On a roll...

...just like a sesame seed!  While gathering photos for the last two posts, I came across a number of recent projects that I hadn't posted.  So I thought I'd share a few, just so you don't think that I have been idle.

While in JoAnn's a couple months ago, a product caught my eye.  It was a chiffon-like fabric strip with scallops on one side and holes on the other side.  I can't remember what it was called, but the package said that it was long enough to knit a scarf.  You use the holes to knit, basically just like each hole was a stitch.  It's a little odd to get started, but then after just a few stitches you start to see a twirly, puffy boa appear.  It was fast and fun!  I've included a close up of one of the ends so that you can get a better idea of what the fabric looks like.  I worked on this during one of my bee meetings and one of the ladies went right over to JoAnn's and made one in hot pink for her three year old grand-daughter diva... she loved it!

While in Houston at the International Quilt Show, I saw several demos by Marlene Glickman (www.silkdyes.com) of a very simple silk dying product and process.  So, of course, I had to buy her product.  This is so easy.  I literally did the dying at my dining room table.  Here are a few of the scarves I dyed.  I gave a few away as holiday gifts, too.  

Also on the Houston trip I renewed my membership in the Quilt Alliance and I got a few little "gifts."  One of them was a stack of 2 1/2 inch fabric squares.  I forget how many squares were in the packet, maybe 20 or maybe 40.  Anyway, enough to get me thinking of making them into scrappy 8 inch squares that I then made into potholders. 

Again, they are nice little gift items.  Potholders always get pretty sad pretty quickly at my house, so new potholders are always welcome.  I think these are very cheerful.

 And I love the polka dot back.  Local people will recognize that as a Just Ducky fabric.

And my usual "busy work" while riding in the car or sitting in front of the TV is "no brain knitting."  These dish cloths are a perfect example.  They are made out of the sugar and spice type cotton yarn and I have accumulated a stash of it that I am trying to use up.  I like this particular pattern because it has texture on both the front and the back.  It seems to do a good job of picking up crumbs from my counter top.  

And just like pot holders, I find that dish cloths get pretty sad looking after multiple uses and washes, so it's always nice to have a new one.

And as I'm accumulating some finished cloths, I've been tucking them in this nice turned wooden bowl that our friend Ed made us for Christmas this year.  Didn't he do a lovely job?

Finally, some more pot holders.  Actually, I think these contain some of those original squares I was talking about.  I brought them to Maggie at Thanksgiving, along with a couple of lobster tea towels.  While in Maine this summer after the twins were born, I picked up this embroidery project at the local Maine store called Reny's.  It's one of those stores where you never know what you are going to find.  Well, I found a very appropriate embroidery project for Maine... lobster towels.  They were fun to do and maybe next summer I will be using one to wipe the butter off my chin when I eat a grilled lobster!

On a chilly day like today, it's nice to think about a lobster picnic!