On "Some of Me": A Book Review

Title: Some of Me
Author: Isabella Rossellini
Genre: Autobiography

About the Book...

Isabella Rossellini's reflections on her family, modeling, acting, and living life.

What I think...

I picked this up with the intention of just wanting to read the portions about Ingrid Bergman, as I've only seen one movie with Isabella Rossellini for a film class, but found myself so thoroughly enjoying the beginning of the book that I just kept reading and managed to finish in a couple of sittings.

I like how real and relaxed Rossellini comes across in her writing. This isn't what I'd call a serious biography and, while it's broken into categories, I wouldn't describe it as being a linear autobiography either, primarily due to all the musing she does. It's more a series of reflections in vignette form. 

She's very funny and witty, bluntly stating that she will lie about certain things she tells us (and then promptly admits to having lied after she does so) and teasing the reader with various stories about family and the unique things she grew up with. It interestingly contained conversations that she imagined having with dead relatives (her mother and father, more often than not) on various topics, which allows her to provide a nuanced and amusing perspective on certain topics.

Less interesting to me, but still interesting none-the-less, were the stories about her work in modeling and acting. Some of it was a little candid for my taste, but I appreciated that she tried to be real about some of the more serious matters in her life.  

To sum it all up...
A pleasant and interesting read that had me promptly adding her other book about raising chickens to my to-read-in-the-future list! ♥

On Christmas Trees, Cats, Candy Canes, and Knit-Wit Decorations (Part 2)

And now to wrap up this year's Christmas crafting...

At this point of the month, my crafting veered away from Knit-Wit-ing things and I went for my 1960s Fun With Craft Sticks book that I made angels from last year because I knew there was a tree craft in there. It was a large three layered tree craft. 

 

I went small again and reduced it to six popsicle sticks, four beads (rather than 114!!!), and a few short pieces of floral wire, with the addition of green metallic paint, red seed beads and a star eyelet. They ended up a bit lopsided because I wasn't putting much effort into cutting the popsicle stick for the trunk evenly.

After that I decided to go back to my aforementioned felt craft: holly leaves. I had purchased a pack of small metal treat bucket from the dollar store not too long ago with the intention of  making little Christmas floral decorations. I only ended up making one, so chances are you will be seeing more buckets in the future. 

Each leave has a pipe cleaner sewn to it and then I wrapped fake berries around them (here is where I learned when wire is involved safety scissors are not always safe). Then to get them to "stay", a word to be used loosely because they like rearranging themselves, in place I filled the base of the bucket with fiber-fill and tucked them in. Some sort of styrofoam base inside would have probably been better, I just really don't really like using it.

After making the snowman, it was suggested that I could make a tree, similar to a macrame tree my grandma made in the 1960's or 70's. For this one, I added beads to the center.

It was a bit of a nightmare getting the three rows connected into a tree shape. I didn't do it while it was on the Knit-Wit since the connecting rosettes were going to be on the diagonal and after knotting it on the wrong petal loop, I accidentally cut one of the edging stitches in attempt to get the two disconnected, but I managed to get it to work out and ended up with a very cute little tree! The star was created by making a rosette with fewer petals and for some sparkle, gold thread.

My final Christmas craft, completed Christmas Eve, ended up being a bit silly and Carrollian. I sewed Candy Cane bugs! They live on hot cocoa and eggnog, in case you were wondering. 

And with that, the below image concludes this year's Christmas crafts!

 ♥ ♥ ♥

On Christmas Trees, Cats, Candy Canes, and Knit-Wit Decorations (Part 1)

I was intending to spread out my Christmas crafting in multiple posts throughout the month, since I started promptly after Thanksgiving, but clearly time got away from me and so this year I'll be splitting my crafting into two post of what pretty much amounts to another year of mostly 1960s crafts.

The first craft of the season was a Holly Berry cat! This pattern is part of the 1960's Woman's Day cat pattern set that I used to make my Cheshire Cat and I have to say they really did not go out of their way to make it easy to do the legs on these patterns (which is probably why there is an option with a body that looks more like a bowling pin without distinct legs). Turned out awfully cute, though!

