Brand New Endeavors!!

I have started my own school!!!

I have enjoyed so much teaching knitting after school, and the demand has been so high, that I decided to open a school and teach summer camps.

 My own crafting has taken a back seat a little bit because this has been quite a challenge to get started.  Getting the word out has been the hardest so far.  But I have been working diligently on that everyday for over a month and now am about 35% full.  I'm totally over the moon!!  The only morning camp session that has no students is the one that teaches crochet.  I actually thought that would sell spots quicker than macrame or weaving, but this is not the case.

I can't do anything without bringing my knitting with me and this is a new project.  It's a sweater for the 13 year old - he picked the pattern and he picked the yarn.  I love both and it's going relatively quickly.

Wish me luck on my new school!!

Click on the links on the sidebar for more great news in crafting!

Mending

Ok, so I don't have a "true" finish this week.  Most of my projects are long term, bit (to me) things that I am working on slowly, a little at a time.

 What I do have is my husband's sweater.  I knit this for him awhile back when I was a new knitter.  I didn't know that it was very important not to split the yarn, so I didn't really pay attention and went on my merry way.

 The result of this is that periodically those split yarns will break and cause a hole that needs to be mended.  I am not all that good at mending.  It used to scare me to have to mend a sweater, but after much google searching and you tube watching, I am fair at this skill.

 I did mend it and he is now wearing it again.

You can see that it pulls in a little, I still need more practice, but it works :o)

Click on the links on the sidebar for more wonderful talented crafters.

Hexis again!

I am back to knitting little hexis

although I am going about it VERY slowly.  My students are amazed that these are so small and they are also amazed at how they are knit.  I can see them wanting to keep going and learn new things!!

I have been reading the Narnia series to my kids a chapter a night, every night.  We are now on the third book and they look forward to it.  I look forward to it also - a time to snuggle and enjoy them.

Please click on the links on the sidebar to see the other fabulous things crafters are up to.

Finish, Goal Check-In, and New Goals

The capri sun tote bag for my 17 year old daughter is complete and she couldn't be more pleased!

 It is made completely to her specifications - 4 foil bags wide by 3 tall.

 Nice sturdy zipper to close it with.

 For some reason, I just love the inside of this bag!

 From the side.  I placed the foil bags on the side, to give a little bit more width to the bag.  They do not quite go all the way to the top, but T is fine with that.

 For some reason, blogger decided to put my photos up not in the order I designated so sorry if this post appears a bit disjointed.  I did not finish sewing together the squares for this blanket.  I started them but ran out of time.

My new start for February as soon as I get it on the loom.

 This is the warp for my new scarf.  It measures 3 feet and there are 122 ends.  The scarf will have fringe, 4 inches of even weave followed by a row of leno lace and then several rows of danish medallions and another row of leno lace.  The center of the scarf will be a twill and the other end of the scarf will match this first end.  WHEW!!  I hope it all works out.  This will be the first time I have figured out the whole thing from start to end - the math for the warp, the design, the colors - everything.

 These are the squares.  I only got a few of them sewn together, but at least I worked on them!

 This loom I had hoped to tune-up in preparation to get it warped.  I would like to make a table cloth for our table and this one is wide enough to make a piece of fabric that will not need to be pieced.

 This is the yarn that I have chosen to crochet my sewn squares together with.  I love the lime green!

Here is a WIP that has been languishing around for literally years and years.  It is call Summer Breeze Bag (I think) and it was part of a KAL in a Yahoo Group I had been in.  All I need to do is sew it together - I am thinking to use something to make the sides a bit sturdier, so will be experimenting this month.

I did not complete my goals for January:

Make up one mug rug:  No

Sew squares for quilt:  I did get a few of them done

Tune-up floor loom:  No

Warp table loom with own scarf design:  I did design the scarf and measure the warp

Finish Capri Sun Tote for oldest daughter:  YES!!!

New goals for February:

Finish Summer Breeze Bag

Get scarf warped and started

Tune-up floor loom

Sew all the squares together for the quilt

Make up one mug rug

To see many other projects and ideas, click on the buttons on my sidebar.

Recycling

Do you have scads of these plastic bags??

 I do/did!  They were everywhere!  I had bags of these bags.  It seemed that they were taking over corners in my home - you know, where my yarn needed to live!

 I took each bag and turned it into these strips.

 I now have a tote bag full of strips so that I can.....

