Crafty Nerd

Chocolate Frog Cards!

2011-09-04T20:09:00.000-07:00

I've been hanging out on The Seventh Floor today. One of the Griffindor's was kind enough to invite me in and be a part of her Pride. =D Hooray for the Pygmy Puffs Pride! I'll be crocheting a few pygmy puffs for Divination as soon as I can get my hands on some fun fur! For now, I've managed to collect a few Chocolate Frog Cards for playing in the STUFFF thread in August! See...

One for each tile earned! I just kinda grabbed a few randomly... it'll be fun to add to my collection as I continue to play! I've already submitted an assignment for Defense Against the Dark Arts:

Sock Sniper socks... knit entirely in two and a half days! And these were big socks... US Woman's Size 10!

I've got some plans to dye yarns this month too... and I've already cast on a hat for Muggle Studies. =D

Happy Crafting!

Harry Potter Knitting/Crochet House Cup!

2011-08-31T12:05:00.000-07:00

I found the most wonderful game on Ravelry!!! It's great for geeky knitters, like myself. It's way to complicated for me to explain properly... hell it took me a good two days prowling around the boards to get a handle on it. But do check it out here! So, if I'm not going to explain it then why am I talking about it? Cause I want to show off the tiles I've earned!

Swatch, Tidy, Update, Fix, Finish, and Frog! Woot!!!

ETA: About ten minutes after I posted this, I was awarded Golden Tiles for completing the entire challenge!

YAY!

Neglect?

2011-07-31T11:22:00.000-07:00

Nope, just busy... here's a picture of my current WIPs:

Stripey Man Socks! My first pair ever knitted two at a time on circs. Slow going, but considering I won't have to start again... =)

Durmstrang socks for a Rav Pal! I am so wickedly proud of these babies! It's not a complicated pattern... just big!

Norwegian Totoro Mittens for the same Rav Pal! Quick and satisfying knit. My first time knitting with Malabrigo too... such a nice yarn!

Hand dyed Merino/Nylon blend Sock Yarn. I had some extra Kool Aid left over from tye dying T-shirts with the kids (check out my other blog to see how that turned out!). Love the results!

A little knitted love for a dear friend that lost her Husband very unexpectedly. This will be sewn into an afghan for her and her family to cuddle when they need.

Orange Gush Mystery KAL. I love orange!

Erin Mystery KAL. I love Mystery KALs! These were donated to help raise money for Breast Cancer. =)

Simple lined totes... also donated to raise money for Breast Cancer. =D

Shur'tugal Socks for a swap! I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this pattern, but it was indeed a great knit!

I made myself a sweater!!! Idlewood was a very simple knit. The pattern was well written and flattering for any figure. =)

Hagrid's Motercycle Socks for my friend Zeb!

Monkey socks... I think my third pair? These were knit for a Rav Pal in exchange for some yarn. =)

Nemesis! These one's I kept! Such a great sock!!!

I designed this Easter Extravaganza Afghan and then donated it to our local Rec Department so they could auction it off at one of their fundraising activities.

Plain Vanilla Socks for my friend Zeb.

Lots of knitting, some sewing... Happy Crafting All!

Oh I've been a busy crafter...

2011-03-04T05:41:00.000-08:00

So busy, in fact, that I keep forgetting to show off... erm... update my craft blog. No, seriously, it's been a super busy few months (check out my Homelife blog for an update or two if you'd like)... here's a pictorial display of just how busy (from the crafty point of view, of course):

First - I finished these projects:

Fiddlehead Mittens for my Mom for her birthday!

My first cabled socks... STR is sooo yummy!

Wandia's for my Mom for Christmas. I just love CookieA's patterns! I also made a whole slew of other Christmas gifts...

Owl Hat for my son (yes, I modeled it on a pumpkin).

An Elefante for my nephew.

A cave full (no they don't really live in a cave... come to think of it I think they're strewn about the house... and probably naked... ahh the love of a small girl child) of bears for my daughter and three nieces (some unfinished in the photo, I know...). Yea, November and December were some hard core knitting months... those bears about killed me.

I did a bit of kool-aid dyeing... just for kicks really. The mood struck me, I had the supplies, went for it. The results were fantastic!

Lemon Lime

Goldfish in a Bowl

Cherry Cola

...and a Rainbow Sock Blank! This one was by far my favorite... I mean seriously, check out the Rainbow Sushi!

I am so making myself some knee socks with this! In more recent adventures (these were all before the new year... lesson learned; if I want to avoid the longest post ever then I really ought to update more often) I've made...

A crappy picture!

*smirk*

Not my best, but the socks really are kick ass. Summer Sliding in STR!

Yea, I finished this pair right about the same time I finished the previous pair... same crappy picture... I have no defense... just a case of crap-photography-itis. Anyway, this was a fantastic KAL on Rav with Stephanie van der Linden, Gaudete. I just love the heel!

Dashing Mitts made for a really sweet swap partner on Rav. Made them with a skien of 100% Pure Wool from my SIL. O M G this yarn is just so yummy and delicious! Soft, squishy... and for some reason the word buttery still comes to mind when I think of knitting these mitts.

These socks were a mini milestone for me... I remember the first time I saw the Firestarter pattern I was in awe. I figured that if I ever got my sock knitting skills to the point where I could knit this sock, then I would be good to go... I have arrived? It was a little anti-climatic, kind of like, OK... now what? But just the same, these socks are awesome and I love them dearly! Knit with Asling Yarns Merino Superwash Handpainted Sock, they're soft, have great stitch definition, and the color is perfect!

Look! Learned my lesson... no more pictures by the window! These are just off the needles and already on their way to a charity auction. Another Mystery KAL on Rav, the yarn is from New Zealand from a very nice swap partner; Knitsch Yarns. Squishy merino goodness! Must have more!

And last, but not least... currently on the needles we have this beauty...

I finished this sock in two days... yes two days! It's mate is about half way done and I anticipate finishing it today. Most look at this sock and shudder because it's constructed differently. I found so long as I took the time to read the whole pattern first, then as I was knitting reading each section through as I started it, going line by line and trusting that the oddly shaped blob I was knitting would in turn into a sock... and it did at the Origami Moment... almost magical, I tell you. The fit isn't perfect, it's a little loose around the instep and ankle, but I did notice that links had been provided for fit alterations. But beautiful yarn makes up for the not so perfect foot hug though... STR in Dreidel... soooo gorgeous!!!

I'm also working on a few charity projects... hats, an afghan for a raffle... but I think this post is long enough, don't you?

Craft On All!

Recent Craftings...

2010-11-12T16:35:00.000-08:00

I've been busy...

...sewing:

Messenger Bag for a friend's daughter.

New Dance Bag for my Little Bird.

New Dance Bag for my niece Goobie.

Slightly larger than sock sized project bag.

Sock sized project bags... nothing fancy... unlined and perfect for multiple projects!

...a little baking:

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies! So yum!

...and of course, knitting:

Demetra Cardi for my Little Bird.

JDRF Raffle Winner Socks! Sunshine pattern by Cookie A.

Zante Socks.

... and what's life without a few WIP's:

Mystery KAL... my first real cabled socks! And in STR... YUM!

Wanida socks for my mom.

Fiddlehead Mittens, also for my mom.

Enjoy!

Craft On All!

New and Exciting?

2010-08-18T06:40:00.000-07:00

Here's what I've been up to in the land of all that is crafty...

This sweater was a commission order for a friend and I was uber pleased with the results. I even took the time to look up proper seaming techniques and the results were so sweet! My Little Bird immediately requested one for herself. =) Let the Christmas Knitting begin...

Part of the same commission order... I loved knitting this bear, but hated the seaming and piecing, there has got to be an easier way! Worth all the effort though. =) Pattern available in this book.

My first color work socks as part of a KAL on Rav (pattern link). Not as fiddly as I thought they'd be, and I really love how they turned out. The top looks loose and ill fitting, but they really are quite comfy. I think there will be more color work in my future. =)

These were such a pleasure to knit! This pattern is another mystery sock pattern and I just loved it... it really kept my interest and the finished pair looks great. I may just knit this pattern again.

So, I know it's not much, but that's it for now... moving has really taken up a lot of my time lately. =/

Craft on All!

PS
The Small Boy and I are participating in the local Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk to support one of our friends. While I've already met my fund raising goal, this is one instance where less is definitely not more! So I'm holding a raffle... for every $10 you donate to my page, I'll enter your name into a drawing for a pair of custom hand knit socks. The link is above, and if you donate please be sure to leave your name and some sort of contact info (email is good) so I can get in touch with you.

Water Bottle Cozy

2010-07-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

I recently had a pattern request via my flickr account for this:

I made the bottle cozy out of 100% cotton(absorbent!). The design is my own, single crochets with rows of criss crossing treble crochets. Easy peasy! I also put a belt loop on it and made a belt to go with it(pattern from the snb happy hooker!).

So I posted directions in the comments section, and figured I could post them here too. It's been a while since I crocheted anything... sorry if the directions aren't clear.

Wow... I made this eons ago.
Start a Magic Adjustable Ring (google it).
Join w/ a SS at the end of each round. Begin each round with Ch1 unless otherwise noted.
Increase: 2SC in each SC the first round; 2SC in first SC, SC in next SC for next round; 2SC in first SC, SC in next 2 SC for the following round... repeat this until the circle is slightly larger than the bottom of your bottle, ending with a multiple of 3 stitches (30, 33, 36, ect).
Next Round: SC in each SC. Repeat that round four more times.
Next are the TC criss-crosses. To start the round Ch4. *Skip next SC, TC in the following SC, then go back and TC in the skipped SC. Repeat from * around.
Next three rounds: SC in each stitch.
Repeat the TC criss cross round once and then the SC round three times.
Next round: Ch4 (counts as first TC), 2TC in 1st SC. *Skip next 2 SC, 3TC in next SC. Repeat from * around.
Next 3 rounds: SC in each stitch.
Repeat the TC criss cross round once and then the SC round three times.
Repeat the TC criss cross round once and then the SC round three times again.
Belt Loop (if desired) is just made up of chain stitches and then one more round of SC to finish it off.

Feel free to message me if any of this isn't clear.

=)

Enjoy!

Oh look...

2010-04-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

...another month has gone by. Maybe if I wasn't crafting for everyone else, I'd have more time to blog? HA Anyone that knows me even a little bit... knows I'd much rather sew, knit, and take pictures. Writing just isn't one of my favorites... never has been and I doubt it ever will be. Which is really too bad... I bet a lot of people would be seriously amused with what goes on in my head - if I could only get it into words that is. Anyway, here's what I've been crafting lately...

Remember the give away? Well, the wonderful Miss Amy did contact me, and she proposed a swap... rather than a mere sock sized project bag, she requested a messenger... big enough for her larger knitting projects, maybe doubling as a purse? After brain storming, doodling, sketching, and the like I came up with this:

The Knitter's Messenger! Yea OK... looks like any messenger bag, I know. But it's perfect for knitters! It holds your knitting, and everything else you take with you. See the water bottle in the side pocket? And that blue strap on the other side? Those are my keys in the other side pocket, and you can't see my cell phone that is sharing the pocket with them. Adjustable strap so you can wear it on your shoulder or across your chest.

And inside we have:

a large pocket along the back (side with the flap attached to it) for patterns and pattern books (yes, I comfortably got a sock pattern book in there)
two large middle compartments for yarn and WIPs (above picture has three skeins of yarn on one side and a hat WIP on the other... plenty of room!)
two smaller (and not easily seen here) pockets along the front of the bag for notions like scissors, tape measure, yarn needles, stitch markers... what ever your knitting needs are!

Once I completed this little gem I excitedly posted pictures of it on Ravelry... admit it, you like to show off a little bit too! Amy was delighted and couldn't wait for me to send it off! What's more is I had a few other Ravelers request one of their own! Woot! I figured if I'm making more than just one or two I should make a pattern instead of sewing by the seat of my pants like I usually do. It took a little time, a lot of paper, and even more tape but I did it. And it was well worth it... bag #2 went a whole lot smoother:

I just love the turtle batik fabric! I purchased it from Cute Monkey Fabrics on Etsy. Great seller; fast shipping, excellent color representation in her photographs, and the product was wonderful! I will definitely purchase from her again. =) This bag is the same as the other...

...but with better pictures of the inside. See, plenty of room for that pattern book! And there are four full skeins of yarn on the left and a Leg Warmer WIP on the right. =) I have two more of these in my "To-Do" pile. Fortunately they're only two or three days to complete, providing The Little Bird (aka my four year old daughter) cooperates. ;)

Now, I'm a knitter at heart, so of course I'll have a few knit FO's for your viewing pleasure. And like the bags, they're for custom swaps/trades. I offer my knitting skills, they offer me yarn... woot! At this rate, I'll have a to die for stash, but no time to knit anything for myself... =)

My first three color project! A friend of mine in California requested a hat... stating she loved pink, orange, light blue, butterflies, and hearts. I hunted down a few different patterns, smooshed them together, and came out with this. She loves it!

Yep, that's me... the Crafty Nerd... not one of my prettiest days, but then again my blog isn't titled "Crafty Beauty Queen." And no, I'm not implying that nerds can't be pretty... aw hell... did I just open up a can of worms here? Moving on... The hat is fully lined, crocheted together along the bottom, with braids for your pulling pleasure. *snort* I wasn't 100% sold on this project while working on it... it kinda skerrid me. But I totally fell in love with the end result. =)

And, a show and tell blog post here just wouldn't be complete with out a pair of socks! These were made for another fellow Raveler in trade for some super yummy sock yarn. I know the picture is utterly craptastic... the aforementioned Little Bird jammed the lens on my Rebel... grrrr... Seeing how these socks were to be for her son (grown son... with size 10 1/2 feet! Biggest pair of socks I've ever made!) I used Helen Waites Size Matter's pattern from Sock Wars. I just love the self striping... I've collected a few skeins of naked sock yarn that I think I'll take a crack at with the Kool-Aid. =) When and if I get around to it, I'll be sure to post it here!

Thanks for reading... Craft On All!

Give Away Day!

2010-03-06T11:09:00.000-08:00

I'll be sewing this week! Thank you to those that responded and shared some great links... Aside from crafting and my family, the interwebs are my favorite! I can just coast along, surfing around for nothing in particular. Or I'll have a question that I need answered and nine times out of ten... I'll get my answer and then some! So, thank you again to sunnie fairy, beautyredefined, amy, JuleeQue, and Beth. I've numbered each of you (1-5) in the order you commented. And the winner is:

Amy! I'll scoot on over to your blog and leave you a message so we can exchange info and see about getting you your bag! Yay Amy!

Now, to see what I've been up to lately... and seeing how it's only been two weeks since my last post, not much. I did, however, finish up a sweet hat for a dear friend of mine.

This is actually her picture... I was so excited to get it into the mail to her I forgot to snap one. =) She had seen the one I made for my son, and a similar one I had made for another friend's daughter. Me being happy do knit for yarn... couldn't resist! =)

And right now I've got a pair of stripey goodies on the sock needles. Once they're finished I'll post pictures. They're ginormous! Size 10 1/2 Mens! OY!

Until then, Craft On All!

