Dolly business

The doll above is formerly known as Miss Peg.  See her in pic below.

I was trying with first look to make her look like the antique peg dolls.

Problem ended up being that she looked REALLY scarey to me----not

something I like for my dolls.  So with sandpaper in hand and a heartfelt prayer,

I redid her face.  I am much happier with what I think is a softer look.

Now to name her!  I am never good at this.  I am redoing several Polish dolls (with red shoes)...

wood is a great medium and this stuff is HARD.

Shea Body Butter Recipe

I don't have any pictures for what I've been into the last few months.  But I do have recipes!
    About 10 years ago I got into making soap.  While I enjoyed the intense process (cold process, lye and all) it didn't really fit into our new life in the country.  Country folk aren't into homemade soap for the same reasons as L.A. gals.
    Fast forward those ten years and I find a few more wrinkles than I had bargained for.  Not being very vain of appearance, I still considered the possibilities of softening those wrinkles in a natural (green) way.  There is something mysterious about the concept of "if it can't go in my body, it shouldn't go ON my body."
Those who know I am far from a health-nut will scoff at that concept, but there it is.
Having a teen daughter I also have the option (responsibility?) of guiding her toward natural products.
The first product I worked with this go-around is pure, unrefined Shea butter.  It is not expensive if you buy it by the 5 lb. bag.....messy, yes!  But not expensive.  What I got was from Ghana. (There is another shea from East Africa that is good for skin, but I wanted the stuff from Ghana.)
   When it arrived, I heated it over the range and then filtered it through a mesh kitchen filter into clean mason  quart jars.  Shea filtered this way is easy to use and no longer has vegetative matter in it.

Tons of entries on the internet complain about the "grainy-ness" of shea butter.  Any graininess I've experienced is when it has been heated too many times; even then, rubbing it into the skin makes the shea turn to oil from the heat of your body.  Graininess just isn't an issue with me.

FYI---Shea is a fixed oil that remains hard unless heated----even in African climates.  It is used as a cooking oil as well as a skin moisturizer.  HA------there, it met my criteria!
Shea is a wonderful moisturizer when used alone.  It goes on rather oily but is quickly absorbed and leaves the skin happy as anything.  I have used other oils with it for different purposes. Let's start with a few recipes:

(Disclaimer:  I am not a professional skin expert.  Use listed items or recipes at your own risk.)

SHEA BODY BUTTER

100% raw, unrefined shea butter (check Amazon for tons of suppliers)
Mesh strainer or cheesecloth
Small jam jars or mason jar

Heat unrefined shea butter in a double-boiler set up.  Once melted, pour through strainer/filter into mason jars or clean, DRY cosmetic jars.

It is important that the shea butter NOT get wet, nor be stored in a humid place like a bathroom.  Moisture in the jar will greatly limit the longevity of your moisturizer.
That being said, the shea you purchased in unfiltered form has an expiration date---check to see when it will expire.

More recipes coming soon, as time in busy life allows.....

UPDATE:
I have abandoned this recipe for the new one that I am bonkers over....
Whipped Body Butter

1 part clean unrefined virgin organic shea butter
1 part unrefined virgin organic coconut oil
jars with screw on lids

heat shea over makeshift double-boiler; just long enough to melt.
remove from heat and pour into mixing bowl.
add coconut oil, which will melt into the shea. stir well.
Once they are stirred, put in fridge until mixture has the consistency of spreadable butter.
With a hand mixer, whip this chilled mixture 2-4 minutes.  It should be light and fluffy and should peak.
Spoon into jars, making sure to tap down jars now and then to make room for more of the mixture.  Put lids on and there you are.  The shea helps keep the coconut oil from liquefying at 76 degrees.
AS WITH ALL BODY BUTTERS, NE VER LET MOISTURE GET INTO THE JAR.  IT WILL MOLD YOUR PRODUCT.  MAKE SURE YOUR FINGERS ARE DRY IF YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE IT DIRECTLY FROM JAR WITH YOUR FINGER.
This make a very "greasy" butter but after five minutes the greasy feeling is gone.  I've never had hands/arms feel so soft!  If you don't like the smell (which dissipates within 15 minutes) then add EO of your choice as you are whipping it.  To me, it still smells like shea, but with an added smell on top.  I don't use any EOs in this butter.