Following that I became interested in doing some felt crafting, but then dropped that project and didn't finish for a few weeks, so that will be for post 2.  

However, having moved on from that, I became very enthusiastic about using my Knit-Wit (previously mentioned here), which I think I finally have the hang of when it comes to making circles (I have yet to try making a pom pom)! 

When I first bought it, I had come across a few ideas of what to make with it online, including, as mentioned previously, an old magazine page with a Santa ornament. I couldn't find where I had saved the image when I set out to make these, so I did my own thing and managed to leave off the mustache, but still think it turned out cute. Then I made wreaths as pictured in one of the Knit-Wit books (see the linked post for the image, from what I think was from the "Yarn Sculptured Fantasies" book) and designed the reindeer myself. Definitely have a lot of ideas of what other circular items I could make now!

One of the Knit-Wit books also had a pattern for a standup tree made of rosettes stacked up on a folded over pipe cleaner, which looked appealing to me. 

Mine is quite a bit smaller than the book one, which involves making nine rosettes and then trimming the loops. I think I ended up with five rosettes in mine and I used a loose piece of yarn looped in and out at the top to make it more tree shaped. I also used an empty ribbon spool for a more supportive base.

After the simple ornaments and the tree, I then moved on to learning how to connect the rosettes and made a slightly lopsided snowman. I am still working on the skill of connecting them as you'll see in the next post.

To be continued...

♥ ♥ ♥

On a Very Merry Christmas to You!

 A very merry Christmas from me and Santa Claws!

(Grumpy look truly has nothing to do with the hat-it's the delay in getting dinner.)

 ♥ ♥ ♥

On Two Turkeys: A Photo Post

I have been remiss in posting the conclusion of my autumnal crafting, so here are two coffee filter turkeys to stare at before my Christmas crafting starts to make an appearance!

♥ ♥ ♥

On Some Swap Meet Finds

Since the start of the pandemic, I've done very minimal in person shopping when it comes to finding vintage treasures and, honestly, have been getting somewhat tired of online browsing, which removes the serendipity of spotting "that item" among a bunch of other less interesting things.

Before we hit the colder weather (and subsequently an increase in sickness), I really wanted to go to our local swap meet, which I hadn't been to for about three years. While the number of people was a bit overwhelming, I only went for a short while, wore a mask, and tried to stick with sellers who didn't have awnings or tents that would block off the air flow. 

For such a short time, I ended with a nice amount. 

My primary reason for going was to look for some buttons. I didn't find any vintage ones that I wanted to get, however, I certainly found buttons. 

My favorite find of the day, which was also my most expensive at $10, was this small clock! It doesn't work, so it will fit in nicely with my other vintage clocks.

Vintage brooches are always one of my favorite thing to look for since they usually only cost a dollar or two. I didn't find quite as many older ones this time. Who could resist that cute little woolly yak on the left, though? Other finds include three tiny glass animals, an owl, a pinecone scale house ornament, a collapsible wooden cat (a silly purchase, but I have always wanted one), a Laurel and Hardy card game, and a quirky framed spigot.  

I also bought a vase. I'm not entirely sure why it appealed to me so much, but at a dollar I'm not feeling too bad about buying it on a whim. And the oldest item of the day, a calendar page from 1905 that I am looking forward to getting in a UV protective frame and up on my wall.

Not pictured, I also found a vintage three inch toy poodle (I feel I should know what it goes with), a vintage handkerchief, a few sweaters, a skirt, and a dvd of the Prep & Landing Christmas specials (I'm not big on the newer specials, but I really took a liking to these ones). Overall, a very successful shopping trip! ♥

On a Monsterous Crow for Through the Looking-Glass Day: A Photo Post!

Okay, so maybe not that monstrous as it's under six inches tall, but my Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum action figure is small, so to them it might be. 

Yesterday marked the day that is generally acknowledged as the day Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There takes place. It occurred to me that while I regularly acknowledge Wonderland day (July 4th) and have acknowledged Hatter Day (10/6), I have never done a post for Looking-Glass Day, which is a bit odd given that this blog's name derives from a poem in that book! 

So while I'm a day late for the actual day, I wish a happy Through the Looking-Glass weekend to everyone! ♥

On a Spidery Capelet!

