M's Sandals

It was bugging me that I only had one. I figured that I wouldn't have time tomorrow to do what I wanted so I persevered!

I'm Back!!!!!!!

I went away for a weekend with friends and my in-laws and though I had some bright ideas as to things to make/do it seemed like all of my crafting energy and creativity had been sucked away! I bought fabric and yarn. . . but it's sitting unused, untouched in my crafting space. I started working on a summer poncho which is 1/2 completed, but I'm just not motivated to finish it. It's seeming to take forever! This may be due to the fact that me and the boys are sick again. Colds and allergies but it's bringing us down. Also after a trip it seems like my house is rising up in rebellion so I've felt like I've been playing catch up all week just to get it back to being presentable.

Anyway my point is tonight I've been laboring over what my little M would wear on his piggies in lieu of shoes. He kicks off everything that he possibly can so short of putting things on that cut off his circulation he finds a way to remove them. I wanted some sandals for him but since he's not walking yet hated the idea of strapping him into 1/2 inch thick plastic soles that will conform his little feet into the shape of shoes. . . I decided he NEEDED me to crochet some sandals. I started to work on the sole and worked on a couple of variations for the top. I like this one. I now just need to figure out exactly what I did to duplicate the 2nd. LOL. Since it's after midnight I'm not thinking so clearly so this will be a project for another day/evening. I was sneaky and slipped this little puppy on in his sleep! He was none the wiser, but since he was sleeping I don't have the test as to whether or not he could possibly kick them off.

WIPs bag

I needed a large project bag for all of my WIPs.  My sister has a really cool bag that I saw she had lots of her work in it and it was large like this.  24" wide, 13" Tall and 8" deep.  I decided I could make one so I went to Wallyworld and got 1.5yards of quilted fabric orange that reversed to fucia and cut it out to make this bag.  It's huge and it's just what I needed.  It has 4 inside pockets and one exterior pocket.  And 4 ties at the top for closure.  I didn't want a zipper or velcro closure due to the fact that both of those seem to snag my yarn.  I laugh at this bag because the only waste I had was the serger clippings.  I used the entire 1.5 yards! 

Mother's day Diaper Bag and Wrist bag

I got some Alexander Henry fabric, pictured to the left called "Mother's Day". I found this fabric before my oldest son was born and didn't buy any then. . . I decided a few months ago that I had to have it so I started a search and found some. First a piece that was almost a yard and then I found some more actual yardage and got 2 more yards. I love this fabric because intermixed in the floral design are women of different ethnicities in different stages of motherhood from pregnancy to grandmotherhood. To me this fabric is simply beautiful and perfect for a diaper bag, or purse for that matter.
I originally intended to sew another Amy Butler Nappy Bag or a similar style bag with this as the lining fabric but I was having trouble finding the perfect exterior fabric. Meanwhile I have been designing and making crochet purses and other things I started to realize that I could probably make the exterior from crocheted fabric. I searched for a pattern for a bag that I would use and couldn't find one so I decided to make my own design again! I used 9 balls of Lily Sugar N Cream in 8 different colors that pick up the main colors in the fabric. I shaped the bag slightly to give it a little visual interest. Now I just have to design and sew the lining. I'm not exactly sure how to go about this exactly. This will be an experiment. I know the shaping I'll need but am unsure of the interfacing and other elements of construction. I'll post pictures when it's complete but for now this is all I've got! I am so excited about this bag. I cannot wait to proudly carry it when it's finished.

I couldn't hold back from the wrist bag craze. I made my diaper bag a baby! It took a while to figure out how I wanted to shape the handle but I think I finally came up with a design that complements the little bag. Like other wristelet bags I've seen this one is big enough for my wallet, keys and cel along with a few other small items like lipgloss. Now to break out my sewing machine and construct some linings. . . But first a trip to the fabric store!

I finished the lining. It has 2 large pockets on one side for diapers and wipes, and on the other side there are three pockets. Two small ones for sippy cups and a center one for snacks. The main bag compartment holds my sling, change pad and burp rags/ clothing changes and my wrist bag. Even with all of this the bag still remains pretty flat and compact. I love it. It's a great summer diaper bag and with my boys being older I don't need as much room as I once needed in the Nappy Bag. I need some practice with taking pictures of the inside of my projects!

Dye anyone

I got some raw wool from my sis and wanted to use it in color vs. just raw so I dyed it. Here's the colorway. I used 4 packs of kool aid, one each lemonade, orange, strawberry and black cherry. I'm not sure what I'll make of this it's a very fine yarn like fingering weight or dk. I was thinking maybe a felted bag, but now I'm not sure. . .maybe something else to wear, socks? Shawl? I just had fun dying it. I will be doing some more later. She let me borrow her swift and ball winder this week so now I'm in dying business! I have some fisherman's wool as well that I need to put into hanks so that I can get to dying!

