Another tassel (see the last one). This time I used some ultrasuede scraps. I cut the fringe thicker and made two layers of different colors. There’s a little decorative strip around the top. Also, I used glue instead of sewing it together. Highly recommended. I like it a lot. It will probably become a gift tag on a bottle of wine.

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The December 1996 issue of Martha has an article of felt projects. A couple of them include felt tassels. Cut a strip of felt about 2 inches wide and 6-8 inches long. Cut a fringe about 1.5 inches into one edge. You can vary the width of the fringe for different effects. I started with a wide fringe, then cut each one in half to make a smaller fringe. Take a length of cord and roll the uncut edge tightly around it. Sew through the whole thing a few times, catching the open edge of the rolled felt and the cord. I think the next one I make will have a thicker fringe and a second color as the outside layer.

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It warmed up just enough a couple of weeks ago that it seems like it should be spring. And now it’s snowing again. If I still have to wear my winter coat, at least I can make a flower pin to cheer me up, like the one at Aesthetica Projects. Cut out about 7 circles of felt (this is a wool/rayon blend from One Stitch at a Time) in different sizes and stack them up from biggest to smallest. Sew with a stitch in the center, pulled tight so the circles kind of poof out. Cut slits from the edge in towards the center and trim the edges so they look a little more petal-like. The middle looked empty on mine, so I took a thin strip of felt and folded it back and forth into a squiggle. Sew through the bottom of each part of the squiggle and sew it into the center. Mine’s attached with a safety pin.

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Mark got a pair of sneakers, but he didn’t like the color. He colored them in with a black sharpie, and, amazingly, they look pretty good. After wearing them a few times, they’ve faded a bit, so he might go back and do another coat.

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Spice rack + monofilament = bead tube rack. The monofilament is run in a criss cross pattern so each little tube of beads stands up straight. The bottom row has old spice jars filled with wooden beads of different sizes.

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I finished another crochet box for my desk (see earlier post for instructions). The little one is for my keys and the big one is for mail. I still have one more to make for bills.

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I finally took a picture of my craft room with the organizers hung on the wall (see earlier post). I put grommets on the corners to hang them. Each one has kind of a theme, like ribbons, or glues and tapes.

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I forgot to decline my Crafter’s Choice Book of the Month last month and inadvertantly ordered Better Homes and Gardens Beautiful Cross Stitch. I was going to send it back, but it turns out that it’s a pretty nice book, so I kept it. Most of the book is small patterns grouped haphazardly into samplers. It has lots of nice photos, which to me is key in any craft book. I like a lot of the more stylized florals, and some of the holiday patterns. I have yet to find a cross stitch book that is made up entirely of patterns I like and this is no exception, with whole chapters of disposable patterns. I will probably work some of them, though, so that makes the book worth it.

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I finally finished my scarf. It’s done in knit one purl one ribbing with Katia Ingenua, a mohair/wool/nylon blend.

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