Etsy Shop??

Raise your hand if you think I should open an Etsy shop. Comments welcome.

Some socks

Yeah, I know I said I wasn't going to post a bunch of "Looky What I Mades," but I also said I was going to post every day. unfortunately, although I knit or do something else fiber-related almost every single day, that doesn't mean everything is post-worthy. In fact, most of it isn't.

Anyway, here is a pair of socks. Don't worry - I have another pair just like this one. Okay, that was corny.

The one on the left is made with Paton's Stretch Socks (41% cotton, 39% wool, 13% nylon, and 7% elastic). The one on the right is made with Trekking XXL (75% Superwash wool, 25% nylon). Both were done on size 3 dpns.

Although both are rated as lightweight sock yarn, the finished Paton's sock has a lighter feel - a nice 3-season sock, while the Trekking makes a nice, fuzzy, warm sock that will be best for cold winter days.

Flat Feet Socks

Thanks to my pal Dana for gifting me some Flat Feet. These socks are the result. This yarn was so much fun to work with, and I had no idea how the colors were going to turn out. The end product is nothing like the beginning. Should have taken some pics of the original yarn. I want to score some blanks from Knit Pics and play around with dying my own.

I Know! I Know!!

A whole month has gone by since I started cleaning this place up. I need to make it a habit like it was before. It takes two weeks of doing something (or not doing something) every day to make (or break) a habit. I'm going to attempt at least one post a day.

If it makes you (or me) feel any better, I have been crafting and planning over the last month. Made a couple of pairs of socks and a scarf for my dear friend Sarah.

The Yarn Yarn Sisterhood has been meeting regularly, and growing mad skills.

Back to the one post a day -- I watched Julie & Julia this morning, and thought about how great it would be to blog for a living. Like that will happen! Dare to dream! I don't plan to knit my way through EZ's Knitter's Almanac, I do intend to blog more about my adventures in fiber.

Changes

I'm spiffing this mess up a little! Blogging has changed a lot since the last time I was here. I'm in the process of adding labels to my back posts so readers don't have to dig. I'm also eliminating anything that's not related to fiber or textiles. I'll continue to make it prettier and more informative. Toward the end of last year, it became more about "looky what I made," than about sharing ideas. Apologies for that. I've got a new video camera, so I'm planning to post some video tutorials and articles. But I'll still post "looky what I mades"!

I'm Baaaa-aaaaack!!!!!

Hey, all! It's been way too long -- funny how time flies when you're having fun!! I can't believe it's been over a year. My craft room is a mess, but I have been knitting and, to a lesser extent, spinning.

I've started a little knitting group in my area. It started with a friend who wanted to learn, so we started meeting once a week at the local coffee shop. A few weeks later, another friend joined us. Then another, and another. We have three regulars and a handful who come when they can.

I'm thinking of starting another blog just for that group. What do you think?

Featured on Dollar Store Crafts!

This is so exciting! Heather over at Dollar Store Crafts saw pics of the placemat bags in the Flickr pool and did a feature on them on her site -- http://dollarstorecrafts.com/ -- go check it out! It's a great site that's devoted to handmade crafts using finds from dollar stores, thrift shops, flea markets, yard sales, etc. -- I love seeing the ideas people come up with for ordinary household items -- lots of recycling and upcycling going on over there! Shout out to Heather!

RIP Blanche

The last of my Angoras passed away a few weeks ago. The pic on the left was Blanche the day we brought her home and the other pic is Blanche as an adult. She was very old and I'd been expecting this for awhile. But, like her sister Jane, she died when the ground was frozen. Our friend Tony once again broke out the backhoe for us. Thanks, Tony!

More More Wristlets

These are the wristlets I made this week. They'll be for sale at The Pen & Thread as soon as I finish the hang tags and a few other details.

More Placemat Bags

These are the placemat bags I made this week. The inside of the plaid one is plain black -- couldn't get a good pic of it. I stopped by the shop to see Mary Anna this week. She's been working hard to reorganize and it's beautiful! She's got tons of handspun yarns in natural colors and dozens of handspun, handknitted hats. I'll try to get some pics next time I stop in.

Kitschy Spring Fun

How's this for a fun little summer bag? I made it from a placemat -- one of the stiff, fabric-covered ones. I added a satin lining and attached the purchased handles with some sturdy ribbon. It looks retro to me. What do you think?

