Old and New Projects

Hey everyone....hope you all had a great Easter.  Mine turned out to be very busy since one of our sons came home for a visit with his girlfriend.  I spent most of my time cooking and doing dishes.  Seems like we just could not get our eating schedule to match up.  By the time they were up, hubby and I had already had breakfast and our farm chores done.  That meant cooking another breakfast and it just snow balled from there.

Those who know me well, know I never have been much of a cook.....always wanted to use the time for creating something artistic....not food!  Well that has certainly changed since I started seeing a Nutritional Counselor.  For the first time in my life, food has become a friend.  The end of March was my 1 year anniversary of eating "clean" and I'm proud to share my weight loss of 86 lbs.  Wowsa!!....so hard to believe..... just had to put it in writing.

Now on to what I've been doing in my studio.  On a fiber note, several of us did get together on good Friday at Your Local Yarn Shop and I almost completed spinning the 4 oz. batt I shared in my last post.   I've also been knitting along on my Viajante. 

Decided on my bead placement and though it's hard to see with it on my knitting needles, I've started another section of beads that I'll continue with until I start my lace border.  Lovin' how this is turning out.

A couple Monday's ago a friend came over who wanted to learn how to make a spiral bead. 




I hadn't made one in quite a while so I decided I'd better give myself a refresher before she came.  While getting my supplies out I found a bracelet I'd started quite a while ago and thought I should try to finish.

I've been working on it a little bit each day.  I've only got the right upper side to complete before I can attach the backing and bead the edge.  Trying to stay focused this time to get it done......long overdue.

But.....I seem to always find new things to try.  I've gotten hooked on the thought of Zentangles.......yup, doodling.  Check out the link I've posted......their awesome! 

Here's my first try.....

Then I just couldn't help myself.  I had to try an alpaca......

We live in a very small community with an even smaller library but they are so helpful whenever I want to try something new.  They even went so far as to actually buy some of the Zentangle "how to books" so I could give it a try.  The books came last week and they called me as soon as they came in so I could bring them home.  I plan on taking these samples in to show today but you can bet I'm hanging onto the books for the full 3 weeks!

That's it for me.....now hop on over to Wisdom Begins in Wonder to see what everyone else has been up to.  I'm on my way there to check it out....Happy Fiber Arts Friday!!

Spinning Fun

We had our monthly get together last Sunday at Ms. Wonder Whys farm and I decided I'd take my wheel since it's been months since I last spun.  After a fab-u-lous lunch and some chit chat, we finally got down to some spinning.

I had just a little bit of one of my blended batts that needed finished and thought it would be a good time to try my hand at Navajo plying.  Lucky for me, Ms. Wonder Why was very willing to give me a lesson.

Ta da.......



It sure wasn't easy but I gotter done!  I was thinking it was going to be an over plied mess but was surprised, once I had it wound into a skein, to find it was pretty balanced .....shocker!

So on Monday I decided I'd better try again before I forgot what Andrea had shown me.  Checked my spinning basket and sure enough found another full bobbin.  For some reason before I left Andrea's, I took the jumbo flyer off my spinning wheel and put the smaller one back on. 

You know how it goes, I was to lazy to put the jumbo flyer back on.  I just wanted to get started plying. I was sure it would be just fine to use the smaller flyer....Wrong.  Of course I didn't figure out why I was having so many problems until I was about half way through the bobbin.  Dah......I couldn't peddle slow enough for my hands to keep up.  So this skein, not so great....

Close up.....just look at that over plied skein or maybe I should say "energetic"!

 

Oh well, I'll definitely give it another try....practice, practice, practice.

It felt nice to be sitting at my wheel again so thought I'd find something else to spin up.  Chose some fiber I picked up when we were visiting our son in VT last October. I have two 4oz skeins of Frabjous Fibers hand dyed Merino called Green with Envy.

I'm loving how it's spinning up.  I haven't decided if I'll try Navajo plying this when I'm done or not.  Since I have two braids, I my fill two bobbins and ply them together.  I'll see how I feel after I get the singles done.

I've also been knitting on my Viajante but decided not to bore you with any pics at this point.  It's going to be while before it will look any different.  After looking at several of the finished Viajante's, I found inspiration from tippsy1's Viajante....she incorporated beads and also love how DeDitte's added additional sections of the lace edging.  So I'll wait to give an update once I've added some beads.

That's it for me, thanks for stopping by......hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Viajante KAL

Last Saturday I was able to get started on my Viajante with a couple of friends.  This is a really easy project.....not going to be quick!..... but definitely TV watching or knitting in public project.

When I decided to knit this shawl, I wanted to find a color I'd be able to wear with dressy as well as everyday clothes.  I think it will look lovely with jeans and I'll definitely be able to "dress it up".  I'm loving how this is working up.....long way to go yet! 

I also wanted to share a weaving project I started a long time ago.  This pic was taken on 5-5-2011 showing the warp done using my suri yarn with accents of white/silver lace mohair.  I just knew it would be stunning.  Problem......I love woven items but just DO NOT like to weave. 

