Crafters Anonymous

Not So Plain Jane

2010-01-27T15:54:00.003-06:00

This baby blanket was a gift for the new baby of a friend. The baby's name, of course, is Jane. I wanted to try this center-out blanket design. It was fun and not too monotonous. The biggest advantage was the ability to control the ending point based on the amount of yarn. I think the edging came out nicely and I liked working with this yarn, Dark Horse Yarns Acrylic.

I have had reports that the blanket is already a favorite. What more can you ask for?

Lucy's Blankie

2009-05-11T22:57:00.005-05:00

This blanket was completed a while ago but I didn't want to post it until it had been gifted at the baby shower. The pattern is basically a riff on a pattern from the Lion Brand website called Glamour Baby. I heavily adapted the pattern to fit my yarn, gauge, etc. The main changes I made were to increase the width of the blanket by adding extra repeats and to ignore the instructions for how high to make each repeat. I went by what came out looking square for me which turned out to be 10 stitches x 12 rows.

The Ruffle:

I'm pretty proud of this ruffle. I got loads of help on the Ravelry forums to get the concept right. Basically, I picked up stitches all the way around, then I increased in every stitch on the first round. On the second round I increased every third stitch with an extra increase in each corner to make it full. Then I knitted around until I had just enough yarn left to cast off. The effect was pretty awesome, if I do say so myself :) I think the ruffle added an heirloom quality I was hoping for in this blanket. Thanks Ravelers for all the helpful hints!

Baby Blanket Blues

2009-05-10T20:32:00.011-05:00

Here it is, my very first original pattern, free for you! That's right, a FREE PATTERN. I didn't think I would take this step, but here I am. I just wanted to keep this blanket simple and by the time I was done I realized I had made the whole thing up on my own! I was as amazed as you are, dear reader.

This baby blanket was made using a variegated yarn for the body in a simple combination of single, half-double, and double crochet stitches. The border is done in a solid color and forms a little picot edge. Change up the colors and the blanket could easily look very feminine.

So here are the oh so simple instructions for a nice little baby blanket appropriately titled:

Baby Blanket Blues

materials - approx. 600 yards worsted weight yarn in main color, 150 yards worsted weight yarn in contrast color for border. (I used Berella)

hook - size US L/8 mm (I like my projects to zoom along, I thought the fabric was just the right weight for a Texas baby with this hook.)

finished size of my blanket is 29" wide x 27" high, includes border

standard American crochet abbreviations used

all stitches made into both loops after foundation row

Pattern:

ch 75 (or number needed to reach desired width)

Row 1(foundation row)- sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc into each ch across, ch 2

Rows 2 & 3- hdc in each st across, ch 2

Row 4- hdc in each st across, ch1

Row 5- sc in each st across, ch3

Row 6- dc in each st across, ch 1

Row 7- sc in each st across, ch 2

Repeat rows 2-7 until out of yarn, ending on row 5 if possible, fasten off main color.

Border:

Row 1- join contrast color in right corner of last row, 3sc in corner st, sc in each st,3sc in corner st, turn corner, sc in each row, continue around, sl st in beg. sc, make sure all sides have an even number of stitches

Row 2- ch 3 2hdc in corner st.,* ch1 skip 1 sc, hdc in next sc* repeat from * to * across each side, 3hdc in each corner, join with sl st in first hdc

Row 3- ch1, 2sc in corner,* sc in each hdc, sl st in each ch1 sp( ch 4, sc in first ch, of same sp)* repeat from * to * across side, 3sc in each corner, sl st to join first sc, fasten off yarn

So there you have it, a simple but effective baby blanket. Just enough variation to keep you interested, but mindless enough to allow you to watch your favorite television cop show (in my case:).

Please comment here with any errors as this is my first time to write a pattern, who knows what I may have missed :)

Enjoy!

5/10 - hope to have better pictures later in the week

The socks that simply would not knit themselves

2009-03-29T22:09:00.002-05:00

Knit and Crochet Projects 8-08 007, originally uploaded by tanyalizbeth.

