Cowichan inspired

The Lyndhurst Turkey Fair has come and gone. The Lyndhurst Feral Cat Project did very well. We made money for the cat colony. The cookie biz is going to go along at a slightly slower pace for a while. And that means it's time for a new project. Oh, we could return to the Smiley Sweater all right, but I've been asked to make a very special sweater for a very special young woman. How could I refuse?

She's an outdoorsy girl who enjoys camping....in all kinds of weather. She's asked for a Cowichan-style sweater. I think this project will follow along quite nicely on the heels of the colourwork I was doing last year. If you remember the Batman earflap cap, I'm going to be attempting something similar where I draw my own design elements and fit them into the framework of the sweater.

Wolves have been requested. While doing my research, I saw a wolf design in an old Mary Maxim pattern. It was a leering, slobbering beast with a great, big, red tongue lolling out of its mouth. I'm shuddering at the memory. I'm going for a more noble, less scary image.

I love the planning stage of any project. Stick around and come with me on my Cowichan adventure.

Even tinier

A friend of a friend has a new granddaughter who was born early.  They named her Ivy, and something about the story touched my heart. I imagined all the people who were worrying about her, and wishing her their best, hoping she'd be OK.

I graded my booties down from a new-born size to a preemie size. I hope they fit. You can see how tiny they really are.

The last word I had was that Ivy was home, and doing well. Welcome to the world little Ivy.

Zippered Cat Pouches For Sale

About 6 inches wide x 4 inches tall x 1 1/2 inches deep (at the base). #'s 4, 6, 7, and 8 are already spoken for. These adorable cat pouches are $15. each (plus shipping) with all proceeds going to The Feral Cat Project. If there are any left (!), they'll be for sale at our booth at the Lyndhurst Turkey Fair on September 19th.

Purrrrls and Lace

Things have been jumpin' here in the Kingdom. I've been so buy doin' that I haven't had time for showin'. :(  Here are some new cat cookies I've been playing with:

And in the spirit of full disclosure, here's the first failed attempt.  Sorta looks like a feline Groucho Marx.

Proof positive that things don't always go exactly as planned. :)

Quality Control

I have a small problem with doing the same things, the same way, time after time. Sometimes, my explorations result in big improvements, sometimes pushing me to new heights. Sometimes, however, they just fail.

Case in point..... I tried a new cookie recipe.... twice! because I thought I'd just made a mistake. Nope! Turns out they simply taste like cardboard, and there's nothing to be done about it. No amount of artfully applied icing is going to fix them. :(

After thinking briefly about turning them into fridge magnets, I finally decided reducing them to crumbs would be best. I can at least use them in place of graham cracker crumbs for cheese cake crusts. Lots of cheese cake crusts. No actual food wasted though.

Years ago, as a young artist, a mentor told me to only show my best work.....my very best work. Get rid of the 2nd rate stuff. Throw away the failures. I think he was right.

Pretty little feetsies

Here's another little pair of baby booties. So cute. So much fun to fuss over ..... as are babies!

I'm offering these up for sale for the benefit of  The Lyndhurst Feral Cat Project. $30 Canadian plus shipping if you're not lucky enough to live in the Kingdom of Coco. With today's exchange rate that's only a little over $22. US (Yikes, that's a real bargain, eh?) plus shipping. For personal shopping, they'll be available at the Lyndhurst Turkey Fair on September 19, 2015 along with a whole bunch of cookies, and some other crafty goodness.

Details on the booties: the foot is 3 1/2 inches long, so according to the size chart I found on this site  http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/size-chart.html#foot  they ought to fit a newborn. They're made of 100% merino felt and the ribbed cuff is Louet Gems 100% merino wool. Hand wash.