Kibbles 'N Knits

New necklaces

2011-10-09T07:06:00.001-05:00

I have been really busy since school started but I did find some time to make a couple necklaces in the last six weeks.

The shorter necklace is a combination of new and thrifted chains. I love wearing it!

The fabric tassel necklace is made with new chain and vintage fabric.

My grandmother used to quilt. She had some squares saved (cut but never turned into a quilt). I've been trying to figure out ways to incorporate her fabrics into my wardrobe. I'm working on a few other fabric jewelry designs. I love wearing my grandma's fabric.

Lamp Shade

2011-09-15T15:55:00.002-05:00

Look what article went up on Re-Nest today! I love to recycle and reduce whenever I can. We have been using CFL bulbs in my house for years. I live in an old house (built 1919) with some original light fixtures. Sounds great, right? CFL bulbs should not be fully enclosed by a light fixture AND they are longer than incandescent bulbs so they didn't fit in the old fixtures. I had bare bulbs on my ceiling for longer than I'd like to admit.

Using steel wire from the hardware store, a wire nipper tool, a lamp shade, and some ingenuity I was able to cover my bare bulbs without fully enclosing them. All you need to do is wrap some wire around the wire in the lamp shade so that it hangs from the light. My fixtures (right by the ceiling) had holes for screws. I just hung the wire through those holes.

Rings

2011-09-12T06:09:00.001-05:00

I found this glass bead and wrapped it up. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Tiny pearly buttons

I can only imagine the clothing this button used to be attached to.

This is the cutest little ring. It looks like the bottom of a Reese's peanut butter cup.

I have been slow to post my rings over at Kibbles 'N Knits. Some are photographed but I just haven't had time to list them. I also have about 20 rings that I haven't gotten to photograph, yet!

Clever and eco-friendly wall art

2011-09-12T05:59:00.002-05:00

Look at this clever idea! This was a movie poster found in the trash. With some planning and cool frames, you get a very neat wall. Go see the full post with instructions over at re-nest.

You say tomato...

2011-09-12T05:54:00.003-05:00

...I say YUM!

Hi folks! The school year has begun in earnest and my free time has dwindled down to minutes instead of hours. Vacation is so much better than working! Here are some pictures of a recent harvest from my garden:

It's about to turn colder here in Minnesota so we are enjoying the fresh tomatoes while we have them.

Honey Case: go check out this shop

2011-09-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

How fun is this bookmark? It's made by Honey Case on Etsy. She has other ones, too.

Fish Tale Bookmark

Groom's legs bookmark

Aren't these bookmarks fun? Click this link to see her entire bookmarks section. They look like they've been whittled out of twigs, don't they? Nope! They are polymer clay.

She doesn't just make bookmarks, either. She makes gorgeous jewelry, too!

Isn't this cornflower necklace pretty?

You really aught to go check out Honey Case's shop. She makes bookmarks, necklaces, earrings, brooches, rings, and bobby pins. They are simply gorgeous!

Kibbles 'N Knits on Facebook

2011-08-27T19:08:00.000-05:00

I've been posting lots of fun links I find on blogs like Colossal and Kottke over on my facebook page instead of posting them here. Find me on facebook if you are interested in seeing all of my links. It's a lot easier to post links on facebook than on blogger because the link shows a photo over on facebook! Blog posts without a photo are generally sad. It takes about 5 seconds to post a link on facebook and I like that time commitment.

Bracelet Turned Necklace

2011-08-25T18:40:00.001-05:00

I made this necklace this morning. I'm so pleased with it! It's really quite a departure from what I usually wear (and design).

I like that it's asymmetrical. I like how much there is to look at. It makes a great sound, too.

Made from: parts of 2 thrifted bracelets, new wire and chain (and jump rings). It cost me about $2.50 and an hour of my time.

Man Fashion

2011-08-23T14:24:00.000-05:00

I am really enjoying The Midwestyle: a blog about men's fashion. Midwestyle is curated by a team of fashionable and funny midwestern men.

Their recent Back to School/Work post was really fun.

Men's fashion is often overlooked on Etsy. I admit that I rarely make anything for men. That being said, I had a garage sale this weekend and a man bought one of my bracelets. I hadn't considered it unisex but when he put it on, it looked great!

Go check out The Midwestyle and pay more attention to men's fashion.

Gold

2011-08-19T05:57:00.001-05:00

Hi everybody! I am so happy to be back. The power supply for my laptop quit working so I've been without my computer for about a week. I've borrowed my husband's computer to do my work (getting ready for the school year!) but otherwise I haven't spent much time on the internet. Honestly, not a bad thing...

I made a couple new necklaces and took a new, bold bracelet out for a spin. The pictures show the necklace I made from a Spanish peseta I brought home from my study abroad in Granada, Spain. I have a bunch of coins from the different countries I visited back in 1997. I'm planning to make them into necklaces and rings. All those countries use Euros now so these coins are purely sentimental.

The other necklace (the chains) is actually a thrifted choker and a bracelet. I clasped the ends of the chains together and made them into a necklace. (I never liked the bracelet and the thrifted chain was too short.) Don't be afraid to turn bracelets into necklaces! It takes about 1 minute to pick them out and link them together. Plus, you don't have to keep them as necklaces. Try it!

Handmade Arm Party

2011-08-11T19:39:00.001-05:00

I woke up and decided I should just wear all of my friendship bracelets. I added some of my stretch bracelets and a bead chain.

Here's the whole look all together. I wore it with my 50s-style sweater top and a floral skirt. I'm telling you, you should give the arm party a try. Here's a tutorial from A Pair and A Spare to get you started.

How to turn earrings into a pendant necklace.

2011-08-11T06:17:00.001-05:00

There are jewelry opportunities everywhere, people! Keep your eyes open for beautiful beads on broken necklaces, earrings that could be pendants, chains with broken clasps (they can be easily replaced).

Get some basic jewelry tools: jump rings, clasps, and pliers. You can be designing your own jewelry in no time! (I bought my findings and tools at Michael's. Basic jewelry supplies are in many craft stores - even fabric stores!)

How do I remove the ear wires? With my nipper tool!

What are jump rings?

Layering necklaces is a trend right now. This was my first attempt and I think it went well!

Oh, the tassel necklace? Thanks for asking! I just finished that yesterday morning. I love it.

Garden Fence

2011-08-10T20:53:00.001-05:00

OK, this is going to be difficult to explain. I didn't take any how to pictures.

My garden is in the only sunny spot in my yard. There is one corner that gets more sun than the rest. I wanted my tomatoes to go into that corner. However, I needed access to that corner and I needed a fence. I had to figure out a way to use that corner but also fence it in.

I fenced in my garden using plastic chicken wire. I sunk some fence posts in at 3 - 4 foot spacing. The chicken wire is sunk into the ground so no animal could dig under it. Instead of permanently attaching the chicken wire to the fence post I made little bungee straps to hold the fencing to the fence post.

I can un-latch the bungee cords to lay down the fencing. When the fence is layed down I can step on it, kneel on it, and have access to the garden boxes. Because it's plastic, it doesn't hurt to kneel on. When I'm done with my planting (or what not) I just lift the fence back up and bungee cord it to the fence posts. This way the fence can be right up against the box, taking advantage of the sunniest spot in my garden. It works like a charm.

The straps that hold the fence to the posts are made of bungee cord (pretty thin) and hex nuts. Measure out approximately 6 inches of bungee cord. Thread the bungee cord through the hex nut and tie it off using an overhand knot.

Feed the bungee through the fence, around the fence post, and back out through the fence. Wrap it over the hex nut and it'll hold the fence to the fence post.

Square Foot Gardening

2011-08-10T20:39:00.001-05:00

I have had a garden for three years. It has grown from just a couple containers to four 4' x 4' boxes.

The tomatoes are in bloom.

The basil was looking sketchy for awhile there. We had a very rainy and cloudy June. July was good to the basil.

