Wool on the Brain

Winter and Early Spring Schedule

2012-01-16T15:31:00.003-05:00

Artfully upcycled dresses!

Thanks for checking in! Winter is a slow season for markets and fairs. Here's my schedule:

January 22, February 5, 12 &19 : Coventry Farmer's Market at Coventry High School, Ripley Hill Road. 11 am-2 pm

February 4: Litchfield Hills Farm Fresh Market at the Community Center. 10-1

February 9: Westport Farmer's Market at Gilberties on Sylvan Lane. 10-2

February 18: Forest Park Farmer's Market, 302 Sumner Ave., East Longmeadow, MA.
10-2

March 3: CT NOFA Winter Conference at Manchester Community College. 9-4

Fall - Winter Schedule

2011-10-19T12:45:00.004-04:00

The photo of this Peace Sweater was taken at the Forest Park Farmer's Market

Coventry Farmer’s Market: Nathan Hale Homestead October 2, 16 & 30

Coventry H.S: Nov. 20 & 27, Dec. 4 & 18

Simsbury Farmer’s Market: 544 Hopmeadow St. Sep. 1&15; Oct. 6&13

Westport Farmer’s Market: Imperial Ave.Commuter Lot Sep.8; Oct. 27

Forest Park Farmer’s Market: Sep. 20, Oct 18

Trout Brook Farmer’s Market: Whole Foods@Blue Back Sq.

Sept. 5, 12 & 19; Oct. 3, 10 & 24

Lebanon Farmer’s Market: Town Hall Green Sept. 17; Oct. 15

Litchfield Farmer’s Market: Community Center Oct. 29, Nov. 19, Dec. 17, February 4

Hill-Stead Farmer’s Market: Hill-Stead Museum, Farmington

September 4, October 23

Big E: @ CT Building, September 30

Garlic Fest: Bethlehem Fair Grounds October 8 & 9, 10-4

St. Peter Claver Craft Fair: 47 Pleasant St, W. Hartford, Nov. 12-13

Christmas Town Festival: Bethlehem, Dec. 2 & 3

CT NOFA Winter Conference: Manchester Community College, March 3, 2012

Working With Wool When the Weather Blisters...

2011-07-22T10:11:00.006-04:00

I'm still doing some work with cottons, but it's time to start preparing for the turn of the seasons. People are beginning to get ready for school and the fall work season, and I'm starting to see wool sales pick up.

A couple of weeks ago I sold 3 sweaters for little people, so I needed to make at least one new one. I love the falling-leaf theme...

These are SO my colors.

The brights are really fun to work with and seem to be the most popular thing for little girls.

I said goodbye to the Tree of Life Jacket a few weeks ago. She went to a good home, but I miss her! Grateful for photos...

Check in at my Facebook Page for new dates and pictures of what's new. Be well!

It's Been Too Long...

2011-05-11T09:24:00.005-04:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I've sat down to write. Facebook is largely to blame - it's so easy to post a picture and a short caption that it's where I go instead of here. And it's very focused to the folks I see at markets. If you'd like to see my page, it's here .

So today I am here because I think I picked up a bit of the tummy bug the Boy had the other day, and sitting feels better than not. I need to balance the check book (I'll get to that eventually) but this is more fun! Speaking of the Boy, there's another reason I've been so busy that blogging has gone by the wayside. He was in a production of Alice in Wonderland, and mom was helping to make the costumes - thus all the time I had here in the studio was used to build up my stock for the upcoming season. Which begins this Saturday with my first outdoor market in Stonington.

Here are a few pics of things I've made in the last month:

This is a dress I made for my little friend, Lilah, who just turned one. I've been working in recycled cottons as well as the recycled wool. The bodice is a top I found that was just baby-sweet with scalloped trim and a little lacy flower on the front. The skirt is panels cut from cotton jerseys.

Here's an adult skirt. It's so much fun to play with color and pattern.

Go fly a kite! This is a toddler sweater upcycled from a cashmere sweater. As I've said before, I think cashmere is the ideal fiber for babies. It's so soft, and lightweight and breathable.

Here's a little bunny that's needle felted.

And another cashmere baby sweater.

Ah well, the checkbook waits...

Spring Is Coming, I think....

2011-03-29T10:07:00.004-04:00

All winter I was gifted with a visitor for lunch. Nearly every day while I was eating, I could look out my window and watch the resident downy woodpeckers having their lunch. Usually it was the female, but sometimes Mr. Woody would show up, too. You can tell the difference by the red patch on the back of the male's head. So yesterday I had to get a pic of him!

Even though there are still patches of snow in the neighborhood, I was thrilled to see these happy faces in my front garden.

I've taken a bit of a break from birds, but now I've started up again.

A ruby throated hummingbird.

This is a golden crowned kinglet. They are tiny little guys, about the size of hummers.

I'm making some bird nests, and having fun doing that. Mostly I'm preparing to vend at the CT La Leche League conference next weekend, so I'm sewing up lots of longies, diaper covers, and skirts in both wool and cotton.

Enjoy the light and the warmth (we hope!)!

It's Coming, It's Nearly Here

2011-03-08T08:18:00.002-05:00

The bulbs against my neighbor's foundation are popping up. I actually saw them for the first time about a week ago, and couldn't believe it, as the snow bank you see here was taller and closer to the house, but there they were.

If you look closely in this shot, you can see two nubbins of hyacinths showing their brave little heads in the tiny corner of my front garden that is free of snow.

This is the broad view. That snow bank has been as high as the window ledge this winter.

It's been a long one for everyone, I know! I'm a cold-weather wimp, so I haven't put my nose out of my door much this winter unless I've had to. At this point I'm parched for the outdoors and my walks! This morning, even though it was 20 degrees, I said "Uncle!", threw on my fleece-lined jeans, sweater, coat, all the stuff to keep me warm, and went to the park to walk. I was richly rewarded by the sounds of running water, song sparrows, robins, woodpeckers, and more. It sounds like spring, even if I had to keep my eyes peeled to avoid the black ice!

Owls and More

2011-02-11T09:00:00.004-05:00

Eastern Screech Owl

It looks like I will get to blogging about once a week. I've tried to sit down and do it more often, but there's only so much a person can fit into a day...
I do post pictures of my work more frequently on Facebook. If you'd like to get those posted directly to your FB page, look up Bethany Homecrafts and hit the Like button. My page would love to have more friends!

I've been working on owls this week, so I have something new and interesting to bring to market. It 's fun, but takes so much longer than other birds! The guy above is the gray phase of the eastern screech owl. You can hear what they sound like at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

The guy below is a saw-whet owl, and you can hear his voice here. He's a really tiny owl, and his whistled hoot is as cute as he is. When you see his photo you'll see that I can't come close to doing him justice!

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Purple Finch

Purple finches are really common where I am, but I don't get tired of them, they're so beautiful! Here's what they sound like, from Cornell.

This is my first try at a jumper for a little girl. We'll see how it goes over when I bring it to market!

Have a great weekend!

How to Make Lemonade on a Snowy Day

2011-02-02T11:34:00.004-05:00

Common Redpoll

Yesterday was a forced in-the-house day, because of the weather. (Today's one, too). So I decided to make lemonade of the weather's lemons, and finish up a lot of work that's been sitting around.
First off, I've had a huge bin of cashmere scraps sitting around for a while, just waiting for me to have time to figure out what to do with them. The other night, while the boy was rehearsing at the Warner, I started on that pile. I cut a bunch of panels for baby skirts, and pieces for baby booties, and still had a big pile left. The rest I cut into rectangles and squares.

Cashmere Wrist Warmers

Here's the result, or at least the beginning. My friend and fiber co-conspirator, Rhonda Withington (check out her Etsy Shop, The Mischievous Carrot) brought some really cute and funky wrist warmers to the Coventry Farmer's Market on Sunday, and graciously gave permission for me to make some Rhonda-inspired warmers of my own. I had a ridiculous amount of fun sewing these up!

Just how do you photograph your own arm???

Baby Booties

Mittens and Wrist Warmers from a lovely sweater

So today is another home day of sewing and shoveling. I still have a bunch of baby skirts pinned and waiting to be sewn. Sigh. It's much more fun to design than to sew! But I do love the baby skirts when they're done - they're so darn cute!

Stay safe, warm and dry, wherever you are, and may your roof be strong!

Icy Day Birds

2011-01-18T16:22:00.003-05:00

It's being a real winter in our corner of the world. Our first snow/ice storm came along today. I hear there may be more on Friday.
Anyway, while I was shoveling, I noticed that for the first 45 minutes or so, I didn't hear any birds. It was quite silent. Then as lunchtime drew on they started moving in. First I heard the red-belly woodpecker, then the downy; next came the nuthatches and the titmice. It wasn't till I got inside and was eating my own lunch that I saw the little guy above at the feeder - the red breasted nuthatch.

This is a Great Kiskadee. He's from Latin America, and shows up in south Texas, too. I love his coloring and markings, so I had to make him. This time of year, when I don't have a lot of shows, is a great time for me to felt whoever I want!

Snowy Day

2011-01-12T15:07:00.003-05:00

We got more than 12 inches of snow in the last 12 hours, so this little birdie is perfect for the day. My aunt used to call them snow birds (their real name is dark-eyed junco), and I love them. Even though they are gray, somehow they brighten the snow - maybe by the stark contrast.