This is going to be the first of several "things I made last year, but never shared on the blog" posts. 

In the case of this project, I made it last October and then toward the end of the month the weather was too warm to wear it and I never managed to get a picture of me in it.

Anyway,  last year I gave into a childish whim and bought glow-in-the-dark spider web flannel. I wasn't entirely sure what to do with it, but I bought enough that I would have a few options and ultimately decided on a capelet.  

It was made using the same self drafted pattern I made my penguin capelet from in 2018, though clearly minus the hood. I definitely wanted it lined as I don't always like the feeling of flannel, so I went with black cotton.

While it's a thin flannel, I wanted to avoid bulk on the edges, so rather than bagging it out, I went with the option of using bias tape around the edge. I wasn't sure if I wanted white or gray, but then I came across some metallic binding while I was browsing at the fabric store and decided that it would give it an extra special touch to have a bit of shinny! Having been a year, I can't remember the exact details as to why, but I'm pretty sure it was less expensive to buy a wider width (possibly blanket binding even), so I bought that, then cut it in half, refolded the edge, and ironed it back to get a narrower width. As can be seen it turned out pretty well!

Overall, minus all the time spent on attaching and hand-stitching the binding on, this was a pretty straightforward project! ♥

On "Fabric: The Hidden History of the Material World": A Book Review

 

Title: Fabric: The Hidden History of the Material World
Author: Victoria Finlay
Genre: Non-Fiction

About the Book...
In Fabric, Victoria Finlay delves into the world of material, offering a survey history of fabrics including barkcloth, cotton, wool, linen, and silk, and highlighting their significance through time and around the globe.

What I Think...
This was a great book that, despite being a little over 400 pages, I managed to breeze through in about a week! 

A lot of information was packed into this and it is really so much more than just the history of a small selection of fabrics. In this book Finlay explores not just the making of the fabric, but the human element behind them and their sociological impact on the world and individual cultures, not just the economical side of things. She really explores the people involved in making them, both those who have been involved in the process for years and those working to learn the skill, the emotional elements that are tied into the process, and the shifting views on the particular fabric over time in the places it is/was made.  

I loved that much of Finlay's research, in addition to the more standard historical writing, involved going to places significant to the development or production of the fabrics and getting a deeper understanding through a hands-on approach. The first chapter, for example, which focuses on barkcloth, involved her traveling Papa New Guineaand living with a tribe that makes barkcloth. Additionally, I liked how she looks at individual pieces made from the fabric and what they reveal about its history. 

Woven throughout the histories is Finlay's own connection to the fabrics and her reflections on what they mean to her personally. Much of this was tied into her grieving and trying to process the loss of both her parents in a short time. This added a bittersweet element, but one that I feel added a level of richness to the book as a whole.  

To Sum it All Up...
A thoughtful and fascinating exploration of various fabric types and their history, infused with warmth and feeling. ♥

On a 1961 Woman's Day Magazine Bedtime Story Toys Pattern Set

More about the November 1961 issue of Woman's Day...

While I had the magazine out of its plastic envelop to take a picture of the page with the lion pattern (last post), I figured I might as well flip through the rest of it and came across this page with a nice array of story time dolls. It primarily got my attention for the Alice doll, which was an earlier version of the 1965 one I made (seen both here and here), but I was thinking it might be nice to make Hansel and Gretel or Mary and her cute little blue embroidered lamb. 

However, it turned out, unlike the other toys I've made from this issue, the patterns weren't included in the magazine. As the note at the end of all the description states:

Because we know our readers like to work from full-size patterns (last year almost 50,000 of you ordered our patterns for stuffed cats), we have prepared special patterns and directions for both the Bedtime Story Toys themselves and their colorful costumes. To order patterns for this bonus toy feature, offered in addition to the 100 ideas included in our gift portfolio, use the coupon that appears on page 122.

Clearly that coupon was not going to do me any good a little over 60 years later. Based on past experience, while these patterns are out there (I, in fact, have the above mentioned printed cat pattern sheets which were given to me by a family friend who purchased them and also still had the page with the pattern grid and the cover from the magazine-my Cheshire cat was made from it), to find an actual original set that's all there, in good condition, and at a reasonable price is kind of rare. 

