Creative Ramblings

Thrifty PJ Shorts

2011-08-10T22:34:00.000-04:00

My daughter needed PJ shorts for the summer, and I wanted to see if I could repurpose some of fabric/clothes that I had to make them. It turns out that I was getting ready to get rid of some receiving blankets since my kids are no longer babies. It occurred to me that those blankets were just like cuts of fabric, albeit smaller ones, that I could use for the shorts.

Shorts from a sheet (left); shorts from a baby sling (right)

I also had a worn crib sheet and a baby sling that I took apart, which gave me 2 more yards of fabric to use for PJs. Between the blankets, sheet, and wrap, I now have plenty of fabric to use for PJ shorts for a while.

Girls' Skirt from Jeans

2011-08-03T23:23:00.000-04:00

My mother bought my daughter a pair of thrift store jeans that had a huge crotch in them that would never fit her. I decided to cut the legs off and make them into a skirt.
I used the pant legs to create the bottom ruffle and cut two additional strips of fabric for the other two ruffles I had planned.

I gathered each one of the strips to form the ruffles. First I added the denim ruffle, sewing right sides together to the bottom and then topstitched it. Then I added the tulle ruffle, and finally the fabric ruffle sewing the wrong sides to the right sides of the skirt. I made sure each ruffle overlapped the other. I then used the ribbon to finish off the top edge of the fabric ruffle.

Now my daughter has a cute skirt she loves to wear instead of an ill-fitting pair of pants!

Insa Skirt

2011-03-23T19:52:00.002-04:00

Well, I may not have been blogging, but I that doesn't mean I haven't been making things. I've just been more motivated to create than to take pictures and write about it.
One of my recent completed projects is the Insa Skirt from Sewing Clothes Kids Love. The 2-layer, 4-gore skirt is adorable and can potentially be made with many more fabrics instead of just the 3 I chose. I made the 3/4T size and substituted a waistband for the yoke the pattern called for since I didn't need the extra length as I was making it for my 2 1/2 year-old girl and didn't want to make the 18M/2T size.

As for Sewing Clothes Kids Love, let me tell you I love this book! The patterns are unique and offer so many design options, you're really only limited by your creativity. There are 2 dresses, a skirt, shrug, leggings, jacket, trousers, and tank top for girls and unisex shirt and jacket for both boys and girls. The patterns range from size 18 months to 12, so you can get lots of use out them. The book offers lots of ideas for customizing and embellishing the patterns as well. This is one pattern book I'll be using again and again!

Embroidered Hoodie

2010-03-17T23:25:00.000-04:00

I embroidered this hoodie for my stepdaughter for her birthday. I found a peace sign graphic and digitized it with my Digitizer Pro software. It turned out well for the most part.

Another Kids' Club Skirt

2010-01-05T22:29:00.002-05:00

I made a Kids' Club Skirt for my daughter that I had started before she was born. I finally got around to finishing it. It was supposed to be a size 12 months, but I think it'll fit her until she's 3 because the waist stretches so much. I just used acrylic and eyelash yarns from my stash since it'll get a lot of wear and tear and will need to be washed frequently. I really like the color combination.

Scrubbies

2009-12-05T22:25:00.000-05:00

I made these scrubbie face cloths for my SIL. She really enjoyed the first one I made for her a few years ago. I somehow lost the pattern and couldn't find it again even though it was a free internet pattern. Fortunately, my neighbor located her copy again so I was able to make 3 more in no time flat.

Transformers Hat with Charted Autobot Symbol

2009-11-17T23:24:00.006-05:00

I'm really having fun knitting basic hats and adding a charted design with duplicate stitch. This time it's an Autobot symbol hat that I created for my son. He loves Transformers! He was quite happy that I finished his hat now that winter is approaching.

I've included the chart I used below in case anyone else wants to create an Autobot hat. I'll probably type up the simple hat pattern soon I've been using for these hats so that others can create these hats, too.

Colts Baby Hat with Charted Horseshoe

2009-11-16T22:04:00.000-05:00

I had previously knit a Colts hat for my brother last year. Now that he has a son, I wanted to knit him a hat, too. Since a 12 month old's hat would be way too small for the original chart, I decided to go back to the drawing board and design a smaller horseshoe.

