You see, I thought I'd crochet a little brown book cover from an acrylic/wool blend yarn (I'd read that a blend like this would work just fine: today I've not learned not to believe everything I read on the internet!), felt it, and then take some cardboard/paper/glue and make a handmade felted journal. Unfortunately, when I took the piece out of the washing machine, it didn't so much resemble the book cover I had originally crocheted as much as a waterlogged pile of rags. With lots of holes in it.
No worries, I thought, I'll just throw it into a pot of boiling water, agitate it with a stick, and then I'll have that gorgeous felted journal cover I've been envisioning! Well, things didn't work out. The "felted journal" still looks that same, waterlogged pile of rags. The only difference is that now my kitchen smells exactly how the piece looks.
In other news, it's gift basket making time! A friend is having surgery this week, and I wanted to put together a few handmade and store bought goodies for her. Sadly, being the dunce I sometimes am, I threw in a sea sponge and two bars of fresh, handmade soap without stopping to remember that her particular type of surgery won't allow her to use the bathtub for a few days. So I scrambled to add a few other goodies as well: some ginger tea, homemade sage and lemongrass shea butter hand lotion, a crocheted book cover (including a copy of Watership Down, one of my favorite novels since childhood), and, of course, a stuffed kitty for the final "get well" touch!
Not exactly the finest or most elegant of gifts, but I think she'll be pleased when I visit her. I'm actually pretty happy with how the book cover turned out, since it was my second attempt at the pattern and my beginner-crochet-skills are coming along very slowly.