As you can see...I'm a little lazy about weeding the paths. :) I use Square Foot Gardening and I've been very happy with it. I get great yields and it's easy to do.

Tweenbots

2011-08-09T17:03:00.000-05:00

I saw this on Etsy's blog and I'm in love with these little bots! Tweenbots are little robots that need human help to reach a destination. Go check out the website and watch the video. They are adorable. It's really sweet to see so many people help them out.

Photo is property of Kacie Kinzer of Tweenbots.

Dear Photograph

2011-08-09T12:42:00.000-05:00

"Take a picture of a picture from the past in the present."

If you haven't checked out Dear Photograph you really should. The posts are sometimes funny, usually sweet, and sometimes very sad. Here's an example of what you would see out there. Go see Dear Photograph! (P.S. Tell me if you submit a picture. I have been trying to come up with one to send in.)

Dear Photograph,

I hated it when grandpa said, “let’s let the TV nap and go for a walk.” Funny how I miss those walks now.
Ariel

Kibbles 'N Knits on Facebook

2011-08-08T18:24:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! Kibbles 'N Knits is on Facebook, now. I opened Kibbles 'N Knits on Etsy in 2006. At the time, Facebook wasn't a popular marketing tool. I remember quite a few sellers had MySpace accounts but I don't remember hearing a lot about Facebook. I've been seeing more and more sellers with Facebook pages and I decided to jump on that bandwagon. Come like me if you like my blog or shop!

And because a blog post without a picture is a little sad...

Here's a picture of one of my button rings. I have sold more button and tile rings at my sales than all my other jewelry combined. Seems like I might have hit on something desirable. I love wearing the ones I made for myself! Update: I did it again. After I took the photos of this ring and listed it on Etsy I just couldn't stop thinking about it! I unlisted it. It's mine, now. Does anyone else do this with their crafts?

Garage Sale Treasures

2011-08-07T14:02:00.000-05:00

Have you noticed that I love garage sales? I like thrift stores, too but the real fun (and real bargains) are at garage sales.

Look what I found this past Wednesday! (Yes, Wednesday. It's actually a pretty good day to go garage saling.)

All four of these pieces of jewelry only cost me $5! I am in love with the two brooches. I really like the necklace and the bracelet was purchased because it's trendy. I don't know if I'll wear it.

It's so bold! Rope and chains (and big bracelets) are really popular right now so I'm going to give it a shot. What do you think, is this bracelet a winner?

New Thumbnails

2011-08-04T06:42:00.001-05:00

I just went through Kibbles 'N Knits on Etsy and redid my jewelry thumbnails. I forgot that the thumbnail picture is absolutely key in getting anyone to look at your items. That first photo needs to be compelling. The center square of the photo is what shows up as the thumbnail.

The jewelry category on Etsy is absolutely saturated with items. So many people make jewelry! I hope my new thumbnails will help draw more views and purchases.

I used picnik to edit my photos (crop, exposure) and create the before and after collage. I've been really happy with picnik. It's free (with optional upgrade to premium) and it's very easy to use. I think I'll keep on with it.

Garden Lantern

2011-08-02T20:34:00.001-05:00

I made this lantern vignette last year and I still love it. I bought the lantern at my local Home Goods store. It's meant to hold a candle but I wanted a more permanent piece. I bought a bag of shells (I live in the midwest - not so easy to get lots of shells here) and filled up the lantern.

Hang your lantern from a shepard's crook and you'll have a beautiful garden decoration.

Mine sits in the front yard.

Other ideas to fill the glass globe: marbles, broken pieces of china, little toy animals, faux flowers, a wad of christmas lights (to light up at night)...What else would you fill the lantern with?

New Shop Banner

2011-08-02T12:28:00.001-05:00

The old banner (above) was a good representation of the things I used to sell in my shop. It had examples of my patches, knitting, and baby clothes. I do plan to make more patches and do some more knitting but I'm not going to stencil baby clothes anymore. And, I don't currently have any knitting in my shop so the banner seemed outdated. And, I wanted something lighter.

Enter the new banner! I really like how it turned out. The gray in my picture matches the gray on Etsy's pages. Part of me thinks the banner doesn't stand out enough because it matches. The other part of me thinks it looks great.

Coil Necklaces

2011-08-01T20:05:00.001-05:00

I love these necklaces. I made one for myself and I wear it all the time. It looks great and I get a lot of compliments. I probably shouldn't say this but I really think these will sell well. I'm not betting anything on it because it seems like I can never tell what other people will want to buy. All I know is that I love the one I made myself so much that I think everyone should have one! :)

Fiber Art

2011-08-01T17:55:00.000-05:00

I am an avid reader of the blog named Colossal. It's an art blog and it's total fun. I just saw this post and since I'm a fiber artist I wanted to link to it here. Kaylee Hibbert has made amazing textile art that looks very much like spirograph art. Go see it!

Garage Sale

2011-07-31T06:20:00.000-05:00

My neighbors and I are having a garage sale this weekend. I set out the items I'm selling in my Etsy shop plus the usual garage sale fare. We're doing the sale again today and I learned a few things about garage sales that I thought I'd share with you all.

1) People will come early. Try to be ready before you plan to open because otherwise it will be very hectic. The morning was much busier than the afternoon.

2) Kids don't think running a garage sale is as fun as shopping at them. However, kids running a lemonade stand at the garage sale works pretty well.

3) Watch where people are walking - watch what they are buying. I rearranged the items many times over the course of one day. We made a lot more sales after rearranging according to traffic patterns, putting like items together, and bringing stuff outside. For example:

These purses are a mixture of my vintage bags and some more contemporary bags from my neighbor. I put my handmade jewelry next to the purses since they are basically a theme.

This table started out on the other side of the garage and hardly anyone even looked at it. The purses were packed onto one side of the table with a box full of purses on the floor. The jewelry was in the corner.

People walked up the driveway and around the corner into the garage. The table with the purses and jewelry was out of their line of vision as they came in so they just skipped it. We moved the purses to the opposite side of the garage, hung them from the garage door tracks, took them out of the box and set them out so you could see them better and "just like magic" the purses started selling.

Another thing that happened was I had some yarn in a bin. No one bought the yarn. I took the yarn out of the bin and the very next shopper bought all of it.

4) If you are going to desks or tables at your garage sale, use them to display other items. However, if you do use the furniture to display items, you should put a sign on it that clearly states the desk/table is for sale.

5) Kids' stuff: put the toys and books down where kids can look through it. Don't overcrowd baskets, though. If a bin is too crowded many people won't want to bother going through it.

6) Bigger ticket (or just plain big) items may draw a lot of looks but they are harder to sell. This china set is an example. It's so pretty and it's vintage 1950s. We only have it priced at $30 (it's missing the tea cups) but that is expensive enough (and it's a huge amount of plates) for most people to admire it but not want to buy it. Don't let it discourage you! The right shopper may come along.

7) Signs: make them simple and make them similar. When I'm out driving and I see a sign that says "Sale" and has an arrow...I follow it. Then, I see another of the same sign with an arrow...I follow it. Don't fill your sign up with a bunch of extra information. Drivers can't read all that writing anyway. And, don't leave your shoppers stranded wondering where to turn next. I had a guy tell me, "Don't need anything. Don't want anything. But, I saw your signs...."

8) Talk to the people who come shopping but make sure you leave them to look around at your tables. I love being welcomed to a garage sale with a friendly hello and a bit of small talk.

9) If someone lingers over an item but doesn't pick it up right away, talk to them about it! You might be able to negotiate a price or answer a question that was keeping them from scooping it up.

We're running our sale again today and I'm going to put my own tips to good use. Happy garage-saling everyone!

Dragonflies

2011-07-28T21:13:00.002-05:00

I have been trying to make my outdoor patio a little more inviting. I found some dragonfly string lights at Goodwill but they were black and you couldn't see the cute dragonflies.

