Tutorial for Dog Tie

Oc-Tute-ber Tutorial #7 for:
Dog Tie (or Cat Tie, I suppose, if you are so inclined)

This week, all of our tutorials will all focus on our furry friends.

If you like the idea of dressing up your pet but you have the challenge of owning a male, it can be hard to find cute clothes. You can go the khakis and t-shirt route and have people think you actually think your dog is a furry child. Or you can go the sailor suit/biker costume route but I think those are just silly. Unless you're a sailor or a biker. One fashion accessory that can be dressed up or down is the tie. You can have a goofy light-up, plays music Christmas tie. Or you can have a snappy gray on gray silk tie. I'm fond of really tacky 70's ties so I scour garage sales and my husband's tie rack. :)

What you'll need:
a tie you don't mind cutting up
thread and needle OR sewing machine
scissors



First, measure your dog from the point of the collar to where you want the tie to hit. Corgis are, of course, a little short so ties are much easier to make for a taller dog, more dangle room. Sully measures about 6 inches from collar to where I want the point of the tie to be.

Double your measurement. This will be how long we will cut the tie from the fat pointed end. (Unless you are going for the 80's skinny tie look, then you can cut from the skinny end.)


Finish the cut end by folding the edges in and then pressing the two corners inward to create a slight taper on the end of the tie. I hope you can see that in this picture. Sew directly over the end of the tie, catching all the layers.


Now from the skinny end of the tie, cut a piece about 5 inches long, cutting off the point if there is one. Stitch the ends together, creating a loop. This will be our "knot" in the tie. Turn so the raw edges face the inside.

To put the tie on, fold the tie over your dog's collar with the pointy side on the outside and the flat stitched end on the inside. Then thread both ends through the "knot" loop. If your dog is very vigorous, you could stitch your "knot" loop to the back of the tie so it doesn't fall off but I find it stays on pretty nicely and I like the assurance that if it gets caught on something, it can just slip off with gentle pressure.

Fall Into Autumn Topic of the Week

This weeks topic:
"Are you the type that likes to go to participate in all the fall festivities like apple picking, pumpkins, decorating for the fall, hay rides, baking fall goodies, etc. or do you just sit and count the days till Thanksgiving/Christmas/Hanukkah?"

Oh how I do love fall, everything fall! I love the weather, it makes being outside so much more enjoyable than dreary, rainy spring, hot, steamy summer or blistery cold winter. But I can't say that I do too many organized fall activities. I enjoy walking the dog and tend to take longer walks on nice fall evenings. We usually each carve a pumpkin and we might visit the local orchard (though it's a little touristy with it's goat pen and hokey trinket shop). On the farm, we were big on bonfires or even smaller-than-bon-size fires in the fall but here in town you can't burn things. I do wish there was more time between Halloween and Thanksgiving though. As soon as you put the tombstones, skeletons and purple lights up, you have to take them down to put up the turkeys and gourds!

On a different note, keep your eyes peeled here this week as our tutorials will be featuring items to make for you four-legged friends!

When I Grow Up

At the concert the other night, Mike and I were undoubtedly the youngest people there minus a boy who looked to be about 14 and had obviously been dragged there by his grandparents. I know it wasn't a totally rockin' concert but aren't there some people without gray hair that attend events at arts centers? Besides us?

Yesterday I hosted a tea party for two of my friends who each have two little girls. We had finger sandwiches and little cookies and jell-o orange wedges and fruity teas and many other fun things. Fairy wings, poofy skirts, and stuffed animals were in large supply. I wore an apron and a tiara! And Sully, our Royal Corgi guest of honor, graced us with a visit to receive fistfuls of cookies from each girl.

This is a trend with me. I fit in with the very young and the very old, it seems. But the trend isn't just with me! I'm reading Rejuvenile by Christopher Noxon, which is about the growing trend of adults to adopt childlike attitudes and occupations. One word for them (for me, dare I say?) is kidult. Kidults collect action figures or jump rope or read the funnies or have a slinkie on their desk. Kidults wear pigtails or play video games or join co-rec soccer teams. There is a vast spectrum of kidults from those who have a secret train set-up in the basement to those who decorate their entire house in Hello Kitty.

Our Park District is great and we're lucky to have it but just like every other Park District, they cater to the young (under 16) and the old (over 55). I can't wait til I'm 55 so I can go to Bunco, Breakfast and Bingo, Paddleball, Potlucks, Mystery Trips, Hayrack Cookouts, Halloween Brunch, Name That Tune and a host of holiday activities! I guess most people my age are having kids and so their time and attention is mainly taken up by their children's activities. But I really wish they'd offer more for adults then just fitness classes and softball. Maybe I'll paint some wrinkles on and wear a hat to the Fall Tea or Gingerbread Making!

