Just Call Me the Knitting Fiend

made from sock yarn and a Red Heart pattern

Working on little mini purse key rings in addition to my knitted eggs. I hope to put these things out at a rally where I'm going to be selling Tastefully Simple. The rally is in Yuma, Arizona, the first week in March. I would really like to be able to make a little "pin" money, as my mom used to call it...money that we could use while on the road traveling full time. I'm not ready to venture back into the school systems to sub just yet, and besides, we are moving around the country too much for me to be able to do that. So I decided to work on knit items, as I am really enjoying that craft right now!

I'm thinking about knitting covers for e-readers, such as the Nook, or the Kindle...then felting them and embroidering them but not sure how much to allow for shrinkage. I'll have to do a little research to see how much bigger to make something before it shrinks down. I'd hate to knit an entire cover, then have it turn out too small after felting! I want to make something useful, not just some knitknack.

cell phone cover

Also working on cell phone covers and maybe mp3 player or camera covers. Hope anybody reading might express an opinion. I'm wide open on how these things are coming across, improvements or suggestions or if someone thinks I could sell them.  Here's my first cell phone cover on the right. It has a velcro fastener under the button for easier removal if the phone rings.

One of the goals of my craft blog is to get better at taking photos of whatever I make, and just photography in general. Lots of great sites out there on the web to work on my skills, so I will be posting photos taken with my little Panasonic Lumix until I can get a better camera to work with to elevate my skills.

I plan on posting photos of things that capture my interest while we are traveling. Although I publish a travel blog (whereseldo.blogspot.com) I don't put all my photos on the travel blog. Sometimes the littlest things capture my eye...an unusual mushroom, a great meal beautifully presented, something where the natural light makes something look extra special, things like that...I really love nature....and making things with my hands....thank for stopping by....   Jeannie and Lyle (my sister)

Dedication

My sister and I want to start this blog in dedication to my mom and maternal grandma who were crafters way back when...when knitting, crocheting and tatting were common..my grandma made beaded purses, knitted, crocheted and made tablecloths and doilies and even entire bedspreads! My mom knitted sweaters for my brothers, and hooked rugs, and did needlepoint seat covers, bench covers and then hooked Norwegian Rya rugs which kept her going for many years. She passed away in 2008 and we miss her very very much.

Over the years I have done every craft you can think of--starting with decorative painting, moving through quilting--table runners and McKenna Ryan art quilts, to photo quilts, rug hooking, card making, then scrapbooking, punch needle embroidery and counted cross stitch. For the last 20 years at least, I've found some sort of craft to design Christmas ornaments to decorate my tree every year. Currently, I'm into knitting because I had to leave the majority of my craft supplies behind in a storage shed. They use to take up a whole bedroom till I had to pack it all away when I went full timing with my fiance. I am currently having fun with sock yarn...I also digitally scrapbook....and I love photography. I don't own a fancy camera, just a little Panasonic Lumix but would like to have a nicer camera some day. I wish I had my little photo album of everything I've made since the '70's to share, but I don't. We'll have to start with the year 2010, the year I retired and hit the road, Jack! 

sock yarn eggs, love 'em!

My sister is going to come along with this journey of creating and finding our niche in the blogging world where so many talented crafters photograph their beautiful creations...we're going to expand our horizons and experiment. My sister, Lyle, has a wonderful eye for colors and designs..she used to tile everything she could get her hands on--take old furniture, strip it, paint it, and decorate it with tile. So she will be contributing to this blog as well. I might even get her to write sometimes! She just bought a loom and is going to try weaving different textiles...cool!  We will probably just post once a week...but we'll see where our creative juices take us.