With low expectations I sat down at the computer. I started with Etsy where nothing came up at all, which was disappointing since I was at least hoping for the possibility of a digital pattern. Then I went to ebay and I found a set for a little under 16 dollars!! And it was complete, uncut, and according to the description not musty!!! Needless to say I was very excited and promptly bought it!

The set arrived last week and I am now happily contemplating tracing the patterns on to tissue paper for use and making that cute little sheep! ♥

On a Little Lion: A Photo Post

This is Raspberry! 

 

Raspberry was made using the lion pattern from the November 1961, Woman's Day magazine that also contains the patterns I used for my herd of reindeer and the elves I made last year. As usual, I altered it, making the decision to skip giving him a mouth and, after a little over an hour of sewing yarn on, deciding the the mane didn't need to go under the chin.

I bought the fabric I used (which hard to see in the photo, has gold, shiny streaks in it) specifically for this pattern and had a brief moment of hesitation when I started, but it ended up giving this little lion the perfect 60's look!

♥ ♥ ♥

On Making Autumn Decorations!

I was in the mood for some autumn crafting a few weeks ago and am just now getting around to sharing! 

First, we have Grenadine the ladybug's new and tipsy friend, Schnapps the spider! He was a rather quick project involving felt, chenille yarn, and green floral stem wire painted with black nail polish. The nail polish has reached the more gunky point and it ended up giving the legs a little texture in addition to leaving some of the green showing through, which I was not going for, but ended up liking. 

Next was a much bigger undertaking. I've had a roll of gold mesh (the type used to wrap plastic flower pots at Christmas or in the Spring to make them more decorative) sitting around that I've never been entirely sure how to use outside of having the nightmare idea of gluing it to construction paper for a shiny gold texture to make lion valentines a few years ago. 

So I started with some simple bows tied with brown yarn to decorate at work. Then I figured I had so much on the roll why not make bigger bows and went on an artificial flower and plant buying spree. Three hours of hot glue, poking myself on flower wires, and some not exactly "pumpkin" scented pinecones and I ended up with some very pretty hanging decorations to give to a few friends and acquaintances.   

Given that we're only a little into autumn and at the rate I'm coming up with ideas, I imagine there will be at least a part two to this post. Anyone else starting in on autumn crafting?

On Some Yarn Crafting

Over the past couple of years I've been leaning a bit more towards crafting with yarn again. Not that I ever really stop crafting with yarn, it just becomes an element for something like hair for a doll rather than the primary supply for whatever I'm working on.

I tend to enjoy working with yarn and have a decent quantity on hand for someone who doesn't knit or crochet. When I was in elementary school, I used to make yarn dolls of the sort where you wrap yarn around a large book, in my case my dictionary, then pull off the loop and tie it off at the appropriate places, and then get a second loop to make up the arms. Then I when I was older I went through a very brief phase of making pompom ornaments (sheep and a cat, specifically).

Because knitting and crocheting present some obvious difficulties for me, it's not surprising that I veered towards an attempt at weaving. When I was about ten I found this 1970's loom at a thrift store for probably no more than a dollar and last year (or possibly the year before) I decided that I was ready to attempt making a sweater rather than randomly weaving squares that I never do anything with.

I picked up some yarn from the dollar store with the idea being that if I didn't finish at least I didn't spend a ton on the yarn. According to the little booklet that comes with the loom I need at least 35 squares. Moving at a snail's pace, I've now made six (one this week!). In part, this is because I became frustrated when I attempted one of the patterned weaves and couldn't figure out how to get it past the first section, which made me temporarily put the project aside. It will be interesting to see how long this endeavor actually takes me to finish. 

I also bought a 1960's Knit-Wit flower loom last year. At this point, I've made five simplistic flowers and think I have the hang of making them, though I haven't attempted connecting them yet. 

You can also use it to make diamonds, squares, and pom poms, as can be seen on the box lid, which I have yet to try. Apparently the kits each came with a different color yarn and instruction booklet for a few projects. Along with the original pink and white yarn, mine had the instructions for a flamingo, peacock, and crane! 