Jason's Purse

Jason asked me to make a placemat bag for his mother and this is what happened. I think I've finally got the knack!

Robin's Wristlet

So Robin was admiring my wristlet and I remembered that I had bought some of her old wool sweaters at a yard sale and they were all felted and sitting on my stash shelf. Now Robin has a new wristlet, too. Pink is her favorite color and pink and brown is her favorite color combo.

Nubuck Tote Bag

So I've been admiring my friend Robin's red leather Tommy tote. It's the perfect size to haul case files in our jobs as case managers. I happened to have some nubuck in my stash, so after much experimentation, I finally have a new tote for myself!

So then I was admiring my friend Dana's Coach wristlet. And while I was making the tote, I popped out a matching wristlet for myself -- again with some experimentation -- I've never been a fan of the zipper, but I think I have it down now!

More Bags

Rylan requested a bag similar to Karin's, but I only had one placemat in the same pattern. I made a half-size version by folding the placemat in half lengthwise. I used ribbon to attach the handles and I made the closure out of wider ribbon in the same color. I sewed a vintage button on by hand, but I used Velcro for the actual closure.

The green bag was a request by Jason for his wife. I folded one placemat in half like I did with the blue bag, but this one is lined with yellow broadcloth backed with fusible interfacing. The blue bag was self-lined as the placemat was backed with a plain brown layer of fabric. The green bag has a magnetic closure and the handles are attached with ribbons.

These are still prototypes. Each bag is an adventure because I don't use patterns. I prefer to wing it and see what happens. Mistakes are made, but I'm learning from them, so it's cool, right? Anyway, because these are prototypes, my friends get to be my guinea pigs. I let them pick the placemats and I have free reign with the rest. As soon as I get the wrinkles ironed out, I hope to start mass producing -- well, as much as handmade things can be mass-produced! -- and sell at local craft shows next year. I'd like to be really adventurous and open an Etsy shop, but I guess I'm still a little too timid to go there! Opinions welcome.

Placemat Bag Version 2

My second attempt at a placemat bag. Mistakes were made. Gimme a break. I'm still hammering out prototypes. For one thing, I should have stitched the tabs in green thread instead of brown. Brown thread would be an interesting designe element if I could stitch straight, but I can't. The tabs actually do match a very light stripe in the pattern on the fabric, but you can't see it very well in the picture. If you click the picture and blow it up, you can see it better. Karin claimed this one! Shelby suggested I try a diaper bag, as she is having her third baby girl in a week or so. I need to give that one some thought. Lots of pockets and compartments. I don't even know what goes into a diaper bag besides diapers. I've gotta go do some research!

Fabric Labels

These are my new fabric labels -- I used inkjet fabric sheets. Very easy. In the last post (Placemat Bag) there's a pic of a label in the bag. I forgot to satin stitch it to the lining of the bag before I put the lining in the bag, so I attached it with fabric glue.

First Stab at Placemat Bags

I know! I know! I'm a bad blogger -- it's been months and months and months. Get over it.

This is my first attempt at making a placemat purse. I got some nice heavy, pretty placemats. I used lighter placemats for the lining. I sewed them together, added a magnetic closure and ribbon tabs for the handles. Oh, and I sewed across the corners the bottom sits flat. This bag was made especially for Dana!

Just Signed Up With Ravelry

I've been reading so much about Ravelry that I had to check it out: www.ravelry.com. It's still in beta and they've got a waiting list to join, but it only took about a week. I haven't really gotten into it yet, but I've created my account and I've been poking around and it looks fabulous. One of the features I'll use most is a database that allows users to keep track of their stash and tools. The timing was perfect for me -- I'm in the process of turning the spare bedroom into my craft room, which means a huge reorganization -- okay, it can't be an reorganization if it was never organized to begin with! :) Anyway, I can't wait to really get into using Ravelry!

Jane Crosses the Bridge

One of my beloved Angoras was returned to the earth last week. Here is a pic that was taken the day I brought her home. She was little more than a kit and shared a small crate with her littermate Blanche. They were named after the characters played by Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. The other pic was taken last summer. She was 5 years old and 12 pounds and had been living in her own spacious hutch that was built by DH. Jane passed in February. It was hard to dig. As our dear friend Tony put it: "Rabbit: 12 pounds . . . Friend with a backhoe: Priceless." Great heartfelt thanks to Tony & Dana for helping us with our Jane's funeral.