OK, I know it's a long title, but it felt right. That photo was taken last summer to post to my Ravelry Projects page. It was supposed to be the place holder for my first pair of socks. You can see the lovely Trekking yarn and the pretty Harmony needle, extra long for magic loop. You even get a little shot of the gauge swatch proving what a good little knitter I am. The book was to show you that I was using the Yarn Harlot's basic sock recipe. What a great photo, so full of promise. fast forward to today, about 9 months later and those socks are not gracing my feet, oh no, they are in fact little more than a single inch of ankle ribbing. I have collected sock yarn since then, who hasn't I'd like to know, but to date I have not knitted a single pair of socks, not even a single sock for that matter.
My Ravelry buds jody26 and Tacha have become sock addicts and I still resist. I don't know why I hold back, sometimes I think it's the dreaded heel turn, sometimes it's grafting, sometimes it's those tiny little needles. I'm sure one day I will conquer that first sock. When I do, you all will be the first to know.

Just in time Knitting

2009-02-09T10:54:00.003-06:00

I hadn't realized how fast my knitting had gotten until I turned out both these items in just a few days. Now, I'll admit, they aren't the most complicated items in the world, but I am still pretty proud of getting them both done in about 4 days.

My DH (modeling) bikes to work most days and was having some trouble with colder weather. He was pondering what items he could add to his wardrobe that would be bike safe. I had been on a neck warmer/cowl kick lately so I found a manly pattern and got to work. This pattern is very easy but the ribbing and short row shaping make it interesting enough to forestall boredom.

The hat (ravelry link) worked up much more quickly than I expected, though the fabric did not end up being as dense as I was hoping. DH still insists it 's warmer than the Cousteau hat (ravelry link) I made him last year, so I guess that's all the matters. I am just pleased that I was able to get these out quickly enough to be useful. I guess I am also tickled that he matches now too :)

The yarn is Bernat Cashmere (ravelry link) something, it's a blend and DH says it feels good on the skin. Sorry most of the links are Ravelry this time, some of the items can only be found there.

When Knitting Speaks

2009-01-27T19:57:00.003-06:00

Maybe this will make me sound like a crackpot or like someone who's been sniffing the cashmere again, but I think knitting can speak to me sometimes. In this case a lovely skein of Misti Alpaca Chunky ,that called to me siren-like at my LYS, had convinced me it wanted to be something just for me, for a change. Alas, when this same skein of yarn was actually knit up it declared something else altogther. This lovely bit of knitting and the yarn it came from now reside in Maryland with one of my best friends.

Just as I was finishing this piece it began to speak to me: "I'm not really for you, you know?" , "Did you really think you could keep me?", "Did you forget you don't have enough neck to wear a cowl?". I never said my knitting spoke to me politely or even kindly, just that it spoke. So there you have it, another item that started out being for me is now snuggly around someone else's neck, oh well, the knitting was right anyway, I don't have enough neck for that pattern.

The details:
Cherry Garcia Cowl knit in the round on size 11's

Philosophers Afghan

2008-12-11T22:45:00.002-06:00

Philosophers Afghan 015, originally uploaded by tanyalizbeth.

So I have this professor....no this is not a three guys in a bar joke....anyway, this professor always requires an arts based element with any research paper. This particular class, with this particular professor, was Philosophy of Education. The final paper was to write your philosophy of education and cite the philosophers that influenced you, oh yeah, and do something arty that ties in. So, I came up with the idea of this afghan. Each block represents one of the philosophers that influenced my personal philosophy. Pretty cool huh? It seemed a lot cooler before I put umpteen hours into it right when I had final papers in both classes due. It got done though and I think it's pretty cool. My eldest daughter was trying to lay claim before it was even pieced all the way together.

Knitting Knotecards

2008-11-19T21:37:00.002-06:00

These are from a series of photos I took of my own knitting projects and stash. I fiddled with the photos, cropped, played with effects, etc. The results I had printed, then I applied them to blank note cards.

I sent them off as a gift to a dear Ravelry fr iend. I was delighted to discover that she thought I had bought them for her, until she recognized one of my projects :) I love it when that kind of thing happens. Aforementioned friend was kind enough to take a lovely photo as well (the other items in the photo are also made by me).

Someone else on Ravelry was kind enough to wonder if I sell these cards. All this praise could certainly make a girl blush.

Needle Felting, aha!

