I'm seeing spots!

You may remember these images, of the Dot yarn I spun during the Tour de Fleece. I had a special project in mind for those pretty dots.


I wanted to make a coil basket, woven so all the dots jingled on the outside of the basket, I love that musical little sound.


When the body of the basket was done, I decided it needed to have a footed bottom. I had a bit of an idea of how I wanted it to look, but I wasn't exactly certain how to accomplish it. So I had to start with what I did know, and move forward from there. I knew if I made the felted bits, the round felted tubes and the round felt beads, I would be half way there. Once I had my felted components, I just kind of lived with the idea. Sometimes you have to wait awhile, things happen just when they are meant to. (There's a life lesson or two in there somewhere.)


I added a polka-dot patterned flannel band around the rim, and used one of my vintage buttons for a closure. I love circles! (I was advised by one of my favorite professors in art school, "Everybody has this thing that wants to crop up in their work all the time, with you it's circles...try to edit the circles." That conversation still makes me giggle!)

I really enjoyed this project, I know, I know, I say that with every project, but it's true!

I hope everyone has a delightful weekend, and if you are in Michigan, or close by, tootle over to Allegan to the Michigan Fiber Festival and check out all the fabulous doings. Including the booths of Andrea the Wonder Why Gal, and Melissa of Needle and Wheel Designs and of course so many more!!!

Blessings Friends!
Melissa

Button Give Away Winner!

These are my treasured, private reserve buttons. They are all that remain of my Grams button box, saved by little Melissa soooo many years ago. I horded them away in little baggies, change purses and old pill bottles, waiting to be rediscovered by the grown up me. I was just as excited by them as an adult when I came upon my little forgotten treasures as I cleared out my childhood bedroom. Since then, more than a few pretty buttons have found their way into my treasure trove and I'm excited to share some of them with one of you! I used the random number generator to select the button give away winner, Vivian you won! If you'll post your email address, (I won't publish it of course) I'll get in touch with you so I can get those buttons right out to you! Congratulations!


I've been working on a number of projects lately, including this lace shawl. I participated in a mystery KAL over in Ravelry, which sort of overlapped with the Tour de Fleece, so my knitting was given very little attention as a result. I'm plugging away at it again, it wont be too much longer since it's not a very large shawl. The pattern is Mystic Midsummer Wreath by Anna Dalvi. This was my first mystery KAL and I really enjoyed the process. It definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone since I had to knit on faith that I was doing it right. I rationalized that as long as I kept having the correct number of stitches for each repeat, I must be on the right track.

I hope you are all enjoying the weather, I know I am! It's been nice to get back outside and tackle some of the fleece that has been waiting for me.

Have a wonderful weekend! Blessings Friends!
Melissa

Who Loves Buttons?!! (Button Give Away)

I love buttons, and I just adore vintage buttons. I have fond memories of sorting through the old button box when I was a kidlette. Not too long ago I participated in a button swap in the Button Addicts Group on Ravelry. I rounded up all the buttons I was willing to part with and my mum and I had a great time sorting them all into color groups and tucking them all into yummy packages of "Button Candy."


These are the buttons I contributed to the swap, the purple collection, Ooooo-Ahhhhh, buttons! I'd love to share some of my buttons, if you'd like a little collection for your own project, let me know in your comment if you have a color preference and if you have a favorite button project you've done, I'd love to hear about that too. I'll draw a name next Friday and some lucky button collector will have some yummy button candy to add to their collection!


This is one of my favorite button projects, my Silk Razzmatazz Necklace, you can find instructions here in one of my older blog posts if you are interested in making one for yourself.

Have a wonderful weekend! Blessings Friends!
Melissa