 Knit with them!  For right now, I think this will be made into a recycled grocery bag to carry my groceries.  It's really quite strong.

 I really like all the different colors!!  It's just so cool!

I picked up these two magazines the last time I was at the store (I couldn't make the picture verical) and am reading them right now.  It is getting colder and I just feel the need to be in the kitchen cooking up a storm.  Of course, chocolate is a necessary part of most meals :o)

Sharing with Tami, Ginny, and Kristine and Lydia.

New dress for Chrissa

Chrissa, my daughter's American Girl Doll needed a new dress.

And this is what I came up with.  A simple sheath.  It was super simple and took almost no time at all.  I love these quick, simple projects that make my kids smile!!  It really makes my heart sing.  I think Chrissa needs more dresses for Christmas!!

Lots of great finished objects over at Tami's, Fiber Arts Friday, Linda's and Lydia's, and Mindful Mothering.

Wrappin'

Wrappin' - not the singing kind or the present kind, the knitting kind!

 I have contracted a virus.  This virus is called startitis.  Have you heard about it??  Oh, it's so contagious!!  But, oh so fun!  As usual now, Tux must be in the middle of everything.

 I found this fun and beautiful yarn one day while I was at Michaels.  I had just dropped off my youngest daughter at a girl scout meeting, I was feeling a little blue and had about 90 minutes of time all to myself.  So....I decided to have some retail therapy time.  This yarn and several others found their way into my basket.

 I had no idea what it would look like knitted up, but it looked kind of fun in the wrapper.  Now that I have knit a bit, I love, love, love it!

 This is the yarn unknitted - didn't it look fun?  Can you see why I just had to have it??

 We also celebrated a birthday - Our youngest daughter turned 11 and requested her favorite chocolate cake in my "fancy" bundt pan.

 I couldn't disappoint her!  And I filled the hearts with melted chocolate wafers of different colors.

Look at that face!  Did she like it or what!

Take a look over at Tami's, Kristine'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 Measly Four Puffs

That's all I got done this week - 4 measly little puffs.

I usually try to keep my blog upbeat and fun (that's how I usually am anyway), but this past week has been a little hard.  Sunday especially.  My mom went to the ER and I went with her.  She is fine, she is having a bunch of medical problems (nothing terminal - just the "stuff" that happens as you get older) and she is scared.  I brought my knitting, thinking I would get some of that done.  My mom really just wanted me to sit there and hold her hand and talk to her.  So, that is what I did.  I did manage to show her the virtues of Pinterest :o)  I think she might be now as addicted as I am to it.  We spent hours looking at things she was interested in and things she liked - easy to talk about all that.

Well, enough of that!  Mom is home and doing well.  I am tired, but fine also and the days keep marching on.

This week I want to plant some new things in my garden and work on my weaving.

Sharing at:  Gingerbread Girl, and Frontier Dreams.

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!

Hexis and Homemade Candles with Kids

5 puffs this week.  I used the Candy Skein yarn that I purchased last week and love it!!  It's soft and doesn't split and those stripes are the best!

 Sometimes the kids come up with such fun things to do.  One of my kids had made candles on a field trip last year and wanted to make some again at home.

 We started by melting the just plain old white wax and added wax dye.  Blue was the color of the day.

 It was very hard to cut that wax in smaller pieces.  It took my big knife and that meat tenderizer (I used it like a hammer on the handle of the knife) to break off pieces.

 Cut strings for the wicks - they are too long, but the kids didn't seem to mind!

 Then we set up an assembly of sorts - several stops with a can of melted wax and a can of water.

 The kids then walked around the table stopping at each station to dip their wick first in wax and then in the water.  The had so much fun talking and walking!!

 Some of them made big ones and formed them into shapes...

 others just let the wax do whatever it wanted.

 The 7 year old meticulously made different forms.

 The 10 year old trying to get a skinny one to stand up.

 Still trying.  It never did stand up, but she didn't mind.

The candles of our labors :o)  Not perfect, but perfectly fun!  They want to make more as soon as we use these up.

I love these times with the kids where we can just stop all the crazy business and take a breath.  Do something fun together that they have initiated.  These are the times, I hope, that they will look back on and think how fun it was to grow up in our home with all their siblings.

Sharing at:  Carole's, Nicole's, and 5 Minutes for Mom, and Mindful Mothering.