October 13, 2007

I finally got round to making the wool balls for my grandsons. It's really a very easy process.... Materials needed are nylon stockings, wool, washing machine and soap or vinegar.

Wrap the wool up into a ball about a third larger than you'd like your finished ball to be. Or don't worry about it and just wrap up the wool. (I've never used yarn for these, always rovings, but I bet yarn would work just as well.) Push the ball of wool into the nylon stocking and tie a knot in the stocking next to the ball. Continue with the next ball, put it in the same stocking and tie another knot. You want it to look like a row of old time sausages. I can fit three balls into one knee high stocking.

Throw the sausages into the washer filled to the lowest setting with the hottest water. Add a bit of soap or vinegar and let the fulling begin! Let it run through the longest cycle--don't bother checking cuz you want these to be fulled as much as they can.

Take them out, peel off the nylon stocking, reshape if necessary, and let dry! I air dry mine as I don't have a dryer, but you could throw them into the dryer if you're in a hurry. They make great toys for animals as well as children. To clean, either wash just like you did when fulling them, or just soak in hot soapy water and squeeze the suds through them, rinse thoroughly, reshape if necessary and let dry.


I fulled the slippers I made for my grandson at the same time. Only they don't fit the grandson they were intended for. So now I am knitting yet another bigger pair! However, they did fit one of the other grands, so, they'll not go to waste! And that's one more Christmas present done!

I worked on a pair of clogs yesterday. I managed to get through the sole and several rows into the instep without a mistake. Yeah! I have finally found a way to follow the pattern even with interruptions around me. The general consensus on The Knitlist is although the clogs are very easy to do, they do require total attention. Not something you want to do while visiting!

Got to take my "new" car out for a drive yesterday. Really nice. Found out it'll run me around $50 to get it registered (it passed emissions with flying colors) and another $50 to get the lock repaired. And then there is insurance which I haven't even researched yet. A 20 year old car shouldn't be that much with just the minimum coverage. However, I think we can take it to Disneyland instead of renting a car. Haven't totally decided yet. The things wrong with it are foo foo electrical things. The engine, transmission and brakes are all in great shape. But I have wheels! First time in five years or so that I've not been dependent on someone one else for transportation.

F is still in the hospital. His husband, B and I have plans to go visit this afternoon. I might take him a pair of knitting needles and yarn to have something to work on.... He doesn't read and generally doesn't watch daytime TV so he must be bored to tears....

Today's knitting will be finishing up the second Ladies large size clog.

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For those that like photography blogs with some knitting thrown in, check out David Taylor Daniels' <--click blog.

Ray, from Knitivity <--click has some gorgeous hand made click---> Christmas stockings for sale. Wish I could (1) Knit like that (2) Afford his because I can't knit like that!

Look at this cute cute cute <--click puppy in her new sweater!