Wednesday 15 April 2009

Brown Owl Mail and Trying New Stuff

Today I had my membership mail from Brown Owls for this year. Lovely pins and keyrings, a baking recipe and a goccoed card from Pip in Melbourne!





There were also the rules of being a Brownie, and I liked two of them especially: 'Try new stuff' and 'Be a bit crafty'. I decided to be a bit crafty and start working for my knitting badge. I also like to combine tasks, so this knitting will end up for the Softies for Mirabel charity. The pattern is a Finnish version of the Australian Trauma Teddy, normally distributed via the Finnish Red Cross and never to be sold. I will show the finished bunny when the time comes.




I have also tried something new, transfering photos on fabric. I have shown pictures of this project here and here, and now it looks like it is finished. I haven't decided yet. You can click the picture to see better.


This is a picture of how I remember my school winter holidays, ski holidays they were called then, in the 1960's. We all went to our summer place for the week, with a big laundry basket filled with socks and mittens for the six kids. There was a big crate of oranges for snacks, and Mother made us hot cocoa (with the awful film on top, when I waited it to cool a bit), and lots of food. Socks and mittens were drying on every radiator, mountains of boots and shoes filled the floors. When we had found our dry clothes, we went out again, skiing like in the little picture three of us, or building snow castles, sliding down the slope all the way to the lake, maybe even fishing from a hole in the ice. The text in the big picture is a recipe for a soup my children named ski holiday soup when they were having one of their first school holidays at my mother's, and she cooked this delicious soup for us. It has become a favourite in my family. - The binding of this picture is from an original sock knitted by my grandmother at that time, worn and washed so much it can't be used any longer. Cutting the sock I found felted wool fibers inside and immediately remembered the feeling of wool clinging to my fingers from wet mittens. The mittens were stretchy only on the top side, the palm was soon felted to the shape of the hand from all the snowballs we made.

4 comments:

  1. Your bunny is beginning to take shape, Ulla - what fun! I was a Brownie as a child and remember both of those sayings - I still love them!
    Your photo transfer project is so touching - I love that you re-purposed something from that time to add to it - truly a treasure!
    Cheers!

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  2. This is one of the most clever and unique pieces of art I have ever seen. The sock binding is perfect!! I'll bet Kaija likes it too. :-)
    Wish I had been a Brownie. My mother only allowed me to be in
    4H, but I remember all my friends wearing Brownie dresses on certain days, and I wanted to so much. What a fun thing for you to be participating in.. now! :-) I do not think we ever grow up.

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  3. Lovely goodies from Australia! The recipe seems to be a good one. I'm looking foward to seeing the bunny, it is a nice idea to combine new stuff and charity. I like your craft project, you had great ideas!

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  4. I am so impressed with your skiing momento wallhanging. I love the way you have re purposed the old sock to create this memory piece. I am sure it will become another family treasure.

    Well done with the rabbit- great cause.

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