…small things for me

                                                             

I think I’ve been focusing so hard in November-December on kitting big, long, extensive projects, that I spent the month of January 2009 intermittently making small fun enjoyables for myself.  I started the batch off with my Bandit Kerchief.  Actually the pattern is Silk Kerchief by Kate Gagnon of Zeitgeist Yarns.

 

When I wear it, I feel like I’m robbing a train and that excites me!  I made it a good deal smaller than most others have made it, mainly because I was making it out of scrap yarn (from the Leia Wig) and ran out. But I actually kind of like the small size of it.

I stole a button from an old Target cardigan that I never wear.  It loops around in the back and fastens quite nicely. 

Of course after that, I had some leftover yarn in the contrast color, the light brown yarn.  So the next day I began small project number 2, my crochet clutch.  I don’t have much experience in crochet, but I really like how you can crochet any shap freely, you are not limited to just rows.  I wanted to feel original (I always follow patterns and almost never improvise) so this one was crocheted in basic rectangle that I sewed up and then added a triangular flap.

I really just wanted to experiment to see what crochet stitches I could remember without having to look up the how-to.  Sadly, that left me with 2 stitches – the single crochet and half double crochet.  The body was in single and I did the flap in half double, added a loop and fastened with a button.  It is a sweet and cozy home for my sunglasses!

Last up is my soap sweater! The pattern is knitted to fit the sweater exactly, and sewn up with the soap inside. It is made with 100% wool so that it felts with repeated use. In the bath or shower you use the three things that help wool felt: water, soap, and friction. The sweater shrinks down as the soap does – ingenious! But of course, this is also inefficient being that it is a one-time-use kind of deal. But I surely don’t mind, it’s such a quick knit anyhow. I can’t wait to make more, and experiment with stripes, cables, seed stitches, etc. By the way, that soap is from Bath & Body Works YEARS ago (it’s been waiting around for me to knit its sweater for that long) so if you happen to find more out there still, let me know. I LOVE this soap…

 

…a multitude of things

Well back when I started this blog on blogger, I had the devotion to sit and create a handful of blogs and then disappeared like a phantom.  Every time I made a new project, I promised myself to upload a new post… and instead started a new project.  So, this post is devoted to all the things I have made in the past year and a half and was too lazy to load.

This is a sock monkey hat made for my sister in law, Amanda.  I got the pattern from Knitty and it was quite a hit.  Now for her husband…

I made the manly mitts, also from Knitty - I liked them so much that I made a pair for myself!

…and kitty helped!  Next up (but of course these are NOT in chronological order!) is

my first foray into cables and it was in the form of a scarf for my younger brother, Steven.  Hopefully he’ll send me a picture of him wearing it because I bet he’s pretty darn handsome in it!

This was a purse I made a few months ago for my other brother, Richie’s fiance, Maria, for Christmas.  Being that I have been absorbed with knitting for the past 2 years, I am way out of practice with sewing, so in all honesty, it’s ok but certainly not perfect (sorry, Maria!)…  I just wish that I could design knit patterns like I could pattern a purse.

This was my second foray into cables and it was a pillow for my mom.  She loves it, even though there are plenty of things that I would, in retrospect, change.  For one, I would have lined it with red fabric so that those white spots would not peer the gaps in the yarn.  Also I would have made it removeable so that the pillow within could be replaced.  Already the pillow has become flattened like a pancake.  But still, mom loves it!

That’s about it for my summary of 2006-07 projects.  Hopefully the year 2008 will see a more dedicated Kristen makes.

 

…a recycled bag

I’ve been quite intrigued by the cache of ideas on recycled bags that litter the knitting internet.  From one site, gooseflesh, I found how to make yarn from plastic bags.  I used that technique and modified a pattern from Erica Knight’s Simple Crochet to make a larger sized expandable bag.  So yes, this is actually crochet – my first project in crochet!  I also have a smaller version of this bag hanging in my kitchen as an onion/potato sack.