So, I went to the dollar store and bought some nail polish! I got a few colors plus a plain glitter. I ended up putting a clear top coat on the glitter just to make sure it could hold up with the summer weather. I took these pictures after they'd been up for over a month and they are holding up great!

Some of the colors needed two coats but it was still a really easy project. Now, my dragonflies are easy to see during the day and night. I love them.

Stacked Bracelets

2011-07-28T16:51:00.000-05:00

Have you been noticing all the arm parties in fashion magazines and blogs? I jumped on that trend the first time I saw it. I've always loved the look of "too many" bracelets. But, until recently, I didn't like being very flashy. Check out this guide on A Pair and a Spare to get ideas for your own arm parties.

Two of the bracelets in this stack are upcycled from items I found at thrift stores and garage sales.

This one used to be a belt:

This one used to be a really long, really ugly necklace:

I love these two bracelets and wear them almost every day. Since I made them from longer chains, I am selling some identical bracelets in my shop. I love wearing one-of-a-kind, or one-of-a-few items.

Handmade Necklaces

2011-07-27T21:09:00.002-05:00

Have you noticed all the broken, ugly, or not-quite-right jewelry at thrift stores and garage sales? All you need are a couple tools, jewelry findings or wire (relatively inexpensive), and your own creativity to make unique jewelry.

I try to buy used/thrifted whenever possible. It's cheaper and it's better for the environment. Plus, I love the treasure hunt!

I have been making my own jewelry out of thrifted pieces. I turn old necklaces into bracelets, earrings into pendants, cut beaded necklaces apart to use the beads in rings, rip apart belts to use as bracelets. I've been having a great time - and I'm selling some of my creations in my etsy shop. Here are a few of the things I've just listed:

This pendant necklace is one of the many pieces of jewelry I've made with vintage buttons and wire. I've made rings, bracelets, and necklaces. I got this button from my sweet grandmother. Update: I decided to keep this one for myself! I had this white shirt I never really liked wearing. Adding this pendant to the outfit made the shirt work for me!

These three necklaces are all made with the beads from the same ugly necklace I bought at a garage sale. The beads look like that chalky/chewy candy grandmas always have in their houses. The original necklace was on a string that was totally stretched out. It was unwearable. I removed all the beads and turned them into a number of creations.

Picnik

2011-07-27T10:02:00.001-05:00

I just tried out a new free photo editing software program. Picnik is a web based software program. It was fast and easy to use. I've been using picasa and it works just fine. I tried paint.net a few years ago (liked it). I would also like to try photoscape. I don't do anything fancy with my photos. I usually deal in brightness (fill light), contrast, and colors. The important thing to me is that the software be easy to use.

Here's a picture you might recognize, but I did a little work on it in Picnik:

What do you use for your photo editing software?

Broke the Ice!

2011-07-26T17:27:00.002-05:00

Do you watch the TV Show, American Pickers? I love it! It's about two guys who go around the country looking through piles of junk and finding treasures. They make their money by buying the items cheap, cleaning them up, and selling them to collectors. When they make their first sale at a new pick they say, "We broke the ice!"

I started on Etsy on July 15, 2006. After selling for a couple years I went back to full time teaching so my Etsy shop sat and waited. I reopened Kibbles 'N Knits this summer. I just made my first sale (second time around)!

I sold two of the antique baby gowns I have for sale:

I bought these at a garage sale in my sister's neighborhood. The woman I bought them from told me her grandfather wore them and that they were about 100 years old. At first I thought I might cut them up for crafting. After hearing that they belonged to this woman's grandfather, I didn't have the heart to cut them. I thought I might send them to my very talented Aunt Penny. But, I thought she might just cut them up. After some deliberation I decided to sell them in my Etsy shop. I hope the people who buy them can treasure them!

PS My very first sale as Kibbles 'N Knits was this alien guitar pick holder. It sold on August 15, 2006.

DIY Guinea Pig Cage

2011-07-25T18:57:00.000-05:00

We added two guinea pigs to our home this summer. We adopted two adult females who had been living together their whole lives. I did a lot of research before we got our piggies and I learned A LOT. The main thing I learned is that guinea pigs need a lot bigger cages than I thought. I'd seen them housed in tiny little cages so I thought I could just get a tiny cage. I was wrong about that! Guinea pigs need a lot of room to run. Guinea pigs who can get a lot of exercise are healthier guinea pigs (just like people!).

Guinea Pig Cages is an excellent resource for caring for guinea pigs. I learned about building your own cage from that site. I had a lot of materials on hand and ended up spending about $40 for this gigantic cage! I still need to figure out a table to hold the cage up (and reclaim all my bins and crates) but otherwise it's done and it works great! The piggies have been living in the cage for over a month.

The cage is built with coroplast and storage cubes. I bought the coroplast locally but you can find it on-line. I already had the storage cubes in the basement.

I have two young kids in my house so I added plastic zip ties instead of just relying on the plastic caps that join the metal pieces. The cage is quite sturdy.

As I said, I have two young kids so I also built a lid for the cage. (A lid is not necessary if you don't have young children or other pets.) I bought small locks so that the kids couldn't get to the guinea pigs without an adult present.

Two locks linked together are also useful as a "hinge" between the lid and the non-moving cover. This way we can just lift up the lid to feed, clean, and pick up our piggies.

The lid is four sides of the storage cubes held together with zip ties. I laid two curtain rods across the cubes and zip tied them together. The edges of the curtain rods extend past the perimeter of the cage so that the lid is held up by the curtain rods.

Can you see the guinea pig in her sleeping bag? That's just a towel folded over and safety pinned at the edges. They love cozy hiding places and the sleeping bags are a big hit!

May I also recommend this little rubber tote basket? I found these at the dollar store and they are a great way for young kids to carry their guinea pigs from the cage to the couch/living room/play pen, etc.

Junk Yard Glitter

2011-07-21T19:00:00.001-05:00

Look what was on Etsy's front page tonight! Can you believe this purse? It's hand painted by Etsy seller Junk Yard Glitter. Isn't it amazing?

Love this coin purse! Any Alice in Wonderland fans out there? You might need this.

What is it about cupcakes? This one is particularly cute - I like the colors.

Junk Yard Glitter is a professional muralist but she can really do it up on a small scale, too! She states in her profile that she's really into upcycling old stuff. (This is my newest passion so I'm in love with her vintage-turned-new-and-funky stuff.)

Hello, Beautiful!

2011-07-21T10:12:00.005-05:00

I found a tin filled with my old glasses. This pair was my favorite. Let me set the scene: 7th grade (1988). Small town Wisconsin. Nerdy girl goes big on style.

I remember feeling very hot in these glasses. It may have been the first time I knew I was wearing something hot. I have rarely felt as stylish as when I wore these glasses.

Do you have something you remember owning, loving, and now don't quite understand the fascination?

P.S. The gray shirt slung over my shoulder is a vintage Givenchy found at a garage sale. I bought it thinking, "I own a designer something!" I really tried to make this shirt work for me. I tried so hard. In the end I sold it at a flea market. The girl who bought it rocked that thing! I also sold a couple of my vintage bags at that flea market. These two bags sold to one of the most adorably fashionable women I've ever seen in St. Paul.

Back on Etsy

2011-07-19T12:12:00.003-05:00

Hi folks! It's been a long time since I posted out here. The school year kept me very busy. Now it is summer and I've been going through an ultra-creative phase! (Some may call it obsession.) Making things is just so much fun.

I'm back on Etsy selling some vintage items right now. I've also been making a lot of jewelry and plan to post some of that, too. This picture shows one of the bags I'm selling plus three of the jewelry items I've made (the bracelets).

Selling these vintage bags started on a trip to my hometown. My sister and I were hunting through thrift stores and found a treasure trove of amazing bags in great condition! She mentioned that we should buy them and sell them on-line. I poo pooed her idea stating that it was too much work to sell stuff on-line. But then I couldn't get the idea out of my head! So, we took our cash back to the store and bought up about 13 amazing bags.

