A new DIY Kick Spindle (Mother Marion's Spindle) for me!

It's official...I'm now a spinner and happy yarn-maker. (The yarn pictured above is a 2-ply I spun and plied on a Turkish style spindle my husband made)  I just woke up one day and wanted to learn to spin.  I watched practically every video on YouTube and requested many books from my local library on the subject of handspinning and spindling as I knew a spinning wheel was out of the question.  I received the bottom whorl drop spindle and fiber I ordered from Etsy.com then visited my LYS to sign up for a spindling class.  By the time I showed up for my first class I pretty much knew what I was doing but had fun anyway.  I showed my husband several more drop spindles and expressed my interest in a kick spindle, practically begged him to make them for me, especially the kick spindle.  Well, he did it!  I've been happily spinning on my kick spindle since 4 am Sunday morning and love, love, love it!  I expected my leg to get tired of using the kick spindle but it doesn't.  I think it has to do with the height of the chair I'm using.  I tried it while sitting in my recliner and, sure enough, my quadriceps screamed at me to stop after just a couple of minutes.  I now use my husband's computer chair at it's highest height setting and it's perfect.  My leg naturally swings at the right height to kick the wheel, almost effortlessly.  My favorite thing about the kick spindle is the ease at which I can wind on the spun singles then back around the cup hook to begin spinning again.  I can't wait to ply on the kick spindle.  I have an idea it will be a dream!
I think he'd be upset if he knew I was blogging this picture.  He is not happy with the way it looks as I was urging him to just "slap it together" so I could use it already!  But now that he knows how it works and the proper angles, he wants to make me another one, but prettier.  Okay, I can live with that!  LOL  First of all, the base need not be so long but it is nice and sturdy without any wobbling or moving at all.  That was my only complaint about the kick spindles I've seen for sale.  The bases look too clunky and unstable.  He also wants to find another ball bearing to go into the upright support so that it might spin longer and faster.  He wants to make it more decorative by carving designs into the kick wheel and perhaps make it more portable.  Right now you can remove the spindle, whorl and kick wheel but the upright support is fixed.  It was a learning experience for him and I am the happy recipient of his experiment.

Learning to spin and new spindles

I don't know what's gotten into me lately but I can't get the idea of spinning wool, or more specifically, spindling (using a spindle rather than a wheel).  I ordered a drop spindle and some wool roving from Etsy and couldn't wait to get it before asking my husband, an avid woodworker, to make me a supported spindle like the Russian and French spindles we saw on YouTube.  I made him watch videos with me and then look on websites for examples of these types of spindles.  This afternoon he went to his workshop and fired up the lathe and made these three spindles for me.  Each is a little different, all are very lightweight, and each beautiful because he made them just for me!  I raided his workshop for the two bowls, which he made years ago and was storing tools in.  Yes, that green mess is my first attempt at spinning singles.  Right now, I'm actually knitting up a swatch of this yarn, which is way too overspun and kinked up like crazy until I figured out how to let it unspin some. 

I have lunch planned for tomorrow with some friends in the vicinity of a local fiber shop that sells roving and gives spinning lessons.  I can't wait to check it all out!  Hopefully my drop spindle and more roving will arrive next week so I have more to practice on.  I have also joined multiple spinning groups on Ravelry so I can drool over everyone else's spindles, yarn, etc.

Hon, I love you very much!  Thank you for the wonderful new tools (notice I didn't say toys?)!

Nook Tablet Cover, not a pattern, just my measurement notes

I wanted to make myself another cover for my Nook Tablet, just like I saw on Etsy.com.  I didn't want to buy one, nor did I want to pay for a pattern.  The challenge is in figuring it out by myself!  Here are the measurements of the fabric pieces I need to make the covers.  Not a pattern, just my notes so I can make more. 
Nook Tablet Cover

Inside:
2 pcs - 6.5" x 9.5"
4 pcs - 3.5" square, pressed in half diagonally for corners
1 pc - 11" x 9.5", pressed in half with 9.5" ends together for pocket
1 pc - 2" x 9.5" for closure loop

Outside
1 pc - 12.5" x 9.5"
If using a pieced front cover, make 2 pieced pieces 6.5" x 9.5" and sew along the 9.5" side
Batting of choice 14" x 11.5".  I use fusible fleece.