I knit this hat in the round, and used duplicate stitch to add the smaller horseshoe just like I did with the original hat. Since the hat is a gift, I tried it on my daughter's head to make sure it fit properly. I think it turned out well, so I've included this littler charted horseshoe, too.

Birthday Shrug

2009-08-27T22:53:00.003-04:00

I whipped up this shrug for my friend's daughter's 6th birthday. I used a pattern that I found on the DIY website from the show Uncommon Threads. The episode was entitled Hooked on Shrugs. I used one skein of Lion Brand Colorwaves and some Patons Allure, both from my stash. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.

Freeform Sweater Close-Ups

2009-07-09T18:07:00.007-04:00

Here are the close-up views of the freeform sweater with links to larger pictures.

Fronts

Back

Right Sleeve

Left Sleeve

Juice Pouch Bag

2009-07-08T23:30:00.000-04:00

I whipped up this bag for a friend. I made her another one with juice pouch straps, but it didn't hold up. I substituted the straps this time around and made the bag 1 row of pouches wider.

My First Freeform Garment

2009-07-06T23:12:00.002-04:00

I finally finished my first freeform garment--a cropped sweater for my infant daughter Keira in size 12 months. It should fit her in a few months when she turns 1. I started the sweater before Keira was born, took a break from it, and then went full-speed ahead until I finished it.

I drew out a template for the sleeves, fronts, and back based on a knitting schematic so I'd get the correct sizing. I had to make the sweater a little wider and the sleeves a little shorter in the end to make sure it would fit my daughter. It was easy to do since all I did was add some freeform bits to the width of the sides in front and back after I had already sewn the sleeves on. That widened the body and shortened the sleeves at the same time. After seaming up the sides, I added a sc border to the sleeves and sweater edge, which added a nice finishing touch. It also gave me an opportunity to add a buttonhole for a button I had in my stash.

I'd say I gravitate towards the circular shapes, shells, and garter stitch shapes the most in my freeform, probably because they're easy, quick, and look good. I also love to throw in bullions here and there, too. I tend to overthink the color and texture blending while freeforming, which slows me down, so it's good that I can at least make up some motifs quickly once I finally decide on the yarn to use.
I'll have to post more pictures of it being worn once my daughter is big enough for it.

Labor of Love

2009-06-09T21:39:00.003-04:00

I finally finished the Vogue Knitting Baby Cardigan. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. For a baby knit, this sure did take a long time. I started this last summer before my daughter was born. I lost interest in it after she was born, mostly because of the weird shoulder shaping that I just couldn't seem to figure out, and the second sleeve became monotonous.

I finally got a chance to use my embroidery stitch book since I had really never hand embroidered before at all. The french knot was the most difficult for me to master, but I found a great video tutorial that helped me figure it out.

The sweater took longer to complete in the finishing stage, too. I ripped out the colloar and redid the back neckline because I didn't like how it dipped in the back. It made the back piece look shorter than the front even though they were the same length. If I were ever to make this sweater again, I would not place the middle back section on a stitch holder until I were finished with all the shoulder shaping. After that was said and done, I noticed that my buttons were placed too low, so I fixed them.

Here are the sweater variations:

Yarn substituted: Knitpicks Shine Sport in pink
Modified the back neckline and added 2 extra buttonholes

I'm glad I perservered and finished this even with all the setbacks and changes. It definitely was a labor of love, and Keira should be able to fit into it soon.

Sewing Kit

2009-06-08T22:16:00.002-04:00

I went to Sarnia Artwalk last Sunday. It's always neat to see what other craftly people are doing, and I like to support independent artisans. While there I found an adorable halter dress sewing kit by Stacey White of Snug N Luv using Amy Bulter fabric. Stacey has some adorable things for sale and is quite talented!

I'm hoping to find a spare moment to sew this dress together for Keira. I don't think it'll fit her this summer, though, but definitely next summer.

