Felting Wool Sweaters to Make Pot Holders

I have always wanted to learn how to felt wool. I observed how my neighbor and friend felted woolen yarn to make detergent balls to wash her son's diapers, but this was new to me.

So, yesterday I ventured out to some thrift stores to find some wool sweaters to felt fr upcoming projects. On a side note... Can I tell you how much I love the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store! Their prices are amazingly low and I found an office chair for only $5. I find I need to visit their store at least once a month to find those gems.

I was lucky to find a handful of sweaters at a thrift store in Broomfield but I found some of their prices a bit high ($4.99-$6.99) compared to Habitat's Re-Store ($2.25). I have a feeling I'll make another trip this Saturday when the sweaters will be 50%. If you haven't been to a thrift store for crafting supplies, then I would encourage you to venture out in your neighborhood and start looking. You find some some supplies at great prices.

So, I came home from shopping with five sweaters and one sweater vest. I chose sweaters with some valentine colors - like red and pink, to make heart shaped pot holders for valentine's gifts.

Some steps to consider before felting your wool sweater:

1. Take scissors and cut out the seams. Determine the usage of the sweater: Will you use the sleeves? Or just the body of the sweater?

2. Place sweaters in your washing machine. Place on hot water and add a bit of detergent when washing the sweaters.

NOTE - Once washed, determine if the wool is felted to your liking. Felted wool can have different consistencies and depending on what you will use the felted wool for, you may want to wash/felt the wool again.

3. Place washed/felted wool into the dryer. Place on high heat.
I have an energy efficient washer and dryer, so I needed to place my dryer setting on "cotton towels" to obtain the high heat for the felting to work.

Here are some of the final projects I made out of the felted sweaters I purchased yesterday.

These are easy felted wool pot holders shaped in a heart. Great for valentines day and super easy to make. Though some of the felted wool may be thick to feed through your sewing machine. Just be patient.

Is Gluten Making You Fat

Recently my husband was re-reading one of his Men's Health magazines and he wanted me to read this article "Is Gluten Making You Fat". He knows I want to learn more about a gluten free diet and this article definitely appealed to my fitness and wellness plan I want to adhere to in the new year.

It's amazing how much diet contributes to how we feel - whether it's being alert, fatigued, crampy, or in a good healthy and energetic state. The article discuss the truth about gluten, the food industry, and your belly. There are some great examples of gluten free grains to try, like - quinoa, buckwheat, and amaranth.

If you're interested in whether gluten is making you fat, I would encourage you to read the article at Men's Health by Matthew Solan.

Flamingo and Snowflake Stockings

Two Available
http://www.etsy.com/listing/88639209/flamingo-snowflakes-christmas-stocking

Life Lesson on Style

When I started my first blog when I got married and moved to the Pacific Northwest, I entitled certain posts Life Lessons where I posted famous or memorable quotes. I'm continuing the tradition on Sew Knot Expected and you can see more Life Lessons on my Pinterest board; entitled the same.

Never confuse money or status with style. Style is the ability to discover your own signature. Remember, attitude is the most important accessory you can wear.

"What you wear says who you are."
-Barbara Glass

Christmas Stockings Galore

 

Fat Quarter Challenge - Featured on Goofing Off Blog

I was elated to be featured in a fellow Etsy store owner's blog about what to make with a Fat Quarter. My bib and burp cloth were featured in this link. - Goofingoff Blog 

I also make my purse clutches with fat quarters. A great way to use small amounts of fabric and don't forget your scraps turn into great scrap table runners or 3 inch squares for a scrap quilt.

Gluten Free Shopping Resource

http://www.celiac.com/glutenfreemall/

Wonderful products and great service online!

50th Anniversary of West Side Story - (1961 movie)

Last night I attended a special showing of the 50th Anniversary of West Side Story. It was great to see the film on the big screen and I learn some film factoids I never knew before.

Such as...
Natalie Wood didn't sing her role's vocal, it was dubbed by Marni Nixon.

George Chakiris was a chorus boy in other 1950 films like White Christmas and Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend before getting the role of Riff in the London theater production of West Side Story and then playing Bernardo in the film version.

I love Lenard Bernstein's music and Steven Sondheim's lyrics!

