Loads of Fun

We've been keeping busy with loads of fun stuff. The Salon is so full amazing clients that I'm still unfortunately, having to turn new clients away. Always feel bad about saying no. We've still found time for some amazing projects and adventures so far this spring/summer. 

Finished these stripey socks for Beastie. Now we're working on a solid yellow pair. She loves yellow.

We made it to the ROM!!! Hope to go back with the squirt before summer is over.

We adventured with Merc in TO for a couple of days. We NEED to do this more!!! Took the train and public transit. No driving and it was amazing. Saw the fashion district, ROM, Kensington for Pho, sat for drinks in a roof top pub, ate at way too many great eateries and saw Sarah Millican at the winter gardens theatre.  

Been producing loads of projects for publication too. Always playing at making. 

New dress from the fabric we scored in the fashion district with Merc. I LOVE IT!!!!

We celebrated towel day in style. Beastie couldn't see the spaceship we were trying to hitch a ride on. It was all very perplexing. 

Got my retro nails on. Bright red with a neon pink over the top. So very bright.

Collected forget-me-nots from our garden and encapsulated them in UV gel for jewellery. 

Loads of walks and visits to the park to fly the kite and blow bubbles.

Working on more of my maker sleeve. Plan to have this sit just inside my left wrist. They are my scissors and my Mom's knitting needles. Sketch is sent off to my very talented tattoo artist for finishing and improvements. I think I'll have to get her to add colour to this one. 

Oh HI!!!!!

Forgot I had a blog there for a little while. Sorry folks. Thanks for hanging in there waiting for new posts. Here are a few things we've been up to this past month. 

I miss blogging!!!

I have sorted my fabrics (most gifted recently in three GIANT leaf bags) into different sorts. A stack of cotton, a stack of jersey, a stack of fleece...... well, you get the picture. Beastie came to the sewing room and asked for pants. I told her to pick one from the fleece pile and one from the cotton. This is what she chose. She's a fashion icon now. Notice the stylish and functional pockets? 

We've baked up some bun-nies..... Get it? BUN nies???? You see what we did there???

First day of school ever and Beastie was struck down with the terrible flu.

Looking forward to trying again next week. I'll stock up on hand sanitizer.....

Boot socks!!! I'm irrationally concerned that her calves may chafe inside her rainboots and am taking action to prevent it! 

We were gifted a bazillion gorgeous organic tomatoes. Beastie was in charge of cleaning them up.

I let her make tomato soup using the fresh fruit. She added molasses and basil and garlic but that was it. So yummers!

Loads of nail art has happened since I've been here and posted. I've particularly enjoyed the moon art that's been requested lately.

So adorable!!!

I've been enjoying the variety of shapes requested too.

More sock knitting! This lace reminds me that I can follow instructions. 

More moon art. These were all done with gel paint over hard gel support nails.

Couldn't decide on one purple...... so she decided on ALL of them.

These are mine this month. I think next month will be squirrels!!!

Found Beastie a real honest to goodness tool set at the antiques market! Can't wait to see what these two get up to. Oh hey!!! There's Mr. Jimmy in his new home sewn shirt too!!!

More Squirrels (and other things)

The Fair Aisle Squirrel Vest is coming along swimmingly. Although I can only work on it for very brief bits of time between work and commissions, it's getting there. I have the pattern well worked out now and I think I'm pretty happy withe the results. Far Aisle knitting isn't for the instant gratification junkie in me, but I'm getting used to the slow progress and I'm beginning to love the workings of it.

Here's a bit of a sneaky peek of what's on my worktable right now. Getting very messy in the studio with some FIMO Air clay. This is my underlying structure. I can't wait to see if the picture in my head will make it out into the real world.

AND.......

There's some very exciting news of the GIVEAWAY sort coming up in the not so distant future so if you're a doll maker (or a want to be doll maker), you might want to click on the "Join This Site" button at the bottom of the page to make sure you get all the Make It With Me notifications. You won't want to miss this next giveaway!

It's going to be a good one!

I'm excited!!!

Mini Skeins.

I got these beauties from Xrayann's shop and can NOT wait until I get the ribbing done on the bottom of my squirrel fair aisle vest! Knitting with fine wool gives such a pretty end product, 

but 

OH MY GOOD GODDESS! 

It takes forever to see any progress. I'm so excited to get to the actual pattern work in this piece. These mini skeins are so soft and deliciously dyed, they're all I can think about!

Send me patience.

