New crochet stitch - new blanket

In spending too much time on Pinterest :o) I found this little stitch that I totally fell in love with.

 It is a sc, dc, dc all in the sc of the previous row.

 I started a chain that I had done the math and thought I would wind up with a blanket that would be approximately 4 feet wide.  Well....it wound up being 6 feet wide (obviously, I need to go back to 1st grade!) so now I have decided that is the length - I have made it 2 feet wide so far and have about 2 feet to go.  It is truly eating the yarn though.  I have used a one pound ball of yarn and 2 other normal size balls of yarn that were in my stash and then purchased another one pound ball of yarn of which I am about one quarter of the way through.  It is going to be one heavy, warm blanket!!

 Both my husband and my daughter want a bright turquoise edging so this is what I chose.  I am not quite sold on it yet.  What do you think?

 This is my progress so far.  My oldest daughter asked if it could be all white, and I had said, "Sure!"  Now, after hours and hours of time with this monster, I am sort of regretting that decision.  Just a little color, please?????

This is the current book that I am pouring over.  It is really well written and easy to follow.  I am planning on trying out some of these ideas in the new scarf that I am trying to make from start to finish on my loom.  So far, I really like the Leno Lace so that will make it into the scarf, but I'm not sure what else.

Click on the links on the sidebar for other WIPs.

The Next Christmas Stocking

Right before Christmas, I finally finished my oldest daughter's Christmas Stocking.  It was truly a labor of love that took me years to complete

 I have now started the second one for our second daughter who is a freshman in high school.

 I bought all the stocking kits at the same time (all seven of them), with each specific recipient in mind.  This one I chose because of the wildlife and the outdoors theme.  I thought it fit her perfectly and boy does it sure fit now!  This one appears to be much easier.  The stitching is not as dense and there are quite a few half stitches.  Maybe I can get this one done this year.....

This will be what it will look like when finished and she loves it!  Right now I am enjoying sitting down each evening and working on it for about 40 minutes or so - this is such a great way to unwind while the hubs and I watch one of our favorite shows.

Tami's, Ginni's, Sara's and Lydia

WIP for the 17 year old

I have joined a group called:  2013 the year of the finished project over at a blog called "Never too hot to stitch"  Once a month you pull out a project that has been languishing in your WIP bin or your UFO bin (in my case, I have lots in both!!) and give a little detail about it.  Then you try to finish it in that month and post again at the end.  I think this is a GREAT idea!!  It's kind of giving everyone a hand up to get those WIPs accomplished.

 Here is my first one.  This is my oldest daughter's favorite CapriSun flavor.  She will not drink any other flavor.  As you know, if you have been reading this blog for awhile, I make little tote bags out of these used pouches.  Oldest daughter is a little picky and doesn't like a lot of things.  If I make her something, it is always something she has picked - design, color, fiber, etc.

 After I had made quite a few of the little totes, she asked if I could make her a larger tote bag with handles and a zipper.  I said, "YES!!".  Then she asked if it could be made out of the Lemonade flavor only.  I said, "Sure."  Now you would think that in a house filled with kids this would not be a problem, but we don't drink juice very much.  I keep a case of Capri Sun from Costco in the back cabinet for Friday nights when the kids have gobs of friends over.  And, because usually on Fridays we do have gobs of friends over, I thought, "Oh, it's going to take no time at all to collect enough Lemonade Capri Suns to make her bag".

Not so.  You would think that with all the attention to detail that I have to pay to do cross stitch, weaving and lace knitting, that I would have realized that the big cases of Capri Sun from Costco do not, in fact, have the flavor Lemonade in them.  And it took me quite awhile to realize this.  I don't think I would have ever noticed if my daughter hadn't pointed it out to me.

I had to actually go to the grocery store to buy them.  Well, since we don't usually drink juice (and even when friends are over, my kids have to have their glass of milk first), I kept forgetting to get them.  So this poor little front (or back) panel of T's tote bag just lay on the top of my sewing machine - it's been there for months.  It gets moved when I need the machine for something else and then gets put back.  I even now have all the pouches that I need to complete the tote, but still it sits.

This will be my first WIP for the new group!  After all, T will be going away in a few short months and she should have a tote bag she likes!!  Wish me luck - it really shouldn't take all that long!

I just had to include a picture of the 11 year old at her cello recital.  Doesn't she look serious?  This was not her first recital, but her pieces were quite challenging and she had worked so hard on them.  She was very  nervous that she would make a mistake (of course she did - most of them do :o), but she did great and we are so proud of her!

Check out the sidebar for the links to Tami's, Ginni's, Sara's, and my new group 2013 the year of the finished project!!  Great things happening out in blogland!

Back to Weaving!

So...I have NOT been weaving for quite awhile.  If you recall from this post, we gained a couple of additions to our family that did not go so well with the table loom.  The table loom became quite the jungle gym where many a tussle took place.