2008-11-07T17:38:00.002-06:00

I have seen the adorable figures that others have made. I have oohed and aahed over these tiny soft sculptures. I have steadfastly resisted getting the equipment to make such things. I have resisted and resisted. Then, when I was out of town, my DH took the kids to the Maker Faire and bought a kit. He and the oldest DD got hooked immediately. Then I came home and I oohed and aahed over their creations, still resisting temptation. I was happy to let them have this craft, after all I have knitting and crochet, right? I'm sure you can see where this is going now.

I resisted and resisted, then one day my DD left the stuff out and it was just sitting there, pretty and fluffy and calling my name. So I gave in and starting stabbing that little needle into that fluffy wool. These little kitties are the fruits of those first efforts. It's definitely addicting. I've never had much luck with clay sculpture, so I didn't know what to expect from this. I have a long way to go, but I think these little kitties are a good start.

Birthday Cowl

2008-11-02T20:49:00.002-06:00

This was a little cowl I whipped up for my SIL's birthday. It was a great pattern called the Quicki Cowl and it really was quick. I enjoyed the easy to memorize pattern and this yarn (Debbie Mumm Traditions) was a pleasant surprise. I had seen this yarn at JoAnn's when it first came out and loved the colors but they ran out fast and then I kind of forgot about it. Anyway, when this project came up I thought the color changes would lend themselves to the pattern nicely. The yarn turned out to be really nice to work with too. My SIL enjoyed the gift and even came up with a use for it I had not thought of, headband. I assumed scarf and hood were the limits :) The model here is my littlest one, helping Mama.

Books & More Swap 2

2008-08-27T12:02:00.002-05:00

101_3694, originally uploaded by tanyalizbeth.

Swapping is so much fun! You get to stalk someone for awhile, read their blog or their posts on Ravelry, shop for things you would never buy, make a new friend.

This is my third swap, my second to moderate and I just love it. I have made new friends every time and had tons of fun picking out things I thought my intended spoilee would enjoy. I have also received marvelous packages along the way. This photo is of my most recent package from my new Ravelry friend Carbby64.

One of the best things about receiving a swap package, for me, is that a thoughtful swapper manages to get you things that you might never have picked for yourself but you nonetheless love.

Thanks again Carbby64!

Kitty Pi

2008-08-25T10:00:00.003-05:00

Kitty Pi 002, originally uploaded by tanyalizbeth.

As you can see this project had a recipient in mind from the beginning. We acquired a new family member this summer from our local animal shelter. Zissou is a tortie point Siamese, possibly a mix. She is only 5 months old. We have all had a great time getting to know her and playing kitty games. She is definitely Siamese in personality though, note the look of disdain aimed at the camera :)

Zissou is modeling my latest felting effort. This is a free pattern called the Kitty Pi bed made from Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool I dyed myself with Kool-Aid to match the Lion Brand Fun Fur I had chosen. Luckily for me Zissou took to her new bed immediately, very gratifying.

This was a really quick and fun knit and it felted up beautifully. I think some folks will be receiving cat beds for Christmas!

Swiftly my Love

2008-03-03T21:02:00.005-06:00

Swiftly my Love, originally uploaded by tanyalizbeth.

Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather when my DH presented me with this for Valentine's Day this year. I had sent him this link several months ago then completely forgotten about the whole thing. Luckily, my dearest love had not forgotten and he crafted this handsome swift for little ol' me :)

For the uninitiated this is a yarn swift. It holds the skein of yarn so you don't need your DH or small child to stand for 20 minutes with arms outstretched while you wind your new yarn into a ball. The upright dowels you see can be moved to different holes to accommodate different sizes of yarn, yippee!

One of the coolest things about this model is that you can take it apart and store it in a bag or other container when not in use.

I have to say that this is a sign of true love indeed!

Trash or Treasure

2008-01-27T22:05:00.001-06:00

Trash or Treasure, originally uploaded by tanyalizbeth.

Today the weather was beautiful and treasure hunting was in the air. My neighbors were all busy putting things to the curb for bulky pick-up tomorrow. What was I doing? Shopping their junk, of course.

I came across this cute little table a few doors down and had to have it. I made my DH trudge down the road with me and tote it home. I'm sure we made quite a sight since my littlest one and the dog all decided to come along too.

Basically I just gave this little table a really good bath. I had to refresh my bowl of Murphy's Oil Soap and warm water about 4 times! Then for the final wash I scrubbed the neck out o fit with a really gentle scrubber. I think the top may be leather so I was pretty gentle with that and I didn't oil it with the furniture oil.