West Side Story Trailer

New Sets for New Moms

Lime Green and Black Lattice Bib & Burp Cloth Set

Bib & Burp Cloth Set for Baby Girl - Polka Dots and Swirls

Scooters and Bikes Bib & Burp Cloth Set

Comparison of Gluten Free (GF) Baking Flours

Over the weekend I decided to make beef stew for dinner on Saturday night and made Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies last weekend using existing recipes, but converted them to Gluten Free.

I normal like baking with Pamela's Gluten Free Flour Mixture, but I didn't have any in my pantry. My neighbor bought a 5lb bag of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Flour mixture so I used that brand to make the gravy for stew and bake the Oatmeal Scotchies.

The difference between the two gluten free flour mixes is based on the ingredients:

Bob's Red Mill All Purpose GF Baking Flour uses garbanzo bean and fava bean flour. Note, this is great tasting for pizza dough, but I wouldn't recommend this flour mixture for baking. Some can taste the difference but I couldn't. However, it seems while the dough is raw, the sent is potent and doesn't smell edible. It goes away once you bake the cookies.
To learn more about the ingredients, nutritional facts about the GF Baking Flour use this link.

Pamela's Baking Mix uses a combo of rice flour and almond meal. It's great to use Pamela's flour mix in any of your existing Baking recipes. Note - sometimes I have to use a bit more gluten free flour to make the recipe work. It's usually an additional 1 tablespoon.
Use this link to learn more about the ingredients, nutritional facts, and recipes.





I make all my quick breads, apple crisp crumble, and cookies with gluten free baking flour mixes. I find it's easier to store a Baking Flour Mix, versus creating my own. Something to consider if you're just starting out.

Getting Ready for the Holidays

I find it funny that for the past two weeks I'm listening to Christmas music to get me in the mood for sewing Christmas Stockings and other holiday decor.

Check out some of the Christmas Stockings that are on my Etsy site:

Snowfall in Colorado - first of the season

The first snowfall in Colorado, October 26th. It starting snowing at my house last night at 8pm. Our American Eskimo could get lost in the snow. I didn't really want to leave the comforts of home this morning. I wanted to stay home and quilt and finish some holiday projects. :-)

The picture above was taken on my drive into the office this morning. It looks so peaceful.

Please Vote for the Pasiley Clutch

http://linorstorecom.blogspot.com/2011/10/vote-for-your-favorite-winner-gets-blog.html

Colorado Quilt A Fair

Last Saturday, September 24th, I attended the Colorado Quilt-A-Fair with my neighbor and her mom. It was wonderful to be surrounded by such magnificent quilts of all sizes, skill levels, and colors. It was like a candy store of fabric for me.

I had to resist purchasing a bunch of fabric but I did meet my goals and stayed under spending $65 at the affair. I bought some winter batiks for a tablerunner I'm working on, some holiday fat quarters to use in stockings and a tablerunner, and an icot from Japan to grace my living room wall. (I could ramble on about kimonos and my passion for them, but that's for another post)

I also stumbled upon some vintage hankerchiefs for mom. I think they will make a wonderful gift this holiday season!

My friend's mom and I discussed the various techniques of quilting, drooled over several booths of quilting machines and techniques on display quilts, and delighted over hand dyed fabrics, ribbon, and textiles. That's a new found art for me and I look forward to using some of these new types of fabric in my quilts and pieces for my etsy store.

Timeless Treasures - Now We're Going Places Bib & Burp Cloth Set of 4

I fell in love with this fabric when I visited a local quilt store for my birthday last week! Of course I love anything with bikes on it!

Gaining Ground Online and With Etsy

While Etsy provides you with lots of tools to be successful, I'm realizing that you have to push the envelope and take the initiative to learn how to promote your store through other channels to gain traction in the online community we cal the web. Social Media plays into the puzzle as well as all these new sites I've never visited before that now I find myself subscribing to... StumbleUpon and Pinterest for example.

I've always taken pride in the willingness to learn something new and educate myself on my own. I'm branching off in new territory and love the challenge that guides me to becoming an entrepreneur. Look out world wide web!

For those of you who don't know me, Sew Knot Expected is an Etsy store that specializes in accessories for women, baby, and home. I live in Denver, CO and just celebrated my birthday last week.
My husband finds new enjoyment in watching my hobby grow and is the biggest cheerleader!
Thanks to my neighbor and friend for giving me a gift certificate to my favorite etsy Fabric Shoppe! More fabric is coming to exapnd my collection for baby and holiday!