Egg Noodle Recipe

Oc-Tute-ber tutorial #6 for:
Egg Noodles



When the weather turns chilly and you want some warm, stick-to-your-ribs food, noodles really fit the bill. My family always did turkey and noodles at Thanksgiving and Christmas but at our house we do noodles cooked in veggie broth served over mashed potatoes. Maybe you buy those over-processed packaged noodles. Or maybe you live near an Amish community and shell out WAY too much money to those nice ladies in the bonnets. I'm here to tell you, you can make and stash away your own noodles for less than $1 a bag! This is my mom's recipe, with tips and tricks direct from her.

What you'll need:
2-3 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (optional)
water


Put your flour in a large bowl. You can add the baking powder if you'd like, mom says it makes them more tender. Add one egg at a time until it holds together enough to roll out.


Air on the side of too sticky rather than too dry. Once you've added the third egg, if it's still dry add a tablespoon of water at a time until it holds together. Too dry and the noodles with be hard to roll out and they'll be tough.


Flour your hands, take about 1/3 of the dough and move it to a floured surface. Roll it out as thin as humanly possibly. My mom is a much better noodle roller than I am but she's had more practice too. The thinner they are, the less doughy they'll be, they'll puff up more and be oh so tender!


Now cut you noodles. Mom does this differently than I do. I just pizza-cutter then into long strips which tend to be uneven but they'll taste the same. Mom cuts the rolled out dough into strips about 3 inches wide, stacks those strips and then cuts them VERY thin across the narrow part of the stack, making shorter, skinnier noodles. These dry faster and also are easier to package into bags to save for later.


Once your noodles are cut, you can drop them into boiling water or broth and eat them right away. Or you can dry them and save them for later. Just lay them out in a single layer on newspaper or tea towels and let them dry completely before bagging them. Noodle-making day was a big event before the holidays. We'd get out all the card tables, top them with newspaper and spread out batch after batch so we'd have enough for the big noodle season to come.

Noodles (thinly cut) should completely dry overnight. If you're a little leery about storing egg noodles just in a bag in the cupboard, you can also store them in the freezer after drying.

Home on the range?

On Friday, we went to see Riders in the Sky! I won tickets at lunchtime from a radio station but I was thinking about buying tickets if I didn't win them. We've seen them once before and it was a nice show. I do like me some cowboy music and they were doing a centennial tribute to Gene Autry. It was a nice enough time but occasionally when listening to songs about cowpokes and herds and calves and pushin' dogies I start to think about the actual subject matter. It's a nice enough imaginary picture, cowboys and horses and sunsets and I'll tap my toe to a tune about that. And while I prefer not to eat meat, purchase leather items or display a pair of horns on the front of my Yaris, I don't judge those who do or who make their living from that industry.

I read Ree's Confessions of a Pioneer Woman like a lot of you, and admire all she has learned and become. I have the opposite experience as her, coming from a farm to live in the city. Her stories and pictures often remind me of the lives of my family and my sister's family and some of the things you accept when you are part of the system. And so, one of my thoughts during the concert, during the song Ridin Down the Canyon, was of a recent Pioneer Woman post about shipping cattle, the modern-day equivalent of a cattle drive I suppose. Not exactly picturesque to think of electric prodding animals into trailers, but that's another reason I do like Ree's blog. She's showin' it like it is, only ever so slightly skewed toward a more romantic-comedy cattle ranch then probably actually exists, and people can see, learn and make decisions for themselves. I'll continue to listen to my cowboy songs and daydream of lonesome cowboys, driving cattle with no end in sight, no feedlot or butcher, just cacti and coyotes and a slow-moving herd. I'll leave you with the Cowboy Code:

1. The Cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage.
2. He must never go back on his word, or a trust confided in him.
3. He must always tell the truth.
4. He must be gentle with children, the elderly, and animals.
5. He must not advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas.
6. He must help people in distress.
7. He must be a good worker.
8. He must keep himself clean in thought, speech, action, and personal habits.
9. He must respect women, parents, and his nation's laws.
10. The Cowboy is a patriot.

Glossy pages!

Bella Dia posted the other day a timeline of the magazines that have dotted her life. I love magazines too and have since I was small. So here is my list:

Highlights
Muppets magazine
Barbie Magazine
Cabbage Patch Kids Magazine
Weekly Reader
Cricket
Mad Magazine
Horse and Rider
Horse Illustrated
AKC Gazette
Teen
YM
Seventeen
Mother Earth News
Woman's Day
Country Woman
Taste of Home
Family Circle
Pac' O Fun
Crafts N Things
Family Fun
Martha Stewart Living
Mary Engelbreit Home Companion
Light and Tasty
Vegetarian Times
Knit.1
Better Homes and Gardens
Good Housekeeping
Country Home
Cottage Living

Scents

groovyholly's got us thinking about scents and memories over at Create A Connection.