The final step was some Old English furniture oil and a good buffing. I think it turned out great, though I failed to take a before picture. Just imagine four big bowls of brown water, yuck!

I had never seen a drop-leaf coffee table before so I was intrigued and I am very pleased with the results of my elbow grease. The next step will be to stain the areas with missing veneer to match the rest.

Felted Denise Needle Bag

2007-11-14T09:31:00.001-06:00

Denise Bag - Front, originally uploaded by tanyalizbeth.

This is the bag I made from Cat Bordhi's free pattern to carry my Denise needles around. I love how this bag came out even if it is a little too big. I am especially proud of the pockets because I had never really done zippers before. Cat's instructions made it pretty easy though.

The yarn is a strand of Manos del Uruguay held with a strand of Cascade 220. I think they felted together beautifully. Hand-sewing in the zippers and pocket lining actually took almost as long as knitting the whole thing.

The best compliment I received on this bag was from a male cousin who knows nothing about knitting, he said that it was a waste to put knitting needles in it. :D

Confessions of my Childhood

2007-11-08T09:58:00.000-06:00

I have to confess that as a child I was not much of a crafter. My early forays into the world of crafting were largely kits that someone gave me as a gift. One of these that I remember really fondly was shrinky dinks. Now, I admit, I don't remember having this exact kit, but I loved the Smurfs too, so why not?

As a teen I got into the idea of making gifts for family and friend and that was also when I discovered the glory of the glue gun. I can remember many gifts for m y mother or grandmother that involved gluing ribbon onto little wreaths or bears or whatever.

Sometimes I cringe when I remember my early efforts in the world of crafting, but I guess every great artist needs to start somewhere.

Mosaic Mania Continued

2007-11-07T14:26:00.000-06:00

I ran across this picture in my files. This is a little doll/toy bench that we (my hubby and me) refinished and then I mosaiced the top. My mom had this sitting in her garage for a long time so I got the idea to do this for her as a secret project while we were visitng her last summer (2006).

She has a bear collection and several of them make their home on this little bench now.

I'm not sure you can tell from this pic, but I actually painted the main tiles as a scene that spanned 6 tiles. Then I used broken tiles to fill in the sides. My DH built a new lid for this that could support the weight of the tiles, grout, etc.

Warning Non-Craft Post Warning

2007-11-06T14:22:00.000-06:00

Self-portrait2, originally uploaded by tanyalizbeth.

I had a chance to get away from it all (read: the kids) and go to San Francisco with my husband for a few days. While he toiled away learning something in a seminar I explored the wonderful city by the sea.

I rambled around on foot mostly and took advantage of an awesome public transportation system. I have tons of pictures and am not sure which ones are the best to share here, but I'll try. I plan to make at least two other posts about the trip because it was just so wonderful.

The city itself was beautiful with lots of interesting architecture. One thing I found fascinating was the number of buildings at odd corners that were triangular. There are so many diagonal streets in SF that I guess it was necessary.

I also got a huge kick out of Chinatown. I have made a brief visit to Chinatown in NYC but this was something completely different. This was like stepping off the train in another country almost. Once you left the main tourist street, Grant, it was a totally different place. Many stores didn't even bother with signs in English. Every conversation I passed was in Chinese, at least I think it was :) . The buildings were all packed together and yet each one had it's own color scheme and decorations. It was very cool.

(More pics coming to this post soon)

Ravelry Rocks! (Part 1)

2007-11-05T13:30:00.001-06:00

I have found knitting Nirvana. Now, this may seem like an exaggeration to some, but I mean it. Knitting Utopia is now mine!

Ravelry.com is still in beta testing so you have to get on a waiting list and get invited to join. Trust me, this is totally worth it!

I'm not sure I can even describe for you in words how cool this website is. First there are the Forums. In the forums you can post a question, comment, concern about anything at all fiber/knitting/crochet/weaving/spinning/etc. related and usually receive an answer/response within minutes. I have literally had a technical issue solved for me within five minutes so I could continue knitting. You can also find reviews, usually with at least 2 points of view :), of almost any product you could want. Certainly there are people offering opinions on every yarn you never heard of and also the ones you have. I feel like I am always in the loop in the knitting world because my friendly neighborhood Ravelers (ravelry members) post about everything I need to know.