I have also recently embraced my love for fashion. For many years, I loved looking at fashion but never spent any time actually trying to look fashionable. Well, that has changed! I am now obsessed with thrift stores and garage sales - finding necklaces to turn into bracelets, dresses to modify into tops, and buried treasure. I went through my own closet and rescued some items that were destined for Goodwill - I cut them, sewed them, and turned them into things I love to wear (I'll snap some pictures to post).

Here are a few blogs that have been inspiring me:

New Dress a Day (If you are interested in altering clothes, this is the blog for you!)
Ruffles and Stuff (Cute DIY ideas)
I Spy DIY (I especially like their accessories posts.)
A Pair and a Spare (Love her photos, DIYs, and style)

Little Stay On Slippers

2010-11-26T07:45:00.002-06:00

This is a free pattern called Little Stay On Slippers. They are really easy to knit (take hardly any yarn or time). And, they stay on!

Idlewood

2010-11-25T14:06:00.002-06:00

This is Idlewood by Cecily Glowik MacDonald. I love her designs.

Summer knitting for kids

2010-11-20T16:01:00.001-06:00

I knit this sweater for my son. He loved it when I was knitting it! He won't wear it, now.

I also knit a tank top for my daughter. She won't wear it.

I'm done knitting garments for my kids. They just take up too much of my crafting time and the recipients don't love them. I'm going to knit them small projects (slippers, toys, hats, mittens, etc.) but no more sweaters.

2010-11-20T15:55:00.002-06:00

I knit one of these for my daughter and another one (in purple) for my niece. This one took awhile to knit because I was using a picture she liked and developing the pattern myself. It was pretty simple to figure out but involved math. Feather and fan lace at the top and bottom - short rows to lift the neckline, i-cord straps...cute!

Anybody still there?

2010-11-20T15:36:00.005-06:00

Hello! It's been over a year since my last post. I'm sure you can guess that things have been busy. The school year is an extremely busy time. I often post more crafty goodness in the summer but this past summer was also very busy with crafting and home improvement and vacations. Well, I have a little free time and I wanted to post some of my things. I'll try to get out here more often!

I knit a few things for myself last year and then this summer was taken up with knitting for some kids. Here are the sweaters I made for myself in the past year:

This sweater took me a good long time to make. I spun the yarn myself and then had to adjust a pattern to be knit in-the-round. I love it!

I modified my Buttercup pattern to remove the lace panel in front and add little gathers. It's very comfy.

Love this pattern! It's a sleeveless top-down with a crocheted ruffle. It's by Wendy Bernard.

Ready!

2009-10-11T14:15:00.000-05:00

We woke up to a light dusting of snow yesterday. So, I decided it would be a race to the finish and quickly whipped up my daughter's hat and my liners for my mittens. My family is now clothed and ready to face the long cold winter! I don't ever remember being ready so early in advance before! We are usually out buying warm coats to fit the newly bigger children a couple weeks AFTER it's turned cold. I am usually knitting new hats and mittens in January (long after they are actually needed). Not this year, folks! We're the warmest family in the midwest!

Hand spun

2009-10-11T14:09:00.000-05:00

I made this yarn with my kids. They helped me card it with my hand cards and they helped spin my drop spindle (for the singles). They didn't help with the whole process but both of them helped out. Then, I plied two singles together using my spinning wheel.

I love how it turned out. I used it for the Hello Kitty dress and bow.

This fiber was originally purchased to be a part of a winter hat. But, upon further investigation I found it to be too itchy. Then my daughter and I read a book called "slow magic" and we carded some fiber. I still wanted to use this yarn for something more precious than a toy. But, my daughter wanted a toy.

I think knitters and spinners are inclined to place yarns on a heirarchy. And for some people hand spun yarn is the most precious of all yarns. Some people won't knit with it because they are scared. I had to rearrange my thinking in order to use it for a toy. It's hand dyed, hand washed, hand carded, hand spun yarn. And it made something very precious for my daughter.

Beware: Cheesy Post!

2009-09-07T06:32:00.002-05:00

I made these little hearts yesterday. They are to send with my kids to school so that when they see the heart they know their family loves them. This is the first year my kids won't be together at home or together at the same school and I wanted to send a little reminder.

This one is going in a pencil box.

This one is going on a backpack.

They took me 30 minutes to make both. You only need the smallest bits of felt (I used synthetic felt but any type will do). Here's what to do:

Find a heart shape you like on the internet and print it out.
Trace the heart onto butcher paper. (I love using butcher paper for patterns! I iron the butcher paper (plastic side down) at a very low setting right onto the felt.)
Cut out around the pattern.
Discard the butcher paper.
Sew the edges of the heart together using the blanket stitch.
Stop sewing when you have about 3/4 of an inch left to go.
Stuff the heart.
Finish sewing.
Tell someone you love them!

Hats That Fit

2009-09-07T06:19:00.000-05:00

I'm making this hat for my son. I'm knitting it out of my own handspun yarn. It's turning out great! I wish I had captured a better picture of it, though.

Let me just put in a little plug for a pattern I go to time and time again. If you knit hats, this is a great basic pattern that will help you get a custom fit every time you knit. You can add your own cables or colorwork to any of her hats. The pattern is called:

Hats That Fit (and also check out More Hats That Fit).

Hat for my Husband

2009-09-07T06:15:00.000-05:00

I am in "prepare for the winter" mode over here. I've finished my outer layer mittens and started my inner layer. I've finished this hat for my husband and started a hat for my son. And it's only September! Nobody is waiting for warm hands or heads this year!

Tomatoes!

2009-09-07T06:09:00.000-05:00

I can't remember the name of this tomato. All I know is it's an heirloom, it's gorgeous, and it tastes like heaven!

These are the chocolate cherries. They are also amazing. They are puple-ish and green. And look at the insides! They are delicious.

My tomatoes may be just about done fruiting. I've taken to picking them early and ripening them on the counter because I have some jerky animal eating all my tomatoes. It ate through three of my big ones! Jerk.

Buttercup

2009-08-31T20:44:00.000-05:00

This is my first attempt at knitting a warm weather garment. I am quite pleased with how it turned out!

This is "Buttercup" by Heidi Kirrmaier. It was a lovely pattern to knit. And it's free! You can get the pattern on Ravelry.

I only modified the sleeves on the pattern. I simply knit them longer (the original pattern has cap sleeves) and then finished the sleeves using Heidi's directions.

Check out all her patterns. I love the flowy and simple look of the tops. I'll be knitting more, for sure!

PS The yarn is Hempathy by Elsebeth Lavold. Yummy yarn, people!

Hello Kitty

2009-08-31T20:38:00.000-05:00

I found the pattern for this doll on Ravelry. It was a really fun knit and a free pattern! The only change I made was that I made the dress as a "wrap" so my daughter could easily change her clothes.

The dress and the bow snap on and off. I plan to make more "outfits" for her.

New Yarn

2009-08-11T14:42:00.000-05:00

This yarn will be knit into a winter hat for my son. I love how it turned out. I think it'll knit up into a really interesting fabric.

I have approximately 210 yards of it. It's BFL from cloudlover69. I bought it in May at the Shepherd's Harvest Festival. I was very pleased with the fiber and how it spun up! I'm sure I'll be buying more fiber from them in the future. They are having a sale this week! Time to stock up!

Swoon

2009-08-09T21:10:00.001-05:00

Melissa LaBarre (the person who designed the pattern I used to make my red cardigan) hearted my cardigan on Ravelry. And she said she had been thinking of doing something similar and she liked my mods! I'm over the moon.

Swingy Garter Yoke Cardi

2009-08-09T20:40:00.000-05:00

It's done! It's done! It's done! (And it only took 3 1/2 months.)

I'm really happy with how it turned out. I had hoped it wouldn't gap at the front. And I was sad at first. But, it's growing on me. If at some point I don't want the gap anymore I can just sew some snaps to the button band and fix that right up!

