Good Bye Blogger.

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Dear friends in Blog land,

After much frustration with Blogger, I have decided to move on.  As of today I will be leaving this blog behind, never to post again.  My posts and I have found greener pastures on wordpress, and I hope you will follow me there.
I can now be found at http://gerwerken.wordpress.com
This new blog contains all of the posts that can be found here on blogger, as well as some new and (I believe) improved features that I think you will like.
I hope to see you there soon!
~Gerwerken

Welcome!

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Welcome all of my blogger friends.  As you can see, http://gerwerken.blogspot.com has been replaced with this new, and I hope improved website. After much frustration with blogger, I finally decided to take the plunge and switch to wordpress.  I hope you enjoy the new website, and graphics.

Please bear with me while I learn the ropes of this new website.  While I do not understand all of the ins and outs of this new system, it seems very intuitive, and I should be humming along in no time.  Until that happens, please let me know if you are having any trouble with this site.  All of my old posts should be available, but I would like to know if you are having trouble finding anything.

In addition, the functionality of this site will change rapidly over the next few days and weeks.  I do not expect you to notice these changes, but if you do, again please bear with me.  It should all be running smoothly soon.

The Spoils of Christmas

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I realize that this post is a bit late, Christmas now being about 3 weeks past.  My excuse is that I had some misgivings about posting about those gifts I was given in the first place.  Given the current economy I didn't not want to flout the fact that my family has not been terribly affected.  

I was especially fortunate in the present department this year, especially since my expectations were low.  I asked for little this Christmas, and got more than I cound hope for.  It was wonderful.  I decided to share my good fortune at the risk of upsetting others.
These beautiful handmade sock blockers, one sized for my husband, one for myself were from the Gadaboutknitter.  Her husband cut and sanded these himself out of some beautiful ceader.  I can't wait to use them, but until then they can protect my statsh.
These wonderful crafty books were from my parents, my sister in law, and myself.  You will no doubt be seeing projects from them in the comming year.A good friend of my husband and I sent me this book from his new home town, Austin, Texas.  This book stemed out of the Rhizome Collective, a sustainable living group local to Austin.  Many of the ideas in the book go way beyond what I had even considered possible in the city.  I fully intend to implement many of the in the comming year.I finially got my very own i-pod.  I have never had an mp3 player before (For that matter, I don't remember ever having a portable CD player, althoughI did have a tape player in college to recored lectures).  My husband hd been letting me use his old i-pod shuffle - the small kind without a view screen.  It served me well, except that I like to listen to books, and it was difficult to find the right place in the story if it got out of order.  My husband responded with this cool new i-pod nano in pink (my favorite color), inscribed with a personalized message.
I hope you all had a Merry Christmas too!

We're Back

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Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  I hope everyone reading this enjoyed social equality today.

Well the kids and I are back after spending the better part of the last week visiting my parents as my Dad's Christmas present.  When asked what my Dad wants as a present he always responds, "time."  This year we decided to take him at his word, and used the money we would have spent on a present traveling there and back.  
I have to admit that I was very tempted to give him thyme the herb as a bit of a joke, but I didn't think it would go over too well.
During the week there I got much needed rest allowing my mother to see to the needs of the children.  Since we don't get to see my parents as often as they would like, my mother often fusses about not taking care of the kids often enough.  I wanted to make sure that she got her fill while we were there, and I think we succeeded in leaving her in a state of happy exhaustion.
As a consequence of letting my mom watch the kids, I had a lot of time to work on my neglected Holly Jacket, and the knitting is nearly complete.  Hopefully you will see it soon!

Expanding the Garden

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If you read my last post, you will know that one of my New Year's resolutions was to expand my garden, what you didn't know was that it had already begun.
Last year I planted a small garden bed that continues to provide my family with bell peppers.
  This year I plan on planting a much wider variety of vegetables, and enough tomatoes that a
 few can make it to our dinner table before my kid's devour them.  The first step was creating a raised garden bed that our dogs won't be able to run right through and trample our vegetables.
Here is what we did.  Keep in mind that we learned a few lessons along the way, and I point out what those lessons taught us below.
We created a 4' by 8' box, about 1' tall.  Mr. Incredible used 1" by 4" untreated pine (cull lumber).  He attached them with common sinker nails using overlap corners.
Next time we will use nails with a spiral or ring shank or wood screws because the sinker nails pulled out of the corners far too easily.