Lazy days of summer

 Clothespin dolls---set 1

 Clothespin dolls set 2

 Lollipop Dolls
Two Polish dolls behind them.....on left, I redid face.
One on right, I touched up the body and painted a pony-tail on her.

 2" peg Ann and Andy for Linda B.

 Antique peg doll, touched up.  I replaced the nose

as well as repainted an eye.

 

 

Added stuff from long absence....

Crocheted flowers for hair-ponies....

Crocheted flowers for stationery...

Close-up...

Better view of my acorns.  Some have crocheted caps. (I cheated.)

This is a Ravelry pattern, free, called Henry's Rabbit.

I did not knit it in the round; rather, I altered it for straight needles.  I left off the two front legs.  Made of wool.

Side view of rabbits.  VERY fun to make. Worsted weight, I did them on size 3 needles so they would be dense and show no stuffing.  They almost feel like wool fabric.

 



Long absence, long update...

It feels good to come back to the blog; my absence was unexpected.  My father passed away on Sept., 1, 2012.  I lost my desire to post or even work on stitchery for a long time.  It is amazing to me how much energy grief takes.  He was a very gifted man, especially with his hands.  I like to think he was proud of my talents.  Here are a few things I have been up to:

These crocheted sweater pins were created in honor of my good friend Brook Sellers.  We have talked on the phone an average of once a day for over twenty years.  Most of those years we lived 3 miles apart.  She is a partner in "craft-crime."

So, I got carried away with the flowers.  They are crocheted with a DK or sports weight yarn, then edged in a size 5 perle cotton. 

I also got it into my head to make acorn sweater pins.  Funny thing to do in March.....

So, I got carried away with these, too.

  They are knitted in wool, felted, then are added to a real acorn cap and amenities.

I tried my hand at amigurumi, Japanese for "small crocheted or knitted stuffed doll."  The owls stand approx. 3" tall.  These are crocheted in sock wool and are nestled in crocheted and felted wool nests.  The white is merino wool.  These are toasty owls!  So I got carried away with these, too.  They are ridiculously addicting to make.  Even my 15 yr. old enjoys seeing whatever one I have finished.  The following are close-ups:



working mittens

I have completed this pattern, done on TWO NEEDLES finished with the invisible side seam.

Made of 100% worsted wool, they are not only toasty but allow me to wear them even when knitting.

Of course it is still near 100 degrees here, but I wanted to get started on some Christmas gifts. 

A simple cable down the middle alters the pattern.  Pattern not available yet.

These colors are darker than shown in the photo; chocolate raspberry, anyone? 

Perfect colors to match my barn coat. 

Something fishy...

Here is the fish hat I made for a young child.  I got the pattern from a knitting magazine.  The hat looks as though the fish is devouring the head upon which it rests.  Hmmm....a bizarre thought, that.  The scales were quite fun to do; the hat is sort of like a stocking cap with a tail at the end.  Also, a top fin (dorsal?) adds to the great fashion look.

My vintage Ginny awaits a photo shoot.  A sweater box improvises as a lightbox.

Ginny is showing off her new Tam I designed.

Vintage Ginny tams, out of superwash sock wool.

Miscellaneous

I did this porcelain doll back in the mid80s.  I made several and sold them.  Like always, I do wish I had kept one, but lo I didn't.  She appealed to me especially because her face was at an odd angle; always I have looked for a "real" baby face.  I'm glad I have her picture.

Here is Lars after a full beard growth.  He is ready to travel to his new job as watchman at a craft cottage in MO.  He will of course enjoy it much better once the weather cools down....waaaaaay down......

 

Lars Scandinavian

Here is Lars Scandinavian, a Swedish knitted doll done in the round.  He is anxious to get to work, hearing that there was an opening for a craft cottage watchman in Lincoln, Missouri.  He admits to showing the most interest in the position because of the German Shepherd that lives on the grounds.  Lars is sporting a mohair mustache, and is awaiting his potential employer's opinion on whether he needs to arrive with a beard as well.