I tried to work on this project on a regular basis but it just kept getting put aside for other projects.....knitting, beading, you name it.....they all took precedence over working on this dang scarf. 

Luckily I live close to Ms. Wonder Why and several other friends who get together on a monthly basis. You know.....share our projects, support i.e. enable, laugh, eat and sometimes whine.   I'm always admiring Ms. Wonder Why's woven items as well as those woven by our friend Terri and always felt bad about not getting this scarf done. 

Fast forward to October 2012:  "the girls" all came to my house to support me during my annual Arts and Eats show.  Of course there were beautiful finished woven items shared by Andrea and Terri and you guessed it.....mine was still not done! 

Once again I was talking about trying to find the gumption to get back to working on my scarf.  Even though I don't have any pics of my weaving, I did have maybe about 1/4 of the scarf woven at this time.  Terri looked at me and asked, "do you want me to take your loom and finish that for you?"  I could not say, YESSSS! fast enough.  Luckily for me she had set aside one of my beaded shawl pins and I quickly said "I'll gladly give you the pin for finishing my scarf" and a deal was struck.  After almost 2 years on my loom.....my scarf is born.

My intent was to create an open weave scarf to mimic a drop stitch knit scarf. Cannot thank Terri enough for making this happen....what awesome friends I have!

Thanks for stopping and don't forget to pop over to  Wisdom Begins in Wonder to read more Fiber Arts Friday post to see what everyone else has been up to this week.

Wishing everyone a great weekend.......Happy Fiber Arts Friday!!

Oh So Slow a Week

I guess with all my crazy need to create the last few weeks, my mind decided it just needed a break.  Soooo, I accomplished very little this week in the crafting department.  Lazed about with some reading, after discovering the author Lisa Jackson at my local library.  Spent some time on YouTube and checking out Pinterest and had quite a few errands/appointments.

But I was determined I'd get my Palette of Colors done.....after all I only had one cuff to finish.  Love how it turned out.

 

Also moving along nicely on my Sweetness cowl.....at the half way mark.

 

 

LOL......I think this has been my shortest post ever!!!  Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.  My plan for Saturday, besides work, is to start knitting on the Viajante shawl with a couple of friends.  If your close to Your Local Yarn Shop, stop on by to see our progress.  Our first hurdle will be winding 2200 yds of lace weight.....Yikes!

 

Fun Filled Week

I've had a busy week trying to get some of my projects done before starting on a KAL with a couple friends.

Hubbies socks....

Second pair of Elf Clobbers....

I really tried to learn how to do the crochet myself.  I understand how to make the stitches but just can't get the hang of figuring out where to put the hook to actually make the stitch.  Knitting is so much easier......the next stitch to be worked is just waiting right there on the needle.  So once again my friend Sue came to my rescue.

So close to being done with my Palette of Colors...

Hoping to get the last cuff done this weekend so I can wear it.

Cardinal mixed media....everyone who saw a pic or actually saw it in person told me I should not do any painting on the background.  They liked it just the way it was.  So I took their advice and just painted over the gesso with white paint and then sprayed on Frosted Jack Frost Starburst from Lindy's Stamp Gang.  This gives a very subtle sparkly look that reminds me of sun glinting on the snow.

This is the best pic I could get to try to show the background....

While Ms. Cardinal, yes, I was corrected by someone that this is a female cardinal not male as I'd said in my last post, was drying, I started working on a second mixed media canvas.  This time I wanted to try painting just the background leaving all the assemblage pieces in their natural finish.  Used lots of texture...chicken wire, hardware cloth and cheese cloth painted cream then sprayed with different colors of Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst sprays. 

Finished canvas.....

Old paint brush, antique faucet, door and dresser handles, tatting shuttle, glass cutter, spark plug gauge, watch parts, hinge, computer parts, some man tools, lace, jewelry and a vintage photo.  This one went much faster and I am soooo hooked!!.....Love it.

While tooling around on Ravelry I found the Viajante shawl and became very intrigued.  After showing it to a couple friends, we decided we'd do a KAL.  Next....what yarn?  I looked into the Wollmeise but decided trying to get a skein was going to be really hard so I turned to Briar Rose Fibers and found Stella, a beautiful merino/silk blend.

Had a really hard time trying to decide which color I wanted but finally settled on this one....again, pic does not do this yarn justice.

That's it for me....gotta get busy in the kitchen.....friends coming over for lunch and a visit.

Don't forget to hop on over to Wisdom Begins In Wonder to see what everyone else has been up to this week.....hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Making Progress

Here we are with another week behind us.  Unfortunately for me, I took a tumble last Friday while tiling my kitchen back splash.  Yup....step stool, cause I'm to short to reach the wall in most places, coupled with pants that were too long.   Left foot standing on my right pant leg, me not knowing it, and needing to get down to move the stool.

Crash, bang!....clipped the counter top with the underside of my right arm, wrenching my shoulder and neck, before smacking my head on my brand new floor. 