Optional
1 pc - 11" x 9.5" for chipboard sleeve
1 pc chipboard slightly smaller than 11" x 9.5"

Knitting & reading

I've never read Charlaine Harris until now.  I thought all her books were about vampires.  Dopey me.  Her Aurora Teagarden mysteries are of the cozy genre and revolve around a part-time librarian, mystery buff.  I read her third book first on my new Nook, borrowed free from my local library via .pdf download.  I couldn't get any others this way but found the 2nd, 4th, & 5th in paperback @ my library.  I'm enjoying them so far.  I love being able to download free books from our library system!  This is why I wanted a Nook or Kindle in the first place.  I've had both the Nook & Kindle apps on my phone & computer for awhile now and like that I can read on them but my eyesight isn't so good anymore and the small print on my phone was killing me.

New Nook Tablet, New Quilted Nook Case...yippee

What do you do when you get a Nook Tablet for Christmas but you don't have a case to put it in?  If you're like me, you order one then turn around and make one until that one arrives!  Please excuse the crappy cell phone pictures but I couldn't wait to post about this!


Front of cover

 I made this cover from two mug rugs that I made and hadn't yet given away.  So glad I put them to great use!  I just love the Japanese prints!

The mug rugs were already quilted and bound before being sewn together.  That means that each side has three layers of batting to protect the Nook.  I am so very pleased with how this project came out!   My neighbor saw it and wants me to make one for her daughter's new Kindle.  I hope I can recreate it!

Inside of cover with two extra layers of quilt batting under the micro fleece liner



So glad I added a zipper to keep my Nook safe!

 

Back of cover with elastic to hold the Nook in place while I read.



Another knit slouch hat - not so slouchy version

Not a pattern, just my personal notes so I can make another one just like it.

Lion Brand Tweed Stripes - Caribbean 3 oz., 144 yds
US sz 7 16" circular needles for ribbing
US sz 10 16" circular needles for body
Stitch markers
Row marker or safety pin
Yarn or tapestry needle

CO 96 sts with smaller needles
Work K2 P2 ribbing for 2"

Increase 16 sts evenly by *K5, M1, K1* 16 times = 112 sts
Change to larger needles and knit in stockinette until entire piece, including ribbing, measures 7 inches.
Place stitch marker every 14 stitches
Decrease row: K1, K2tog, knit to last 3 sts, K2tog tbl, K1
Knit 1 row even
Continue decreasing until there are 2 sts between markers
On last row, remove markers as you K2tog between markers.
Cut yarn leaving enough for sewing up top.  Thread needle and run through all remaining stitches twice, run through all stitches in the opposite direction and cut yarn.  Weave in starting tail.  This hat uses almost all of the whole skein.

Basic knitted slouchy hat notes...non-pattern

Good basic (very) slouchy hat knit with Lion Brand Tweed Stripes yarn

1 Skein, 3 oz., 144 yds

Size US7 and US10 16" circular needles

CO 96, PM before 1st stitch to mark beginning of round

Work K2 P2 ribbing for 2 inches

Increase 16 sts all around by: *K5, M1, K1* 16 times = 112 sts

Change to larger needles and knit every row until piece measures 8" including ribbing

PM every 14 sts to mark decreases

Dec round: *K to last 2 sts before marker, k2tog* around
Knit one round even between decrease rounds

Decrease in this manner until 1 stitch remains between markers

Knit remaining stitches while removing markers.  8 sts remaining

With tapestry needle, cinch up remaining stitches, draw yarn through opposite direction and cut.  Weave in ends.

