Fingerless gloves and mittens

My first pair of fingerless gloves were when I worked for Kirkwood Mountain Ski Resort. My mother had given them to me and I wore them till they fell apart. Fingerless gloves were high on my list of things I want to make for myself.

It took me forever to to find the right pattern. I was attracted to the embroidery the designer put on her gloves.

 These are a slight variation of the ones if the above picture. I have some practice to do on them. I need to cast on the fingers a little looser and maybe use a smaller size needle on the cuff. But that is my own skill that I need to improve on. I started a favorite pattern link list in the side bar of messiness. 

 I also found that everyone likes the fingerless mittens too. Make it easy for me because they are so quick to stitch up. 

I used The hand painted roving I made earlier in the year to make a pair for my grandmother.

I made this pair for my daughter.

My sister requested a pair for a Christmas present. I hope I can get them done in time. The pattern I use I incorporated from a different pattern. But there isn't much left of the original pattern that I haven't changed. I am still reluctant to call the pattern my own because I started with an already published pattern. Might be worth doing a little research on.

I also splurged on myself and bought myself some new double pointed needles off EBay. I keep taking them out and looking at them then putting them all away again. 

It also had snowed about a week ago. Goggle had added in the snow affects. I am still trying to figure out Photoshop so this isn't my doing. I am still working on the free online class for Photoshop, but it's hard to find a good chunk of time every day to dedicate to an online class. I havnt given up on it, it's just taking longer than I want. So I went back to youtube and started looking for any beginner PS tutorials and found TutorialsForGraphics. If you are not use to the gentalman's accent, be patient, he gives a lot of very good information. I had my PS open so I could follow along. 

Well that is it for today! Thanks for stopping by and please follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Pintrest

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My Baby's Wing Recipe

Kyle made party wings for lunch today! I had casually asked him if he could make party wings one of these days. Well today is the day. And he said I could share his recipe with everyone! The pics look a little blurry, but this was a spur of the moment photo shoot.

Lets get started with the meat. The sauce should be made closer to the end of the cooking time of the meat so everything is hot when you finally combine everything together.

3 lbs of party wings (or chicken drumletts)

Salt

Black pepper

Onion powder

Garlic powder

Ground chipotle pepper

Combine all seasonings in a small bowl to taste.

In a large bowl, sprinkle season mix over chicken.  Toss chicken to make sure that there is an even coating.

Because it’s winter in the northern hemisphere, it can be too cold to fire up the bbq. But Kyle loves to grill and will at every opportunity. He had seared the chicken on grill for 1 to 2 min on each side and then moved to indirect heat at a temp of 350F for 30 min.

If you would rather cook them on your stove, you can sear them in a pan and bake in oven for 30 min at 350F.

A tip to making great wings is to make the sauce 10 min before the meat is done cooking. This way the sauce and the meat will marry nicely. 

For the sauce:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup your favorite hot sauce

2 tsp minced garlic

He used Crystal's Louisiana's Hot Sauce and I highly recommend it

In a small sauce pan, melt butter. Add Hot sauce and bring to boil. Turn down heat and let simmer for 10 min.

The mixture is going to be very hot so I suggest you use large spoons to mix the sauce and chicken together.  You want to evenly coat the chicken in sauce.

I hope you enjoy these wings as much as we did!

I have been spinning a lot. So I'll be adding some yarn to my store in the near future!

Don't forget that you can also find me on Twitter, Instagram, and Pintrest!

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Shop Update

I was browsing Etsy the other day and I noticed that I always consider shipping costs even when I am just looking. So I decided to offer free shipping .

I am also in the process of creating a Facebook page. I don't utilize Facebook like I should.

I have made a bunch of cross stitch markers that I will be adding to my inventory in the next couple of days. 

The wire wrapping bug

So my good friend Jackie inspired me to give wire wrapping a try. I started off with what ever I had in my stash. I don't remember what the wire was made of but it wasn't the easiest wire to work with .

My first attempt didn't turn out so very badly. A little sloppy but it is my first try. 

TO MICHAEL'S !!!!

I had talked myself into two packs of wire. Fortunately you really do not use as much as you think. So I am certain I won't be needing more for a while.

Elizabeth is always interested in seeing what i am working on. When I told her that i was making pendents for necklaces, she brought me a rock she had been carrying around and asked me to make one for her. She now wears it on a chain around her neck or tied to her back pack like a charm. 

Her pendent was my first attempt with the new wire. Still a little sloppy in my opinion, but a few videos on YouTube taught me how to clean it up.

My sister and her husband brought a box full of these stones that they found at the secondhand store. some of the pieces I have made recently are in my etsy store CraftyWitchCorner

First snow!

Woke up to a beautiful snowy morning! I am not just talking about the glittery white blanket that seems to mute the neighbor hood. I am talking about the fact that I prepared to be snowed in! There really isn't enough on the ground to make me "snowed in" per say, it just gives me the excuse not to go out. So I am spending the day at home.

