July 21, 2009
Spinning plus
No updates on the Rosemary Shawl this week, but I do have spinning!
Pictured above is laceweight yarn spindle-spun from various batts. From left, Squoosh batt (merino, firestar, bamboo), Juliespins batt in Walnut (merino, silk, bamboo), Abby batt in Devon Cream (organic merino, silk, cashmere), Enchanted Knoll Farm batt in Queen Mermaid (superwash merino, sari silk, firestar). All of these were spun on roughly 0.5 oz spindles and plied on my Tracy Eichheim spider spindle:
(Also an Enchanted Knoll Farm batt, this one in Dragon's Blood.) For my spindle-spun yarns, I spin two equal amounts of fiber and transfer the singles to toilet paper rolls. Then I wind the two singles together on my ball winder and ply from that. No pesky tangles!
And some random tatting. No idea what I will do with this. It's kind of fun to work on for about 20 minutes at a time. Knitting is better, though. :)
Posted by missalicefaye at 11:12 AM | Comments (17)
August 25, 2006
Smells awfully pretty, too
The current tatting project is being transformed into a sachet, filled with lavender lovingly handpicked in Portland this summer. (I think the lavender from my own garden would make a doll house-sized item at best.)
I was planning to wake up early this morning to take some pictures of the finished (!) Legends of the Shetland Seas stole.
Those of you who know me in real life are laughing hysterically right now, I imagine.
So the photo shoot will take place this weekend. Why is it that my fabulous photographer friend Roni lives so far away? Sigh.
Posted by missalicefaye at 12:12 PM | Comments (10)
August 18, 2006
Still more projects
One of my treasures from Kinokuniya in Portland was this little book of tatting patterns.
I haven't made a whole lot of progress. Actually, there was more progress, but due to a missing picot or two it was cut off in a fit of rage. Tatting is not a forgiving craft.
"But, Alice," you might say, "tatting is all well and good, and by gosh we are full of doily love, but where are pictures of Legends of the Shetland Seas? Aren't you done with that thing yet? What's up with the procrastination and starting twenty-five new projects all at once?"
Patience! I sense that great progress will be made on the edging this weekend.
I did take two nights off to work on this:
Details in the next post. (I'm full of promises.)
Meanwhile, for those of you interested in where all of our money is going this summer:
The left is pre-stripping, the right two are mid-stripping. Hopefully soon I will be able to provide evidence of actual painting.
Posted by missalicefaye at 09:33 AM | Comments (4)
July 10, 2006
Back to the good stuff
Thank you for your well wishes--I did survive the GRE. My scores were acceptable (of course, I haven't gotten the results of the analytical writing portion back yet--but how horrible could my babbling have been?), my study guide has been returned to the library, and I look forward to never ever ever having to do that again, I hope I hope I hope.
And now the pretty things:
Ok, this one isn't so pretty yet--it's the Garden Shawl at the "knitting complete, but unblocked" stage. In a surprise move, I actually blocked the thing within hours of completing it, but I haven't had a chance to take any pictures of the truly finished shawl. Tonight, I hope.
Occasionally--and I know this is hard to believe--I got really really tired of knitting that shawl edging. Enter tatting. This is perhaps one-fifth of a doily. Possibly I will finish it someday. Also, one of the previous owners of our house planted daylilies. They continue to thrive, even though I haven't weeded that bed...ever.
Jon got a fabulous sock monkey for his birthday. I used this tutorial.
He likes it.
Posted by missalicefaye at 10:10 AM | Comments (2)
March 22, 2006
Up with doilies
Friends,
Isn't it time we put aside our animosity and ill will and embraced the Doily? Its potential for loveliness, its laciness, its very Doiliness? I realize that some of you may hesitate, fearing that I may be leading you down the dark path of the antimacassar or worse. But fear not! Those damn things would never stay put on our leather furniture anyway.
As for the Doily, the above specimen has even received guarded approval from Jon, so my mandate to proliferate the Doily is clear. Lace oppressors beware. The Day of the Doily is at hand.
In other news, it appears that some of the bulbs I haphazardly planted last fall may actually turn into flowers someday.
Perhaps this will belie my reputation as an inveterate plant murderer? Ah, doubtful!
Posted by missalicefaye at 09:10 AM | Comments (2)
March 08, 2006
Wishful thinking
With the blind hope that the weather will eventually grow warmer, I've commenced with the spring skirt making. This is my first garment with a zipper rather than elastic. It's acceptable, but I won't be showing a close-up. :)
I plan to sew on some tatting thusly:
At this rate, I will soon be covered head to toe in lacy needlework....
Posted by missalicefaye at 09:01 AM | Comments (10)
February 03, 2006
Friday dispatch
I would like to be able to show you my two days' worth of Spider Queen progress, but I was too busy knitting to pose it for a proper picture. Instead, you get the above lion (fancy miniature lion?) card, printed with the precious gocco, and the still life with tatting and wrist rest below:
Merry Friday!
Posted by missalicefaye at 02:18 PM | Comments (3)
January 13, 2006
Frivolite for Friday
The completed bookmark. More fitting for an aging edition of Little Dorrit than the old receipt I was previously using.
