Plain and Practical

I should be working on Spring Stuff . . .

but instead, working on mittens, socks, wool quilts . . . it's hard to be thinking about making pastel Easter-colors kitchen items when it's winter outside.  It is 50 and we have the windows open, a queer odd breeze is filling the house but we needed some air in here that hadn't been through our lungs a dozen times so letting the furnace run and the air come in for a couple of hours, anyway.

Wool quilt blocks to embroider:

 
and I got these wonderful stamps at the post office.   The one down in Mt. Sterling always lays out new sheets of stamps in a spotlessly clean glass case so you can see all the varieties, it's a very nice touch!

 

these cute cats and dogs help benefit the shelters.  It's on top of the PNP for January, which got written in one sitting and printed that same afternoon, wowsa, the Janauary is always late and it always sneaks up on me!  I'm doing Christmas, and suddenly it's a couple of days before New Years and whoopsie, the paper isn't written yet, much less mailed out!  But I did re-do the mailing list from scratch because the old one was just a mess.  These are hand-written (printer ran out of ink) but from now on, real labels with updates and current and everything.

This week, I'm actually going to go down to the basement and get out some springtime colors of kitchen items and list them for the Etsy store, want to get some feedback.  Now that I have this new camera to get used to, I should be able to do some dandy pictures of them.  Peace, be careful tonight if you have to drive out on the roads.

Learnin' a new camera!

 
Got a lovely shot of the Boo sound asleep.  Yep.  The new camera made this sweet little ding noise and Boo no longer a sleeping kitty. That look?  interpret it as "you disturbed my nap for no good reason."  But he still looks pretty anyway, snuggled into our quilts after we got out of bed.  It was still warm, that's why.

And I made another seven knitting knobbies this morning, one for a dear Etsy friend and the rest to list today, again learning about the new camera.   The camera was a sweet gift from Mary, who had an "extra," and wow, it's a thousand times better than my old one!

 

And I've spent part of every day for the last week, working on cleaning and organizing the studio.  This is the last box to sort.  I have a terrible habit of "cleaning up" and just taking everything from the table and sweeping it into a box so I can have a little spot to work on things, that box becomes a laundry basket, then a bigger box, then several boxes--and sorting them back into where all the bits and pieces go, is one of my least favorite tasks.  However, it's my own fault for not putting every project away before starting a new one . . . and all my friends are pretty much the same way I am, so I guess it's normal!

 
Several bags have already gone to Pat and to Daisy, and boxes have gone out to Etsy friends, in an attempt to narrow my focus just to kitchen items and a very, very few handknitted things such as mittens, socks, slippers, hot water bottle covers.  Good practical things I can argue should be in the store.

Christmas was loving and warm, spent with friends.  There's wool yarn and vintage cookbooks under my tree, new goodies for the studio, a happy husband who's playing with his new kindle.  Life is stable, warm, with a lot of freedom to move about without much of a schedule, plenty to do and plenty to do it with.  Peace to you all.

Been So Busy, Haven't Been Taking Pics!

but here's the little critters I just finished for the 3-year old and 1-year old down the street:

 
and earlier, I made a set of mittens and a hat from recycling a wool thrift store sweater.  And packed and taped and addressed four boxes to go out monday for friends around Ohio that we can't drive to visit.  There's still much to do, of course, but I gained a couple of days since my cough was too bad to allow for the trip to Dayton for a late party tonight.  No point giving this 10-day cold to anyone else, and husband now reports he has scratchy throat, too.

Tomorrow, more making and packing to send; Monday we'll try to get some deliveries made because Tuesday is supposed to be the start of a major winter storm!  So Monday will also be grocery run!

Life is good, even with a cough and husband really wanted pizza (doesn't he EVER get sick of pizza?), even with too much to get done and a messy house, even with missing those who are no longer here to share the holidays with--it's still a joyous time of year, full of hope, full of good memories we can sit in front of the not-so-good ones.  Christmas, like all holidays, reminds us what is most important in our lives--our Faith.  The rest really doesn't matter, so don't stress over it!     Peace.

Waste Not, Want Not

 
A sweet and very very fast pincushion--it's the bottom half of a used sweater sleeve, too narrow to cut up for the mini-sweater ornaments, but makes a nice soft donut for holding pins.  I'm going to find a small can or maybe a laundry soap container lid to fit in the middle as a little cup for loose things or to hold small snips. Definitely something I have to make more of, just took a needleful of wool yarn and whipped down the "cuff" of the sweater (the other end, being raw, was rolled inside at the beginning of the process).  Very quick and easy enough for kids to do.

Today we took one stack of boxes to UPS and another to the post office in Orient, Ohio.  My friends may be few and far between, but that's no excuse to forget them at the holidays, and my handmade things and vintage goodies I've found here and there, are on their way on trucks in the snowy cold.  Now, I'm off to make oatmeal raisin cookies for giving away.  The pumpkin pie is gone (hiccup) so maybe tomorrow time to make some cookies for me!

Did three batches of peppermint salve today for six gifts, and tonight working on mittens again.  It's a wonderful life inside our warm and snuggly home, smelling of good things, quiet and with time for contemplation of the real meaning of this holiday coming upon us so quickly.    Peace.

When the Lord Gives You More Than You Need . . .

