On Blueberry Hill

In an effort to trim off a few pounds and get outside more this winter, our family now has a season pass to a cross country ski center. This is great and exciting news for Papaloo. He and his high school ski team were Michigan State Champs back in their day, and though he *says* he's not particularly fast or talented, he's a damn sight better than most people.



He'll strap on his blindingly bright skis and boots, zip up his ridiculously slim suit, and be off in a Nordic skating frenzy up some hill, while the Loo and I do the snow shuffle around the flat beginner's circle. I figure that will last about 18 minutes before she wants to make snow men and snow angels, eat some snow when I'm not looking, and try to throw a snowball or two.




And I'm okay with this. Because there's soup! Hot soup, good soup. Soup made by the chef of the expensive Inn on the grounds of the ski center. Free soup for season pass skiers. Ha.



Yes, I ski for hot, free soup.

I'm that easy.

okay Mom, you win...

Cutest. Shoes. Ever.

And she wears them! All the time.

Aren't these the best thing to find in your stocking on christmas eve??

Thanks, Meme! Miss Loodyloo loves her felted flower fairy slippers.

Rav details here -- 'coz I know you'll all want a pair too.

happy hollipops

felt lollipops, originally uploaded by icewerks.

... see all y'all next year...

Stash Down '09 :: Peaks Island Hood

Finished! A large piece of christmas knitting intended for my mom, she who knits everyone everything and yet never has anything knitted for herself. I know she desperately needs a hat and a scarf but hates fussing with two layers. A hooded scarf that buttons in the front will hopefully be the answer.



I used some suri baby alpaca from the stash, only four skeins and a smidgen of a fifth. It's a soft, cozy yarn that drapes well and has just the slightest hint of a halo, an important consideration with my Mom's allergies.



The pattern is Peaks Island Hood, by Ysolda Teague from her book, Whimsical Little Knits 2. Not one of her beginner patterns, this one -- there are some vague references and no chart to clarify things -- but a bit of concentration is all that's really needed. Rav projects details, here.



Sort of a glamorous "Starlet in Vermont" vibe to it, I think. Merry christmas, Mom! Now, put 'yer hat on!
(Thanks for the photo, papaloo!)

faux gingerbread

'Cos really, it's all about the candy decorating, and I hate wasting good food. Not to mention the time to mix, cut out and bake the thing, all the while hoping that it will hold together.



The Martha Stewart people were kind enough to save me the trouble with a template and Papaloo spend an evening in front of the fire with a beer, free cardboard and a sharp blade. Ah good times...



The candy is all from Hallowe'en and Miss Loodyloo was made clear from the very beginning that this was it's intended use. Most of it is still a choking hazard at this point anyway and we really didn't need the extra sugar meltdowns. She was more than happy with this and declared that next year she would go to more houses to collect more building material. Yeah, okay, nice try.





We supplemented with a couple of Necco Wafer rolls from our village store -- de riguer for a traditional New England Swedish Gingerbread House, you know. I made a sticky marshmallow "glue" by melting a handful along with a glug of corn syrup -- better for finger licking than Elmers White and it worked well on the wafers. Not so well on the chunky stuff, but really, what does that's edible?



No masterpiece but also no stress and a whole lot of family fun. Next year, maybe a few more trick or treats isn't a bad idea after all. Maybe I can convince a neighbor to start handing out Neccos.

Stash Down '09 :: The Crown Jewels

Oh so very over the top, though really what Fabulous Jewels aren't? Stash felt, fabric and elastic but the gems and glue I did purchase (total cost $3.55). I'm still counting it as a stash project though. Ha.



I nicked the template from Juicy Bits and then embellished with the shapes and gems at will. The elastic seems a bit too tight to me so I may have to have a seam ripper handy christmas morning. Then again, Miss Loodyloo may prefer it balanced on the top of her head. You never know.





Currently on the sewing table -- a pair of matching bracelets -- just looking for some velcro now...

Shetland DK Weight

I've done it! I've broken the bulky weight barrier. This is a 2 ply DK weight, 11 wraps per inch, of some very hairy but soft shetland. I switched to the highest ratio I've got on my vintage S10 and kicked up the treadling. I put as much twist as I could in the singles and plied it tight -- there was a whole lot of z twist before I washed and thwacked it, hard, a few times but it's settled into a very well balanced and behaved skein. Whoo hoo!
I'm thinking this would make a lovely hat, no?
Yes.
After christmas. Right now, I should be knitting something else, for someone else, and I'd better get back to it.

Stash Down '09 :: felt petit fours

For Miss Loodyloo's tea parties. They are getting to be quite grand affairs, with much setting of tables and laying out of goodies.
I took felt from my stash and patterns from this book, "My Favorite Felt Sweets", one of my first Japanese craft books.





All set for tea time. A good thing since I was getting a bit weary of the same plate of cookies and donuts from last year.







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It's amazing how little bits of fabric can mimic swirls of whipped cream and layers of frosting. I had fun seeing these bite sized treats come to life.

no need to panic....

... just keep on moving, calmly and orderly, and we'll get there.

Stash Down '09 :: travel bags

Ahh, what a difference a full night's sleep has on everyone! Miss Loodyloo is back in preschool today and I had a bit of time to continue with the christmas crafting. It's Stash Down '09 here this year -- I'm trying to see what I can make with what I have. Not only does it feel good to be thrifty, I have also found that my new fiber habit takes up much more space than originally intended. A pound of fiber is a whole lot bigger than a pound of yarn or fabric, so time to clear out some space! Plus, I like a challenge. So, let's get to it -- From the fabric stash:



These little travel bags are for my mother-in-law. She travels quite a bit to see her grandchildren and I thought she might like a bit of fancy kit. Her tastes are more subtle and traditional than my own but I managed to find what I think are classic fabrics with a twist. Amy Butler & Joel Dewberry (um, I think) and I love the color combination.



First, a shoe bag lined in soft flannel with a square bottom -- she could stick an actual shoe box in here if she wanted but the lining gives it enough structure to hold just a pair themselves, neatly and cleanly, inside a suitcase. No more plastic bags please.



I also made her a simple flat laundry sack. It's just an unlined cloth bag to hide clean unmentionables from TSA eyes and then transport the dirties home. My MIL likes lavender, so I attached a small sachet on a ribbon and filled it with a few dried flowers and a cotton pad daubed with essential oil. It's stinky with only 3 drops and I think I'm going to wash it to see how the sachet holds up, but otherwise I'm pretty pleased with how it came out.



Bags are so easy -- no patterns needed, just measure and add a seam allowance. For the shoe bag, I started with two pieces of fabric measuring 13x18 and that's plenty big enough to hold even a pair of my husband's size 8 loafers. My MIL wears a demure ladies size 7 so I could have made it a touch smaller and still been fine. The laundry bag was a similar size and I think that's large enough to hold about a week's worth of undies.

I might splurge on some nice cording instead of the skimpy ribbon ties I have now, but essentially it was a project made for free from my supplies. Bring it on, holiday! There's more where that came from!

Shetland plied

More Yarn.



It's all I've got this week besides a bit of (shhh!) gift sewing and a poor little miss with either the croup (again!) or a fall cold.
Yipee.



At least I'm still spinning and ever so slightly improving. Still bulky weight. Still a bit uneven in single and ply, but it's fluffy and soft and not over spun.



I'll take it.