Mistake Rib Cowl In The Round

Lion Brand Hometown USA - Super Bulky Yarn
US Size 11 circular needle - Magic Loop Method

CO 56 sts

Round 1: *K2, P2* around
Round 2: P1, *K2, P2* around

Continue  rounds 1 & 2 until desired height, then BO

Top Down Knit Slouch Hat - just my notes, not a pattern

I just finished knitting a slouch hat for myself and wanted to post my notes so that I can make more of them just like it.

Top Down Knit Slouch Hat

Hat body US size 10 circular
Hat ribbing US size 7 circular

KFB=Knit in front and back of same stitch
YO=Increase one by doing a YO.  **On next round, knit all YOs through the back loop to avoid making a hole.

Knit using either magic loop or two circular method

With larger needle CO 8 sts:  CO 2, PM, CO 4, PM, CO 2.  Put half of total number of sts on each needle and proceed with magic loop or 2 circular method.

Round 1: *KFB* around. 16 sts
Round 2:  Knit
Round 3: *K1, YO, K2, YO, K1* around. 24 sts
Round 4: *K1, YO, K4, YO, K1* around. 32 sts
Round 5: Knit
Continue in this manner: *K1, YO, K X number of sts to last st before marker, YO, K1* until you have 120 sts total. 
Make color changes as desired.
Knit until you have 8 1/2" from crown to needles. 
Decrease round:  *K3, K2tog* around. 96 sts
Change to smaller needles for ribbing.  Knit K2, P2 or K1, P1 ribbing for 1 1/2 inches.
BO loosely.  Use starting tail to sew up hole at the crown.  Weave in ends. 

*Edit:  Not quite sure I like the 4 increase sections.  Might try 8 so that it looks less square from the top.

Our Friends' 25th Anniversary in Phoenix

This weekend my husband and I drove down to Phoenix to attend our friends' 25th anniversary with the renewal of their wedding vows.  My husband was to be their best man 25 years ago but because of his overseas deployment with the Army, he was unable to attend.  It meant so much to them that he was able to be their best man this time, and I was their matron-of-honor.  While things didn't go precisely as planned, it was very touching, beautiful, and emotional.  One of the highlights for me was to see the slide show, in which they included pictures of my husband from 25 years ago.  I asked for copies of those pictures and was assured I'd get them.  My husband and I have been married for only 21 years so seeing these pictures was a treat for me.  It was also particularly poignant because they included pictures of their parents, all of whom are now deceased.  In fact, the last time we were both in Phoenix together was for the wife's father's funeral 3 years ago. 

Babycakes Cake Pop Maker

Just got this gizmo yesterday from Kohl's.  It's the Babycakes Cake Pop Maker.  I will admit that I paid more than I wanted to.  I got it for $27.00 when I should have waited and bought it from Bed, Bath & Beyond, which has it for $19.99 and I could have used a coupon for either 20% or $5.00 off.  I just couldn't wait!  First, I made a batch of Funfetti pops with white chocolate coating. Sorry, no pictures of those. Then today I made a batch of strawberry pops with dark chocolate coating. They're nothing at all like traditional cake pops that are made with cake mixed with frosting then rolled into balls. I find those to be sickeningly sweet. These, however, are just little balls of cake, light and fluffy, dipped into chocolate.  I was able to get about 6 dozen balls from one cake mix.  These balls are smaller than the ones I usually make, which are about 2 Tbsp.  I believe these are closer to 1 Tbsp.  The wells of the cake pop maker are easily filled by loading a zip lock bag with batter, snipping off one edge, and squeezing the batter into the wells.  After a little practice, you will be able to see how much batter is required to get perfectly round little balls.  The machine also comes with a little rack on which to cool and then decorate the balls.  It only took about 3 minutes per batch to cook.  I sprayed the nonstick machine with cooking spray before the first batch just to be safe and didn't have to do it again.  I'm hooked!  Not as sweet and very quick to make.  I still have a couple of dozen balls in the freezer that weren't dipped because I ran out of chocolate coating and didn't want to open another bag just yet.  Recommendation?  Definitely give the machine a try.  Do your homework and read other reviews on Amazon.com.  See if you can get it cheaper, though.