We then situated this box in a prepared bed (the soil had been turned to break up the heavy clay that lies just below the surface, and the soil had been leveled as much as possible).
We increased the height of the bed by installing 2" by 2" corner supports, and nailing the next level of pine boards to the supports.  He also installed 2" by 4" supports in the middle of the 8' spans to keep the wood from flexing or bowing under the pressure of the dirt.  In hindsight we probably should have made the entire structure before trying to stick it in the dirt.  Preassambly would have kept the joints from shifting and requireing clean up/trimming after assembly.  We may also use all 2" by 4" supports in the future.

He then trimmed off all the pieces of the supports that were above the top of the box using a sawsall.

He also ground off the ends of protruding screws to keeps hand from comming in contact with them while digging, as they could casue injury.

Then I layed landscape cloth in the bottom of the box, putting dirt in the corners to keep the cloth from blowing away.  The landscape cloth should help keep weeds at bay, slow water runnoff and erosion, and is deep enough that it shouldn't interfer with veggie growth.
After filling the rest of the box with dirt I layered on some compost (that was not quite as ready as I would have liked), then more dirt.  

Now I need to finish filling the box with more dirt, compost, and organic fertilizer.  Then all that is left is actually growing the plants.
~Gerwerken

New Years Resolutions

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I know a lot of people dislike New Year's resolutions, because it seems as if they are rarely ever kept.  I, however, think that New Years resolutions are a great way to start something new, or to renew one's resolve to stay on the path they have been following.  

For me, the difference between a resolution that falls by the wayside, and one that is actually accomplished, is a plan of action.  It is great to say that you want to do "x," but saying it does nothing to accomplish the goal.  You have to know how you are going to get there as well.
All of that being said, here are my New Year's Resolutions for 2009 (broken up by category);
Crafting:
1)  Reduce my total project involvement, and spend more time on knitting.  How?  By saying "no," to myself.
2)  Become a reasonably adept spinner, by spinning the fiber currently in my possession, and keeping copious notes during the process.
3)  Finish all currently unfinished knitting projects, by not allowing myself to start a new knitting project for myself before the unfinished projects are done.  I will work on those with the least left to do first.
4)  Craft small gifts throughout the year, to avoid the Christmastime crafting mayhem.
Green Living:
1)  Learn more about homemade herbal medicines/remedies.  How?  I have been searching for good sources on this subject online for a while without much luck.  I will begin to search the local libraries and book stores for a good reference.
2)  Increase my household's sustainability by expanding the garden, and harvesting rain water for garden use.
3)  Produce less waste as a family, by reusing a much as possible, making more from scratch, and making sure that all recyclable products are recycled.
Personal Life:
1)  Better my health by walking to stores within 2 miles of my house at least 2/3 of the time.
2)  Find a routine that will keep the house clean, and allow me more time for my own pursuits.  This will probably involve a lot of outdoor playtime.
Does my list seem reasonable?  What about yours?  Do you have a plan of attack?

1st Craft of the New Year - Ribbon Garland

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When my husband and I first got married we had very few Christmas decorations, despite my inclination to decorate the house to the nines.  We also had little money to put into comercial decoriations, or hand made ones for that matter.  Our first Christmas our decorations consisted of a 1 foot tall tree, covered in small glass bulbs, and large bows I made from bargin basement ribbon.  I was appalled at the prices of the ribbon at the time, and decided I wouldn't waste any.

Fast forward several years, and nearly every scrap of Christmas ribbon that has passed under my nose has been saved in some way.  The same ribbon has been used in my family for years now, getting a bit shorter every year, as at least 8 inches of every piece has been added to my Christmas ribbon garland.


This year the garland grew to about 20 feet of recycled ribbon, each link 8 inches in circumfrence.  