Well folks, since I am trying to blog every day this month, or at least 30 times I am going to make this a multi-parter since I have so much to say about the glory that is Ravelry!

In upcoming episodes we will address the My Notebook section, the Pattern and Yarn sections and of course the De-stash group. Stay tuned.

My First Crochet Project

2007-11-04T13:20:00.000-06:00

Lion Cotton Tote, originally uploaded by tanyalizbeth.

I guess I should qualify the statement in the title with the word successful. This is my first successful crochet project. Several years ago I tried to make a crochet afghan with dismal results. A friend of mine actually ended up finishing the thing for me, nice person that she is. I could not make the edges straight to save my life so I gave up in frustration.

It just so happened that a few months after I took up knitting another friend of mine wanted to take a class at the local Michael's store to freshen-up her crochet skills and she wanted me to go with her. Now, the teacher of the class would have done knitting with me but I thought it would be easier if we all worked on the same project. We decided on this free pattern from Lion Brand, the All-Occasion Tote (you will probably have to log-in to access this pattern, but it's free).

And the result is this tote bag. The funny part is that my friend never made it past the first few inches of her bag before putting it at the back of her work basket :) I guess I'll have to finish it for her and complete this karmic circle.

I will say that I have no plans to do this puff stitch anytime in the near future,the yarn-overs were a real b*tch, but otherwise I think it turned out pretty great.

Birthday Turtle in Parts

2007-11-03T14:06:00.000-05:00

Birthday Turtle in Parts, originally uploaded by tanyalizbeth.

Yes, this is the turtle I am making for my daughter's birthday. Luckily I have more of it done than I did when this picture was taken.

I ordered this book, World of Knitted Toys by Kath Dalmeny, and my DD found it on the table. DD promptly sat down and started cataloging what I would make for her from this book.

Needless to say with her birthday coming up I thought I should make her something by hand. The turtle was the one she liked best, so here we are a couple days from the event and all I have is a stack of parts.

Oh well, she is used to stuff like this by now. She knows she will get it eventually. I'll try to remember to post a finished picture.

Chunky Tote

2007-11-02T13:43:00.001-05:00

Kitchen & Yarn Stash 033, originally uploaded by tanyalizbeth.

A finished object, hooray me! This chunky little tote is a pattern from a Vogue on the Go book called Bags and Backpacks and the rectangular shape of it really called to me. It's made with Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in colorway
Denim Twist. I knit this with 2 strands held together.

This was fun to knit because it was done on size 17
needles so it went really quickly. It was also cool because the pattern
was knit sort of like an origami pattern, imagine a capital letter T,
then sewn together.

I love the handles I found on sale at JoAnn's too. The shape is just right.

My only real complaint is that I don't feel I did a very good job with the seaming, I won't rip it out, I'm too lazy :), but I do want to make another one and do a better job. I was a little reluctant to hold 2 strands together as called for in the pattern, but as you can see this little tote stand up by itself. I do like that part about making such a thick fabric.

I bought yarn and handles to make another one already, :) The next one will be charcoal with black handles.

Yarn Crawl Stash 1

2007-11-01T10:03:00.001-05:00

Kitchen & Yarn Stash 037, originally uploaded by tanyalizbeth.

This is the finest of my Yarn Crawl purchases from my first yarn crawl.

All the LYS's in my local area got together and had this cool even where you bought a passport and got it stamped at each store you visited. If you showed your passport you also got a free ball of yarn at each store.

This lovely yarn is going to be a hat for a certain sib of mine, not to me named since it will be a gift. The pattern I chose is this free one that I like, the New York Hat.

This is Rowan Wool Cotton and it is really soft and yummy. The color is a perfect, manly olive color. I will, of course, post a photo of the finished hat once the sib in question has received the gift.

Artfibers in San Francisco

2007-10-14T20:54:00.001-05:00

Link above to picture of Artfibers.

Kurasawa, originally uploaded by tdamommio.

I got a chance to go to Artfibers in San Francisco when I was there on vacation. It was so awesome! The building is tucked in between others on a busy street in SF's business/finance district. I sat for a long while in their yarn tasting section and swatched several other yarns before I decided on this one. It's called Kurasawa and is 50% Merino and 50% Silk. It feels absolutely luscious in your hands and on your needles.

