counting...kinda

My friend Cathy recently told me about a challenge that her sewing guild put out: to finish or repurpose your ufos (unfinished objects/projects) in 2012.

I really like the idea.

Since then I am walking through the house with a different perspective. I open closets and don't just get something, but I see ufos. Everywhere. The more I look the more I see and I am not even searching!

Closet in the hall...six on 2 of eight shelves.

So I am on it and I have started to pull them out. I am making decisions.

Some of them I don't remember why I never finished them, some I don't remember why I started them in the first place.

Take this Boteh scarf.

A clever and beautiful crochet pattern. I adore the yarn, my colors, super soft angora. Nice, right? But now that I turned on my honest inner ufo scanner... I'd never wear the darn thing!

One foot worth of Boteh undone, back into two balls of gorgeous angora yarn.

Since I did this, I have been onto two more projects, both of them almost finished by now.

Pictures and stories will come.

A great start into the coming year! It feels good, it feels sooo good!

seasonal

We have officially started the holiday season - school's out, yep.

Teachers gifts have been made, given and were happily received as well as liked, purpose done.

I gave several custom made pouches - how did you guess? Only one ended up photographed, the one for the turtle loving 4th grade teacher.

And I am knitting. Trying to finish two hats and one pair of socks. Hhmm, the thought of those socks already gives me a headache.

Another earflap hat in a larger size - more realistic!

This one I just listed in my Etsy shop.

While it is still snowing here in beautiful Albuquerque we have a fire going and our Ike naps on his favorite spot these days.

May your holiday season include many happy moments for you and your loved ones, too.

Never too many

Following up on my last post I have to share this one pic, taken in the hotel room on our Thanksgiving trip to Colorado Springs.

Eight. Not counting the two in my purse. Just saying.

The biggest is the one with the yarn, I would not have it any other way.

naughty or nice

I confess. I am a total sucker for zippered pouches. Give me a good purpose and I'm on it, making one.

I like to use two very different fabrics to create a naughty and a nice side.

Suits me well.

Thank you, Alexander Henry, for creating this awesome fabric line.

For the back I used vintage fabric inherited from my dear great-aunt Katie.

This one is used for small projects, like fingerless gloves or sox.

***lightbulb***

Large project bag is needed. Badly.

Off I went to the sewing machine.

Then, with stylish storage completed, I started knitting the vest for the girl.

The bag currently holds 7 balls of yarn. And the knitting.

Naughty and nice... again Alexander Henry, the cowgirls, on the back some vintage thrifted goodness.

Quite a difference in size here.

And now you have it all, this one I made a while ago to hold all my knitting accessories. The KNIT & PURL was stamped on linen.

I do have a sister in crime...a friend who equally appreciates a nice zippered pouch and here is her birthday gift made from Woolrich woolens and suede leather.

I have been contemplating this style for a while now, a combo of slightly felted wool fabric and leather made for eternity and this is a first.

Small detail of perfection is the vintage heavy metal zipper, the pull being some kinda 3d chain with a metal ball.

Cowboy fabric and some detailed stitching on the inside.


A good sunday it is.

keeping up

It feels like there is a lot lined up these days. To do. To finish. To wash. To get ready.

The other day I made a pile... several that is... on the sofa. A bunch of stuff in plain view so I could prioritize.

It is not working, the purple yarn is too thin for what I had in mind, I still don't know what to do with the christmas colored hand dyed pretty thick-thin yarn.

I have not started working on a new vest for my daughter now that she outgrew the last one, that grandma made for her a few years back, the pink thing with the fluffy edge, sitting there to be measured. I have not picked up the huge fluffy green vest, that I put down a year ago after finishing one arm opening - no clue why!

That's okay.

Other stuff has been taken care of. A solid wooden shelf - thrifted - moved into the studio and now holds all my woolens for rug hooking, I am delighted, because this is so much more practical, real inspiring plus it sure looks pretty!

I put all the cotton cone yarns on top of it and it's as if they were made to be right there!

The lion. Cool, huh?! Fell in love with him years ago in a thrift store, the colors are absolutely amazing.

Since the hooked rug, that my friend Amy and I are creating together, has arrived in Virginia I can finally show you what I added to beauty.

Love - no doubt about it!

Did some experimenting with ripped and hand cut not-woolen fabrics, some novelty yarns and mohair locks, which was really fun. Amy's turn now to get creative and add on!

The beautiful batts have been moved to the living room as well.

The first batch is done.

The subtle variations in the color will make this loads of fun to spin. There are still several batts left to spin up, before I need to come up with a perfect project.

Wishing you a very happy and equally creative and successful weekend - whatever you do.

...aaaaand..

Forever have I contemplated buying a drum carder, one of those wonderful tools that allow processing your wool at home and/or making colorful blends for hand spinning.

By joining our local spinning and weaving guild "Las Aranas" I did not only meet tons of talented and creative folks, but I also have tools like carders available for rent for a very reasonable fee.

Right now this fancy baby is mine.

For four weeks.

I got busy and blended a greenish heathered alpaca-wool roving with more greens, blues, yellow and orange and look at the results.

A supersoft pile of batts, just waiting there for me and my wheel.

Of course I had to give it a go right away, I spun a small sample skein and I am in love!

This wil make about a pound of a variegated soft and airy yarn.

Oh, the possibilities....!

playtime

New yarn has cometh to this home.

Is it truly needed? - Heck, no! But I got it anyways. You know, if our heater ever dies on us, we'll just cover the living room floor with wool and bury ourselves in the piles. I'll be darned if we could not make it through the whole winter that way!

Pretty, right?! And I'll keep it all for myself, ha.

With my Thursday rughookers gang I have started a new little mat, funny what happened to Mary's strips after she cut them.

We are learning a new technique, where the ends stay in the back of the work for a change.

Pumpkin done!

In between I made this cool strip holder, had all the materials at home. This turned out really great.

And I just love how sometimes you find something in your stash, that has been sitting there For-Evah - just waiting for this one special project, in this case the vintage corduroy, that I used for the outside.

That's it for today, gotta get back to work on the sofa, next time I'll show you what else I've been playing with these days.

I hope you have a good weekend, getting to do the things you love!