Be warned: This project has tendency to take flight

As the end of December approached a few weeks ago, yarn ennui set in. I had sensed its approach throughout the fall in small ways – the three knitting projects that had become UFOs (unfinished objects), and the fact that I didn’t feel driven to knit mittens for every member of my family and half the city of Bangor. And there was the rather pleasant realization that if I just sat and watched “Emma” or “Persuasion” without a pair of knitting needles in my hands, nothing bad would happen. Only snow would fall from the sky, not the sky itself.

This does not mean that I didn’t spend more than a few odd moments browsing through old needlework books and magazines looking at photos of knitted garments, or gazing wistfully at gorgeous knitting patterns I had printed off the Internet. But knit, I didn’t.

This state of affairs persisted until nearly New Year’s Day. At that point I knew I had to get going on some other stitching project to take my mind off knitting – and the fact that the repetitive motion pain in my elbows probably was not going to go away unless I gave up knitting for good. Woe was me. Maybe the sky was falling after all.

One bright morning I looked out the window and saw chickadees flitting in the bare twigs of the lilacs. Later that day, I looked up into an apple tree and saw a bright red cardinal whistling into the wind. Suddenly, my needlework ideas went straight to the birds.

I rooted around until I found buried in the storage bin where I keep wool fabrics a bag of wool felt of dark red, green, yellow and blue.

I recalled a pattern for a felt bird ornament I had seen in the November-December 2006 issue of Piecework magazine.

I used that as a starting point for my project.

Next, I retrieved a cache of sequins kept in the ugliest little tin known to humanity – it sports on the cover a prehistoric red and brown pterodactyl feeding its babies in a nest. With this tin, I always know where to find my sequins.

I also ferreted out some beads and a tangle of embroidery floss in bright colors with which to ornament my birds.

Soon, I was cutting out bird parts – two bird body pieces, one breast gusset, four wing pieces, a tail and a topknot. I know – it sounds like a chicken-to-go order, and in a way it is the needlework equivalent of fast food. These little birds work up quickly.

The first bird I made was yellow with a lavender tailpiece and pink topknot. I studded each piece with pearl-white beads and outlined the wings in silver sequins. I whipstitched the edges together with a single strand of embroidery floss. I stuffed the bird lightly with fiberfill.

My next bird resembled a chickadee more than a miniature rooster. That one was done in dark red with a pointed tail and a blue sequin-capped head.

Meanwhile, I discovered in my stash of stuff a cluster of pheasant feathers given to me by a friend who hunts. My third bird looks great with its real tail feathers curved above its green felt back. Soon, I had acquired a nice little bag of guinea fowl feathers dyed in giddy colors and I discovered glitter glue, which I began applying in loopy designs to the birds’ sides. Some fun, that.

Each bird has attached to its back a loop of white crochet cotton entwined with silver thread to be used for hanging the bird from the highest bough.

I love making these little birds and I am going to keep crafting them until I run out of felt. It should become a sizable flock since I couldn’t resist buying more felt in turquoise, purple, bright blue and hot pink.

The next time the holidays roll around, those little birds will be sent out to friends and family to roost in their Christmas trees.

Even though I used wool felt in subdued colors for my birds, they can be made of craft felt, available in many bright colors at local craft departments and stores. Or, they could be made of hand-felted wool. Sequins and other trims can be glued on instead of sewn. Glitter glue comes in many colors, including multicolor mixes (but, please, if I ever mention that I have succumbed to puffy paint, take me away for a rest cure).

By the way, these little birds definitely qualify as a binge craft, so if you decide to make one, BEWARE. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

Snippets

Kathy Goldner, publisher of Knitting Out Loud audio books located in Stockton Springs, will talk about her business 10 a.m.-noon Monday, Jan. 28, at Witherle Library in Castine. For more information, call the library at 326-4375.

Knitting Daily announced that the top three patterns downloaded from its Web site were Modern Quilt Wrap, Knitting Needle Knitting Bag and Icelandic Lace Shawl. Visit www.knittingdaily.com for these and other many free knitting patterns.

Veteran knitters in the Bangor area interested in sharing their expertise with a 4-H group of middle school children are invited to the club’s meeting 12:30-2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, at the Page Farm and Home Museum, University of Maine. For more information, call Laura Hall at 433-0473 evenings, or e-mail laura.j.hall@maine.edu.

ahamlin@bangordailynews.net

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