We received an unusual amount of rain in the spring and because our lot is graded so poorly, the rain has a tendency to wash the topsoil downhill.
The bad news is this is a problem as much of the water has collected over 125 years on the north end of the house causing it to sink about 5 inches.
The good news is
- every rain uncovers a layer of buried treasures - broken bits of old pottery and crockery, buttons, rusted toys and tools, and
- because hubby has been digging out under the house, there is also an additional mountain of dirt to sift through for these treasures.
So we get to play I spy every week with the gifts left to us by four generations of the Allen family who owned this property since at least the 1880s. It seems they were happy to use the backyard as a dump for broken dishes although some of the pattern points to a more creative use.
Did you see the little 1960s baby and the 1930s button? The rusted lock and broken scissors intrigue me. I want to know their stories.
It looks like some of the glass and pottery might have been purposefully placed in the flower beds. There are also bits of modern embellishments like colored vase-filler flat marbles and larger seashells.
Was there a loose mosaic by design in that yard at some point?
One of my favorite early finds was an old metal Slinky. Does anyone else think this should be paired with the other metal items found for a found object garden mobile/chime?
We also have lots of bulbs growing and these just came up in the last few days. It makes me happy to have Naked Ladies flaunting themselves in this conservative Kansas town. Just a little of the old lady rebel in me, I guess.
Okay geology buffs! If any of you can tell me what these are, I'd love to know. We've started finding tooth-like rocks in the last week. We have no idea how a rock can look like that naturally. Any explanations would be most welcome.
This was another embroidery-on-the-go upcycling no-brainer.
The snap bag was missing from the bottom, which would have made it rather nice for larger scissors and such, but in the end I was able to stash some threads, embroidery scissors, needles and my new needle case. The hoops fit inside when it's rolled up and they hang on the little hooks at the bottom when it's unrolled and will be tempting me from the hotel wall. Or maybe the luggage rack on my cross-country journey by train.
It's not a large toiletries bag. It's a Diva brand so it's probably meant for kids and tweens. But it's just the right size for some small projects to bring on board, pack away in even a small suitcase or backpack, or stash in the glove box of the car.
And remember those photos from early this week with some cool travel with embroidery solutions?
Well, here are the links to a some of the tutorials. And don't forget to stop by here and get your free Embroidery YOU Time Tote download.
Sew Mama Sew tutorial
Zip bag at Pellon Projects
Embroidery floss travel box
SweaterDoll travel pincushion pattern
Bon voyage!
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Remember the “glad game” from Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter? The purpose of this game was to
look for the bright side of a situation that seemed to have no silver lining. I used to think about that
game as I lamented my children growing up, becoming more independent, and coming closer and
closer to my own height. What could I be glad about?
Well, I was glad for the pile of outgrown clothing
looking remarkably like future stitching and crafting projects to me. Call me an optimistic opportunist!
And so I'm glad that someone came up with the brilliant idea of making t-shirt yarn, or tarn. Tarn is
remarkably fun to crochet into floor mats as it works up quickly and is soft and spongy underfoot.
It's a
bit heavier than most yarns, which also makes it perfect for a homemade frisbee that's heavy enough to
fly and soft enough not to hurt your child when it beans him in the forehead or knocks her on the shin.
To make a crocheted t-shirt yarn frisbee, you only need to know some basic stitches and a willingness
to cut up some old clothes.
Materials needed:
t-shirt yarn, approximately 13 metres total (one larger adult t-shirt or two-three children's t-shirts)
12mm crochet hook
scissors
smaller crochet hook or tapestry needle (optional)
Instructions:
CENTER RING: Make a slip knot on your crochet hook. Chain 6. Slip stitch into the first chain to
create a closed circle.
RND 1: Crochet 2 double crochet (dc) into each chain for a total of 12 stitches around. Slip stitch (sl st)
into the next stitch to soften the circle.
RND 2: Crochet *2 dc in the next stitch, then 1 dc in each of the next two stitches*. Repeat from * 4
times for a total of 16 stitches. Sl st into the next stitch.
RND 3: Crochet *2 dc in the next stitch, then 1 dc in the following stitch*. Repeat from * 7 times for a
total of 24 stitches. Sl st in the next stitch.
RNDS 4-7: Work rounds 4-7 using the directions for RND 3. (Omit round 7 for a smaller frisbee for
younger children.)
Up to now, you have been increasing stitches (adding more stitches per round) to create the round
frisbee disk. Now you will decrease (make fewer stitches in the round) in the next round to create the
rim that folds to the back of the frisbee.
RND 8 (Or RND 7 if you are making a smaller frisbee): Make *3 treble crochet (tr) in each of the next
3 stitches, skip one stitch*. Repeat from * all the way around the circle. Sl st in the next stitch. Cut the
t-shirt yarn and pull it through the slip stitch to tie it off.
Use a smaller crochet hook or tapestry needle to weave the tail ends of the tarn into the back side
stitching loops.
Your Friendly Troubleshooting Guide
Crochet in the round can be a bit tricky if you've never down it before. The main problem that occurs is
that the disk won't lay flat. It does this for one of two reasons.
-
*It's a bowl. Too few increases.
-
*The edges are wavy. Too many increases.
While these guidelines are consistent in theory, in practice they are not the only source of the problem
when you use t-shirt yarn.
T-shirt yarn is much more stretchy than a normal skein of wool. As you stitch, you may find
yourself actually stretching the yarn to maintain the tension you want, only to produce stitches
that pull on each other and create waves and bowls that would not otherwise have formed.
Another spanner thrown in the works is that not all t-shirts are the same weight or fabric. If you
have followed the same directions for making t-shirt yarn from shirts of differing weights and
fibres, the actual yarn width and stretch can vary greatly.
-
Don't let this deter you from making a frisbee. Although aerodynamic in nature, it is not rocket science.
These are some strategies I've used when the t-shirt yarn was not being compliant. (Yes, blame the
materials. You are perfect.)
-
Wavy edges: If you find at round 5 or so that your frisbee is becoming wavy, instead of pulling out your
stitching and starting over, try crocheting the next row entirely of one dc stitch per stitch. That will stop
the increasing and flatten out your work. Continue the next row as before including the increases, but
your total number of stitches will have changed. Congratulations! You are learning to improvise.
-
Bowl: I have never made a frisbee that didn't try to become a bowl because it was hard to maintain the
perfect tension in the first two rows without stretching the yarn somewhat as I worked. By round 4 or 5
if your work is becoming a bowl, you may need to pull out a row or two and make sure you are not
pulling too tightly on the yarn as you work.
Crochet terms:
chain – ch
double crochet – dc
treble crochet – tr
slip stitch – sl st
increase – increasing
decrease – dec
Tips:
*** One adult t-shirt will yield about 13 metres of tarn while a child's t-shirt may yield only 8.
*** Don't use a ribbed t-shirt. Use a nice uniform cotton jersey that is not too thick to produce a
workable yarn.
*** To change colours, simply tie the new colour tarn as close as possible to the tarn on your hook.
This will let you continue stitching while the colour changes with the very next stitch. Weave the knot
tails into the stitching at the back.
*** If you don't have fancy stitch markers that tell you when you have come to the end of your round,
you can use a paper clip or, better yet, tie a bit of contrasting tarn into the last loop of the each round as
you go.
The best shirts for tarn have no side seams.