Crochet Dress

OK, maybe I"m getting carried away with this crochet thing but it's so fun!!!!!  I wanted a crochet dress and this is my design for one.  I started at the bottom and crocheted up in a round. . . I need to finish weaving in my threads casue you can see my start thread hanging a little, lol, and I also need to sew a slip for this and buy one of those body shaper things Oprah was talking about!  I used Amore yarn by TLC double stranded with a P hook.  It took 3 skeins.  I used a celery, lagoon print and lake blue.  There are 3 distinct color variations in the dress because of how I mixed the yarns together as I worked through the piece.  I am very pleased with how this turned out, including the shaping of the bodice.  I plan to find fabric to match the dk blue for the slip and I'll be buying some more of the green yarn for a small shawl or shrug to wear over my shoulders with this one!

Ponchet with fringe

I decided I this really needed something and decided that it was fringe so I used the rest of the yarn to add some.  It seems more balanced now.

Mesh Shopping Bag

I use cloth and crochet bags when I shop for groceries due to the fact that I HATE those plastic bags that you normally have to get and since I shop at Super Wal Mart they don't have paper bags.  I found the perfect cloth bag shape but the fabric that it's made of is not washable and not very durable.  A local store chain, bloom, sells these semi disposable cloth bags for $1 each and I have several, but I wanted something more durable as some of mine start to show wear from use so I decided to crochet a bag.  This is obviously not my first attempt at crocheting a bag, but my first attempt at a mesh shopping style one.  I like this pattern's design for the mesh, but don't think the size is very practical.  I changed teh top part too.  Rather than the one strap I made two handles as that's how I like to carry my grocery bags.  I used my hemp/cotton blend for most of the bag and where I ran out I finished in some 100% cotton at the top.  I think I'll design my bag based on the one that I love from bloom and see how I like that one in crochet!

Martha Stewart Coming Home Poncho

I finished it! I decided I wanted one two days ago. I started it last night. It does really work up quickly! I really like the design. It's very femenine yet not too frou frou. I might want to make one in another color or yarn or both. This one is dark so I think a lighter color one may be nicer for spring and summer. I used LB's free online pattern and LB Homespun in Plantation because that was what was readily available to me. I may also be making one for my mom. I'll let her see it first to decide if she'd like to wear it.

Eary Pilot cap

Here's my little Mardie wearing a cap I designed and crocheted for him in about an hour from LB Kool Wool. I used one ball, it took the whole ball. It's like a pilot cap with ears!

Crochet Socks

In case you hadn't realized that I have not posted anything else on my knitted sock, I've put it aside because it wasn't gratifying due to the fact that it was taking FOREVER!  I do intend to finish it, or frog it and make a different set of socks but I decided in the mean time I would try my hand at crocheting some socks.  This went much faster, especially since I used dc for the body portion of the sock.  I used sc for the toe and heel as they receive much more wear and used bpdc fpdc alternating to form the ribbing.  I like ankle socks for myself, especially in the summer and since warmer weather is approaching I saw no need to make this sock a long one.  It took two evenings so I'll start work on the mate tomorrow if I get some time.  I wish that the pattern would have striped up in the body of the sock instead of making this weird diagional thing but it's an original and it's handmade and that's what matters. . . no one else will have this exact sock!  Had I used sc instead of dc it would have.  I used LB Magic stripes.
The second one crocheted up much faster. After I finished the second one late this morning Charmie could't resist trying them on and doing his little happy dance!

Shirt Embroidery

Well my embroidery thread came and I decided to see what I could do with a shirt. Silky threads are different from regular threads in that when you remove the thread cover it all starts to unwind. I think I need to get some thread sleeves to put over my thread to prevent this.

Placement is very difficult on garments versus squares of fabric with the tools that I have currently. I think I hooped and rehooped this shirt about 15 times and in the end it was still a little off but I decided to go ahead and try it as this shirt is an around the house shirt anyway. I will have to get some better tools to ensure that I am able to line up my hoops straight for future shirts though. Also I used a very stiff stabalizer and I think it was too much because the thread tension messed up some and the bobbin thread pulled to the front of my work in spots. I was basically playing when I made this and it was really fun. I'm looking forward to making many more shirts!

