Freeform Slippers Complete

I finished the freeform slippers for my stepdaughter on Christmas Eve, just in time to wrap them up and put under the tree. I'm really pleased with how they turned out.

My stepdaugher loves them and has been wearing them constantly!

Now I have to make a pair for myself!

Freeform Slipper Progress

I've finished the freeform for one of the slippers I'm making for my stepdaughter for Christmas. Now I just have to sew it to the slipper. The mesh makes it easy to sew the scrumble to. This only took me a couple hours at the most to complete, so the freeform for the other slipper should make up quite quickly.

Deconstructed Denim Skirt

I finally finished the skirt I was making for my stepdaughter for Christmas. I started with a pair of thrift store jeans, a yard of fabric, and some eyelet trim. I followed part of the instructions from this pattern on the Simplicity website. Instead of attaching two ruffle layers to the jean yoke, I cut one layer 1.5 times the size of the yoke bottom and cut the second layer 1.5 times the size of the first ruffle layer. I attached the eyelet trim to the bottom of the second layer and topstiched it with a decorative stitch. I then gathered both layers after using a basting stitch on the tops of them. I attached the first layer to the yoke bottom and the second layer to the first bottom. All in all, it was a relatively quick and easy project. Someday I'll make one for myself, too!

Freeform Slippers

I will be making a pair of freeform slippers for my stepdaughter for Christmas. A few ladies on my freeform group did this and they turned out great, so I wanted to give it a try, too. My stepdaughter had outgrown her slippers from last year, so I thought now is the time to make her a freeform pair.

To start with, I got a pair of those mesh slippers that were all the rage a few seasons ago at the dollar store. Anything with mesh is great to use for freeform because the scrumbles can be sewn on using the holes in the mesh. First I had to remove the beads and sequins from the mesh, which I'll be using in another project now that I'm getting into beading. They were sewn on with thread and easily removed. It was more difficult keeping the beads from falling on the floor! You can see how much beading was originally on the shoe in the other pair I bought for myself. Now I have a blank canvas to work with. It shouldn't take me too long to work these up. I'm planning on using all kinds of pinks in various yarn textures. It should be fun!

Spinning?

A few weeks ago my friend Janice from the local SnB group gave me some roving and one of her drop spindles so I could give spinning a try. She's been so generous to me. I'm excited about trying it, but I don't think I'll get to it until after Christmas. I have other gift projects I'm working on or will be working on to keep me busy at the moment.

Crochet Bag

I wanted to post the bag my stepdaughter crocheted with Lion Homespun yarn. I think it turned out quite well! She liked the purse I got in the One Skein exchange and wanted to make a similar one for herself. I helped her with general design of the bag and showed her how to do the increases and decreases. She whipped it up in a weekend and couldn't wait to use it. I'm quite proud of her!

She'd like to put a lining in it eventually so the bag doesn't stretch.

Plastic Bag Tote

I was sent email about how I created the plastic bag tote seen here, so I thought I'd put the information up here so all could view it.

Materials:

• various plastic bags
• size 10 US needles
• coated string for sewing
• blunt eye needle
• pattern: Simple Knits with a Twist by Erica Knight; the pattern can also be found on the DIY Network.

Notes: I cut the bags in 1/2-inch strips starting at the top of the bag and going around and around as though peeling and orange. This way ensures one long continuous strip. I cut the strip off at various intervals so that I could incorporate other bag colors into the ball of "yarn" I was creating. I tied the strips together in knots leaving the ends as is.

I've also included a picture of the type of bag I used. I prefer the thicker ones rather than the flimsy grocery store variety.

This bag was a lot of fun, but a little hard on the hands. I will definitely make another one, trying a different way to put it together. This pattern uses a gusset. for the next one I may just knit one long strip and fold it over. I also would like to try doing this same bag in single crochet.

Earflap Hat

I originally crocheted this hat before my son Jace was born using the pattern from Candy Babies for the hat on the cover. I used Bernat Denimstyle and Lu Lu instead of the Berroco Suede and Plush for the hat. I recently tried it on him since it was now supposed to be his size, but found the hat to have too much height in it. Since it was constructed from the bottom up, it was easy to fix. I frogged about 8 rows and then tried it back on Jace. I only needed 4 more rows for the hat to be the right height, so I decreased every other stitch in each of the 4 rounds. I put it back on Jace after finishing it up, and voila! He has an adorable--and warm--hat to wear for this winter!

Sling and Booties

Here are the pictures of the booties and sling I made for my sister-in-law's shower.

Baby Shower Gifts

I have been working on a few gifts for my sister-in-law's baby shower this Sunday. So far I have crocheted her a baby blanket and sewn a baby sling.