How can you make your own Christmas ribbon garland?
1.  Ask your friends and family to give you the Christmas ribbon they would otherwise throw away.
2.  Cut the ribbon into 8 inch pieces.
3.  Sew the first "link" in the chain by matching the short ends of the ribbon (right sides together) and machine or hand sewing securely.
4.  The second and all subsequent links in the chain is made by inserting the 8 inch length of ribbon through the prevous link in the chain, wrapping the ribbon around the link so that the short ends of the ribbons match (right sides together), and machine or hand sew securely.
5.  Repeat step 4 until all ribbon lengths are incorrperated into the chain.
The chain lengths can be turned right side out as you work, or after all the links have been made.
The chain can be added to year after year, making a christmas timeline of sorts, showing change over time.  My chain is already showing differences over time, as well as tremendous growth.  I can only imagine what it will look like in a few more years time.

Happy New Year!

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Happy New Year Every one!  As of today my family is officially back to business as usual.  We shipped Mr. Incredible back to work this morning with no prospect of vacation in the near future.  While it is good to get back to our normal routine, I think we all enjoyed Mr. Incredible being around during the day.  He brings a playfullness to the atmosphere at home I sometimes forget to encourage.  I get too wrapped up with getting things done, and he encourages me to let things go and just have fun. 

At the moment my sink is overflowing with unwashed dishes, my bed is slowing sinking under the weight of unfolded laundry, the house looks as if it has been ransacked, and there is almost no food in the cupboards.  Last weeks idea of a through spring cleaning seems somewhat daunting at the moment, but the house is slowly transforming back into it's nearly clean state.  On the upside, with the exception of washing clothing, I throughly let go during the last week!
Perhaps I should resolve to figure out how to both get things done, and let go and have fun this year.

FO - Grandma's Knit Slippers

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My Grandmother lost her husband this last year.  I know that I can't give her anything to make up for that loss, but I wanted to give her something that would comfort her in her greiving.  I hope she feels that these slippers are like a little hug from me every time she puts them on.

They were made from the Plain of Flowerly Slippery Pattern, which is available as a download from Ravelry as well.  I made them in Lion Brand, Jiffy Solid, an Acrylic yarn, that I knew my grandmother wouldn't have any problem careing for, and was already familiar with (unlike the newer superwash wools, which she is sure to treat like regular wool).  
Even though the flowers will make them slightly harder to care for, I thought they were important to add.  They are my version of my Grandmother's favorite flower, a yellow rose.
~Merry Christmas

Gift Idea #6 - Embroidered Brooch

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Another one bites the dust.  Yet one more Christmas present in my queue has been completed. My latest project was this little embroidered brooch, approximately 2" in diameter.  It depicts the Ebola virus, and will hopefully soon adorn the lapel of a young doctor.  I thought it would be a laugh for her colleagues, and a great conversation starter with everyone else.

Gift Idea 5: Heated Eye Mask

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Christmas keeps comming closer, as inevivible as the passage as, well, time.  With it comes more Christmas presents.  I made this eye mask out of recycled materials for my grandmother who has eye problems.  If you have all of the materials on hand, and hour can see several made.

Materials for One Eye Mask:
1.  Burda Style Pattern Marcel #7997.  This is a free download, and the entire pattern should fit on a standard piece of paper.
2.  Two pieces of soft fabric approx. 9" by 5".  I got enough fabric for 3 masks from the front of a cotton dress shirt (the rest of the shirt had already been repourposed as napkins.
3.  Flat batting in the same amounts as the fabric above (optional).  I used cotton batting let over from a quilt, but fleece, or rescused batting would work well too.
4.  50" to 60" of ribbon, .75" to 1" wide, cut in half.  Deside on the total amount of ribbon you want to use based on head size. I used the ribbon from a kids store's elaborate gift wrapping.  One package yielded more than enough ribbon.
5.  Rice.  I used about 0.125 pounds of inexpensive long grain rice.  You can probably find enough in your pantry.
Instructions:
If you know how to sew, this will probably be a no brainer, but Burda Style has no instructions on this pattern (as of this writting), so....
1.  After printing and cutting out the Marel pattern, pin the pattern piece to your fabric (with the grain of the fabric), mark the side openings noted on the pattern on your fabric, and cut the fabric in pattern.  Do this so that you get two pieces of fabric in pattern shape, then do the same with the batting.

2.  Make the following fabric/batting sandwich; (Beginning on the bottom) batting, fabric (right side up), fabric (right side down), batting.  Then stitch around the edges of the mask with a 5/8" seam allowance, leaving the spaces that were marked "ribbon" on the pattern open.
3.  Turn your "sandwich" inside out.  The fabric should now be on the outside, the batting on the inside.