Holy Crap It's Been A While!

2010-02-20T09:20:00.000-08:00

Been a bit busy here in the land of the Crafty Nerd; new puppy, sick kids, sick me, birthdays... Oy! In spite of all of this (life, I know... totally hinders my crafting schedule) here are a few pictures of what I've been up to...

My first King Sized Quilt!!! Holy Hell this thing was a monster! Because I don't have a long arm and I don't have the patience of a Saint, I simply tied the quilt in the center of each square and then bound the sides. Both my Father-in-Law and I were really pleased with the end result!

Socks for my mom... Paw Tracks by Gwen Horn. These were a belated Christmas gift (didn't finish in time, fortunately Mumma's pretty understanding). My first toe up socks! Whaddya think?

Here's another sock project bag I made... this one for a swap on Rav. I love this birdie fabric!

Another swap of sorts... A friend of mine and her daughter saw a picture of the Skull Flap Hat I had made for my son. They commented on my FB about it and I offered to make one. She supplied the yarn and I supplied the knitting skills. They were both really happy with the hat and now her boys want hats of their own. Me? I just love to knit!

Here is the rare project where I'm just not happy with the end result. But, it was my own fault, not the pattern. I loved the look of the French Press Felted Slippers. The pattern was ok... would be better if there were directions for all of the pieces and not just one slipper and then instructions to "reverse the pattern for the other slipper." I know a few knitters that would have a hard time with this. And, now that I think about it, I would prefer it if they were all one piece, no seaming required. Then I wouldn't have had any issues. Oh yea, issues... I didn't seam them well enough... What can I say, I suck at seaming. I figured where they were being felted I wouldn't' have to worry about it too much. Nope... Oh well, live and learn. I will try these again, because they're super cute!

From Knitty's most recent web publication, I give you Pyroclastic! Such a great knit! Not super challenging, but enough to make you pay attention. A bit fiddly but over all I loved this project! Too bad I don't get to keep them. Thank you to my Sock Pimp (you know who you are) for providing me with yarns! Oh and this yarn, DkKnits Technicolor Bounce Toes... to DIE for! Soft, squishy, and the color is great! This is why I love being a minion (aka knitter for hire, if you have a something you want knit, lemmie know!)! I get to try out all kinds of great yarns and patterns, all the while increasing my own stash! Win Win!

And finally... my Sock Wars Weapon. I actually managed one kill! Sadly, the USPS ate one of the socks... only one arrived. =( The pattern was good... simple enough to memorize and knit while walking around. And I still just can't figure out why Knit Picks discontinued this yarn... I love Memories! It's a nice sturdy sock yarn with lots of warmth and squish! *shrug* We may never know I guess...

Anyway... this is my 100th post and I did hint about a special something... bet you thought I forgot seeing how I don't post as often as most bloggers... How about a giveaway? You see that Birdie Bag up there? Would you like one of your own (same or different fabrics from my stash)? If you go to my 99th post, or my flickr page and dig around a bit, you can see more pictures of the bag in different fabrics... opened up, inside pockets and such... How do I win? Leave me a comment here telling me about something you love that you think I would love... a website, blog, knitting pattern, yummalicious yarn, recipe, sewing project... I'm always scouring the web for new loves (which is prolly why I'm never here posting!). I'll leave the contest open for two weeks and randomly draw a winner the first weekend in March.

Thanks for reading! Craft On All!

My 99th Post!

2009-12-20T11:09:00.000-08:00

Wheee! Maybe I'll plan something special for 100? Anyway.... here's a bunch of pictures to explain my absense...

Remember the red and orange socks I had started for my SIL? Rip-it... Rip-it... We had a visit from the Frog-It Faerie... I was not loving the Zauberball yarn; very splitty and kinda skritchy. So I've started these instead. I'm using Knit Picks Kettle Dyed Sock Yarn and the Embossed Leaves pattern from Favorite Socks. A nice easy knit with beautiful results! Unfortunately they will not be completed in time for Christmas... Lucky for me my SIL is a very understanding and patient person. =)

My son's hat! I am so stinkin' please with this! My second color work project and I couldn't be happier with the finished project. It matches his favorite zipper hoodie perfectly. =)

Side view... love the ear flaps! I used two strands of Brown Sheep Wildfoote Luxury Sock held together throughout, following the Skull Flap Hat pattern. Thanks for sharing a great pattern Carolyn!

I made this messenger in three days. I spent most of the first day drafting the pattern myself and then cutting the pieces (there were a lot!). The second day was spent assembling the lining...

Three compartments and four pockets inside! It was a bit tricky, but worth it! There are also pockets on the front flap, under the flap on the front,and the back, as well as an elasticized pocket on each side of the bag (perfect for cell phones and keys). The strap is fully adjustable and nice and long, making it easy to wear across your chest. Geeze... I sound like an advertisement... =)

Homemade Handprint Quilt! Remember eons ago when I talked about doing a quilt-a-long project, posted the first few blocks and then... well... in short, EPIC FAIL. Yea I never did post the rest of the squares. My bad... but here's the finished quilt! And, I'm happy to help or post tutes if anyone needs one! Just leave a comment and let me know which block you need help with! And I understand that not everyone celebrates the holidays I've depicted here. These are the holidays that we (my family and I) celebrate. If you have a holiday that you need ideas for... feel free to ask. As a former preschool teacher I have a million and one ideas just floating around my head!

January - Yellow "Starburst" handprint with Fingertip Confetti
February - Conversation Thumbprint Hearts
March - Leprechaun Tracks (made with our hands)
April - Fingerprint and Thumbprint Chickies
May - Fingerprint May Flowers
June - Thumbprint June Bugs

July - Finger Fireworks
August - Handprint Sunshine
September - Handprint Apples
October - Fistprint Pumpkins
November - Handprint Turkeys
December - Handprint Christmas Trees

And, lastly, a knitting bag I whipped up for my mom for her birthday/Christmas. I have a similar bag that she always comments on when she sees it... So I made her her own (in fabric she likes though... we have very different tastes.) Again, I drafted the pattern myself, but this one took much less time. Maybe three or so hours, start to finish.

Just a simple bucket bag with drawstring closure and a short strap perfect for hanging off your wrist while you knit.

And lots of pockets inside for knitting needles, scissors, tape measures, yarn needles, stitch markers... the list goes on and on...

Thanks for spending five or so minutes pondering my crafty adventures!

Craft On All!

NaKniSweMo!

2009-11-01T06:25:00.000-08:00

So, how crazy am I? I've got several projects to knit for Christmas, yet I've decided to join in the fun that is NaKniSweMo! What in the hell is that, you say? Follow this link, it explains it better than I could. In short, I have one month to complete my sweater... But it's going faster than I thought it would(but doesn't every knitter say that at the beginning of a big project). I've only ever knit one sweater(bigger than a baby sweater that is), and it was for my son. I've started a few here and there... Mariah, Olive Branch Yoga Hoodie. The first was a bit complicated, the second too boring. Think I'll have success with this one... here's a progress pic!

I love the simplicity of the cables. This is actually the second time I've started... I cast on a smaller size but had my doubts once I was a few rows in so I ripped it and started over. I've already altered it a bit, shortening the ribbed section to two inches instead of four and a half. It'll be an adventure, that's for sure!

Here are a few other progress pictures of what's on the needles:

Finished one of my Mom's socks!

Also finished one of my Brother's fingerless gloves!

And here's the first of my Sister in Law's socks! I love the color of this yarn and they way it changes gradually, but I'm not terribly fond of the yarn itself... knit and learn!

Yesterday was Halloween and I of course did some sewing for the occasion...

Meet Obi Wan Kenobi!

He had a good time and really loved the costume, and yes, I used a store bought pattern... Simplicity 5840, but I modified it a bit, adding a hood to the tunic and making it a bit longer and more cape like.

Thanks for looking! Craft on all!

Finished!

2009-10-14T06:54:00.000-07:00

My first hat! My first color work project! Yay me!

All folded up nice and neat.

As it would look on her head (it's a Christmas gift so no model shots yet).

I improvised on the top... I was running out of the purple yarn.

Not bad eh?

I got a package!!!

2009-10-13T19:32:00.001-07:00

Lookie!!!

Oh My Bob! (as we say over on Ravelry)

Candy and Stuffies and Yarn, Oh My!

A big thank you to Turtlepurl (rav buddy) for an absolutely fantastic swap package! Here's a link to her shop: Turtlepurl Yarns and Notions.

She makes and sells the above pictured Charteze! From her shop:

"Charteze are portable magnet strips that will keep your place on a chart while you knit, crochet or cross-stitch. No need for a magnetic board. They come in a pack of 3 with one 5", one 8.5" and one 11" strip."

A chart knitters dream! And, she's also a dyer!!!! The purple skein in the picture was custom dyed just for me!!! My very own colorway... *feels special* Here's a closer look:

Not to mention the stitch markers (also available in her shop), and hand knit goodies (a beret for me *LOVE* and stuffies for my littles *they LOVE*). Check her out, she's the bestiest!

Craft On All!

What's new?

2009-10-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm staying home I'm hoping to move things along with my Holiday Knitting List... Here are some progress shots!

My mom's Dorothy Socks (yes, I realize you're reading this Mumma...).

My daughter's bird hat (pattern info in my sidebar for all you rav pals!)

And I finished my sister's mittens!! =D

I've also just sent out a swap package for the Autumn Harvest Swap on Rav. Here are some of the made-by-me goodies I included...

Not-So-Fancy Stitch Markers

And a small Project Messenger with some fantastic fall fabrics!

Close up of the front; pocket on the flap.

and the back, also with a pocket. There are two more pockets on the inside, but I wasn't able to get a decent shot of them. I'm pretty happy with how the bag came out, even though I didn't use a pattern. I also included three skeins of indie dyed yarn, three jars of home made goodness (jams and honey), a knit by me Clapotis (the red one posted earlier in my blog), a handful of baby patterns (socks, hats and booties... my partner likes to knit baby goodies), and some of my favorite hot cocoa... Over all, a decent package I think. =D

Craft On All!

We Walked The Walk!

2009-09-26T13:27:00.001-07:00

And what a beautiful day for it! Not hot, but not cold... a perfect beginning of fall day! I was pleasantly surprised to see that the walk took place on a wonderful little trail on the campus of NHTI and not a track. I've done a few other walks for different charitable organizations that take place on a track and I find that walking in circles doesn't do much for me. It was great to hang out with friends and get in some exercise (three miles!).

Now I'm sure some of you are just dying to know who won the Wollmeise... I managed to raise $155.00! That's fifteen entries... some entered twice (with a $20.00 donation) so I put your name on the list twice. Here's the list, either rav names or first names...

1. shawn4equality
2. ladyfirelyght
3. Jos
4. mysteri1229
5. mysteri1229
6. fiametta
7. shawn4equality
8. Melissa
9. Melissa
10. RachelAnderson
11. RachelAnderson
12. TelmahQ
13. Michelle
14. Linda
15. Linda

I went to randomnumbergenerator.org and here's a screen shot of the results:

RachelAnderson from Ravelry is the winner! Congrats! And, if I remember correctly, this will be your first skein of Wollmeise! I'll get in touch with you via Rav... Enjoy!!!

And a big, huge, ginormous THANK YOU to all of you that donated!!! Maybe one day soon they'll find a cure.

Juvenile Diabetes Reasearch Foundation Walk

2009-09-13T14:46:00.000-07:00

Hey blog readers! Here's a chance to do something wonderful and win some nom nom nommy yarn!! On 9/26 (that's only two weeks away!) my kids and I will be walking in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk in Concord, NH. Here's a link to our page with JDRF! From this page you can make a donation, and every little bit is so greatly appreciated! But I did say you could win something, didn't I...

Here it is... a skein of Wollmeise 100% Merino Superwash in Thriller! How? For every $10 donation you make to my team for the JDRF Walk I'll enter your name into a drawing for this very skein of Wollmeise. It's that simple.

If you do decide to donate, Thank You!!! And, please leave a comment here so I can be sure to record everything! After the walk I'll put everyone's name on a numbered list and use The Random Number Generator to choose the winner.

We're supporting Team Shots, for one of my former preschoolers. Here's his Quilt For Life quilt I made for him...

Thanks for reading!

New Side Bar Action

2009-08-15T16:52:00.000-07:00

I've added a To-Do List to my sidebar... Ambitious of me huh? Believe it or not... I want to complete all of those projects in time for Christmas! Not to mention the quilt I'm making for my father in law. Crazy, I know... Here are a few pictures for you!

I was a test knitter!!! I know, nothing complicated... just a dishcloth... But it's a Gargoyle Dishcloth! Great pattern Traci! Thanks for sharing!

Here's a picture of the first Popped sock (see sidebar to do list for a rav link to the pattern). What a fun knit this is! And such a great sock, very flexible pattern that will fit a variety of foot sizes!

Just look at this sock pattern! (Cachoeria, also has a link in my to do list in the side bar) I love the lace, not terribly complicated but sooo pretty! And this Fleece Artist Trail Sock yarn is a dream to knit with!

And finally, pictures of my WIP Pinwheel Quilt for Dad (aka my father in law). These are 1930's reproduction fabrics... there will be two squares of each fabric, with either a white or cream to go with it... I'm not sure yet...

Cut into squares and layed out all pretty like...

Craft On All!

Neglect...

2009-07-24T18:04:00.000-07:00

Nothing too wordy... just some pictures of why I haven't been here blogging my brains out.

My current WIP, Tadpoles (Rav Link) for a fellow raveler. I make her socks, she gives me sock yarn for my stash!

Also a WIP, a pair of Kai-Mei's (Rav Link) for my mom. Not the best yarn choice... kinda obscures the pattern... but still nice!

No Purl Monkey's for my sister for Christmas... sssshhhh, don't tell!

For Sock Showdown 09 on the CPA board on Rav! Sort of like Sock Wars, but smaller and a bit more personal. I completed this pair before I was killed. =)

I finished my Clapotis!!! Seen here modeled by my gorgeous three year old!

Yep... I've been a busy knitter... Craft On All!

Quickie Work Post

2009-05-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

I'm here, at work, while the kids sleep, trying not to sleep myself. So, why not post a few pictures of what I've been working on lately?

Sock Yarn Blankie! All those bits and ends will get used!!!

My very first Clapotis... and my very first Wollmeise project! Two cherries, one pop! I'm actually almost done with this but I'm not at home to take a picture so this older one will have to do...

To keep my fingers warm this winter! I love these! They fold over to expose your fingers when you need them and then close nicely to keep them covered!

Socks for Hire! Send me yarn for your socks, a skein for me to keep and I'll send you socks! =)

That's all for now... Craft on All!

Still Knitting....

2009-04-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

...even if I'm not blogging... Here are a few pictures of my crafty happenings as of late:

Monkey Socks for a swap partner over on Rav.

OK not a knitting project, but very worthy of a blog post... Made these with my preschoolers! Love em!

KAL socks over at Rav.