Here's what it looked like here after we shoveled. We got it done early because the Man was supposed to go to work for 1 pm, but it was still snowing. After we finished shoveling he got a call that the office would be closed all day. Ah well, now there are only an easy couple of inches to finish off, and the Man, the Boy, and the Girl are playing Monopoly while I work uninterrupted (gotta love it).

Here's a skirt I made for Kathie from The Proud Peacock

to give to her sister. I love to do custom work; it challenges me to do styles or color combinations that I wouldn't think of.

Wherever you are I hope you are warm and safe!

Baby Cashmere Skirt

2011-01-07T18:02:00.004-05:00

This week has been an interesting one. There is so much that needs to be organized, sorted, cleaned...
We went through the process of buying a new vehicle (it's the new Bethany Homecrafts-mobile)...
I had a wicked week of PMS...
So trying to get work done has been like pulling teeth out and scratching fingernails on a chalkboard all at once. Sigh. Fortunately the week is over, the car is in the driveway, and the PMS is done. I can smile again (my dear one commented on that, so I know it's been a while!).

Not a lot of work has gotten done - or at least not a lot of things were made. I've also been trying to get back to the computer work: loading things into my Etsy shop, and onto my Facebook page, and into my Ravelry page (if you're a Raveler, I'm Thanksforwool). But here's a skirt that got put together.

It's entirely cashmere, and made to fit a little one between maybe 9-18 months old.

The top of it is a cashmere turtleneck, very soft and stretchy, thus the wide range of ages it can fit.

Like all of my twirly skirts, it's a full circle. They are absolutely adorable on the baby, and are the sweetest thing ever to hug a baby in, they're so soft! (Sorry, I usually don't toot my own horn, but I love these skirts.)

Have a great weekend!

The Birds Are Returning

2011-01-06T10:05:00.002-05:00

Now Christmas is over, and time is less at a premium, I've had a bit more time for needle felting. Here are the ones I've worked on over the past week or so.

Red-Wing Blackbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Chipping Sparrow

I'm back to putting things into my Etsy shop, so it's not the boring place it has been over these last months!

Custom Designed Dress

2010-12-28T16:17:00.003-05:00

Here's a dress I designed for a customer from one of my markets. She's bought dresses made from repurposed sweaters before, and told me to design what I thought would work well. When I found the two sweaters that make up the brightly colored panels of the skirt, I knew I was onto something.

Next to each other I would never have thought of them in one skirt - but then I looked at what Rebecca said: to use royal blue, teal, yellow - and realized that between the two sweaters, we had all those colors.

Pretty wild prints, no? My girls say it looks "So '90's"! Hopefully Rebecca likes retro.

This was a great experience for me, as I've not made a dress from the sweaters before. The real test will be to see if Rebecca likes it!

Back Again!

2010-12-27T11:37:00.004-05:00

Hello, dear readers!
I offer up the humble prayer that your holidays have been filled with beauty, joy and peace.

After too long away, again, I'm back, hopefully on a regular basis for the next few months. I've found I'm not able to hold together the busy market season, the sewing and felting, the schooling and the household work all at once, which explains the long absences. I have a much slower market and show season for the next months, thus my hope to show up here more often!

Florida Scrub Jay

The Boy has loved this bird and coveted it for a couple of years now. Its photo lives on the page opposite the Eastern Blue Bird that I often felt, and each time he's seen it I've been begged to make it. The photo in my guide is not very complimentary, so I've never been drawn to felt it. This year seemed the time to finally do it, so I pulled out my other bird book and found that the markings are quite a bit nicer than the photo shows, and here he is!

Our tree is covered in ornaments that I've made, the kids have made, and those we've received as gifts, many handmade. It's eclectic, homey and very fun!

Grand-niece's Gift

My mom and dad are not able to get out and Christmas shop anymore, so I help out as much as I can. This year Mom wanted to give her great-grand baby an outfit including a skirt I'd made, so here it is. It had to be cashmere, of course!

Now, lunch and shoveling out from our blizzard!

It's been way too long...

2010-11-30T11:29:00.004-05:00

...since I've been on my blog!
The busy fall season, and then my computer being on the blink have prevented me from being here. It's unfortunate, because I do enjoy this.

However, it's been a wonderful fall season. I've met fantastic people, kibbitzed with lots of vendor friends, been challenged to make customer requests and keep up with the outflow of my inventory. It's been fun and tiring!

Anyway, here are a few new things.

Cashmere longies, hat and mitts for Melinda's grandbaby

Here's what the bum on those longies looks like

Laura's skirt

A poncho to fit a preschooler, or maybe even a kindergartener

I'm so grateful to be able to do work I enjoy!

A Brown Palette

2010-10-28T08:16:00.003-04:00

I've been working in a brown palette this week, as I had a skirt order to fill. Much as I love brown, I'm glad to have that done, and to move on to another color range.

Brown mittens

Annette's skirt

Next will probably be black and grey, but I will have to add in some colors, or I will go crazy!

A Skirt of a Different Hue

2010-10-18T10:40:00.002-04:00

Just a quick post on the fly before I head out to market today. I've made many skirts in fall colors and black and white lately, so it was really fun to work in brights and pastels.

We are deep into fall now. On my walks the main nature sounds are from chipmunks, titmice and nuthatches...and falling leaves and acorns! I still have a few tomatoes in the garden, but they'll be gone soon, I'm sure.

Enjoy the beauty, wherever you are!

Skirts

2010-09-30T19:11:00.003-04:00

This week has been a week for cutting and sewing skirts. A couple of them have been custom orders, and the rest are for the booth.

This one is for Stacey, and it's all cashmere, in really bold colors.

This one is Winter's. I love the blues and greens.

Red with fall tones, which have been really popular this season.

All blacks and grays. This one was born when I bought the black stripey sweaters.

A lot of folks have asked how long it takes me to make a skirt. I've never known, because I always cut a lot of sweaters into pieces for skirts, mittens, hats, pot holders, and collect the pieces till I have enough. I did this earlier this week with a huge pile of fall-colors sweaters. I've sewn one skirt from them, and have 2 more pinned, and more pieces that will go into future skirts, as well as some mittens and hats.

Today, however, I really wanted to make the above black skirt, and just about all the pieces I cut are skirt pieces. With the cutting and sewing, I'd say I spent about 5 hours. I have enough pieces to make another skirt the same size, and a bunch for smaller skirts (all the ones above are adult skirts).

So there. A skirt takes me about 4-1/2 to 5 hours, not counting the shopping for the sweaters, and the felting and drying, which are done in batches, so it would be hard to count that time. I guess we could say 6 hours.

It's a good thing I enjoy it!

The NEXT BIG THING

2010-09-21T06:19:00.002-04:00

I've been busy with lots of sewing and markets and my first fall fair. It seems September may be my busiest month - at least that's the way my calendar makes it look! The Boy has started in on his audition and show schedule, so that makes it even more interesting. Anyway, my next big fair is the Garlic Fest in Bethlehem. It's great fun and has always been a busy show. Maybe I'll see some of you there?

No Hurricane?

2010-09-03T11:57:00.003-04:00

This week has been a mish-mash of errands, doing little things to help my girl get ready to move back to school, getting ready for the school year with the Boy, and my own work. I don't have a lot of things done, but here's some of them.

I didn't quite know what to do with this sweater. It was big, and thick. I do have a standing order for Christmas stockings, so I made one from the sleeves. Then I had the brainwave that it would be great as slippers. I no longer had enough to do a double layer on the bottom, so the inner lining is cashmere. Not as thick, but I don't think anyone would complain. : )

A man at the Coventry market asked for a screech owl.

Longies made from a really thick, soft sweater. The top is from a thick cashmere turtleneck. These will be so cozy I wish I could wear them.

These are made from another really thick sweater. It took a while to figure out what to do with it, but the Nordic design finally yelled at me that it wanted to be hats and mittens. I was able to get 2 hats and 2 pairs of mittens from it. Dale of Norway never skimps.

And, finally, a mountain blue bird.

Have a great holiday weekend and stay out of the way of hurricanes, if you can!

The Results

2010-08-27T19:54:00.005-04:00

This one reminds me of Halloween

After spending all day Monday and lots of Tuesday cutting up sweaters, I spent all day Wednesday, half a day Thursday, and about an hour this morning sewing. The work netted me a bunch of skirts, mittens, hats and wrist warmers. Here's a sampling...

Fall skirt for a big girl

Love these stripes, a bit zany!

Stripes for a little girl

Stripes for a bigger girl

Love these colors

Hats for little people

Hats and mittens for big people

I'm looking forward to bringing all these things to market on Sunday. It's always fun to add new things to the booth.

Have a great weekend!

Thank God for Rotary Cutters

2010-08-24T08:59:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I didn't have to go anywhere, and it was raining, so I couldn't even do laundry. We haven't started school yet, so I could focus on my work in the"studio". I really did focus, and I got more work done than I think I ever have in one day. I've wanted to cut up bunches of skirt panels, so I have a good palette to choose from. I hate cutting up a sweater and leaving parts of it just lying around, so I also cut mittens and hats, longies, and a few pot holders. Here's what the studio looks like today: piles of things waiting to be sewn!

This is the skirt pile.

This one is the pile of mittens, wrist warmers and pot holders.

Here are the hats waiting to be sewn.

Longies back view

Longies front view

I couldn't spend a whole day working without finishing something! Thus the longies.

Hopefully I'll be back in a few days with pics of finished things!