This is just a small sampling of the cake pops I made today.  I gave a bunch away to a friend and also to a neighbor.  Everyone loves them!

Halloween Cake Pops

Halloween cake pops

Going to a party tonite and I offered to make these cake pops.  My friend, Laura V hadn't heard of them before so I asked her to come over and help.  What fun!  The best part is having to "dispose" of the deformed ones!  Also, dipping orange wedges into the leftover chocolate wasn't half bad.
These are made from a triple fudge cake mix, vanilla frosting, and chocolate candy melts with Halloween candy sprinkles.  Yum!

More mug rugs today

These things are addicting.  They are great for trying new patterns and techniques in an immediately gratifying way.  So small, so quick and very cute.  I've wanted to try the braid pattern for a long time.  Went into my scrap bag and pulled these fabrics out.  They don't go together at all but I didn't want to waste good fabric if it didn't turn out.  I'll use thinner strips next time.  These were 2.5" wide.  I especially like the hexie one.  I started making some English paper pieced hexagons a couple of years ago, not having a grand plan for them.  Glad I could use some here.  The Dresden plate one was to practice my echo quilting more.  The floral with the green & black borders was made to see what one looked like without binding and the others were to reacquaint myself with sewing bindings.    What will tomorrow bring?  If I don't join a mug rug swap, at least I've gotten a start on some Christmas presents :) 

New mug rug

Sorry about the crappy picture.  I took it with my phone because I was too lazy to get my camera out.  I've been admiring a bunch of mug rugs on Flickr and felt to urge to whip one up today.  This 6" x 9" mug rug was made of a bunch of "firsts" for me:  first applique, first dresden plate, first echo quilting, first single fold binding.  Since I've never done a dresden plate before, I didn't have a template so I just made my own.  It was a rather large size but it was okay.  I think I made it 1 1/2" at the bottom x 3" at the top x 5" tall.  Now I know that most dresden templates are usually much narrower but I don't think I did so bad on my first try.  I really wanted to try my hand at echo quilting and had read about using a single fold binding because it is less bulky on such a small project.  I will definitely do the echo quilting again but I felt that this type of binding was more fiddly than a double fold binding and wasn't any easier to do.  In fact, I felt it was a bit harder and I wasn't happy with the corners on the back.  Oh yeah, I tried a new end joining technique on the binding which worked well.  I'll have to try it again!  I should have put a little pocket on the mug rug for either a spoon or a tea bag.  Next time!  I love using up scraps this way.  I used hardly anything at all. 

Not sure if I'll keep this one or save it for a gift or swap.  I really am proud of it even though it's not very much of anything...except a bunch of firsts.  Dang it!  I'll probably keep it now!

Wool dryer balls

I didn't even know about wool dryer balls until the other night.  Apparently, they're supposed to replace fabric softener sheets in the dryer, speed up drying time, and fluff up your laundry.  They might even reduce static cling unless you live in a dry climate (like Las Vegas!) and don't mix synthetic and natural fibers.  There are a few sellers on Etsy that offer them.  I was looking to join a swap on Craftster.org and kept seeing these pop up in the swap packages.  My curiosity was piqued.  I got out a skein of good old Red Heart acrylic for the core and 100% wool for the outer balls and started winding.  I wrapped the core to 7" in diameter, cut that yarn and then started winding the 100% wool until each ball was 9" in diameter.  I then took the yarn end, attached a yarn needle and buried the end deep inside the ball.  I managed to get 6 balls out of my wool.  I put the first ball into the toe of a knee high stocking and tied a knot close to the ball.  I continued like this until I got all 6 balls into that stocking.  They went into the washer with a load of laundry on a hot/cold cycle with some detergent.  It took 3 cycles for them to felt to my satisfaction but now the yarn is completely felted and won't unravel at all. 