1) Throughout childhood and even adulthood certain people always smelled different to us, what scents remind you of a loved one?
Old Spice (in the classic ceramic bottle) reminds me of the special times when my dad would clean up, shave and put on one of his fresh western shirts (instead of a work shirt). These occasions were rare but the smell of Old Spice almost always meant something special was happening. I had gotten all A's and we were going out to dinner. Grandma was in town and we were going into town for lunch. Or I was about to graduate from High School. My dad didn't go to school plays or open houses or spelling bees. That was mom's job. But when the occasion was really worth celebrating, Dad would pull himself away from work and the garage and the farm to accompany us into town.
2) Are there any scents that remind you of a special place or time in your life?
My Grandma A's bathroom was FULL of rose-scented soaps and candles. It had pink rose wallpaper, pink toilet cover, rug and towels. My failing memory seems to recall even the fixtures were pale pink but it could have just been the haze of rose-scent clouding the room.
3) What are some comforting smells for you?
I love the smell of clean sheets. Throughout my childhood, my dad smoked in the house. When you are constantly around cigarette smoke, you no longer smell it but you also don't smell much of anything else. When I would spend the weekend with my sister, I would be amazed at how GOOD her house smelled. The bathroom smelled like air freshener, the beds smelled like detergent and fresh sheets from the cedar closet, the kitchen smelled like apples and lemonade or coffee and muffins! Clean sheets with a hint of cedar are a dream come true. I love sniffing pillow cases!
4) Do you use any form of aromatherapy in your home or throughout the day?
I have Bath & Body Works Eucalyptus Spearmint lotion at work (relaxing) and their sleep and passion scents at home. The sleep scent to me smells like the bug spray at had at Girl Scout camp one year and puts me straight to sleep thinking about zonking out after a night of giggling in that tent.
5) What scents evoke the most powerful memories for you?
The smell of musty wood chips reminds me of 4-H. Horse shows at county fair grounds, dog obedience classes at the stock pavilion, seminars in someone's barn, taking care of my own animals. I was socially awkward at school but when I smelled wood chips, I knew there was at least someone around that I had something in common with and I was somewhere where I could handle what was thrown at me.
6) What are some of your favorite scents/smells?
Dog feet! I love the corn-chip-ish smell of dog feet! I also like candles that are fruit or baked-goods scented. I love soap that is Oatmeal, Milk and Honey scented. I like fresh pine and citrus scents too!
7) If you had to describe yourself as a scent (or combination), what scents would you be?
I would be a kitchen smell, probably a batch of snickerdoodles baking with a background scent of a soapy sinkful of dishes. I would call it Aprongstrings.

Fall Into Autumn Topic of the Week

Flash Your (Needle) Stash
Originally uploaded by Corgipants

This week's task is to flash our (needle) stash! So here is my needle-holder with most of my needles. Some of my circs are hiding underneath. Most of my needles (except for the Boye Balene needles) are hand-me-downs are garage sale finds. I recently cleaned out my doubles and here's what I have to offer anyone who wants to trade:
Metal:
size 13, 10 in.
size 7, 14 in. (2 pair)
size 10.5, 1o in.

size J crochet hook
size I crochet hook

Offer me whatever you got! Fabric, candy, ribbons, whatever!

Pinecone Ornament Tutorial

It's my 100th post! No, I'm not giving away anything awesome, sorry. Well, I am giving the world this spiffy new tutorial for Oc-Tute-ber!

Oc-Tute-ber Tutorial #5 for:
Ribbon Pinecone Ornaments

Our tutorial for today is available on Whip up. Thank you to Kathreen for posting it and hopefully getting some more publicity of Oc-Tute-ber! And thanks to Craftzine for the mention!

Ribbon Lanyard Bracelet Tutorial

Oc-Tute-Ber tutorial #4 for
Ribbon Lanyard Bracelet


Those who have made lanyards at scout camp will be familiar with the weaving used to make this bracelet.

What you'll need:
4 pieces of ribbon, each 2 yards long (For this bracelet, I used 1/4 inch wide but you can use any size or combination of sizes)
Scissors
Needle and thread

Overlap the centers of all four ribbons as shown here. Secure these together by either lightly tacking together with needle and thread of adding a drop of glue to each intersection.


To begin weaving, fold the first ribbon down over the one underneath it.


We work first in a counterclockwise direction so continue to fold down the next ribbon across the one beneath it.


And the next


And finally the last


When you fold the last ribbon over, slip it under the loop of the first ribbon you folded down like so. Tighten all four ribbons.


After going around counterclockwise, reverse the pattern and fold the ribbons across working in a clockwise direction. Begin this round with the ribbon you just passed under the loop.

Continue repeating these two, tightening the ribbons after each round, until your weaving measures 3 1/2 inches long.


Then repeat on the opposite side of where you tacked your ribbons together. Stop when the entire piece measures 7 inches long.

To fasten both ends, sew a criss cross stitch through each of the four squares and cut the ribbon close to the weaving.


Then give the bracelet a full twist and butt the two ends up gainst one another. Whip stitch the edges together.


The bracelet will look small but it stretches to fit over your hand.

You can also find this tutorial over at Cut Out + Keep.