Busy Work Week

2010-08-12T10:23:00.004-04:00

I've been doing a lot of cutting and sewing this week, as I've had no markets since Saturday. You should see the piles of things ready to be pinned and sewn (no, actually, you shouldn't, and I won't show you, it's too messy!). It's also been a week to do some cleaning, errands, and planning for the coming school year. This morning I was out photographing some of the things I've finished this week, and the Boy came out with cat in arms.

the Boy and the Cat

Every once in a while a sweater felts up so lovely that there's very little I need to do to it. This one just needed me to felt and block it, and add pearl buttons. It'll fit a 6 to 8 year old, I think.

Rosebud Jacket

Here's another one that just needed to be felted, then brushed and embellished to be perfect. It's a really lofty angora and felted up nice and thick. I added the flower and it's ready to go.

Angora Plum Jacket

Here's one of the skirts I've been working on. I spent 2 days cutting sweaters into skirt panels, and I have 2 more adult skirts and more than that of kid skirts ready to be sewn.

Fall's Coming Skirt

I've been doing as much needle felting as I can, too. I have a couple of cardinals done, some bees, and this robin.

A robin for Robin

I've got markets tonight, Sunday and Monday, so I'm ready to go! Have a great weekend!

Today's Sewing

2010-08-04T17:58:00.004-04:00

Recycled Sweater Longies, Cashmere-Lined Ski Hat, Cashmere Wrist Warmers

Yesterday I did a lot of cutting and pinning, so today is a sewing day. I love having things all ready to go...it feels like I'm accomplishing a lot when I can finish things. Yesterday I felt all unfinished around the edges because I'd cut things but not sewn anything.

Recycled Sweater Twirly Skirt in Crazy Patterns

I love the way this skirt turned out. I narrowed the top of the scalloped pattern I've been using, and it turned out very girly and feminine. It's fun to use all the patterns in the design.

Longies or Shorties?

I've been needing to make some more longies, so here's a pair...only I don't know if they will be longies or shorties. The legs are kinda short, so I guess it will depend on the baby. I like the waist/top of them. It's made from a cashmere turtle neck that was cut off a sweater. I often use them to make neckwarmers, but there's only so many neckwarmers that are useful! And I think it will be nice and snug on the baby's belly without binding. And of course, it's super soft!

Happiness in the Garden

2010-08-03T09:55:00.004-04:00

Today's a day I've been eagerly awaiting. My tomato plants have been bearing very nicely, and the tomatoes have been green for what feels like forever.

This morning when I went out I saw that the first ones are finally starting to turn [not red] [light orange?]. Whoot! I wonder how long it will be before they are on a plate? As many years as I've been doing this, I've never counted how many days it takes.

Aren't eggplant flowers beautiful?

Here's my first baby eggplant. I wonder how long this will take, too.

On the felting front, here's a couple of bunnies, small enough to fit in your hand. Hooray for some certainty - I know how long these take! : )

And a winter/holiday skirt. It fits about a 12 year old.

We had a busy weekend. The Boy had 2 performances he was in at the Warner(Willy Wonka - it was great fun!), a cast party, and I had 3 markets in 3 days. Now I've got a couple of days before the next market - laundry, errands, cooking, and more designing. Can we have a few more hours in the day, please?

Warbling Thrushes

2010-07-29T09:35:00.004-04:00

Some of my favorite birds are the thrushes, which include the robins and the bluebirds. At my last market in Norfolk, a customer asked me to make a wood thrush and a hermit thrush for her. I told her that they were very similar - was she sure she wanted me to do both? She said her husband loves both, and to go ahead and make both of them.

Well, it was a bit of a challenge to make them so they looked different enough! Actually, the challenge was in seeing the differences; once I did that, making them was not hard.

Here's the wood thrush. He's got a redder head, and the spots on the breast.

And here's his song, so you can hear him: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Thrush/sounds
They say in descriptions that this is a bird of the deep woods, but I hear them in the not so deep woods near my house and definitely in the park. I think I saw a young one flitting among the trees in the park recently.

Here's the hermit thrush. He has a redder tail, and his markings are more streaky than dotty.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hermit_Thrush/id.aspx?spp=Hermit_Thrush
That's the link for his song.

I had a bunch of purple sweaters, and just had to make an all-purple skirt. Here it is.
Hopefully it will make a woman with a passion for purple happy!

Home Sewing

2010-07-27T10:52:00.005-04:00

Sea colors slipper clogs

Muted colors skirt

It's been a busy week. Last Wednesday a serious thunderstorm with tornadoes passed through Connecticut. We went unscathed, but neighbors had the top of a tree torn off. The tornado touched down about a mile from here and it's amazing to see what it did. I had a chance to see a lot of the aftermath as I drove to my market in Westport on Wednesday morning. That area was hard-hit, too. I had a wonderful day in Westport; if you are in the area on Thursdays, stop by their farmer's market. It's a really hopping one!

Saturday was a hot, hot day at the Litchfield market, and I was glad to get home to a cold shower and a fan! Sunday I did a bunch of yard work in the morning after Mass, and then spend the rest of the day just lazing around.

Now, back in the workweek, I don't have a market till Saturday, so I am sewing, sewing, sewing, and doing what needle felting I can. I've got a couple of skirts pinned and ready to go, and a bunch of mittens and wrist warmers. Not many people are buying them now, but come fall they'll be really popular.

Stay cool, wherever you are~

Baby Skirts

2010-07-21T11:03:00.002-04:00

Today's is a quickie post, as I'm busy designing and getting ready for a busy market in Westport tomorrow, and I need to bake some bread for the Boy. He's not had any for a couple of days, and has put up with it cheerfully, but today is the day.

Folks have been looking for skirts for tiny babies, so here's a couple of tries. I think they may still be too long, but I know someone will love them!

A Bunch of Sewing

2010-07-13T13:20:00.004-04:00

Here are a couple of samples of yesterday's sewing. These hats are made from recycled sweaters, most often lambswool, and they are lined with cashmere, also from recycled sweaters.

Sometimes folks like to have a hat and mitten set for gift giving (or to treat themselves!).

Today I'm doing a bunch of cutting and have 2 skirts cut and laid out as well as more in the way of hats, mittens, and slippers. I have to decide whether I will keep cutting or start in on the sewing now. I have some errands to run, so that may decide it for me!

Have a great day!

2 Weeks Already?

2010-07-12T10:13:00.003-04:00

I can't believe it's 2 weeks since I've blogged! That's the way summer goes for me. I'm busy at markets, and when I'm not, I'm working on making things to restock the booth, or catching up on things around the house. Ah, well...

We got away for a couple of days last week. My father-in-law treated us to a tour of his hometown, Biddeford, ME. He showed us the houses where he and Mom grew up, their school, church and many other places. We went to Old Orchard, and The Boy had a blast on the rides and in the arcades. We drove through Kennebunkport, which was so cute, and had lunch at Porpoise Point, looking out over to the Goat Island Light. Beautiful! I brought no work with me (unheard of), and only a light novel to finish. It was a wonderful break.

It's been back to work since we got home. Here's a hip little black bag, trimmed with beads.

And this bag is sheepish...

Stay cool, wherever you are!

Yesterday's Work

2010-06-29T11:13:00.004-04:00

2 hats, a pair of mittens and longies especially for a cloth-diapered baby

I love home days! I can accomplish so much when I'm not interrupted by leaving the house. I did a lot of cutting and sewing (not maintaining my resolve to cut one day, sew another... and my arm is complaining today) as you can see above.

Whimsy Bees and a Very Big Ladybug

In the evening the Boy had an audition. I brought my felting bag with me and worked on bees. Can you guess how long we were there? But it was great fun to hear all the talent of the folks auditioning. As you can see I have no regard for the relative sizes of insects!

Two New Birdies

2010-06-28T10:52:00.003-04:00

Cardinal and Ruby Throated Hummingbird

It's happening this summer like it did last year: when I started working the markets, I had a lot less time to take pictures of my work and write blog posts. Unlike last year, this year I am doing no markets, or only one in the last week of the month. This'll give me time to make things I've sold out of, and some precious breathing space. AND time for a couple of blog posts, I hope!

I'm trying out new markets this summer. The latest are Litchfield and Norfolk. Both were delightful, and I look forward to returning to them! I will also be trying out the Deep River and Marlborough markets a few times through the season. Check my schedule in the sidebar, or the Bethany Homecrafts Facebook page for updates.

I tend to visit and upload to Facebook more frequently than I do here (it's so much quicker!), so if you'd like to see pics of new work more often, visit me there!

The Requested Phoebe

2010-06-22T16:34:00.001-04:00

One of the birds that I get asked to make most often for customers is the phoebe. Usually it's because they know someone named Phoebe, and want to give a special gift. Here's the one I finished felting this morning.

Here's a link to the Cornell website if you'd like to listen to its song.

Reading the description on the site, I see that the photo in my bird book may be of an immature bird, as the site says that adults have no distinct wing bars and no eye rings, though it really looks like they are there in my book. So they are there on my bird. Next one I make will hopefully be more true!

I had a lovely weekend of work. Saturday was probably this summer's most perfect day. I was in Litchfield, which has a higher elevation than here where I live, so the temperature was a tad cooler. The sky was a brilliant blue, there was a cool breeze and the colors were so crystal clear. On Sunday the storms held off till the Coventry market was almost over, and then we only got a bit of rain. Yesterday in West Hartford it was sunny and hot, but there was a nice breeze that kept it from being unbearable. Folks seem to be really happy that market season is back. I know I am!

