Lathe, Piece, Knit and Paint!

 I thought I would show you the beginning of a bowl.  This is a hunk of wood, I have cut off the 'corners' so I could work easier at the lathe.  It is attached to the lathe with  a faceplate-a piece of metal that is screwed to the flat side of the wood-the side that will be the inside of the bowl eventually!

I use a roughing gouge to chip away at the side until it is round.

Then I work at making the bottom of the bowl.

And after an hour or so, I have the shape I like and the bottom which will be held with a different chuck so that I can hollow out the bowl from this side--I hope to find time today!

I also made the last three blocks yesterday afternoon;  I have to sew them together and add a border of the red fabric!  I so enjoyed the piecing for this!

One sock is finished-I just kept knitting until almost out of yarn and then I bound off --the sock has a k3, p1 rib up the leg, the rest of the sock is stockinette.  

 And this is a winter card out my front window!  A clear night sky with stars, the palm tree is a Queen palm with bromeliads at the base.  The bushes in the background are my camellias....

AFO'S (almost finished objects!)

I did add jingle bells to each of my bells but I want to make quite a few more before this season is done!

I'm close to finished sock #1;  I will knit until I am almost out of yarn which is a great benefit of knitting toe-up!

I have been working on the Mystical Lanterns afghan to bring it to a conclusion--I am presently crocheting around the outside of the blanket-again, I will knit until I am out of this yarn once and for all!

Ta-Da Times 2 !

I ordered these canning jar rings ages ago and they finally came-so I wanted them not for canning but for crafting!  I sprayed painted them orange first.

Then I threaded an orange ribbon through the rings and tied it tightly in the middle.  It naturally forms the pumpkin shape.  In the center hole, I placed a real pumpkin stem saved from seasons past.

I now have a very seasonal table centerpiece!

Once that was complete, I wanted to head to the lathe. 

 Bill installed the LED light overhead for me and what a difference it made!  I sanded and polished the inside of the bowl

 and then it was time to turn it around to complete the base.

This is where I am having trouble to hold the bowl in place to remove the tenon that I make first so that the chuck can hold this while I hollow it out.

I made a chunk of wood into what is called a jam chuck--I shape the end of this chuck so that the bowl will fit over the end perfectly.

I then 'jam' the bowl between this wooden piece and bring the tail stock up to the bottom of the bowl as I cut away the now unnecessary tenon.

I whittle it down to a little nub and then remove it.  I sand this down and apply the finish to match the rest of the bowl.

And then I have a near perfect bowl from a piece of Camphor tree from our own yard!  The bowl is 4" x 4".  It took a lot longer than I thought but I hung in there until it was a done deal.  I can't wait until the next project now! lol

 

Jingle Bells

I worked on some piecing today!  I listened to Agatha Christie's Black Coffee (Audible on YouTube) while I worked and it was a nice hour!

Bill and I ended up doing a bunch of pruning in the central area of our driveway circle--things sure do grow fast and thick here!  It was such a good feeling to beat back the jungle.  So , I didn't get to finish the bowl but I am close and today will see its finish for sure!  But I did paint a new card.

I also played with a bit of memory lane knitting!  My Mom has made so many of these through the years (even knitting them in white for wedding gift accents!) and I remembered them the other day and asked her if she still had the pattern.  Sure enough , later in the day I got an email with her successful hunting notes!  You can use any yarn with needles that match the yarn, straight needles work well because these are knit flat and grafted to join.  

Here is the pattern for your knitting pleasure!

KNIT BELLS

Small amount of yarn and straight needles to give a firm fabric (for example, worsted weight yarn + #5 needles, or fingering weight yarn +#1 needles)

Cast on 14 stitches

Row 1- Knit 10, Purl 4

Row 2--Knit across

Repeat these two rows until there are 22 garter ridges (44 rows)

Knit row 1,  cut yarn 12" from needle (you should be on the stockinette end of the bell to cut the yarn)

Pick up 14 stitches from the cast on edge onto a second needle and graft the two rows:

Kitchener for Stockinette for the first four stitches says: knit off, purl on the front needle and purl off, knit on the back needle.  When you reach the garter stitches for the front needle, the Kitchener song changes to: knit off, purl on the front needle and knit off, purl for the back needle!  Continue across until all stitches are used, now pick up the top bumps all around the top of the garter ridges and pull it tight to close the top of the bell.  Use a single strand of yarn for the loop, twist two strands or even use gold braiding.  I like to hang a jingle bell inside for a clapper, too. 

 Make a million of these or at least a dozen! Be sure and post them if you do knit some bells!

(worsted weight and #5 needles were used here for the green bells (2") and #1 needle with sock yarn for the Christmas  colored bell (1 1/2")

And it was a Good Day!

I had a visit with a friend yesterday;  

how nice it is to get with another woman 

and just share what it going on in your lives! 

 After she left, I puttered at the lathe 

and really caught on to the hollowing part of bowl making. 

 A sharp tool really makes it so much easier! 

 Today I will apply the finishes and have a completed bowl!

I ordered these wood blanks from Amazon--they really do have everything! lol 

 I have plans for these, just wait and see. 

