Practical Fashion

This is my purse.  

Or my diaper bag.  

Or my book bag.

It's a gas mask bag that I found at a yard sale.

It is large enough to carry a couple of books, and the reinforced sides make it paperback safe.

The strap is wide and adjustable.

It opens on the end, meaning I can't just drop something in, but I've never lost anything in it or accidentally spilled it's contents.

The small end pocket is perfect for a cell phone, pocket knife, pack of gum, or any small items that need immediate access.

It is durable and pre-worn, so I don't need to worry about stains, scratches or even pen marks.  It's already been written on.

It is suitable both for the mall or a hike.

It is practical, recycled, frugal, and durable.

It is my fashion.

Truck

       I'm a sucker for old cars and trucks.  

I love the way they sound, the way they smell, the way they look.

This beauty is at a house we're watching.

60's F-100 Ford Truck 

I have no idea if it's drive-able, but it was enough just for my daughter and I to sit in it.

Correctly Darn Those Socks

     After darning my socks incorrectly, I wanted to show you all how to correctly darn your socks. For teaching purposes I am using a contrasting colored yarn and larger stitches than I normally would.

In our family we call these socks 'Kansas Socks', because Topeka (Toe-Peek-A).

1.

When darning a sock, the first thing to do is to find an object you can place inside that will keep the area you are working on somewhat taut.  

This could be anything from an actual darning egg, to a light bulb, the end of a baseball bat, an old yeast container, etc.

2.

Next, sew all the way around the hole in a square, making sure your knot is on the inside of the sock.  

My square didn't turn out great because of the way the sock stretched, but it worked fine, so don't worry if your square is a little lopsided.

3.

Then, staying inside of the square you have just outlined, sew back and forth with a normal straight stitch.  When you get to your hole, just make a really long stitch there.  When you are done, you will have multiple strands covering the hole, all going the same direction.

For this demonstration, I made my strands fairly far apart, but in actuality you should make your rows of stitches much closer together.

4.

Now, sew back and forth, using the same straight stitches as the last step.  When you come to the hole this time, weave your thread over and under the long strands already covering the hole.

When you come back across, make sure that you are going over the strands that you just went under in the last row, and under the next strand that you previously went over.

5.

When you have come to the end of the square you first outlined, tie off your thread on the inside and admire your work.

As you can see, I made these rows too far apart, leaving a darned hole that I can see through.

I went back and darned my husband's sock with matching thread and smaller stitches, and you can barely see it.

Thankful list

My bucket list is extremely short.

See the Northern Lights.

That's it.

But I have another list.  An informal one that I keep in my head.

Things that make me say, I'm am so thankful that I got to try, or do, that before I died.

Things that probably would have been put on the bucket list, if I knew how neat they were, or things that you can't plan for.

We flew to visit my family this Christmas.

On a prop plane.

Definitely "thankful I did that" list material.

Bombardier Q200

They start the propellers one at a time.  When they both are up to speed, they make a mesmerizing sound, something like the lowest calmest didgeridoo note ever played.

They are loud, but because the sound is so soothing, our 1 year old daughter was asleep before we even taxied onto the runway.

View from my window

 Take off and landings were smoother than any jet I've ever ridden in and there was virtually no turbulence.

Isn't it adorable?

Just the idea of riding in something that was being pulled through the air, instead of pushed, was exciting.

What has happened recently that made you say, "I'm so glad I got to do this!"?

Darn those socks

I'm sorry for the lack of posts.  It has been from lack of internet, not lack of desire.

Since the last post, I have learned to darn socks.  Sort of.

I read a how-to page on the internet a while ago, and without internet, I did it from memory.

I wove over the entire worn area, when the correct way would have put the weaving only over the hole.

Live and learn.

I'm still pleased with the way it turned out.

The original hole.  

I used a burnt out light bulb for my darning egg.  It worked beautifully and was easy to hold onto.

First I wove my yarn back and forth across the hole.  Starting at one side, I took the yarn across the hole, made a small stitch and brought it back across, so there are no strands on the inside.

Once I had finished going across the hole I worked up and down, weaving the yarn as I went.  I picked up a stitch before going back across, just like in the previous picture.  

Once finished, I tied off the yarn on the inside.  

Here is my incorrect, yet completely functional darning job.

In a correct darning job, I would have sewn all the way around the worn area with my yarn.  Then I would have used straight stitches back and forth, the only long strands happening over the hole, where there was no fabric left.  

From there I would have sewn up and down, only weaving when I cane to the hole.

Although my way worked fine, the correct way seems much less time consuming.