 The result was this broken warp thread.  Since I am really new to weaving, I had no idea what I should do about that except sit down and cry - which I did - after yelling at my new "friends".  Who by the way paid no attention to me and came over after I yelled to sit in my lap and let me pet them.

 I did a lot of research on-line via blogs and you tube and also talked with friends who are much more accomplished than I about weaving.  One thing I learned is that broken warp threads are just a fact of a weaver's life, so I better learn how to fix them.  Above is the knot where I have tied on a new thread that is hanging over the back of my loom.

 Here is the second broken warp thread.

 And the second knot.

 Now I know that all my warp threads are under tension and they are supposed to all have the same amount of tension on them to produce an evenly woven fabric.  In comes all those film canisters that I had stashed away from when we had a camera that used film (we still have the camera by the way!!).

 I tried many things in them to get the right tension on the strings, but these little decorative marbles that you put in the bottom on vases did the trick.  I filled the canisters all the way to the top.

 I did not use a very scientific method to measure the new string.  I just kind of held it in the front of the loom, pulled enough off to reach the back and most of the way down to the floor.  This by the way was more than enough for one of the warp threads, but a little close on the second one.  I would leave a bit more thread when this happens again.

 Here are the film canisters in action!!  They provided the perfect tension to weave with.

 This is the front where the new warp threads have been attached with pins and I have started weaving.

 More weaving.  At first I had a little tension trouble, but it worked itself out and I was good to go.

 Just for a laugh, I included a picture of these screws that I took from my husband's tool box - I tried to use them in the film canisters but they were not heavy enough to provide the amount of tension needed.

More of the weaving.  The tension looks good.  I have done a fair bit since this photo.  I finished this kitchen towel which is 3 of 4 and started the 4th one.  I think in my fear of making a mistake fixing the warp threads, I forgot how much fun I have weaving!

Sharing over at Tami's, Ginny's, and Sara's.

Doin' My Own Thing

It's been quite awhile since I last posted.  So many good things have been happening!!  And crafting has been going gang busters - but not in the traditional "I made that" kind of way.

 I started teaching knitting to elementary school kids (2nd grade through 5th grade) once a week after school for two hours.  It has been such a blast!!  I had no idea how it would go or even it there would be any demand for this kind of thing.  I created a flyer and sent it out.  I advertised for 8 spots.....20 kids requested to be in the class!!  I took 12 of them and started a wait list.

 Today I am starting the first class of the second session and again I have 12 students.  7 repeats (kids who want to continue) and 5 new ones.  How great is that!!

Each kid gets their own "kit".  I make them one of the Capri Sun bags to carry their knitting in (all knitters need a bag!) and I include needles, yarn, scissors and a darning needle.  I think the kids like the bag as much as anything else.

 They all start out making either a purse or a stuffed monster pillow.  Rectangles of fabric which are then sewn into something useful.  This is just to get them started on the garter stitch fabric - so they can practice without having to knit a whole long scarf.  In the first session, all 12 students finished a project.  One of my students finished a purse and has started a hat!!

I made this sample bear to show them that each piece is just a "rectangle".  They have watched week to week as the knitting progressed.  They saw when each piece was completed and I showed them that each piece was indeed a rectangle and they each were capable of making it.  I can't wait to show them the bear in completed pieces and next week they will see the completed project.

I did it this way for a couple of reasons.  The most important was to show them that it takes awhile for a project to go from start to finish.   I made sure that it took all four weeks (and more) to get all the pieces done.  I also made "mistakes" and ripped them out right in front of the students - everyone makes mistakes and it's all good - it's just a form of learning how the stitches work.  And I wanted them to feel like it will be a real possibility for them to make one of these too.  The student who is working on the hat wants to make one of these and I believe she can do it!!

I can't believe that I can make money at something I enjoy doing.  I love to work with kids - I love that "lightbulb" moment when they "get it".  There have been so many of these over the last month.  And of course I love to knit.  Such a win - win situation.

Don't you just love that little face?!!

Head on over to Tami's, Ginny's, Sara's and Kristine's to see more works in progress.

Sewing Hexi Puffs

Are you sick of pictures of this project yet??  I feel like I need to work on something else for awhile, but if I do, I'm afraid this will never get done!

 Last progress picture

 Where I'm at now - that's 106 puffs all sewn together.  Somehow I thought it would be bigger than this by now :o)

 Don't they look so sweet together?!  I am also totally loving the weight of this thing.

 Some of the "special" ones - still trying to keep those somewhat near the middle.

The book I am reading.  It was recommended by one of my daughters.  Not quite sure what I think of it yet, she loved it so I will keep reading to see if I like it better as I get more into it.

Sharing over at Tami's, Ginny's, Kristine's, and Sara's.  Come take a look for more great Works In Progress!

A Discouraging WIP

I am still working away on my placemats and things were going quite nicely when I noticed a couple of problems :o(

 Do you see it?  Up there, that little blank space with no blue lines?