My current plan is to dye this yarn in a color I haven't chosen yet. I am a little terrified about dying this because it was so expensive and I love it so much. Luckily, the lovely lady working there when I visited gave me the ball from the yarn tasting bin since I was taking the last of this color. So I have a little extra I can test on and experiment with colors.

This yarn will be used for the sweater pattern pictured which was custom designed for me on their software. First I chose the basic style, cardigan. Then I selected the pattern that appealed to me, lower half is ribbed. Then they took all my measurements, put them into the software, and voila! I was able to specify the type of neck opening, etc.

Now I just have to get up the nerve to dye it and knit it into my first ever sweater. I am hoping to knit this as part of a KAL (knit along) I joined on Ravelry that is going to correspond with NaNoWriMo. Should be a blast.

Bulldawgs Birthday

2007-09-10T19:06:00.000-05:00

These photos are of a selection of items I made for a gift basket for my mom's birthday this year. She is on the faculty at the University of Georgi a so I thought these colors and images were apropos.

These are jumbo paper clips that I actually found at my grocery store. If you live in Texas then you know the wonder that is H.E.B. It's not a fancy gourmet store or anything like that, just consistent, clean and great quality. Anyway, back to crafts, the images are on paperboard that I punched with my largest circle punch then layered with paper and stamped images.

The notepads were pretty much done the same way. I ran the card stock base down the back of the pad just to make it pretty.

This last one is actually a post-it notepad. The card stock covers it completely and then there is a velcro closure. Makes a great little purse item.

There were some pens too, but they wouldn't hold still on the scanner :) Most of these items were inspired by images from SplitcoastStam p ers.com.

My mom loved it, of course.

The Shawl of Death...

2007-09-04T11:00:00.000-05:00

or at least really annoyingness! I thought I would never finish this shawl!!! It was "commissioned" by my mom for her best friend and I was glad to do it, but it seemed like my life insisted on getting in the way of this thing getting done. It didn't help either, that I had to go back to the yarn store once to change the color (my first choice I didn't like when I got it home) and twice more after that to buy more yarn! That's what I get for not doing calculations.

I guess some people, mean people, might say I waited too long to start the darn thing. They could be considered "right", if you are inclined to that type of thinking. I would like to point out, however, that I had to start this sucker three times! Some noble knitters will just snicker and say "that's what swatching is for". I get that, I really do, but most of the time I feel like I have no spare time for anything extra. I have learned my lesson, probably.

The first two patterns I tried did not work with this yarn, at all. Let me back-up a step and tell you what this is you are looking at. The yarn is Skacel Adagio in a rust color. The pattern I finally settled on is another from the Lion site, the Very Easy Ripple Shawl. I just realized that I shouldn't have told anyone what the pattern was called :) the shawl looks way better than a "very easy".

The first two patterns I tried are from this cool site, Free Vintage Knitting. I tried the Harmony and the Sonata patterns. Both looked really cool and were near impossible with the type of yarn I was using. The Harmony was especially tricky because of the triple yarn-overs, they caused a lot of twisting and made moving stitches along nearly impossible, even on my Addi Turbos. (I am including links to tons of stuff for the newer knitters who may not have heard of some of these products. :)

I better thank my husband, in print, for putting up with a few days of maniacal knitting when I was trying to finish. That's him holding up my creation for the camera.

So, the end result is the shawl you see here. I am hoping to be able to post a picture of the recipient with her gift soon. I am actually pretty proud of this project, especially since I just started knitting in January of this year.

PS. A member of my local Stitch N Bitch has pointed out to me recently that I have stuck with knitting for more than six months, so I guess I can officially count it among my hobbies. Hooray!

Felting is Fabulous Fun!

2007-08-17T11:37:00.000-05:00

OK, many of you already know this, but felting is awesome. You can take a piece of ho hum knitting and turn it into this really finished, professional looking piece with a little hot water and soap. I adore it. Simple stockinette or garter stitch turned into gorgeous works of art, what's not to love?

This is a picture of my first felted piece, a purse. It is made with Lion Brand Wool in Dark Teal and Flower Garden. You can find the free pattern here: Lion Brand. You have to register to use Lion's free patterns, but it's free and they have an option to receive no mail, etc.

I have been kicking myself because I didn't take any before pictures of this bag. Obviously I decided I didn't like the handles in the pattern. Frugal me, I got these handles off a thrift store purse :) Only 50 cents! I love stuff like that.

