As Promised...

...here are the pictures of my revised pockets on Wool Coat #1 ~~

I think I need to add a little more 'vein' to the left leaf on the top picture.  Other than that, I'm pretty pleased with the way the coat is looking so far.  I have to hand sew the label down and sew the lining back down and I'll be finished.  Woohoo!  Now I just have to come up with a price for it......

The other day I got a surprise package in the mail ~~

It was a fabulous gift from Detroit Edison, for having completed an online energy survey.  This is a win-win for me.  I found ways to cut my energy use as well as actually seeing which appliances are energy hogs.  In the gift box were 5 of the new lightbulbs, water reducing aerators for the kitchen faucet, bathroom faucet and shower head, a night light, and safety plugs for outlets.  I put the bathroom faucet aerator on right away -- works like a charm.  I'd been without an aerator there for at least a year.  Kind of embarrassing.  The night light came in the nick of time as the light bulb on my old one died out that night -- coincidence??

I'm starting to feel the pressure -- taxes are due next week and I haven't really started yet.  Yikes!  Looks like I'll be working on them this weekend.  I bet you've already gotten your refund and have spent it, right???

Show n Tell

I took my Sneaky Sheep Swap item to work today since so many of my co-workers had seen it in progress.  Rave reviews -- did you hear that, Sneaky Sheep Swap recipient????  Oh wait, you don't know who you are just yet.  Count down begins to next Tuesday -- 7 days to go!

I also took my wool coat #1 to Panera tonight for knit group and again, rave reviews.  So glad the changes I made to the pockets met with approval.  And yes, I do appreciate your input AND criticism.  I promise I'll post pictures of the updates tomorrow.  Too tired tonight to take a good picture.  I'm off to bed -- thank goodness!

Do-Overs

One of the things I love so much about needle felting is the propensity for do-overs.  After the poo-pooing I got tonight for my pocket embellishments on my wool coat #1, I came home and peeled off the original blah designs and created more flowers and leaves.  We'll see if the changes I made this evening pass inspection by my knitting friends when we meet tomorrow night at Panera's.

Happy Easter !

Hope you all had a super Easter Sunday.  I didn't get one stinking chocolate bunny.  Wahhh.  But I did get ham, potatoes, mac & cheese, and my world famous (I wish) raspberry pretzel Jello dessert.  Yummo!  Plus, now that Lent is over, I can drink a glass of wine -- wooohooo!

I added more embellishments to my wool coat #1 -- I hope to post some pictures tomorrow.

My new favorite TV show is 'Undercover Boss' -- I just love it.  I'm amused by the sight of the bosses attempting to do so many of the vital jobs within a company.  Tonight was the boss of Roto-Rooter and he was out there snaking pipes, blowing out lines, taking service calls, welding parts.  Most of the jobs he didn't do particularly well at, especially when he welded a hole right into a piece of machinery and the sparks got down into his shoe.  But for each of the episodes I've seen so far, every boss develops an understanding of the lives his employees live and the effort they give their company and community.  I tear up at the end of every show.  I'm such a sap.

I'm off to do a couple of Sudoku puzzles before heading to bed.  Hope everyone has a great week!

Wacky Saturday Weather

We had the craziest weather today.  It started out beautifully, warm and sunshiny.  I dropped off the new coat from Salvation Army at the Dryclean Depot, where it only costs $1.99 per item.  From there I stopped to get gas and a car wash, followed by a quick stop at the Royal Oak Farmers Market.  The Easter Bunny had stopped by to visit with all the kids there.  I only picked up some baked goods before coming home.

I decided it was time to clean up the yard a bit and tackled the dried out plants in the backyard.  The winds began to pick up and I finished quickly.  After a quick bite of lunch, a Tortiere from the bakery, I headed over to Right off the Sheep to get some help finishing my Sneaky Sheep Swap item.  By now, the winds were gusting so hard you were struggling to walk upright.  Once I got situated inside the store, the hail started and then the rain.  I sure was glad to be inside.

I finished the last of the work on my swap item and I must say, it's pretty fine.  Here's another sneak peek~~

Not much of a hint, I know, but I don't want to reveal it just yet.  I'm so glad to have it done ahead of time.  This is just not like me at all.  I'm normally waiting until a couple of days before the deadline to even think about what to make.  Then I'm stressing out trying to make the deadline.

When I left the shop, the sun was out and all was right with the world again.  I picked up the dry cleaning and made my way over to Trader Joe's.  By the time I got there the winds had picked up again and rain started.  A quick run through the store and I came straight home.  When I got to the front door I had carried in too many things and lost my grip on the storm door.  Big mistake -- the wind whipped it out of my hand and nearly took the closer right out of the door jamb.  Now I have another fix-it project, when I have some spare time.

For kicks and giggles, I decided to sift through the cabinet in my utility room and relieve it of unnecessary sewing items, fabric mostly, but an unfinished cross stitch Christmas tree topper that I believe dates back to about 1983 as well as some finished quilt blocks that need to be made into something.  It all started with me needing the numbers off of the water meter to put on a postcard that goes back to the city.  You know how it goes -- one thing leads to another and before you know it -- you're buried in debris.  I did experience pangs of doubt occasionally but in my mind I kept hearing Joyce's voice, coaxing me to do the right thing. The room is a lot neater but still needs some work.  And I'm whipped.  I went through at least two dozen more books that were on the shelves in the utility room.  Something about standing there for hours that kills my lower back.  I'm pooped and ready for bed.