Finishing Projects

2009-06-04T11:32:00.004-04:00

I have so many projects for my daughter that I need to finish up so that I can post them. Right now I'm working on the following:

Kids' Club Skirt--It looks like it won't fit her anytime soon. It was supposed to be 12 months size but looks like 2 years instead.
VK baby sweater designed by Michelle Rose Orne--I just have to weave in ends and add the buttons.
Freeform sweater--It now needs to be made larger for her, which is easy with freeform.

In the meantime I managed to make another Economical Baby Blanket. I just need to add the birth information and will take a picture of it. If I get around to it, I'll post instructions for how to add the edging to the blanket along with the modified edging pattern.

There are so many other patterns I want to try out for Keira before she gets too big. The problem is that I don't have time to knit them all. I probably will need to get out the calculator and resize the patterns for a larger size and/or use bulkier yarn for the project to get a larger size. A lot of the baby patterns use fine guage yarn, so I substituting sport or worsted weight yarn will proabably do the trick. It's a good thing I have a large stash!

Upside Down Daisy Hat

2009-06-01T11:29:00.000-04:00

I finally took a picture of my daughter wearing the hat I made for her. She's pretty much outgrown it, so I'll have to make her another one for next winter.

Colts Baby Items

2009-03-07T22:36:00.004-05:00

I made this blanket and embroidered two onesies for my brother's baby, who was born on Valentine's Day. My brother is a big Indianapolis Colts fan, and he wanted his child to be one, too! I was glad to hear that the gifts were well received!

I got the cotton Colts fabric and white fleece at JoAnn's. I then digitized a Colts horseshoe and logo with my Digitizer Pro software and embroidered it on the fleece with my Janome MC 10000. I shrunk the horseshoe design for the onesies before I embroidered on them. I've gotten the hang of embroidering on knits finally after many failed attempts. The key was hooping the stabilizer only and using a basting stitch to anchor the clothing to the hoop.

Baby Shrug and Booties

2008-09-21T12:54:00.003-04:00

Here are some last-minute projects I finished for the baby before she arrived on the 18th. They're both a newborn size, but neither one fits Keira yet! She's a tiny gal, but will grow, so I hope to get a picture of her in them soon!

The shrug is from this pattern I found online and the booties are from an Annie's Attic crocheted booties booklet by Carolyn Christmas.

Socks for the baby

2008-09-17T12:48:00.003-04:00

My friend Mary knitted these adorable socks for my daughter using 2 circular needles. She used Panda Cotton for the pink ones and other pair are made with Maizy. Aren't they great? I'll have to take a picture of them on the baby when she arrives.

Freeform Sweater Progress

2008-09-13T13:01:00.004-04:00

I've made a lot of progress this week with the size 12 months freeform baby bolero sweater I've been working on intermittently. I have the fronts and back finished and assembled, and have almost finished one sleeve. I'm really enjoying the creative process with this, although I need to stop overanalyzing my placement at times and just get 'er done!

I've been using templates in order to get the shapes right. It's been very helpful but a bit tricky at the end to square off the sides. I used a schematic from a knitted baby cardigan pattern so that all the pieces would fit well.

Bumble Bee Hat and Booties Set

2008-09-13T12:48:00.002-04:00

I decided that my baby girl after she arrives will be a bee for Halloween. I wanted a hat and booties for the costume, so I used a MagKnits pattern by Erssie Major for the set, which I modified from the original in order to suit my taste. I knitted the booties and hat with Lily Elite Cotton in black and yellow. I still have to buy the ribbons to add to the hat and booties.

I have a black size 2T turtleneck that I plan to modify to make a smocked dress with some bee embroidery to use for the costume as well. If I have the time, I'll make some tulle wings to finish off the costume.

Pants to Match Cutie Patootie

2008-09-13T12:06:00.009-04:00

Even though there was no matching pants pattern for the Cutie Patootie sweater I made, I was determined to find one I could use/modify to make a pair. A friend gave me a Patons Cuitie Pie baby pattern book that had a pair of pants in it that I decided to see if I could modify. I did a little math to recalculate the stitch count, since the Bernat Soy was a heavier weight than the Patons Bumblebee it was written for. I also left off the granny square cuffs at the bottom replacing them with a longer pant and the picot trim I used for the sweater.

I'm very pleased with how the pants turned out. I didn't finish the elastic off yet because I'm going to wait until my baby is ready to wear them and customize the fit.

