Diving deep...

...into the yarn stash for a couple of small skeins of hand-spun yarn.

At one point it seemed like a good idea for a knitter/crocheter to learn how to spin.  Lessons were taken, a wheel was bought, and I fell in with a rogue gang of local spinners.  Camaraderie was enjoyed, and bits of fluff were turned into usable yarn.  I never became entirely proficient though, probably due to a lack of practice, practice, practice. Years pass, wheel gathers dust, and small skeins of hand-spun languish.  Until -- 

A hat appears!  A rather rustic hat, but a useful garment nonetheless.

The brown yarn is from a breed known as Manx Loughtan.  It's a British rare breed known for their interesting horns (among other things I'm sure).  Behold --

The lighter beige yarn is from the California Red breed.  No, the yarn isn't red -- it's the faces of the sheep themselves that are -- see?

Well, perhaps more russet than red, but then no one consulted me. 

So, at long last, something useful -- and who knows? -- maybe the spinning bug will bite again!

Eco Crafting

In an effort to cut back on waste produced in this household, there have been some projects made to replace throw-away or short term use items.  Here are a few --

Cloth napkins -- super easy to make, and pleasant to use.  I like to use quality cotton quilting fabric -- sometimes bought specially, but often leftovers from other projects.  Who says your napkins all have to match?  For meals I like a napkin around 18" square (finished size) -- 10" squares would give you a good size for cocktail napkins to hand out with drinks and nibbles.

In the kitchen I have gone through too many plastic covered sponge scrubbies to count. I'm currently trying out some homemade scrubbies made with Red Heart Scrubby Sparkle yarn. It's polyester, so not ideal, but seems to stay fresher than my former scrubby and so far is holding up well. For knitters, there's a nice pattern on  Ravelry  If crochet is your thing -- Midwesternmoms.com has you covered.

How about replacing plastic wrap with some waxed wraps?  There are many instructional sites online -- I went with a link I found on www.apartmenttherapy.com

And finally, a hanging hand towel for cutting back on paper towel use, or wiping hands on the nearest dishtowel.  No link or pattern for this one, as it's just a prototype I made up myself one evening. Will need some tweaks before it shows up as a mini tutorial.  This one is made from some scrap heavy weight cotton, and I finally got around to trying out Kam snaps  -- very easy to use, we'll see how they hold up.

“Once more unto the breach...”

There’s something worthwhile about keeping a record of creative pursuits, no matter whether anyone else sets eyes on this journal — and so I begin again.