make sense but hopefully it will once you see the photo) 

By using the width of the box lid but making the "smaller squares" any length I could have my random look without having to fuss much.  The beige block here is my cutting board size and you can see that for every block that size I used two of the smaller blocks across.

I planned out where I wanted my big blocks, because I didn't have too many I only used 3 per row (and alternated their positions) and then filled with smaller blocks (of all different lengths), mostly cutting as I went - I was trying to use up most every bit of each sweater.  I put one strip together at a time and then sewed the finished strips together as each one was completed.  When I put my first strip together I immediately knew I would want to make a patchwork scarf with any leftever bits.  Here is the first strip...

in progress

 and here it is at 6 strips wide.  This is Just the right size for wrapping around me for movie watching on cold evenings but...I still have a few more big blocks so I think I'll make it at least one strip bigger so that I can share if needed.  Perhaps I can convince all the males in my family to watch one of my (favourite)shows with me if I offer to share my quilt with them??  And since it was almost getting dark and the colours weren't showing up very well inside...

I asked W to take an outside photo for me.  I haven't even clipped the threads off but I can tell you that I will already be using this tonight.  I love the warmth and softness of the felted wool and I especially love being able to re-use something old to make something new.  So fun

 
(You can click on the photo to enlarge it)
I couldn't resist using a couple of blocks with the pockets still on from an old cardigan - now, some people might think that would be handy for holding the TV remote but I'm thinking it looks just the right size for a big bar of chocolate. ;-)  Could I be any better prepared for an evening or four of Pride and Prejudice?  I think not.