I will post again soon with pictures of the awesome Denise needle case I made and felted.

2007-07-25T14:27:00.000-05:00

Mosaic Mania

OK, I am finally going to put another post on here. I decided I could put up a few pictures of past glories to at least have a little content, right?

Last year's craft addiction was Mosaic. I am actually still doing a little but only rarely. Here are a couple of the more heroic projects I undertook:

This is the bird bath I made for my daughter's Kindergarten teacher, an avid backyard birder. I bought the birdbath at the local hardware and then added my own touch. The little tiles are about 2x2 inches and are actually hand rolled out by me at my favorite local ceramics place, The Work*S hop.

Then, after they were bisque fired, I took them to my daughter's art class at school and had each kid paint one tile and put their thumb print on another. After that I put each kid's name on their tile using a liner brush and turned their thumb prints into Ed Emberly critters. Have I ever mentioned that I have three children? Or that I am a glutton for punishment.

Anyway, after the second firing I mosaiced (is that a word?) the tiles into the bowl of the bird bath along with a tile I made for the center with the teacher's name and the school year, etc. Oh yeah, and I put some marbles in to fill some holes and add some fun. And there you have the insane lengths I will go to, to make my crafts seem useful! Well, we happen to love that teacher too.

This one is the bench!! that I made for my son's teacher the same year. Well, after the bird bath I had to do something, right? So I couldn't find a bench I liked anywhere and I eventually talked my husband into building one! Obviously he loves me very much. Did I mention there was a really tight deadline?

In this case the kids were older so I let them paint what they wanted to fit the theme of gardens and simply limited the palette so all the tiles would match. The teacher that received this was actually in tears. She brought me over to her house over the summer to see where she had placed the bench and told me how she sits on it every morning to enjoy her coffee. It was extremely gratifying. I don't always get to see how much people enjoy my crafty gifts.

2007-07-24T14:24:00.000-05:00

Favorite Free Knitting Pattern Links

These are some of my favorite free knitting pattern links:

http://www.freevintag... (vintage patterns, mostly late 60's) This site has some really cute shawl patterns that would make great evening wraps. It has easy to follow instructions.

http://www.knittinghe... (free patterns and free how-to videos) The videos on this site taught me how to cast-on and how to knit and purl. It is really awesome and she has collected some good pattern links.

http://www.knitty.com... (funky & fun patterns) I will post some pictures of the cute little pacifier tethers I made from a pattern on knitty. This is a good place to look for patterns that are a little out of the ordinary.

http://www.knittingpa... (you name it, they have it) This website has more patterns than you cold ever knit. Luckily it is broken down into categories, so you can pretty easily find what you are looking for.

http://www.dailyknitt... (lots of mod patterns) This site has fewer patterns to choose from but they seem to have been selected carefully to fit a certain type of image. They are typically more modern looks for clothing and accessories.

The Crafting Addiction

2007-02-28T15:58:00.001-06:00

If you are anything like me then crafting is more of an addiction than a hobby. I am forever diving head and wallet first into a new craft. I don't dabble at a new craft, oh no, I must get ALL the stuff and be consumed by a passion for this craft for at least 6 months. Of course, inevitably, this passion will fade and I will be left with a bunch of stuff I no longer want. Some of these crafts stick, however, and I return to them as long-lost friends when the fever passes.

Tole or Decorative painting is my constant love over the last 11 years. I think the reason I have stayed so loyal to this craft/art is my friends at the HOTT (Heart of Texas Tolers) . These lovely, and talented ladies (who are also hotties) keep me enthused about painting and provide a place and time for me to paint. As all you truly dedicated crafters know, the time and place are the most crucial elements of getting anything done. [Did I mention that I have three children? :)] HOTT is a chapter of the international SDP (Society of Decorative Painters) which publishes a nifty members only magazine full of painting designs and patterns.

Crafting passion for 2007, so far: Knitting! Yes, I have taken up knitting. I have completed 2 1/2 scarves and purchased a cubic ton of yarn, of course.

This blog will hopefully showcase some of my more successful forays into the world of crafting and perhaps it will provide a cautionary tale or two about some of my more spectacular blunders. You can also see what my less addicted husband and I come up with together at CraftyCouple.blogspot.com

Happy Crafting!