You can see the set looks like it was made from two matching patterns.

Debby Ware Booties Finished

2008-09-01T08:54:00.001-04:00

I actually finished this bootie a while ago, but have just been too busy to post. Here is the complete set. I used fuschia Lion Fun Fur, pink and fuschia Patons Grace, and white Patons Bumblebee for the booties. I'd like to make another pair using colors to match the pattern.

Works In Progress

2008-06-28T22:58:00.004-04:00

Here are the projects I'm currently working on: The Debby Ware Girly Girl Bobble Booties and a freeform bolero in various shades of pinks.

I made these booties earlier but modified them to suit a boy instead of a girl. I'm very happy that I got the opportunity to make the girl version! I love the touch of eyelash on them!

For the bolero, I'm using a template so that I can get my scrumbles the correct size. I haven't decided if I'll be doing the sleeves in back in freeform as well or if I'll make them in the tossed salad style of switching up yarns and stitch patterns in a row-by-row format.

Another Upside-Down Daisy Baby Hat

2008-06-28T17:58:00.002-04:00

I just finished this hat last week for my baby girl in the oven. It's from the Itty-Bitty Hats book by Susan B. Anderson. I used Lily Sugar 'n' Cream yarn for the 0-6 month size hat. It was a quick knit!

Cutie Patootie Baby Sweater

2008-06-28T17:49:00.004-04:00

Well last month I found out that I'll be having a baby girl in September, so I was able to finish this sweater with pink edging!

I have enough yarn left over that I should be able to make a pair of pants to match. I have some baby pants patterns, but none call for the size 8 needles. One uses size 7 and the other uses size 6. I'll have to do some math calculations to get it to work for me.

Pattern: Cutie Patootie by Berroco
Yarn used: Bernat Soy, 2 balls Rice, less than 1 ball Raspberry
Size 8 needles
Size: 6 months

Rosamund Baby Blanket Progress

2008-05-14T17:47:00.005-04:00

I've been working on the Berroco Rosamund granny square baby blanket pattern off and on between other projects. I'm planning on having it done by the time my next baby arrives in September.
The pattern calls for 12, 18-inch squares to be made in order to make up the blanket. I'm only going to make 9 squares, which will be plenty big for a baby.

Instead of the Berroco yarn I'm using Bernat LuLu and Satin yarns in shades of white, yellow, and lavender. I've been deciding my own color order for the squares and just using the pattern as a guideline for how many rows to make for each square or series of squares.

Kids' Club Skirt

2008-05-13T15:28:00.001-04:00

I have the book Greetings from Knit Cafe and have been dying to make the Kids' Club Skirt, although I had no little girl to make it for. I decided to make it for my friend's daughter for her 5th birthday because I thought she would like it. Her mom says she definitely will!

The only thing I did different from the pattern was use garter stitch at the bottom of the skirt instead of the 2x2 ribbing. I didn't want the skirt to pull in at the bottom.

I loved using a bunch of bright yarns I had leftover from other projects, including the 2 magic balls I created for the fun of it. This was a quick, easy knit and a lot of fun. It was so much fun that I can't wait to make another one!

Economical Baby Shower Blanket

2008-04-14T15:54:00.006-04:00

When I saw a fleece blanket with crochet edging pattern in the August 2006 issue of Crochet Today, I knew I had to try it out. I had fleece and could sew a blanket stitch to use as a foundation for the crochet edging. Shortly thereafter I saw fleece baby blankets at the Dollar Tree store that already had the blanket stitch edging and got the idea to put on a crochet edging on an already-made blanket. I scooped up about 5 of them just to use for future gifts.

Well, I got the opportunity to edge one of those blankets when I needed a last-minute gift for a baby shower. I got out some worsted weight Bernat Satin-type yarn I had on hand to use to edge the blanket. I was planning on using the edging pattern from the Crochet Today pattern, but that was intended for a novelty-type yarn and the stitch pattern wasn't that interesting. I remembered a Family Circle granny square blanket pattern that I had made had a nice edging, so I got out the issue with the pattern and modified the edging to suit the blanket. It turned out really well, and the project only cost a few dollars to make, too!