I am glad there was enough snow for the kids to find a small hill to sled down. They had a lot of fun.

 

I have been really into stitch markers lately. They are quick and cute and fun! Unfortunately, I had misplaced the first set and had to make a second one for my store.  

I was experimenting with some beads I had packed away and came up with this. I love them so I am making myself a set and a set for for my store.

Wasn't quite sure how the black was going to turn out. I was worried the black would break up to the point it wouldn't look black. It happened once. . .  wasn't what I wanted but it looked kinda cool.


Well that's all for today!  Thanks for reading!

I got presents!

My family really love the finger less gloves I made my daughter. More I have a few orders for Christmas. But I had stopped spinning in order to trim down my stash. Now I have an excuse to start again.

 I received a wonderful package in the mail from my good friend, Jackie. She has been making some really cute things.

Her "sweet treats" are made of polymer clay.  


Cookies, doughnut, and M&M jewelry!

 

There were also these based wrap bracelets and these rings.  








One fit my pinky and one fit Elizabeth's.

 That's the great thing about having crafty friends. It always ends up being an extended version of show and tell but with an appreciative audience. 

chocolate chip cookie earrings!

I also managed to get the Stitch Markers finished and in my store.

CRAFTYWITCHCORNER

New Etsy items

I managed to get 3 new items in my Etsy store! 

I use to make these for my yahoo group friends years ago. But I think it's time to share them again. Please take a look and tell your friends!

Quiet Sunday

I spent the morning teaching my son how to sew a seam. Using a black marker I drew a line along 2 of the edges of a piece of corduroy.  

He worked very hard staying on that line and was rewarded with a new pouch for a small toy or two.

I also decided to try my hand at designing my own  fingerless glove. I finished the first one this afternoon. I'll probably start the second one while watching Walking Dead.

I really like making stitch markers. It gives me a chance to use my new wire wrapping super powers for something useful.

I'll have these stitch markers in my Etsy store tomorrow!

REOPENING ! ! ! !

I have been so busy! After a number of months I have gathered enough goodies to reopen my Etsy store Craftywitchcorner. I have done a little more research about organizing and how to post on Etsy. I have also been steadily increasing my stock! 

I have successfully learned how to use Microsoft Excel 2010 so I can keep track of my sales and product easier. 

Here is the video that best helped me with Microsoft Excel 2010

I have also started wire wrapping quite a bit and I have also been looking into chain maille again. I love making different types of jewelry and learning new techniques.

 My sister and her husband, Mario, brought me a small box fulled with tumbled stones! They had heard me mention I was learning how to wire wrap and brought it to me for practice. I spent hours going threw the whole box, plotting and planning what each one will look like. I was starting to feel like Gollum from J.R.R. Tolken's Lord of the Rings.

I also figured out how to make my own snag free stitch markers! I feel so empowered!

My daughter has also been working on her bracelets and I have given her the O.K. to make a few and that I will post them on Etsy for her. I am not expecting perfect pieces, but maybe she will have fun and a good experience doing it.

Everything seen in this blog can also be seen in my Etsy store

Craftywitchcorner

Dyeing Wool Black....take 1

My brother came up for Thanksgiving and discovered that I have taught myself how to spin. He has requested one of those beanies with an attached beard. So tonight I am dying black wool just for my brother, George. 

So first we gather supplies:

• The stirring stick (a random but useful stick from nature)
• Dye (I am using Rit black)
• A Big Pot
• Water
• Wool
• A Stove
• Plain White Vinegar
• Gloves

The stick is literally a random stick i found outside just so i didn't ruin any of my cooking utensils. A lot of dyes are toxic and you don't want to use anything you plan on cooking or preparing food in ever again.  

So in the pot you want to fill it about 3/4 of the way full of water and start it heating on the stove. I like to add about a cup of vinegar to the water while it's just getting hot. Once your pot of water almost simmering, i then add a good fist full of fiber. I am currently working with 100% sheep wool. I really wish i had asked the farmer who gave it to me what kind of sheep it is. 

So using your stick make sure all of the fiber is submerged. Gently turning the fiber in the pot taking care not to agitate it. 

And now for the magic! Add the dye a little at a time. You can follow the manufacturers' instructions if you want... I don't...I'm too lazy and this works for me. So I drizzle it in a little at a time, letting is slowly spread through-out the pot. I will use my stick to help the dye get into all the fibers. If it doesn't look like the dye is sticking to the fibers I'll add another up of vinegar. If you add too much, don't worry about it, it isn't going to ruin anything.

Next I let it sit in the pot with the heat on very low to maintain the heat of the water for about a half hour, gently stirring it now and then. I don't mind if some of the fibers are lighter than others I think it adds character to the finished product.




It turned out to look more burgundy in some light and black in others. I think he will like it. I cant wait to mix it with other colors when I card them together.

I love how this blue turned out! It really bright and vibrant. I dyed this about a week ago and hope to have some of it spun  and in my etsy store Craftywitchcorner.