4.  Insert one of the ribbons about 1" into the ribbon slot, fold the fabric around the ribbon slot inward to that it looks as if it had been sewn with the rest of the eye mask.  Sitich the ribbon in place very close to the edge of the mask. DO NOT SEW THE OTHER RIBBON IN PLACE AT THIS TIME.

5.  The ribbon slot on the other end of the mask is still open.  Use this opening to pout in your rice.  Make a funnell with a spare bit of paper, stick the small end in the ribbon slot, and pour the rice in the large end.  Pour in enough rice so that half of the eye mask is full.

6.  With the rice at the opposite end of the mask, attach the 2nd ribbon as shown for the first in step 4.

~Happy Holidays
Edit:  If you would like to heat the eye mask, place it in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Test it's temperature on the sensitive part of your arm before placeing it on your eyes.  It should be warm, NOT hot.

I-Pod Nano Case

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My latest project is finished.  It is an i-pod nano case for my cousin.  The tutorial was from Made by Petchy.  All of the measurements she gives are in cm, so if you, like me, live where yo can't find a metric cutting mat to save your life, let me know.  I have already figured out all of the English measure equivilents and can share them with you.

Closed.

Open, with an "i-pod" inside.  I don't have an i-pod, so I made a paper one to the correct dimensions to make sure the case would work.

Open and Empty.

Back to the Daily Grind

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We have been back for a few days now, but I always find it difficult to get back into the swing of things after leaving town.  It is especially hard when we cut ourselves off from all major modes of communication during the vacation.  Thanksgiving found us in the mountains of North Carolina.  There was ice on the ground, a chill in the air, a fire in the grate, and a cup of hot cocoa in my hand.  There we have no TV, no Internet, little cell phone phone connection, and only one radio station.  It is blissfully disconnected from modern life.

I decided not to bring any of my Christmas gifts/projects with me, as this was supposed to be relaxing vacation time.  I intended to relax, at least as much as is possible with two toddlers in tow, and I spent much of my time there curled up next to the warm fireplace with a good book.

My kids spent as much time as they could outside exploring the mountainside.  They were hoping to find snow, but instead found large and small icy pools all over the mountainside (the only ice we see in Florida comes out of the freezer).  The smallest were ice filled ruts in the road which they used as an ice skating rink.  The largest was a lake that they threw rocks at for at least an hour to see which would bounce off the ice and which would crack the surface.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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In this period of economic downturn it is easy to forget what we have to be thankful for, but, if you are able to read this post, you very likely have a lot to be thankful for.  You probably have all of your basic needs, such as food, shelter, clothing, and safety, taken care of.  There are still many people around the world who do not have these luxeries (but are still thankful for life, family, love, etc.).  So, as we sit down to our dinners tonight, whether lavish or meager, know that you have something to be thankful for.

I am thankful that my family is spending the holiday in one of my favorite places.  We will be back on Sunday, and I will tell you all about it.

Mini Stocking Advent Calender

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The website Burda Style has recently published a free and easy stocking advent calender pattern. They even have a step by step tutorial that makes this project easy as pie for even beginners.

The stockings are small enough to use up scraps of fabric and ribbon, and they sew up quick enough that they could still be made before December. Even if you couldn't make them all in one go, you could make them one per day in December taking only a few minutes per day. Pictures of a few of mine are below.

Not interested in the stockings? You should still check out Burda Style. They have beginner to advanced sewing patterns that are mostly free, and great sewing info, and several quick holiday projects (even a few for ambitious hand sewing).I made all of my stockings thus far out of home dec weight fabric leftovers from other projects (mine, and the leftovers I have collected from other crafters), and scraps of ribbon. I really love the eclectic look.

Gift Idea 3: A Gift Your Toddler Can Make

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Recently my friend K (a former elementary school art teacher) e-mailed to tell me about Crayola's Model Magic - a kind of modeling clay that doesn't stick to anything and dries to a flexible firmness after being left out of it's bag for about 24 hours. Since we both tend to stick to basic art supplies, like crayons and glue, I took the suggestion of such a high tech medium as high praise. She suggested that Violet - my 3 year old - would be able to work with it, and unlike traditional clay the finished product wouldn't easily crack in toddler hands.