The next time I edge another one of these dollar store blankets I'm going to embroider the baby's information since I can do that with my sewing machine. That will give it a more personal touch!

Indianapolis Colts Hat with Charted Horsehoe

2008-03-14T16:28:00.006-04:00

My brother is a huge Indianapolis Colts fan, so I decided to knit him a Colts hat. I couldn't find a Colts hat pattern, so I decided to use a hat pattern and add the horseshoe.

I looked online for a charted Colts horseshoe but couldn't find one. I decided to give charting my own a try. I downloaded a Colts Horsehoe graphic and overlayed it on some knitting graph paper, tweaking it from there. What I have posted here is what I came up with.

I made two attempts at knitting this hat. In my first attempt, I found a hat pattern for a double-knit hat that I could use to make a reversible hat. I got the hang of double-knitting but found it tedious. It was great for adding a charted pattern, though, since there is no carrying of yarn to worry about. When I finally finished the hat, I was disappointed with it. It turns out that my purl stitches (the inside layer of the hat) were much looser than my knit stitches (the outside layer). Since I couldn't fix the hat, I ripped it all out and started over.

In my next attempt, I used a basic knitted in the round hat pattern. I just knit the hat in blue and used duplicate stitch to add the horseshoe after the hat was completed. This process was much quicker and turned out much better, as you can see above.

Feel free to use this chart for your Indianapolis Colts gear!

A Large Project Finished!

2008-01-29T14:15:00.000-05:00

Here's what I've been working on and off for the past few months--a blanket project for a former classmate of mine who found out she has colon cancer. For more details on the project, look here.

Baby Gifts Galore!

2007-12-01T06:02:00.000-05:00

I haven't blogged, but I have been busy being crafty in the meantime! I've been making a lot of baby items and hats lately. Here are some of the most recent baby gifts I've completed.

The blue hat and booties are for a knitting friend who is having a boy this month. I also made an identical blue hat for a high school friend who is also having a boy and is also due this month. Both hats were based upon the Simple Baby Cap 1 pattern in Itty Bitty Knits, but I did a K1, P1 rib for an inch instead of all stockinette. I used Lily Elite Cotton for the hat shown here. The booties are knit in Patons Bumblebee Baby Cotton using my modified version of the Bobble Booties Debby Ware pattern, which is intended for a girl. I omitted the eyelash and stockinette stitch for the top of the bootie and did seed stitch instead. As I knit them I discovered that there were errors in the original pattern for knitting the instep and the soles. The instep was meant to be knit in stockinette but the pattern said garter stitch. For the soles I had to decrease at the beginning and end of each row as well as at the stitch marker in the middle in order to be able to sew the booties together properly.

The pink hat is for another high school friend who is having a girl. I used the Upside-Down Daisy pattern from Itty Bitty Knits and knit it with Lily Sugar 'n' Cream cotton yarns. I couldn't fit all six of the white petals on the hat for some reason, so it only has four. It still looks cute!

Beatrice Shrug Completed

2007-10-15T17:09:00.001-04:00

I finally finished this shrug. It turned out well for the most part, but if I ever made another one, I would do some things differently. First, I would use a different chevron pattern and follow the schematic measurments. The pattern instructions were too verbose, and by the time I figured out the pattern I realized that it wasn't always possible to skip a stitch and a chain in the row below in order to make the stitches match up at the top and bottom. Therefore, I always made sure that I put the stitch at the top of the chevron and at the bottom where they were supposed to be regardless of whether or not I was skipping the appropriate number of stitches.

Secondly, I would make the sleeves narrower and increase for the portion that covers the bust. As you can see in the photo, the sleeves are enormous. That's a little too much bulk for me.

I'd also use a more casual yarn for the next shrug, too, so I could wear it with jeans or dress it up. The Bernat Satin looks too shiny for casual wear.

Beatrice Shrug Progress

2007-09-02T06:32:00.000-04:00

I've finished the two pieces of the Berroco Beatrice shrug: the shrug portion and the tie. Now I just have to sew them together. I used Bernat Satin instead of the Berroco yarn, which was a good substitute. The chevron pattern was too wordy and seemed like the stitch count was incorrect somewhere. I eventually figured out how to make it work, but I'd never use this stitch pattern again. If I made another one of these shrugs, I'd consult a stitch dictionary for a better chevron pattern.

