This week when Ned left my house in Raymond to go home and get ready for another week of work, I got to go with!
The drive was really nice, past frozen swamps full of snags and black spruce and then as we got closer almost all giant elm and hard maple. I'm hangin out at Ned's apartment all week before we head back south on Friday. Today I came "downtown" to this little internet cafe (and next, to the post office) and here is what it looked like when I walked through his neighborhood in upta Bingham:
I made one of my new "mini-me" cat toys yesterday especially for Cosmo, who belongs to my dear friend and newlywed Amber in Chandler, Arizona. It so happens that when Cosmo was just a tiny kitten I was roommates with Amber in a very cute three-bedroom apartment with a spacious balcony in Tempe. We used to sit on the balcony in these folding camping chairs that had a spot for your cup, and little baby Cosmo would be just hangin out in someone's cup holder. Now she's all growed up - but hopefully still indulges in the occasional batting of a toy.
pretty soon it won't be just
Cosmo I'm knitting for, right Amber? ;)
It's snowing again really hard. This week was mostly sunny, in fact the month of February was pretty sunny all around. One week ago today the temperature on my shaded thermometer said 54. When I saw it I couldn't believe it, so I had to go for a walk up the hill overlooking the lake and then down the road to the mailbox. Being in the sun I was delighted with how warm it felt. It's important to remember that just a few months ago I truly believed 60 degrees was 'breezing,' haha. I could have sworn it was 60 degrees last Friday, and by that I mean it was WARM! But, ho hum. I checked out March and average highs are 45 all month.
In other news, I will be broadcasting from a new location next week so stay tuned to see where I will be (and what I'll be working on), cause it is sure to be super exciting! I think it might be a good time to show you first how it looks here in Raymond, on the cape of the frozen Sebago Lake...
I love cats. Lately, I would even say that I am a little...cat crazy! I've been missing our two Siamese kitties who are with my mom in Washington. Aren't they beautiful?
One night while I was falling asleep I had this vision of an idea for a sweater I wanted to design!
Since Fitchy-Bruu (behind) is kind of the leader of the two, I decided to make one for him first. Here is a drawing of my original idea.
I called and got Fitch's measurements and I've been working on the sweater for a few weeks on and off. Here is what I have so far:
I have just finished the armhole openings, which I will have to go back to with the darker yarn to pick up stitches and do a few rows of seed stitch (a staggered 1x1 rib) like you see at the bottom, where I started. So I am close to being done, but there is a lot of shaping to do from here up to the neck, which is the most intimidating part for me since it's my first time designing a fitted sweater pattern. I hope it ends up fitting and most of all that he likes it! meow!
While I was working on this I happened to be spending some free time fantasizing about adopting a cat (don't worry, there's no way I could any time soon) from the Siamese Cat Rescue Center. I just go through and look at all their cute pictures, and read all their sweet stories, and hope the best for all of these poor kitties who have found themselves in need of a foreber hoem. So I thought to myself...if no one is yet buying any of my lovingly knit items...maybe a good start would be to just give some things away! So I contacted the wonderful people at Siamese Rescue and applied as a crafter. I just had my phone interview Monday night and have been approved! I will be donating items to be sold in their online store as well as at cat shows in various states. All proceeds will go to veterinary and other expenses for these needy cats. In the process I hope to also get my name "out there" in the cat-crazy community and sell some things for my own profit too!
Of course full-size sweaters like the one I'm making for Fitch are a pretty big undertaking. But I thought of one thing I can make in large quantities. It's a cat toy. I call it the "mini-mese".
note: these can be made to look
like any cat. However, toys for
other breeds will simply be called
"mini me"
These are just the first rudimentary prototypes I did yesterday, so yes I do realize that the head is too small on the white one... among other imperfections. But aren't their little tails cute?
I used a new (to me) technique to make these little pocket shapes. In addition to Judy, I found another girl on YouTube who I really like. Her channel is called PleasantSeas. Here is the video I watched for knitting in the round on straight needles.
The amazing thing about this girl is that she sounds much younger than me, yet she is a very knowledgeable, proficient and quick knitter. I know this video is seven minutes long but if you skip to about 4:30 you see that she notices a mistake, addresses it and fixes it without even stopping the recording!
What I am working on now is a late Valentine present for Ned, a throw pillow to commemorate the Packers winning Super Bowl XLV, our first Super Bowl together, which just happened to be played between our two favorite teams! Ned took this "coincidence" very seriously and let's just say we're both happy with the way things worked out.
I had this cool green and yellow fabric which I bought as an XL shirt from Goodwill a few years ago. It's called upcycling...where you take something that was once useful as one thing, and turn it into something (usually more modern) that is useful in another way! So when I'm at a place like Goodwill or Salvation Army, I am not just looking at an XL shirt, but a lovely fabric!
Made in India...exotic isn't it?
The big "G" on the front, and the background on the reverse, is a pale yellow and white woodgrain fabric I found at the Marden's store in Houlton this past summer. It's perfect for Ned, who studied Forestry in school and just started working as a lumber grader last month. I knew the gift wouldn't be complete without some sort of symbol for Valentine's Day. Since I want Ned to actually put this pillow on display in his living room, I decided a lil red <3 on the back would be just enough and not too much.
I should clarify I had this thing all pinned together and ready to go since before V-Day but the holdup is with my newly acquired Singer sewing machine. It was $9 at the Salvation Army so I figured it was worth the investment. The motor runs strong but when I sew, the back comes out all hairy-looking...see?
So I got a universal sewing machine maintenance kit containing a stiff lint brush, screwdrivers, oil, and several other items. I took everything off that doesn't have a screw, which allowed me to get at some of the lint build-up. The screws are on way too tight so I will have to use oil on them and see what happens.
In the meantime, Ned came to visit me this past weekend (he lives two hours North of me) and took me to my favorite store, the yarn store. It's called Rosemary's Yarn & Gift Store. I picked up some green and white wool yarn, to go with the awesome yellow that his mom gave to me when we were in Vermont (Don't worry, I already have some black to go with it too).
I figured anything Packers-related might be a big seller right now, so we'll see what I think of to do with this yarn. First off I thought to make an I-cord to go around the edge of the pillow. I went to one of my favorite YouTube channels, Knitting Tips By Judy, to learn the I-cord - a pretty easy technique, but I am new to all of this. Judy Graham is a Hollywood "Knitter to the Stars" whose blog I also follow! I first found her through her helpful instructional videos on YouTube. Here is what I have so far:
I decided I am starting a new blog. It's a craft blog. Since I got in a car accident January 18th on my way to my first day of school, I have been basically homebound this winter with very few resources. I really think this is all for the best, though. I must admit that my "dream job" would definitely be something where I could use my creativity, one way or another. Now I'm kinda forced to just go for it!
I opened up shop on Etsy.com just in time for the new year, planning to start by offering handmade dog collars as I've been doing for a few years now already. I've started to list more items post-accident in an effort to make a little money. I'm most interested in knitting and have been learning a lot really fast! I also picked up a sewing machine from the Salvation Army store nearby, and once I get it up and running I will be experimenting with that as well. Nothing in my store on Etsy has sold yet, but I'm having some success on Ebay (as I have in the past) mainly in the "Clothing, Shoes & Accessories" department. We will have to see where my best market will be for these crafts. I have a lot of ideas I am excited about and so I thought I'd share them as they come to fruition!
