Dare I?

With the computer acting strangely again, I wonder if it's safe to post? All sorts of weird viruses again. "It", whatever "it" may be this time, even stole all my Microsoft programs and left the computer "empty". Somehow all my files were hidden from me and I had to restore everything. Since I am far from the computer professional I am sure I have now exposed myself to even deadly viruses by opening up and "releasing" all my files. At least I was able to put all my precious photos and videos on to CD and everything seems to be working fine...........for now. I haven't even dared to upload the photos that are languishing on the memory card of my camera. Let's see what I can come up with from the archives:

It is a well-known fact that I am a collector of fabrics, threads and yarn, but Joe is a collector of these lovelies. He actually FINDS these arrowheads in the fields surrounding our property. Now I couldn't tell one rock from another in an endless expanse of dirt, but he just has an eye for it.

The kitties are doing well. Gray and white guy still won't come any closer to me, but I see him more often in the yard. This photo was taken at quite a distance...hence the zoom-in blurriness. Mel has her favorite new spot, a barley pillow I brought home from my parent's house to help my sore neck. I never use it though. Just can't stand the crunchy sound it makes. Roy's new spot is a down pillow up on a the dresser in the hallway. The sun hits it just right at mid morning.

Here's a book from my local libraryKind of a wonky photo though. Some great sewing and crafting ideas in here. Like these really neat colored-pencil holder!

Tons of dolly dress ideas running around in my head, but no needle put to fabric lately. Too much time spent cleaning up this old computer............

Stats

In my usual way of being at least a decade behind the times with technology, I have discovered the "Stats" feature on Blogger. I check it several times a day now, fascinated by being able to "see" who is viewing my blog, how they found it, and what they find most interesting. I have noticed a regular reader from Iran...........how cool is that! I wonder what this person stitches, do they have cats, a garden, perhaps a doll house. Viewing these stats has opened up a whole new world for me. Although the majority of the viewers remain anonymous, it is still nice to know there is someone out there actually reading all of this.

Continuing with the theme of "stats", I have noticed that the yellow socks I am working on will be pair #35! Another good stat is the fact that I have now sold 4 items from my Etsy shop. Any other Etsy shop owners out there? How do you do it? I know my items are designed for a very focused and limited audience, but I would really love to give sales a jump-start. Maybe my things are just too "modern" for the average Etsy shopper.

Again sticking with the "stats" theme, we have increased the cat population by one. This is not official yet because this guy doesn't have a real name, I haven't petted him and he won't even come up to me yet. This is actually the closest I have seen him so far. Right outside the kitchen door on the patio, just lounging there, quite relaxed. Of course I am taking the photo through the window of the kitchen door. If you look carefully you can actually see little Roy sitting rather close by under the red wagon. I spotted Grey Guy in his usual hang-out yesterday, the old office chair in the shed but, to my surprise, there was Coal sitting right next to him. No time to run back to the house and grab the camera to capture that moment. I am pretty sure they weren't fighting since the "Bud Alarm" wasn't sounding. Bud goes absolutely nuts when he hears the cats make that high-pitched howling (speaking in tongues) that they do when they challenge each other. Tails were twitching though, but this may be the first step to accepting a new friend into the group. Since Sammy has passed away I notice the others stay a bit closer to me, even when we are outside. Especially Roy, my shy boy. And here's an odd twist, Coal and Carmella rolling around together. They have always gotten along, but Coal has shown a marked preference for Roy (and his best friend Sammy) and Carmella has been a bit of a loner.

On the stitching front, not many stats to report there. At a stand-still on the 1911 gown. I changed the idea a bit when I found this fashion plate drawing. I have altered a store-bought doll pattern of a modern gown with similar cut and style. I've cut it out and have all the pieces marked for stitching, but I'm a bit afraid of making a total mess of such nice fabric. I finished knitting this cowl (sp?). My mother has been after me to try this freebie pattern from Lion Yarn. She even picked up the recommended Lion Brand "Amazing" yarn on sale. Her hands don't move as quickly with the needles anymore, so she wanted me to give it a try. Circulars are not my strong point, but here's the results. An easy cast-on 80 stitches. 1 1/2 inches of ribbing (K2,P2) on either end of a 9" knitted tube. This uses two balls of Amazing knit with two strands held together ( also a first for me).

