Vintage Pot Holders

I love vintage pot holders.  They are smaller than ones we currently use so they are not very practical.  I like to use them for decor and for coasters.  It is amazing how many people do not use coasters under his or her drinks. The excuse I hear is that the table is not wood, or the table top has a finish to prevent water stain rings.  I still use coasters because I don't like the dirty spills or the wet ring.  I found a couple of unusual pot holders recently. 

I loved the rick rack woven into the pot holder.  My first prototype came out pretty big and had a few too many stitches in it making it ripple.  This prototype is in the background of the 2nd picture.  I made it pink and maroon.  I followed the example below with the exception of the size of yarn, hook, and rick rack.  If there is interest in this pattern, I can provide it for you.  No cost.

The pansies are reversible.  One side purple and one side yellow.  

What do you think about the pansy pot holders?

Have a great week!   Dawn

Hobbit Hat or Tea Cozy and More on Energized Singles

After spinning a bobbin full of yarn, it is so much easier to knit or crochet something when the wool is not removed from the bobbin and plied or the twist set.  If the twist is not set, the yarn is referred to as energized.  I have recently posted on energized singles and you may want to refer to those posts.  Usually, I crochet with energized singles.  In this case, I knit a hat in one piece and seamed the pieced together.  As you see, a normal triangle is not made.  It was not curved this way due to my knitting expertise, it was the use of energized singles.

Once I sewed the seam, the hat became more of a triangle, unless the stitches are followed. The stitches do not go straight up and down like normal knitting.  They curve to the right.  I added locks to the top of the hat, crocheted along the bottom of the hat, and brushed up the knitting to make the hat a little fuzzier.  I also gathered the seam which allowed for the top to curve down.  The type of wool I used to spin this hat with is Cotswold I purchased from Nistock Farms.  This wool was not cheap, but it was covered and much cleaner than most raw wool. Usually wool has bits and pieces of pasture, not to mention a little poo.  I buy most all of my wool raw (unwashed) from a farmer.  I then wash, dye, comb, and prepare the yarn to spin.  I could buy processed and colored wool, but that would take the fun away from the prep, not to mention all of the variations that can be done in the prep.  This yarn was spun thick and thin with some of the lock curl showing in the yarn.

I could stop with the hat at this point, but if the hat is for me, I can't put Cotswold wool next to my skin.  This would make a cute tea cozy also, but I would still want to line it for optimal warmth.  It has been a while since I posted about lining hats with fleece.  Not wool fleece, but the fabric fleece used to make blankets, scarves, jackets, etc.  Originally, I thought I should line the complete inside of the hat, but all that is needed is a band that covers the area of the hat that touches skin.  Here is how the hat looks at this time.  What do you think?

Thank you for viewing!  Dawie

Trivial things

I love the look of  the contrast between a bright crisp white thread with a dark or bright thread.  The colored thread is Lizbeth 3 Peacock Blues.  The bright white is not practical to use in a kitchen, such as a pot holder.  One use and the white would have spots on it.  I decided to make a trivet instead, using bright white cotton yarn and a yarn with variations of turquoise and dark blue.  It can be for use under a teapot or on a dinner table under a warm side dish.  My sister is a jewelry maker.  She made me several charms last summer.  I am using one to dangle on this trivet.  It is a teapot with a deep blueish colored bead as the body of the teapot.  I love to crochet, but I like to make small things I can finish in a short time frame.  What about you?

Thank you for viewing!  Dawnie

Trivets and trip to great grandma's house

 At Great-Grandma's house.  Playing ball with mom and dad.

 

 

2 duckies trivet

 

 pink trivet

 

 

purple and lavender trivet

 

yellow trivet

Aside from the button decoration, each trivet is crocheted with 100 percent cotton yarn.

Thank you for viewing.  Dawnie

PS  Don't forget to go to my website at: https://www.slipperywhenwetsoaps.com or my website at: https://www.custercottage.com or my Etsy shop at:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/CusterCottage

Black and red reversible tea cozy with alternate toppers

I completed this reversible tea cozy this weekend.  It is knitted with a yarn that is mostly wool.  An iridescent fiber is added to the yarn which gives off the sparkle  The edges are trimmed are in crochet.  I like using wool which keeps the teapot warmer than many fibers.  Making a lining also aids the teapot in keeping warm.  If I am going to line the cozy, why not make the lining reversible? There is a pom pom to tie on the top loops on either side, or a jewel to hang.  My sister made the cameo jewel.  I am not much of a jewelry maker.  I love jewelry, but I can't wear it due to allergies.
This yarn happens to be machine washable, but the toppers need to removed.  I always recommend to hand wash handmade items, even if the yarn is machine washable. Do you like the crazy looking tea cozies or the more traditional looking cozies?

Thank you for viewing my blog post.  Dawnie

Please view my web store at:

http://www.custercottage.com

And visit my Etsy shop at:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/CusterCottage

 

 

 

Baby bibs, fingerless gloves, pin cushions, and laundry soap

 I crocheted a new bib using vintage bibs as inspiration.  My bib:

My inspiration:

I will be writing up the pattern if there is interest.  Let me know.

My fingerless gloves are completed.

 I am placing the pin cushions on my Etsy site.  I added weights to the bottom of the pin cushion and on the top is a yo yo with emery grit inside.  Emery grit helps the needles and pins stay sharpened. 

This is the second batch of laundry soap.  I added less water and  it also separated.  I made a third batch with less water.

 

The third batch I made has separated a little bit, but I also eliminated more water.  I am planning on making 1 or two more batches of soap with a few variations and I will blog about it and show the results.  All of us want to save money and put out the least amount of effort doing so.

Thank you for viewing my blog.  I hope you have a wonderful week!
Dawnie