 The 3 x 3 x 6" pieces are Black Walnut 

and the square 5 x 5 x 3" is Sapele which is a wood 

that is being used instead of the endangered Mahogany.  

I've also been doing the painting for winter cards...

I forgot to add snow to the first one 

but have now added the dots of white ink to represent snow falling.

  It's fun to just play but my favorite one so far 

is this one--no surprise--because it is line and wash 

which really looks so neat and defined 

which is my style in so many other areas, too!

Tink and Knit

I've been at the lathe and had fun honing my skills at sanding and applying finishes.

The grain is so pretty in this camphor wood....

it looks like I spilled some stain but this is its natural coloring! lol 

 I am ready to turn the bowl the other way around

 so I can begin hollowing out the middle today!

I also took the time to cut out 6 more blocks 

for the Christmas Hunter Star quilt.

Yesterday morning I had to head out for my monthly check-up

 and while there I unraveled an old sock. 

 This yarn was originally used for a shawl, 

then a sock but the sock torqued and drove me crazy

 but I loved the yarn colors ....

so...

I ripped the whole thing out and am knitting a plain sock this time! 

 I am glad that yarn is reusable! 

 I am almost ready to begin the gusset increases!

Socks and Slopes!

Another pair of socks off the needles and into the gift pile! 

 I managed to make more than a pair a month this year and that was a good feeling (actually, I think I counted 18 pair!)  

I do love to knit socks. 

 I am running out of room to store them.  

At least I found a place to donate some, too,

 so that alleviates that problem!  

This pair is made with KnitPicks Muse yarn in Elation.  

I'm calling them the Pretty Little Lace Insert Socks!  

I'm taking part in the 2020 Christmas Cards 

with Rick Surowicz on YouTube.com 

 I've combined a few of his ideas into this one. 

It's fun to try different styles!

 

Got It!

This is what a little math can do for you!  

While there was a lot of stretch in this yarn,

 it still wasn't comfortable as a tourniquet around my hand! lol 

 A quick bit of number crunching

 (and a panicked call to my daughter to make sure I did the math right) and I had the increase ratio I needed to fly!

See how nice it fits now?!  

These mitts (Tough & Toasty by Martina Behm) are designed 

to echo the short leather mitts worn by bikers! 

Fun to wear and still give the benefits of a warmer hand! 

 It will be in the mail today, daughter!

The hummers have gone, there are only a few butterflies left

 but still the Turk's Cap is 10' of beautiful red blooms!

These flowers are not opening or closing-this is what they look like;  about 3-4" long.  

We are much cooler this week 

so I will be enjoying some outdoor activities again!  

(this includes lathe work!)

 

Another Hand Hug-Sort of...

I love this pattern (Tough & Toasty by Martina Behm) 

and tried it with the last of the ball of SilverSpun yarn 

but it turned out too small.  

I am trying it again with a few notes for the new numbers

so that I can repeat it for the second hand--

NEVER 

think you will remember what you did! lol

Yesterday was our church anniversary service,

 followed by a meal and then games outdoors for the kids (and big kids!) .  Will is carrying an egg here

and here Ethan (far left, red shirt) and Will (on the right)

 are getting ready for the egg toss!  What fun!

  It was followed by a rousing game of kickball!  

The kids loved it and did great!

 They had a pretty area set up inside for photos--

Matthew took a 'candid' of Bill and me. 

 I'm tired but thoroughly enjoyed my family visit this weekend!

Hugs for Hands

The mitts are finished for my daughter;  

these are knit with fingering weight SilverSpun yarn

 (cotton/silver/lycra blend) on #3 needles.

What a great feeling to have them hug your hands!

And that's it for my crafting 

because I am enjoying a surprise visit from these guys!

 

Soft and Hard, In and Out

A few more blocks were constructed 

(thanks for the nudge, Vera, to let the fussy directions of the green slow me down--you can't even tell!) 

 and now you can see how the blocks will be playing together!

Outside, this is how my yard looks-

beautiful flowers and downed palm bows!

My very tall magnolia tree was safe 

but the wind did clear a few dead branches. 

Bill made sure I had first pickings on the best spots for gleaning!

And we gathered 5 good pieces!

I did make two new bells today--the ones on the right.

I did a better job on the sanding and polishing which made me happier!  It's fun to think of designs on the fly, so to speak!

And just because, 

I put a chunk of camphor on the lathe to make another bowl! 

 I love the knot looking at me from this one!  

It's fun to work with this wood because it is great for the sinuses!

Not a bad day at all.  

 

Too Early for Christmas!

The orphan blocks my Aunt made so long ago, is now a completed quilt!  No, they were not made to work together but they do! 

 36 x 46"

I cut out several layers of the green and the light background

with the Accuquilt cutter

 and then organized them into their positions. 

 I had to play a bit with the green fabric because it is directional!  

I didn't have to be so specific but I did! lol

When I sewed the pieces all together, all 32 of them,

 I had one 12 1/2" Hunter Star block! 

 I did see I placed two greens out of sync 

but it is only the first one and I can live with it! 

 It was good to do some piecing 

instead of all of the quilting on the frame.

And I still play with watercolor--

does this ornament remind you of anything!

 It was fun to draw and paint!