Lars sans lip spinach.

Flat Lars.  He was knitted on a size 2 needle, Magic Loop method, in sock wool.

He is from the Sven Scandinavian pattern from Cottage Creations, copyrighted 1983.

He is the second one I've made.  I made the last one 25 yrs. ago.  I suspect I will do another

in 25 years?

My Everest

I remember knitting by the time I was about eight; garter baby bonnets, out of that wonderful 1960s varigated baby yarn...no bind off, mind you, just a gathered back-of-bonnet.  In all these proceeding years I have viewed sock-knitting as my "Everest."

What a wonderful new lease on life to have discovered Cat Bordhi's YouTube videos on the "Magic Cast On (designed by Judy Becker)" as well as Cat's own "Cat's Sweet Tomato Heel."  Top it off with learning how to work "Toe Up Socks on Two Circular Needles" (her video) and the end result is these fun crew socks made with Paton's Kroy Sock Yarn.  They felt a bit itchy and burny the first time I wore them (in 95 degree weather) but they washed and softened beautifully.  They were worked on size US 2 needles ( two 24" circular Natura needles by Addi Turbo/Skacel).  I can use dp needles, but find two circulars much easier on my arthritis.

I did 2 and 1/2 wedges (of the Sweet Tomato Heel instructions).  No wraps in these short rows and they are indeed almost as smooth as a tomato skin!  I followed the general instructions from Cat's Ebook (Sweet Tomato Heel) as well as video and find that you end up making a personalized pattern to fit your own feet.  I needed to add a few sts. to the instep, and take away 1/2 of a wedge.....perfect fit!!  I am now working with a different sock yarn and have altered the pattern ever-so-slightly, so this sock will fit as perfectly.  I will dye this pair in KoolAid, reminiscent of my wool spinning days.....sigh.

Close up of the wedges...

A darning egg is inside the toe of the sock so you can get a closer view of the Magic Cast On.  I will never use any other cast on when I need to knit in the round again.  Lightning quick to do, and the results speak for themselves...

Sherry's Pod Babies have been mysteriously popping up everywhere around my place...

note the nickel for size reference.

Who can resist such tiny babes??

News and Bleuettes

Here is what I have done for Bleuette:

Embroidered knitted beret and sweater I designed after an antique knitted model.

Sweater/beret sans embroidery

I designed this knitted market bag, made the baugettes, and note from

mother to Bleuette....offto bread market she goes!  (Double left-click on picture to get a close-up of what she wrote to Bleuette.)

This is an alteration of an antique Bleuette hooded shawl pattern.  I make them for Hittys or Bleuettes.

Still felting

Here is the felted mitten on top of the knitted-but-not-yet-felted mate.

You can see that there is substantial shrinkage, which explains the need for

knitting your garment disproportionately LARGE.  The cuffs are the same since they

were knitted in a blend---it is only the 100% wool knitting that shrinks.

Here is a free 3D heart pattern called "HeartFelt" from http://www.berroco.com/.

I used Paton's Classic Wool and followed the intriguing directions.

Below is the finished, felted product.

I did stuff it before felting, which make felting a bit trickier.

Felting, felting, everywhere!

These are tiny toy mice that I knitted then felted.  I split the underside once they were dry and stuffed them, then did some face sculpting and finished off with embroidery.

Very fun as church mice for my toddler friends at church!

First venture into knitted and felted mittens.  I modified a pattern I had and found it to fit nicely.  I wanted a different cuff, though...

Nice fit for my hands...

I knitted the cuff in a wool/acrylic blend; then changed needle size and continued a modified pattern.  Once felted to fit, I found the cuff to be perfect.  It doesn't felt during the process due to not being made of 100% wool.

Dried and cuff turned------the two blues don't match perfectly but they are a good complement.

Other mitten is almost done!

Check back for slippers I have been doing......very fun and toasty warm, even if it for NEXT fall and winter.