Warm Memories Wrap - FWA KAL 2017

Warm Memories Wrap

Working on a KAL project with the Franks Williams Aussie Spindles (FWA) group over on Ravelry

The objective of this KAL is to knit something with our handspun yarn, from a select group of knit designers who contributed prizes to the FWA Tour De Fleece game in July 2017 !!

I chose Seaside Sparrow by Susan Barstei, a wrap that you can button up to wear like a like a poncho, or several different ways. Love the possibilities.  The pattern calls for fingering weight yarn, but I'm using it like a stash buster so I can use up some of my older handspun, which ranges from bulky to fingering. I had this yarn set aside to crochet another big vest for me, but when I joined the KAL, I decided I could transfer that yarn to the Seaside Sparrow !

Starting in September 2017, we had 2 months to spin the yarn we wanted to use for our project, luckily for me I had all my yarn spun up !  

Then November 1st we could cast on and get started knitting !!!  I thought 3 months, no problem getting this done.  Very simple pattern and mostly bulky yarn will make it a quick knit !!!

However, come the end of December 2017, I was just barely halfway done !!! Yikes !! and only a month left to finish !!  Now I'm wondering if I'm going to be embarrassed the end of January and not be finished with this simple knit ???

January 21, 2018 and I am "almost" done !!! Yahoo !!  Have to finish up the green yarn and put the last of the white yarn on the end and block !!

Last thing - I must find Buttons !!! That is my job this week;  more paper for my dollhouse and buttons to finish my wrap.

January 25, 2018 - So close to the end !!! I finished the knitting and wove in the ends.  Here is it with the buttons I found.  Was really disappointed in the lack of button selection in Cedar Rapids. Hobby Lobby and Michaels have a very tiny selection. I wound up at Joann Fabrics, who really didn't have much of a selection either, although they had more than the other stores.  I remember when Joann Fabrics had 2 long walls of buttons and it could take you an hour or more to pick out buttons for a project !!! The good old days !!

You see all yarn that was left by the time I bound off !!  Have to figure what yarn I'm going to use to attach the buttons

Now for blocking !!

January 28, 2017 !!  Final Photo !!!

This was a very fun project. First time I have knit with so many skeins of my handspun yarn.  I've never been really happy with any of my yarns, but working with them was a totally different insight as to just looking at the skein.  I think knitting is very forgiving of the thick/thin of my handspun.

The opposing stripes and the gray/white really make for some wild dynamics

 

The Clay Sheep Diz

It you have not been to The Clay Sheep, take some time to check it out. Anita Moore is the owner/artist and does a wonderful job of making whimsical polymer clay items for spinning, knitting, weaving and some just for fun.

She makes these very pretty Diz sets for prepping wool fiber for spinning. I've been wanting one for ages and recently won a gift card from The Clay Sheep in a Ravelry game.  So over to Anita's I went and she just happened to have a pink Diz set in stock !! Lucky me !!!

Here it is !! It came in the cutest little pink striped box that I will save to send a gift in !

Pink on Pink !!

And the non-box glamour shot !!

 

 

 

 

Can't wait to use it !!!

Japanese Knot Bag

I've always wanted to make a Japanese Knot Bag (JKB) and FINALLY I got around to it at the Winter Holidays 2017.  I had some left over Christmas fabric and went at it. Turned out pretty good for  first time. Sorry no photo

Now I've got bag number 2 going here, just to see if I can do it again. 

Getting started

There is a wonderful little quilt fabric store in Mnt Vernon, Iowa that I just love !! It's called Hellios Stitches N Stuff and they have the coolest fabrics in all kinds of bright colors.  I was lucky and caught their end of the year sale !! And also bought some fabrics that were not on sale !! ;-)

Got them cut out right sides the first time !!

Done !!!  This second bag went together alot easier than the first one !  I have a friend sending me some fabric to make her one and she is paying me in wool fiber to spin !!!  Yes !!!

Next bag I want to see if I can get a flat bottom JKB like another friend sewed up !

Frank Williams Turkish Spindle !!

It arrived !!! Woohoo !!!!

I've been wanting to get a Turkish drop spindle for ages and finally worked it into my Christmas money this year !!

It's made by Frank Williams who lives in Australia !!  I like that he uses alot of native Australian woods.  This is the second spindle I've bought from him.  My first one was a Saturn Tibetan support spindle.  I bought both spindles from his Etsy shop - FWAussieSpindles
 
The Turkish spindle is just beautiful !! The arms are crafted from a beautiful piece of Goncalo Alves and has a West Australian Jarrah shaft. All hand finished with wax polish. Sigh..... so gorgeous !!

 A little sample of Liz Green Arts alpaca roving !!! Yum !!!

and it spins like a dream !!!

My lovely Dachshund Bag !! 💖

Doll House Sitting Room

Doll House Sitting Room !!

Off to a good start

I really enjoy having Poppy sit by my crafting chair on the end table. But she's sort of just sitting there in among all the craft stuff that piles up around her.

Usually there is alot more junk piling up around her

So I'm going to fix up a little sitting/craft room for her to do fiber crafts with me while we sit together !!

Just a little corner space, maybe 8x8 inches floor space and 6 inch high walls.

Hmmm... almost the right size

Now let's fix it up !

There ! Now to get the flooring and wall paper !

Went to Hobby Lobby and picked up some paper to use for wall paper and flooring. Lots of other fun doll stuff going on there too ! Be careful or I'll be spending too much money !!

Pretty papers... not sure about that flooring....

Ta Da !!!! Now to decorate !!

First thing, a Valentine Rug, or maybe a window, or maybe a bookcase !!

Next Doll House Sitting Room

Doll house project !

The start of a new year and finally will get my doll house project moving.  It's been in my brain for ages and now is the time to push it into reality !


Making this for my ball jointed doll Poppy.  She is a Hugoo Suve - Version #1. I've had her for several years and have been wanting to put together a doll house for her.  She's 12cm (4.75 inches) and I believe a 1:12 scale doll house should fit her just fine.

Here is the doll house I'd like to copy. I don't think I'm going to mess with the stairs and I would eventually like to have the little side garden too.  So a bedroom and living room and a patio garden.

I'm thinking a good room size for her would be a floor base of 12x12inches by 9 inches tall and I found the perfect box for this !!  Although she looks pretty tiny in there, but maybe once I get flooring, wall coverings and furniture in there it won't seem so big

I'm going to put it on top of my fiber wardrobe.  I'm going to have to learn some photo skills to be able to take decent photos since there is a window behind there.....

So Poppy and her BB8 droid are rattling around in her big living room. She wearing her new knitted dress that I recently finished and decided to embroider some flowers on too !! You can see the dress on my Ravelry page