Because I was interested in trying to make a few of the other animals that were pictured on the basic instruction sheet, I decided to see if I could find some of the full length pattern books and ended up with three that were being sold together. 

 

 

The Family Classics one has clothing items, which, given how long I'm taking with the other loom, would probably take me about ten years to complete. 

As can be seen, the other two have some very 60's items in them.  

 

 

 

And the one book has lots of bottle covers! I find this waiter particularly funny!

 

Then there are things like this skiing doll, which would take quite a bit of yarn. 

I'm guessing the primary things I'll be making from these books will be the smaller animals and the Christmas ones (I did see a cute Santa decoration somewhere online that just involved making a flower and using felt for the face and hat), though I definitely would like to try making the mermaid. Either way, I have lots of fun options to consider for future yarn crafts! ♥

On "Rag and Bone: A Family History of What We've Thrown Away": A Book Review

 

Title: Rag and Bone: A Family History of What We've Thrown Away
Author: Lisa Woollett
Genre: Non-Fiction, History, Biography

About the book...
Part history, part family biography, in Rag and Bone Woollett explores the way we have treated our waste from Roman times to present, approaching this history with emphasis on the Industrial Revolution and the shift to heavy use of plastic and from the perspectives of mudlarking and beachcombing and her own personal experiences.  

It is the Winner of a Royal Society of Literature Giles St. Aubyn Award for Non-Fiction.

What I think...
I enjoyed this book a lot. It was surprisingly subtle, mixing personal reflections in with bits of history, both general and family, which made it a quick paced and engaging read. 

While reading I didn't have the feeling of being bogged down in information, but this book really does carry a lot of weight in terms of the topics being addressed ultimately leading up to our present state regarding pollution and the oceans.  

Topics of history covered range in topics including things such as clay pipes, bone buttons, shoes, coal, and even eels. In each case, the short sections on them was decent enough in length to give a good sense of the subjects being addressed, but not enough to be overwhelming. The integration of Woollett's own family history and how they fit into the larger story also added to the richness of what was being written about and made it much more personable.

I liked the earlier sections of the book that focused on mudlarking and the River Thames a bit more than the rest of the book, as I've had a long time fascination with what can still be and continues to be recovered from the Thames. I also enjoyed reading about just how much of what was thrown away was recovered and reused or found new life.

The last section of the book offered a lot of food for thought, offering up an interesting history of how we entered the world of plastic and the impact our use of plastic has had on our beaches. While much of this, I feel, has become common knowledge, it's always still somewhat startling to read about or see pictures of.

Woollett's photographs of some of her finds are also presented as lovely, glossy colored inserts and were a delight to look at (a number of them can be found here on her website too!). 

To sum it all up...
A fascinating look into the subjects of consumerism, they way Europe has treated its trash through history, and the way our perspectives towards the ever more apparent impact our waste has on our world. ♥ 

On "Summer at Tiffany": A Book Review

Title: Summer at Tiffany
Author: Marjorie Hart
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir

About the book...
During the summer of 1945 Marjorie Jacobson and her friend Marty Garrett head to New York City to find work as shop girls and live there for a few months before returning to the University of Iowa in the fall. Recounting her experiences, readers get a taste of what it was like to be young and in New York for the first time. 

What I think...
Reading this was like taking a mini vacation to 1945 New York.  The way this book was written, you can tell this time in Hart's life was one that she truly treasures and results in a very sweet autobiography.

I found it fascinating to learn more about Tiffany and how the store functioned at the time. Marjorie and Marty were the first women on the floor as pages putting them in uncharted territory and resulting in some rather amusing mishaps. Hart shares several fun stories about things that happened to her and some of the famous people she encountered, my favorite (and according to the book, a favorite of her family) being about opening a box she was taking to a different department in the elevator, loose pearls going everywhere, and an up and down mad scramble to collect them before they fell through the gap between the door and the floor.

While the book doesn't focus on it being war time, there is a thread running through it with recollections and memories of VJ day being included along with adventures they had going out with the midshipmen, which were interesting and fun to read. 

As a lovely accompaniment to the text, there are glossy page inserts of photos and store sketches!

To sum it all up...
A short biography, that's perfect for history lovers and a nice read for a summer's day!♥