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and Kevin and I will be heading to my sister Carol's for dinner.  I've been given the task of making Pretzel Jello, which I'll be doing in the early afternoon.  I'm trying something new with the dish though -- I'm making up the Jello part and letting it set up while I make the crust and and the filling.  It should save time over the normal way, which is to make the Jello layer last, let it set and then pour it over the filling.  Hope that makes sense.  Maybe I'll take pictures tomorrow to clarify.

Ready for the Weekend

I made it through the week.  I've started taking the bus again and making it to the bus stop every day by 6:18 AM has been, well, invigorating.  We've had a super weather warm up and as usual our office building has been slow to switch over to air conditioning.  Yesterday it was 84º on my desk thermometer.  Yes, I was sweating, even in my short-sleeved shirt.  I couldn't wait to get off the bus and get in my door and whip off my shoes and socks.  It's amazing how removing them immediately reduces my body temperature.  Phew!

Today was the last day for a co-worker on my team.  She posted for a position on another team and was selected.  We told her to set a good example and remember us when the time comes for us to move on.  We ordered Chinese take-out and had a really enjoyable luncheon.  Unfortunately, I was so eager to head out of the office on this holiday weekend, that I forgot my leftovers in the fridge.  Pooh.

I got off the bus early today and headed for the Salvation Army store in Royal Oak to look for more wool coats.  I had to dodge some guy with a TV camera, ducking behind clothes on the rack.  I wasn't interested in being on TV.  I did find one more coat, this time a nice London Fog black full length wool version.  I walked the rest of the way home with this heavy coat in a plastic bag that was stretching beyond it's capacity.  Once home I hopped in the car and went to two more S/A stores but no luck.  Lots of coats with damaged linings.  Not sure what women do in their coats to cause so much destruction.

I finished knitting my Mauch Chunky Wool hat tonight.  It's a bit small even though I had added one repeat of the pattern.  I washed it in the bathroom sink and it's drying overnight -- I'll check it in the morning to see if it manages to 'bloom' while I sleep.

The yarn is a bit rough to knit with but the colors are absolutely fabulous -- it glistens in the sunlight.  I thought at first it was black but it's actually full of other colors like green, purple, gold, and crimson.  I think of it as a manly color but girls could wear it too.  I'm going to cast on another extra 11 stitches, the number in the pattern repeat, and that will give it 88 stitches.  The original pattern called for 66 stitches but didn't give a gauge.  Duh.  The yarn band gauge is 3.5 stitches to the inch so I figured 77 stitches would work  Good thing I bought 3 skeins of the same color last weekend in Perrysburg, OH.  I'll cast on again before I head to bed.

My laundry is caught up and the house is pretty tidy so I get to relax and do as I wish tomorrow.  Looking forward to another beautiful day! 

Wool Coat #1

I mentioned the other day that I picked up a nice Jones of New York wool coat at the Salvation Army.  And I showed you on Saturday the roving that I picked up at the Black Swamp Spinners Guild sale.  With a bit of thought I've embellished the coat with the roving and have it mostly done.  Hang on...pictures to come.

I really wanted to put something showy on the backside of the coat.  I looked through many of my books but in the end I just created something as I went along.  Kind of dangerous, eh?  Well danger lurked all around me as I began to needle felt the flower pot ~~

I got a little over-zealous and owwww ~~

That's what I get for zipping along and not paying close enough attention.  In the end I created the base of the flower pot from the roving I bought from Zeilinger's last Saturday.

I laid the flower pot on the coat after placing a pin to mark the small of my back.  I knew I didn't want anything on my fanny.  But the pot was way too plain and I needed to come up with something to jazz it up a bit.  I thought about a lattice work pattern but decided I'd save that for the next coat, provided there is a next coat.

I gathered all sorts of beautiful roving and auditioned them carefully for the flowers and leaves.  I have to say I'm pretty darn pleased with the way they turned out.  I even added some beads to a couple of flowers.  Remember all those beads I bought at the bead shop in Chelsea Tanya???  Finally putting a few of them to use.

So tonight I used  seam ripper to open the lining at the bottom of the coat so I could slide the felting foam inside ~~

And then I worked my magic with the six needle and two needle felting tools.  It took about 1 1/2 hours to finish because I kept running back into the living room to watch the Housewives of NYC (shameful, I know). So here's the wool coat, so far ~~

Here are some more shots of the needle felting ~~

And a closer shot of one of the beaded flowers ~~

Now the front is pretty plain still.  I think I'll do the same things on the left side as the right ~~

And I'm thinking about adding some needle felted swirly yarn doo-dads.  That's a technical term.  I swear -- look it up.  Ok, I made it up.  It is April Fool's Day after all.

So now I have to come up with a few more embellishments, sew the lining back together and consider it done.  I'm thinking about making more of these to sell at the art fairs in the fall.  What do you think??