I made these increases just under the yoke and added a few more at the underarm to give it a swingy A-line silhouette.

I sewed grosgrain ribbon to the wrong side of each button band. I'm so glad I did! I may go back to another older cardigan and add ribbon. It gives the sweater such a more finished look.

I also went for snaps instead of buttons after the grosgrain ribbon made buttoning my buttons too difficult. I like the snaps! I may just add ribbon to all my future cardigans.

I would definitely knit this sweater again. The original pattern is fitted and I might make one of those (you know, just knit the pattern instead of messing about with it). I think this pattern also would work with some stripes or lacy pattern at the bottom.

Here's my full list of modifications to the Garter Yoke Cardi by Melissa LaBarre:

1) Knit yoke with a needle 2 sizes smaller than necessary to obtain gauge.

2) Immediately after finishing yoke, on first round of stockinette, add increases. I increased using a 3 stitch repeat of: purl into the front and knit into the back of the same stitch, knit into the back and purl into the front of the next stitch, knit one stitch. If I were to do this again I would have knit 4 - 5 stitches next to the button band and then started increases and continued increasing all the way to the raglan increases.

3) After separating the sleeve stitches knit 1 inch at the underarm. Increase by knitting in the front and back of the same stitch 4 stitches from either side of the underarm marker (increasing 4 stitches each increase round). Knit about one inch and do the increase round again. Note: I only did this 2 times. I think I might have been able to get my cardigan to stay closed in the front had I done more increases on the “front side” of the underarms.

4) Don’t do the waist shaping.

5) Sew grosgrain ribbon to back sides of button bands. Sew snaps for closure.

Look what happened yesterday!

2009-08-07T06:58:00.000-05:00

My tomatoes are huge! I have a few tomatoes turning orange and red.

And yesterday morning I couldn't help myself when I saw this little beauty.

I shared this tiny thing with my daughter (my son doesn't really like them). The kids and I were both ecstatic that a tomato had grown and was ready to eat. This tomato was delicious! It was either a Mexican Mini or a Chocolate Cherry. I lost track of which ones I planted where. I doubt that would even matter at this point as the branches are all a jumble.

Bring on the tomatoes!

Blocking Board

2009-07-26T20:20:00.000-05:00

Here are my mittens blocking. They were pretty snug before I blocked them but now they are perfect.

Here's the thing - I block my knitting. I know some people don't but I always do. It's just really a hassle when you live in a very small house with no where to put a blocking board. Usually, the knitting would get moved to the bed when we were awake and to the dining room table when we were asleep. I couldn't really pin into my knitting because I would just have it on a towel. Not any more!

I was looking into buying Knitter's Block. This looks like a great product but I didn't want to spend close to $100 to get it. I wanted the ability to have small blocking boards as well as big ones. My sister solved the problem by suggesting I use something available at home improvement stores. I bought a sheet of foam board insulation from Menard's. It was 4 feet by 8 feet and 3/4 of an inch thick and cost $8.

It was too big to fit in my car so the nice gentleman in the warehouse cut it down for me. I have two boards big enough to block sweaters on and two thinner ones wide enough to block scarves, mittens, hats, etc.

Here's how it looked after I pinned into it. Obviously, it makes small holes. It's rather durable and I don't think the holes will be a problem.

When I was done blocking my mittens and my sweater I just packed up my boards and took them down to the basement. It's excellent!

Knitters have a huge number of very useful products available to us. I think we often only shop at yarn stores or craft stores when we're looking for knitting supplies. Consider what your local hardware store can do for you. I bought this blocking board and a new tiny hook for my broken drop spindle the other day. I saved a bunch of money by buying something that wasn't "cute" and wasn't being marketed to a specialized market.

Winter Ain't Got Sh*t on ME!

2009-07-26T20:04:00.001-05:00

Every year it starts getting cold and I realize I need a new pair of mittens. Because I realize I need mittens when it is already cold (and I'm talking 30 degrees) I go two weeks with freezing cold hands. Not this year! It's July and I have a pair of seriously warm mittens. I knit them with double-stranded worsted weight wool. And I'm not stopping there. I'm knitting another pair of thermal mittens to wear underneath. I laugh in the face of winter!

I knit these mittens from inspiration I found in two different places. They are based on Cosy’s subtle stripes spinning kits and an article about using color I read in Spin-Off Magazine. The article is called, “Blending Colors at the Wheel”. Instead of blending the colors at the wheel, I blended the colors at the needles.

I knit with one color all throughout. To make the stripes I changed the 2nd strand of yarn after knitting 8 rows of color. By keeping one color constant it makes the stripes more "subtle". Incidentally, the greenish stripe is make with some handspun yarn that I didn't really like. So, I found a way to use that yarn! Stranding a color you don't love with another color can make it pop, or calm it down, or bring out certain tones. Give it a try!

Aluminum Foil River

2009-07-26T19:45:00.001-05:00

I found this fun activity over on Filth Wizardry. Seriously, you need to check that blog. Fun stuff!

We turned long sheets of aluminum foil into rivers by simply folding up the sides of the foil. Then, we turned on the hose and raced our "boats" (juice bottle tops) along the river.

It started as a single long river. But, we needed a more challenging course. The kids all helped make the river and keep it working. It's a very fragile system but the kids liked fixing the river when the banks were squished.

This activity was really fun for young kids (and me!). They played outside for a really long time. And when they were done I rinsed the aluminum foil and threw it in the recycling.

Oh, Balls!

2009-07-26T18:48:00.000-05:00

I made these little balls the other day. The pattern is available for free. They don't even take an hour to make (probably more like 30 minutes) and they are endless fun. You can throw them inside and nothing gets ruined. Kids can throw them and you don't get an eye full of ball.

These are a good stashbusting project. They don't take much yarn to knit (not too satisfying when you are trying to use up yarn) but I stuffed them with yarn as well. Awesome.

My red sweater

2009-07-16T21:10:00.001-05:00

My garter yoke cardi is coming along great! In fact, I have only to knit the ribbing on one sleeve and then I'm on to the finishing. I made some changes to the pattern such as these increases at the bust (I'll post a full list of mods when it's completed).

I got a great tip from and old episode of the Knitmore Girls podcast. Jasmin mentioned that she likes knitting her sleeves two-at-a-time. I was almost to the elbow on the first sleeve when I got started on the second. I'm so glad I did this!

- I could more accurately decide on the length of the sleeves since I had two arms with sleeves to look at in the mirror.

- I was much more motivated to knit (it's really hard to start that second sleeve).

- I could make adjustments to tension, guage, size as I went instead of realizing it at the very end of the project.

Clever thinking!

Slow Magic

2009-07-14T13:15:00.002-05:00

We borrowed a book from the library the other day that my daughter was quite inspired by. The book is called Slow Magic and it's by Pipa Goodhart. It tells the story of creating wool to knit the girl a sweater. There is one illustration of the grandma and granddaughter carding wool. I told my own daughter that I had hand cards and asked if she'd like to try them. Then, my son had to try it too! It was really fun.

If you spin and / or knit your kids might really like this book.

TMI?

2009-07-13T12:47:00.005-05:00

I'm going to share some personal information (perhaps a little too personal) but it's for a good cause! That is, if you think the earth is a good cause.

Some women get their periods like clock work. They know exactly when they are coming. Other women, such as the one writing this post, never know when the period is coming. It's usually somewhere between 15 and 45 days between periods. To avoid accidents, I wear a maxi pad just about every day. I really can't be teaching and suddenly think, "I have to get to a bathroom!" The honest truth is that I can't just go to the bathroom whenever I want to in order to check and see if my period has arrived. So, I have to have a little extra protection.

I was offended at the amount of pads I was using "just in case" my period showed up. I also seem to use a lot of pads at the end of period when I don't really need a pad but I don't want to stain my underwear. (I know - too much information.) So, I went out to Etsy and bought one or two pads from a variety of sellers. I found one I was very pleased with and went back for more. Pleat has a shop full of pads, and a line of happy customers.

