Monday, December 14, 2009

It's Looking a Lot Like Christmas

I have only found one snowflake crochet pattern on the Internet that I understand well enough to make so have made a half dozen. I pictured a variety of different snowflakes on the tree, but I overestimated my rusty skills. Notice the ornament below it - Campbell kids sitting in a cup. I was phishing for Christmas ornaments on eBay and stumbled across this, and also the invitation to check out her other sales - she had bought a set at an estate auction.

I am absolutely thrilled with this catch. She had them set for "Buy Now" and I did. I bought them all. She messaged me that if I was interested, she had just loaded three more sales for Campbell Kids bobble heads, that I had wiped her out.
Someone at the company under-
stands merchan-
dising - they issue aluminum cans every year. The red fits nicely into the Christmas theme. I'm not a collector but I am happy to have all this Campbell stuff on the tree. Four auctions were in original plastic forms, but the owner was a smoker. We wanted to share the wealth with other family members but have been unable to shake the smell. Ian wanted me to wash them with Dawn, but I think we might lose the art along with the smell. It occurred to me, literally while I was typing this, that maybe an immersion in kitty litter might do the trick. They are so cute to smell so bad.
Here is the green green grass of home. Today was an in-town day, totally loaded. My oldest stepson from San Diego is spending a couple of days with us but his car was in town with a flat tire. Ian and Dougie set off in Ian's truck for their set of errands and I in my car, with a lunch date set in the middle.
This is our dirt access road, about two miles worth. I was thrilled that it was plowed. I named my Forester "Eleanor" after Eleanor Roosevelt. Neither one is pretty but completely capable in the most challenging circumstances. I have driven this before plowing - not fun - but Eleanor just girded up the loans of her spirit and did it anyway. I am so glad I don't have this commute anymore.
This is the paved road. It's 29 degrees and the road is a sheet of ice. Eleanor just laughed. We took it slow and I listened to my iTunes library. It got ugly when the we lost the blue skies and entered fog. I allowed 1 1/2 hours for my appointment and was right on time. I'm so happy I don't have to commute in this anymore. Wait, am I repeating myself?
I treated myself to a visit at Jimmy Beans. I was just going to buy sock yarn for DIL Missy, but Noro sock yarn was on sale and I love the one pair that I have already. I asked Missy for her favorite colors. She said, black, brown, blue or purple. Her skein has all but purple. I can't start hers until she can find the tape measure she packed, so I started mine instread.

And yes, I did cut that warp off. I've known Missy over half her life. I know that her towels coming from Goldie will touch her deeply. I got the warp sleyed, and now Goldie is folded and stored in her dormer jail while we have company.

7 comments:

Life Looms Large said...

Winter does get much better when you don't have to commute in it!!!

The kitty litter idea is a good one. I have some musty books and online it said that you could put kitty litter in the bottom of a bin, then put the books in a smaller container and put them inside the bin (so they're not touching the kitty litter), and then put a lid on the whole thing. I haven't tried it yet, but it seems like it should work for ornaments too.

Nice crocheted snowflake. I'm impressed that you allow snow indoors with so much outdoors!

Sue

Valerie said...

Your Campbell's idea is cute. Love the "kids in the cup".

Our weather is just cold, grey, and dark all day long. Not much snow to speak of....yet

Love that bottom skein of yarn....is it Noro or something else?

Sharon said...

Mea culpa, Valerie. Missy's yarn is "Anne" from Schaefer Yarn, the "Memorable Women" color series. The color is "Toni Morrison" and is superwash, 60% Merino, 25% mohair, and 15% nylon. I also like their "Heather" sock yarn, but chose this for the mohair content, hoping it would keep her feet a little warmer. Now if she could just find that tape measure!

I'm going to try Sue's idea out after I get home from book group today!

Purple Fuzzy Mittens said...

Nice snowflake! There are 641 matches in Ravelry patterns for snowflake under crochet. 184 if you limit to free.

Another idea for smell removal - try spraying the inside of a box generously with Febreze, put the ornaments on a plate inside, and seal it up tight. Good luck!

bspinner said...

Getting the smell of smoke out of something is a tough one. Kitty litter is a good idea and if that doesn't work this spring or summer hang them outside in the fresh air. Bill's cousin has every Campbell's oranament they made.

Your snowflake sure is cute!!!! Matches the weather you've been having.

Jodi said...

Campbell's ornaments, what a hoot!

Glad to hear you made it safely across the ice sheet. Yikes!

Kathy said...

I love it! Who would have thought...Campbell's??? :) Just a thought, but have you tried them in baking soda? If it neutralizes odors everywhere else, why not an ornament?
My mother used to tie ground coffee in a cloth and hang it from the shelves of refrigerators and freezers to keep them smelling sweet as we moved from place to place. I wonder if that would work here as well.
Nice pictures of the snow. Ours won't melt fast enough to suit me. We were supposed to be in the 40s today, but I still have been fighting ice on walks and behind the house near the woodpile. This is odd for our area - snow that stays when the sun comes out.