Baby Blanket Free Pattern and Flower Petal Bib

2007-05-12T06:41:00.001-04:00

I made these for a coworker's first child. The bib is the Flower Petal Bib from One Skein and the blanket is my own pattern. I used Elann Sonata for the bib. Knitting the bib gave me my first attempt at short rows, which turned out well for the most part.

For the blanket and chained the width I wanted it to be using an L hook with Bernat Baby sport weight yarn and Patons Cha Cha eyelash held together.

First row: hdc in 3rd chain from hook, hdc across; ch 2, turn.

All remaining rows: hdc across; ch 2, turn.

When the blanket is the length you want, fasten off.

Edging:

Anchor a sc anywhere but in the corner with white Bernat Lu Lu or similar yarn.

*5 dc (shell), then sc*, repeat from * to a corner.

7 dcs in the corner and continue with shell repeat above until another corner is reached. Fasten off.

My blanket was at least 30" x 40", but you can make it any size you like.

I used a cone of Patons Cha Cha for the blanket, so I can only estimate how many balls to use. I'd say 5 balls at least. You can also use Bernat Eye Lash, too, as it's the same stuff, although both yarns have been discontinued. Each ball is 77 yards, so about 400 yards of any similar weight eye lash yarn will do.

International Freeform Show is Live

2007-04-19T12:03:00.000-04:00

Finally! The group challenge exhibit for this year's show is up and running! I only submitted pieces for the elements and you can see them here. I had a fun time doing it!

Project Updates

2007-03-12T17:35:00.000-04:00

Over the past month or so I've had to make some quick projects that I haven't had time to take pictures of before I gave them away. I crocheted some baby booties for my nephew for his baptism and knitted a mini sweater vest that I attached to a card for an SnB friend who is moving. I also monogrammed some mugs by etching glass for the first time using etching cream and stencils I made from Mack Tack. They turned out well for my first time.
I finished a shracket for my stepdaughter using a pattern I found on an episode of Uncommon Threads. I still have yet to take a picture of it. It turned out quite well and she loves it.
Right now I'm working on a Berroco zippered cardigan for my son using Lullaby, which I think is discontinued. It's turning out well so far. I don't have a lot of experience seaming and have never sewn in a zipper, so this will be a challenge for me.

Crocheted Wire Buttons

2007-03-02T13:12:00.000-05:00

I just received the May issue of Threads magazine and started browsing it. I found instructions for making crocheted wire buttons. I've already done some wire crochet and have the tools I need for that, so I'll definitely be making some of these! They'd be a great addition to freeform, knitted, or crocheted garments, too.

Freeform in Progress

2007-03-02T08:22:00.000-05:00

I've been working on my scrumbles for this year's International Freeform Challenge. There are two challenges:

Elements: The first exhibit will be based on your interpretation of 4 elements:
Fire, Earth, Air and Water. Each element is a separate scrumble.
Tree of Life: The second exhibit is The Tree of Life/Peace will be a display of 3 dimensional FF pieces that will hang from the limbs of tree branches.

Each challenge requires that gold thread be somewhere in each piece to signify unity. We could do one challenge, both, or parts. I chose the elements.

I'm finished with Water and not really pleased with it, but it's good enough. The deadline is next week for the online exhibition, so I can't be too picky. I'm working on Fire now and really liking how it's turning out. Next I'll tackle Air and finally Earth.

Unfortunately, I can't post pictures until the online exhibition because the pieces are going to be unveiled all at once. I'll post more information here once that happens.

Stitch Markers

2007-01-16T07:36:00.000-05:00

I just completed these stitch markers last night using the tutorial on this blog. I made them because I wanted to give a handmade gift for my SnB friend's birthday, and thought these would be perfect. I already had beads and beading equipment. I just needed to get the brass curtain rings, which I found at a local fabric store.

These made up quickly. They're addictive, too! I can see myself making more to give as gifts to my knitting friends!