Trying to Find a Rhythm

2010-06-15T09:19:00.003-04:00

I'm trying to find a rhythm for my work that puts the least stress on my arms. They are already sore from the work the way they were after months of work last year. I gave them somewhat of a rest over the winter, but now I'm deep into it again and feeling it. So what I am going to try for now is doing different kinds of work on different days - a day for cutting and designing, a day for sewing, maybe a day for felting or just a day off.

So yesterday was a sewing day. I pinned up more than I sewed, but here are the things that got sewn. Above is a custom skirt made for a six year old, entirely of cashmere. So soft!

Mittens and a pair of wrist warmers.

A pair of slippers before they are felted. Aren't they crazy?

Today I'll be cutting and designing, and working with The Boy on his end-of-year project. The end of school is nigh!

Monday in the Sunshine

2010-06-14T14:08:00.003-04:00

The sun is breaking through the clouds for a few minutes! I hope we have more of it this week than we've had in the past one.

Saturday I was at the Lebanon Farmer's Market, which is a lovely market in a very nice location. I had a nice day meeting new people, and I delivered the cashmere "big girl" skirt to Rhonda, who is the inspiration for the skirts I'm now making. I'm thrilled that it fit her well and she loves it.

While I was at market Saturday my daughter, who is also my "booth babe" at the Coventry market and any others she can get to, raided my scrap bag and made this adorable tiny skirt for some little girl's doll. She's getting good at this! I've enlisted her help in sewing while she's home from the summer, when she's not too wiped from her full-time job. I'm grateful she enjoys it!

The Boy and I took a walk at the park early this morning, and he was enchanted by the fluff-balls in the grass by the pond - the ducklings and goslings. I really need to bring my camera so I can show you how adorable they are.

A Question: Please Give Feedback

2010-06-11T11:10:00.002-04:00

I've begun considering including the sales tax in the price on my taxable items. I think it would make transactions quicker and easier at a busy market. I also would like to avoid the disappointment I sometimes see on a shopper's face when I tell them the price for their item after the tax is added in. I think vendors are split on how they handle tax, so shoppers are not always expecting that extra charge for the tax.

So here's my question: What would you prefer?
a) Lower sticker price with tax added later or
b) Slightly higher sticker price with tax included

If I include the tax I will round the price to the nearest nickel to make things quicker for shoppers.

Please let me know what you think as I would like to do what the majority of shoppers would prefer. Thanks!

Rainy Market Day

2010-06-11T10:53:00.005-04:00

Rain was predicted for yesterday. I knew this. But it sounded like the possibility for rain would lessen as the afternoon wore on, so I headed out to market in lightening skies. The sun came out as I was setting up, and it started getting hot.

Then the clouds rolled in and a light rain began. No problem, I thought. But it rained harder...and harder...and harder. For a long time. So I started packing up; a bunch of my stuff was already getting wet. Then the skies started looking less foreboding and the rain stopped falling so determinedly. I knew I couldn't go home anyway, as my car was blocked in, so I decided to stick it out and see if the tent and some of my stuff (and I) could dry out a bit. The sun came out, and the drying began, and I was happy. :)

Time came for market to end, and the clouds began rolling in again, dark and from the west. I packed as hard as ever I could and got most of it in bins before the skies opened up again. But it rained hard and the tent and I were thoroughly soaked again.

Such is the life of the market vendor! But I've not had it as bad as the vendor next door to me has...the last 6 markets she's been at have been rained on. Ouch!

On more cheery note, here's a couple of things I've finished over the past days:

a big-girl skirt...

and a Santa gnome, first one of the season.

A Busy Work Day

2010-06-09T08:29:00.005-04:00

I love this time of year! The roses are blooming, we're eating strawberries every day...there are so many hours of daylight...this is my highest-energy time of year.

After 4 markets in a row, I have a couple of days at home before more markets. During the summer my production rate really goes up as I try to keep up with what has sold in the past week. Here's a peek at some of what I did yesterday.

I cut and pinned 3 skirts for little girls. I am thrilled with how popular they are!

I added flowers to a couple of headbands. They are much nicer now than when they were plain.

I started this bluebird while I was at market Monday. The Boy had a class in the afternoon, so I had some needle felting time.

I was able to finish this chippy, too. And a White Throated Sparrow, but his picture came out too hot and he doesn't look good in it.

I sewed a huge dog bed out of part of a wool blanket I was given, and was thrilled that my overflowing scrap box filled only about one-quarter of it. I can make a lot of scraps when I'm sewing so many things!

Market Booth Photos

2010-06-04T07:54:00.004-04:00

We had a mixed weather market yesterday in Simsbury. A decent size thunderstorm came through and dumped a bunch of rain on us, but then it cleared up and got sunny. Today I have to drag out my tent and some other things that got a soaking and dry them out, so I thought I'd just post some photos of my booth.

The slippers table.

All stuff made from recycled sweaters - skirts, ponchos, hats...

Needle felted critters and felted flowers.

Wall hangings and mittens.

It was great fun to see my vendor friends - Erin from Windham Gardens, Karl from Dineberg's Farm, Brooke and Danny from George Hall's Farm, and so many others.
Tomorrow I'll be at Herbfest, hopefully without rain, and then Sunday it's on to Coventry Farmer's Market opening day. Hope to see you there!

I Do Love Felting

2010-06-02T11:07:00.002-04:00

On days like today I am so grateful to have work I enjoy doing. I have an inordinate amount of fun felting and creating with recycled sweaters. For instance...

This was a ladies' medium size sweater, loosely knit, with embroidery on it. I didn't know how it would turn out or what I would use it for, but I bought it on the gut feeling that something good would come of it. I think I only had to put it through one felting cycle. It's now about a girl's size 6, I think, and the weight of a boiled wool jacket. The embroidery felted beautifully and I think the jacket has a Tyrolean or gypsy air to it now. It'll look gorgeous on some little girl.

Yesterday I was contemplating doing a needle felted design on the brown clog slippers, and here is what I came up with.

I had great fun doing this, and then going out in the sunny yard to take photos, and so I am feeling very blessed to have work I love doing.

Embellished the Slippers

2010-06-01T13:24:00.003-04:00

The slippers I made last week have been sitting on my table, waiting for me to label them and pack them away, but I kept not doing it. Somehow they did not look done, finished, happy to be who they were. So I spoke with one of my in-house consultants, who suggested some embellishment, at least on the orange ones. I wasn't sure that was what I wanted to do, but took the plunge to see how it would turn out. I used some yarn I bought from a local vendor who uses sea water to do her dyeing, and now they look happy.

I think I may embellish at least one of the pairs of brown ones, as well.

I had a laid-low weekend. I picked up a minor stomach bug and spent a bunch of time just sitting around. I can't do a lot of nothing, though (I am a human doing, not a human being), so I got a bunch of needle felting done.
I was very fortunate to have my arm hold up while I did all this!
Here's a closer look at the gnomes.

I was thrilled to be able to pick enough strawberries from the garden to use in shortcake. They are amazing!

This week is the beginning of my market season. I'm happy about it again (having all that needle felted stuff to bring with me helps)! Sunday is the opening of the Coventry Farmer's Market - hope to see some of you there~

Designing Thoughts

2010-05-28T15:50:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I mentioned cutting skirt panels. I went a bit crazy on it, as I was going through a bin of sweater parts I've had for a while and didn't know what to do with; now that I'm making skirts I have something I can do with the parts that aren't big enough for a whole pair of mittens or a hat. That's a happy thing. : )
So here's a skirt made from yesterday's endeavors. It is a skirt all in and of itself, but it was also a dry run for a skirt that someone has ordered. I needed to know if I could make it the size my customer wants, and if not, what to change. I'm totally inept mathematically, so I can't design a formula that will tell me what size to make the panels. I have to do it by trial and error - which is not tragic, since the trials net me skirts that can go in my booth and my etsy shop. Sigh...certainty would be nice, though!

I filled up my scrap box again, so I will have to make another dog bed. (The scraps not big enough to make something of turn into stuffing.) I don't think I have a sweater big enough for one right now! The puppy belongs to the Boy, and is wearing wrist warmers that he requested I make when the puppy was more a part of the Boy's life. Used to be that puppy went everywhere the boy went. Not so anymore...more sighs.

One Week Till Market Season Begins!

2010-05-27T14:53:00.002-04:00

I've spent the last week trotting between the washing machine and the clothesline with wet sweaters. This is the last of the bunch from what Carol sent me, and what a treasure trove that was. So many cashmere sweaters!

It's one week till my first farmer's market, and that will begin a whole weekend of shows for me. I've spent months eagerly anticipating that day...and now I'm feeling like a hamster on a wheel about it! There are so many things I want to get done before then, and it feels like I will be so busy that my life will end on June 3! Not so. One day at a time...

I've been making lots of things - bags, cutting panels for skirts, and yesterday, it was slippers.
If you'd like to see one of my skirts modeled by a lovely new college graduate, go see Rabbits Eat Quilts. Her daughter is one of my Second's best friends, and she got a skirt for a graduation gift.

Here's my latest needle felting project. He's a sharp-shinned hawk.

I'm Back

2010-05-25T10:46:00.003-04:00

After a few nervous days, I'm so grateful to be back here on my blog. Last week I got a virus/spam email that I didn't handle well, and Google deactivated my gmail account and removed my blog until I could show them I'm not a spammer. Fortunately they have ways all set up to do that, and I now have my mail and blog back. I could have dealt with setting up a new mail account, but losing my blog would have been really hard. I've put in a lot of time here, and it's how I communicate my show schedule - I'm really grateful I don't have to redo all that work!