I used Patons Cha Cha eyelash yarn together with some sport weight yarn for the blanket. I just chained the width I wanted it to be and did single crochet rows. I then edged it with Patons Pixie in double crochet. I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

For the sling I followed the pattern on the Maya Wraps website. It's a quick sew. I've made a few of these for myself and friends and find that they make great shower gifts! I use mine all the time to carry my baby boy!

I'm also working on baby booties now using a Lion Brand pattern. I have one done so far using Bernat Baby Coordinates doubled instead of the Watercolors yarn called for in the pattern. I hope they fit a newborn. I used needles 2 sizes larger than the pattern calls for because the first one I knitted up looked way too small. Even the second one compared to my son's 10-month-old foot still looks really small.

I hope she likes these gifts! I've really enjoyed making them!

After I'm done with the booties I'm going to start working on a few of my own unfinished projects. Those keep getting pushed aside so that I can make gifts for others. I want to at least get a shrug done that I have been working on so that I can wear it before I have to start making Christmas gifts!

The One Skein Project For Me

I'm a little late in posting, but I did receive a very nice One Skein project from my secret pal, who is no longer secret. Her name is Alisa, and she made me this cute purse with great yarn and a great lining! She lives in Portland, OR, and owns this cool local artists' shop called Zeldaloo Studios. She was a great Secret Pal!

Before and After

Since I've been editing and playing around with photos so much lately, my mom asked me to fix her 36-year old wedding dress photo. It was a photo that had been touched up with paint. That was the "in" thing back then apparently. I'm not sure what it looked like originally, but after 30-plus years, my mom's lips and cheeks were white and her hair was gray. The photo also had some scratches on it. She wanted me to use some photo pens to touch up the original photo and then scan it in so it could be enlarged.
Well, I didn't want to risk damaging the original photo so I scanned it in and went to work with it in Photoshop Elements. After many iterations of using the clone tool, then the paintbrush and magic extractor, I had a digital copy of my mom's wedding dress photo that actually looked like her and had normal colors. You can see the results below.

Final One Skein Project

Well, I've finally finished my pal Mary's project! Since she makes miniature items for fashion dolls, I decided to make a sweater and shawl for one of her fashion dolls. I used to collect Barbie, Gene, and other fashion dolls, and still have a collection of them, so I had models to work with. I decided to knit for a Gene doll using a pattern in a fashion doll makeovers book I have. Well the pattern was quite poorly written. It gave no gauge, no schematic, and no measurements. To make matters worse, the Elann Peruvian Baby Silk yarn I used had so many plies in it that I regularly missed catching them all while knitting. The needles I used were so slick that they frequently slid out of the loops. Despite all these hardships I managed to make the sweater anyway, although it varies quite a bit from the original design. I then crocheted a shawl out of the same yarn using a Bernat pattern that I miniaturized. That was a piece of cake. I couldn't believe how quickly that crocheted up! After getting the hang of the lace pattern, I decided to add little sleeves to the sweater to tie it to the shawl. The sleeves were no problem, either. The Baby Silk is definitely a yarn more suited for a crochet hook than a knitting needle in my opinion!
Mary also has been knitting hats for babies and donating them, so I wanted to make her a hat to include with her next donation. I used Lily Sugar 'n' Cream cotton and this MagKnits pattern by Erssie Major as a guide. I like how the hat turned out, but would do a few things differently the next time around. The seaming isn't the greatest, but hopefully it will keep some baby's head warm just the same!
I also included a slew of pattern books in this final package. Mary loves them! I got some free pattern books when I went to the Yarn Factory Outlet in Listowel, Ontario last month, and got extra for her. I also included some yarn for Mary to make more hats with and another skein of Matrix, since she loved the first ball I sent her so much! I got it as a mill end, but it's the same quality as the balls in the stores.
I'll be shipping this package out tomorrow when I cross the border. I can't wait for Mary to get it!

One Skein Packages for July

Well, I know this is way late, but I'm going to document it anyway! First off, I sent my pal Mary her second package on time for July. I gave her a skein of Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool to use for felting, some pattern booklets, grape Kool Aid, and instructions on how to dye the wool with Kool Aid. It turns out that it was a serendipitous package of goods, as Mary had always wanted to try dyeing with Kool Aid! She does miniature work crochet, and uses teeny tiny threads that only come in white or ecru. She had heard about dyeing them with Kool Aid and now she has the opportunity to do so! I was really happy that the package contents were so well received!
As for what I got from my generous, thoughtful pal, the pictures of the contents are above. She gave me this goregeous skein of handspun yarn from Sporfarm, which I had never even heard of. She also included a Knitpicks shawl pattern, a Moon Valley Lotion Bar, a scented candle, button, and some jewelry. She really went all out on this package! I can't wait to see what my final package has in store! It's also going to be great to find out all about my Secret Pal!

