Just Want 2 Knit

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Some oldies

I took a few photos on Sunday of some of my older handmade ornaments, before we took down the tree.

(Sorry for the blurry picture.) This is a little caroler boy I knitted back in 1985. We had just moved to Brevard, NC so my husband could teach. It was a year before I found a full-time job. For Christmas that first year I bought yarn and knitted ornaments for gifts. It was the first I had knitted since I was a child. I did not like being so poor, but I have fond memories of those low-stress days spent knitting.

The caroler girl. I don't know if I'd attempt these now - so many details!

Another blurry picture. We made these last year in the children's class I help with at church. I remember my mom making these with us when we were kids.

Crocheted paper clip ice skates. Love 'em! I made a bunch one year for the attorneys and staff at work, and a couple of years ago I made a bagful for the kids in class at church. We were studying about heaven, and talking about what we planned to do there. I invited them to come to my ice skating planet. I've never ice skated, but it looks so fun, I can't wait to get there and learn. If I tried it now, I'd fall and bust every crackly old bone in my body!

Saturday, January 4, 2014

I'm trying something new

A month or so ago, my mom and I went to a fiber fair that was in town. There was a ton of roving, and needle felted items. There were lots of cookie cutters, for sale, and I had no idea why. But the needle felting intrigued me. Once I Googled it, I realized the cookie cutters are used to make shapes when felting. This year I plan to try some needle felting. I've gotten a couple of single needles, and just purchased a 4-needle tool on Amazon. Here's what I've done so far.

My first effort. A kind of button shaped item, made inside of a round cookie cutter, and the dove was another little cookie cutter I have.

These were a combination of techniques. The large balls I made by loosely needle felting some roving onto styrofoam balls, and then wet felting them by hand in the kitchen sink. I'll try needle felting on them later, except maybe the marbled one. I kind of like it as is. Mia, my 10-year-old, wet-felted the little balls. I think she's getting into this --- I can hear her in the other room needle felting away.

Someone at work is having a baby, and a few of us are knitting squares for an afghan, so I need to work on those for awhile. I've turned a couple in already, but I'll post some pictures if I find a cute stitch to try.