Speaking of work, here's a photo of me taken by Duffy Schade at the Art For Nature's Sake show in Glastonbury. It was a lovely, sunny morning, perfect for sitting out and working on a bird. I've got my fiber bags on one side of me, and my bird guide on the other.

Here's my latest addition to the bird collection: a chipping sparrow. To me, they sound like a sewing machine. See what you think by listening here.

A Morning of Working Outdoors

2010-05-20T14:30:00.003-04:00

We've got gorgeous weather today, so I took advantage of it and spent the morning working out in the yard, and washing and hanging the mountains of laundry that got added to the mix when the college student returned home. To her credit, she's done a lot of it herself, but I had to take advantage of the sunshine today. So I washed laundry, mowed the lawn. Hung laundry, thinned the hostas. Washed more laundry, mulched the peas, raspberries and finished mulching the garlic. Hung more, and did the trimming. There's so much more to be done!!! Hedges need trimming, veggie seeds need planting, bare spots need seeding...but I'm grateful to have accomplished what I did.

While I was out there I could hear the goldfinches twittering away. (And the sparrows, catbirds, starlings, purple finches, swallows...)

I'm Having an Inordinate Amount of Fun Making Skirts

2010-05-19T13:55:00.002-04:00

Maybe I'm going a little overboard here, but I think these skirts will sell. I've sold all the skirts I originally made, and these are way more fun than those were. So now when I'm cutting up a sweater into mittens or hats or whatever, I'm also cutting skirt panels and making stacks of panels for later assembly. This is the first one to be completed in this fashion, and I like the zaniness of all the patterns next to each other. It's a size 4-6 little girl's.

My next challenge is to design a skirt to be a specific size. I think I can, I think I can! (The story of the Little Engine Who Could was one of my favorites when I was little.)

Waste Not

2010-05-14T08:24:00.003-04:00

Today is Food Waste Friday at Frugal Girl. I've really been encouraged not to let food go to waste since I've become part of her community. This week I had a banana that was threatening to get too brown and spotty (I like them at the just-yellow stage) and I ate it for a snack before it could languish on the counter. Rice is another thing that tends to sit in our fridge for too long, but yesterday I added it to a salad, so no food waste for this week!

On the waste not front, here's a skirt I made for little girls, entirely out of scraps. It's all cashmere, so it's super soft, and I love the way it's swingy. I love being able to use all of a sweater when I'm making things! (if you'd like to see more like it, you can visit my Etsy shop).

Meet The Fall Guy

2010-05-13T16:43:00.004-04:00

May I introduce you to The Fall Guy? More politely, I'd introduce him as a Green Man, fall phase. He's my third in a series: I have a spring maiden, a green man and now the Fall Guy. Hopefully, sometime I will make a Winter man.

I'm really proud of myself that he is done today. I've been making him for Nature For Art's Sake, this weekend at the Glastonbury Audubon Society, and it's not Friday night with me up till all hours...I've done a bit of growing since the college days!

Here's a close-up of his eyes - they are the part that people always are drawn to.

These guys are so fun to make! Hours and hours of work, though. Each leaf is felted individually and the face is sculpted onto the background of a recycled sweater before I start attaching the leaves. Nothing is sewn - it's all needle felted.

Catching Up on Sewing

2010-05-10T16:50:00.002-04:00

I've been working hard on the Fall Guy (his pic is a little later). Every once in a while when I have a few minutes, I'll cut out a pair of mittens or wrist warmers, or a cell phone pouch. So they build up into a pile on my work table until I have a chance to sit down at the sewing machine.

Here's a pile of stuff I've cut and it's waiting to be sewn. Mostly it's pot holders and coasters.

Here's some more that's cut. You can see how organized I am (NOT!).

This is a pair of slippers I've sewn and they are waiting to be felted.

And here's the Fall Guy. He's not done yet, though the best part of the work is done. I'm not ready to show him full-face yet.

I have a half-hour before supper, and no one else is around, so I'll be cutting some more out...

Two New Skirts

2010-05-08T15:26:00.004-04:00

I'm not going to write a whole lot today, because it finally stopped raining, and I want to get some yard work done...but here are a couple of new skirts I made this week. The one above is for little girls, and the one below is for big girls.

They're both topped in cashmere for comfy-ness.

Food Waste Friday

2010-05-07T15:23:00.002-04:00

Another week of no food waste! It's easy not to lose things in the fridge when the fridge doesn't have a lot in it. When we keep leftovers in reused containers it's hard to see what's in them, but when we're looking for food for lunch and we need to eat, the containers get opened!

For a frugal approach to gardening see my blog post about gardening.

It's just one month till the market season begins! I hope to see some of you at my farmer's markets!

Frugal Gardening

2010-05-05T13:39:00.009-04:00

I love this time of year when the garden is really coming alive. I want to share with you some of my "easy" "frugal" gardening techniques.

It all actually starts in the Fall, when it's leaf raking time. When I rake the leaves I store them in a caged bin in the back corner of my yard.

I"m always amazed at how many leaves I can store there. I always have to dump the leaves, then climb up on the pile and stomp them down, but that's actually fun, it's so springy and bouncy. My leaf bin is about 4'x4' and the pile probably gets up to 4 or 5 feet tall.

At that same time of year it's also time to plant next year's garlic, so I prepare the planting bed with compost that's been breaking down all summer, then plant the cloves of garlic.

Fast forward to the time of year we are now in, gorgeous May weather, when the garlic is up and growing.

See the green stalks of the garlic, and among them, little weeds starting to happily sprout up, too? Years ago I read a book, an old one, called "How To Have a Green Thumb Without an Aching Back". The author's premise was that if you mulch thickly, you won't have to spend hours weeding. Here's where those leaves I raked last fall come in. I tuck them around all of the plants growing in my garden.

Here's where I finished yesterday when the thunderstorm rolled in.

I got most of the bed covered. There are a lot of benefits: almost no weeding (any weeds that are able to pop through the mulch are very easy to pull out); I need to do much less watering, as the leaves keep moisture in; it's much easier to rake and dump the leaves in the bin than to bag them and have them sit out front for weeks, waiting for the town to come pick them up; and it's all free fertilizer. I also use the leaves for my flower beds and as food for the compost heap.

Here's how that works.

This is my composting area. It's a spot about 10 feet long by 4 feet deep in the back corner of my yard. I used all salvaged materials to cage it in, except for the fence posts I bought at the hardware store. There are 3 sections.
This one is on the far left, and it's the compost that's been working since last fall. I'll empty it onto my garden beds within the next month.
This section is on the far right. It's the raw bin (not pretty). All of my kitchen scraps get tossed here all winter, as well as my bunny's poo and bedding. When I empty the finished compost bin on the left, I will layer this stuff with leaves from the leaf bin (the middle section) into the bin on the left and it will cook all summer. Come fall, I will put it on the garlic bed and begin a new pile with all the plants that get pulled out of the veggie garden. And the cycle will begin again.

It makes so much more sense to use what is mine for free (all those leaves and kitchen scraps) than to have the town truck it away, and then have to pay for fertilizer!

Ladybugs Popping Up All Over

2010-05-03T15:43:00.007-04:00

Earthstock yesterday at Tunxis Community College was a fun festival. Lots of environmental booths, good entertainment, nice people to meet...the weather was good, and I even had time to do some felting outdoors, which I enjoy. Mr. Mottled Sheep was one who got finished. I made "ghosts" (which is what my husband calls the white forms of my critters before they get their colored feathers or fur or what have you) of chippies and ladybugs, too.

A couple of ladybugs got finished this morning and they wanted to show you what's going on in our garden. The peas are up...

the starwberries are covered with blossoms...

and the lettuce has sprouted. I haven't seen any real ladybugs out there yet!

Freedom Designs

2010-04-30T10:25:00.002-04:00

When I finish a big project I often have an explosion of work that has been waiting for me to get to it while I work on the "big one". Here are a few things that have been on the back burner. Above, another rufous hummer, since I enjoyed making Melinda's so much.

We've got a pair of cardinals nesting in our front hedge, so these are in honor of the proud parents-to-be.

And this is a skirt made from recycled silk and cashmere sweaters. It's about a size 8 (misses). I hope to get to another skirt today. But I also need to mow the lawn and waterproof my market tent...so we'll see what I can get to.

Art for Nature's Sake

2010-04-29T09:46:00.002-04:00

The Rug is Done!

2010-04-29T09:40:00.003-04:00

Hallelujah! I've finished the braided rug and will be delivering it today! I hope it brings years of happiness and comfort to its new family.

Melinda's Hummer

2010-04-27T15:27:00.002-04:00

This is a rufous hummingbird, rufous being the term used by biologists for a reddish-brown color. I made it for Melinda, who wants to give it to her new grandbaby.

Making it reminded me how much I enjoy making hummingbirds, so hopefully I will be making some more soon.

I Saw A Pileated Woodpecker!!!

2010-04-26T15:31:00.002-04:00

Like many birders, I keep a life list of the birds I've spotted (mine's not very long). I was very excited to see a bird on Friday that I'd never seen before - a pileated woodpecker. It was massive! Sitting at the top of a rotted tree, hammering away and making a huge noise, I knew this was a new one. I didn't get to see all of the markings, but definitely enough to make the identification.