Then you need to be willing to share when He points out the opportunity and calls to you!  So when I heard of a fellow Etsian whose apartment burned--they lost one pet and the other injured, the husband grabbed his life's work in the form of the computer base but had no shoes on, they left so quickly she didn't have her eyeglasses--that's what I call an Opportunity to share some of my supplies, as did many of us on Etsy--here's the box I packed to go out on Monday, 23 pounds:

 
and HOST at Etsy, a group of artists who collect money and help out others, is taking care of the postage for me.  There's several hunks of vintage fabrics in linens and cottons, because the artist makes bags and totes, handle reinforcements, a tin of buttons and safety pins and pins and thread, another tin of elastic and shoelaces and beads and embellishments, a bag of lace and trims and rick rack, and since she knits a little with non-wool, there's four sets of knitting needles, yarn holders, stitch markers and such.

Late last night, I saw where someone was boxing up their spare sewing machine for her, and HOST was doing the postage on that, too.  A fund was set up for cash, people donated listings that were quickly bought out, and although it won't replace everything, we'll all together make sure they have eyeglasses, some holiday cash, shoes for him, clothing is coming in, and some supplies so she can rebuild her stock.  Moments like these ripple outwards to everyone at Etsy.  It's a nice place to be.

Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.

— Galatians 6:2

 

Still Ticking off items on the Big List

here's a cat bed for Charles, it's being mailed to his daughter.  I used a thrift store wool skirt, and its cool fringe, and hand overcast the seams to make it sturdier, a little poly fiberfill and it's good to go--and the tin has two handmade catnip-stuffed mice with boot lace tails, it will keep the 'nip fresh until she gives the puddy his cushion and toys,

 
 

and I've been washing wool again, went to the wool mill and came home with three pounds of processed roving, and this wonderful explosion of pretty little tendrils,

 
and I finished another pair of slippers,

 
they were just not very nice and I got the idea to put a 2" cuff on them, which not only made them cover more skin, but also pulled together the too-open front so they will fit much better.  Already have another pattern downloaded to try.  When I finally figure out just what I like, then it will be a regular little production line--I plan to use my coarse handspun, at least for part of them, and it will make a nice little carry-around portable project.

More good news, too, husband has a second interview for a job here in the Columbus area.  We would eventually move closer--it's about an hour away--but there would be no crazy rush and no length of separation while we were in different states, him working and me packing and moving everything.  And best of all, it's a perm position, not a contract.  The little town looks very nice, and it took me only 5 minutes to go through listings and find three places to look at for potential store sites, and the first loft apartment I saw on craigslist looks nice enough to rent on the spot.  This might be our easiest move ever, if he gets it!  Our prayers are for God to place us where we need to be, nothing more, and let His plan unfold from there.  That's the way it works out the very best!    Peace. 

Still Clickin' off on my Santa-List

So making a good dent in the gifty list today, two packages ready to go out, and I also packed three packages for the Etsy HOST store, that helps people during the holidays:

 
 
One with fabric scraps, one with paper scraps, and one with wood scraps.  Hope they help HOST help someone else!

And went to the wool mill yesterday with a good knitter, got a nice fleece that's soaking downstairs, and three pounds of wool roving ready to dye with my three bottles of dyes.

After husband finishes a telephone interview, we're headed over to pick up some donated fabrics and sort them for where they go next.  Then it's back to working on this holiday list--the stuff that has to be mailed must go soon!  Am finishing up a "cat nest" for the daughter of a friend, will post that pic later.  Made from a thrifty store wool skirt!  Recycled, of course.  Peace.

My little fingers been busy all day long!

There was typing to do here and there all day, and I got some spirograph cards done, they are so labor intensive I only do them as gifts for people I know and love,

 
 

and I have been knitting on the mittens for a friend with oversized hands,

 

nice long cuffs, so the wind doesn't go up his sleeves    :)

and I got a nice pic of the Boo cat as he was cleaning his front paws very carefully in the warm little nest I made for him on the couch, he could see me working on the cards from there, and that made him happy--

 

And I got good news today, Good Husband has figured out my MIDI keyboard dilemma and we're going tomorrow to pick it up.  Soon I'll be able to start learning how to record music for the future store on it, and send music to friends, and of course how to send it to the Library of Congress on a disk to copyright it and the lyrics.  Bright exciting new world for me, and a long, long way from drawing sheet music with a ruler and painstakingly jotting in the notation.  A huge improvement all around, now I can start looking at ways to spread around the Christian hymns I've been inspired to write, hopefully others out there will enjoy them too!     

And more good news, too, the Quaker Meeting in Circleville has moved to new digs that may not touch off my breathing problems and allergies, so after the holidays I'm looking forward to sitting with a group again, long-awaited blessing!     Peace.

Crunch Time!

If you've been watching Apronsrecycled and Foundlingsrecycled, you know I've been keeping out of trouble.  I've been making pie carriers, knitting knobbies, listing beads for DIY garland-making, and even a couple of holiday aprons (that's today's task, too).  And we got our first dusting of snow:

 
Some friends gave permission for me to send them wool blankets and thrifted store sweaters, so am washing and getting those ready to mail out:

 
there's more, they are hanging up all over the house!  Furnace is running so they are drying well.  Then, I got another batch of the pet pillows done:

 

there's just one more by the sewing machine.  Friends helped with the stuffing materials, they save up their snips of thread and other sewing scraps, and these sweater and denim outsides are abundant here in this household.

Today, going to drag the husband off to the bank, I got a nice check from Art-o-Mat, and go to German Village to see if the old gal that makes socks and slippers still has some work there.  Still tickin' names on my Christmas list, still getting my ducks all in a row.  The snow helps prod me on!  Peace.