this cute and tiny sock is a free pattern from classic elite yarns. i used koigu. this is actually the first sock i have ever made. maybe if i make a herd of holiday ornament socks i will be ready to tackle a larger pair?
making and inserting the horn from polymer and the pattern
full size pattern.
feel free to make, pass on, share, etc. just credit me and please don't make to sell them w/o permission!
edit: an alternate way to make the horn out of wool felt is here.
if you are so inclined, check out my halloween sale in my etsy shop!
tis the season.
this is the first acorn i crocheted.
i just gave three away, one to my mother, and one to my best work friend-- actually, two to her, she wanted to send one to a friend and i am happy to share the acorn love.
two of my lovely readers have sent me acorn caps, so i have lots! some are from colorado and some are from california.
if you would like me to send YOU an acorn, please leave a comment AND email me your address to mnoelATrdwarfDOTcom. depending on how many people ask it might be a little bit, but i will send your acorn before autumn is over. just ask me by november 4th, a week from today.
for the lovely people who sent me acorn caps -- i am already planning to send you acorns! :)
this is a little bit of what i have been working on today. i am happy with the nest but i am not entirely happy with the mouse -- yet! if anyone has any feedback, it is welcome.
squeak!
these are the little house ornaments i finished up this weekend. they are so fun to do -- each one is like creating a tiny world! they are available in my etsy shop.
good day. i took 2 naps, read some, finished some more of my little houses, finished knitting my halloween costume, and crocheted 9 adorable acorns from koigu using a free pattern from resurrection fern.
these are kind of addictive.. i could make a lot more!
sorry this is a little blurry, this was taken with.. not my camera of choice. this is a closeup of my halloween costume i am knitting. only i am not telling you want it is. i will post pictures after halloween.
my so-called studio (ok, a towel on top of a footstool.)
i am loving the payne's gray with the autumn colors!
you can see these photos larger on flickr.
last night i worked on my halloween costume, started penciling and inking in 3 paintings --inspired by the season -- and listed a couple things on etsy. i wish there was more time for art-making. i also have a doll in progress. i should be walking to work right now, but i am cooking something for lunch and it's not done. i also wish i could take a nap. i woke up last night at 1:18 am, all anxious and filled with self doubt. i don't think that really improves one's rest.
i just listed this little spooky house on etsy. also a pair of cute owl earrings.
and i've sat around knitting and had a brownie. all in all a good evening
yesterday was rather nice out. i went for a walk, stopping to take some pictures of the beautiful fall colors, and of the produce and things at the farmer's market. i do love the colors of autumn. i also worked on my halloween costume, which, true to form, i am knitting. it's a surprise at the moment, however. this photo at least gives you a hint on the colors i am using.
now, i wanted to mention that if anyone happened to stumble upon any especially large acorn caps on their autumn ramblings, i would love some. most of the ones i have found are small. (I have a hoard of acorns already, and some from last year. my stuffed mouse wants enough to make a pie!) anyway, there is a neato craft project involving them on my new favorite blog:
resurrection fern.
so anyhow. it's raining today.
finally, a cat to match.
cooper is having some nerve problems and one eye is not working correctly. but his appearance sort of matches mine.
i was born without the ability to see out of both eyes at the same time. and my eyes were crossed as well, which was corrected with surgery. however as have gotten older they have tracked more and more poorly. you can see in this photo that my eyes are not looking in the same direction. my eye doctor has been pushing me to have surgery again, but i don't feel ready.
in the meantime cooper and i are keeping each other lopsided company. fortunately i am not also having trouble with my legs and paws like he is. cooper is my best cat-friend. he lives up the street and we have been good friends for years. he is not in any pain, is under a vet's care and so far he and gets over these episodes of nerve problems. he's a real sweetheart, but skittish.
gluten free brownies with frosting and sprinkles.
my grandmother sylvia's plate, my grandmother ruth's hand crocheted lace. you can see a handwoven hand towel that my mother made peaking out. (ok, i should have ironed it!)
i adapted from a hershey's recipe:
1 cup melted butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3/4 cup hershey's dark cocoa
3/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
(frosting, sprinkles.)