So of course I had to come home and make one.

I started him on Saturday while I was at the Audubon Earth Fair - I thought that was fitting! I had a lovely day there, clear blue skies, good music, great people. It was a wonderful start to my outdoor season.

Red Breasted Nuthatch

2010-04-23T15:29:00.002-04:00

I have a nuthatch pair that lives (if not in) near my yard. They are about the size of chickadees, and just as curious. It's always so funny to see them bouncing down the trunk of a tree head-first. Here's their song.

I'm off to the Audubon Earth Fair in Glastonbury tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to a gorgeous day in the sun, a beautiful start to my outdoor season. Sunday's Earthstock has been postponed due to the forecast rain till May 2, one week later.

Earth Day/Frugal Food

2010-04-23T10:02:00.002-04:00

Another good week with no food waste...yay!
My local paper, The Harford Courant, ran a number of articles yesterday on frugality and green living. I really enjoyed the one about leftovers - Vintage Cuisine Reduces Carbon Footprint. Kristin from Frugal Girl is miles ahead of the author here! My plan for leftovers is usually not anything so fancy - they just get eaten for lunch the next day! I love being able to pull a container out of the fridge and have an instant lunch.

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

2010-04-22T14:32:00.003-04:00

I'd like to introduce you to the ruby-crowned kinglet, one of the smallest birds I've ever seen.

This is made life-size, and it fits easily in my hand.
One day I walked past a pine tree that was holding a flock of these tiny birds, and it sounded like a lot of little bells ringing. It was a magical moment. If you listen to its song on Cornell's site, it's the first few notes of the recorded song that I must have been hearing.

Sweater Play

2010-04-21T14:39:00.004-04:00

I haven't played much with sweaters lately - I've been working on the braided rug I want to deliver really soon. When I ran out of fabric and needed to buy and prepare more (it got bought today), I took the chance to play with sweaters. I've been cutting the petals for the flower pins above for the past month or so, or maybe longer. I bring them to markets and shows and meetings for slow times or listening times, and I had bags of them just ready to go. Sunday night I sat down and spread them all out and had a blast playing with color.

I also pulled out some of the sweaters I bought at the bag sale at Goodwill a few weeks ago and had some fun.

That pink fabric comes from a soft LLBean lambswool sweater. I also made mittens and wrist warmers and still have a big hunk from the front of the sweater to work with.

These potholders and the longies below are from a great stripey sweater. Wouldn't these look great on a wee one?

Mountain Bluebird

2010-04-19T13:34:00.004-04:00

Here's a bird I don't/won't see in my region of the country. It's a mountain blue bird, seen west of the Rockies. Its song is similar to that of the Eastern blue bird; here's a link for the Cornell Ornithology site, where you can read about it and hear its song.

This morning when I was walking I heard a thrush. I don't know if it was a hermit thrush or a wood thrush, I was too far away to be able to distinguish the song - but it was wonderful to know that they are back for the summer. Here's a link to a post I wrote last summer about thrushes and it has a wonderful radio spot about the songs of thrushes.

Chickadee

2010-04-17T11:34:00.003-04:00

Here's a chickadee. There are 3 types of them in my guide to Eastern birds. This one is called the Black-Capped Chickadee and it's one of my all-time favorite birds. They are so small, cute and not too skittish, so if you sit still you can get rather close to them. I've heard of folks hand-feeding them, but I've never gotten that close. Here's a link from Cornell to hear them online. The last song in the list is typical of chickadees in my area. What do you hear? I was disappointed that a recording of the call was not included. It's a raspy "chicka-dee-dee-deee" where I live. I wonder if that changes with parts of the country as well.

Curly Little Girl and Rug Update

2010-04-16T10:37:00.004-04:00

Here's a little sheep I started last night. She's kind of short and very curly, especially over her head, and she cracks me up. She's sitting on the rug I've been working on.

I only have about 6-8 inches left before it's done! I'm hoping to finish it this week.

You may be able to see one of the piles of sweaters that are waiting for me to get to work on them!
Have a great weekend!

Frugality Friday

2010-04-16T09:36:00.002-04:00

I said it last week (I think) and I'll say it again: being part of the community who follows Frugal Girl has really helped me to be mindful of what is in my fridge and to use it before it goes to waste. I do confess that I had to let half a banana go to the compost because it was just too slimy to go into my smoothie, but I did use that other half and had a smoothie at lunch when I normally would not have. Then, yesterday morning, I had a hot cereal of rice and oats, and added strawberries along with my raisins and flax. If I hadn't done that, the rice and strawberries may have languished till they had to feed the compost, too.

All that said, I'm not sure how much I really count the stuff that languishes as waste, since it does go to compost, which eventually ends up nourishing us anyway.

Another happy frugality in action is that I've got a bit of my garden planted now. Last night my sweetie volunteered to cook so I could play in the garden, so now we have lettuce, snap peas, spinach, broccoli rabe, broccoli and swiss chard planted. I know I could have done this a month ago, but the days just go by too fast...

Goldfinch, Bluebird and a new Adventure

2010-04-15T15:42:00.002-04:00

goldfinch song

I've been busy building up my inventory of birds for the spring and summer shows. Here's what I finished today. The links to hear the bird songs are under each photo. Enjoy!

bluebird song

Winter Caplanson from the Coventry Farmer's market is top-notch at spreading the work about our market, and her marketing strategies are key to the market's success. One of the strategies she uses is a Facebook page for the market. She has encouraged us vendors to make our own pages, so I did that today, as I've had a few uninterrupted hours (the Boy is out with Pepere). Here's the link to my page.

Now if I have any more time I will also try to write my spring newsletter!

Recent Projects

2010-04-14T14:17:00.004-04:00

Here's a chippy I made in preparation for my nature center/Earth Day shows next weekend.

And below is an American Kestrel, which is our smallest falcon, so small that it hunts crickets, among other things.

I'm going to try to post my spring calendar today. Ever have a day when it feels like you are moving through molasses? That's how I feel today, so we'll see if I can get blogger to cooperate with me. Hope you're having a smoother day!

Yellow Warbler

2010-04-12T16:13:00.002-04:00

The pics are back!!! Mr. Real Photographer figured out a way to get the camera card to work, yipee!
So this guy is a yellow warbler, and you can listen to him here. I love that the description of his song is "sweet sweet sweet, I'm so sweet."
I made him last week, and he sold at the Litchfield Farmer's Market on Saturday to a really sweet little boy and his mom. I really enjoyed the market; it's in a beautiful space (the Litchfield Community Center) and the folks were very friendly. I don't expect anything else - the people who attend farmer's markets just seem to be the nicest folk.

Yesterday was the annual vendor's meeting for the Coventry Farmer's Market. As always, Winter and the other market masters had tons of great information for us, and it was good food and good fun.

Red Letter Day at Sally's

2010-04-07T08:25:00.002-04:00

Woot!!!

Yesterday when I brought the Boy to his acting class, I stopped in at the Sally's across the street from the theater. I've run out of rug material and need more coats. Well, they didn't have any coats - darn! But they were having a bag sale on sweaters, and I found amazing wool sweaters for my work - stripes and Fair Isles and patterns of all kinds, and a few cashmeres and some solids. I got 2 bags, 21 sweaters in all, and paid only $15.98. Wowee!!!

Today I will felt them and I can't wait to start making things with them!

Good Friday Questions

2010-04-02T12:47:00.003-04:00

Still no pics...

Last night at church, my choir buddy shared with me a wonderful piece from a book she's reading called "The Discerning Heart". The part she shared was about finding God in everything - trees and rain and questions and people- and it was very beautiful. It made me think about my work. I need to be working to help pay the mortgage, and I need to be at home so I can homeschool with my guy, and I need to do work with my hands. So what I do fits all of those criteria. But I struggle with the question of is what I am doing good? Does it help people? I am, if anything, anti-consumerist, yet I need people to buy the things I make for this to work for me; so that is a conflict for me. I try to get around that by making things that are recycled, showing my concern for earth and helping others learn about recycling. Does what I do serve God? (It was easier to answer that question in my first career, nursing, and my second, mothering.) The only answer I have is that by bringing to people my imitations of God's creations, I hope that they are drawn to the awesome real Creator.

For Food Waste Friday, I can report again - no waste! It really has helped me, being part of this frugal community, to look in my fridge and eat what needs to be eaten before it goes by the by.

Still No Photos

2010-04-01T08:45:00.002-04:00

I'm still going sans photos, but wanted to share today's bird. I heard so many while I was out walking! I almost wanted to tell them to sing separately, so I could hear each one. At one point I heard one I didn't recognize, but a house wren nearby was calling so loudly I couldn't make out the one I was trying to hear. I wanted to tell it to Be Quiet! Sigh.

The newly returned bird I heard today was the Eastern Phoebe. It says its name, so it's pretty easy to identify. Here's the clip from Cornell, if you'd like to hear it.

Since I've been felting right-handed I've pretty much stuck to simpler birds, and I've gotten a good few done. But the organizer of the art show I'll be in in May asked me to be sure to bring along my "artier" pieces, and I'll want to have a bunch of really detailed birds. So yesterday I began work on a Northern Flicker and I was surprised to see that I can do the work well with both hands. We really are teachable beings, and that's such a comfort.