Socks, socks, and more socks. I've recently discovered that there are knitters out there that will swap yarn for handknit socks! Excellent for people like myself that knit them but don't wear them (I wear holes in them too quickly because I walk funny...). The Monkey Socks and the Orange and Black Ribbed Socks (see last post) were both for a Rav friend; she sent me sock yarn in return... yummy! I have four more pairs lined up for two others. Woo! Gives new meaning to the phrase, will knit for yarn...

And, despite all the issues they had the last round, I've signed up for Sock Wars again. I just can't resist... new sock pattern, knitting to the death.... =) In the spirit of the impending bloodshed, fellow warrior Starknits is having a wonderful little contest! Go check it out, and while you're at it... check out her etsy shoppe too! There are some nice patterns, cute stitch markers, and even a bag or two! Plus, she takes custom requests! =)

And now I'm off to bake... Bunny Cakes for tomorrow's Easter Dinner! =)

Craft On All!

Recently Crafty...

2009-03-01T07:22:00.000-08:00

Here's a quicky picture post:

I'm participating in my very first KAL!!! Woo! Socks, of course...

Lookie what I got! The above mentioned sock is from this book! Love, love, love it!!!!!!

For a swap partner... I even got the stripes to match up! Yay me!

I love STR! My mom is going to purchase their sock club for me for my birthday!!! I started these socks a few weeks ago, finished the first and then put them aside so I could first; make the swap socks, and then second; the KAL... they go back on the needles after the KAL... I promise!

My FIL has been hinting that he'd like a quilt... so I got my hands on these 1930's repros FQ's... five and a half yards worth! I think they'll make a very nice pinwheel quilt against some plain white. =)

*sigh*

I love to craft!

Craft on all!

Socks on Circs...

2009-02-07T08:38:00.000-08:00

Yea... What a tangled fuckin' mess that was! In the time I spent casting on and trying to manipulate my way through the first round of the cuff.. I could have been done with the cuff of the first sock on DPNs... Thanks, but no thanks... All the power to those of you that have mastered this technique. I just couldn't manage the really long cable(a 40" Addi Turbo, US size 2) and two skeins of sock yarn(Patons Kroy Socks), it felt like I was trying to knit a bird's nest or something... I relaxed the cable in hot water so it I wasn't fighting and curls from the packaging. I used two balls of yarn so I wouldn't have to worry about unwinding, although one ball did "throw up" quite a bit when I pulled out the beginning end. I give... DPNs for me!

PS Here are a few pictures of what I've been craftin' for ya...

Both quilts - finished and being loved!

My first BSJ! Yay me!

Socks for my mom... she asked me to teach her how to make some...

Recently acquired goodness!

=) Craft on!

Quilt It, Knit It, Love It!

2008-12-20T15:15:00.000-08:00

Been super busy lately... Today I finished two out of the three in progress quilts from the Craftster Lap Quilt Swaps...

The Front.

The Back.

This one is from Round 2. Very busy! My mom commented that she liked the fabrics so it'll be her Christmas gift. =) Rather than quilt the layers, I'll add a few ties. I like a fat, puffy quilt. I used two layers of batting for added warmth... Mom's always cold. This next one is for my son, also for Christmas.

The Front.

The Back.

This is the first quilt I have actually quilted and bound myself! Yay me! I think maybe I should have done a stitch in the ditch quilt rather than the diagonal, but other than that I'm very pleased. Neither quilt is perfect, but neither am I. =) Here is the quilt top for my daughter's quilt...

I'm hoping to tackle this one tomorrow.

I've also been knitting; a sweater for my niece, ornaments for my tree, mittens for me... see!

I've finished the back piece(pictured here) and now I'm half way done with the front... so much for it being a Christmas gift.

I also knit a matching hat ornament, but can't find the picture I took... I love quickie projects!

I am in love with these mittens! They're a replica of the mittens that Bella Swan wore in the movie Twilight(good books!). I've knit them with two strands of yarn so they're super warm and squishy. I just need to finish the top of the second mitten and I'll be warm and toasty.

That's enough for now... I've bombarded you all...

Thanks for reading!
Craft On!

Another Bag

2008-11-30T15:44:00.001-08:00

My first drawstring backpack! I made this for a friend and like it so much I may just make one for myself...

Here's the outside front. A smallish pocket, big enough for a cell phone or a set of small keys? The bottom is a black canvas for added strength. The rest is made of 100% cotton. I love the paisley!

Two more bigger pockets on the inside.

And, last picture, here it is open and laying flat. The straps are adjustable; just untie them, mark the appropriate length, then re-tie.

Of course, if I make one for myself it'll be after the next round of LQS. Here are the fabrics I chose for the three (yes three, I'm insane!) quilts I'll be making.

For my sister's soon to be 7 year old daughter:

For my brother's soon to be 2 year old daughter:

And for my brother's soon to be 1 year old daughter (yes, he certainly is crazy!):

I didn't buy any fancy prints, just wanted tone on tone squares. Should be interesting... I can't wait to see the results!

Craft On All!

November QAL Block

2008-11-14T07:49:00.000-08:00

Here's November's block! Gobble Gobble Gobble! I painted my palm and thumb brown and printed that first so the brown wouldn't dry while I painted my fingers. Next I painted my fingers and printed them. Some people use all colors, including green, blue, and purple... I just prefer red, orange, and yellow feathers...

Enjoy!

A quilting we will go...

2008-11-09T04:49:00.000-08:00

So I've started finishing the quilts from the Lap Quilt Swap... I've convinced my Hubby to let me join the next round. Well let me clarify that... I've convinced him that it will be worth the money I'll be spending... the two or three(haven't decided how many I'll do) quilts I'll get out of this round will be birthday gifts for my nieces. With finances so tight lately, we're both sure to discuss any extra spending... Anything to keep the marriage wheel rolling! Anyway, back to the quilts...

Sadly, we had a flaker in the last round; meaning I sent her my fabrics and she sent me hers, I made her a square and mailed it back to her and she did not. But it's on a grander scale than just that... she did this to every participant. 33 quilt squares not made and returned... OY! I was only in two groups so I was out two squares. Fortunately I had enough scraps to easily make these...

For my daughter's quilt.

For my son's quilt. I entered this swap knowing that these would be for Christmas... Despite their being right there in the next room while I'm sewing, I don't think they have a clue... =D Weekends are the only time I get to sew, and also the only time the kids are really allowed to watch TV. PBS is a beautiful thing!!!

After completing these I collected all the squares for the quilts and started to construct the tops...

I started with the bright quilt from my first round. I figured that this would be my practice quilt... It's sooooo not perfect, but I love it just the same.

Apparently, so does my daughter...

She looks rather smitten if you ask me. The corners don't match up and I had to fudge a few seams. I'm just not one of those "precision quilters." Oh well, even my son said that it was "really lovely" without being prompted to do so... =D

Craft On All!

Mittens

2008-11-02T06:56:00.000-08:00

I had a most wonderful epiphany today... OK, it actually started about two weeks ago. A two part epiphany? I was out looking at hats and mittens for my kids. I love knitting and crocheting, but prefer the warmth and slight waterproof-ness of fleece. And I'm not going to make my kids mittens and hats out of wool that will be ruined when they play with them... makes no sense to me. But, a good set of fleece hat and mittens is like twenty bucks! I have two kids... there's forty of my hard earned (and these days, hard to come by) dollars right there. Grrrr... And as I was standing there having my mini, inward tantrum my son (brilliant little critter!) commented that one of the hats was nice and soft, just like his sweatshirt... *PING* (instert lightbulb here, epiphany #1). I scooped up the kids, headed out of the store, and straight to my sewing machine. We had just gone through and sorted out everything that didn't fit anymore. I snatched up an old sweatshirt of my hubby's, searched for a pattern online and set to work...

First, a big thank you to Bev's Country Cottage for posting this fantastic mitten pattern! After completing my son's mittens strictly, by the pattern I began my daughter's. Just as I was finishing the first mitten (hadn't finished the final cuff seam) I remembered my son's first pair of mittens. They had a nice long sleeve on them to actually keep them on. I loved them and was heartbroken when they didn't fit anymore. *PING* (yep, another lightbulb... epiphany #2) I went back to the pile of clothes that didn't fit anymore and pulled out an old long sleeved shirt. Convienently, my daughter was following me around the house so I slipped the sleeve on her arm, cuff first, to measure how long I wanted it. I marked it, pulled it off, and cut.

Then, after fiddling with it a bit to find the best way to attach it, I came up with this:

The mitten is right side out, the sleeve is inside out, and the two cut seams are aligned. Ready, set, SEW!

Then I pulled the sleeve down and then tucked it into the mitten...

The last seam, sewing around the cuff of the mitten.

Pull the sleeve out and marvel at yourself! You're so smart! =D

And then, try them on the rather eager small child that has been stalking you throughout the entire project.

The look a bit big, and they are, but I want them to L-A-S-T the winter! Warm, free, recycled mittens... Woot!

Thanks for reading!
Craft On All!

Swap, swap, swappity, swap...

2008-10-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

I have been swapping my brains out on the KYS board at Ravelry. I've got some really yummy yarns coming my way, including some I've never tried! Mostly sock yarns; Salvia, Opal, and some Knit Picks. I've also scored a few sets of needles and some great pattern books! I'm mostly offering up yarn but I did have a side trade, off the KYS board. For two skeins of Salvia I made this:

A reversible pocketed project tote. Big enough to fit a smaller project in, like a pair of socks. Small enough to hang off your wrist while you knit and not get in the way.

The fabric was left over from the kimono dress outfit I made my daughter(a few posts back. I love quick projects!

Dance of Joy!

2008-10-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

Yep, today I conquered knit fabric, zippers, and long sleeves. Check this out!

This morning:

I literally placed the pattern pieces, pinned them down, and then just stood there...

*cricket, cricket*

...for ten minutes. Then I began stalling, my fear getting the better of me. I set up and snapped the above picture, then decided that I needed some breakfast (and let me tell you there is nothing better than a nice warm bowl of leftover chili on a brisk autumn morning when you're too cheap to turn on the heat just yet). And I, of course, ate in front of the computer while perusing the KYS boards at Ravelry (scored myself a nice looking pattern book too, The Yarn Girls Guide to Simple Knits, Woot!). Then, when I could stall no more... I cut. The rest is a rainbow hearted blur. The results:

So cool! I can't wait until she get's home so I can try it on her...

More of the same...

2008-10-12T16:32:00.001-07:00

I've been knitting and sewing... not as much as usual, but keeping up just fine... I've discovered the wonderful world of toddler socks. They're oh-so-portable, work up super fast, and I can get two pair out of one large ball! Yay!!! Here are a few pictures...

There are mates to these socks, really there are! And here's a WIP...

And that is the fantastic pattern book in the background! Yes, it's 2-at-a-time Socks and I'm making them one at a time... I've discovered that I'm not too fond of circs. How do I know that, you say?

Been working on my sweater... I think I'm knitting the wrong size... it appears too big. =( I'm still plucking along though.

And today I made this lovely:

I think she likes it! Here's a closer shot of the fabric.

Pay no attention to the "deer-in-the-headlights" gaze, or the left over chili on her face. Tomorrow I get the whole day to myself to attack the rest of the fabric I have set aside for her... it should be fun!

Craft On All!

October QAL Block

2008-10-02T10:36:00.001-07:00

As promised... here's October's block... a pumpkin. To make this simply make a fist and paint the front, fingers and knuckles(the flat part that would hit something if you were to throw a punch). Press that onto the center of your 6" square. For the stem paint the top of your pointer finger green and stamp that onto the top. Viola! A Pumpkin! Border with Halloween printed fabric, or fabric of your choice... =)

Quilt Along?

2008-09-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

Anyone up for a super easy Quilt Along? Particularly one you can do with your small kids or students? I'm a preschool teacher by day and crafter by night so I try to merge the two whenever possible... This year in my class each child will be helping to make their own quilt. Every month we'll be making a hand print block that goes along with the current themes and seasons. Here is this month's block:

Apple!

On a 6.5" square of white fabric we:

painted the palm red and stamped it towards the bottom center
painted the top of the index finger brown and stamped it at the top of the palm print
painted the top of the thumb green and stamped it near the base of the stem

After they dry I'll bring them home, iron them (in an effort to make the acrylic paint colorfast... if you have any suggestions, please leave me a comment!) and then sew on a 3" border (actually sewing 3.5" strips to each side) in coordinating fabric(I'll be picking up some apple fabric tomorrow) making this a 12"(actually 12.5" for seam allowances) block. I hope to add a picture of the finished block soon...

Every month I'll post the new block and instructions. There aren't any sign ups or registrations... if you come across this, like it and want to join, feel free! Post the results to your blog and hit me up with a link or comment, I'd love to see how yours come out!

=D

Frogged...

2008-09-14T05:22:00.000-07:00

Yep, I frogged my Mariah... all that hard work (as seen my last post). Ok truthfully... I haven't acutally pulled it all out yet. I took it off the needles and it's currently sitting on an end table in my living room like a wounded animal. I will pull it all out... eventually. It was taking too long and required way too much attention. Yes, I'm calling Mariah needy and high maintainance. *snicker* I really need projects that I can knit while not really paying full attention to them. Two kids, a hubby, and I often knit at work. I know, I'm the luckiest girl on earth! I'm a preschool teacher and while we're all out in the yard playing or taking a walk or during nap time while I sit with the kids as they fall asleep... I'll knit. All my kids, and their families, know that I am rarely without yarn. I've even been lucky enough to recieve gift certificates to the LYS for my birthday and holidays. Anyway... got off track there for a bit... I need to be able to multitask when I knit. So out with Mariah and in with The Olive Branch Yoga Hoodie... and no I don't do yoga (but I think I would like to if I had the time). I'm loving this pattern! Easy to knit, works up quick, and the yarn I chose is soooo soft and squishy... I can't wait for it to be done! Here's a progress shot...

I know it's not very sweater like right now... this is just the hood and the beginning of the raglan increases... but it'll be good! I can't wait!!!

In other crafty news... I'm still working on my daughter's fall/winter wardrobe, only now I'm doing recons. Who says you can't put your little girl in her older brother's clothes...

And not an ounce of cuteness sacrificed! Cargo skirt from cargo pants...

I also hemmed a pair of his jeans (more like hacked a few inches off and then hemmed them) for her and I've got another two pairs plus a pair of courds that I'll be making something good out of.. maybe one of these?

As for my quilts... I haven't yet received all the squares back for my Little's quilts, and I still have four more squares to make. And I'm working up the nerve to attempt putting the the whole quilt together from the first round... remember this?

I'll do this one first so I can work out any kinks I come across before tackling the ones for my kids... but I should get a move on... these are Christmas gifts!

Craft on All!

I can't beleive I didn't post this sooner!

2008-08-31T06:32:00.000-07:00

She's worn this twice already and I'm so stinkin' proud...

and of course... the action shots...

She loves it! I need to thank Vegbee and her wonderful blog, Just Tutes. I didn't use patches, just long strips. Her formula is perfect! So... Thank You so much Vegbee!!!

I've also started a sweater for myself; a Mariah. Not bad for my first cabled project, but it's very slow going...

Thanks for looking! Craft on All!

Some spend a weekend school shopping...

2008-08-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend(and it's not done!) school sewing! OK, OK, she's too young for real school, but she does need a new fall wardrobe... Check it out!