One Skein Package Received!

Thank you so much, OSSP! I picked up your package from the post office yesterday! I was ecstatic and touched with the wonderful yarn and additional gifts you sent me! You can see in the picture what a treasure trove I received!
She sent me a skein of Cascade 220 in a lovely shade of purple (my favorite color), beautiful handmade stitch markers, the One Skein Wonder pattern by Glampyre that I've always wanted to try, and a little duckie for my son that gauges bath temperature. I love it all! I'm definitely going to try out that One Skein Wonder now! The Cascade 220 may work for it. I've always wanted to knit with Cascade 220 and never gotten around to it, so here's my chance! I have an awesome One Skein Pal!
The return address on the label said Long Beach, California, so my Pal must do a lot of warm-weather knitting. Do you, OSSP?
Here's a closer look at the stitch markers:

One Skein Package Sent

Yesterday I sent out my package to my pal Mary. She both knits and crochets. Most of her projects are done in miniature. I can't belive she can see stitches as small as she makes them!
We've been having a good time corresponding. She has never tried a ladder yarn, so I decided to send her Bernat Matrix in the shade Natural Network. Along with that skein I included a CD I burned with all the free crochet and felting patterns I've found on the web. Mary has just started to have fun with felting, so I thought she'd enjoy the patterns I've accumulated.
Next month I'm planning on sending her a CD with all the free knitting patterns I've discovered and a couple pattern books. She'll have so many patterns she won't know what to do with!

Fun with Photoshop Elements

Since my son was born, I have been taking digital pictures all the time! I just love cataloging his growth and development. I've also learned how to print quality photos from home, with the help of Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0. I have discovered the Magic Extractor tool, which has helped me colorize portions of a black and white photo. I started with both the full color and black and white photos of the same picture. With the magic extractor, I isolated the portion I wanted to remain colored on the color photo and copied it over to the black and white photo. The results are below. I love how the final photo turned out! It's reminiscent of the tinted blacka and white photographs of old.

One Skein Exchange Has Begun!

Well I finally got my information on my secret pal for the One Skein Exchange after not getting it the first time around. It ended up in my Junk Email folder, which is probably where the first email landed and I didn't notice before I deleted it. (I get a lot of junk email.)
It turns out that there are over 700 people participating in this exchange, with participants throughout the world. That is no small undertaking for the two Interweave moderators!
Now that I've got the info on my pal, I'll be sending her an introductory email and requesting to get to know her better. I have some yarns set aside to potentially send her and will make my decision on which ones to send her once I find out her yarn likes and dislikes.
I'm looking forward to corresponding with my other secret pal who will be sending me yarn. As a start for her to get to know me better, I have to answer the following questions:
1. Which yarn is most like your personality (you can be specific or general with your answer- brand, type, color, fiber, whatever)? I'd say I'm most like a multicolored novelty yarn. I like glitz and color!
2. What is your favorite color yarn to knit/crochet with? Purple! I love all shades from orchid to deep royal purple.
3. Have you ever used variegated, or magic, yarns? Yes! I love using them! I even have a skein of Prism yarn's Wild Stuff that I'm still trying to decide what to use it for.
4. Do you tend to favor certain fibers when choosing yarns? I prefer natural fibers and blends, but will buy high quality acrylics.
5. Do you prefer to work with center-pull or traditionally wound balls of yarn? Either one is fine. I have a yarn swift and ball winder to wind yarn into center-pull balls if necessary.
6. Have you ever worked with organic yarns or are you interested in trying them? No, but I wouldn't mind trying them.
7. How many and what projects have you made in the last year? I've started quite a few for myself that I haven't completed, but I've done fine with the gifts I've made for others. I've completed a slew of scarves both knitted and crocheted, a felted bag, and a crocheted baby blanket to date. I've also made scrumbles for challenges in my Freeform group, which can be viewed on my blog.
8. Will you be knitting any gifts this year? Most definitely! I enjoy making gifts for loved ones. I think it is more meaningful and enjoy putting in the effort to do it.
9. What is your favorite one skein project? I love Glampyre's One Skein Wonder and the Baby Petal Bib in One Skein, although I own neither patterns.
10. How much yarn do you have in your stash and how do you store it? Oh my gosh, I've lost track! I have a sleeping porch full of it, a closet full of it, a cabinet full of it, and bins full of it! It drives my husband nuts, but he tolorates it along with my bins of fabric. Mostly I store it in bins, boxes, and clear plastic bags.
11. Do you have a yarn in your stash that you love so much you can never use it or part with it? Yes, that Wild Stuff yarn I mentioned before and most of my Berrocco and Colinette yarns.
12. Do you knit less or differently in the summer? No, I just take it with me when I'm out enjoying the weather! I knit/crochet less now that I have a 5-month old to take care of, though.
13. Do you belong to any knitting groups (online or offline)? I belong to a local SnB group and am a member of the International Freeform Crochet and the Multidirectional groups on Yahoo
14. Pal, please confirm for me your mailing address (some East Coast zip codes may have lost the beginning Zero value and appear as four digits, and some pals were in the process of moving when they registered). 48061

