Felt-Up #2

Success! Sort of. Ok, maybe not success per se, but better than last time, right? Right. I knew you'd agree with me. I actually think the gray looks rather sophisticated. And, although the lace pattern didn't show up as visibly as maybe I was planning, I think it adds a nice textural flare. Blah blah blah.



Anyway, I sent it to Detroit so you Detroiters should go to City Bird and buy it. All of you buy it!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the hilarious train of badly felted items is chugging along and some pretty awful things are beginning to accumulate around my house. For example, this "hat" which resembles something like a tea cozy and I didn't even use a pattern for, thank you very much! I think I'd better just toss it, but if growing up during the great depression taught me anything, it was to eat anything I can find and don't throw anything away. So, any suggestions for what I should do with this?



Here's what I've come up with: pillow, cat saddle. Okay, that's it.



I've actually started to enjoy getting ideas from other people and using them as my own, so anything you guys could come up with would be much appreciated.


Cat stare:

Felt-Up #1

So I believe I mentioned in a previous blog that I was planning on experimenting with some felting techniques. Well, the results have started filing in and let me tell you, I'm far more capable of making something truly ugly than I ever thought possible.

I mean, let's be truthful, I've made some ugly things in my life. I have some art school horrors hiding out in a box in my closet, hiding from the light of day. However, I'm not sure if I've ever worked so hard to make something that's trying itself so hard to be cute, but falls short so drastically. This is what an awesome felted scarf is supposed to look like . . .

This is what the turd that I came up with looks like, keeping in mind that I tried to photograph it in as pleasing a light as possible . . .

I know what you're thinking. That doesn't look that bad. I might wear that on a day that I'm not going to see anyone I know. Here are some things to note: it's too short. It shrunk much more than I thought it would so it won't even fit around your neck a few times. Also, the little bobbles aren't really evenly placed so there's a sort of pattern but not really. Plus, it's brown, which I usually like, but in this case increases the turd factor by a degree of at least 17.5.

Don't pity me though. This useless swath of thick wool gives me a glimmer of hope for the future. It's strengthened my resolve to move ahead pig-headedly, despite all signs that I will fail miserably and waste lots of yarn.

If you can think of anything I can do with this please comment and let me know. Possibilities have thus far included; lining for cat bed, firewood carrier, abstract wall art, loin cloth, "fashion sling".

Cat:

New Year, New Blog, New Unnecessary Pictures of My Cat

Well, what can I say? I've made blogging my New Year's resolution and already it's taken me until almost midnight at the end of the first week of the year to even BEGIN accomplishing my goal of posting regularly. But you know, I feel good. This is gonna happen.

I'm like one of those plucky heroines in movies who leads a listlessly dull life until something sparks her to become ambitious and confident, and then she moves to New York or Paris or something and becomes a top pastry chef or frees someone wrongfully imprisoned or finds the cure for a rare disease. Ok, actually I'm not that person at all. I'm just blogging and crafting over here, there's no reason to get carried away. But, still, I'm confident that I'll cure Lupus by the end of the year.Also, I'm going to create some really awesome felted things. I got this book for free because they were throwing it away at day job (Barnes and Noble) and have now become fascinated with the idea of putting nuts or marbles into wool, rubber-banding them securely and felting the heck out of it. It sounds insane but this book makes it seem like a REALLY good idea. I'm not finished with the scarf I'm going to try it on and I have to be sure it's still long enough to be a scarf after I felt it so I have to make it extra long. If it turns out well I think I'll send it to Detroit where I'm selling some things at City Bird. So, if you live in Detroit you may one day have the opportunity to BUY one of these crazy experiments of mine.

I think I also may try to knit an actual garment, like a little sweater or something. This idea terrifies me. I'm imagining spending hours and days and weeks sweating over this project only to end up with a useless mass of knotted yarn only suitable for a toddler to suck on. But I feel it's a challenge I must take on if I'm to call myself a knitter.

Ok, here's the picture of my cat as promised. I got a light box for Christmas to photograph crafts to put up in the shop. I unfolded the structure and went into the other room to get the camera. I came back to find Rilke(cat) looking at me curiously from inside the tent. She loves things like this. Every time I do laundry she ends up pulling the basket over herself. Anyway, when she would sit still I got some pretty cute shots. Here's one:
Rilke says Happy New Year and demands adoration for her photogenic adorable-ness.

Cotton and Wool

The weather is getting warmer and that only means one thing for knitters: cotton. Beautiful, soft, reliable, pure cotton. It's almost impossible to make a hat or mittens out of cotton because of it's notorious lack of stretchability. Also, you really wouldn't want to because it's not all that warm. However, it's perfect for spring and summer shawls, cardigans, loose sweater, and especially bags. I'm knitting this one with some beautiful Egyptian cotton hand-dyed by this lovely company in Chile. Only most of one side is done, but hopefully it will be as beautiful as the yarn itself.




Also, in light of the sad but undeniable fact that it is no longer winter, I must put my creative efforts toward something other than knitting. So, I've started making some felted necklaces and stuff. I started out by knitting things out of wool, but then started adding needle felted elements as well. Needle felting is very fun if you remember not to stab yourself too much. The way it works is almost like magic. You don't really fell like you're doing anything, and then, poof, you have a necklace, or a pendant, or a full grown koala bear (this can really happen!). It's pretty great.


In other crafty news, Prairie Dog Inc (www.prairiedog.etsy.com) will be selling her wares (okay, I'LL be selling MY wares) at the Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa in Athens, GA on May 10. So, if you're in Athens, or near Athens you should come and check out all of our awesome local crafty people and their oodles of talent.

Oh, and here's a picture of my cat Rilke just because . . .