First... a reversible A Line Jumper made with fabric from my stash.

It's really big, who knew that most patterns have a seam allowance of 5/8 instead of the 1/4 that I usually use. Oh well, live and learn right!

I just love the red, black and white combo!

This was a fabric remnant! So cute! And, this is the first time I've made anything with sleeves... a little tricky but not bad if I do say so myself.

Another jumper, also too big (didn't discover that seam allowance thing until today... made the two jumpers and matching pink pants yesterday.). This fabric was originally bought to make myself a bag, but it just screamed for the Little Bird.

Matching Pants! I love putting her in dresses, but she hasn't learned to keep the dresses down... Solution? Bloomers and Pants. And as you can see, she loves em! Really big so she can wear them as capris later on. And I'll leave you with one last action shot...

Thanks for looking in on me! Craft on All!

I've finished!!!

2008-08-09T18:40:00.001-07:00

Wheeeeee!!! I finished The Weasley Sweater for my Small Boy!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I'm overjoyed with how it turned out! And it is also my first FO for the Ravelympics! Feast your eyes!!!

And yes... a few action shots...

The sleeves are a bit long... but it still looks good!

The back.

Yea, we're both pretty pleased with this one...

Quick... before I have to go make dinner!

2008-08-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

I have been sewing and knitting up a storm lately! I've had the urge to crochet now for a few weeks, but have yet to pick up that hook... Almost feels like I'm cheating on it... LOL. At any rate... here's a few pics of what I've been working on lately:

Here are the most recent squares I've made for LQS3. I'm really enjoying this round... and learning a lot. New techniques, trying more complex blocks... Yay me!

As far as knitting... I've gotten some pretty new yarns from the KYS on Ravelry. Mostly sock yarns but some hand dyed stuff as well... I also got some really pretty stuff from a new LYS; Inspire 2 Knit & Tea. Very exciting... it's right near my work, but not exactly close to home... I'm eager to see what new stuff they'll be offering as they grow...

Edited...

2008-07-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

The former post didn't work out like I expected... so here's a shiny new one for ya! A very much overdue update of my crafty happenings. First, the Quilt Block Swap on Craftster:

Here's a pic of all the squares that were made for me(except for the second one from the left in the middle row - I made that one). Thank you to all my great partners! They're beautiful! Here are the squares I made:

Not bad huh! Because I enjoyed this so much, I signed up for another round and this time I'll be doing two quilts! Glutton for punishment... =D I spent the day sewing last weekend... here's the results...

The first two, starting at the top left, are my fabrics. The red and browns are for a quilt for The Small Boy, and the girly bra fabrics are for a quilt for the Little Bird. The rest of the squares are for the swap. The bag at the end was swapped for some really pretty yarn in the KYS swap on Ravelry(still addicted!).

Also happening at Ravelry; The 2008 Ravelypmics! I've joined two different teams; Team Karmakazi for members of the Karma Yarn Swap Group and Team Knit Girls for The Knit Girls Group. I'll be competing in two events(for both teams); WIP Wrestling and The Sock Put. For WIP Wrestling I'll be trying to finish up my Weasley Sweater:

Just the sleeve, neck, and weaving in ends to finish... And I'll be finishing my Circus Crusoe Socks:

Just started them a bit ago... this is the first sock. I'm loving the colors! For the Sock Put I'll be casting on a pair of Twilight Socks. These won't be started until the Olympic Torch has been lit in Beijing. I'll have until the torch goes out and the Summer Olympics are over to finish all three projects... Wish me luck!

Sewing too!

2008-06-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

I spent the better part of the morning sewing for my Mumma...

That's her on the left. A purse and a project bag:

Not bad huh? I didn't use any patterns, just my own sketches and thoughts...

The purse has seven pockets; one on the front flap, four on the outside, and two inside. It's fully lined and I used interfacing for added stability. The outside is an outdoor upholstery fabric(think lounge chair cushions) and the liner is cotton.

The project tote is all cotton, made from a fat quarter pack. It's big enough to hold a large skein of sock yarn, needles, pattern or small pattern book, and a small pair of scissors. It's reversible and has a long skinny strap that can be worn over your shoulder, across your body, or knotted and hung off the wrist.

Yay for my sewing machine! It's nice to get away from the yarn for a few hours... =D

Knit, knit, knit...

2008-06-28T05:07:00.000-07:00

I'm loving the Weasley Sweater I started for the small boy child! "Weasley Sweater?" you say... "What is that?" Just follow the link to the fantastic free pattern! Here are some progress shots...

The beginning of the back.

The back finished.

The beginning of the front... and my first row of intarsia... ever!

*SQUEEE*

I Love Ravelry! Between finally learning to knit and the abundance of my yarn stash(and with nice yarns too!)... *sigh* Here's a mosaic of my recent sock yarn stash additions...

All for socks... most for gifts... Each will keep me one stitch closer to sanity... =)

Sew buttons on ice cream and see if they stick!

2008-06-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

Yea, I was sewing today... finished the last six quilt squares for the Lap Quilt Swap on Craftster... Yay! Took me most of the afternoon, but well worth it! I was honestly wondering if I'd ever have time to actually sit down for a few hours and finish them. Wanna see?

Yay me! The top six are the one's I did today. Some came out so good I just sat there for a minute and marveled at myself... Others made me vow to never sew with velvet ever again(but still came out ok).

In other crafty news... still knitting like crazy. After organizing my stash I've begun to swap yarns at Ravelry's Karma Yarn Swap... Can you say addicting? I've traded some nice, but no use to me yarns for some really nice sock yarns(my latest obsession). If my memory and math serves me right, I've got six or seven skiens of sock yarn on their way to me... *sigh* Here's my latest sock... a gift for my cousin...

Yay for knitting! Keeps me sane, busy, awake, and on occasion... from committing murder.

Craft on All!

New Leaf?

2008-06-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

I have been organizing the crap out of everything lately... I even did some moving around here on my blog... Last weekend I went through my yarn stash... two totes full! A lot of it was inherited yarn from my Nana. I spent an entire day de-tangling, balling, sorting, bagging, and photographing my yarn. I've got about half of it posted on Ravelry for sale or trade. Look me up... glittergirl77. I'm hoping to get some sock yarn and enough Cotton Ease to make myself the Olive Branch Yoga Hoodie, pictured below...

This was knit by Laura, aka LAylor13 on Ravelry and Flickr. She did a fantastic job knitting this! Must give credit where credit is due... ; )

Cast On Knitting Scout Badges

2008-05-31T09:00:00.000-07:00

Yay! Despite my being a newbie knitter, it seems that I'm really making progress... maybe I should stop referring to myself as a "newbie" now... I found these scout badges (pictured in my side bar under Fun Stuff). Here are the the brief stories behind the badges I've earned; in order of appearance in my side bar...

The "Proselytize Knitting" Badge - Seriously... I don't need to explain myself here... I carry my knitting in my purse with my keys, wallet, and checkbook... My friends and family wonder what's up when I don't have yarn with me...
The "MacGyver" Badge (Levels One & Two) - Proud to say that I have used my rings (wedding, engagement, and Nana's diamond) as stitch markers... as well as paper clips, safety pins, bobby pins... And I've also used safety pins (very large ones) as stitch holders. On the flip side of that... We own a rather old console TV (I love it and refuse to upgrade, besides... I'm not much of a TV person anyway... I just like that I can put stuff on it, makes it functional for me) that is missing it's on/off button, there's just a small hole where it used to be (I'm sure you know where I'm going with this one). I've been using a size 2 metal DPN to turn the TV on and off. So does my family.
The "Knitting Whilst Under The Influence" Badge - Anyone that knows me well knows that I rarely (as in once or twice a year) drink anymore (you wouldn't either if the love of your life was a recovering alcoholic). But there is that occasional weekend away that I'll have one... or ten. And where I go, my yarn follows... I've been known to tackle projects that result in my wondering what the hell I was thinking...
The "I Will Impress You With My Math Prowess" Badge - Long before knitting was a part of my life... I was deemed a math whiz... a smarty pants... a nerd... I've only been knitting for a few months now, but I've already tackled knitting up my own patterns! Woot!
The "Knitting Has Forced Me To Seek Medical Attention" Badge (Level One) - Carpel Tunnel Syndrome... was at the Doctor's Office recently for it... seems to be getting worse since I learned how to knit...
The "I've Knit Items With No Conceivable Practical Application" Badge - I knit what I thought would be a very cute winter hat for my daughter... except I knit it with not-so-warm yarn and it was just too small (and not because I screwed up the gauge either) to be any use against New England winters... I finally just faced that fact that I knit it for the sake of knitting it (I thought it was pretty). I ended up frogging it...

Let's see if I ever earn any other badges!!!

Knit on All!

Swap Parnter Info...

2008-05-31T07:23:00.001-07:00

In an effort to clean up my sidebar I'll be moving a bunch of stuff to this post and just putting a small link. Yay me!

What I Craft!

* Knitting ~ I have finally learned to knit! Woot! I think I've graduated past beginner knitter and I'm currently on a sock obsession. I loves me some sock yarn!
* Sewing and Quilting ~ I'm not an expert at either by any means... I've made a few messenger bags with really easy pockets, tote bags, quilt blocks, lap quilts, clothes for my daughter, pillow covers. I'm always working on my sewing skills...
* Dying ~ I've dyed roving and natural fiber yarns. It's fun and totally experimental! A lot of the time I'll start a dying project with something in mind and have it turn out totally different; but still excellent!
* Paper Crafts ~ This was one of my first craft adventures. I have a small collection of rubber stamps and also use my computer for my paper crafts. I make my own holiday cards every year and really enjoy it. I've made gift tags, greeting cards, postcards, and even a few of those star books, both with and without pockets(great for ATC storage).
* Photography ~ I am an amature photographer. I have a Digital Canon Rebel XT and love, love, love it! Next to yarn arts, this is my favorite hobby. I have a flickr account where I post most of my pictures. Follow the link below to check it out!
* Jewelery ~ I've only dabbled in jewelery making. I had an IYP swap partner mention that she really liked jewelery so I took a stab at it. And despite it being a new craft, I did fairly well. There are pictures here in my blog if you'd like to see...

Likes and dislikes...

* Favorite colors are Red & Orange. I also wear a lot of black, blue, brown, some greens and purples, pink and white occasionally, I hardly ever wear yellow.
* Supplies I would welcome with open arms are: yarn(sock yarn especially), fabrics of all kinds(on a paisley appreactiation kick right now), especially the "not so run of the mill" patterned and printed fabrics.
* Random themes/icons that I love are: cherries, Hello Kitty, pin-ups, Bettie Page, anything craft related.
* I am a zipper hoodie t-shirt and tank top addict! On the rare occasion that I buy clothes for myself, that's what's in the bag. I'm a jeans and tank top/tshirt kinda gal, but I also love skirts and just about anything reconned. I'm a little chubby, curvy some like to say(very hourglass-ish I've been told) so large is usually the size for me(depends on the brand though, sometimes an XL is needed).
* I love custom tshirts and tank tops! Jolly Rogers, cherries, fun and crafty sayings... slap it on a shirt and I'll be happy!
* Socks! I love novelty socks; funky patterns, bright colors, toe socks, you name it! Hook me up!
* As of late, my partners have been requesting info on my family... Hubby isn't much of a crafter; he's more of a snowmobile/gimmie an old beater to fix and I'll be happy kinda guy... Good luck finding something to craft for him(I never have much luck hehe). I also have two littles; a boy that was born in Feb of 2000 and a girl that was born in Jan of 2006. Both love recieving goodies of all kinds! There are pictures of them in my flickr if you'd like(link below)!
* I love, love, love music, rock mostly, but all kinds are treasured! My iPod Nano is always nearby...
* I would love you for a twin sized quilt for my little boy's bed! His new room has Classic Hot Rod Cars and Trucks!
* My ears are pierced, but I very rarely change my earrings. I'm honestly not much of a jewelery person. I do, however, have a TON of hair and I'm always looking for fun things to do with/to it: hair ties, very large barrettes and clips, bobbie pins, fun dye kits(currently itching for some purple and cranberry hair...), fabric headbands(the hard plastic ones hurt my head) that tie, bandanas, hair sticks...
* Not much of a TV person, but I do have a few favorite movies: True Romance, What Dreams May Come, American Beauty, Romeo & Juliet(Baz Luhrmann's), The Butterfly Effect, The Matrix Trilogy, Aliens(Ripley Kicks Ass!), The Terminator Movies.

Wish List

Yarn! One can never have too much sock yarn...
Ball Winder! I need one!
Yarn Swift! I need one of those too!
Fabric! I love fabrics! 1093's reprints, Amy Butler, Kokka, Anna Maria, Heather Bailey, others that are similar... I'm really just learning about the goodstuff out there!
Patterns! Quilting books, sewing patterns... I would love any copies of Ottobre you might have lying around! Patterns for clothes for my kids would be fantastic!!! Knitting and crochet patterns would be great too... like yarn my current interests are always changing... Just ask!

Before I forget...

2008-05-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

I went looking for a toddler sock pattern that I liked and could understand... didn't find much. So I decided to have a go at it myself... Here's what I've come up with so far for the first sock:

I've used tofutsies and size 1 needles.
CO 50 using the long tail method.
k 3 rounds.
k3, p2 ribbing around for 3".
Place 25 sts on one needle. The remaining 25 sts will be the heel, on two needles.
k1, ssk, k across until last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.
Turn and p across.
Repeat the last two rows until there are only 5 sts left... do not purl the last 5 sts.
Pick up and k 18 sts along side of heel. Work ribbing pattern across the front. Pick up and k 18 sts.
There are now four needles going; A has 5 from heel, B has 18 picked up sts, C has 25 rib pattern sts, and D has 18 picked up sts.
k across A, k across B until the last 2 sts, k2tog, follow rib pattern across C, ssk and then k across D.
k around all needles.
Repeat last two rounds until there are 10 sts left on needles B & D, leaving 50 sts total. Reshuffle sts to eliminate needle A, leaving three needles.
Continue to work rib pattern and knit around until sock is approx 3".
Reshuffle sts as follows: Front of the sock: 12 sts on A and 13 sts on B; Back of the sock: 12 sts on C and 13 sts on D.
k around ending with needle D.
On A: k1 ssk, k across; on B: k across to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1; on C: k1, ssk, k across; on D: k across to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.
Repeat last two rows until there are 14 sts left. Either sew or graft closed.
Make another sock!

Now I haven't finished the first sock yet, I've only gotten to the end of the decreases after the heel. If you feel so inclined to take a stab at this please feel free, and let me know how they turn out!!!! I've never written a knitting pattern before, or done much fly by the seat of my pants knitting... I'd like to know how I'm doing.

Knit on all!

Cute

2008-05-19T04:08:00.001-07:00

Crafty Happenings?

2008-05-06T14:51:00.000-07:00

So I've been crafting away... as usual. Working on my quilt squares for the Quilt Swap over at Craftster. Furiously crocheting a baby blanket for one of my mom's at work... except the baby came a little early(two weeks to be exact) so now I'm scrambling to finish. I love the colors....

