Lontue Wrap

Lontue is a 50%/50% linen/cotton yarn hand dyed in Chile.  It has a nice drape and light-weight feel that's perfect for the versatility of this pattern design.  This is my favorite color (matches turquoise) so it will be mine and I'm working on a couple more in different colors for gifts.

 

I Still Ride

I guess I haven't posted riding pictures lately.  Yes, I still get out and ride.  Not as many miles as I used to (been there - done that) and now what I consider more "quality" rides.
.

Cassoday Breakfast Run with my neighbor, Shawndra












And a good friend had a biker wedding a few weeks ago

Knitting on a Plane

 

  

Knitting gets me through business travel trips and makes long layovers enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

 

My Bestest Friend

Happy Mother's Day to you and yours!

Free on the Side of the Road

I have a big basket filled with raw cotton I picked close to Winfield after harvest and decided to work it up.  It's kind of a tedious process but those are the ones I tend to like the most.  I also gave a demonstration over the weekend at an artist's gathering.  Here are the steps (which don't include a crazy white girl out in a field pilfering free cotton):

1) Pull the fiber out of the pods and then pick out all the seeds and debris
2) Hand card (flat brushes that line the fiber up) and roll like cinnamon buns ready to be spun
3) Spin two spools with a somewhat heavy twist
4) Counter clockwise spin the two spools into one yarn
5) Soak to clean, give it some good whacks against the bathtub then hang outside to dry

And that's it.  Ready to knit up into something useful like cotton washcloths.  Pretty cool to make something from nature into something useful.

Girls Just Gotta Flea

I'll admit it, mom and I are flea market junkies.  And it's not like we drag a bunch of junk home.  We just like to spend time together and look at old things.  And I will admit sometimes...I do find some good stuff. 

Yarn Bomb a Chair

So, remember that flea market chair I found in Texas a few weeks back? 

Since it's the right height for my spinning wheel I though it needed to be somewhat fiber themed and yarn bomb came to mind.  For comfort I decided just to milk paint the seat and then used leftover yarn to wrap around (with mod podge to secure) the pegs on the chair. 

Absolute Vintage Boutique

There's a resale shop on the west side of town that inspires me and has my heart.  Not only do they have all kinds of repurposed, crafty good stuff, but they offer paint classes and outdoor markets.  I always leave inspired to make something.  This time some milk paint for a ratty antique bed stand and sparkly german glass glitter for some recent flea find antlers. 

DIY's make for a relaxing, fun weekend!

Dog Boots

YEEHAW!  Aunt Tami in Texas sent me home with some cowboy boots for the girls. 

Of course, Pretty Girl Pearl likes them.

 

Canton Flea Market

Like true flea market junkies - we just can't get enough and had to swing by Canton for First Monday trade days for a few hours.  It sure made for a long day combined with a 500 mile drive back home -- but it was worth it.  I scored a $15 deal on a wooden chair I will repurpose.  It's just perfect to use with my spinning wheel. 

Just another fun-filled 1,600 mile road trip with my momma!

Rod & Custom Show

Mom and I don't stay put for long.  It's on to Austin for the Lone Star Round Up car show full of rockabilly fun. 

I have a thing for old Chevy trucks in rust bucket colors.

2014 Texas Antiques Week

YEEHAW!! 

 It's another fabulous road trip to Texas with my momma for shopping and antiques.  The bluebonnets are in full bloom and the temperatures in the low 80's.  This year we are staying a couple nights at a motel in Giddings and drove into Round Top our first day making the newly opened Junk Gypsy Headquarters our first stop. 

It's true, Not All Who Wander are Lost.

Such an inspiring, colorful shop full of good stuff!

 We walked all over Round Top and Warrenton for two days and then Thursday night was the Junk O Rama Prom where the Warrenton oudoor nightlife comes alive with cowboy boots and prom dresses, twinkle lights, music, beer and dancing.  It's the magical kind of night that you wake up the next morning wishing you could do it over again.

 

MLM @ the March Flea

I gave the Flea another go this month and now I'm done for the summer.  Knitting projects got me through the winter and now I'm ready to put the needles down (mostly) for outdoor travel, sports and adventure.  What's left is packed up in a suitcase for sales at a later date.  Thanks for supporting Miss Lanora's Miscellany and I'll see y'all in the Fall.

Headbands

I woke early this Saturday morning with the idea in my head to sew some headbands.  I drew up a template pattern, dug out some stash fabric, elastic and got to work.  In no time, I had a pile of headbands to take to the flea market (and some to keep) tomorrow.   

Feather and Fan Baby Blanket

One baby blanket down and one more to go for a couple of my girlfriends first grandbaby.  The pattern is a great lacey feather and fan design with cables from this book.  It could easily become one of the best "go to" blanket patterns. Easy and fast!

Dog Handknits!

Pretty girl Pearl has her own knitted stocking cap and surprisingly, she likes it!

 

Fun with the Nuns

I'm always honored when the Sisters at Heartland Farm invite me to help them with events.  This time for another FiberSpace weekend retreat to help teach fiber arts such as knitting, crochet, spinning and weaving.  I tend to stick with the spinners turning alpaca fiber into yarn.  All the while close to tears from the nostalgia being at the farm with the Sisters brings back memories of times spent with my grandmother.  It feeds my soul.

 

Olympic Knits

I'm so into the 2014 Olympics in Russia.  Two weeks of lounging on the couch with the dogs watching all the winter games and knitting.  I found a great hat pattern exactly like all the USA team hats and made one for myself that also led to a pair of matching mitts.  Both a great patriotic souvenir and reminder of the Sochi games.

DIY: Boho Boots

Here's another project inspired by my travels.  I saw a pair of short repurposed belted cowboy boots like this in an upscale boutique in Dallas.  They were my size but I just couldn't justify spending several hundred dollars when I knew I could make them on my own so I tucked that idea away in my mental creative To Do list.  Then, this weekend, the inspiration kicked in.  For $47 in accessories at Forever 21 and a pair of old boots and one of my Harley belt buckles, I woke up at 3:30 a.m. and made these rock 'n roll, cowgirl, biker boots. 

Now I'm looking at my old pair of brown boots...

Cozy Winter, I Love You So!

For being such a sun worshiper, I sure like winter.  It gives us a chance to sit still, watch a movie, the Superbowl or just about anything for that matter.  And of course, there's lots of knitting and crochet.  More hats for the next flea market and more repurposed shirts that I sneak off for an hour at a time to sew on my sewing machine upstairs in my craft room.  Add several inches of snow and I'm that much more thrilled about winter.  I enjoy it completely while it's here.