Merry Christmas 2014

The magic of Christmas is everywhere!

Christmas Knits

 

December at the Flea is my most favorite and lucrative month for slinging my handknits for close to 9 busy hours.  I see return customers, family and friends who stop by to shop for holiday gifts.  I even have customers that buy the stuff right off of me that I'm modeling.  As well as my made up mannequin with Miss Lanora's Miscellany holiday flair!

Table Rock Lake Getaway

My sister-in-law has a lake house in Shell Knob and we rented the cabin next door to them for the weekend.  It had a killer view and after finding it's for sale I found myself fantasizing about retiring and moving into it after falling in love with the heated tile floors, refurbished wood skating floor throughout and refurbished wood bowling alley countertops.

An eagle flew up the balcony as I sat drinking coffee this morning.

I hiked along the water's edge and picked out some driftwood to bring home to make a souvenir rustic tree for my front porch back home.

November Knits

It's that time of year that my outdoor activities move indoors with more time to sit, knit and build my flea market inventory. This season will be more hats than usual as that's what I'm in to right now. I am making several different styles and enjoy proving to customers that they really can look good in just the right hat.  There are also many headbands and fingerless mitts, too.

Peanut Turns 1!

Happy Birthday, Polly the Peanut, my little monkey-faced Superstar!!

Flying W Ranch Retreat

The Kansas Knitting Guild hosted an overnight retreat in the Flint Hills at Flying W Ranch.  We hiked, drank wine and knitted the night away.  I spun a skein of cotton from the fields in Winfield.  Some very good stuff in my home state.

 

Water Dogs

It's official -- I am raising pups who love the water.  Up to now it's been water hoses and bath tubs until my annual family reunion where they played and explored the Sand Creek falls.  Then each took a turn going out for rides in my kayak.

 

Halstead Fine Arts and Crafts

I answered a request for a spinning artist to give demonstrations in Halstead, KS at their fall arts festival.  I took all my (free on the side of the road) cotton and spinning supplies to showcase how a fiber can be hand processed, carded, spun and knitted into useful objects.  Turns out it was a good excuse to spend a day at one of my favorite crafts.

A Birthday to Remember

I hit the road with these two

 Knitting fingerless mitts on the way

to one of my most favorite destinations

Taos, New Mexico where

  we went the Wool Festival where I purchased Buffalo wool and finished a cowl

and celebrated a fantastic birthday in my gifted handknit shawl

2014 Walnut Valley Festival

It seems like I wait patiently all year for this bluegrass festival.  I get to enjoy the outdoors camping, great live entertainment and hang with a good friend.  The temps were a little on the warm side and we had just one early morning light rain shower.  That great friend made up wonderful meals and my favorite adult beverages, Margarona's.  We swam in the river, rode our bicycles and spent each cool morning and night around a campfire...just plain good fun.

 

Around the Campsite

 Easy Friendships

 Lots of Knitting

 A Great Fiber Vendor

Until next year, Winfield!

Woven Cotton

Taking a knitting break to dabble in weaving.  I actually found this primitive handmade loom and tools many years ago in Taos, NM.  It's been sitting in my craft room more or less as decoration.  Just another hobby maybe someday I will have more time to devote to.  In the meanwhile, I made up a couple small facecloths.  One for myself and one to gift to a good friend who is wanting to get into weaving.

Pearl Turns 1

 

Happy Birthday, pretty girl Pearl.  She liked wearing a festive hat and really loved her dog party cupcakes. 

Scarf Cowl

So in love with cowls these days and I think I've found the best pattern yet.  I will be gifting a lot of these but this one is all mine in Plymouth wool Gina.

Road Trip Yarn

All that road trip yarn is now completed projects. 

36 Hours

What starts off as an overnight girls golf trip can easily turn into a yarn hop to shops in Abilene, Wamego and Topeka.  We load up on yarn and head to a favorite casino two and 1/2 easy hours from home.  There was a light rain shower and we had the courtyard hot tubs all to ourselves.  We woke early for a foggy, cool tee-off at the resort golf course, had a good meal at the clubhouse and then headed home.  A lot of fun in just 36 busy hours.

Derby Flea Market

I made a last minute decision to set up my stuff at the bi-monthly flea market in Derby.  To say it was hot was an understatement.  For some reason, I thought I wouldn't need my easy-up tent.  But, I endured about 5 hours in the sun, sold a few and bought a few things.

Golf is Good

Beginning many years ago, I wanted it. Sucked at it.  Stuck with it. 

My girls and I have stayed committed to playing once a week and just this year I'm starting to see huge improvements and consistency in my golf game.  I have confidence to play in corporate tournaments and had a superstar moment almost making a hole-in-one in a recent tourney that rewarded me in some spending money!

I'm a golf girl now.

Artisan Market

I guess you could say I've been taking the summer off from knitting.  Instead, I've been thrilled by the hunt of vintage Levi's and sewing denim reconstruction projects like headbands, aprons and cut offs.  I designed crochet thread inserts for the shorts and find pleasure in making perfect fray holes.  It's just the right kind of meticulous summer project that has struck my fancy lately.

Then braving the summer heat to showcase my latest collection at The Workroom Saturday Artisan Market.

 

Beaded Silk Scarf

An easy one night garter stitch knit scarf
in the exquisite beaded Silk Jewel yarn. 
Dyed and packaged in Canada by Sweaterkits. 
Two more projects to go in my yarn binge from Tulsa.

Yet Another Firefly Scarf

Even a foot laceration can be a good thing: knit-wise.  I have some down time to work on my recent Tulsa yarn purchases.  I've probably made close to 10 of these scarves but somehow I've gifted them all away.  This one is for me in a light cocoa shade of Firefly linen yarn.

I Love Oklahoma!

Oklahoma is one of my most favorite states.  From childhood cabin/lake weekends with my grandparents, family reunions, good BBQ, and riding destinations now as an adult.  I should also mention my most favorite yarn shop in Tulsa, Loops.  I just can't help myself.  The boutique atmosphere and inspiration is over the top. I always leave with several projects.  See how the samples of what I chose just draw you in??

He waited patiently in the parking lot on his Harley as I made a mad dash for yarn and then we were off to our weekend with friends on Lake Tenkiller outside Tahlequah.  For work or pleasure, I always like to stay in a lakeside cabin at Burnt Cabin Marina and Resort.  The floating marina/café provides us with really good meals and a nice place to watch the full moon rise over the hilly tree line.

Happy Father's Day

I am out of town on Father's Day so we caught up earlier in the week.  He's the best Dad that didn't have to be. 

 

Riverless Festival

I planned a little overnight 250 mile riding trip with my girl moto posse to Phillipsburg for their annual Riverless Festival.  We had a blast sunbathing at the motel yesterday and taking in the vendors, turtle races, car show and a GREAT boutique shop that this friendly little town has to offer.  Kind of funny when we walk into the tavern and are asked, "Are you the girls from Wichita?"  Word gets around in a small town!

 

Recycled Denim Scarf

I found this cool yarn while traveling through Nebraska and it caught my eye because it's made from 100% recycled denim.  I adore just about anything denim so I chose one of my favorite patterns to make myself a fringed scarf. Pretty darn cool.

 LOVE *** LOVE *** LOVE !!!

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!