Buckle Up

If there's one thing I like, it's a good old buckle. I've got lots! I'd love to figure out some way to turn these vintage gems into shawl closures. Something lightweight that doesn't hurt the lace. That rules out the big moky brass buckle in the upper left corner of the second photo!

Stereoscopic Dawg

I'm always surprised by how cheap pieces of old paper are. I found these pricelessly cute stereoscope cards in an antique store for a dollar each. They are all © 1925 A. C. Company, and their captions read, from top to bottom: "Have some Tandy?"; All dressed up and no place to go.; and Ready! One, Two —. I want to make a ruff like the dawg is wearing for my chihuahua Bridget. Stay tuned for a stereoscopic image of such....

Summer Colors

One of my favorite sources of cool old images is from single playing cards. You can get a whole wad of them for cheap on eBay or in junk stores, and they take up zilch space. Here are three in the summer colors of red, blue, and yellow. The shawl shown is my wip Moonrockets Shawl, using the Garden of Alla chart in the fabulous half-hex shape. It's knit in Elvincraft merino laceweight and Rowan Kidsilk Haze. I wish I had had it done by the 4th, because it's inspired by fireworks in moonlight. But I still have 1,000 years of knitting to go on the bell ruffle, so I probably won't even be finished by Bastille Day. Next year! If I survive a whole year of full time night shifts, that is. The shawl will survive, in any case, because I am very happy with it and plan to store it very carefully away from all moths, of which hundreds flutter in every time I let the cats out!
Update 7.14: Finished by Bastille Day!

Beauty and the Beanstalk

The beanstalk is actually a sunflower which I didn't plant. It just shot up from the seed head that spent the winter as bird food next to our house. My garden is so magical right now in this cool (for a St. Louis summer!) weather that I can hardly bear it. The insects really love this oasis of unsprayed weeds, and I love everything about them: their sounds and looks and values, one of which is to feed the bats that swoop around in the lightning bug lit dusk.