Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

It's a snowy Saturday, indeed.  We have 16" to 20" as of this morning and it's still snowing.  My husband shoveled the walk from the house to the truck.  Don't think we'll be going anywhere, just in case of an emergency.

The electric lines are really drooping, but as long as we have electricity, I'll just be content with my computer and sewing machine today.

Tunisian Crochet-Star Stitch

Wanted to share this summer top I crocheted for myself, using the Tunisian method of crochet.  I found this pattern in a leaflet from the year 1966!  The directions didn't refer to any style of crochet, only that an afghan hook was required.

I love the star stitch used, hadn't seen it before.  Only wish I had used a better yarn, but wanted to see how it looked and fit, first.

Felted Sweater Bowls

I love making and selling my felted sweater bags, but sometimes it's fun to dabble in other ideas for upcycled wool sweaters.

Remembering a millinery class, I thought, "Why can't I do something similar with wool sweater scraps?" We would stretch wool hat forms over a block to get the desired finished hat shape.

That's when I decided to try making little bowls.

A square piece of felted sweater was wet and dipped into a fabric stiffener that I purchased some time ago.

Plastic wrap was used to cover a glass bowl, and the stiffener soaked wool was stretched over the plastic wrap, smoothing all wrinkles and adjusting the top gathers.

White string, wrapped several times around held the gathers in place.

It took forever to dry indoors even with the use of a hair dryer every so often.

When it finally dried, the stiffened string was carefully cut and the bowl removed. Trim the top with scissors, and finish with some trim and a felted flower, of course.

Shown are two I kept for myself. Several others were sold at a summer craft fair with potpourri included in a small cellophane bag.

Try one!