melt the butter and mix in the vanilla and sugar. add eggs, beating after adding each egg. beat in the cocoa. finally beat in the flours, baking powder, and salt. mix well.
pour into a greased 13x9" pan and bake in pre-heated 350* oven for ~35 minutes. frost and sprinkle -- then serve!
i finished 2 more little houses. these are the "october houses" and i have listed them on etsy. hmm, have to decide what i want to do now. more houses or more dolls? and the colors. because left on my own i tend to stick with the autumn colors...
anyway. i was thinking today it is autumn, and winter is coming. i am a mammal living in the northern hemisphere. since i don't happen to have adaptations that make me suited for the climate, i have several options: 1) hibernate, 2) migrate, and 3) hunker down. my job does not allow me to hibernate or migrate, and i guess i am hunkering down - though the job is interfering with that, too. mammals who aren't suited for the north don't do a lot beyond the basics in winter. they make sure they keep as warm as they can, have someplace to sleep, and have food and water. but they don't do anything fancy. no mating, courting, raising offspring, etc. no they conserve their energy. and my body wants to do that too, but having to go to work every day makes that hard. anyway, the fatigue is worse than it has been, and fevers off and on, bah.
i uploaded some more pictures of my recent dolls to flickr. this is the autumn doll. and it certainly feels like autumn -- at least -- in seattle. some people got frost on friday, though it has warmed up a bit and was almost pleasant for a little while on sunday. i wandered around the farmer's market and bought some organic vegetables. tonight i made soup out of them -- oh the smell of onions, garlic, and thyme simmering. then i added yukon gold potatoes and some broccoli. it was a cream-based soup. very good indeed. after that i worked on a couple more of my little embellished house ornaments and now it is time for bed. i do wish there was more time. i suppose some people might wish to sleep less, but i love sleep and need a lot of it, so i'll just wish there was more time in general, to make stuff and nap and read books, mostly.
three new dolls.. the autumn imp, a tree, and forest imp. they are in my etsy shop!. now i am between projects and will have to decide what to do next...
pattern from churchmouse yarns and teas on bainbridge island. the yarn is manos silk blend, color 3019, dove grey
i love the yarn and the welted cuffs. i think if i knit again, i might do the thumbs differently. i had a hard time keeping the increases tidy. and there are some gaps that were at the spaces between needles on the garter stitch portions -- i need to work on that! i do really like this pattern so i will make it again. i am trying to decide if i will add the buttons to the cuffs that were suggested as optional. i think i will make a matching scarf and/or cowl or scarf-let.
i spent part of this week sewing and quilting and beading on these little house ornaments, which i have listed on etsy!. though now it is clearly autumn and i think it is time to put away the threads and beads and take a long cozy nap...
this is an original pen and ink drawing of mine. from it i made 25 prints and it has been my best selling print. i found 2 that i had set aside for a client who never claimed them and i have listed them on etsy. i also decided to sell the original, also on etsy. if you missed your chance before to get this print -- well, act soon :)
i am taking a class on november 1st at churchmouse yarns and teas on bainbridge island. we will be picking our patterns in class and adapting them to suit us. these are my swatch samples.
yarn: debbie bliss luxury tweed
color: eggplant (360006)
dyelot: 0609
needle size: 7
below: stockingette stitch
above, top to bottom: seed stitch, stockingette stitch, moss stitch
any suggestions of other stitches i should try?
another art journal page. i have not been feeling terribly well this week but managed not to miss much work. however the only art i have roused myself to work on is drawing in my art journal and some knitting. i finished the 1st of a pair of fingerless gloves, in dove grey, manos silk blend, which is a dream to work with and very soft and comfortable. hopefully i will get going on the 2nd of the pair this weekend.
well, the only person who read my previous post about making more imp dolls and responded was my friend kathy. but she said i should! and i value her opinion highly -- so i will! wait and see what i do. here is another one from the archives.
i took a little walk at lunch. this is just a little tidbit of what i saw .. the golden colors of autumn. now i wish my body was not starting into hibernation mode! just like a little dormouse, i am.
