Felted Handbags!

I'm on a handbag saga!  I'm liking all these cute handbag patterns.  Today I'm looking at felted bags--off the knitting needles. 
         

Aren't these the cutest handbags you have ever seen?!!  And you can create them in any color--
check out this website for patterns--some free, some purchased--but, all so much fun to knit and create!

Mystery 2015

Let's Quilt!  with Lyn Brown as she hosts the 2015 Solitaire Mystery Quilt

Look for a different step each Monday during August.

Here is the supply list:

Supply List   
Background (Light/White)   2 1/2 yards Dark (Red)      3 1/2 yards Medium (Blue)     1/2 yards Bright (Gold)      1/2 yard 

 

I have made at least two of Lyn's mysteries in the past--great sewing fun!

Join me in this mystery!

Small Quilts

Okay, there are small quilts, miniature quilts and then there are tiny quilts!  Have you made a quilt for a doll?  Or even a small quilt?

There is a Small Quilt group on Facebook and Yahoo.  I joined because I'm fascinated with small quilts.  I did make one (1) small quilt--Amish style--and the dog took a bite out of it!!  it was just too small, but it was perfect for a little girl that visited our house often--that would be our granddaughter!  Years ago we had a miniature quilt workshop when I was Education Curator at Historic Plantation.  We had Tina Gravatt in as our mentor.  Tina makes miniature doll house quilts!  I was blown away with her work!  Her pieces are authentic to antique quilts.  We had a fun time together--

Sentimental Quilter has some wonderful small quilt patterns.  Check her out!



Temecula Quilt Company is one of my favorite websites to visit!  I wish I could visit her shop, but she offers free patterns often for small quilts.  I made the alphabet small quilt blocks--not assembled yet though.

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts is a place for small quilt lovers!  Follow along with this group.

American Girl Dolls  has many patterns for all those American Girl Doll lovers

craftaholics anonymous has this excellent tutorial on how to sew your own doll quilt

Country Lane Quilts tells us that doll quilts are not just for children!  I like that!

Fave Quilts--Mini quilts and doll quilts

Find fun mini quilt patterns and dainty doll quilt patterns here. When you're looking for small quilted projects for practicing new techniques and playing with fabrics, free mini quilt patterns are just what you need.

Ruby and Mahoney Miniature Quilts has tips to make that perfect small quilt.  I'm thinking this might be the way to make quilts--takes up less room and doesn't take as long to make! 

Crochet Art

I'm in Awe!  I've been researching crochet art-- and here is what I found........

Xenobia Bailey landed on my radar!  Oh My!

What great work coming off her crochet needles!

 

OLECK has such imagination and style!

 

check out this on Pinterest!  Crochet Art Galore!

 

The Radder Blog for my inspiration.  This piece is created by Miyoshi Barosh

 

Jo Hamilton works magic with the hook!

 

Prudence Mapstone!  Oh yes!  I was fortunate enough to take a workshop with

Prudence many moons ago--turned me on to artistic crochet.  Here is Prudence's Pinterest page

 

Gwen Blakley Kinsler's work is whimsical!

 

And to learn some of those crochet art stitches, check out

Myra Wood on Craftsy

 

Crochet art is exciting, inspirational and cutting edge!

 

 

Waffle Irons--Not Just For Waffles!

 

quesadillas

It's been hot!  Too hot to heat up the oven, which heats up the kitchen.  We are trying different appliances in our kitchen--ones we don't use often.  We've been experimenting with waffle iron.  Yes, I know--it's good for breakfast and those standard run of he mill waffles; but why not try a lunch or dinner item?
First up--we didn't have an idea what to do for dinner--there was leftover chicken, cheese and flour tortillas--ok, let's do quesadillas, but use the waffle iron instead!  Right on!  





Omelet Waffle  Just open frig and look to see what's leftover--there are some egg whites, sausage, onions, bell pepper, broccoli, bacon--let's add an egg, some milk, little cheese, beat--pour into hot waffle maker!  Yummy!  If leftovers, pop in toaster for tomorrow's breakfast or late snack!


Zucchini-waffle-recipe  lets us use up that plentiful bounty of zucchinis--add some pine nuts for crunch, little different cheeses and good veggie compliment.


Falafel Waffle--what a treat!  we love Mediterranean food!  so this was perfect for our evening meal--delicious!

And for dessert!  Especially when we found these giant square marshmallows!


Smoreffles
How about trying out your waffle iron for something besides just plain old waffles? 

WANTED!

We are studying ancient hand-held distaffs of various materials (wood, bronze, bone, ivory, etc.), and especially the spiral glass distaffs made by the Etruscans and Romans. The glass ones (and some of the others) have a ring at the bottom through which the spinner passes her little finger so as to hold the distaff in a relaxed way (making it possible to spin for much longer periods of time).  Making cloth and clothing was extremely important, and time-consuming, in ancient cultures.

