~*Friday Finishes*~

Hello Dear Friends! Another Friday has rolled around again... and you know what that means. Time to share some fabulous, ~*Friday Finishes*~!

From Connie (no blog or online album), is this charming pony, penny mat. She used some beautiful hand~dyed wools to stitch this ditty up. She changed the design some to suit her desires... so sweet, don't ya think?



This next lovely is from Faye. The added sweetness on this is just darling ~ with the key charm and ball trim.



Both finishes bring smiles to my face! Thank you, Ladies, for stitching and sharing. Keep up the great works!

I had hoped to get more done this week... as always. Maybe one of these days I'll get my routine back. Here are a couple of un~finished finishes though. These have been stained with my walnut stain and are awaiting construction into small mats or pillows.

My experiment with the Oxford Punch...


I'm thinking this one would make a sweet lil' pillow to use as a wreath add~on...


Wishing you all warm smiles...

Betty

~*Re~Start!*~

Oops! My experiment needed to be re~started! What I didn't keep in mind when working at first was the difference with loop height and yarn thickness. The design had a sheep standing behind a picket fence. When I went to punch the fence, the sheep looked more like he had fallen over on the fence and was smashing the pickets. Oops! I was using DMC to punch the fence with my Cameo needle set on a '3'. It just wasn't working. Another thing I noticed, was that my punching was 'packed'... something I've always struggled with. I pulled out all my loops and was going to rework the design on the same piece of Weaver's, but was worried the Oxford needle (being a much thicker needle) had stressed the cloth too much to continue. Sorry, I didn't get a picture taken of my failure.

Trying to learn from my mistakes, I re~drew and slightly re~designed my doodle... and began punching again with the wool yarn. I'm trying to keep my punches and rows more even now too...

my re~start... with one skein yarn punched...


I was asked about the yarn. It is some that I purchased quite some time ago in a 'lot' auction off Ebay. I'm not sure where it can be found 'new'... or what the cost would be. The label is marked Laine Colbert DMC. It is a 100% Virgin Wool.


Ok... back to punching. I hope to share another photo... of a finished piece!... soon.

Wishing you all warm smiles,

Betty

~*A Little Experimenting*~

Hello Dear Friends! The girls in AAPG (better known on Ebay as USAPRIM) have been chatting about yarn today. The discussion was started by asking what yarn is preferred for binding rugs. As the chit chat went on, I became inspired to use up some small bits of wool yarn from the store room. However, they are too small to use for binding a rug. These bits of wool yarn are for needlepoint. I've never tried that craft and at this point don't have a desire to either. But, also in the store room are two Oxford Punch needles... of two different sizes.

Buds of mine, Chris of mysticalprimitives and Doris of luv2punch, have made some spectacular needlepunch pieces using mixed yarns. So... I decided to try it out... using the smaller Oxford needle, #14 - 1/8". The design may not be visible yet, but punched so far is one skein of the yarn. Only part of this design will be punched with the wool yarn... with the remainder done in DMC and maybe a few snippets of wool threads too.... guess only time will tell...



Punching with the yarn is quicker than DMC... a little bit covers a lot more.

Ok... back to experimenting... I'll show more later...

Warm smiles,

Betty

~*Happy Labor Day*~

Hello Dear Friends! I do hope you all have wonderful plans for relaxation, family, and fun for the holiday... or, better yet, that you have already been enjoying the holiday weekend. We have been. The weather has been wonderful and we have spent most of our time outside. I've been punching in the shade in the backyard... and thinking I'll keep at it today...



Yup, I've already done some Fall Decorating in the yard. We have picked more pumpkins from the brush pile in the back & potted up a few more mums. Guess I'm ready for the season change.

Happy Labor Day to you all!

Wishing you warm smiles and happiness...

Betty

~*Felt Like Doodlin'...*~

and sharin'!




~*JOL 'n Keys*~... What medium would you choose? Needle punch? Rug hooking? Prim stitchery? Have fun! (please give credit where due ~ thank you)

Warm smiles to ya...

Betty

~*Friday Finishes*~

Hello Dear Friends! Well, the week has gone by in a flash... hasn't it? This was the first full week of school and we are still trying to get back on schedule. None of us in this household could be considered 'morning people'... so 6:30 is rather tough. We are beginning to adjust though... and the cooler temps are making things a little easier.

For ~*Friday Finishes*~ there is a goodie to share! This one comes from Patti... and is just perfect for welcoming Fall!



Patti's work is always fabulous... and this one is no exception. It too is fabulous! She said it finished to 3 by 5.5 inches. It is filled with crushed walnut shells & she attached the key with silk ribbon. Beautiful!

Thank you, Patti, for working with my patterns and sharing your wonderful treasures.

I'm not sure what the weekend will bring for us... but I would like it to be crafty. There is a model finished that needs charting... and several other ideas wanting to get out. It would be nice to have a 'crafty-wave' of a weekend!

Wishing you all warm smiles,

Betty