No Picture Day

2010-03-29T15:21:00.002-04:00

I had a bird all ready to show you, took the pics, plugged in the camera card reader...and nothing. Jiggled the connections, took out the card, reinserted it, replugged the reader...nothing. So now I am waiting for Mr. Real Photographer to come home from work and show me (again) how to connect the camera up to the computer directly, and I guess that is how I will show you pictures for a while.

Anyhow, here's a link to the info from Cornell on the yellow warbler, the bird I was all ready to show you.

I took most of this weekend off from felting work. We did a bunch of work around the house on Saturday, and I planted the raspberry canes I got from Marlene at my co-op. Well, first I double-dug the trench, and sifted the soil of the millions of rocks that sit 6 inches under the surface here. I was immensely gratified to learn that there actually is a limit to the rock layer and there is soil under it. Is anyone planning on building a rock wall anytime soon?

Yesterday I got to be silly and ooh and aah over baby things at a baby shower, and then came home to watch the Return of the King with The Boy, who's not been feeling well this past week.

I'm back at it today, chugging away at that braided rug - it's now 22" wide. I'm aiming for 48" so I'm almost halfway there.

Food Waste Friday and more

2010-03-26T08:12:00.003-04:00

I'm happy to say that this week there was no food waste! I was inspired by reading Frugal Girl to use up all the bits and pieces in the fridge. I made what my mother used to call a "Mama' Mess", combining a fresh cauliflower that I roasted with a stuffing I made from a lot of bits of leftover bread, biscuits and muffins, and I even threw in a leftover sweet potato that was threatening to live in the fridge for the next month. Topped it with melted cheese and it was really good!

On the felting front, I needed to make a bird with color so today's bird is an eastern blue bird. Click here to connect to Cornell for info and to hear its song.

Works in Progress

I've got a couple of long-term projects going. Here's how the commissioned braided rug is looking today:

And I'm working on a new Green Man in fall phase. I've got a bunch of leaves felted - here they are:

I'm about ready to start shaping his face after I make a few more leaves. I think I need more reds, and maybe a little more dark green.

White Throated Sparrow

2010-03-24T14:59:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I posted a song sparrow. When I was researching its song on the Cornell site, I double checked that I hadn't confused the song sparrow with the white throated sparrow. I hadn't - but was reminded how much I love the white throated as well. I've only seen one up close once, but I still remember it (I was doing dishes and it was foraging in the leaves outside my window). Here's its song from the Cornell Lab. I hope you check out the Cornell site - it's quite wonderful if you're a birder, probably even more so if you're an amateur like me.

Song Sparrow Returns

2010-03-23T14:03:00.004-04:00

Yesterday when I went for my walk in the park, I was thrilled to hear that the song sparrows have returned. Their song is, for me, the essence of spring and summer. I think that's because the first time I was ever aware of them was on a vacation with my parents on the Cape. We were walking to breakfast one morning, and there was a song sparrow singing its heart out (or defending its territory) on the post of a fence that was supporting a blossom-covered rose bush. You can hear a song sparrow's song here, at the Cornell Ornithology Lab website. It's a wonderful site with all kinds of birding information. You'll need to click on the "song" button.

If you'd like to see more of my felted song sparrow, you can go to my Etsy shop.

I was excited to hear on Saturday during my walk that wood-pewees have returned, too. I don't felt them as they are rather dull colored, but I love their cute little call of "pee-a-wee". Here's a picture. I tried to paste it in, but I don't think blogger will let me do that.

Food Waste Friday

2010-03-22T10:06:00.002-04:00

I've taken to reading The Frugal Girl and every Friday she takes a photo of the food she's not used in the past week and had to throw out. I don't have a photo, but I bet you can all picture a banana gone way past its time...

I'm going to a baby shower this Sunday and last night as I was drifting off to sleep I was thinking about the gifts I will bring. I have a red cashmere ski hat with a white pom pom (made from recycled sweaters, of course), and a felted ball. I like to make the wrapping a useful part of the gift, so I think I will make a couple of flannel burp cloths to wrap the hat and ball in, and put it all in a basket. I also like to make things as "green" as possible, so I'll look to see if I have any nice flannel I can recycle; if not, I'll get some new soft flannel.

Bunny Time

2010-03-18T16:57:00.004-04:00

I've had bunnies on the brain lately. I try really hard not to market things for Easter, as I'd like to have one holiday that's not all commercialized. We don't even do much with the Easter bunny at our house, other than to have our real Mr. Bun help deliver the baskets on Easter morning. All that said, I just feel like making bunnies lately.

I really like this view.

For the next one I want to card some gray wool in with this color and see if I can get the color of the Eastern Cottontails that live around here.

Spring into Summer

2010-03-17T13:46:00.003-04:00

Yesterday after I posted my Green Man, someone commented that I needed a Green Goddess to go with him. Well, she's rather pink, but here she is. She's quite old (made her a few years ago) so she's a wise woman. I was thinking of the abundance of the berry harvest when I made her; thus her name, Spring into Summer.

We used to have 2 rows of raspberry bushes at the back of the property where we lived, and we picked berries to eat, and berries to freeze, and we even made raspberry juice one year (it was so good!). The fingers used to get so pink! That's the reason for her pink skin.

Green Man

2010-03-16T13:45:00.004-04:00

I think I've posted a picture of this guy before...but I am so excited about all the green things popping up that I just needed to put him up again. He's needle felted onto a backing made of a recycled sweater; each leaf was individually felted and then felted on to his face, and then the details were added.

I'm working on two big projects right now: the braided rug I've mentioned before, and a green man in Fall tones. So far the Fall Guy is just a few leaves, but I can't wait to see more of him develop.

Chippy's Awake

2010-03-15T16:23:00.003-04:00

It seems each year when our chipmunk comes out of hibernation I need to make at least one to celebrate. So here's this year's needle felted spring chippy.

If you'd like to see more views of him, and you're on Ravelry, look for my notebook under my Ravelry name, thanksforwool. Or you can see him in my Etsy shop.

It's been raining here for almost 3 full days. The streams are just about full and so are the wetlands. They say it'll be nicer tomorrow. I hope so ~ I want my walk, and I don't do much walking in the rain!

Flowers and Booties

2010-03-11T12:07:00.002-05:00

Today's work is to load a bunch of stuff into my Etsy shop. I have a number of baby booties made of reeaally soft fibers: angora, cashmere and, if you will believe it, possum fur. I found this really soft sweater, and it was made of New Zealand lambswool and possum fur. It's really fuzzy and amazingly soft.

The slippers above are made of lambswool and angora. I call the pattern "Elfkin Booties" because that's what I think they look like. They never fail to elicit squeals from any female who sees them. : )

One of the flowers....

These are the booties made with possum fur.

Another flower, made of angora, so it not only has soft colors, it's really soft to the touch, too.
If you'd like to see more, check out my Etsy shop.

Finding New Paths for Old Things

2010-03-10T14:16:00.002-05:00

Lately I've been a conduit for materials. I have some scrap booking friends who gave me tools and papers they were no longer using, thinking that the Boy would have fun with them. He wasn't interested, so I asked my food co-op if anyone would be interested, and I had a couple of takers.

With my husband's mom's death, there have been many, many things traveling through. Dad is still going through her clothes, which have found a happy home at Southington Social Services. Last week he sorted through her sewing room and brought over several boxes and bags. I'm keeping threads, sewing elastic, and some delicious Icelandic wool as well as flannel fabric. Someone from my co-op will take all the odds and ends, like hooks and eyes, laces and trims. There were about 50 zippers, and I've listed those on Etsy to see if other crafters are interested in using them.

I try to recycle everything when I cut up clothes to make them into other things. When working on a rug and cutting up coats and skirts, I save the linings, zippers and buttons. I use the buttons and hand the linings and zippers on to others who will use them. And I've already told in past posts how I use all of a sweater when it gets cut up.

Don't throw anything away if it still has life in it!

The Weekend's Work

2010-03-09T15:29:00.002-05:00

Here's what I've felted over the past couple of days. I've done them mostly with my right hand, and my left arm is very happy with me for that. The felting with my right hand is getting quicker and a little more exact, and I'm very happy with that.

On Saturday I had the NOFA winter conference here in CT. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces, meet new friends, and to go to a couple of the workshops. I had a beautiful spot for my booth by big windows, and I was able to soak in a bunch of sunshine. I was thrilled to see that folks like the slippers and skirts I've made. I'll be making more~

Creative Explosion

2010-03-04T10:20:00.004-05:00

This week I feel like something exploded inside me, and I'm making things that I've thought of before, but never got to doing. Maybe all that letting it sit and perk inside me has come to fruition?
So anyway, here are some more slippers. I'm still experimenting around with weights and feltedness of sweaters before I put the slippers in to wash/felt. These came out a lot smaller lengthwise, and wider than I had hoped.

I've had a number of visitors to my booth suggest that I make wool longies for babies and little ones. For some reason (like I couldn't figure out how to do it from sleeves the way they said) I haven't tried. Amazingly (lol) I was able to find instructions - easy ones- on the internet. Who'd'a thunk? So here's my first try. The red ones are made from sleeves.

This green pair is made from the body of the sweater and I like how they came out funkily wide-legged. Some hippy child will probably like them!

Next is a bag from an amazing sweater. I had to buy this sweater, the cable pattern was so awesome. And I knew it would become a bag. It didn't come out as wonderfully as I had pictured, but I'm happy enough with it.

Here's a closer view so you can see the pattern.