Embroidery

I got my birthday gift! The craft item I was awaiting delivery on, my embroiery machine. Here are my #2 and 3 attempts. Yes the giraffe is sideways on Mardie's. I fliped it wrong! :( I love this new toy! I have so many ideas in mind

My first Scrumble

Well last ngiht i was supposed to go to bed, but I could't. My mind kept thinking of crafting, and my woes over not receiveing via UPS a new crafting toy that I had gotten for my birthday from eBay. More on that later, as unless I was scammed I should receive it on Monday. Anyway I wanted to make a purse for myself and started looking through my stash for ideas. I remembered tha my sister had given me some balls of organic cotton Chenille from the birthday shawl she made for me so I thought I'd experiment with those. . . They were not enough so I was thinking what yarn could I combine them with and what could I do. Well I remembered my sister had mentioned free form crochet. A method of crocheting little bits and pieces in all different patterns and shapes and directions and I decided to see what would come of my scraps. So I started with my Chenille, it's the tan circle in the upper left of the piece and scrap by scrap added little bits in different stitches and directions. So far this really looks like a two dimensional bootie but it's going to be something else. I just had to stop. I think I really like this style after I got to looking at it. At first it didn't do anything for me, but after trying it it's really fun and creative.

Charmie's craft

I found some craft foam at Walmart and thought that this would be good for crafting with Charmie because he can't really eat it like paper and it would be easy for him to manipulate.  I cut out his hand print and name as well as Mardie's and the letters for their names and made another craft.  Here Charmie uses the scraps from the first project to design a mosaic.  I helped him with the "face" but he creatively placed all of the other foam pieces independently onto the backing which I had primed with glue. 

Ponchet

I purchased some Red Heart Symphony in Persimmon before Christmas intending to make a poncho but put it off in lieu of other projects. . . Well my sister's poncho inspired me to make this ponchet today! It's worked with two strands together. It's a good weight this way. Very soft and a nice shoulder covering. I designed this myself after viewing some other "rectangle" poncho's and deciding that they were no rocket science. I used alternating front and back post dc around the neck to give it ribbing and cinch up the neckline.
For those of you looking to possibly try to use this yarn for a project be prepared for a fight. It works up beautifully but it's a mess to work with. It is composed of a center strand that is twisted around long fibers. As you pull the yarn from the skein/ball if the long fibers rub against another stand of the yarn they become entangled. If you get several of these strands together forget entangling it. You'll probably have to cut and rejoin it's that bad. This happened each time I started a ball, and BTW, it took 3 for this project. I wouldn't recommend this yarn to anyone, especially not beginners!

I made covers for the boy's feeding table cushions out of micro fleece. I got tired of trying to wash the cushions and I have learned from using microflece in cloth diapering that it doesn't hold stains. It seems to always wash clean. Mardie is eating his second taste of rice cereal. Charmie was just wanting rice cereal because Mardie was eating it!
 

Crochet Baby Sling

I finally finished! This project took a couple of evenings. I crocheted this sling in 4/4 Foxfibre Colorganic Yarn. It should darken to a nice green with washing. I'll have to take a picture of me wearing one of the boys with it later today. I used the pattern that I found for crochet slings at Jan Andrea's Baby Crafts site until I got to the back of the strap and then I started my own thing. Instead of decreasing after the shoulder shaping was completed and then increasing to join to the sling body I wanted it wide for support down my back but also wanted some ventilation due to the fact that crocheted coton can be really thick and heavy. I really like how it turned out. I hope that it's pretty on, with baby!
I'm thinking about taking out the strap and re-doing it totally in the mesh part that is peeking through under my arm. and at a shorter length because it stretches too much right now. I would still make the shoulder solid though.
For more neat patterns for making things for baby check out Jan's site.

2 More Purses

I made these two chenille purses for the craft fair the last couple of days. Both are my own deigns made from LB T&Q Chenille. The top is Teracotta and has a beaded handle, with a strap like closure. The bottom is in Wine and has a triangle flap closure and crocheted shoulder strap. Neither has a button or toggle yet! I haven't found the ones I want to use yet. I guess I'll just have to make yet anothe trip to the craft store.

Knit pants

I was trying to make either Mardie or Charmie a little sweater from this yarn, Paton's Pixie. . . It was an experiment on my knitting machine and like always I didn't check guage or use a pattern. I ended up with two rectangles that were too wide and narrow to be front and back, they also wouldn't fit for sleeves. So I decided to experiment and make Mardie some pants! I need to make some adjustments, and possibly add some waist band ribbing. I pulled them onto him in his sleep and they are really probably too small. We'll see in the daylight. But they are so cute and soft.