A Perfect Mess

I have just seen a reference to this on a blog. It sounds just what I need to justify my slothfulness...

Tidy-ish desk

These cardboard drawers were going cheap in Lidl or Aldi, can't remember which now, and they have gone a long way to helping me keep my desk a little tidier. They have reminders of what is in each drawer, or at least what was originally in each drawer, and hold all the bits that I use each day. If you are wondering about the object on top of the stack, it is a tracing paper covered frame that I use when I take photos of small objects, to diffuse the strong sunlight coming in through the window at this time of the year. That's why the curtain is pulled across to keep the sun off the screen, but let me sit here feeling the warmth....

I haven't blogged much crafting lately because it has been a little boring; One of the residents of the place where we bowl lost his wife about 18 months ago, and he is running out of socks. Yes, he does know how to use a washing machine, but he doesn't know how to knit. He had polio when he was a lad, and since then, one of his legs has stayed the size it was then. He has to wear a brace and an enormous boot, and his wife Mary used to knit him knee socks with a big turnover to stop the brace rubbing. He asked if anyone would be willing to knit socks for him, and I said yes, not realising at the time that he wanted five pairs! He brought me a Fortnum and Mason's hamper containing Mary's annotated sock patterns, half a dozen balls of wool, one completed man size sock and a half completed boy size sock. The man size sock was riddled with moth holes, as were the balls of wool. With a lot of knot tying, I managed to complete the half done sock and darn the holes in the completed one. I then put the whole lot in the freezer for a few days in the hope that the treatment would kill off any remaining eggs. A visit to the local wool shop didn't produce anything with the right wool/nylon mix to survive the wear and tear plus machine washing, so I ordered wool on-line. It arrived the week before Christmas, and I've been knitting it ever since. Three grey pairs completed, and only another two to go....

I should be making shaker cards for the PC swap, but my heart isn't in it at the moment. I fused on a backing and the heat of the iron melted the vinyl on the other side. I tried another, carefully protecting the vinyl in the centre, but afterwards the shakees would not be shook, and they clung resiliently to the vinyl. I'll have to re-think my methods.

Shake it all about

I dropped my Elna SU sewing machine on its head today. I did the ironing first thing this morning, and one of Bossman's shirts needed a repair, so I sat down to do it there and then. As I got up from the machine, I caught my foot in the extension lead that lead out into the hall where I had been ironing (Because the ironing board in the sewing room can't be seen for boxes) . The extension was looped around the sewing machine cable, and as I pulled one, the other followed, as did the machine. I held my breath as I picked it up. Both bobbin holders were at a crazy angle, but I couldn't see any other damage. I undid the large left hand screw/bolt that holds the top of the machine in place, then the smaller right hand screw/bolt. As I turned this one, the whole top oscillated backwards and forwards. The force of the landing had bent it out of shape, but I was able to remove it. The bobbin pins are set into plastic flanges that fit into holes in the metal top. A couple of the lugs had broken off, but I managed to pop them back into place, replaced the wonky bolt, allowing the top to wiggle, then the tightened the large one. A test run showed everything was fine. I don't think a computerised modern machines would take this sort of punishment!

I have signed up for a shaker card exchange. Not the usual card shaker card, but a fabric shaker postcard. Having read the hints of those on the group who have made a start, I decided to test a vinyl page protector through the sewing machine. The machine seemed happy to sew it, and the vinyl didn't split or tear, so I went ahead. I have now made two, but I haven't yet worked out a work-round on how to substitute the foam pad spacers of the card version that allow a gap for the shakees between the background and the vinyl. The first one had snowflake confetti, but it only moves given a very sharp rap, and the second has beads and sequins that seem a little more mobile. What I really need to do I think is to use a couple of layers of felt as a frame around the vinyl area, and to keep this window quite small. I'll play again tomorrow afternoon.

Blogland hints that....

...it is good policy to clean one's home for the New Year. I understand the concept, but have difficulty putting it into practice. I made a feeble attempt in my sewing room this morning. I vacuumed up all the dust bunnies and threads that were lurking under the ironing board, and I even moved the plastic carrier bags that were piled under there first. I spent a good twenty minutes removing cotton from around the castors on my chair so that now I can glide from one side of the room to the other....or at least I shall be able to when I have cleared a pathway....

Then I got sidetracked; I opened a box that was under the table. It has been doing duty as a footrest for the last year or so, since I made a batch of two dozen or so tissue holders for a craft fair. It contained a very crumpled up collection of fabric samples bought as a job lot from the remnant bin of a fabric stall on Warrington Market about 25 years ago. I plugged in the iron, pressed them all, and folded them into postcard size. Don't they look neat?
Pity the rest of the room doesn't....

Take Three...

....Nine Patch squares.


Quarter them....


...and re-arrange to suit...


...like this...


this...


...or this.

But which? Opinions and suggestions gratefully received, as were the patches from Kate and the idea from Helen.

Better late than never...