Looks like it will be more of an outside day anyway. Already 56 degrees F and sunny. Before I head out I want to say "HELLO" to my reader in Iran. Thank you for visiting and brightening my day!

Sunshine On My Needles

There certainly is no sunshine outside lately. For nearly a week it has done nothing but rain. The Little Miami River near our house is about to hit flood stage, as are the Great Miami and Ohio Rivers. Then, just for a change of pace, it decided to snow like a blizzard this afternoon.

Being trapped inside has made me restless and creative. Not a good mix. Lots of ideas, but very little work actually getting done. I started this pair of sunny socks, Lion Brand Sock-Ease "Lemon Drop". I dug up some fabrics for a bright evening gown circa 1911 for one of the 16" dolls. Here's the inspiration dress. Although the line of these Edwardian dresses look quite simplistic getting those skirts to drape properly in dolly size certainly is not an easy task. Luckily the border-printed fabric will do most of the styling work for me. The underdress is going to be made of pale gold satin.

The pets enjoyed a few moments outside on Tuesday, the only partly-sunny day this week. Poor Bud is getting pretty old. His face is nearly all gray. But he still loves to go for long walks, although his pace is much slower these days. Roy and Carmella were scheduled for their annual Vet check-up today. Only Roy made it there though. Once he let out those incredible howls as I loaded him into the pet carrier, Carmella headed for the hills...in this case the farthest reaches under the bed. She is rescheduled for next week.

As the wind and snow blow outside, I look forward to Springtime and Easter............

Those Of Us Left Behind

It's been a hard two weeks since Sammy died. He was with us nearly 12 years and suffered from FIV/Feline Leukemia. He had rough times with the upper respiratory disease and spent days at a time with his head down, nose to the floor looking as if Death was ready to claim him. On three occasions he even vanished totally....the longest stretch being for 17 days. But he always came back to us. On that fateful Thursday he had gone out to enjoy the first warm day of the year after spending most of the Winter inside. He was always an adventurous cat, but as he got older he spent more and more time inside where it was warm and dry. He was brutally struck down by a speeding car within 30 minutes of going outside. That is what made it all the more sad. The fact that he had survived FIV to be taken from us in such a cruel way. We all miss him terribly, but I think it was the hardest on his closest friend, Coal. There is a new friend who has come around lately. Actually there are three: a black cat who I had mistaken for Coal until he took of running at high speed when I approached him; a small and extremely shy brown tiger striped cat; and this guy. Mr. Gray and White has been around for about a month now. He sleeps on this discarded office chair in our old green shed. He also has become good friends with Mocha. He still runs when I get too close, but he's been letting me get closer and closer these days. He and Coal don't quite hit it off. They do that odd little dance of side glances, posturing and speaking in tongues. Hopefully all will settle down and I will find a suitable name for Gray and White.

On the sewing/crafting front I've made quite a bit of progress on many different projects. It all came to a screeching halt on Wednesday when I was informed I had been REJECTED for the Warren County Arts Fair. My booth-partner was accepted, but not me. Some how coming from an organization with the words "Warren County" on the front of it I really don't find this rejection too surprising. So now I have a kick-ass supply of really nice Birthday and Christmas gifts. Things were put sharply back in persepective when I read of the tragic death of The Primitive Needle designer Lisa Roswell. Although I did not know her personally, she is a fellow Ohioan and I feel such sorrow for her family. I am participating in a SAL organized on Facebook to honor her. I've started stitching "Hornbook Angel".

Some socks have been finished. Mary Maxim brand Gemstones in "Peridot" and a collection of tiny little socks made up of my left-overs. They fit my American Girl dolls perfectly, but they have another purpose.................

The 18" dollies also got two new Spring gowns. I love these organza's from JoAnne Fabrics, but I could never afford enough to make myself a garment. I did dig up 3 yards of this lovely Oriental cat print that I had stashed away for several years. I am plotting to make this Simplicity jacket with it. Maybe a nice red satin for the belt? I need to buy some lining though before I get to cutting. It will certainly be an indoor style jacket, paired with a black skirt and maybe some red heels. Such ambitious plans!

Than you so much for all the kind and heart-felt comments about Sammy. I appreciate each and every one.