I'm also gearing up for Sock Wars... I've got my weapons and I'm just itching for that pattern!

Speaking of Sock Wars... It seems a fellow warrior has a bit of a contest going on... I was poking around her blog and etsy shoppe (I'm a nosy sort of critter, what can I say). In the spirit of Sock Wars she's made a very nice sock bag... similar to that of a holster perhaps? This is war and it is meant to hold our weapons, after all... At any rate, I would love a bag for my sock goodies. Be sure to check back at her shoppe later on this week if you want one too (sans sock wars logo of course)! Hoping to report about more sock wars fun later!

Craft on All!

Quickie...

2008-04-20T11:05:00.001-07:00

I finished my own square for the above mentioned quilt block swap...

I just love, love, love these fabrics! Thank you so much Quilting Corner!!!!

A Quilting I Will Go...

2008-04-20T04:53:00.000-07:00

I joined the Lap Quilts for All II: Summer Swap on Craftster. "How does it work?" you say! We (the swappers) are divided into groups of twelve.
Phase 1: Each swapper puts together twelve packets of fabric; at least three different fabrics all totaling 3/8 of a yard. Then we mail out one to each of the eleven others in our group, and keep one for ourselves.
Phase 2: With the twelve different fabric packs we now have we make twelve 12.5" quilt squares. We choose the pattern and such, although the owner of the fabric can make suggestions and requests.
Phase 3: Return the quilt squares and left over fabric scraps to their original owner. Oooo and Ahhh over your group's quilting skills!
Phase 4: Make yourself a fantastic lap quilt with the twelve squares!

So far I've made three squares. I'll mail them out later this week. I've also started the square that I'll keep for myself...

This pattern is Balkan Puzzle from The Quilter's Cache.

This is Color Wheel, also from The Quilter's Cache.

And this last one is Susannah, from... you guessed it... The Quilter's Cache.

As you can see, The Quilter's Cache is a great, fantastic, fabulous, wonderful resource! Go check it out!

Craft on All!

A New Nest for the Little Bird

2008-04-13T06:19:00.000-07:00

This year for for their birthdays Hubby and I decided to redo the Little's Bedrooms. And anyone that is creative knows that home decor is soooooo crafty! We started both yesterday, but only got The Little Bird's Room done Here are a few pictures of the progress and finished room...

First we taped... That would be my Fabulous sister (and partner in crime) Cheese (aka Donna). It actually took us longer to tape in all the stripes than it did to paint them...

Next was the fun part, painting. The trick with stripes is to measure... a lot... and use a level. My house is over 100 years old and the corners aren't all straight due to settling. Once you get the paint on wait a few minutes (paint the next stripe while you wait) and then do a second coat. Then, before the paint is completely dry (within 15 - 20 minutes) peel the tape off. The results...

And then... the finishing touches; new big girl bed (actually her big brother's top bunk, he graciously said she could use it), new curtains, new curtain rods, new matching bed canopy, new switch plates for the outlets and light switches, a few strings of clear lights, and a hand made by me quilt. I actually made the quilt a few Christmases ago (OK, more like five) for my Nana. I thought it only fitting that I put it on her bed now seeing how she was named for Nana. Did she love it???

Yep! And just because she's so stinkin' cute...

With a little luck we'll get The Small Boy's Room done today and I'll have a chance to post those pictures soon...

Craft On All!

Yay for swaps!

2008-04-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

I wouldn't say I've been on a swapping hiatus... but I definitely slowed down... When Hubby lost his job back in January monies got a bit tight... No monies = no craft supplies = no swaps... But now Hubby has a new job (nothing fabulous, but it'll help pay the bills) and I can do a swap or two here and there. So I jumped right in; Lap Quilts For All II! Yay for Craftster! How it works: there are 12 people per group (this particular swap has two groups). Each person sends the 11 others in her group several pieces of fabric, totaling 3/8 yard. We take each packet of fabric, sew a 12.5 x 12.5 quilt square, and then return the square and any fabric scraps to the sender. So, when all is said and done I will have a fantastic quilt, made by myself and 11 of my craftster pals! Woot! Wanna see the fabric I got for it???

Each pile is two fat quarters. I'm thinking I'll cut each fat quarter in half and then send each swap partner 3 different pieces... I intend for the finished quilt to go on the back of my couch... We'll see!

Craft On All!

pursed lips and furrowed brow

2008-03-22T06:42:00.000-07:00

Maybe I'm just being oversensitive here...

If you like what I've posted and want to link it to your own blog and even borrow the picture I've posted with it, please just send me a "Hey, I really liked what you did here. Would you mind if I... It's a bit unnerving to be poking around other blogs and then just finding one of your pictures there rather unexpectedly. I'm happy to share, I guess I'd just like to be aware of it?

Sorry if I sound cranky, it's been a bit of a busy morning... lots of cleaning and no crafting... grrrr... it's enough to take the sparkle out of any Glittergirl and turn any Crafty Nerd a bit of a bear.

In other crafty news... I've been busy with my photography, knitting, and as of the past week, baking... Sadly, I've only got pictures of the photography to share(in a few lines...).

I finished the first sock of my second pair, and don't really like it. It's too small for me and I don't like the heel. But that was some expensive yarn so I'll be frogging it and making something else hopefully.

Yesterday I baked my brains out! Six cakes and a pan of brownies(all after work I might add). Today is The Big Birthday Bash; my two kids, and my three nieces(two from my brother and one from my sister) all have their birthdays within three months of each other so we're having one big party. "So why not make one very large cake?" you say? I've actually made two 9 by 13 cakes for the party goers, one spice cake with cream cheese frosting and one devil's food cake with milk chocolate frosting. Yum. Then, each birthday child(with the exception of my brandy new niece, born on Valentine's Day and too little for cake) gets his or her own six inch cake. It should definitely be fun and I can't wait to post pictures of it. Hopefully soon...

So for now I leave you with a few recent pictures... Happy Spring All!

And after flipping through my recent pictures, I realized that I never did post pictures of the great swap package that I got from the Secret Swap on Craftster...

There are more detailed pictures in my flickr...

Craft On All!

crawl, creep, oooooze....

2008-02-27T08:10:00.000-08:00

Things have been a tad slow on the crafting front as of late... seems my family, home, and work need to come first. *smirk*

I've recently completed a swap and I'm about to wrap up another one... This one's a secret, ssssshhhhhh, don't tell. So far I've made a matching hat, scarf, and fingerless mitts set; all my own patterns. I used Lion Brand Homespun so it's incredibly soft and squishy. Here's me modeling the scarf...

I just love the color! Reminds me of Spring, and boy do we need some Spring around here! I've also knit her (yes, the recipient is a her, clue #1) a dish cloth... but not just any dish cloth, this one depicts where she lives (clue #2).

I've actually finished it, just don't have another picture... can you see the state? I'm discovering that knitting takes a lot of time! Not half as quick at crochet, but I suppose that is because I can crochet with my eyes closed, knitting not so much... Anyway, for this I used Lion Brand Cotton-ease. I find it to be a little softer than just straight cotton... hope it makes a good dish cloth! Being a newbie knitter, I'm not clever enough to come up with this pattern on my own. You can find it here, along with patterns for every other state in the USA as well as many others! Definitely work checking out! Thank you Rhonda White for sharing!

I also have a few other goodies up my sleeve; like a small trinket box, a stuffie or two, and maybe a tote bag... We'll see how far I get...

Craft On All!

Another Pattern...

2008-02-10T05:37:00.000-08:00

I had another pattern request! Woot! This one was for the purple shawl I made. There is a picture of it in my blog header, and a few posts down; Hookin' Up A Storm. It's a quick and easy pattern, nothing fancy but so warm! Great for sitting on the couch and reading or watching tv.

The Hookin' Up A Storm Shawl...

Ch a multiple of 2 + 4. Turn.

R1. Dc, ch 1, dc in 5th ch. *Skip next ch. Dc, ch1, Dc(v-stitch)* Repeat from * to * across to the last 2ch. Dc in last ch. Turn.

R2. Ch3(counts as first dc). 3dc(fan stitch) in each ch1 sp in v-stitch across. Dc in last dc(actually ch3, so dc in the top ch...). Turn.

R3. Ch3(counts as first dc). V-stitch in the 2nd stitch of each fan stitch across. Dc in last dc(same as above). Turn.

Repeat R2 and R3 alternately until it's as big as you'd like. I used four skeins of Lion Brand Homespun Yarn and a N-9.00mm hook.

If something is unclear, which it very well could be as I'm still new at pattern writing, please leave me a comment and I'll do my best to fix it! And I'd love to see pictures of your finished goodies, so again... feel free to leave me a link! =D

I learned how to knit!!!

2008-02-06T17:37:00.000-08:00

I've been dancing and singing around my house in my fabulous new hand knit socks... knitted by moi! Yes! Me, the one that claimed to be knit retarded... just couldn't master those two pointy sticks... I mastered five of them! I am so proud of me!

Pretty cool huh? I used the International Sock of Doom pattern by Julie Gardner. Thank you Julie! I guess she wrote this pattern for Sock Wars, her death-by-sock tournament. After working up the first sock, I was intrigued by it all... What is Sock Wars. So I googled... And now I'll be participating in Sock Wars III. Follow the link for complete info!

Yay for socks!

Star Scarf Tute

2008-01-25T18:52:00.000-08:00

So I had a request for a pattern of mine! Yay me! Anyone remember this?

It's really easy! Here we go:

This particular scarf has 18 stars in it. I used Red Heart Yarn(the person I made it for requested acrylic yarn), but I'm sure you can use any weight, just use an appropriate sized hook(check the yarn label) and adjust the amount of stars to make the scarf as long or short as you'd like.

For the star...

~ch 5, join with ss to first chain to form a ring.

~ch 3(counts as first dc) 2 dc in ring, chain 5, *3 dc in ring, chain five,* repeat from * to * three times more. ss into 3rd chain of beginning 3 chains. You should have five five chain spaces.

~ch 1. Sc in same ch. Skip next st, sc in next dc. [ 5 sc, ch 2, 5 sc ]in chain 5 sp. *sc in next dc, sk next dc, sc in next dc. [5 sc, ch 2, 5 sc] in chain 5 sp.* Repeat from * to * three more times. Join to first sc with ss. Finish off.

Now make 17 more! All one color, several different colors, have fun with it!

Let's join them! And the best part... no sewing!

~Lay the stars out in the order you want them to be in for the scarf. This is tricky to describe so bear with me... When laying them out place the stars so that two of the tips are touching. Because of the five sides they will not lay straight. The best way I found to fix this is to alternate which way they lay. Refer to the finished pattern picture for clarification.

~Now pick up one of the end stars and join your edging yarn to one of the star tips. sc down the side of star, putting 1 sc in each sc, skipping the two middle sc's in between points and putting 3 sc in the ch2 space at the tip of each point. Gosh I hope that makes sense. For the end star you will crochet around the four of the five sides(one side is the v made in between points).

~Pick up the next star and while holding it up to the first start that you've already edged, sc along one side.

~Pick up the next star and while holding it up to the second star, sc along one side and then half of the next side(see picture for clarification).

~Continue in this manner until all of the stars have been attached. For the last star, sc around four sides like you did for the first one. Then just go back up the other sides of the stars. If you sc'ed along just one side when you went down, then you'll sc along and and a half sides going back up. Once you've gone all the way around the scarf, simply join with a ss to the first sc, tie off and weave in the ends.

Feel free to message me with any questions!

Melinda

I am such a lame Craft Blogger...

2008-01-19T15:01:00.000-08:00

But I suppose that means I'm spending my time crafting? At any rate.. I have been busy. I've learned to knit! Yay! All I hear from knitters is that it is sooo much easier than crochet. HA! Those two little sticks are just plain stubborn. And if you drop or mess up a stitch, forget it! But I knit on with the hopes of becoming a bit of a pro... It doesn't help that knitting works up soooooo sloooooow...

I'm very excited to post this next series of pictures... my fourth Messenger Bag!

The Front - I left the front flap blank on purpose... my swap partner is a bit of an embroidery goddess and I figured she may want to stitch something on it...

The Front Open - I just love this fabric... I wasn't sure how the brown would look against the skull fabric, but I didn't want to use black. Glad I took the chance! You can see one of the side pockets(there's one on each side for her cell, iPod, whatever...) and on the back there's another pocket identical to this large front one...

Here's an inside shot. There are two compartments, each with a large pocket. Lots of room for organization!

The strap(not pictured) is really long, I figure if she would like it shorter she can either knot it or alter it... I looked everywhere for the findings to make an adjustable strap, but no luck. I still love how it turned out! I hope my partner does too!

I have also been crocheting up a storm, as usual. I made a second Crochet Jacket for the daughter of one of the receptionists at my doctor's office.

This one's a size bigger than the one I made for my own daughter. I think I did a better job with this one, the hood isn't ridiculously huge...

I also finished the red Serephina's Shawl and am now working on a white one for a co-worker. She liked the end result so much she asked me to make her one. I, of course, could never turn down an opportunity to crochet!

Busy, busy, busy as usual here in The Land of Melinda...

Craft on All!

Another quickie...

2008-01-14T13:04:00.000-08:00

I added a few slide shows of various pictures... enjoy!

Quickie Button Post

2008-01-05T09:20:00.001-08:00

I added a few buttons to my sidebar... webrings and such. But some of them are not active yet... Sorry for the inconvenience this may cause any readers(because there are sooo many of you!)...

Back to Crafting!

Not much crafting...

2007-12-15T19:01:00.000-08:00

...unless you consider baking a craft. Tis the season for baking cookies, Fa la la la la la la la la... I've made one batch of each: Snickerdoodles, Orange Sugar Cookies with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting, Peanut Butter Temptations, and Chocolate Mint Thins. I'll be making another batch of each later this week, maybe even tomorrow seeing how we're supposed to be getting a blast of a storm(UGH!!!). We'll see... Would you like to see? I, of course, took pictures of my two favorite cookies.

Can you guess which ones they are? Shouldn't be too hard, the candy in each cookie kinda gives it away...

Inbetween cookie binges, I have managed to crochet a bit... A scarf for a dear friend from flickr, actually... two scarves. The first is finished and I love it!

It's made from Bernat Bamboo Natural Blends in Lotus and Rosehip. Sooooo soft! And I've started and almost finished the second one, but I'll post pictures of the final product in a day or so...

Craft on All!

PS

This is my 50th post! Yay Me!

Hookin' Up A Storm!

2007-12-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

Yep, me and that crochet hook have been busy(That just doesn't sound right). I've discovered that shawls are addicting, and why the hell not! They're portable, easy, versatile, quick, and the results are so lovely(not to mention that wonderfully magical feeling you get seeing your very first Comfort Shawl going home to a severely Autistic boy on his fourth birthday... yea, that was a wicked cool day!). I'm now finishing up my third... Here are pictures of them both:

Purple Goodness!

WIP shot just to show the size:

Yea, I can't wait to bring this one to it's future home: Michelle from the Mt Auburn Oncology Unit. Last year I spent quite a bit of time there(weekly visits for a while) while my Grandparents received various treatments for their cancers and blood disorders. I can't express how wonderful the nursing staff there was. There was one nurse in particular that Grampa really liked, so I'll bring this down and hope she's still there and even working that day...