Next is a market bag made from a sweater that felted up realy thick and sturdy, yet big enough to make a big bag. That's a happy thing.

I've also done a little needlefelting, too.

Today I'm off to the Billings Forge market, and I need to label all this stuff. Saturday is NOFA's Winter Conference - really looking forward to that!

Another New Way to Play

2010-03-02T15:22:00.007-05:00

So many of the women who see my sweater skirts for little girls have said, wistfully, "Can you make them to fit me?" that I began to really think about how it could be done. All of the little girl skirts I make are made from just one sweater, and for the most part that isn't workable for adults. So here is a way to make it work - the gored skirt. Each of these panels is made from the sleeve of a sweater.

The waistline is made from the bottom of a sweater and has an elastic waist band inserted to give it a little bit more stretch.

Another great way to recycle!

Double Recycled Sweater Pillow

2010-03-01T15:06:00.003-05:00

My box of scraps was full and the overflow looked like a pyramid! It was time to make a pillow. I chose a wool/angora/nylon blend (recycled sweater), so it's really soft and cushy. It's stuffed with woolly scraps, and feels nicely solid. Even the flower is made from scraps, and the button is from an old sweater. Once, twice, three times recycled.

Finished Slippers

2010-02-27T17:19:00.002-05:00

Here's what I've worked on this week. It's been fun!

Playing With Felted Sweater Slippers

2010-02-26T14:10:00.004-05:00

My friend, Carol, told me to look at the slippers a woman on Ravelry was making from recycled sweaters. I loved them and found out that she sells the patterns (google Kriskrafter) and bought them right away. I've had many people tell me they wish I made slippers for adults, but I didn't want to fiddle with trying to come up with a pattern.

So those clogs above are my first attempt. Kriskrafter suggests using unfelted sweaters, but I didn't have any, so I used a sweater that hadn't felted really tight, and I'm really happy with how they turned out. They are an adult large (they almost fit my size 11 feet). They're still wet, and not done yet - I haven't added the ribbing around the edge that will help them look finished.

Here's the first pair I made from an unfelted sweater. It was not a tight knit, and I don't like how they came out. They are very light and raveled a LOT even though I sewed around the edge, and they're not stiff the way I'd like, even though they are quite felted.

This was my third try. This was an unfelted sweater, but I know this kind of sweater felts up well. The left slipper doesn't really look that anemic, it just didn't want to stand up straight. All of them are still drying and haven't been trimmed yet; that's why they look so furry. The pattern says you should sew most of the seams on the outside so that they are not on the inside to bug the feet. I didn't read carefully enough, though, and sewed everything with right sides together, and I like the way it looks.

Here's a pair I sewed the "right" way, with the seams on the outside, and I don't like it much. Also, even though all of these boots were HUGE before felting, they are not adult size now, which is disappointing. My remedy will be to use prefelted sweaters, sew them, and put them though a cycle or two in the wash to finish the felting process. If it works out the way it did with the tan clogs, I should get adult slippers.

These were a pleasant surprise. I wasn't positive this was a wool sweater - the tag was written in Japanese or Chinese or something, and when I was working with it I was very dubious about what it would look like. It was wool and felted up best of the boots I've made so far. This one I did with the seams on the outside and for these it worked well.

The fun of felting for me is that it's always an adventure. I never know how much something is going to felt, or exactly what colors they will be, since the felting intensifies some colors and heathers others.

I'm off to try some more clogs with prefelted sweaters!

The Critters We Live With

2010-02-26T13:58:00.002-05:00

I've been telling Karen that I'd put up pics of our bunny, eventually, so here are a couple.
Introducing Mr. Bun, aka Celery and BunnyBoo. He's not an indoor bunny, but enjoys the times we let him come in.

The Boy is fascinated with hypnotizing the Bun. He goes into a trance-like state when you put him on his back, and the Boy was rubbing his sides. He lay there with his eyes almost closed.

Here's our kitty, Tali, in her fine lady pose.

And I had to put this one in so you could see her toes. All of them are white.
This is actually her house, she just lets us live here.

Barn Owl

2010-02-19T11:05:00.003-05:00

Here's a barn owl, or as close to one as a first attempt came. I got the request from a visitor to the Coventry market who has a friend who works with barn owls. It was a fun challenge!

I've had a little time to do some rummaging around on the 'net this week and found out that there is a group on Ravelry for people who have Etsy shops. I've seen some great stuff there! I also have found a couple of sellers on Etsy who have stuff I admire (I'm sure I'd find lots more if I gave myself more time to play!) - check out Fox Island Fancywork. I love her style.

What to do with Small Pieces

2010-02-18T10:09:00.002-05:00

Mug Rugs

In my quest to use as much as possible of each sweater I do many things: first I'll cut out mittens, a hat, wrist warmers or a scarf. I can usually get a hat and a pair of mittens out of an average sweater. Then I start looking at what I'll do with the left-overs. I make treasure bags (wallet-sized pouches that close with a button), tiny treasure bags - just right for the tooth fairy, and cut the felt into squares for mug rugs (coasters). After that, the big-enough scraps go into the flower bag and the smaller ones into the stuffing box. I love not wasting anything!

Santa Gnome

2010-02-17T14:05:00.004-05:00

I mentioned the other day a dearth of needle felted projects. I'm really digging here: this Santa was made back in the fall.

I think it's really interesting to see how his expression seems to change depending on the angle of the photo.

Brown Bunny

2010-02-16T15:04:00.003-05:00

I was at a show on Saturday where there was plenty of room for me to work, and plenty of time in which to do it. I brought flowers to cut and sew, and some felting. I was able to finish a woodpecker, and made this bunny. He's the first bunny I've made that is sitting up, and I'm thrilled he came out so well, especially since a lot of the work on him was done right-handed. I'm now living proof that it can be done (I fought it for a long time.)

He sort of reminds me of our bunny, in shape and expression. Someday I'll have to take a picture of Celery to show you.

Posting Pot Holders

2010-02-15T12:11:00.002-05:00

They say that on Etsy, to get your stuff seen, you need to not post lots of stuff, but to post something every day. Somehow that gets you a higher rating. I'm no expert, so I don't really know how that works.

I do know that writing my blog gets the juices moving for me, so that when I get to listing an item I'm able to write its description more easily. And that, though the mittens and hats I make are really well received in person, that doesn't seem to translate on screen. I'm sure it has something to do with the photos.

Last year, however, people on Etsy liked my pot holders, so that's what I've been listing lately, in the dearth of needle felted stuff around here. So here's a pair I like because of the snowflake design.

Grateful for Boosts

2010-02-10T14:10:00.004-05:00

I got two surprise blog-boosts when I opened up the computer today.

Yesterday when Karen from Rabbits Eat Quilts (check her out - great fun) saw my bunnies she posted a link to my blog so folks could see them. I had tons of hits from that!

And today in the newsletter from the Billings Forge farmer's market (I'll be vending there tomorrow) Rita posted the link so customers could see what will be available tomorrow.

I'm so grateful for these, as every little bit counts in getting the word out about my business. Thank you to Karen and Rita, and welcome if you're new to my blog!

On this snowy (or not) day I walked to Sally's (my favorite place to get materials, aka Salvation Army) and got 2 more coats for the rug I've begun, and a couple of black cashmere sweaters, a lovely purple angora/lambswool one, and a lovely camel of indeterminate lineage, but it does have a tag "dry clean only" so there's hope it will felt up nicely and maybe even turn out to be cashmere.

Here's the start of the rug, and some of the fabrics going into it:

The family who ordered the rug wants earth tones, and I'm having fun with that, since that's what I gravitate toward naturally.

Little White Bunnies

2010-02-09T09:30:00.003-05:00

As I sat getting the photos ready for this post, our very own little white bunny was sitting on my lap, warming me, though he had come in from outside. He has caramel colored spots all down his back and on his nose.

These little ones are modeled after a bunny in my mammals book - I think it's the arctic hare (and I'm too lazy to get up and fetch the book!).

They're all ready for the snow that might come tomorrow.

A Milestone

2010-02-05T10:59:00.004-05:00

If you've been reading this blog in the past few months, you know I've been complaining about my felting arm troubles. My plan for this year had been to felt a bird almost every day, but the arm has not cooperated with the Plan.

I've been practicing felting with my right arm, making bees. It's still slow going, but this morning I hunkered down and determined that I Was Going To Make a Bird With My Right Hand.
And now I'm thrilled to introduce:

Mr. Right Handed Goldfinch.

You should've seen me, bent over the felting, tongue sticking out the corner of my mouth. He really didn't take all that long, but I really had to pause many times as I realized I had positioned the work for left-handed felting, and how would I move it to do it right-handed?
It was a challenge, but now I feel so left-brain enriched!

Cool Texture Red Bag

2010-02-04T09:45:00.003-05:00

The sweater I made this bag from was given to me a couple of weeks ago at market. I'm thrilled that it was, as I might not have bought it if I saw it in the store (my favorite being Sally's, aka The Salvation Army). When I felted it up the texture was just amazing and I think it makes a really cool bag. Here's a close-up so you can really see that texture:

I added a felted button that I made a while back, and it's good to go. It'll be interesting to see where it sells.

Something Different

2010-02-03T10:38:00.003-05:00

Here's something not usually seen here - something knitted and felted. It's from the stash that Kris gave me, and the yarn felts beautifully. I love how the texture is all nubbly and the colors get fuzzy. It can be a mail pouch or a knitting needle holder or whatever a person fancies.