new book!!

Earlier this year, Lark Crafts released a new title... Sewn by Hand by Susan Wasinger.

  They did a blog tour, complete with giveaways... and I won a copy!! And not only did I win the book, but I also got a wee package of goodies along with it: needles, thread, thimble, buttons, and so on.

I foresee many happy hours this summer, sitting outside and stitching. There are some very lovely projects in this book... slippers, potholders, napkins... mostly practical stuff, which I appreciate; and several of the patterns use recycled fabrics/clothing, which I also am happy to see.

The Thread Caddy pattern found in the book is available from Lark Crafts as a free download... I think it'll most likely be the first thing I make. That way I can have all my supplies to hand when I want to bring my sewing somewhere with me.

Yay for summer sewing, and (even the thought of) relaxing with a slow project!

what??

So, it seems that spring has arrived at last.

The weather has been glorious... I've gardened, I've hung the laundry out on the line to dry... I'm loving it.

And what have I been doing in between all of those spring-time activities?

Knitting.

Seriously.

For months, even during prime Christmas gift-knitting time, I couldn't bring myself to pick up the needles. Wasn't inspired, didn't care.

And now... now that there are so many other things that you might think would hold my attention... now suddenly I can't hold myself back.

The tea cozy pattern is a free download, found at Ravelry. That one was knit up during game two of the Canuck vs. Sharks Conference finals. All those lovely Canucks goals kept me knitting rather quickly, I must say.

The beaded necklace/bracelet/headband/whatever-you-want-to-wrap-it-around thingy is a very fun project from Nelkin Designs. Once I'd finished stringing on the almost-600 beads (sooooo much fun, especially while waiting for the freezing to wear off after a lovely dentist visit!), it knit up rather quickly, and since it's essentially a two-row pattern, and uses a minimal amount of yarn, it's wonderfully portable. I do advise that you check your yarn for itchiness *before* you start stringing beads, though...

Found: my mojo

It seems that I'm fated to go through a couple of weeks each year, when all I can do is function; usually maintaining a smile on my face, but still, just the bare minimum.

Assemble your supplies: a butt-ugly clock that you once thought was so cool;
a handful of paint chips and something to cut them with; glue; (not shown) paint;
a paintbrush; (also not shown) something to use as a topcoat - like modpodge

Remove the clock hands if you can (or just work around them... mine didn't come off).
Cut the paint chips to size (I did 2" square) and glue them down,
trimming the center ones around the clock mechanism.

A time when I have nothing extra to give.

After the glue has dried, trim the edges and sand them smooth.
I also sanded down the top, to smooth the edges of the paint chips
where they were sticking up a bit.

Also I like the distressed look.

Mostly it seems to happen during the dark winter months. I thought I'd staved it off this year. Apparently I only postponed it.

Add a light coat of paint: I used Golden's Titan Buff... I painted on a section
and then rubbed it off, leaving a very thin coat.

Add whatever decoration you like: I painted the bird silhouette
and then sanded it down as well. Stamp on the numbers,
and add a protective topcoat.

 I think I'm back now. We'll see.

Here's the clock in my newly-tidied sewing room.