iPad Mini Cover

If you start making snuggies for your technology have you crossed the line? When I showed off my jazzy new ipad cover to my husband, he laughed and shook his head...oh Anne just because you can doesn't mean you should. I know it's silly, but I bet secretly you'll want to have one too.

Sunday went something like this:

Oh leftover yarn from my Sunny Day pillow, what to do?
Two shades of cotton always looks great with my cro-hook.
Hmm...L'il Paddy could use a nice crochet cover.

a few hours later...

And why not dress it up with a little felted heart, right?

Ta-da! Look, even a little spot to hold my stylus.

I know, I know :) Next I'll be making sweaters for my cat. Run Mauzy run.

Pillow Finito!

I finished up those last two grannies, cozied up with Mauzy on Saturday night and learned how to crochet them together. Thank-you Attic24 for the helpful tutorial.

 No Mauzy, it's not a new cat bed!

Personally, I prefer feather pillows. I'll let you in on my secret. If you go to a store like HomeSense and check out the clearance section, you can often find beautiful feather pillows with not so beautiful covers for cheap! I got this 18 x 18 pillow for $10 and then sewed up a simple lining for it.

Both sides are done! I attached them with a single crochet stitch around three edges. Time to see how it fits and single crochet the fourth edge. I did not get all fancy pants with a button closure...I know I know...impatient.

Ta-da! You just can't go wrong with cotton and feathers.

Freezing Photos of the Week

It was just plain freezing this week! Even Monsieur Bleu is all fluffed up and trying to stay warm in the chilly air.

And doesn't this one just make you shiver?

But the lake is frozen now and there were a few brave skaters this weekend. Such a pretty sight.

Have a nice week!

Tosca Mermaid Scarf

On my wonderful Sunday trip to Gaspereau Valley Fibres, I just couldn't resist this beautiful skein of hand-dyed Fleece Artist wool. It looked and felt so special to me. It's called Tosca and it is 96% merino and 4% nylon.

Great...pressure to make something nice with special yarn.
It took me five tries.
Shells? No...frog. V-stitch? No...frog. Chain 30? No...too wide...frog.

In the end I only started with a chain of 16 plus one (that was 6 inches wide). The open square pattern is simply created with 1 double crochet, chain 1/skip 1 all the way across. I don't know if this stitch pattern has a fancy name.

I like to do a faux double crochet to start each row instead of the chain 3. It keeps the edges straighter and more stable. Here's the YouTube video I watched to learn how to do it.

I love how it turned out, it has a pretty mermaid quality. I think I'll call it the Tosca Mermaid Scarf.

I used every inch of yarn and my scarf turned out 60 inches long, which is great for me. Ta-da!

Sunny Day Grannies

I haven't forgotten about my granny pillow project, though admittedly I do have a lot of trouble with the last 10% of just about everything. I'm not lazy, I just get distracted.

But I'm happy to report that I only need to make two more squares and then I can start putting it all together! Hooray. That's the plan for this weekend. I have bookmarked Lucy's tutorial from Attic 24 to help me learn how to join grannies.

SunnyDay - Cheryl Reid O'Hagan

While working away at my colorful little squares I have been weaving some beautiful harp music into my work. Take a minute to pop over to the iTunes store and give this album a listen. I promise it will brighten your crafting corner.

Cheryl Reid O'Hagan is a wonderful celtic harpist from Nova Scotia.

Mixolydian Mix

Counterpoint is all about balance, so it's time to bravely post some harp progress. I have had my beautiful Dusty Strings harp for almost one year now and I have taught myself to play. I go through phases, at the moment I am enjoying traditional Irish tunes, which I mix and match to my heart's delight. I just work out lead sheets because I'd rather improvise the left hand, plus I can give them to my piano students.

Here is a little medley of Sweet Carnloch Bay and She Moved Through the Fair. These sound lovely together since they are both in G mixolydian (that just means that G is home and there are no F sharps).

In case you are wondering, I just did a simple little recording on my iPad mini and Blue Snowball microphone with the help of Garageband and SoundCloud. Hope you like it.

You may download my free lead sheet from Dropbox

Irises Put on a Show

I am so delighted that my funny little $4 pot of iris bulbs from Sobeys turned into this:

That spectacular show has so brightened my week.

Plant Pot Plays Dress-up

It's January and there will be no colorful crocuses in sight until March. So when I saw a little pot of mini-irises in the grocery store last week I felt a craving for a pop of color on my windowsill.

Hmm...wouldn't it be fun to dress up that little clay pot?

Hmm...I could use some left over yarn.

Ooo...and I could experiment with my mad felting skills and new wool roving.

Ta-da!

Wait until tomorrow to see how my fabulous little irises have blossomed!

"I Like" Photos of the Week

I love having a bird feeder just outside my kitchen window. It was a busy spot the other day. Here are my favorite photos of the week.

Those little chickadees scoot back and forth so quickly.

Blue jays are pretty, but they are greedy. Look, two peanuts!

And the starlings have a buddy system. What a mess they make.

Mauzy loves watching the birds too...full concentration.

Felting Firsts

Aw, that's so cute. My first little needle felted heart.

I went to Michael's and picked up a very low commitment kit, which included two felting needles and the foam block. The cookie cutter was mine. I read that a good beginner project is to fill a cookie cutter with wool roving. This helps create a shape with nice clean edges. It also helps protect your fingers from getting stabbed (yep, did that twice...owie!)

Remember I went to Gaspereau Valley Fibres last weekend? Well, I also came home with a bag of absolutely gorgeous wool roving. They had a bathtub (yes a bathtub) full of beautiful colors and you could just fill up your little bag with whatever your heart desires. I got all these bits and pieces for less than $5. Aren't these colors yummy?

I was looking through my new book, "Sweet Needle Felts" by Jenn Docherty and discovered another easy idea for beginners. Go to the fabric store and find something with a bold graphic pattern. Then you just needle felt directly onto the pattern. It's like felting by numbers! Here's my fabric...

I just did a teeny weeny test sample. Hmmm...I wonder what you might become?

Any smart needle felters out there with bright ideas for beginners?

Lennie Gallant Concert

For Christmas, I bought concert tickets for my hubbie. Our first concert was last night, Lennie Gallant with Symphony Nova Scotia. We loved it, two hours went by like 10 minutes. It was wonderful to see a sold out venue full of people who love music.

Lennie Gallant is a Canadian singer/songwriter from Prince Edward Island. His music is blends folk, rock, Celtic and Cajun styles.

You'll find his albums on itunes, but here's his latest. My favorite song is "Emily's Letters".

If We Had a Fire (2009)

Sunday Drive to Gaspereau Valley Fibres

I have discovered a most wonderful place. If I'm lucky, a Sunday afternoon drive may include a visit to Gaspereau Valley Fibres. Isn't it beautiful?

No words required.

I got my Sunday visit last weekend...hooray!

Hello friends, you will be offering some lovely curly wool soon.

They have a resident kitty, who has claimed a warm basket of cashmere.

I came home with a few nice items, but I love love love this Fleece Artist wool. The colors are gorgeous and oh so soft. I just have to make one more scarf! These are my colors.