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!♥

On A Few Wonderland Ornaments: A Photo Post

I bought these about a month ago and decided rather than save them to share in December along with the rest of my Alice ornament collection, today I would go with a Christmas in July themed Photo Post.

I managed to find these three in one bunch. There are a few larger sized (as in about 4 inches versus the little 1 inch wooden ones) wooden Wonderland sets that you see around regularly, but I had never seen these ones before and am actually quite curious to know if there might be more that go with them.

 

I'm very taken with this particular King of Hearts, his mustache, and bright yellow outfit!  

 

 

Then there's this four Christmas Hatter with his teapot, which I thought was awfully cute!   

♥ ♥ ♥