Keeping Cozy

We Canadians are really good at cuddling in for the winter. That's exactly what we've been doing around our end of the woods.

Mom's been keeping us in flowers to keep us all cheerful.

I've been learning new knitting skills.

Potato mash, cod and cheddar spread is being had.

Even more socks are being knit.These are for our Mercy.

I've been making scratch Bennie for lunch.

It's been a great winter!

Squirrel Progress

There is progress, but it's very slow. I tested up the squirrel grid for my fair aisle vest in some worsted weight acrylic so see how it looks in the real world. I think it'll do just fine. I've sent away for the colour wool for the actual vest and am waiting patiently for it's arrival. I'm working the vest in fingering weight yarn and it's taking FOREVER!!!! Most of the materials I work in are fast finish deals, but this teensy yarn width takes an excruciatingly long time to work up anything bigger than a sock.

So I'll try to stay patient until I can finish it up and wear it.

I must admit I really am enjoying the idea of creating my own unique kitschy vintage vests. Who knows what's next....... maybe dragons?

A Fair Aisle Squirrel Grid

We had a seriously terrific 2014. Mercedes moved back to our home province after two excruciating (for us, not her) years across the country. We had the best vacation EVER to a castle in France. Maggie and Austin gave us our grand baby Lily. (Still can't believe she's here!) and I have a very successful operation that ended ten years of pain. Here's hoping your slipping into 2015 with as much happiness and comfort as we are experiencing. I really don't know how the new year will ever hold up to the last.

Here's a bit of what we've been up to.

Loads of cuddle time and knitting. I'm working up some squirrel and acorn fair aisle vest grids. I'm using my STAEDTLER ergo soft pencil crayons to get some colour ideas. More on that later.

Lily is growing like a bad weed. It's all I can to to keep her in slippers!

The latest Lily foot coverings are plain old granny slippers with pomp poms.

More Lily Booties

Lily sure won't run out of knee high booties any time soon. This vintage pattern is so fast and easy to workup, I can have a pair done in a day or two. I think our favorite pair so far are the baby Jane shoe pair. She'll be able to wear those with everything!

Here's the pattern for anyone who needs to have these little bits of comfy goodness made up for Christmas.

Happy knitting!

Speeding My Recovery Along With Knitting

I've been keeping as busy as I'm allowed. Knitting seems to be the perfect therapy right now. Maybe next week I'll move on to projects that have me moving about a bit more, but for now here's some of what I've been up to.

Made Lily a hat and stocking set. There are now a wee set of thumb-less mittens to go with these.

Maggs got the softest, prettiest set I could make. Love the cables.

Austin got some man mitts. 

Mercy's mitts are lengthened large child size. They'll fit her perfectly!

How do you folks take it easy?

A Spot of Surgery and Some Knitting

Thought I'd better let you folks know why I've been away from the blog. I've had a spot of abdominal surgery. Nothing serious, just some maintenance work. I'll be fine and back to work in five or six weeks. In the meantime I'll be poking my head in here with wee hand made projects that don't require any lifting or long periods of sitting upright.

Found this bootie pattern online from a vintage knitting book called Beehive for Bairns. Both of my girls wore these when they were teensy people. I just had to make at least one pair for our Lily.

I've been having bouts of photo editing too. Just spurts really. None are finished well because I can't stick with things very long yet before I lose my energy and need to rest.

I'll be cuddling Lily if anyone needs me!

Needle Felting a Rat.

Auntie J and Mom brought us a load of needle felting supplies in the summer. Maggs has been felting up a storm, but I haven't had a chance to make anything with it until this weekend.

Here's what I got!

A little white rat!

I didn't take very many early construction photos because I wasn't sure it was going to be anything worth documenting. This is the first pic I took. Most of the body is constructed of felted balls. I poked some flexible wire through at the arm and leg spots and covered the wire wool and felted it. I did the same for the tail.

I curled the ends of the wire into loops and covered them with pink felt to make little paws.

I felted the center of two little flat bits of wool.

Folded them in half and felted some more.

I added a wee bit of pink to the inside of each. They're ears!!! This is soooooo much fun and way too addictive!

I attached the ears.

I found some teeny black teardrop beads in my stash and sewed them into the head.

I tightened the threads to sink the eyes into the face a bit. I cut off the extra thread and felted a bit of white wool over the thread exit point at the back of the head.

I added a bottom jaw.

I wrapped some pink wool around the pointy tip of a wooden skewer and felted it.

These little pink worms made excellent thumbs!

Have you tried needle felting yet?