This time I am knitting something for myself! It’s called the Ausable Sweater and I simply love the pattern.
Cable detail
The pattern is a 12 row repeat and it’s pretty easy once you get used to it. This is 9″ of the back and side – I need 15″ as called for in the pattern, but I like my sweaters to be a bit longer so I will probably knit about 17″.
Moss stitch
To begin with, I found Moss stitch to be a bit challenging but I think I have the hang of it now. I am trying to knit at least 2 rows a day and it is really growing!
Once we had taken all the decorations off of the Christmas tree, we decided to give it a little more life and put it outside in the backyard. We made garlands out of popcorn, fresh cranberries and dried oranges (I dried them in the dehydrator). We also made little “cupcakes” out of bird seed and other ingredients. You can find the directions from Garden Answer
We made these for the birds, but so far the only critters accessing the food on this tree are the squirrels! Oh, well, they are cute too.
I had a couple of helpers!We put a garland and a few of the birdseed cupcakes in with the chickens – they LOVED them!Chickens devouring a birdseed cupcake.
This was such a fun activity that I think we will do it every year! The chickens love those cupcakes so much, I think I’ll make them once in awhile as a treat.
What better way to start out the New Year than with a hike! We decided to go to Burleigh Ranch State Park in Half Moon Bay. We couldn’t have asked for better weather. Cool and crisp, sunny and the air smelled wonderful.
Running creek on the trail to the barn.Old barn equipment makes a great sitting place.The Barn.Trying to stay out of the mud!Another building – was it used for storage? as a chicken coop? something else?Happy New Year from our family to yours!
It’s been a long time since you last heard from me! Never fear! I’ve been stitching and crafting away. Too many things to list here, but I will share as I finish things. I did manage to finish new ornaments for the kids, myself and my husband.
All of them together!
I still have two more to finish for significant others, but they are out of town until the end of December so I have a bit of time.
I watch two homesteading channels on YouTube that end their vlogs in ways that speak to me. One of them ends with: “Whatever you do, do it with your whole heart.” and the other ends with: “Slowly, slowly” (that’s his motto with all big projects). I love those two messages and what they mean to me. I will be ending my posts with those. Have a great rest of the year!!
I’m addicted to these SFSNAD classes!! This class is all about needle lace. The most interesting part to me, is that we are creating lace pieces that can be taken off the fabric and used for different purposes.
Cordonnet
This is called a Cordonnet. It is what all the lace stitches will be attached to. The lace stitches will not go through the ground fabric, they will be wrapped around the cordonnet at the edges.
Brussels Stitch with Return.
This was the first technique we learned and give a really solid appearance. We learned how to change colors within the lace as well.
Brussels With Return – the return thread has been replaced with gold thread.
This one was super fun to make and I love the look of it. I will find a reason to use this in the future.
Trellis Stitch.
This one was a little harder to do. I still need lots of practice to get an even look and to have the “knots” line up. Even though the are offset, they should line up.
Brussels with Return.
We were using quite a thick thread so this is quite dense. With a thinner thread it would look much better and a lot more lacy.
Spiral Trellis Stitch
This one still needs to be finished but is very enjoyable.
The classes offered at SFSNAD are soooo very interesting and I am loving learning so many new things. This class is in four parts spaced one each week for four weeks.
Stumpwork Jester – class taught by Lauren Yaeger.
This piece is padded and needle lace is created for the clothing. Exciting right?!!
In our first class, we learned how to create the felt under piece. This is stitched down and then stuffed. Musculature is added once it is stuffed. Getting this stuffed, completely stitched down and the musculature added is my homework.
I’m really enjoying taking embroidery classes at the San Francisco School of Needlework and Design. They have great teachers and interesting classes. I love learning new embroidery techniques.
Blackwork Class at SFSNAD.
This was a two day class that went over all the different stitches that we would find in this kit. My progress so far:
The stitching is really meditative and easy.
So far, this star stitch is my favorite. It has the most steps, but I just love the look of it!! It’s going to take me awhile to complete this project!
I’ve always wanted to make Funnel Cake but have been afraid to try. They just looked so complicated!! I found a recipe over at Sally’s Baking Addiction that looked pretty easy and everything else of hers that I’ve made has worked out perfectly, so I decided to give it a try.
Homemade Funnel Cake with Mint Ice Cream, Chocolate Sauce and Whipped Cream.
I keep seeing this SAL online from Modern Folk Embroidery. It’s just so pretty and finally I could not resist!!
Modern Folk Embroidery – January
18ct Aida Fabric – Thread=12wt cotton petites in color #s 1030 for the light blue and 1293 for the dark blue. One over one. I had tried using color #1226 for the lighter blue, but there was not enough contrast from the dark blue. I think I’m in love with both the color choices and the pattern!!
Connie's Creations 