Ack! Rainy weather and cable problems seem to go together. We lost the cable late last night and didn’t get it restored until this afternoon. So my post is late, naturally :)
I want to thank you all for your comments and compliments on the mutant elephant - it was most surprising and pleasing. Just proves I should have listened to Myria in the first place - and maybe that I am not the best judge of my own work. I did, however, move his ears a bit forward last night and I believe this improves things somewhat.
After the otoplasty...
The size issue aside, I was unhappy with the Landscape Shawl’s bind-off. It is recommended that this be done very loosely - which I did. Consequently, the top edge of the shawl has always looked sloppy to me - as though it didn’t fit the shawl. I could have ripped itn out and done it over, but…
A little decorative reconstruction
I also took an abandoned project and, with very minor reworking, turned it into a pretty little bag which will probably hold the earrings in the picture.
Gift bag and gift
We watched Scrooged (Bill Murray) last night. It’s one of our favorite holiday films. Over the final credits, Annie Lennox sings Put a Little Love in Your Heart and as I listened to it, I got an emotional smack upside the head.
The 60s and early 70s were a period of tremendous change. Some seriously important things were accomplished and a great deal more silliness was tried. But we did think, then, that we could change things, that it was possbile to make the world a good place for all its residents. We, most of us, didn’t have a clue as to how that could be accomplished, but we were willing to give it a shot, We believed it could be done.
I really miss that feeling.
No trackbacks yet.
you really have been busy- what is the ‘shiny’ yarn you used for the gift bag- i like it- leo has bught the girls some baubles and i had thought about making a bag for each from chenille, but i think the idea of a shiny bag for shiny contents is much more appealling now- (geez, i am really a pathetic case of ‘monkey see, monkey do’ lately)-
elephant is lovely in any of his (it is a ‘he’ elephant, right?) incarnations-
yes, the whole idea of working toward something good was wonderful- now i think we just work toward getting ahead-
remember the john lennon christmas song about war being over? i listen to it yearly and think about how long ago he voiced those thoughts and how we are still just wishing it was true- well, i am a little mary sunshine today, am i not- i will go and drape myself in black-
stay happy there-
Barb - I have no idea what the yarn is. It was $1 and labelless :) My best guess is that it’s a linen/cotton/viscose arrangement though I have no idea of the proportions.
~love the bag, it’s absolutely stunning (pattern?)
~Scrooged is 2nd favourite Christmas movie (first is A Christmas Story with the Red Ryder BB gun) and pissed I missed it (always a little emotional with that closing piece as well)
Lisa - The bag is simple, simple. Cast on a multiple of three to the width you want your bag to be. Row 1: K3, P3 across. Row 2: Knit the purls and purl the knit stitches. It’s the same as seed stitch, just done over three stitches instead of one.
When the piece is twice as long as you want the bag to be, bind off, fold in half and sew up the sides. Attach yarn at the top and crochet around, crocheting in 2 stitches and skipping the next (with a chain).
End off and weave in ends. For the cord you can do just about anything you like; I used a twisted cord, or you can crochet a cord or knit an I-cord to the length you like.
The elephant looks great now - moving his ears has made a huge difference. I love that little bag too, it’s really charming.
I think that elephant is just adorable.... Nice job on the edging too. I felt that way about the edge of a shawl I made. It just looked sloppy.
Pam - Funny, sewing the ears on was no trick at all but getting them off again was...well, work!
Maureen - I think the edging will work fine for the person intended to receive the shawl. She’s a free spirit and her clothes (which always look teriffic on her) reflect that :)
Wow - gorgeous earrings & bag! Your elephant is tres chic also - it’s amazing how well he’s doint after the plastic surgery. ;) The shells were a great solution for your shawl - I did the same thing with Flyaway Free. I think shells can truly be a fix-all on most projects....at least those projects with wonky edges.
Bron - I’m in danger of using the shells as a cure-all, LOL! But they do the trick and it’s useful to have such a fix in one’s repertoire, after all :)
The earrings are quite as fiercly yellow as they seem in the picture, but they certainly are cheerful!