These pictures are of the pantyliners. They are way more comfortable than disposable pads (I hardly notice I'm wearing them). One of the reasons I preferred Pleat's pads to the others I tried was that they were substantial enough for me to feel confident in them but still pliable enough to be very comfortable. They are very well made and they come in cute fabrics. The pads are made to order so you'll wait just a few days for them to arrive. The turn-around time is very reasonable. The seller must be sewing like crazy!

So far, I've only used cloth pads for the "just in case" time of my period and for the end of my period when the flow is really light. (Once my period starts I've been switching to disposables.) I just change the the cloth pads a couple times a day (for comfort and freshness) and they go in my regular laundry. I'm planning to switch to cloth pads for use when I'm at home but there are many women who use cloth pads all the time. I read that they are great for extra protection with a diva cup.

Pleat sells pantyliners, regular pads, overnight pads, and even thong pads! Instead of buying single pads you can also buy them in sets.

They are not hard to use or clean. Here's what Pleat's shop announcement says (and it's true!):

"New to cloth pads? Give them a chance and join the ranks of happy cloth users. They are super soft and comfortable - no more chafing from disposables. Secure, highly leak resistant, chlorine free, environmentally friendly and frugal, what's not to love about them? Oh, and I bet you would be surprised how easy it is to keep them stain free and fresh: just rinse in cold water after use, fold and snap, and then run through the washing machine at your leisure (before they dry out is best). A bit of white vinegar added to your wash load is an amazingly effective, inexpensive, all natural deodorizer that eradicates odors and mildew and leaves them fresh as new."

That's the end of my TMI post. I hope you will all consider cloth pads as another easy way to reduce waste.

Too precious to throw away

2009-07-09T15:53:00.000-05:00

I made some more weavette squares the other day. These were the snippets of yarn left over after weaving in the ends. I couldn't bring myself to throw them away! Seriously folks, look how small these are:

These are pieces of handspun yarn. They were spun and plied on my drop spindle. I just thought it was a shame to discard them - not because they are actually useful but because of the effort it took to make them.

Do you have any crafting supplies that you hate to throw even when they aren't very useful?

Little Origami Baskets

2009-07-09T15:42:00.000-05:00

I made these baskets for my kids and niece and nephew to play with. It took about 20 minutes to make four of them.

The kids went around the house & yard collecting things. This one has rocks, "colored rocks" (sidewalk chalk that was left outside), and some bits of a building game.

Here's how they held up after a morning of use. They were really fun!

Stash busting: dishcloths

2009-07-08T13:40:00.000-05:00

I have a fairly insubstantial stash (compared to most knitters). It's probably only about 3 garbage bags full of yarn. The trouble with my stash is that it's mostly odds & ends from projects I finished years ago. Much of the yarn is lower quality than I want these days (left over from when I first started) and most of it is in colors that I find less than fabulous.

Even though I don't have a huge amount of yarn, the fact that it's there bothers me. I don't like a lot of clutter. And, little odds & ends of yarn is clutter. I wouldn't mind a stash with sweater's worth of yarn just waiting to be knit. What I mind is a bunch of stuff I don't really want to knit with sitting in my basement.

Enter the dishcloth! I found this pattern from Maggie's Rags and really liked it. It's much more substantial than most knit dishcloths and it doesn't stretch the way they do when they are knit on the bias. It's very thick and a little nubby so it scrubs dishes really well.

My only mods were to cast on fewer stitches (I cast on 35). And for the red cloth I thought I'd try to eliminate a wrong side. (The yellow cloth has garter stitch on the back.) To switch the right and wrong sides I simply knit for about 1.5 inches and then knit two rows before starting back into the pattern. By doing that, I alternated from garter stitch to chinese waves and back again.

Dishcloths are great for stash busting. They are also very portable. And, honestly, they are dishcloths and I felt no need to correct my mistakes. Perfect projects for a car ride or visiting with friends and family!

Craft with your kids

2009-07-08T13:23:00.003-05:00

My niece and nephew are here today visiting with us and in honor of our super fun morning I thought I'd share a few links to crafts for (and with) kids.

I have found two really cool craft projects while looking through the mighty wonderful One Pretty Thing. I found two tutorials from the Mama Dramalogues that I'm really interested in:

Coloring Book Pages (using your own pictures)
Bug Catcher

I made these origami baskets this morning (photos to follow).

I made Betz White's Super Foam-erator last summer and they were a hit. I better make more.

Have a fun and artful day, everyone!

An Oldy made into a Newy

2009-07-06T10:00:00.001-05:00

Did you make God's Eyes when you were little? I remember making them in Girl Scouts. I got this great idea for using God's Eyes to display nature treasures. This crafter has quite a lot of posts about making God's Eyes and kids would most likely love doing these with you. There are the basic ones (excellent instructions here). There are beaded ones. And there are treasure ones.

We used ours to display some shells.

Scrap yarn left over from my Easter Ducks and Bunnies worked great! Can you tell what I used for the sticks? Chop sticks! I always forget to request no chop sticks when we get take out. I save them and finally found something to use them for.

Stick Garden

2009-07-06T09:47:00.000-05:00

The kids and I painted some sticks to decorate our garden. The kids absolutely loved this project! In general, painting on something that isn't paper really ups the kids' interest in the project. Cut up your cereal boxes into shapes and watch your kids paint for twice as long! Let your kids paint sticks (or rocks) and watch them paint 4 times as long!

I got the idea for the project from one of my favorite blogs, Fun Projects for Preschoolers. Here's the tutorial.

CSI: Bunnies in the Backyard

2009-07-03T21:12:00.000-05:00

Look at that bunny! There he sits, OUTSIDE my garden, eating the grass. That's right, suckah!

Drying Kid Art

2009-07-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

Do your kids like to paint? Mine sure do! But I didn't have anywhere to dry their art except the table or kitchen counters. That was really inconvenient. So, I strung some yarn across the towel holders above my sink. I just clip the art on when they need to dry.

And the yarn can be pushed back against the wall when there's no art drying on it.

Time to Make Some Noise!

2009-07-02T21:06:00.000-05:00

My kids and I decided to make some shakers the other day. I didn't really know how to do it but it wasn't too hard to figure out. The kids had so much fun I grabbed the camera to write up a tutorial. There may be a tidier way to do this but they worked just fine and my kids have been making music ever since!

MATERIALS:

-toilet paper tubes
-construction paper
-masking tape
-glue
-scissors
-paint (or something else to decorate the shakers with)
-things to fill the shakers (I used dried pasta rings, dried lentils, and dried rice)

Cut a piece of construction paper in half. Then cut off about 4 - 5 inches at one end.

Using the 4-5 inch piece you cut off, lay it over one end of the toilet paper tube. Tape down opposite corners. Then, tape down the other two corners.

To smooth out the "cap" simply place another piece of tape parallel to the edge of the tube. Fold down the paper and tape the excess down as you rotate the tube in your hand until the cap has been smoothed down around the edges.

2009-07-02T20:59:00.000-05:00

Put some shakey stuff in the tube and then tape a cover over the open side so that both sides are closed up. (Remember not to fill the shaker too much. It's got to shake to make noise!)

2009-07-02T20:56:00.000-05:00

Lay your shaker on the piece of construction paper and tape one end down. Roll the shaker over the paper and glue the other end down.

Let the kids paint them like crazy people! You might also wrap them in yarn or ribbon. Perhaps covering them in stickers would be fun, too. Let them dry and then...

Shake - shake - shake!

Mr. McGregor was right to be upset

2009-06-30T05:58:00.001-05:00

Bunnies (or possibly squirrels) invaded my garden. I got some chicken wire from my sister-in-law but it wasn't enough for the entire perimeter of the garden. I'm going to get more today. But, while I waited for the chance to finish the fence, I tried out something I learned on the Gardenerd Tip of the Week Podcast.

