words to live by

I am practicing here on how to create my first quote to pin on Pinterest. I love this quote!

I know that housework is a necessary evil, but it sure can get in the way sometimes. Wouldn't you agree?

entering the true easter season

woolly chick with eggs

Wishing you a very

Happy Easter!

warmest knitting regards,

Marie

a little bit about me

marie mayhew designs

You may have noticed that my avatar is a felted snowman. I really don't look like that. But some days I can feel a bit woolly behind the ears. Knitting and felting can do that to a person after awhile, but I'm having fun playing in the meantime!

The Woolie Ewe, a knitting shop in Plano, Texas, just published their interview with me on their blog, A Woolie Tale. They are starting a series on featured designers, like me. Click on the link below to find out what my favorite food is. If you follow me on Pinterest, you already might know. Enjoy!

A Woollie Tale Interview

Happy knitting,

needle me this

chenille needles - pack of four

Why do I recommend chenille needles for most of my designs? Good question, easy answer.

When I was teaching myself to embroider on my wool projects, especially the Crazy Quilt Holiday Stocking, I went to the fabric store looking for a needle that was short, very sharp and had a large enough eye. The chenille needle has ALL these characteristics!

Short. For embroidering all my projects, no matter the size. And for getting into those hard-to-reach places. Plus, this little needle doesn't leave a big hole in felt pieces for applique.

Very Sharp. For embroidering those projects where you can't get your hand into, so you can work totally on the surface. Remember you only need to pick up a little of the wool to embroider on. No need to go all the way through the wool.

Large-enough Eye. So I can embroider using the same yarns I knit the project with, whether sport or worsted weight. Gives me that tone-on-tone look I love. Sometimes the feel of all wool yarns atop my wool projects is the perfect match. The chenille needle is also versatile for DMC embroidery floss, all 6 strands.

Embroidery is a little bit easier these days!

woolly eggs with embroidery

Bird gets new beak. Tweet on!

woolly birds - robin

Same bird, but a new look! A new beak molded from polymer clay and then baked in my kitchen oven for about 30 minutes.

The idea originally came to me from a knitting store in Sitka, Alaska, Knitting With Class. Laura Ramp has been creating clay carrot noses for her Woolly Snowmen. How fun is that! My adaptation is the clay beak for any of the Woolly Birds. What I love is that you can control the beak's size so much easier than a knitted beak. Plus the clay beak doesn't lose its shape from year-to-year.

Want to make your own clay beak? Below is my first-ever YouTube video showing you how to do just that. Tweet on!

The Bunny Doing the Twist!

woolly bunny, front side

You may not notice it at first. Look more closely at the photo above, especially at the position of the bunny's back paws. Then notice the front paws. The head and ears. See how they are twisted slightly to the right. You would think I altered the pattern to obtain this fun little position. NOPE! Believe it or not, it's all in the yarn!

The yarn is Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride worsted weight, #M115 oatmeal. It consistently torques (twists) during the felting process. Why? I haven't a clue, but I love the result!

Here's the same little bunny from the back view. Is it a fluke, a one time creation? Not at all. I have used this yarn dozens of times for the Woolly Bunny pattern and get the same results.

woolly bunny, backside

So if you want a little 'jitter-bug' bunny of your own, try Lamb's Pride worsted. Let me know if you achieve the same results. I would love to hear from you.

Yummy! Home-made Butterfingers.

woolly candy corn

The Butterfingers is about my most favorite candy bar, EVER! So when I came across this recipe on Pinterest I had to get the recipe. FYI, I haven't made it yet. I am having a hard time finding traditional candy corn. I may have to go to a specialty candy store.

So for all you Butterfingers lovers out there, here it is! Let me know where you found the candy corn, would you?

Home-made Butterfingers

1 pound candy corn pieces

16 ounce jar peanut butter

16 ounce package chocolate candy coating

Melt candy corn in a microwave on high for one minute. Stir and continue cooking in 15-second intervals until melted, stirring after each interval. Stir in the peanut butter. Spread the mixture in an 8x8-inch pan lined with parchment paper. Cool completely. Cut into 1-inch squares. Melt the chocolate candy and dip the 1-inch pieces in the chocolate to coat. Lay on a sheet of waxed paper to set.

Makes about 32 pieces.

Who would of ever thought those leftover candy corn to go to such a good use?