Spiral Baby Blanket

I finished this spiral baby blanket for a friend at our local SnB group. I gave it to her last week. She is expecting a girl, which she should have had by now. I found the pattern online at AngelCrafts (member site) and had been wanting to try it out for a while. I think I'll have to make one for my son in blues and white!

Scrumbles Finished!

I finally finished my scrumbles for the Free Form Garment Challenge for Chain Link. I contributed to both the jacket in jewel tones and the shawl in watercolor tones. It took me a little longer than expected to get them done because I didn't like the first two scrumbles I did for the coat. (The larger ones at the bottom.)
I couldn't send them to Prudence that way, so I redid the two. I took off the parts I didn't like and embellished over other areas. I like them much better!
I also decided to add a paisley motif to the mix, since I put one in with the water colors scrumbles and liked it a lot.
With the water color scrumbles, it was much easier for me to make them. I think it was due to my color selection. The colors worked well together so I didn't have to force it like I felt I was doing with the jewel tones.
Through this process I've discovered how much I like adding the knitted garter stitch leaves with surface crochet to my freeform.

One Skein Exchange

I signed up for the One Skein Secret Pal Exchange sponsored by Interweave Press. We'll be exchanging yarns anonymously and then making an item out of one skein of yarn to give to our secret pal. The deadline to sign up is May 1st. I'm looking forward to it!
I may have to go out and buy the One Skein book for patterns to make a one-skein garment. Some preview patterns in the book are here and here.

Surf's Up!

It is still amazing how I can find new needlecraft ideas and patterns practically every day on the internet. Yesterday was one such day. I started with downloading the latest patterns from Crochet Me and ended up finding some great stuff on other needlecraft blogs. Crochet Me contained this Amigurumi link, which led me to look for an Amigurumi cat pattern. I found it on the Ramblings in a Little Black Dress blog. I definitely want to make one when I get the chance. Sarah Jane also had a link on another blog to a baby blanket pattern using a modern granny square. I plan on modifying the square to make a copycat version of Stitch Diva's crocheted handy hobo. We'll see when I can get to that. There are so many projects, I'd like to complete, but I just don't have the time! In the meantime, I'll still search for patterns to put on my someday to-do list!

If Only I had Known

It turns out that I didn't have to buy the Stitch Diva pattern after all. I recently found out from my local SnB group that it is in Debbie Stoller's Happy Hooker crochet book. For a mere $3 more I can get that pattern and 39 others! Oh well, I'm going to buy the Happy Hooker book anyway. I saw on the back cover it has a crochet version of the jacket like the pattern I wanted at Annie's Attic, which also costs $7, so the book will save me there.

Catching Up

Well I haven't been as regular with posting to this blog as I'd hoped to be, but I'm doing better than I did last year! This time around I have more of an excuse. I had a baby. Now that he's 3 months, I'm getting more of a chance to pursue some of my crafting hobbies.
Nevertheless, I was able to get a few projects finished over these 3 months. I just had to be content with working on them in smaller increments and working on smaller projects. On the sewing front, I managed to take in a PJ top I made my dad last year, patch my husband's ripped jeans, and monogram some towels as a late wedding gift. On the knitting front I completed two scarves--a skull scarf for my stepson out of doubled Woolease and a garter stitch one for my mom using various black yarns in my stash. The skull chart I found on another blog, but it doesn't seem to be there anymore. I unfortunately didn't take a picture of my mom's scarf before I gave it to her.

Freeform Challenge Piece

Here is the piece I completed for the International Freeform Challenge. 61 Members of the International Freeform Crochet group each contributed at least 5 yards of yarn per member to use for completing at least one scrumble. See http://www.60-odd.com/ for all the scrumbles and more details on the project.
This scrumble was a lot of fun to do! There was no coordination on the types and colors of yarn to be sent, and most of us would not have chosen this selection of yarn to use in a personal scrumble we'd have created for ourselves. It was amazing to see such variety in the pieces even though we all started with the same selection of yarns.

I'm Back

I played around with this blog last year, and then got busy with life and hobbies. I completed a lot of needlecrafts projects over this past year. Unfortunately, many were gifts that I didn't take a picture of before they were given away. Since it's the new year now, my resolution is to document any projects I complete and put them on this blog. Time will tell how well I stick to this resolution!