She recommended putting bits of bar soap in drawstring bags around your garden. I don't know if this would work for in-ground gardens but it's been great for my container garden! Making the little bags was so easy. I sat outside sewing while my kids played in the pool. It took me all of 30 minutes to finish the sachets.

I cut two bars of Dial into 3 - 4 pieces each. Then, using small scraps of fabric, I sewed little pouches. To make the pouches I just basted around the edges sewing the soap right into the "bag". I scattered the soap around my garden two days ago. Even though I only have half a fence up, I haven't lost any plants since I soaped the garden!

One of the things that has kept me away from blogging...My garden!

2009-06-30T05:38:00.000-05:00

My sister-in-law helped me to create a little container garden in the back corner of my yard. This area had been a pile of overgrown grasses and vines for 5 years. Plus, we'd just been throwing our sticks back there. It was a brambly mess. I had originally thought to just clean it out and plant grass seed and when my SIL suggested a garden my original thought was, "No way! Who has time for that?" Then she told me about Square Foot Gardening. I was on board!

Our first job was to make the containers. The main container is made from last year's kiddie pool that was left out over the winter. It no longer inflated and instead of throwing it away, it became a liner for my garden. The walls of the garden are made from the bricks we've had stacked behind our garage for years.

The other containers were made from plastic bins that were broken or simply no longer useful.

The wooden edging was made from a warped and discarded wooden edge (from the front yard) and a broken 2 by 4. All I did was dig a trench, drop the wood in and back fill it. Then I stamped around for awhile packing the dirt down. I wonder what the neighbors thought of that dance.

Then, came the grass seed. It took more than a week to sprout but sprout it did! It is looking so good back there!

Do you have things laying around your house that could be upcycled into a garden?

Cabled Beret by Ashley Hasse

2009-06-28T12:07:00.001-05:00

A teacher at my school asked me to knit this for her. She bought the yarn and had started knitting it but soon decided it was beyond her current skill set. I offered to teach her how to do it but she knew she'd get frustrated. I had a lot of fun knitting this beret. I highly recommend it! The pattern is available for free on Ravelry or on Ashley's blog.

I got nervous as I was knitting the beret because it wasn't matching the finished dimensions (even though I swatched it). Have no fear! Cables stretch during blocking and this beret turned out even bigger than I had intended. I think the recipient will like the added slouchiness.

In other news, I know I haven't been blogging lately. I've been working on gardening and painting my bedroom. I'll get some posts up soon. I have some tips to share, too!

Recent Projects

2009-05-03T07:41:00.001-05:00

Look at this yarn. You can't imagine how perfect the red is. It's Cascade Sierra (wool and cotton).

I'm getting started on next year's wardrobe. This will be a swing cardigan. I am using a basic top-down raglan pattern and making some modifications. I hope it works! I'll post the pattern with mods once it's done.

Here's how my purple scarf is coming along. My handpsun is knitting up pretty well! I wish I could capture the color but it comes out all washed out.

And here's a little bag I made for my timer. This timer was constantly being set and going off in my bag. So, I knit a little cozy to keep it on the outside of the bag. No more random alarms going off! These bags are very easy to make and could be used for cell phones, iPods, whatever:

guage: knit a swatch and measure the device you're using this for. Multiply the number of stitches/inch by how many inches the finished bag should measure. That's how many stitches to cast on.

CO leaving a really long tail (it'll become the i-cord strap)
Join and knit in the round
K2P2 ribbing for about 1 1/2 inches
Knit all rounds until it's long enough (mine is about 3 1/2 inches long)
use kitchener stitch to close the bottom of the bag
using the long tail from casting on, pick up 4 stitches along top edge of the bag (stitches should be right next to each other)
knit i-cord strap
at the end of the strap, crochet a loop for a button hole
attach button and weave in ends of yarn

Bunny Nugget!

2009-04-12T08:46:00.002-05:00

Here's my first bunny nugget! I say it's my first because, honestly, I'm going to need to make a lot more of these. I found the pattern on Rebecca Danger's blog (pattern is on the upper right). It's a free pattern and it's a great use of tiny bits of stash yarn.

The only change I made to the pattern was that I made ears out of i-cord instead of knitting 6 stitches in the round.

My kids did request that I add arms and legs but I don't really want to. I might add tiny little nubby appendages. But I think these are so cute as is!

Some other views

2009-04-12T08:43:00.000-05:00

Some crafty fun yesterday

2009-04-12T07:05:00.000-05:00

Here's a sneaky duckling peeking out from behind the playground equipment.

I made this mug cake yesterday. It turned out pretty good! CAKE!

Look at what my sister found

2009-04-01T05:30:00.002-05:00

the baaaa-studs (this is a link to my sister's blog where you can see the video)

If you like sheep, lights, fireworks, and the mona lisa then this video is for you.

Easter knitting is coming along great!

2009-03-28T17:12:00.000-05:00

I have a duckling and a bunny made for my own kids. I'm getting started on a set for my niece and nephew. If there's time I'll just keep knitting and send these out to friends. I really love how they are turning out. Knit some for yourself with the pattern from Kat Knits.

(Please note the adorable tails on the bunnies.)

red red red!

2009-03-20T13:11:00.000-05:00

New scarf! I knit this with some sumptuous yarn I bought months ago. It's merino & silk and the deepest prettiest red. They only had one skein so I knew it would be a short scarf. This yarn intimidated me. It took me a long time to finally get knitting.

The pattern is from turvid's blog. Very easy and quick to knit!

Fuzzy Yarn!

2009-03-20T05:45:00.000-05:00

So, as I told you, I caved and bought new yarn for the ducklings. Look how fuzzy and cute they turned out! I've made two so far. I'm going to also make some bunnies and a cat.

These are really fun to make and I love their look.

Milestone time!

2009-03-20T05:42:00.001-05:00

BEHOLD! 590 yards of 2-ply sport weight (I think - I haven't calculated the wpi yet) hand dyed, hand spun yarn.

The colors aren't quite right. I tried photographing this yarn twice and just couldn't pick up the depth of color. No matter.

There's a lot of variation in this yarn. From the color to the size. I still think it'll knit up great into a scarf. I'm casting on today!

This yarn took me 6 weekends to make. I don't have a whole lot of free time but I squeeze it in when I can. I think this yarn represents about 25 hours of my life. Time well spent, I say!

Some extra crafting time

2009-03-17T16:23:00.000-05:00

I've had some extra crafting time these past couple days. It's been so fun! I started working on ducklings for Easter presents. The one above was made with wool. I liked how he turned out but I wanted something a little softer and maybe a little more fluffy.

So I tried some cotton boucle. Poor duckling. He doesn't look so good.

But this pattern on Kat Knits' blog is so fun! She has directions for making bunnies, too. I'm already trying to figure out how to make cats. And with just a few changes I think I'd have a really pretty pear. It only takes maybe an hour to knit.

I've been on a yarn fast thinking that I should just knit down my stash before embarking on anything else. But the duckling was so cute and I really wanted the right yarn! So I hit Michael's today looking for something fuzzy. I'll post my attempts with that yarn as soon as the duckie is finished.

My other craft project today was making reusable snack bags. I hated how much tupperware we were using (the top rack of the dishwasher is always full with lots extra to hand wash) and I didn't want to use disposable plastic bags to hold snacks. Enter the snack baggie! I used fabric from my stash and some new iron-on velcro.

They are yet to be tested but I predict they will work well and I'll be making more.

A month without blogging

2009-03-16T10:31:00.001-05:00

It's been a month since I blogged here. That doesn't mean it's been a month without crafting! I've been doing lots of things but just haven't been posting them. I finished the scarf for my mother-in-law. It turned out beautifully (especially after blocking it). And I finished it just a couple days before she came for a visit so I got to give it to her in person.

I've been whittling away at these woven squares. I love doing this weaving. In fact, I ordered two more looms from Hazel Rose! They should be coming in the mail soon. One is 7" and the other is 12".

