I have a background in Fine Art, though I rarely produce these days. Im thinking of creating some fiber art for a wall in my apartment. Years ago I did something using burlap. This time, I look around for something better, some kind of heavy twine yarn that doesn’t shed a lot of fiber.
I ended up with a “surprise” project for Christmas. When I took my mittens to the yard sale Oct.16, I noticed a 'horse' across the parking lot …. looking at me. No kidding. I had horses (show/breeding) for 40 years – although I don't have any now, I still LOVE them (if I ever win the Lotto & can afford stable help, look out!). So I moseyed on over when I didn't have any activity at my table & checked them out.
Couple of things – first of all, they are LARGE. Not the usual Breyer size. The Palomino horse is 22” tall at the tip of the ears & about 22” long. The white one, that doesn't have a name stamped on the inside of the leg, I call the “Arab” - neck/face are reminiscent of an Arabian horse. Second, they were definitely used – dirty, a few dings, couple of pieces of mane cut (not too obvious). Third … they were $1.00 each. Yes, that is ONE dollar per horse! Would you believe I walked away? Used, dirty …. but then the Arab was still looking at me across the lot & that $1.00 price tag kept going “ding ding ding” like a bell in my head. I figured my little great-nieces would love them …. I could always clean them up as best I could AND I could afford a $2.00 “mistake”. So I went back over and bought them :-) Boy, am I glad I did. Not 15 minutes later, some little girl came along (maybe 4 yo) … there was a 3rd horse, also $1.00 – black with a blaze. This one wasn't all that attractive IMO & was missing half it's tail (someone had “happy scissors!). She went BONKERS over that horse & her mom promptly gave her the dollar she needed to buy it. “My” two horses likely would have been gone as well – at least one of them would have.
So, I got to looking at these two & decided to make them horse blankets to jazz them up a bit for gifting them. Since I've had horses, I know what blankets look like. BTW, a fabric blanket on eBay for one of these horses was $35!! I also found the Palomino horse on eBay … condition: used, dirty, with tack, but the tack is broken …. a mere $69!! Checked with my little great-nieces' mom & the favorite color for both is purple. I had one brand new “lavender” skein of RH Super Saver & I ended up buying another skein of “purple”, Mainstays brand. Both yarns aren't super soft, but have a 'harder' finish – I need something tough.
So the blankets have been “design as I go”. I am using a “waistcoat” stitch that looks a bit like knitting. It is very sturdy & dense – not a holey pattern. It should stand up to lots of wear & tear. I got the neckline on the Arab to work out – both sides. Next was figuring a way to get rid of the 'points' from the decreases – got that worked out. The Palomino blanket is done except for weaving in ends, making a 'surcingle'/belt to help hold it on (real blankets have them too) & finding some fasteners for the front chest closure & the surcingle. I have some ideas, if I can find them – got to be easy enough not to frustrate the 3 yo who is likely to just rip the blanket off if she can't undo the fasteners.
I already had Christmas presents for the girls, so these will be “extra”. The horses are “growing” on me – I like them more all the time. I did a test spot clean & some of the worst (looks like blue paint) came right off of the white horse. A stronger cleaner, magic eraser & a mane/tail wash with baby shampoo & they'll be all freshened up. A little “bling” on the blankets & I think the girls will be very happy with their new horses! So far, this has been a super fun project.
In the parking lot, right after I bought them
Blanket on the right before edging (you can see 'jagged' edge from decreases), blanket on the left is edged, just need to run in ends
Edging detail on blanket on left in picture above – I really like the way it turned out
PS - got two cast iron skillets for $1.00 each, too ... just need cleaning up/reseasoning. Sold 8 pairs of mittens, $5 each (used leftover yarn from projects since 2013 so I had no yarn cost, just my time to knit & wanted to sell, thus cheap price). After space rental ($5) & bought items ($4), that left me $31 to the 'good' and I had a blast talking to people so it was a great morning!!