Hubby came running from his office, and as we all do in these types of situations, looks down and says "are you hurt?"  After opening my eyes and getting my breath back, y...e....s!....I said in my best whinny voice.

So I spent most of this week in my recliner on muscle relaxers and the heating pad.  Glad to say, no major damage and I love how the back splash looks.....

I only have to paint the trim pieces, glue them in place and this task will be done!  Oh yeah, just for the record.....I don't foresee any tiling jobs in my future.

Needless to say, I needed something pretty mindless to knit.  Several of my friends have been making socks so I decided that would be the perfect project. My goal..... new socks for me. 

Kelly's Toe Up Socksation

Best laid plans.....I don't know if it was my drug induced state or what, but the sock was way to big for me.  I was too lazy, really just didn't care, to pull it out and look for smaller needles so hubby now has one completed sock.  He's a happy camper and I still managed to get something knit for this weeks post....win, win!

I didn't post last week because I was being compelled to work on a new mixed media canvas instead of knitting or spinning.  Pinterest!!!......I knew I shouldn't get caught up in it's sticky web.  I found Finnabair and she inspired me and as as they say, "the rest is history."

Cut this bird picture from a magazine, decoupaged some tissue paper for his tree and jumped in.

Decided to add some more branches, some leaves and more found items.

Really got into salvaging odds and ends, no drawers were left unturned.....computer parts, metal pieces, tools, jewelry....nothing was off limits.

I worked on it this week until it told me it was complete......

Then I decided to gesso everything before doing my final painting hoping to turn all the found objects into a textural frame surrounding Mr. Cardinal.....keep your fingers crossed!

That's it for me this week.  Heading over to visit all the other Fiber Arts Friday blogs  at Wisdom Begins In Wonder.  Hope everyone has a safe and fun weekend....Happy Fiber Arts Friday!!

Another Eventful Week

A couple weeks ago I posted the difficulties I was having staying focused.  Well let me tell you, that has certainly changed....can't believe how focused I've become again.

On the knitting side......

I was trying to use up the rest of the yarn from my Elf Clobbers and decided to make a somewhat matching cowl.   This is a free pattern on Revelry called Squish.  I seem to be drawn to weird named patterns right now.  If you go to the link, you'll see the original pattern is for a scarf with fringe.  After checking out some of the finished projects, I found the author had this version so I chose to follow these directions.

Got the cowl done but didn't use up all the yarn.  Isn't that the way it goes sometimes.  You either don't have enough yarn or more than you hoped for left over.  Probably not enough to make anything else.......this will wind up in a bag with all my other leftovers.  Seriously....maybe my next project needs to be something to use up all my orphan yarns.

Might be it's time to get out my Carol Leigh triangle loom.  Maybe I can come up with a Saori shawl......hmmmmm....... that really does sound like a plan.

I also started another pair of Elf Clobbers.  I've had so much fun wearing them, I thought I should have another pair.  This time I thought I'd try doing the crochet part all by myself.  Found a book at my library.....

......cuffs finished...book has instructions for all the stitches I need......NO crochet hook......Duh!!!  Obviously focused does not equal organized so I've been good and am knitting on my Palette of Colors Shrug.

Progress on my kitchen island......

As you can see the second coat did really cover well.  I swear, no flat surface can stay uncluttered for more than a few seconds in this house.  Project not even done and I have yarn and my book on the top......it must be a sickness!

Unlike my husbands entertainment center, I wanted this piece to look older and time worn so I sanded the edges.

Then decided the white oil base paint was too white, so I waxed these areas using Annie Sloan dark wax which turned them more of a cream color.  After some more research on Pinterest (yes, I finally broke down and registered) I learned if you wanted it to be more waterproof, use a second coat of wax.  I chose to use clear for my second coat since I wanted more protection and not a darker look.  I swear the painting part is so much fun but it sure took some time and elbow grease to do the sanding and multiple layers of wax.  Well worth the time!

Finished island......except for the towel bar that I want moved to the other end so my husband has to drill new holes. 

This isn't the placement of the island but we had to take a picture before putting it in place or we wouldn't have been able to get a good picture of the front.  I love how it turned out! 

 

Before and after pics of my kitchen......

Before (yes, for the last 20 years all my cooking was done using this antique Magic Chief)

After

Wowza!!!!.....this is the first time I've put the before and after pics together.  The cabinet face lift was done by Kitchen's by Katie........they did an awesome job.  My new floors are Armstrong vinyl planks and were installed by my brother and his friend....also an awesome job. 

 

Still have some work to do.  I'll be painting the wall between the counter and cupboards and then put a single row of glass tile 6" high for the back splash.  The opening by the fridge is for a dishwasher that I've yet to buy.   Thought I liked the convenience of having the trash in that spot, it is really convenient, but can now see how "trashy" it looks in a picture.....back under the sink it goes!

Well....that's it for me this week.  Thanks for letting me go on, and on, about my new passion......Annie Sloan chalk paint.  I'm sure the kitchen painting will be a bit boring now but it needs to get done too.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!!