Third Time's the Charm

2007-01-13T10:47:00.000-05:00

I recently purchased the Itty Bitty Hats book to make some hats for my son. I started out with the basic roll brimmed hat. The hat patterns only gave out age ranges for size and not finished head circumferences, so I measured my son's head and made the hat roughly his head size. Well I neglected to realize that the hat needed to be smaller than the head circumference due to stretching, so I got this:

That wouldn't work, so I gave the hat to my husband. It fit him quite well.

Then I attempted to make another hat--the one on the cover of the book. I made the hat slightly smaller than the first one, but it still didn't quite work:

That hat I claimed for myself, since I wanted to make an adult-sized version anyway.

Realizing finally that I needed to make the hat at least 2 inches smaller than the head circumference, I began the third hat. I used the basic rolled brim hat as my guide but did a 2x2 rib for an inch instead. I didn't want the rolled brim this time. This time it worked!

Although I'm pleased with this hat, I wished I would have done the ribbing for 2 inches. I'll make sure I make that adjustment for the next time. These hats work up quickly, so making another one will be a snap!

Photo Restoration

2007-01-09T09:12:00.000-05:00

I recently scanned in a set of my mom's photos so I could make copies. Before I could do that, I had some repairs to do, so I fired up Adobe Photoshop Elements. I used primarily the clone and the healing brush tools to do the restorations. As a result, I was able to restore quite a few old photos. I was able to repair two badly damaged vintage photos--one of my grandparents and one of my great-grandparents. I also reparied an old-style family photo taken when I was a child that was damaged and had a background that didn't cover the photo area completely. That is the photo I posted here. You can see the before and after versions. In order to remove dressing area was visible in the photo and cover it with the backdrop, I copied part of the backdrop and put it on another layer. I used the magnetic lasso tool to cut out the area not covered by the backdrop and stretched the copied backdrop layer to fill it in. I merged the layers and then used the clone and healing brush tools to blend in the new portion of the backdrop so that it looked natural.

I'm quite pleased with how this and the other photos turned out. I'm getting quicker with using the Photoshop tools. I'm really enjoying being able to repair and restore these photos, too. With each restore, I am preserving memories!

Freeform Slippers Complete

2006-12-27T08:28:00.000-05:00

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

2006-12-06T13:20:00.000-05:00

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

2006-12-04T12:59:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-11T07:46:00.000-05:00

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?

2006-11-07T07:29:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-05T07:36:00.000-05:00

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

2006-10-24T13:29:00.000-04:00

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

2006-10-16T17:58:00.000-04:00

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

2006-10-12T15:40:00.000-04:00

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

Baby Shower Gifts

2006-10-12T14:23:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-30T10:29:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-13T12:35:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-07T16:52:00.000-04:00

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

2006-07-30T16:30:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-06-17T13:00:00.000-04:00

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

2006-06-17T12:45:00.000-04:00

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

2006-05-17T17:09:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-05-17T14:55:00.000-04:00

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

2006-05-04T15:03:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-04-22T09:25:00.000-04:00

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

2006-04-04T16:00:00.000-04:00

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!

2006-03-21T10:26:00.000-05:00

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

2006-03-20T14:52:00.000-05:00

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

2006-03-20T14:14:00.000-05:00

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

2006-01-11T12:02:00.000-05:00

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

2006-01-11T11:57:00.000-05:00

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!

Freeform Scrumble

2005-01-17T15:48:00.000-05:00

This is the scrumble I created from yarns Bonnie Pierce sent me for her Freeform Scrumble Exchange. I've been doing freeform knitting and crochet for over a year now. I discovered it when I stumbled across Prudence Mapstone's site. Shortly thereafter I joined the Yahoo! Freeform Crochet Group, of which Bonnie and Prudence are members. That is how I was invited to participate in Bonnie's Scrumble Exchange.
The Yahoo! group has been such a source of inspiration, information, and just plain fun! I haven't done much freeform work, but I am currently working on a capelet with 10-inch freeform squares. Two of those squares I received in a square exchange with members of the group. I will post my progress on it soon.

My First Post

2005-01-17T11:41:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally have a blog! I'll be recording my progress on my creative pursuits, which consist of sewing, crochet, knitting, and the occasional artistic endeavor. Stay tuned!