a drippy situation

Lots of melting this week. Everything is dripping; including my water heater. I thought the biggest problems for the week would be sock knitting and getting Thing 1's birthday gifts shipped. No such luck. The much feared heel was fiddly but impossible.

The really irritating thing about the dying water heater is that the warranty ran out last month. I just know there is some sort of built in timer to ensure this.


**The sock monkeys are for Thing 1 and 2 for their birthdays this year. There are matching kid sized flannel pj's made by Mom.  Thing 1 already has a cape and mask from last year.

Gray days

The really cold weather has shifted to the east. After a week in the teens, 30 degrees seems balmy. I went for a walk this morning without my overcoat; I couldn't help but laugh. It's amazing what you can adjust to.

With the outside world frozen solid; I've been working on bears. The gray flannel bear is my first attempt at movable arms. The buttons worked wonderfully, but next time I think I'll use nylon thread to make the joint stronger. Proper ear sizing and placement was tricky too. The smallest details make such a difference. Next up is Casey, but he may have to wait until after Mom's 'Un-Birthday Party" this weekend.

Monster update

Finished my Hug Me Monster. This guy is on his way to Ohio to join the growing army for 600 Monsters Strong. It really is an army too, check out the galleries of finished monsters.

        Ravelry  -----  Facebook ----- Instagram 

In other toy news; The Toy Society seems to have been abandoned. At least the main website anyway. The posts on Flicker are still growing, people are still  leaving anonymous handmade gifts for perfect strangers.  With the organizers AWOL, some droppers have started a Facebook page to ensure theses random acts of kindness (and craft) continue. For more information about the new system for logging dropped and found toys head over to TOTS- The Other Toy Society

List for Friday

•  I've been obsessively making these little knitted lambs. They are from an old Waldorf pattern similar to this one.

• Stupid War (my brother's pal since high school)
• 
  
•  Grapefruit Tequila - a quart is infusing in my 'fridge
• 
  
• What to read next?
• 
  
• Operatic Pasta Timer
• 
  
• I made this over the dinning table. (I can't seem to photograph it but it's cool.)
• 
  
• TP Tube Advent House/Calendar
• 
  
• I'm sending a rock to Little Fish Studios, you should too.
• 
  
• Vintage Vikings

Monster went to the fair

Took my monster to the Stevens County Fair on Saturday. Past the jams and baked goods, the veggie people held court. Saw some hugging pigs and a Moose Angus. After sneezing my way through the sheep barn I left monster by the rabbits.  The fair provided a perfect cover for a toy drop. There are lots of kids and everyone just thinks you're taking pictures of the exhibits.  Far less traumatic than trying to be inconspicuous at a playground.

http://www.thetoysociety.blogspot.com/

Toy Society drop #3

toy dropped  in the Walmart family restroom

A Purple Spotty Cat this time for The Toy Society drop.  I made this guy out of felt and scraps left on my sewing table from Thing 2's jumper.  It was raining so hard when I finished him I decided he needed a scarf too. Seems too cold to be the beginning of June. I shouldn't complain; soon enough it will be hot and I'll miss this. Anyway, I picked the family restroom for two reasons. One, it's a secluded spot where a person can take a photo without an audience or looking like a nut or a terrorist. Not an easy thing to do. Two, I imagine a family restroom in Walmart gets a lot of traffic especially by frazzled people with small children who may be in need of a purple cat.  I know Walmart always wears on my nerves and I don't shop with children en tow.

Rain Day

The last storm that came though brought lots of rain and wind. Sometimes wind and rain, the sort that comes down sideways and beats against the house. It also brought down several trees in the area, a few on top of power lines. While the power company did their thing; I huddled in front of the fireplace with the dog and fiddled with yarn. This is was came of that afternoon - 3 rather odd yarny creatures. I'm not what I'm going to do with them but here they are.

Toy Society Drop # 2

Presenting -  Purple Tooth Monster. 

I forgot about arms until after I had sewn him together. So he looks like a big purple tooth. I made him a hat to disguise that a little. There will be a lot of purple stuff in the future; I have 5 yards of purple felt. (Walmart had it on sale, 50 cents a yard, how could I resist?)

Anonymously leaving toys is harder than I thought it would be. One must find a  place that gets enough foot traffic so that the toy is found and yet not so much that makes leaving the toy impossible. Proximity to government buildings is problematic. And a lone adult wandering around a playground with a bag and a camera draws attention too. I decided on the church steps in Marcus this time mainly so I could look like a tourist taking pictures of a rural church and not some kind of nutter or a terrorist. 

Finished Objects

Knit cat_____goofy hats_______bed pockets for Thing 1and 2. Slushy weekend with lots of fog. Thinking about quilts and new old fabric.

Fudgy Brownies, Fine Cooking Jun/Jul 2006

This is the brownie recipe from last week. The version that is on the Fine Cooking website looks to be a bigger batch to me, but there were some very mixed reviews in their comments.

Toy Society Drop

Mooshy Bunny dropped in Colville courtyard

This bunny is the first (hopefully) of many toy drops this year. After hearing about The Toy Society through Little Fish Studios I just had to make something. I love the whole concept of the group and already have lots of inspiration for toys. 

Velour Mooshy Bunny

This little bunny is made from an old velour jogging suit. At one point while wandering in Costco I must have thought I would become a jogger. I not sure where I got that idea. In actuality I don't run unless something is chasing me. I think squishy bunnies are a much better use for the material. The inspiration and pattern for this bunny came from Chez Beeper Bebe`. (Who is wildly talented.) I've become obsessed with her chickens.

While still thinking about bunnies I made this guy. He'll go to my nephew (Thing 1). I think a seven year old is the right audience for a somewhat demented bunny.

January ends

The month ends much like it began, cold and white. The satellite internet has been on strike this week and took Blogger with it. (The cold is making everyone cranky.)  So, I've been manically knitting and making small things. My introduction to The Toy Society has spawned a few softies and lots of pins.  Mom is keeping the skirted pig because it's tax season and everyone inside a CPA office needs all the help they can get.  I have a finished bunny to post just as soon as I can find a good spot for the toy drop.

In other news Mom had a birthday! There was far too much food and a really good Blackberry Cake. I highly recommend this with a dollop of plain whipped cream. Yummy!