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pay it forward: freecycle

I know I said I didn’t have any New Year’s resolutions and then I mentioned the whole I Want to Read More thing. Well, here’s another non-resolution. We are trying very hard to get rid of our extra stuff, but we really don’t want it sitting in a landfill somewhere. My friend Sarah encouraged me to join our local FreeCycle because she thought it would be a good way for me to get sweaters for my bags. I never expected it to have such a big impact on our lives. Everyone is so appreciative of what you have to give.

Our most exciting story is about our gas grill. It’s been sitting unused in our garage for over four years. We have a grill on our cooktop that we love and use all year round. We’ve been thinking of getting rid of it, but what do you do with a gas grill? Haul it up to Goodwill? Would it even fit in our car? Then one day a FreeCycle email landed in my inbox: Wanted: Gas Grill. I’m pretty sure this couple was expecting a small gas grill. When they came to pick it up, they were kind of floored. Later that evening I got the nicest email from them. They had already used it and were so excited to have it. They planned on using it lots in the future. That made us feel so good—instead of wasting away in our garage or the landfill, our grill was cooking up food for another family.

Slowly I keep gathering up stuff and listing it for others. I’m amazed at some of the stuff that has been hauled away from our house. Remember way back when the wind blew our patio furniture all around the backyard and broke our table?

patio table

Someone actually wanted the frame. They came to pick it up within 24 hours. We couldn’t believe it. That’s something that even Goodwill wouldn’t have wanted.

We’ve had a lot of success with this and I encourage you keep your unwanted stuff out of the landfill, too. Each city is different, so I can’t guarantee that you will have the same luck that we have had. Also, you should be safe. Request pick ups in the evening or weekend when more than one person is home. Leave items on the porch or in the driveway instead of answering your door whenever possible. Try it, though. You never know what your neighbors need. Who knows, you might find something you need, too!

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bella’s hat + mittens

M got this cute pea coat from Lauren and Paul and didn’t have any hats or mittens to match. I decided to knit them for her out of some Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride I had leftover from another project. The hat was finished awhile ago, but I just finished up the mittens last week. You can’t tell in the picture, but I had to finish the cuffs with a little bit of black. Both were knit top down and it’s a good thing, too. The hat fits perfectly, but I bound off the mittens a little too tight. They work now, but next year I’ll probably have to redo the edge so they slip over her hands. I knit both of these a little big and I hope she gets another winter season out of them.

bella

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sweaterama

I got a bunch of new sweaters today. I’m getting better with my choices through experience. My first bags have helped me decide which sweaters will felt and sew up the best.

I also made a sweater bag for myself! I figured I should have some real-world experience with what I am making. So far I absolutely love it! It’s given me the itch to sew, but my walking foot broke when I was finishing my bag and I’m waiting on a replacement.

Also, I was really excited to get this feedback from my sage green bag:

LOVE this bag!!! I have been getting lots of inquiries and compliments on it, too. VERY well-made!! Thank you!!

There’s something about getting feedback like that from someone I don’t know that is really exciting. It makes me energized to get creating. C’mon walking foot! Get here soon, please!

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sewing for baby d.

I was invited to two showers for Baby D. and there was no way I could knit something for both, so I planned to sew something for the second one. Since Snoopy is his nursery theme, I went searching online and found the cutest fabric for a blanket! I was originally going to sew the Super Quick + Easy Baby Quilt, but I didn’t have the right embroidery stitch on my machine. I tried the zig zag workaround, but that didn’t work well with the fleece. After trying a few ideas, I finally decided on simple, parallel lines. I love the way this turned out and it was really fun to make.

blanket

I’d also been itching to make a Wee Bunny, and I thought it would be fun to make one out of matching fabric. He turned out so well, I think I need to make another one for me. (I had a hard time letting this little guy go!)

wee bunny

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cute as a button notecards

notecards

Have you ever had an idea in your head that won’t go away? These notecards have been buzzing around in my brain for months. I got the idea one day while sitting at my desk staring at a big bag of buttons. They were designed in my head for a few weeks when I finally needed to just sit down and get them out. I waited until M was taking a nap, did the layout, went to print them out and kablamo. Our printer jammed. Not just a little paper jam, but the ink carriage jammed. So then I had to wait for T fix the printer, which consisted of taking it apart, troubleshooting the RIP software and finally replacing a bad ink cartridge. Phew! I can’t believe how long it took me to finally get these cards out of my head and finished! Now they’re up in my shop. Price: $12.

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felted wool messenger bag :: stripes

messenger bag

Another one! In Valentine’s colors! I am totally in love with this pattern. It’s just something I whipped together after studying a lot of other tote bag patterns. My favorite part is no measuring! Well, I do measure the gussets to make sure they match, but that’s it. I vary size depending on the sweater, trying to get the most usable fabric out of each one that I can. I think my next bag might be something a little different. Stay tuned! Price: $30. Sold! Details at kundhicreative.etsy.com.

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felted wool messenger bag :: sage green

messenger bag

I am in love with this bag. It is going to be hard to let go of it! I really like its simplicity and how well the two fabrics work together. Sewing this bag was much easier than the previous ones now that I have a walking foot and rotary cutter. It’s amazing how having the right tools for the job can make all the difference! I hand stitched the lining and I think I’ve mastered the blind stitch quite well, if I do say so myself. Details are at kundhicreative.etsy.com. Price is $30. Sold!

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channa masala for dummies

We got the coolest Christmas present from Tanuj and Claire—a big basket of all kinds of Indian spices. They’re the pre-mixed kind that come in a box. Monday night I made my basic Channa Masala recipe, but substituted the box spices for my own blend. Yum! This was so easy to make. You could follow the recipe on the back of the box if you want to measure things out in grams or you can follow my basic combination:

Quick & Easy Channa Masala
double if you want to serve as a main course or want leftovers
(Who are we kidding? Of course you want leftovers!)

•one small onion, chopped
•1 1/2 T chana masala spice mix
•one can diced tomatoes
•one can chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
•one baking potato, peeled and chopped

Saute the onions in a little olive oil until they start to brown around the edges. Add the spices and stir them for a minute until they smell fragrant. Add the tomatoes, chick peas and potato. Bring to a boil and then turn to low and simmer until potato is tender.

For a really quick meal, microwave the potato first!

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knitting for baby d.

Last Saturday afternoon our knitting group had a lunch for Lauren and Baby D. I knew she’d be getting some blankets, a Baby Surprise sweater and a Hug Me sweater, so I had to find something different to knit. I chose the Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono from Mason-Dixon Knitting. It turned out nice. I used Knit Picks Gloss in the Dusk colorway with two strands held together and velcro dots for the closures.

kimono