Kelly Casanova Weaving Lessons

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Home made potato chips

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We recently harvested 6.5 kilograms of pinkeye potatoes from the garden which is our biggest haul yet. A really beautiful potato too and organic of course. Here is what I did with one batch and yes – they are as good as they look!

Clean your potatoes but leave the skin on. Cut into thin chips. Place into a hot frying pan coated with olive oil (much healthier than deep frying and you get to taste the chip more than the oil!)
Leave to fry on one side until really sizzling and browning, then flip over roughly. Be careful – they spit!
Keep cooking and turning until all chips are browned. We like ours a bit crispy, but you choose how done you want yours.
Tip onto paper towel and salt to your liking. Make as many batches as you need.
Let cool slightly and eat!

On embroidery, business and list writing

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So I didn’t get time to stitch lastnight as I’d hoped but I thought I’d share one of the embroidery projects I have on the go. One of my Mother-in-law’s oldies that was never started, a printed linen table cloth. I was really unsure of colourways but eventually decided on a fresh and modern take, so nice and vibrant but harmonious colours.

I was more than a little excited to open a little box of my very first business cards! Surely someone will take me seriously now? (Total tongue in cheek). At least I don’t have to hastily scrawl down my details when someone is interested in my work now, and these certainly look better than my handwriting!

Now for the list writing. Last year when I was homeschooling with a baby and life was mostly an insane and hardly bearable chaotic rush I let a lot of things slip – including the writing of lists. I’m determined to start afresh and make this year different.
Yesterday I crossed off 8 items out of 11 – pretty good for me! What wasn’t completed yesterday transfers to today’s list. This is so important for my organisation, crossing items off my list makes me feel in control and makes a sometimes overwhelming day of tasks achievable. (I can just imagine Posie nodding emphatically!)
If you feel snowed under try writing lists – even if you only get one thing crossed off it is a way of laying out your tasks so that rather than feeling that you’re drowning in work you can have a detached sense of what you have to do.
Once you have a basic daily list you will probably find yourself writing a list for everything – goals (short and long term), shopping, trips away, purchases needing to be made, schedules….

Some wee waldorf dolls

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The winner of my Christmas giveaway was Tas and she requested some wee waldorf dolls for her daughter. They are only 6 inches (15cm) tall. I can show them here now because they have been (well) received.

Her daughter loves pink and is warming to red, so the dress colours were chosen accordingly. The blondie has mohair yarn for hair and the brunette has curly dyed mohair (one of my favourite materials ever!)

Plenty on the “to do” list today but unfortunately no crafting on the agenda, too much “important stuff” to be done.
Perhaps I could sneak in a few minutes of hand embroidery tonight?…..

New goodies in the shop

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Hand dyed rosette brooch
I’ve been very busy this morning with these new listings for my Etsy shop. I sort of wish I could skip the whole listing part and just get on with the creating part!
Hand dyed circle skirt to fit 3 year old

Remember the bright shibori dyed fabric? Now it’s a skirt.

Hand dyed reversible cotton scarf

           This is pretty cool – a reversible scarf. One side is bright.

Hand dyed reversible cotton scarf

                        The other is dark.

                        Do you like?

Posts from the past

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Considering I now have 510 posts on this blog I figured it was about time to actually look back at what I’d written (weird that I’d never done it before!) Perhaps I was worried about being haunted by things I never should have posted. I’m happy to report there are no such skeletons. Apart from the things I was “going to do” and never did. This time last year I was gearing up excitedly to release my first doll pattern….. it never happened.
I was also a little confused as to how I deemed the quality of my early photographs as suitable eye candy. Thank goodness that has improved! It seems I also neglected how to post a link properly, another issue that has thankfully been fixed.

So I’ve been thinking about my goals for this year and will be posting them shortly. They will be decidedly realistic and attainable – one thing I am slowly learning is to not set myself up for disappointment by aiming too high.

I’ve been enjoying reading other’s goals for the year in all their variety.

Talk soon. God bless.

Mandala toddler skirt

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Oh so cute! I cut out the skirt then folded, tied and dyed in a mandala.
The colours are so vibrant. Most astonishingly it wasn’t too difficult to get some good photos of my 18 month old model.
This skirt is available in my shop now.

Now that grabs your attention!

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I’ve been experimenting with the shibori technique which is really fun and interesting. I was quite surprised when I unwrapped this yesterday after leaving it for hours in plastic in the hot baking sun.
I didn’t exactly get the fine lines I wanted but it certainly doesn’t lack for brightness! I’ll see how it looks as a skirt.

“Second Chance” book review

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“Second Chance” by Sandra J Gerencher is a story based on the author’s own family and involves the adoption of a new dog – “Chance”. The tale is told through the eyes and perceptions of the Chance, who had been living in a shelter.
Chance has many adjustments to make to his new life. There are other dogs in the house and he also notices that there is something different about his owner, Ryan. As Chance learns more about his new family he finds that he and Ryan have a great deal in common.
“Second Chance” offers readers an interesting insight into both adoption and autism. The themes that really stand out in the book are love and hope.
Sandra Gerencher has extensive experience in special education and has also adopted a son who has autism and other special needs. Sandra has a personal mission to save dogs from high kill animal shelters through adoption. You can read more about Sandra here or at Tribute Books.