I am a HUGE fan of the Diana Gabaldon “Outlander” series ... once I read the first book, I was hooked. Claire, the main character, is a nurse in WWII who, after the war, gets transported back to Scotland (yes, a little time travel - very believable) during the days when Scotland was at war with the British. She uses herbs & her ‘advanced’ knowlege, based on her nursing career, to do a lot of healing, wound care, etc. The herbal part is fascinating. Of course, there is plenty of romance, but it’s the “good” kind ... not gratuitous & not a tour of female anatomy, unlike many ‘romance’ books. This series is classified as historical fantasy/romance - the historical & other research done by Gabaldon is really something else, as are the plot lines. She claims not to have an outline, but I don’t see how she does it otherwise. I highly recommend the series - it is also a TV series on Starz ... I’ve seen some of it & it’s also very decent & relatively true to the books.
That being said, the TV series is “known” for the beautiful knit items used as part of the costuming. Louise, from Handy Little Me, has re-created a lot of the arm warmers, fingerless mittens, shawls & cowls in patterns that are either free or you can buy. I’ve made some arm warmers & gifted them - still getting compliments & a very usable item.
This article on the costumes appeared recently - can only link (web site does not allow any copying). You can also check out the patterns on the website. At the bottom of the article are links to an Outlander Tour in Scotland review 2020, the Sontag Shawl (history & patterns) & Outlander Knitting Patterns. Enjoy!!
Outlander Costumes (Including The Knitwear And More!)
https://www.handylittleme.com/outlander-costumes/
Now I'm onto Christmas. When all my kids moved out, I decided that Christmaspalooza gift giving is over. The best gift I can give adult children is being healthy, keeping their dad health and having a healthy retirement account. So now I gift only stuff I've made, generally a keepsake ornament of some kind, jewelry I've made or upcycled thrift store stuff and the occasional special request item like custom stockings for the cat and dog.
This year I'm making beaded hedgehog ornaments.
Only click if you think you can control your urge to make a dozen or more of these patterns immediately .......
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Top 61 Crochet Patterns of 2020
Posted by By Mikey November 8, 2021
This year has been a life changing moment for so many people. One of my roles is to watch for what interests you so we can design, present and come up with ideas to expand crochet. This year, it’s been upside-down the norm due to so many new people learning to crochet with unexpected time at home.
The following patterns are based on clickable interest. We have the top 29 of The Crochet Crowd and also, the Top 30 from Yarnspirations based on our community members clicking. They are not necessarily the same because we also design for ourselves and we suggest a lot of other patterns that are not used in tutorials.
You may be inspired for some projects coming up for gift giving or just want to challenge yourself.
How this Works
I’ll show you a picture. You can click the picture to forward you onto that pattern information.
https://thecrochetcrowd.com/top-61-crochet-patterns-of-2020/
....and here's why:
I did 2 pairs of mittens for my mom ('man' size, so I didn't have any in stock - special order). There was a time limit, so I knitted my fingers to a nub to get them done by the date she needed them. This is the 'order' that "broke" me, so to speak - took me a week to recover & pick up my needles again!
I just did another pair for a cousin's wife who had a terrible fall with injuries. I let my mom take what mittens I had in inventory to her church Circle meeting last Thursday so the ladies could pick out a pair of mittens for themselves. I had one pair of dark purple & doggone it, someone got that color. When I asked my cousin his wife's favorite color, of course, it was 'dark purple'. Being the nice person that I am, I went & bought yarn last Friday, knitted all weekend, & got the mitts in the mail Monday. Per USPS tracking, they're out for delivery today.
Meanwhile, back at the "ranch", I decided that my nephew would be getting 2 pairs of mittens for Christmas. His school has two colors, orange & maroon & they tell the kids what color to wear for each game (football, basketball). He'll have a pair of mittens for whatever color is the scheme for that game. He begged me for mittens when he was a little guy - wore them to school every day, so I hope he's going to be ok with school color mittens for Christmas.
Once I finish his two pairs (one pair just finished this morning), that will be IT for knitting presents. I will have to finish up the horse blankets (crochet) & the Christmas stocking for my little great-nephew (which is knit but in-progress, not a new project & at least it's not a 'mitten'!!). Everything else I'm giving is in the food category, so once I get to that point, it should be smooth sailing.