Felting On Purpose

I have felted quite a few things over the years, lately three pairs of socks. People ask me how I do this, "Don't you know better than to put wool socks in the washer?" Sure, I do, but I usually knit socks with superwash. Now and then I am seduced by colorful hand dyed yarn and shrinkage ensues. Today I give you felting on purpose: a princess hat. Does this put me ahead in the holiday knitting contest? Though really this is for a January birthday, so it may not count. I will be gifting this hat with The Paper Bag Princess. Now, can anyone reccommend a book for a five-year-old boy about aliens?

In other knitting news, I am still working on the ribbon vest. I have the front and back above the armholes to finish and then 10 buttons to sew on. Maybe by next week. YSS is coming for a visit and we have some events planned for the girls. (Oh, I've gone girly in my old age!

A post or two ago I offered to share my paper organizing method. For what it is worth: Whenever I print out a pattern from the net, I hole punch it and put it in one of three binders (at least one of three knitting binders...there's more than knitting I look up....) Baby Patterns, Adult Patterns, and Information (when Julie writes about color and yarn dying, for example). Every couple of months I sit down and rip apart the general interest magazines I get and file the interesting stuff. Mostly I save things from MS Living and Family Fun. Martha is just fun and FF is great for finding new ways to teach old stuff. I have four of those accordian file holders, one for Sunday School, one for regular school, one for interesting stuff and inspiration (home decorating, "good things", family ideas, etc.) and one with the months of the year for special ideas relating to what you should be doing to keep your house in shape every month and needlework ideas for special holidays (sometimes I find a card that really relates to someone just after their birthday or anniversary and that goes in this file, too). Oh, I forgot, I also have two accordian files for recipes, one for regular cooking and one for Jewish cooking by the holidays.
Mind you, I don't often check these files because there are too many other piles of "stuff" around the house, but it does sometimes come in handy. Cygnet once asked of anyone had the knit Viking Hat becuase she had mislaid the last page in a move. I found it right away and sent it off. Yay, me! She was in luck, that probably won't happen very often.

Thanks to Youngest Niece I am signed up on Ravelry. Look for me under Needletart. I haven't done much yet because it is just to hot to spend hours on the computer. See you next week.