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thrifty thursday

I was all ready to post about something else when this sweater literally came over to my house and never left. My friend Tana is destashing some of her hand knit sweaters. I told her I’d be interested in the cardigans and she stopped by this afternoon with them. There were a couple of pullovers in the bag, but I’m constantly hot/cold/hot/cold/etc. and don’t wear them much anymore.

blue sweater unravel

I couldn’t stop looking at this one, though. It was such a lovely color blue. I loved the gray accent. I didn’t think I’d ever wear it, but Tana said I could do what ever I wanted with it, so you know what happened next, right?

blue sweater unravel

I’ve abandoned that silly vintage wool for now and have started making the Chromium Star blanket out of this yarn instead. It is already turning out much better than I had even imagined. Thanks for the two fabulous cardigans and this wonderful yarn, Tana!

reuse: Hand knit sweaters are such a joy to unravel. They are always seamed together with such care. I wish all sweaters unraveled this nicely. I didn’t lose one bit of yarn!

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my creative space

This week in my creative space I’m mending. Crazy thing is that it isn’t even my sweater. In fact, I don’t even know the owner. A friend of friend needed help fixing a Very Important Sweater. It was a wedding gift. It’s over 20 years old. Could I repair the holes? Reinforce the weak spots?

my creative space

I don’t know which made me happier: the fact that my friend had such confidence in my abilities or the prospect of fixing something that meant so much to someone. I tackled the big hole first, knowing it would be smooth sailing from there. Here it is ready for the grafting.

my creative space

It was trickier than I thought, but also easier than I thought. My experience with unraveling sweaters combined with my recent retreat class on steeking has really made me kind of fearless of dropped stitches.

Pop on over to Kirsty’s blog to check out this week’s creative spaces.

p.s. I’ve received a few requests for the crocheted star pattern from yesterday’s post. It’s another Chromium Star blanket and you can find it here.

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star swatch no.2: felted (i think)

It occurred to me last night after I posted the pic of my swatch that a before shot would have been nice. How else would you be able to tell that the stitch definition had been lost?

star blanket swatch

I crocheted another one last night and remembered to take a “before” shot this time. The second swatch was washed in cold. It also felted. Except that it didn’t shrink. Before and after are the same size and shape. Maybe “felted” is the wrong term.

It’s like the yarn is blooming. It’s incredibly soft. I’m starting to think I might even like it. I’m going to wash it again — maybe a few times — to see how it holds up. What’s more important to a newborn: soft and cuddly or nice stitch definition? I’m thinking soft and cuddly.

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star swatch no.1: felted

star blanket swatch

I usually don’t swatch. When I do, it’s never the 4×4 inch square I’m supposed to make. Mine are small. Calling them 2×2 inches is generous. Usually gauge doesn’t matter for a lot of the items I make.

Last week I made a swatch, not to check gauge, but to check the yarn label’s claim: machine washable and dryable. 100% virgin wool. Keyword that was missing: superwash. I put the swatch in with some linens on the warm setting. It didn’t felt that much, but a lot of the stitch definition has disappeared. I’m going to try another swatch washed in cold. After that, I’ll be stash diving for some cotton.

vintage yarn: I am in love with the color blue of this yarn. I read somewhere that a lot of wool used to contain recycled bits, so that’s why so many of the vintage yarns say 100% “virgin” wool. I can’t help but giggle when I read it. Apparently I have the sense of humor of a twelve-year-old.

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kearney cruise

It’s strange to go to a car event and not see a lot of cars, but it was brutally hot on Saturday. We spent a lot of time inside at lunch. Bella and Mason invented a new game: see who can drop the most balls down the pool table pockets.

We spent a lot of time in the shade under “our tree” and a few tents. (We seem to end up in this same spot every year.)

We ate cold treats to stay cool. Bella’s first taste of Dippin’ Dots.