I've been weaving some of my handspun into these little 4" squares. Once I have enough (and some sort of plan) I'm going to turn them into a blanket (probably a small throw). I have a lot of handspun in quantities too small to knit so I'm turning them into a blanket so I can stare at all the beautiful yarn.

I've also finished my orange mittens. But I'm going to rip them out and start over. I found some pretty brown handspun in my stash and now I need orange and brown striped mittens. :)

Pussy Willows

2009-03-16T10:23:00.001-05:00

I knit pussy willows! I love them so much. I used some handspun yarn and targhee roving to make these (and some pipe cleaners to make the stems stand up). The yarn was hand carded from undyed romney fleece. The white tufts are undyed targhee.

I thought to make them because we got that pretty vase for Christmas and it needed to be filled. I had seen the pussy willows that year of the goat sells and decided to make some for myself.

Yarn making with kids

2009-03-16T10:19:00.001-05:00

Little kids love spinning wheels. Generally I take the drive band off and just let them treadle. It's pretty satisfying even without the flyer whirring and yarn pulling in. They also like it when I tie some pre-made yarn to the bobbin and they pretend to be drafting and letting it feed onto the bobbin. (In that case, the drive band and brake are on so the whole thing is moving.)

Well, this is what happens when you give a 4-year-old some pink fiber, hook everything up, and let her spin. She loved it! And she was really proud of her yarn.

A new landing strip

2009-02-16T14:51:00.001-06:00

We live in the frozen north and need to take off boots and shoes when we come inside. Plus, I really have no entryway at my house. We were in need of a much bigger landing area. I got the idea for this rug from Apartment Therapy. It couldn't be easier! Buy some rag rugs and sew them together with a contrasting yarn.

Just remember to buy the rugs when you don't have your kids with you so you can lay them out and make sure they are the same length. Oh well! It's for boots and snow and mud. It's machine washable and it's going to work great! You'll never see the uneven edges with all the jackets and mittens thrown over the floor anyway.

Valentine's Day Gifts

2009-02-08T14:04:00.001-06:00

One book was still in progress......It's all done now!

I just finished making these "busy books" for Valentine's Day gifts. I hope the recipients will like them! I have the feeling they are the type of gift that goes unnoticed during gift-opening but that becomes a favorite during car rides.

The felt shapes are buttoned onto the book. The kids can take off the shapes and button them back on in any order they choose.

I learned how to make them from Lavender and Limes' tutorial. It only took about an hour to make 2 books. My only regret is having put some buttons right in the center because the books don't lay completely flat. Just a fair warning for when you make one. :)

Hmnnnn....

2009-02-01T08:01:00.000-06:00

I decided to dye some of my targhee roving about two weeks ago. I need purple. I need a purple scarf. I wanted to dye some of it lavendar, some of it medium purple, and some of it totally saturated really dark purple. So I got out my baking dish, my microwaveable bowl, and my crock pot. I got out my grape kool-aid and started dying.

As you can see the blue and red was soaked up at different rates. I am not real sure about how this is going to turn out. I've started predrafting it and it's looking much better. But, I might have to go back to the store and over dye the yarn. My adventures in dying have taught me one thing - learn to let go of the idea and instead work with what I got.

handspun handknit

2009-01-31T06:59:00.000-06:00

Fingerless mittens! My fingers are so cold at work. My computer is right by the window so when I sit down to prep lessons my hands get really cold. These will come in handy!

The stitch pattern is:

row 1: k1 p1 (repeat all the way around)
row 2: knit the whole row
row 3: p1 k1 (repeat all the way around)
row 4: knit the whole row

repeat repeat repeat!

The merino roving came from Pigeon Roof Studios.

What was once these batts

2009-01-31T06:56:00.000-06:00

from knitty dirty girl

Is now this yarn!

2009-01-31T06:54:00.000-06:00

I think I'm going to weave this yarn into squares on my multi-loom. If I back it with a soft fabric it would make a pretty cool scarf me thinks.

More free paper toys!

2009-01-23T05:47:00.001-06:00

NaniBird has the cutest little birds for you to print, cut, and play with!

Inspiration Book

2009-01-17T16:35:00.003-06:00

I am inspired every day by the crafty blogs I follow. My bookmarks are full of projects I would like to try someday. Frankly, it's become impossible to weed through the ideas to find the thing I wanted. So, I set out to make an inspiration book. Not, a sketch book. I just wanted a place to keep print-outs. So, I grabbed an old issue of Cooking Light and a cereal box. Here's my little tutorial. (Sorry the text is so small.)

Upcycled Inspiration Book

2009-01-17T16:32:00.001-06:00

2009-01-17T16:31:00.000-06:00

2009-01-17T16:30:00.000-06:00

Some new roving

2009-01-17T16:05:00.000-06:00

I bought this from Rachel-Marie over at knittydirtygirl. I have not started spinning it yet. I'm pretty excited to do it, though! It's going to be singles. I'm going to weave it with my little looms.

I have so many scraps of beautiful yarn. I'm making little squares and I'll either make a scarf or a blanket. I'm always cold so spinning, knitting, and weaving are just perfect crafts for me.

Yarn for my Mom: V2.0

2009-01-17T15:57:00.000-06:00

So, I overdyed the other skein of yarn and it's definitely more what I was going for. I used tropical punch for this one (and my new crock pot). Love it! I hope my mom does, too!

I don't know why but I've had trouble finding kool-aid around town. Is it seasonal? And then, oh baby, I went to Rainbow. They had millions of all the flavors. I stocked up with the ones I think will turn out the best. I think maybe I'll paint some roving next.

Some gifts for my niece

2009-01-17T15:52:00.000-06:00

I made my first needle felted crafty thing! I used some leftover roving from the pink yarn I made my daughter and felted it into a heart. Then I strung some hand dyed yarn through the back. It's a little necklace!

And I made her a snail. This snail was made with my spool knitter and some handspun yarn. I have a little army of these around the house, now. My kids asked me to make snails during breakfast the other day. They love playing with them and taking care of them.

No Sew Legwarmers

2009-01-15T14:38:00.000-06:00

In honor of the cold weather (-39 degrees with wind chill this morning) I thought I'd share my tutorial for No Sew Legwarmers. It's not scientific and I've only done it twice but it's easy to do and you can use up an old sweater no one wants to wear anymore.

Full (aka felt) a wool sweater. You'll probably want one at least one size up from what you usually wear. Before you full it check that the wrist cuff can comfortably fit up over your calf. I used two XL sweaters for my legwarmers (I wear size M or L). Full the sweater by washing it in your machine with hot water and soap, rinse it on cold (the temperature shock does awesome stuff to wool) and then you can either dry it in the dryer or let it air dry.

Cut off the sleeves. Cut on the outside edge of the seam. You want a clean edge (don't worry, it won't unravel).

You're done! Legwarmers in a flash!

And, after all your hard work...

2009-01-15T14:25:00.003-06:00

Legwarmers! Slip the end that was once the cuff up over your calf and you have some snazzy warmers! (They are looking a little high-waters here but they don't have to.)

And here they are peeking out from under my pants. They are so warm and comfy! This is generally how I wear them. I'll have to wait for the spring to see if I like these as legwarmers with skirts. (I'm new to legwarmers, actually. I only wear them because I'm always freezing. It's not really a fashion thing for me.)

ADDITIONAL NOTE:

Both of my pairs of legwarmers are quite itchy. To solve that problem I cut the toes off an old pair of socks. The socks had holes and are clearly pilling like crazy. This picture is a little embarrassing, frankly. Anyway, they were headed to the garbage bin so I rescued them and now they are working perfectly again as legwarmer liners! All I do is slip these on up a little over my knees. Then I put on the legwarmers and roll the top of the sock over the very top of the legwarmers. (I have been wearing my legwarmers under pants so the look at the top doesn't really matter.)