…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 frilly tank (a little taste while I’m at work)

I took this photo with my iPhone and uploaded to flickr and my blog through the phone later on during a very slow shift at work… I can find ways to keep busy! I’ll post more photos later, but I absolutely love this tank.

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Also during a not so slow shift I discovered wordpress for iPhone and added another taste… I’ve finally finished Trent’s 6 month long sweater. More on that later too!

 

…a DALEK!

EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!

Anyone? Anyone? The Dalek is a terrifying killing machine, the ever-nemesis of the amazing Dr. Who. T & I recently got turned on to this recreation of the British sci-fi hit, and I, personally, fell in love with David Tennant.

For my father-in-law’s birthday, we found this amazing Dalek crochet pattern, off of Ravelry of course! I am not too well versed in the art of crochet but I loved the pattern so much that I did a little bit of fudging to figure it out. Makes you want to surrender the Earth over to this alien species, does it not?

 

…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.