And my almost finished third? Feast your eyes upon this:

...and the back:

I am so impressed with myself! This one doesn't have a home yet... I may swap it... =)

And I've done more than shawls lately. I made my daughter a really really nice crochet jacket. The pattern is free online(can be found here), but I did alter it a bit. I changed how I did the sleeves and hood, and the trim as well. Plus I used a different yarn and different colors. The results are fantastic:

She just loves it... And I can't believe the reactions I've been getting from people... "What a cute sweater, where'd you get it? ...You made that!" Even Santa was impressed when we took the kids for their annual mall picture. Pretty cool, if I do say so myself!

That's all for now... my shower is calling me... Craft on All!

The Proudest of Mumma Moments...

2007-11-09T14:44:00.000-08:00

Quick, while I have the time... Yesterday my soon to be eight year old son did something amazing. After running a few errands I had stopped at the gas station on my way home to fill up. While I was pumping my son started flailing and flapping his arms trying to get my attention from the back seat. He persisted with banging on the window and calling me loud enough for me to hear him through the closed doors and windows. Tired and sore from the day, I exasperatedly yanked the door open. "What?!" I demanded. "Mumma, I need to go say thank you to him," he said excitedly, pointing to the next gas island over. I looked over and saw a Soldier, dressed in his Class A uniform, filling his own gas tank. I stood there for a few seconds, stunned. "Can I?" he asked. "Uhhh, yea. I mean sure, Baby!" I stood back as my small boy unbuckled his seat belt, hopped out of the car, zipped his coat and straightened his winter hat. He checked for cars and proceeded to walk over to the next island. Now, my son is a rather excitable child... If he wants your attention, he'll usually pat your arm and say excuse me repeatedly until you answer him. But not this time. He quietly walked up the the Soldier and just stood there until he was noticed, it took well over a minute. "Oh, hi there buddy..." the Soldier said, looking around a little worriedly, maybe for his parents? My son smiled and said, "I just wanted to say thank you for taking care of our Country." That Soldier had the same look I had had just a few moments ago. "Well uh, thank you very much buddy!" he replied, sounding surprised. He patted my son on the shoulder as he turned to come back to the car. I watched my son climb back into his booster seat and buckle his seatbelt. I looked across to the Soldier, now finished pumping his gas. "You've got a really cute kid there," he said to me. I smiled and said "Thanks!" Then I quickly added before I climbed back into my car, "You know, this was all his doing... I was just as surprised as you." We exchanged smiles and went back to our own lives...

*sigh*

Hookin' for the Holidays!

2007-11-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not selling my body for extra money for the always expensive holiday season... I've got two orders for gifts!

One of my co-workers wants a sweater for her friend's soon to be born little girl. I'm going to buy the yarn for that later this weekend... I'm thinking the ever popular BIOC with either Nature's Choice Organic Cotton Yarn in Almond with Strawberry trim, or Bernat Cotton Tots in Wonder White with Lovely Lilac trim... We'll see what's at the store when I go tomorrow.

I've also started a purse, special order for one of my parents at work. It'll be a gift for her sister-in-law. Here's a few progress pictures:

And here's what it'll look like when it's done, only in different colors:

I'll line the finished product with some coordinating cotton fabric. And I'll also be making a matching change purse, but I'm not sure about the style yet...

And, I've also been crocheting shawls... There's a few ladies at our church that make Comfort Shawls(aka Prayer Shawls). While I can't actually make it to the weekly gathering they have(Monday night... Hubby works... no sitter) I've almost completed my second one! Here's a few pictures of them both...

My first...

I used this free pattern.

My second, still a WIP...

No pattern here, just V-stitches and fan stitches...

And I've got enough yarn in my stash for three more shawls! Because of my craft ADD, I'm sure they'll all be different...

Speaking of stash, my Ravelry invite finally came! Yay!!! I've been slowly adding projects to my notebook, queuing projects, and adding stash pictures! Check me out if you're ever there! I'm glittergirl94(just like on Craftster!). And now... back to hookin'(and not the street corner!)! Craft on All!

Crafting Rut?

2007-10-07T17:36:00.000-07:00

Nah... I think it's just because I've been sick. See my Homelife blog for complete details about that. But never the less, I just haven't been inspired to create much of anything, nor have I had the motivation to try... Kinda irritating really. I've had ideas for all kinds of goodies that I'd love to make, but that's as far as anything has gone. Grrrr...
As a result of being sick, I've wrapped up the swaps I was involved in, pulled out of one that I had signed up for but hadn't actually started yet, and decided not to join anymore for a bit(atleast until I feel a bit better). =( I think that's part of the problem; no direction for my crafting.
But I have managed to keep up with my photograph project, 365. I have an entire set just for these pictures at my flickr, check it out! And I was tickled to discover that four of these pictures made Explore! If you're wondering what that is... click here! Yay me!
And in light of the up coming holiday(Halloween, one of my favorites!!!) I crocheted up a little something...

This is one of my 365 shots. I've recently discovered photoshop and have been having a blast with it! Here are some of my recent favorites!

My hair really is this pink...

Don't I wish there were three of me!

Neat huh! Craft on with your bad self!

William Tell Overture for Moms

2007-09-27T07:14:00.001-07:00

Funny!

Magic Yarn Ball Swap...

2007-09-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

Yep, I caved and signed up for it... Never made a Magic Yarn Ball before, nor have I ever received one. After the crafting I did today, I better have a shit load of yarn to wrap over the stuff I've made! This yarn ball is gonna be a bit on the big side...

I'm hoping to post pictures later but so far I've made: a set of five stitch markers with some really pretty green beads, a wicked cool pair of cherry earrings, and a pair of crochet wrist warmers. I also intend on included a few store bought items: knitting needles for the pattern I chose, other small objects required for finishing the pattern I'm including, candy and chocolate of course, maybe a candle or two...

Yea, this is gonna be friggin' huge! I hope my partner is having as much fun as I am.

*edit*

Here are the pictures!

Cherry Earrings!

Green Beaded Stitch Markers

Wrist Warmers!

Wheeeeee! Craft On All!

Kick me...

2007-09-15T08:26:00.000-07:00

I made the most awesome messenger bag last weekend for The Weekend Swap. Did I take any pictures of it... *slaps forhead* I swear sometimes... I take pictures of everything else. Oh well, lesson learned. It is a pretty sweet bag though. I'm hoping that my partner will send me the pictures she takes.

And now... what did I get in return? Check out the awesomeness!

Here's a weird angle of the wicked T-shirt my partner stenciled for me!!!

And these bobbies just ROCK!!! Hello Kitty and Bettie Paige; four pairs, two of each.

Yay for Craftster! Yay for swaps! And yay for my partner!!! WOOT!

Lookie, lookie!

2007-09-07T21:33:00.000-07:00

You are Bettie Page

Girl next door with a wild streak
You're a famous beauty - with unique look
And the people like you are cultish about it

What Famous Pinup Are You?

Neat Huh!

Spun Sherbert

2007-09-02T14:20:00.000-07:00

So about a week ago, I spun this...

It's a three ply; one rather fat and squishy strand of the orange and two thinner strands of the pink.

My first three ply, and I luuurrrvveee it!

It took some thinking about what to make with it. First I started crocheting a hat for my daughter, but I didn't like the way it was comming out... rippit, rippit...

So I came up with this... A long, squishy scarf!

Not sure yet what I'll do with it; sell it, gift it, keep it.... We'll see!

And More Goodies!

2007-08-02T05:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was so productive! Here are more goodies I made!

Group Shot!

The Cake and Ice Cream Cone.

Cookies(strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate) and a pink frosted doughnut! Yummy!

All the pattern links can be found at my flickr site; button to the right! Thanks for looking!

sigh

2007-08-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

I just love it when I unexpectedly get to spend the day crafting! I was going to go into work for a few hours yesterday and today, but my daughter isn't feeling up to par and I need her to be healthy for our trip this weekend. So instead I, of course, crafted... wanna see?

Slippers for a swap package. They're so damn comfy! I think I'll make myself a pair before winter. I used an N hook with a strand each of Lion Brand Boucle and Red Heart Super Saver held together. They should be pretty sturdy and last a bit. And for the same swap package(lucky girl!):

Isn't it so pretty! Yet another item I wanna keep... The second Messenger Bag I've ever made. My partner is 15 so I figured she could use this for either crafty stuff or school stuff. She said she likes bright colors and pretty things... I hope she likes it as much as I do! I wasn't able to put any pockets or pouches in. =( I ran out of fabric. But it's still functional(and really pretty) just the same. It's my first time sewing with a fabric that isn't cotton... not bad.

I also spent some time on The Secret Craftster second send out swap package... but I can't post any of the details here, now can I? ; )

Quickie...

2007-07-18T17:02:00.000-07:00

I just had to post these... been meaning to do so for a while now...

Close up of the lettering! Awesome huh! Part of my Crafty Detective Swap Package!!! Woot!

Still Trying New Things!

2007-06-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

Yep... I loved the book I made so much, I made another one... but I won't bore you with pictures of it... Same as the last one, just different colors.

But, something I am terribly proud of... feast your eyes on this:

Isn't it pretty!!! As usual, I'm not keeping it. But I know it's going to a good home where it will be muchly appreciated and well loved(my favorite swap partner!). Jewelery making isn't as hard as I thought it would be, truth be told... this was a kit. But all the kit really did was pick beads and colors for me. I still had to assemble everything, none of the beads came wired or anything. Very tedious work... But so worth it! This, along with the two star books, a crochet iPod Shuffle arm band, and a few other odds and ends, are all being sent out tomorrow. Yay! I can't wait to get my package(I want what I can't make swap!).

I've also just finished up the SSS9(well, almost... I've sent all of my packages and received 9/10, great stuff!!!) and the Crafty Detective Swap(I sent but have received yet... wonder who it is that crafted for me...). Both were fun(what's not to like!!!) and now I'm eager to start on the DIY Kit swap I joined; just got my partner info yesterday! Three kits to make: Cake Dye Yarn Dying Kit, Star Book Kit, and Beginner Crochet Kit(with bonus felting instructions). Should be fun!!!!! Not quite sure how I'll tackle them just yet... I still have a million ideas floating around my head.

And now I'm off to put those ideas to work!

Craft On All!

Something New!

2007-05-21T17:41:00.000-07:00

I tried a new craft... and liked it! Anyone that reads my blog knows that I'm a bit all over the place when it comes to crafting. I pretty much do anything, but knitting... I can't knit for beans. And not for lack of trying either... Anyway, today I made my first book! Sadly, I'm not keeping it... Guess that means I'll just have to make another one! Here are some brag pics...

Yay me! But I must give the proper credit(I'm crafty but I'm not that good!); here's a link to the tute I used: Star Book. I did, however, change it up just a bit... I added an extra point; there are eight points on my star and the tute had seven. I also made all of my pages pocket pages; the tute only had two pocket pages and the rest were just decorative pages(I'm all about function people!). I'm very excited to send this off to my swap partner, to say the least!

And, if you read my Home Life Blog then you've heard all about our adventures at the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival(and even seen pictures of my littles!). I have yet to start playing with the alpaca fleece I bought... all in good time, my pretty, all in good time. I'm currently swamped with swap goodies. Let see...

~ For the SSS: five techie cozies are done!

~ Also for the SSS: five skeins of hand dyed wool yarn are done; click here for pictures(they're so pretty!)

~ For the I Want What I Can't Make Swap: one ATC book done, scroll up for that one!

~ For the Crafty Detective Swap: three crochet cotton grocery bags done!

~ Also for the Crafty Detective Swap: Ha! Thought I was going to give it all away! I bought various other goodies and crafted a few other fun items for my stalkee...

Craft On All!

More Fabric

2007-05-05T18:08:00.000-07:00

I found some more!

These are fairly large pieces, the peachy- pink is a stretchy soft fabric(not sure what kind) and the other three are fairly heavy in weight...

Here are some little bits of fun stuff: care bears, pretty baby print, color bars, teddy bears, TMNT, rainbow dots, lavender, and apples.

Here's a better shot of the care bears and apples, along with some my little pony, turquoise, and orange and white check...

Fabric Swap Pics...

2007-05-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

After posting on the new swap ideas board about the missing Ongoing Fabric Swap, I got a few requests for personal swaps... To make things easier, I'll post pictures of the fabrics I've got here...

These are fairly large pieces; (clockwise starting at "nine o'clock") 2 yards of black and white check/plaid?, a ton of floral upholstery fabric?, another ton of white on cream cotton print, 2 yards of yellow pooh jacquard.

Remnants and fat quarters; a yard, maybe more, of the green bubbles, a 26" x 45" piece of strawberry shortcake fabric, a frog print with coordinating colored red, green and blue fat quarter pack, and two pieces of cream with leaves canvas? one is 60" x 33" and the other is 60" x 39".

Smaller pieces and a mini quilt kit(really mini!). The mini kit comes with instructions, nice quickie project. Behind it is some purple bubbles fabric(same pattern as the green bubbles pictured above, but not as much). Then the two packaged white fat quarters, some decent sized scrap pieces of stripe and paisley fabrics, and a 45" x 18" piece of brown with teal dots.

The last random bits; 54" x 16" bit of thin clear plastic, scraps of orange felt, pink and brown diamonds and hand dyed blue/purple cotton, and the larger white piece is actually a table runner with Aida sewn into it for counted cross stitching a design into it...

All the fabrics are cotton, unless otherwise stated. Thanks for looking!

Five Minutes

2007-04-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

Just a quickie post...

Click this link that I found at Craftster... http://www.shaneswish.com/. It's real; not a spoof! It'll only take you five minutes. And pass the word along, to everyone that you can think of! Print it out and hang it at work, email a link to everyone in your address book. It's such a simple thing, everyone should be able to do this...

So much to do!

2007-04-22T04:41:00.000-07:00

Yea, so I've been a little busy... Still crafting though! Sewing and crocheting, added a few items to my long neglected etsy shop, swapped like crazy... the usual. Here are a few pictures:

I made this for a 24 hour swap. It's crochet in 100% merino wool. Due to time constraints, I wasn't able to felt it myself, but my partner was terribly excited to be able to felt it herself. She's not a crocheter or a knitter(but boy can she sew! I got a fabulous tote in return!), so it worked out well for everyone. The pattern is my own too, just kinda flew by the seat of my pants...

These I just sent out yesterday for the Cover A 14" Pillow Swap. These were a challenge. I was a little nervous while making them; I actually considered just scrapping the whole thing and starting over at one point. Boy was I surprised when I put them on my pillow forms. Not bad, not bad at all... They're just a 14" quilt block with an overlapped pocket back. I believe the quilt block is called Card Trick... Fortunately, most of my corners matched up!

These were just one of the many items I sent out for the IYP6 Swap, hair pretties! My partner has very long thin hair and these are the only kinds of barrettes she can get to stay in her hair. So, I embellished a few pairs for her. Nothing terribly fancy and the picture is kinda crappy, but you get the idea. I may have to try more beading later, it was kinda fun!