 Here, let me give you a closer look.  I don't know why that happened, but for a small section, I must have woven differently, so that the white weft was above the blue warp.  AND...that's a long way to unweave...to unweave or not to unweave, that is the question.  AND, I've never unwoven and am not sure how to do it without all kinds of tangles happening!

 There is also a bigger problem that I just noticed that is throughout the ENTIRE piece.

Notice that "little" gap right there, the one where it looks like a line of warp is missing?

Well, it looks like that because there IS a line of warp missing--not missing exactly, but I skipped a dent in the reed when I was warping the loom and I didn't notice until now!!  This is the third of four placemats!  How could I have missed noticing that there is a huge gap in the weaving??!!  I walk by this loom and gaze at this piece many times a day--am I blind or something?  Just unobservant, I guess.

This is so discouraging.  I'm not sure what to do.  Finish and hope that at least some of these problems seem a little bit less after washing these, or just scrap them totally and start afresh.  For the time being, this WIP is on a complete and total TIME OUT!!

Sharing with:  Tami, Ginny, Ambassador Crochet, and Sara and Susan.

Sewing Hexis Together

Slowly, but surely I think this blanket will grow.

 Last picture of progress

Progress as of right now.  I started working vertically because I want all the "special" hexis - the ones with embroidery - to be in the middle of the blanket.  I will keep adding vertically until it measures approximate 4 1/2 feet, then I will fill in and add another vertical line of hexis on the other side.  Then the plan is to keep adding to the ends until it measures about 6 feet in length.  Then it will be long enough to cover both my husband and I from neck to toes.  It is slow going sewing these together with the mattress stitch, but I really like the result.

Sharing at:  Tami's, Sara's,  Kristine's, and Ginny's.  Take a look for some other fabulous fiber crafts!

Weaving Away

I finished another weaving class - it is called "Patterns".  We got to try out all kinds of different patterns and tie-ups.  I loved this class!!  I want to take more classes, but am having trouble finding the time right now as the craziness of school starting surrounds me.

 This is how long it is.  I would love to turn it into a wall hanging at some point.  I really like the colors and think it would look really nice hanging on the wall above my big loom.

 These are just some of the patterns - as you can see it's not perfect.  There are multiple errors, but with each error, I learned so much.

 Close ups of some of my favorite parts

 I started to learn how to twirl the ends into a really nice fringy type thing.

This end is sewn right by the end of the fabric where all the fringe hangs off.  I am planning to twirl all the rest of the fringe and then make a casing for a bar to hang it with on the other end.  Then it will be hung on the wall.  Well...off to make kid's lunches and figure out what the rest of the day will bring!

Sharing at Tami's, Ginny's, Sara's, and Ambassador Crochet

Sewing Hexis Together

I can't believe I waited so long to sew these things together!!  It really is not that hard - these are only sewn on two sides, but as I add more above and  below, I'll catch in the sides that are left open.  This row of 18 only took about 30 minutes!  Ok.... talk to me in a bit when I have sewn 200 and still have more to go :o)

 This is the book I am reading right now.  Almost finished (boy am I a slow reader - not really, but I don't get much of a chance to spend time reading so it appears that I am slow!).  I love Robin Cook and our library just got this in a few weeks ago and I have taken a small break from the homesteading books.

I'm sharing with Tami, Ginny, Sara, and Nicole and Tuesdays Gone.

199 Hexi Puffs!!!

The Olympics has been a great time for me to knit puffs!!  I can knit them without looking!

 "The Bowl" contained 102 more puffs before it overflowed and was unable to have any more put into it without them falling out.  WOW!!  I didn't know I had so many.

Added to all the other puffs I had made....199 puffs!!  I keep saying that I will start sewing them together "soon", but soon has not happened yet.  I REALLY better get to sewing them soon so I can tell how many more I need to finish off a blanket.  It's funny, but I am not sick of knitting these and I can already tell that when I no longer need more, I am going to miss them!!

My books are the same as the last few weeks.  All Urban or Backyard Homesteading.  I have learned so much!!  AND my garden is thriving - picked our salad for a family dinner last night with my father-in-law, brother-in-law and nephew.  That felt so good!!

Playing along at:  Tami's WIP Wednesday and Ginny's Yarn Along.

Weaving & Reading

These are placemats hot off my smaller loom.  They need to be cut apart and then they need their hems.    There is even a potholder in there!  I love weaving!

 Still reading this book.  I am thinking I was made for a bigger plot of land and a more simple life.....this totally appeals to me.....growing most of my own vegetables and fruits, having a few hens for homegrown eggs....of course I would need to be vegetarian because I would never be able to eat the pets :o)

I have several more books like this that I took out from the library and am enjoying them greatly.  I have all kinds of things growing.  I found this great site called Sprout Robot where you plug in your zip code and it will tell you what you can grow and when to start - so cool.  I now have more seeds to start growing!

Take a look at Tami and Ginny's blogs to see more great things people are working on.