How are they in action?  I think they're neat!  I think they've cut my drying time by 20 minutes.  They made my towels and blanket fluffy.  They may even help get wrinkles out but I'll have to test this theory some more.  I don't know if I'm 100% sold on not using fabric softener.  I miss the smell.  I did try one load of clothes without fabric softener and it came out just fine.  I also read that you can add essential oil to the balls and I may try that sometime.  I know for sure that I'll be making these as Christmas gifts!

Unpaper towels

Have you heard of unpaper towels?  I had but didn't pay much attention until joining a frugal living swap this weekend on Craftster.  Some of the swappers in previous swaps gave these as part of their packages.  I don't think we go through a large amount of paper towels but I have been giving some thought to cutting back and have been using my dish towels to clean more things where I would have grabbed a paper towel in the past.  There are some things I refuse to use cloth to clean up (pet poop).  I did a Google search and was amazed at how many people are into this!  I just ordered some birdseye cotton from a seller on Etsy so that I can make a bunch of these. 

I made a few of these last night using cotton flannel on one side and unbleached cotton muslin on the other.  I just wanted to try out the concept.  I am even thinking that these will make great casual, everyday napkins!  The only downside?  They're so cute that I don't want to get them dirty!  I already have more cut out and ready to sew in a brown/cream/black batik and black flannel.  Can't wait to get started on those!

DIY Plastic bag dryer rack.

I've been coveting one of these for a little while since I saw it on Amazon.com
I even asked my husband to make one of these for me.
I couldn't wait.  I'm baking a loaf of bread and wanted to reuse a plastic baggie to store my bread in.  I knew my husband had some dowels in his workshop and I just helped myself to two of them.  I don't know what their diameter is (they're about the same diameter as pencils) but they were 3 feet long.  I knew I needed them on the long side to stick into a vase I got as a gift so I cut them in half.  Voila!  A plastic bag dryer that didn't cost me a dime!   My husband said that because they're coming into contact with food containers, I should finish the dowels with a foodsafe wax or oil.  I'll let him do that for me.  He is the woodworker in this house, after all. 

I know...it's not rocket science but I love it when I can get what I want without spending anything, or very little.  It's like a game.  Wanna play?

So much to show, but I can't :(

I've been busy crocheting potholders for my Christmas stash, knitting cable cup cosies for my Etsy shop, sewing lavender filled dryer sachets and recycled t shirt shopping bags for myself, doggie poo bag holders for my sister, singed edge satin & organza flowers for an upcoming wedding, and a few more things I can't remember.  Only problem is that I haven't taken pictures of any of them yet.

Yesterday, after sewing and filling 10 lavender dryer sachets, I noticed a twinge in my left shoulder/rotator cuff that turned into much more than a twinge by the end of the night.  It's very painful and I type this very slowly while wearing an ice pack.

I'll try to get pictures of these goodies up as soon as I can.

Tazo Shaken Iced Passion Tea Lemonade for 25 cents????

One of the things I fell in love with during our trip to Hawaii this summer was the Tazo Shaken Iced Passion Tea Lemonade from St*rbucks.  What I didn't fall in love with was paying over $3.00 for an iced tea and since there were two of us, that was over $6.00 for iced tea.  I just had to drink them when I got back home but, you know me, I had to do it cheaply.  I figure it now costs me about 25 cents for my 24 oz version of this drink.  Here's how I do it:
Brew a 10 oz cup of the Tazo Passion tea with my Keurig
Pour it over a full 24 oz cup of ice
Add some simple syrup and some pink lemonade Kool Aid syrup (1 pkt pink lemonade Kool Aid, 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar)
Put on a lid and shake.  Add a straw and enjoy. 

So simple...why pay $3.00 ever again?