I finally finished it! I started this sundress for my daughter at the beginning of winter(yep, last year) and finally picked it up again and finished it. It's still a little big for her, but it's also still a little chilly out for it. By the time the weather is warmer, she'll be a little bigger. I crochet it using 100% cotton, nice and soft and breathable. It's definitely nice to have a little girl to crochet things for. My son is usually less than interested...

And finally *drum roll please* my first self designed amigurumi! Ta da! I just love these little guys. I made them for my kids' Easter Baskets; blue for my son and purple for my daughter. I hunted and hunted the internet for a free pattern that I liked and didn't find one, so I just started crocheting. Even my son was impressed. They worked up pretty quick too.

As for my next few projects? Who knows... one of the perks of suffering from Craft ADD(well, ADD all over really, but manageable for the most part... it all gets done... eventually...). For now, I'm off to wash my kitchen floor(bought a new mop yesterday, gonna give it a whirl!).

Craft On All!

Bad Blogger... No Cookie...

2007-03-30T05:24:00.000-07:00

It's been forever since I updated my craft blog, bad me... See my other blog(go to my profile to find it) for details... But, just because I haven't been here, doesn't mean I haven't been crafting(yea, like anything could keep me from crafting, HA!). I've been busy as ever, keeping busy keeps me sane. Here's what I've been up to...

I've been keeping up on swapping(surprise surprise). Finished the roving swap

(Isn't this just delicious looking! Reminds me of citrus fruits and watermelon.), about to wrap up the SSS8

(more goodies pictured in my Swaps(stuff I got!) set in my flickr), half way done with IYP6

(felt-to-fit wool wrist warmers(I'm rather proud of this creation! She sent me her measurements and I then crochet these up to be fairly big on her. Then, once she receives them, she felts them so they fit her perfectly... neat-o!) that I sent, along with some stickers, kool-aid, and chocolate...)

(and I'll be sending this in a second box in a week or so, along with a bracelet, some homespun yarn, more stickers, and a few other doo-dads...), and I'm co organizing my very first swap; Cover a 14" Pillow Swap! And, all are within my virtual home away from home... Craftster. Plus... I've already begun my items for SSS9(can you say addict?). Here's a sneak peek of the WIP!

Craft on All!

A Tale of Two Rovings

2007-03-04T13:45:00.000-08:00

So, I actually only have one of the two roving's; the other one is still with my Hand dyed Roving Swap partner. I spent the morning dying my brains out, what fun! And I'm happy to say that I'm very pleased with the results! But first things first, I must give credit where credit is due. Thanks to Loribird's How to Braid Roving tute on her blog, From the Wool Room. And another thanks to Star and her fiber dying tutes on her blog, Keep on Knitting in the Free World. There are links to both of these blogs in the Crafty Blogs I Frequent section of my blog. Now, for the good stuff!

My very first roving braid! Yay me!

I started by soaking my roving two ounces at a time in hot water with a bit of vinegar in it. I'm not the most patient person in the world so a thirty minute soak seemed like f-o-r-e-v-e-r... Besides where's the fun in watching wool soak?

While that was soaking, I mixed up my dyes; blue, purple, green, and gold. At first I used all Wilton cake dyes, but the purple separated and it turned out mostly blue... so I added some red kool aid and crossed my fingers.

This was the fun part! Squirt away! A little blue here... some green here... squirt of purple... then a bit of gold... And let me just say, I now have a new respect for my microwave!

The results:

I just love the way they all turned out! The two blue and purple ones are going to be sent to my partner. Not sure about the other three yet. Maybe I'll spin them up myself!

I also have been working on my SSS8 offerings. Here's a sneak peek! Soon-to-be-felted coin purses:

and 100% cotton water bottle cozies:

Whew, that was a blog and a half!
Craft On Everyone!

I made a hat!

2007-02-21T17:07:00.000-08:00

See!

The hat part is made from homespun yarn(my first real skein!); single crochet. The pompom and ear flaps are patons merino. Rather than put long ties on the ear flaps(not safe for babies and toddlers) I put small loops, good for tugging on to make sure the hat is on nice and snug... Neat huh!

See what a few hours can do!

2007-02-18T13:14:00.001-08:00

I had a few hours this afternoon of quiet, so of course, I crafted. First I finished cutting out the bear parts for the FrankenTeddy Swap. I'm making two rather large bears(one for each of my kids, for Easter I think...). Here are the parts I'm sending out, seperated into bear #1 and bear #2 piles.

After I finished that, I decided it was time I finished up that yarn I started spinning a while back; you know, that pretty purple stuff... First I took two spun singles and plied them together. Rather happy with the results...

There's almost 3.5 oz there. I think maybe I'll make myself a hat or a pair of wrist warmers(small ones, there isn't that much yarn there...). But, that's not all I got. While I was plying this the spool broke(GAH!!!). So I ended up stopping and just finishing that skein there, a little disapointing and frustrating to say the least. With one of the spools of leftovers I tried my hand at navajo plying. Not fantastic, but not awful either. The other spool, I just left as a spun single.

And finally... I bought some of the prettiest fabric for a rather large tote for my IYP6 swap partner. The blue paisley is for the outside and the stripe is the lining; although the bag will be reversable, so I suppose it'll be left up to my partner. I hope there's some left over so I can make something for myself(I love this fabric!)

Craft on everyone!

Crochet Kick!

2007-02-11T17:12:00.000-08:00

After all the counted cross stitching and paper crafting I've been doing lately, today I felt the need to crochet. Actually, I've had the crochet bug for about a week now. First I started some wrist warmers for a swap. I've made them a little big and then I intend to send them to their new home with instructions on how to "felt them to fit" by wearing them while felting them in the kitchen sink. The results should be interesting to say the least. They're really pretty if I do say so myself...

They're a really great shade of purple. 100% merino wool! The top is crochet cables, four cables total. It's my own design and I'm rather proud of it!

Then today, because I didn't feel like starting the second arm warmer, I made this:

Isn't he sweet! The pattern is from a fellow craftster and I just love him to death! The yarn is also 100% merino wool, but this stuff is hand dyed! I got it in a swap a few months ago and have been waiting for the perfect project to come along... Yay for octopus!!!

Craft On!

Where to start!!!

2007-02-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

Goodness, it feels like ages since I've plopped myself down to type here... Lots have happened since my last post. I got my spindle and it's great; which inspired me to go looking for a wheel. Now, brand new they are very expensive(although I was ready to start saving!). So I looked on ebay and found nothing that tempted me buying a second hand one there(shipping was insane, there ended up being no savings!). I also went to my LYS(The Elegant Ewe) but they only had new ones. Then I went to various websites about spinning, including guilds and spinning groups... nothing. Finally, as a long shot, I searched on craigslist.org to see if there was anyone local(yea right!) looking to get rid of one. Yep, I found one in the next town over; an Ashford Traditional in EXCELLENT shape, as well as a set of hand carders, a lazy kate with three extra bobbins, and a ball winder...

For all this, I paid $35.00!!! I named her(the wheel, silly) Lucky. I figured it was appropriate. Since then I've had her tuned up at The Ewe(all free of charge, they rock!) and I even bought some fiber! I had some white fiber left over from the spindle I bought(and still use, I might add) and I've had fun dying that with some kool aid in my crock pot(I love the looks I get when I tell people this... Yarn... dyed with kool aid... in your what? crock pot?).

Red and purple! I even tried plying! It's not a huge ball, but it's my first completed one!

Just look how soft that is, you can actually see it! Alpaca spins up nicely too!

Yep, so it's been a busy week or so. I've finished up the IYP5 swap with smashing results! A swap journal and tons of craft supplies!!! Go sewknitter! Pictures are in my flickr, should you feel the urge... And because I can't seem to sit out a round of SSS, I'm working on finishing up my items from round seven, there are pictures of that in my flickr as well. And(swap-aholic, I know) I just joined the Frankenteddy swap; each swapper downloads and cuts out the pieces of a teddybear pattern, then we send different pieces to different people. For example, one person will the the legs I cut out and I'll get theirs, then another will get the arms I cut out and I'll get theirs... In the end I will have all the parts I need to make the bear(I'm actually making two, one for each of my kids) but in different fabrics. Should be fun! I'm stalking a few other swaps as well; the Heart Swap(I could leave or take that one) and the Not-So-Kitschy Kitchen Swap(want...). If I can manage to finish up SSS7 or the cutting for Frankenteddy... I don't want to over commit myself, plus I'm traveling to Florida at the end of Feb...

Craft On All!

What a week!

2007-01-22T03:29:00.000-08:00

I got my spinning kit, *singing and dancing around the room* I got my spinning kit. It came in the mail with 8oz of un-dyed top(different from roving, although I'm not really sure about why or how). She(the wonderful lady I bought it from) also sent two smaller samples, one dyed and one not, just to show the difference between the two. I immediately spun them and then crocheted them. The results:

The bottom third(the really nice looking, even, thin yarn) was not spun by me. That was the leader that was left on the spindle for me. The rest of it, however, is my handy work. Not bad for my first time out, eh? I was terribly excited anyway. And then I, of course, spun an ounce of something brown(still learning my fibers, work with me here).

As you can see, it's still on the spindle. I'll wind it off today and set the twist, or maybe I'll spin another ounce in the opposite direction(this is a "Z" twist so I'd spin the next one with an "S" twist) and ply them. Just plain white? And then dye it! This really is a lot of fun, despite the looks of pure disbelief that I get when I tell people that I want to learn how to make yarn. One family friend though crocheting was strange enough(poking fun, but not nastily, just for shits and giggles really) and couldn't understand why I would want to make the yarn first. I just smiled...

I spend most of yesterday on craftster. First, I made twenty five "Love Notes" for the SSS7, five for each partner. They came out really nice(my mother and cousin commented that I should sell them. Alas, the stamps are copyrighted. I really need to get some stamps from an angel company.);

I really can't stand all the cutesie, lovie valentine's day crap, but I love paper crafts. Being able to just sit at the table and put together 25 cards, experimenting with different ideas and such is really very relaxing for me. Call it therapy? There are individual shots of each card at my flickr account, just follow the link to your right! They took me a few hours(I made them while my daughter napped). Once I was finished, I spent another hour or so, uploading pictures and updating my swap threads and such. What a nice and relaxing day. Thanks for reading and Happy Crafting!

Sewing...

2007-01-15T10:59:00.000-08:00

I found some time today! It was hiding behind a snow day! I really do despise winter, but it definitely becomes tolerable when I get to spend the day at home catching up on things because everything has been closed due to the weather.

First, I did some stamping. I dug around in my craft bin for bits and scraps of paper to stamp small images on so I could send them off in my IYP5 Swap box. My swap partner makes ATCs(Artist Trading Cards) and these will come in handy. I fretted over exactly how to go about this for a while... Do I stamp in colors, on colored paper, multiple images in different colors? I finally decided to stamp an alphabet in black on white card stock, each letter stamped five times, and then I stamped all of my small stamps(my collection isn't that large) once on white card stock with a light grey ink. I figured she could color them in with the medium of her choice. But I also included a note telling her that if there were any images that she loved and wanted more on/in different colors, don't hesitate to ask. In that package I also included a ton of scraps and little leftover bits of card stock; perfect for ATCs.

Next I tackled the clip on earrings I've been fucking around with for weeks. Jewelery just is not my forte... But I did tell her that I'd send a few pairs(foolishly thinking that this would be fairly simple). I finally managed a pair!

The flowers are shrinky dinks. I drew and colored them with watercolor pencils and, after shrinking, I sealed them with clear nail polish. Not bad, but I won't make jewelery again for a while...

Now I'm sure you're scratching your head wondering why the title of this blog is sewing and here I've been rattling on about everything but! Well, I got to spend some time at my machine today! And then it started having issues(minor one's I'm sure, I think I just need to give it a good cleaning). First I made the pillow for my IYP5 partner that I started a while ago. I really like the way it came out!

My camera can't do the fabric I used proper justice. It's hand dyed with blues and greys in it. Sort of reminds me of a stormy ocean. It really makes the green stitching pop. I am very pleased with the final result of this one.

I took a quick crafty break of sorts and hemmed my hubby's new jammie pants while I had my sewing machine out. Not very craft related, but sewing is sewing and I need all the help I can get.

And then... you caught a glimpse of him already... I finally got around to making my sock monkey! I got a kit during SSS5 from one of my partners. Then, I never actually sat down and sewed him. Unfortunately, I think he is what caused the issue with my sewing machine; I ended up finishing him by hand. Despite the fact that my hand sewing skills suck(big time), I really love the little guy.

His arms and legs are reeeaaalllyyy loooooooong, but I think that's just part of being a sock monkey. My daughter really likes him too, she woke up from her nap, caught sight of him and immediately wanted to hold and squish and abuse him(as toddlers often do). Good for him that she's a young toddler(turning one at the end of this month) and still puts things in her mouth so she can't be trusted with his button eyes. I have yet to name him... any suggestions?

Spin Me!

2007-01-13T09:08:00.000-08:00

I just bought a beginners spinning kit! I can't wait for it to get here! I've been stalking the spinning boards at craftster and finally couldn't take it any longer! I poked around etsy for a bit and looked at a few different ones. I finally settled on one that seemed to be the most reasonably priced, had great reviews, and offered a lot of roving to practice with. I have yet to get it(hell, I just ordered it a few moments ago), but I already feel it's $20.00 well spent. I can't wait!!!

In other crafty news, I sent out my Fill-A-Box-Swap box on Thursday. I jam packed that thing! I asked the postmaster what it would have cost me to ship it had it not been in a flat rate box(those are $8.10); $11.75. Woo Hoo! And I'll be getting all sorts of crafty goodness in return. Here's a few pics:

The Box all prettied up with Froggie stickers.

The goods; yarn, fabric, cross stitch kits, stickers and other scrap booking/paper craft supplies, sewing notions... I can't wait to get my box!

Sweat Shop Swap round 6 is officially finished. Received confirmation that my last package arrived safely this morning. I've already started crafting for round 7(addict!). I'll be making 5 sets of 5 Hand Stamped Love Notes and 5 "Kiss me, you fool" counted cross stitch mini pillows. I don't have any pictures of these yet, although I really should so I can post them to the thread for everyone to actually "see" what I'm offering.

I've technically finished the Pringles Can Swap, but I'm not sure... I made what I though would be a small scarf to put in the can, along with a few other items. It takes up almost the entire can! So now I'm trying to decide if I keep the scarf and post it in my etsy shop(It came out really nice, I'll post a pic in a second) and then fill the can with lots of smaller items, or just send it out as is: scarf with a few smaller items... Here's the scarf:

She gave me a link to her swap likes info and it said that she liked stars and would love a grey and black striped scarf, so I combined the two... But now I'm not sure if I'll send it... Hmmm....

And I'm off to work on sewing a pillow for the IYP5 swap(yep I'm going to sew that cross stitched "Sewknitter" into a pillow) and some stamping for either IYP5 or SSS7. Craft on All!

Ready for my close-up!

2007-01-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Here are the pictures I promised! First the crochet fabric bowl:

It's nothing spectacular, but I'm proud of it. Next, the felted soap:

They just smell so yummy! I'm not actually keeping these two, they're for a swap. I felted a third bar later that day for myself. Must have more! Next up are some hearts that I'm making for my etsy shop.