I suppose if I was really fussed about preparing for Christmas, I wouldn't choose to go on holiday at a time when more organised souls were decorating, shopping and wrapping. Well now that I'm back, I have made a small effort; I have trimmed a tiny tree and filled a large glass bowl on the coffee table with tinsel, berries, leaves and rather dusty candle.....I must get some new specs in the New Year. Himself has gone to town as usual downstairs in the apartment where we shall be serving Christmas dinner to nine. He made a special request for turkey this year, so a fresh bird is sitting in the fridge. A goodly sized piece of salmon fillet is marinating in salt, sugar, pepper and dill, the Saturday market yielded carrots, turnips, parsnips, squash, sprouts and fresh and dried chestnuts. The fresh chestnuts are for afternoon snacks, roasted on the cast iron Melior grill. The dried ones are to soak overnight and cook with the sprouts. Blanching and peeling chestnuts on Christmas morning is not my idea of fun, and anyway, I wouldn't be able to resist eating most of them. I was planning on making the stuffing today, but it is heaving it down outside and I don't fancy getting wet going to pick sage. Hopefully the sun will shine tomorrow, and the heat will bring out all the essential oils, and it will taste that little bit better. Tomorrow I might look for sausages to roll in bacon, or I might not. I might buy some lard and some belly and leg pork and make himself a large raised pork pie, but on the other hand I might leave that until Boxing Day; one of the joys of living here is that Christmas Day and New Years Day are Fiesta Days, but on all the days in between, life goes on as normal!

My poinsettias are not strictly Christmas decorations, but are presents for my recent birthday. They are a jolly sight, grouped together by the kitchen door. I particularly like this cream painted variety.

This is supposed to be my crafting Blog, and I have been busy making things for presents, but I seem to have forgotten to take pictures before wrapping them up. I did knit two pairs of mittens while off on my jollydays, but they were snapped up by family members who just happened to be in the vicinity, and didn't listen to the grey-haired wise old crone when she said "Bring warm clothing. It snows in the Balearics in December..."

More Monsters

Here are the Blues Brothers, commissioned by the Gran of two lovely lads who took a shine to Sitrus. I did suggest that I might add some fangs, but they were more concerned with the colour of the tongues. Scott asked for green, and Matthew wanted yellow. I have made them different in other ways, cutting the slit for the arms vertically in the first and horizontally in the next, so that I was able to have one arm coming forward and one going back as if he is on the move....OK...I admit I cocked up and put one in the wrong way round, but who's to know that? You won't tell, will you?

More leaves and a commission

The scan doesn't do this postcard justice. The background fabric is a rich chestnut with a lovely sheen. The right hand leaf has been made by sewing two layers of green taffeta together, turning right side out and then top-stitching. The centre leaf is a digital image printed onto fabric, and the third is made by using the original leaf to stamp in gold onto a turquoise batik. The whole is the work of Lourdes on ArtWeMail.

I have had fun making another Sock Monster. He is called Nastertius. He is a little too cute to be a real Monster, so I have it in mind to make another one of the same outline, but to have it the other way up with the eyes on the ends of what are now the legs, and the tail becoming an extension of the head!
Sitrus, my "first born", went down well at the Craft Exhibition on Sunday, and I have been commissioned to make two more for the grandsons of a friend. One has asked for blue stripes and the other for green, but if I can't find any green striped socks, he will settle for blue, but he does want a green tongue!

A Quick Post

There were three items in the box today. From Mary P the Three Leaves; Three Techniques swap from ArtWeMail. One stamped leaf, one appliquéd leaf and one cut out from a skeleton leaf. I was thinking along those lines myself, so I shall have to think again!
From Diana B in New Zealand came a picture of the statue on the hill, with beads sewn on to represent the illuminated halo. This was for the Fibre, Fibre, Fibre swap on ArtWeMail.
This jolly rooster eyeing up an amuse bouche is a private swap for my Wild Bird, and came from Faye.
About this....more later...

New kid on the block

Introducing Sitrus the Sock Monster. He is the result of an hour's slash and sew on Sunday. He is very basic; just a test piece really, as I know that my Elna hates knitted fabric, and the Jones has given up the ghost again. Surprisingly, the machine sailed through the firm fabric of the sock, and the only hand stitching was the mouth, eyes and stuffing hole.
Just in case you are wondering what he is leaning against, it is Kez the Fez wearing a strawberry hat and a Fake Fairisle hat. To the right is a stack of three knitted aubergines/figs/plums?
They are more purple than blue. Kez is wearing the baby size, and the other two are larger. They will actually accommodate my noggin, but are aimed at children. They are worked in short row garter stitch, and each has a different leaf or leaves. I have enough wool left for another baby size. The strawberry hat is strawberry, not the washed out orange it appears here. The white balance on the camera is set to auto. I think I'll have to play about to see if I can improve the colour rendition of the camera, as I can't always drum up the Tuits to open a graphics programme to sort it out. Just in case you think I'm expecting a baby boom in the family, I must explain that these are all going into a basket of hand-mades for the Emaus Childrens' Home in Calpe. We are having a Craft Fair to raise money for their Three Kings presents, and any that are not sold will be added to their stash! I have another ball of strawberry to knit up. If anyone would like to have a go, it's the Urchin hat off Knitty.com, and the leaves are from Nicky Epstein's Knitted Embellishments.