We bought some on our next trip out, and Violet set out to make a present for her Granny. While I suggested what to make and how to make it, she did nearly all of the work herself.

Granny likes butterflies, so she is using cookie cutters to cut out butterfly shapes.
I poked a hole through the tops so they can be strung on ribbon and hung as ornaments.
After the medium is dry it can be painted.
I think they turned out beautifully.

Paved with Good Intentions

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I had big plans for this week's blog posts. A whole bunch of quick Christmas projects were buzzing along, nearing completion, and posting, and then.....
And then my very old sewing machine began to sound as if it was working VERY hard. Far harder than it actually was working. I thought that it was high time to do some long over due routine maintenance, before a real problem occurs. It was taken apart, cleaned, and oiled with little incident (the bobbin did give me a few problems - but I was sure that was nothing). I sat down to test out the machine , run the oil through the gears, and get oil on scrap fabric, rather than on anything I wanted to keep.

Within a few stitches it was clear there was a problem. The bobbin tension was far too tight. Despite the fact that I knew the tension was already set low enough for the muslin I was sewing, I adjusted it down, as if I was sewing the most delicate of fabrics. I ran the fabric through the machine, or rather I tried to run it through the machine again, because a few stitches it, the machine simply stopped working. I would not turn over, not even by hand. Even worse, the tiny screw that holds in the bobbin case (the part that I was pretty sure was the culprit), was almost completely obscured. I spent the better part of the next two days simultaneously trying to figure out how to reach the screw with a jeweler's screw driver and stay sane. In the end a stiff piece a wire was able to reach he screw and turn it. I was able to pop the bobbin casing out, and there was a small piece of thread behind it. Fixed, right? Wrong!

The bobbin tension was too high in the next test as well. The only thing that hadn't changed, that had not been fixed, was the bobbin itself. I changed it, and it sewed beautifully. I can't tell you exactly what happened to it, but somehow it had actually increased in width.

Regardless of what happened, I am back in business. I have already gotten a few more projects finished, and hope you enjoy the days to come.

Gift Idea 2: Recycled Candles Tutorial

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My kids love candles. They take an especial fancy to expensive pillars and delicate tapers, taking chunks out of them with their sharp little finger nails (so they smell nice), or brandishing them as swords while they wage epic battles with one another. However, their favorite thing to do with candles is carry them by their wicks, breaking them off in the process. Needless to say, candles in my house rarely live out their natural lives, turning slowly into stumpy little bits of over used wax. Our candles are broken, nicked, shapeless, wickless, masses of wax that have never been used. I hate to throw it out. The result; recycled candles.

How to Make Recycled Candles:

Supplies:

1. Broken Candles (feel free to mix colors, but be warned, mixing complementary colors like red and green will make muddy brown)
2. Wick (salvaged, homemade, or store bought)
3. Pretty Heat Safe Jar that the finished product will reside in
4. Something stiff that is longer than the jar's opening - like a pencil
5. A small heavy object to attach to the wick -like a washer (may not be needed if using a store bought wick)
6. A disposable, microwave and heat safe container to melt the wax in - like a paper cup or something from the recycling bin
7. A Microwave
8. A knife and cutting surface

Steps:
Using your cutting board and knife, cut your wax so that it go from resembling small rocks, like this.........to small pebbles, like this.
Place your small pieces of wax in your microwave safe container, and microwave on high until the wax obtains a liquid texture. Make to to check that the wax has not escaped it's container every 30 seconds to one minute.

While you are waiting for your wax to melt, prepare your jar to receive it. First attach your heavy object to your wick. As you can see, I simply tied a square knot around a washer. This is to make sure your wick stays in place while the wax is poured in the container.

Next, place the wick in the jar with the heavy object in the bottom of the jar, and the other end wrapped around something stiff covering the opening of the jar (I used a wrench because it was on hand). Be sure to center the wick over the middle of the jar, unless you would like an avant guard and likely shorted lived candle.
When the wax reaches liquid state, pout it into the jar.....
.....and let it cool.Once it is cooled, snip the wick to 1/4th of an inch.An your beautiful candle is ready to go.

Enjoy!