House Elf Slippers In Time for the Holidays

I finally got around to finishing my Norwegian House Slippers. Even though they knit up super fast because the pattern is so darn simple, life still got in the way. I saw the pattern in a Craft post and was amazed at how simple it was. It's basically an 'L" shaped striped scarf. The trick, however, is in how you stitch it up when finished. Luckily, they have a video for that because the diagram didn't do anything for me. I simply sat down in front of the computer when it was time to stitch and followed along. It took two wash cycles to get the proper density and size. With the weather getting colder, I'm happy to have a new pair of slippers to wear around the house. Quick and easy, I'll probably make more. Because they are built in squares they can be a great way to use up leftover balls of wool. Below is a picture before felting. If you've felted before, this won't surprise you. If you haven't your slippers will seem huge. But they shrink quite a bit when washed and it's a good idea to check their progress along the way.

When Tacky Was Cool

Sometimes the plate the food sits on makes all the difference. Yesterday at the Goodwill, I spied a set of 4 Vernon Kilns chop plates in this fantastic orange color. Of course today, when I saw them sitting in the dish drainer, I was compelled to use them. I love orange plates in general probably because I'm a big fan of Mexican and Chinese food. The bright colors of the food are an equal match for the intensity of the plates. But it was early and I wasn't going to make enchiladas for breakfast. Still, my omelet has a South of the border flair to it. The green sauce, cilantro and cheese really add to the flavor of the sauteed peppers (Which btw come frozen in a bag, chopped and ready to use. Very handy.) Top that off with a few sprigs of cilantro and you have a very yummy first meal of the day.

As for the plates, I adore them. Although they do show a bit of wear from use over the years (they were probably made sometime in the 50s), don't we all? It's the happy intensity of the orange. It's not a color you can miss; it won't blend nicely with your pastels. It's a color that will get noticed. It comes from a time in California when dining outdoors first became the rage, and a martini by the pool after work was the way the West Coast businessman finished his day. A time of shish kebabs and jello molds. A time when tacky was cool.

It Lives!

Here's a quick peek at the mummy that I've been working on with Josh over at PolarGFX. I think he's just too cute. Something about those big brown eyes I guess. He's at the point where he's getting his wraps done and we've been debating on just how much wrap he needs. I say less, Josh says more. I think either way will be fine. Just personal preference.

The entire process has been a blast from the start. I've done things in papier mache before but not with this much detail and never something that was free standing. But with each step, each layer of paper, you could see the final form taking shape. And as we fumbled our way through the techniques and materials, we came up with some surprisingly successful results.

More pictures and details to follow soon.

Practical Valentines

I've been on a dishcloth knitting kick lately. They knit up so quickly and there is such a variety of patterns to choose from they help brush away the after holiday knitting blahs. The heart cloth is for Ryan because not only is his kitchen done in red and black, but his birthday is on Valentine's Day.

I love pattern clothes like this because it is fun to see the pattern develop as you knit. Plus, the red color is anything but boring.

(pattern can be found on Kris Knit's blog here: valentine surprise)