These ones are 5x3 inches and are so soft and squishy! I made them with some super chunky weight yarn.

These are made with wool and I'll be felting them as soon as I've made a bunch. Great for appliques and such. Last, I have pictures of the counted cross stitch kick I've been on.

The first one is another design from Subversive Cross Stitch(third one I've done from that book). I think I'll hang it in the bedroom(see what hubby has to say about that, hehe). The second is for a swap partner(wonder who?). I found the font at http://www.celticxstitch.ie/. They'll actually create a free chart for you, really cool.

So, as you can see, I've been a tad busy. But it's a good busy. Keeps me out of trouble. Have fun!

Such a crafty day!

2007-01-06T18:31:00.000-08:00

Whew! I've been a busy crafter, but unfortunately... I left my fucking camera at work. I'll post pictures hopefully tomorrow night of the goodies I made/finished.

First I felted my first bar of soap! And then I did two more. I did a personal swap on craftster.org for two bars of homemade glycerin soap; one mango scented and the other cranberry scented. Both have poppy seeds(although that is now irrelevant due to the felt). They came out so pretty, and smell so nice! I'm sending them to my Invite Your Partner Swap Round 5(IYP5) swap partner. I was so eager to felt more that I felted a bar of dove(the stuff we use in the shower, we all have really sensitive skin here in the land of Melinda so we stick with what works and tend not to venture out). I was rather impressed with myself.

I also finished the cross stitch I made for my IYP5 partner(she's such a lucky girl!). It's just her screen name stitched in green Celtic font. I'm not sure if I'll frame it, stitch it into a tote bag or pillow, or just send it to her and let her do what she likes with it... We'll see I guess.

I think it's safe to say that I won't be crocheting fabric again for a long time! Not only is it pretty time consuming to cut the damn fabric into strips and then crochet them(fabric doesn't slide like yarn does) but, holy shit, my right wrist is aching! But the end result is kinda nice, also going into that IYP5 swap box.

All in all, a very good crafting day. And for tomorrow...

Must swap more!!!

2007-01-04T17:02:00.000-08:00

In the past twenty four hours I've joined two more swaps. Hello, my name is Melinda and I'm a craft addict. One of them isn't actually crafing though, it's more of a stash swap. I fill a box, they fill a box and we swap. Hoping to get some good stuff!!! And I can send the stuff I'm not using to a good home. Waste not, want not! The other swap I joined should be fairly quick, filling up a pringles can of all things! A few crochet items, sewn items, maybe some supplies? Who knows?

I finished the vest for my daughter, but now that it's done... it needs sleeves so it can grow up into a sweater. Hoping to finish that this weekend. I tried it on her and it is so friggin' cute!!! I can't wait for it to be done so she can wear it to school(daycare, she's not quite one yet).

No pictures today, just chitter chatter...

All sorts of new stuff!

2007-01-02T17:16:00.000-08:00

Here's what I've been up to lately... First, my mother bought me the Subversive Cross Stitch Book. I love, love, love it! Here's the first one I stitched up, appropriately for my mom(it's her favorite saying).

I've also made "Beeyatch" for my sister(one of her favorite expletives) and I'm currently working on "Be My Bitch" for myself. These are so much fun! ]
I've also started to crochet with fabric. I cut some orange flowery print into 1/2" strips and started crocheting a bowl. Here's a progress pic...

I'm impressed.
Also, not pictured, I've started a vest for my daughter. I was at Michael's Craft Store and found some Lion Brand Fancy Fur on sale for $1.00 a skein! I grabbed up eight of them, for black with purple-ish and four black with blue-ish. I then paired it up with a skein of black Red Heart and started crocheting. I'll post a picture once it's done!
Craft on!

IYP Shrug and Hat

2006-12-28T07:08:00.001-08:00

IYP Shrug and Hat
Originally uploaded by glittergirl224.

I love the holiday break! Of course, I've had an extended one due to my Grampa being sick and then passing away a week ago yesterday. That was rough to say the least, but I've managed to set aside some much needed crafting/therapy time for myself and the results are pretty good. I've completed the lover's knot shrug and free form crocheted a hat in some super chunky yarn. It's so nice(the yarn for the hat, that is)! It's like taking three sport weight yarns and plying them together, and super soft!!! Almost want to keep it for myself... I just hope my partner likes them. I also started some earrings, but those stupid fucking fur balls my husband loves so much(I really do like cats, just not these two) knocked the glass that I had them in(that was on top of my computer, the flea bags deliberatly went for them!) and now I can't find one of the second pair... Here is a picture of the shrug and hat. I modeled them myself. There are more pictures on my flickr account, feel free to follow the link to your left!

My first pattern...

2006-12-23T14:39:00.000-08:00

I've had one or two people compliment my work on the skull cap I made(thank you!) for my cousin for Christmas, sooooooo..... Here's the pattern!

I used a 4ply worsted weight yarn(Walmart Mainstays Brand's soft burgundy, and Red Heart Brand's light grey and dark grey) and an 1/9-5.50 MM hook. It fit's my hubby and he has a slightly larger melon than the average person, but he also requested that when I make him one, I add a row or two... You be the judge. This pattern works up so quickly that, if after finishing it you discover you need to make adjustments, you can make the second one in the same day!

Foundation Round: With burgundy, ch 4. SS into first ch to join and make a loop. ss in loop.
Round 1: ch 3(counts as first dc now and throughout). 9 dc in ch 4 loop. ss to top of ch 3 to join. 10 dc
Round 2: ch 3. dc in same st. 2 dc in each st around. ss to top of ch 3 to join. 20 dc
Round 3: ch 3. 2 dc in next st. *dc in next st, 2 dc in next st. Repeat from * eight times more. 30 dc
Round 4: ch 3. dc in next st. 2 dc in next st. *dc in next 2 sts, 2 dc in next st. Repeat from * eight times more. 40 dc
Round 5: ch 3. dc in next 2 sts. 2 dc in next st. *dc in next 3 sts, 2 dc in next st. Repeat from * eight times more. 50 dc
Round 6: ch 3. dc in each st. 50 dc
Round 7: ch 3. dc in next 3 sts. 2 dc in next st. *dc in next 4 sts, 2 dc in next st. Repeat from * eight times more. 60 dc
Rounds 8, 9, & 10: dc in each st. Change colors in last dc of round 10 to dark grey. Do not fasten off burgundy! Just let it hang, you'll pick it up again in another round or so. 60 dc
Round 11: In back loops only(this is the only row you'll do this!), sc in each st. Change color in last sc to burgundy. Do not fasten off dark grey! Just let it hang, you'll pick it up again. 60 sc
Round 12: Working in both loops this time, sc in each st. Change color in last sc to light grey. Do not fasten off burgundy, blah, blah blah... I'm sure you get the point by now. 60 sc
Round 13: sc in each st. Change color in last sc to dark grey. Don't fasten off. 60 sc
Round 14: sc in each st. Change color in last sc to light grey. Don't fasten off. 60 sc
Round 15: sc in each st. Change color in last sc to burgundy. Fasten off, leaving a long tail to weave in. 60 sc
Round 16: sc in each st. Change color in last sc to dark grey. Do not fasten off. 60 sc
Round 17: sc in each st. Change color in last sc to burgundy. Fasten off, leaving a long tail to weave in. 60 sc.
Round 18: sc in each st. Fasten off and weave in the ends!

Please let me know if there are any errors or if something doesn't seem right. Like I said before, I altered the boy beanie pattern from S-n-B Happy Hooker. That pattern wasn't big enough(the hat ended up being child sized) and it had a tendency to scootch up off my ears, even after I made it bigger. So I did the entire bottom in sc to make it a bit tighter. Hope you like it! Feel free to comment!

Crochet Skull Cap

2006-12-22T20:08:00.001-08:00

I made this hat for my cousin for Christmas. His school colors are maroon and grey. I adapted the Boy Beanie pattern from the S-n-B Happy Hooker. I think I adapted it enough to consider the pattern my own... I can post the pattern if anyone is interested. Just leave a comments saying so! At any rate, here are a few pictures(my Hubby is so cooperative, and cute!):

Front View

Side View

While modeling, Hubby liked it so much he asked me to make him one... *pfffffffffft* Inflating my crafty ego.

ADD Much!

2006-12-16T14:25:00.000-08:00

I've been rather busy here in the Land of Melinda. Kinda all over the place too(still in denial about the ADD, fortunately I'm one of the lucky ones that manages just fine, most of the time, without the aid of meds). I went shopping to pick up a few crafty items this morning; purse decorations for a gift for my cousin, finishing touches for the homemade cocoa I'm giving out and for our holiday cards(I'm so fucking late this year!)... And then I came home and started doing twenty things at once...

The holiday cards are still in process, but there's not much I can do with them until I take the pictures I ordered back to the stupid ass photo lab where I ordered them. Seems the dumb ass running the machine doesn't know what their doing. Twenty of the fifty pictures I ordered were stuck together, making them useless... How hard is it to make sure the pictures are dry before you pile them on top of each other?

The cocoa's are almost done. I've actually finished one completely. I just have to tie the tags on the rest of them. They came out really nice, I think. Here's a pic(edited our names out, there really isn't a grey splotch across the middle of that tag)...

I made the cocoa from scratch(The recipe is from http://www.allrecipes.com/, check it out! It's one of my favorite sites!). The baggies on top are filled with marshmallows(can't have cocoa without them), milk chocolate chips(for an extra dose of chocolate), and butterscotch chips(for something a little different). I made the tags with print shop, fairly simple. Just printed, cut, punched a hole and strung 'em. Insta-gifts for my son's teacher, the mailman, my co-workers... Plus, my son got to help so it was a great "quality family time activity."

So I was, yet again, productive today... Knocked another few things of the list. Speaking of knocking things off the list, The pillow swap was canceled. :'( Apparently the swap organizer just up and deleted her account, so... no organizer, no swap... But I stuck a message in the thread that maybe after the holidays, since it turned out to be such a small swap, I'd take a crack at organizing. Another craftster saw this and offered to help(it being my first time and all). So, here's to my new found craftster pal... together we will have a pillow cover swap!

Craft On Everyone!

Oh yea, I finished crocheting the ornaments too!

Crochet, crochet, crochet...

2006-12-13T18:50:00.000-08:00

Been crocheting a lot lately. Keeps me busy(...and sane, it's my form of therapy seeing how I don't have health insurance or money to pay a good therapist. Besides, my yarn always tells me what I want to hear.). I'm half way done with the IYP5 shrug and it's coming out better than I planned, or at least I think so... Here's a spoiler(for my partner, that is) pic.

There's the whole thing so far; one arm and half(OK, more than half) of the back.

And now a close up of the stitches and the seam in the middle of the sleeve. I really hope she likes it. I'm rather impressed with myself. I only learned this stitch recently and this is my second time using it. It works up so quickly and is just so fucking pretty!

Other crafting news: I'm more than half done with a Christmas gift hat and my holiday cards are anxiously waiting for me to print them. I'll have more time to craft in the up coming weeks due to "Grampa Sitting"(he's dying of cancer and can't be left alone, I am happy to sit with him, quietly spend the time, and attend to his needs).

Addict...

2006-12-10T06:29:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, my name is Melinda and I'm a swapaholic. I currently have three swaps going on right now(I just joined a third this morning). Even though I'm insanely busy with the house, kids, hubby, extended family, upcoming holidays, holiday crafting... Yep it's official, I'm a fucking crazy person! Everyone needs a little serenity in their lives, and that is what crafting does for me. At any rate, I'm very excited! I've finished everything for the SSS6(ten sets of five thank you cards, pics in earlier post). I'm waiting to get my partner for the pillow swap(one maybe two pillows). And I have my partner for the IYP5 swap, but we have yet to settle on a theme or items to craft(I'd love to add to my stash!). This is my first time in the IYP(invite your partner) swap and I'm wicked excited! I asked my crafty pal, Sewknitter, if she'd be my "date." She also had never done this swap so it should be a good one. There is a fairly large group that does this one. I've become a regular in the SSS(this is my third consecutive round) and we'll see how this one goes... Yay for swaps!!!

Another one bites the dust...

2006-12-08T18:48:00.000-08:00

I finished the scarf! Woo Hoo! Here's a few pics!

Thanks to my craftster pal sewknitter for the fantastic yarn! And now, I'm off to my etsy shoppe!

Scarf...

2006-12-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

I've been crocheting my brains out on that scarf so I can get it D-O-N-E, done! I'm enjoying how quickly it's going, but I really want to start a few other projects. After posting that To Craft List(see, it's working!) I decided not to start anything new until I finish something on my list. Here's two progress pics of the scarf... the whole scarf, and then a close up.
Don't mind the grubby carpet(doesn't everyone say that?) or the poor quality of the pictures(that too). I've put "New Digital Camera" on my holiday wish list('spensive! We'll see about that one!)... I love, love, love this yarn. It's so pretty and perfect for this kind of stitch. Very forgiving! It's 14" wide and so far it's 43" long, and I've still got almost a whole ball of yarn to go! Hoping to post finished pictures soon(within a week?)...

Crafty Nerd

Chocolate Frog Cards!

Harry Potter Knitting/Crochet House Cup!

Neglect?

Oh I've been a busy crafter...

Recent Craftings...

New and Exciting?

Water Bottle Cozy

Oh look...

Give Away Day!

Holy Crap It's Been A While!

My 99th Post!

NaKniSweMo!

Finished!

I got a package!!!

What's new?

We Walked The Walk!

Juvenile Diabetes Reasearch Foundation Walk

New Side Bar Action

Neglect...

Quickie Work Post

Still Knitting....

Recently Crafty...

Socks on Circs...

Quilt It, Knit It, Love It!

Another Bag

November QAL Block

A quilting we will go...

Mittens

Swap, swap, swappity, swap...

Dance of Joy!

More of the same...

October QAL Block

Quilt Along?

Frogged...

I can't beleive I didn't post this sooner!

Some spend a weekend school shopping...

I've finished!!!

Quick... before I have to go make dinner!

Edited...

Sewing too!

Knit, knit, knit...

Sew buttons on ice cream and see if they stick!

New Leaf?

Cast On Knitting Scout Badges

Swap Parnter Info...

Before I forget...

Cute

Crafty Happenings?

Quickie...

A Quilting I Will Go...

A New Nest for the Little Bird

Yay for swaps!

*pursed lips and furrowed brow*

*crawl, creep, oooooze....*

Another Pattern...

I learned how to knit!!!

Star Scarf Tute

I am such a lame Craft Blogger...

Another quickie...

Quickie Button Post

Not much crafting...

Hookin' Up A Storm!

The Proudest of Mumma Moments...

Hookin' for the Holidays!

Crafting Rut?

William Tell Overture for Moms

Magic Yarn Ball Swap...

Kick me...

Lookie, lookie!

Spun Sherbert

And More Goodies!

*sigh*

Quickie...

Still Trying New Things!

Something New!

More Fabric

Fabric Swap Pics...

Five Minutes

So much to do!

pursed lips and furrowed brow

crawl, creep, oooooze....

sigh