SAMMY

June 1997-February 17, 2011

How I Felt

Before you run, screaming from your computer screen, this is not a post about my over-sensitized emotions. It is simply about FELT, my new obsession! I've already latched on to a fabulous on-line source for wool-felt. Not 100% wool, but the much more affordable and equally lovely blended stuff. I placed an order at 10am Thursday at Woolfelt Central and it arrived in the mail TODAY!! OK, new favorite on-line shop. They sell by the rectangle (9 x 12 and 13 x 18) and the incredibly reasonable by-the-yard price of $8-$9 (depending on fiber content). You can order as little as 1/4 yard. So that is exactly what I did. From top to bottom:Tahitian Sunset, Pink Grapefruit, Buttercup, Camel, Mellow Yellow and Buttercream. I am thinking some Lemon donuts need to be made of these. Though I do have access to a pretty good selection of felt rectangles at the local craft shops, Woolfelt Central has those lovely muted tones perfect for the Prim projects I have in mind.
As for projects; here are some completed items. I seem to be on some sort of "bird kick" lately. Maybe it's due to the tons of colorful birds that visit my feeders each day. I have to refill on a daily basis to keep up with them. The felt birds are from the Need'l Love "Threads" series of craft books. I have taken the basic bird pattern (this Red-wing Blackbird) and have also designed my own version of a Blue jay, to be stitched up this week. The dove is actually made of some tea-stained velvet with felt wings. He is supposed to hold a bit of greenery or a tiny glass ornament in his beak. Both birds are mounted on little wooden candle holders. The patriotic heart is also velvet with felt lettering. The little snowmen are money/giftcard holders (front pocket) from a pattern my mother sent to me.





Now I must pet the computer and reward it for being so kind to me for an entire week. Allowing me to chat on Facebook, answer my e-mail and even update my blog (with photos!) Dear, sweet computer.................

I can hardly believe it's been nearly a month since I last posted. I have been lurking around Blogland, reading and occasionally commenting. Not that my interest has gone, simply that my Internet connection and computer have both been very temperamental. All sorts of weird pop-ups, redirects, un-wanted website suggestions and switches, sudden disconnections and total blue screens! All the usual signs of an all-out spyware invasion. I think I have the problem solved, or a least brought down to a manageable level where I can get more then five minutes at a stretch on-line. The lack of Internet has been both frustrating and liberating. Since most of my readers are crafters of some sort, you know what I mean. I love my new-found blog and e-mail buddies. I love exchanging ideas and viewing photos. But suddenly hours have gone by, spent sitting in front of the computer screen. Of course a ragingly slow dial-up connection has a lot to do with this. I would love to update everyday....share photos, stories, thoughts and ideas. I have found with this "down-time" that I am actually implementing these thoughts and ideas rather then just writing about them.

My latest venture is into the world of FELT. I have always admired all the sweet little felted creatures I see on-line and in books. I haven't ventured quite that far yet. My felt world is of the more traditional variety, as in felt of the fabric kind. Again, my grand ideas of working with all those gorgeous over-dyed wool felts out there has been brought back to the more financially realistic realm of 9 x 12 squares from Hobby Lobby, Michaels and JoAnns. Not many photos yet of the new creations. Most are still in the "almost finished" stage. The donuts were an absolute first choice on my list of projects with felt.

I have finished two more pairs of socks and have nearly completed pair #32. These first two were completed during my blizzard-extended Christmas trip to my parent's home in New Jersey. The, in itself, is an interesting tale, best left for another time. Nothing too earth shattering, just my usual angst- and anxiety-ridden holiday fair. Oh but I do love Mommy and Daddy so much!! Anyway, on to the socks. First, Mary Maxim brand Soft Stripes Bamboo in "Lagoon". The second pair is knitted from the wildly expensive yarn I bought at September's Midwest Wool Festival. Fiber Optic Yarns by Kimber Baldwin Designs Footnotes "Bengal Batik". The third pair is nearly done. On-line Supersocke Holiday Color #1004. I wish they would give these colors a real name. Something this bright and wild needs a name!

On the more stitchy front. Not much cross-stitch at all, but I did manage to make one dolly a new Christmas dress, circa 1895.

It seems like it's been snowing nearly everyday! Not that I'm complaining. Now safely "removed" from the arduous drive to the new gymnastics club, I welcome any type of weather. Today is a down-right rain storm, but I see a little ! on my local weather website warning me of an approaching Winter storm. After the 29.5 inches of snow in NJ the day after Christmas, nothing surprises me. Yes, those are my rather chubby legs inside my parents garage, with the snow piled up nearly to the bottom of my coat.

Bring on the snow!