Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems. ~Rainer Maria Rilke

Friday, September 2, 2011

Knitting, Gourding and Felting... Oh, My.


 This morning I took my coffee outside...
and sat down to enjoy a few moments of  late summer  peace and quiet.



 and then the gunfire started.
Dove season is in full swing. The weekend will be even noisier.
What sport is it in shooting these little birds? I don't get it.

When I finished my coffee and oh, it was good...
I watered the garden.
It was going to be a really hot day.
The Prospector asked for some help and by the time I returned to the house, I realized that whatever I did today would be done INSIDE. At 8:00 a.m. it was already hot.

A member of the gourd group and I are giving a demonstration at the Art Association meeting next Wednesday so I have been working on what I want to demonstrate. One of the projects is this bowl.
It's a cleaned out gourd that has been cut, stained and waxed with shoe polish.The inside of the gourd has been layered with torn paper from a magazine.  I decoupaged the paper with Mod Podge.
The edges were notched with a Dremel tool and have a hole under each indentation. Then I looped leather strapping into the holes and wrapped the leather around the lip of the bowl. The loose ends are where I will attach some twigs and feathers before I glue them down. Then I will add a few small rocks.
Do you think I should use chicken feathers?...
or Turkey feathers?.
The chicken feathers are more subtle, but the turkey feathers are more decorative and the colors are brighter.
What do you think? I need to get this finished by Wednesday so I've got to get going on it. More twigs and small rocks.. or moss. I haven't tried a lot of other things yet, except the feathers. Maybe I could wrap the bottoms of the feathers with the leather ties. Too many ideas.... to little time.

Another project is a baby blanket.
This is for a Mom that doesn't like traditional baby colors. She's kind of a gypsy woman and she's having a tiny, gypsy baby girl very shortly. She loves purple, magenta, bright greens and anything that is not just  "pink and blue" so I hope that this will fit into her gypsy bedroom.  This is really nice yarn to work with. It's RED HEART Acrylic yarn. You can machine wash and dry anything made with it and it is rather inexpensive. It has a nice feel to it. I will add a ruffled edge of green to it when I finish .

I'm also making a scarf out of some gray Paton's classic Wool Roving and a mystery yarn that I've had for a long time. I love the combination of the two yarns. I wish you could feel it.
I felted a test piece and the beige-gray yarn didn't shrink very much when I felted it. I will have to be careful not to felt this scarf too much because I don't want the gray roving to shrink up and pull the other yard in strange ways. But... sometimes, how different yarns shrink can be very interesting and it can form some rather unique patterns.
I love the way this off white yarn knits together.
 I really love the openness of the sections that are only knitted with the lighter yarn.
Can't wait to finish the scarf and felt it.
Felting is the fun part... the magic process part of all this.
It's really the only reason I learned to knit.


So I've got a few things to do next week.

Our oldest son will be here for the weekend so all of this will be on hold for a few days....
I have a blackberry pie to bake for "M". I promised him.
He's our son who always wanted pie, and not cake, on his birthdays when he was growing up.
So if I say...
"I will bake a pie for you when you come up."
I better darned will mean it.
Lucky, his cat, will be coming too... I think.
We won't tell Carl and Cutter.
No point in causing chaos before it happens... or not.

Will you look at this.
Cutter Butter.... hiding under the bed... where the overhead fan won't blow down on him and he can see Carl coming. Cute nose...

Oh, and Happy Birthday Uncle Earl.

14 comments:

  1. All of the things you are creating are beautiful - and I absolutely love the colors in the baby blanket. I think I like the turkey feathers best - where do you get them?

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  2. If you add feathers, I like the turkey feathers, but I really like it plain...as is. It's just beautiful! I made a blackberry pie for my hubby yesterday. Used a new recipe for the crust; no shortening, canola oil instead. The consistency is akin to plaster of paris, but harder. Hubby won't eat it and I can't really blame him!Enjoy your visit with your son.

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  3. feathered gourds, gypsy baby, blackberry pie....Constance, you're killing me. Wow and wow!
    You are one talented lady. We need to get together with Gold Country Heidi and have some pie. You're amazing. Jamie

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  4. Your gourd vessel is stunning! I have about 200 gourds in the potting shed - I wish you lived next door so that I could trot them over to you! They deserve your beautiful touch! (I favor the turkey feathers) PLEASE let us see the finished product, yes?
    I love your non-traditional baby blanket. And I love that little corgi nose best of all.

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  5. I am your newest follower. I found your blog through Thoughts from Meme's. I am enjoying getting to know you very much. Your gourd is just beautiful and I like to knit and crochet, too. Have a wonderful holiday weekend! Twyla

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  6. Oh, I meant to say that your pups are adorable! Twyla

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  7. Turkey feathers. Absolutely. Love what they represent and I think they make the inside of the gourd POP!

    OOh, a gypsy baby. May she light up the world with her blankie from the neighborlady.

    Blackberry pie, and Cutter on the lookout for Carl. Aren't our doggies just the most fun? Most of the time?

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  8. You have quite a lot of project going. The bowl is pretty and I think the turkey feathers are the best. The picture of your dog under the bed is really cute. Try to stay cool and not over do. Have a blessed day and a great Labor Day weekend. Madeline

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  9. nice...you have lots of projects...that bowl is so cool...love all the color in it...love that first cup of coffee too....

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  10. I LOVE the gourd bowl! Turkey feathers...

    You are just so talented and these projects are all very beautiful.

    Sweetie pie nose poking out ♥

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  11. HI Connie, thanks for swinging by! Hope the new blog lives up to everyone's expectations, I have to get to work! It is a great winter project. So glad the fires are over, and you are able to create and have a cup of coffee relaxing again. Man, what a scare. Turkey feathers!! Love those, beautiful gourd, that looks like fun. Have a great weekend. Hugs, Riki

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  12. Poor birds (I don't get it!), turkey feather, love those colors, I have a son who doesn't eat cake either and is Cutter hiding because of the gunfire maybe?

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  13. The gourd is beautiful Farmlady, and the scarf too. I am curious to see how it felts. I think you are very brave to felt it after it's done not knowing what will felt up & what won't.
    Oh & I like the turkey feathers best!

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  14. All wonderful projects! I LOVE the bowl - beautiful creation from a gourd. Somewhere here in my workroom are books on painting gourds...hmmm. The knitting is lovely - especially like the colors in the sweet baby blanket. I have taught myself to knit & purl (that's it) and still have trouble figuring anything else out (like the knitting directions) but I'm trying. I must try felting!

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