Posted by missalicefaye at 10:27 AM | Comments (2)
January 09, 2006
I like lace
A bit of a tatting update. This is destined to become a bookmark of some kind--in other words, a strip of tatting with a purpose rather than a random piece of edging, forlorn and homeless.
I finally got my hands on a library copy of Rebecca Jones' Complete Book of Tatting, which I would definitely recommend to any beginning tatters out there. (You know you want to try!)
Whereas most tatting diagrams I've seen so far are rather impenetrable, hers actually make sense.
Currently, I'm looking forward to the delivery of a bobbin lace making kit from Mielke's Fiber Arts. Plus, I was excited to see a tiny article and how-to on needle lace in the latest Piecework. My quest to master ever more obscure needlearts continues....
Posted by missalicefaye at 03:59 PM | Comments (5)
November 29, 2005
Weekend report
Although there were no turkeys roasted in our house this holiday weekend, I did manage apple jelly, the tastiest buttermilk scones ever, crock pot chili, bread with Italian herbs, and Cajun shrimp--the full butter-and-olive oil Moosewood version.
My little friends.
Friday and Saturday were declared Official Pajama Days and spent on the couch. Idyllic, and complete with roaring fire in the fireplace.
Monday morning was not greeted with happiness.
Progress was made on Magickal Earth. I am almost halfway through the Celtic Knot motif and foresee actually finishing this someday. (Forgive the wrinkliness of the unicorn--I was too lazy to try to pin it out.)
Tatting was pursued.
Posted by missalicefaye at 10:00 AM | Comments (4)
November 16, 2005
Evidence
Still compulsively tatting. Still no idea what I'll do with it. The pieces is now twelve inches long. I can't stop. Actually, I haven't learned how to finish yet, so I really can't stop. I suspect it involves tying a knot of some sort.
Random cat hairs provided for scale.
As evidence that I do still knit:
Sweater and tiny sock set for Amber's little one.
The socks are from the Summer 2005 Interweave Knits. I used Dale of Norway Stork, which is a nice yarn, but cotton is not so nice to the hands while cabling on size 0 needles. Duh.
One of Merike's gloves from Nancy Bush's Folk Knitting in Estonia. This is the second time I've knit these gloves, having lost the first lovely made-in-Koigu version in a U-Haul truck this January. Very sad. This one is made from the Shelridge Farm yarn I bought in Rhinebeck--my only non-food purchase. Shocking and disturbing, no?
That's Lisette from Rowan 36 lurking in the upper left corner. More on that someday.
Dig that polar bear blanket. I am eternally cold.
I haven't abandoned the Magickal Earth Shawl, by the way, although it's been neglected for a couple of weeks. I will try to photograph it this weekend, when I am actually home during daylight hours.
Posted by missalicefaye at 10:28 AM | Comments (5)
November 11, 2005
Quack quack
A bit more tatting to show. Another strangely addicting craft. And what, pray tell, will I be doing with my tatting? No idea.
So I was taking some pictures of the kitchen last night to add to Flickr. I won't bore you with those here(follow this link if you want to see them), but I felt that I had to show off its awesomely ugly rose border.
Dig those cracks in the paint, too. Fabulous.
Naturally I took pictures of dinner.
The Swiss chard went from this impressive pile o' leaves (here seen posing with the World's Greatest Pepper Grinder):
To these tiny bits:
Crazy leafy vegetable.
Jon carves the beast. I am not trusted with carving due to aesthetic and safety concerns.
Roasted duck breasts, swiss chard, latkes
Posted by missalicefaye at 01:49 PM | Comments (3)
November 07, 2005
weekend tatting
This weekend, thanks to the back-tack kit from Carolyn, I continued my tatting adventures.
As you can see, I can now string together my little rings, which aren't quite as misshapen as before. (I did switch to a much thicker thread, which takes away some of the daintiness, but preserves a bit of my sanity.)
This is all supposed to be sewn to a bit of fabric to make a doily. A doily. You can imagine how excited Jon is to see the introduction of doilies to the household.
Posted by missalicefaye at 09:34 AM | Comments (5)
October 31, 2005
back tack happiness
So I received the loveliest backtack package from Carolyn in Australia...
(You should go look at her blog, because her pictures are much better than mine.)
Look at that fabulous bag (which I am now toting around everywhere)! With my name on it! :) And a Rowan Living book to guide me in my stalled home decorating. So pretty!
I wanted to learn the hip new craft of tatting, so she sent me a little kit. I have produced this tiny misshapen ringlet so far:
There was chocolate, too. It is long gone.
Thank you, Carolyn!
(I will reveal my own back tack effort this week. Two posts in one week!)
This weekend was all about yardwork on the old homestead. I managed to transfer all of my bulbs from the refrigerator into the ground. Daffodils live here:
Jon made the clever border. And trimmed hedges. And chopped down lots of dead things with his fearsome combination of machete, axe, and gardening shears. He's a far more diligent yardworker than I. At least I avoided any poison ivy.
Posted by missalicefaye at 02:49 PM | Comments (2)