We would appreciate information about distaffs in museums and private collections, and we are also looking to study some of these artifacts straight from the excavations, before they are placed in museums.  The reason we are sending this “Wanted poster” around is that distaffs are frequently misidentified, so that it is extremely difficult to “search” them in electronic databases. Such artifacts are frequently described as “Wine Stirrers” or “Stirring Rods,” “Dippers” or “Spatulas,” a few even as “medical” tools.  Those found at archaeological excavations, instead of on the art market, however, virtually always occur in textile contexts.  Please keep an eye out for them, no matter what aliases they may have: they can be hiding in plain view!  Have you seen any of the following?

Glass Distaffs

3 glass distaffs from a private collection.

These artifacts are usually 20-30 cm. (8-12 inches) long; they have slender twisted glass shafts formed into a loop at one end.  They often have a bird on the other end, though sometimes just a knob or flattened piece of glass.  Some, like one distaff in this picture, have a whorl on the shaft.  These are of particular interest to us, as they have a special function in spinning.

Bone and Ivory Distaffs

The Romans sometimes made distaffs of bone.  We are particularly interested in distaffs with a loop on the lower end (for support by the little finger) and also possibly.  Bone and ivory distaffs of this type sometimes have animals carved on their tops, but many have goddesses.  Here is a lovely example with a goddess.

from http://artefacts.mom.fr/en/result.php?id=QNL-4034&find=QNL&pagenum=1&affmode=list

Metal Distaffs

There are a few Roman bronze distaffs with finger loops.  Here is an example.

from http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/244570

The bronze distaff below is from Jordan, 1500-1300 BCE.  We would like to know of others that are similar—that is, with a whorl fixed near the middle of the shaft (where it makes use as a spindle very difficult, but aids use as a distaff).  This one was called a spindle, so others may be mislabeled as well.  

from a private collection

Thin bronze shafts with multiple discs or whorls fixed along the shaft, each at about a finger-width distance from its neighbors, may also have been distaffs, although usually catalogued as cloak pins.  (In spinning, such discs help to control paying out the fibers into the thread as it forms.)  Clearly, information concerning exact find-spots will be needed to sort out this problem.

According to ancient literature, there were also distaffs made of silver and gold.  We would like to know of any examples.

Others

There are, of course, other forms of ancient hand-held distaffs, and we would like to learn of them too.  These were of wood, metal, bone, ivory, or glass.  Again, they were generally 20-30 cm (8-12 inches) in length.  Some had support rings—that is, whorls or rings fixed on the shaft for the spinnerto rest on top of a finger, both to support the spindle and to draft fibers over.  Some had movable whorls across their shafts.  There are other artifacts that are not unsimilar and often confused with distaffs, including spoons, hair pins, medical tools, and sometimes spindles.  Sometimes it is hard to be sure what an artifact is without handling it, or experimenting with a reproduction.  

We are hoping to learn of what are probably numerous distaffs in museums and private collections, and we would like, if possible, to collect statistics such as length and weight, as well as photographs.  But we are also hoping to locate distaffs as the excavators discover them, in the hopes that they willbe easier to study closely before they go to museums or sales. There are some key attributes, such as balance, that can be evaluated only by touch.

Vital statistics:

Current location (Contact Info):

Accession or reference number:

Place of origin (provenance):

Date of artifact:

Material:

Length:  

Weight:

Photograph(s)

We are trying to understand both the evolution and the use of these surprising tools, and are happy to share what we are learning.  If you spot a distaff, or a possible distaff, please contact Dr. Elizabeth Barber at barber@oxy.edu or Kim Caulfield at kimcaulfield@mac.com

Swis Fan Lace--

We are on month 7 of our year long knitted scarf project.

This is my June block--so glad to be caught up with this project.  I'm worried that I'll run out of this handspun wool/silk blend to finish scarf.  I do have another roving to spin if I get close to the end of this skein.

Are you keeping up with the project?


#7: Swiss Fan Lace Pattern (multiple of 8+1): 30 beads and 47 sts total
Note: You will increase sts on Row 1 and decrease them on Row 3, so your stitch count will not be the same on each row.
NON-BEADED VERSION:
Row 1(RS): +P1, SSK, (YO, K1) 3 times, YO, K2TOG; rep from + to last st, P1.
Row 2(WS): +K1, P9; rep from + to last st, K1.
Row 3: +P1, SSK, K5, K2TOG; rep from + to last st, P1.
Row 4: +K1, P7; rep from + to last st, K1.
Work the above four rows five more times (6 times total).
Knit five rows. On the next row, K3, sm, Kfb, knit to one stitch before the next marker, Kfb, sm, K3. (49 sts total)
BEADED VERSION:
Row 1(RS): +P1, SSK, (YO, K1) 3 times, YO, K2TOG; rep from + to last st, P1.
Row 2(WS): +K1, P9; rep from + to last st, K1.
Row 3: +P1, SSK, K2, (B)K1, K2, K2TOG; rep from + to last st, P1.
Row 4: +K1, P7; rep from + to last st, K1.
Work the above four rows five more times (6 times total).
Knit five rows. On the next row, K3, sm, Kfb, knit to one stitch before the next marker, Kfb, sm, K3. (49 sts total)