We are also grateful that our party hosts let us hang out inside every once and awhile so the kids could cool off. We may not have seen a lot of cars, but we spent a lot of time with good friends. That’s the best part of cruisin’ for us.

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stitch patterns: crochet washcloths

crochet cotton washcloths

My latest gift-giving obsession continues: fancy soap and washcloths. I know so many people who deserve a little bit of pampering, but are too busy to take time for themselves. Hopefully these will help them relax and wash their stress away. They are crocheted out of the super soft Aunt Lydia’s cotton.

Want to make some yourself? Here are the patterns.

Note: You’ll notice that I don’t chain at the beginning of each row. I’ve started using faux double crochets instead. They really make your edges much neater.

crochet cotton washcloths

Basket Weave
gauge: 4 stitches per inch, blocked to 10 inches
first stitch in each row is a faux double crochet instead of chain 3

  • Row 1: chain 40
  • Row 2: dc across
  • Row 3-6: *5 dc through the front post, 5 dc through the back post* repeat until 5 stitches left, 5 dc through the front post
  • Row 7-10: *5 dc through the back post, 5 dc through the front post* repeat until 5 stitches left, 5 dc through the back post
  • Repeat rows 3-10 four more times.

crochet cotton washcloths

Columns
gauge: 4 stitches per inch, blocked to 10 inches
first stitch in each row is a faux double crochet instead of chain 3

  • Row 1: chain 39
  • Row 2: dc across
  • Row 3: *4 dc, dc through front post* repeat until 4 stitches left, 4 dc
  • Row 4: *4 dc, dc through back post* repeat until 4 stitches left, 4 dc
  • Repeat rows 3-4 until you have a square.
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zoo camp: coats of many colors

Today was the last day of Bella’s zoo camp: Coats of Many Colors. This week she touched a dove, a mouse and a rat. She refused to touch Spiny Bear the hedgehog, though. Her favorite was feeding the goats their breakfast.

The Zoo Crew helped the kids make scrapbooks of the things they saw this week. Isn’t that a neat idea? Here is Bella’s peacock.

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thrifty thursday

red sweater for unraveling

Last weekend I hit a few church sales that turned out to be a total bust. I decided to stop by Goodwill on the way home just to window shop. (Hey, I was in the neighborhood!) Not only did I find this great sweater, but when I checked out it rang up half price!

I have been thinking of making some Nebraska football inspired (i.e., red, red and more red) accessories for my shop in the Fall. I really like the black and red plied yarn for Husker Blackshirts fans.

recycle: The sweater is a super soft cotton/acrylic blend with perfect seams for unraveling. Score!

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my creative space

my creative space

In my creative space today, and for the next few weeks, I’ll be writing — journaling actually — about where I want to be this time next year. My daughter is enrolled in some morning camps and I’ll be hanging out in the coffee shop nearby with a notebook and pen (and banana bread for breakfast!).

I can’t believe my “baby” will be entering kindergarten in the Fall of 2011, which is all day in Nebraska. (Do any school systems still do half-day kindergarten?) I don’t think I want to go back to a regular 9-5 job. I really enjoy being self-employed. I’m trying to decide whether I want to continue and expand my freelance business or take my eco-friendly crafting to the next level: write for publications, write a book, pattern design or wholesaling.

Tomorrow I’ll be back with a thrifty find and Friday I’ll have two washcloth stitch patterns to share.

You can see what everyone else is up to over at Kirsty’s blog.

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signs your child watches too much dinosaur train

She goes into a tv trance whenever the show airs.

You ask her, “What’s another word that begins with the letter ‘i’?” and she says, “Iguanodon!”

At dinner she says, “Mom’s a vegetarian just like Ned the brontosaurus.”

You hear la-la-loooo and graaaak coming from her room during “quiet” time.

She insists that you help her draw the entire Pteranodon family. (Dad drew the short straw for this request.)

The dinosaur in the middle is Buddy. He’s a T-Rex. Am I the only one who thinks Mrs. Pteranodon has some explaining to do?