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my creative space

random odds and ends of yarn

In my creative space today is a big plastic tote’s worth of odds and ends. Literally. My friend Tana has saved all of the leftovers from her projects since she started knitting. (There’s a lot more than what’s pictured.) She was planning to donate them to the thrift store, but thankfully called me first.

All sorts of possibilities are running through my head. I’ll admit a lot of them are filled with some type of granny square. Can’t wait to dive in!

What’s happening in your creative space today?

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how to make mini race flags in 3 easy steps

race flag tutorial

My daughter didn’t ask for many things this Christmas. I wasn’t surprised a race track was one of the few items on her list, but I wasn’t expecting a request for a set of racing flags. I figured they’d be easy to make, but they couldn’t look homemade. They were coming from Santa, after all. These would make great gifts for the little racing fans in your life — girls and boys alike.

You’ll need a serger for this project. I suggest making a few sets at once. The project itself is super easy, but changing the serger thread is a bit time consuming. It’s definitely not a last minute Christmas Eve project, ahem.

Materials
5″ x 7″ rectangles of various colored fabric (flag definitions here)
3/8″ x 12″ wood dowels
matching thread, three spools each
fray check

Notes
Thread: Those big grab bags of half-used spools of thread at the thrift store are perfect for these. You’ll need a lot of spools, but not a lot of thread.

Changing serger thread: I don’t re-thread my serger every time I change thread. Simply snip the original thread close to the spool and tie on a new spool. Then lift your presser foot to release the tensions and pull the threads through. Try not to run the knots through your tension wheels and be careful with the knot at the needle’s eye. You may have to re-thread the needle. Once new threads are through, drop your presser foot and start serging!

race flag tutorial

Step 1
Serge all four sides of each rectangle with a rolled hem.

Step 2
Fold one shorter side over 1/2″ and press. Sew the top and side closed, stitching close to the rolled hem. Leave an opening at the bottom for the dowel.

Step 3
Trim ends. Secure the serged ends with Fray Check. Slide flag onto dowel.

storage: A drawstring bag made with the checkered flag fabric would be so cute for these! A mailing tube from the office supply store also works.

confession: I bought new, same brand fat quarters of fabric for this project. It almost killed me to do so, but my daughter is really enjoying the idea of Santa this year, so I caved. Normally I would have raided my fabric stash of scraps for this project. Next time for sure!

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zoe’s quilt

The day before Christmas Eve, my friend Emily came over with coffee, a quilt top and some flannel. Her sister made this super cute quilt for her daughter Zoe. Emily wanted help with putting it all together. My husband and daughter were out Christmas shopping, so we had the whole house to ourselves. It was a perfect, crafty afternoon. We sipped lattes, pressed seams and pin basted.

zoe's quilt

The construction was pretty simple. We just squared everything up right sides together. Sewed around, turned right side out, clipped corners and top stitched around. Emily is going to tie the quilt with pink embroidery thread on her own.

zoe's quilt

I love the little details Emily’s sister added, especially zig zagging the ric rack onto the blocks. The polka dots and zebra print are both sweet and funky.

zoe's quilt

It’s amazing how fast this went. Just like at the craft retreat, I am reminded how nice it is to work without little feet running around on my work. I’m also inspired to make something similar on my own. Thanks for a fun afternoon and the inspiration, Emily!

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crafty new year’s resolutions

red crochet coaster

After the hustle and bustle of making things for others during the holiday season, my usual resolution is to make more things for myself.

This year that is going to have to wait. I’ve got a custom order for 12 of these cute coasters in red. Four down and eight to go!

Do you have any crafty resolutions for 2011? Share them in the comments!

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quick and easy wrist warmer pattern

wrist warmer crochet pattern

I made these wrist warmers for our mail carrier. She is awesome. We ship and receive a lot of mail packages and she always comes to our door, even in below zero temps. I know she has to keep her fingertips exposed, so I thought wrist warmers would be a nice gift.

The pattern as written fits an average size woman’s wrist. If you need it bigger or smaller (for a guy or child), whip out your tape measure and adjust the measurements accordingly. I measured around my knuckles, not including my thumb, and rounded down to 7 inches for a snug fit.

wrist warmer crochet pattern

Materials
any yarn (I used bulky yarn to make the project go fast)
corresponding size hook (I used size I)

DC: double crochet
SC: single crochet

tip: I tend to make my first chain really tight no matter how hard I try to keep it loose. To compensate for this, I chain and dc my first row with a hook size larger. That keeps my edges consistent for Step 6.

Step 1
Crochet a gauge swatch in double crochet. I know some people hate making these, but it’s really not that hard, so just do it. Figure out how many stitches you have in an inch, then figure out the following:

A = gauge x 8 1/2
B = gauge x 2
C = gauge x 4

My gauge was 3 1/2 stitches per inch. I’ll put my numbers in parentheses in case you find the letters confusing.

Step 2
Chain A. (30)

Step 3
DC back and forth for six inches.

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

Step 4
Make the thumb opening: DC B (7), chain B (7), skip B (7), dc to end of the row.

Step 5
DC across, including chain stitches, and continue back and forth until piece measures 7 inches.

Step 6
SC the last row and your first chain row together to make a tube. Cut yarn, weave ends and turn inside out.

wrist warmer crochet pattern

Step 7
Repeat for the other hand, but change Step 4 to the following:
Make the thumb opening: DC until C (14) stitches remain, chain B (7), skip B (7), DC B (7).

stash: I used recycled sweater yarn for these. It’s a soft acrylic that’s machine washable. I may need to make a pair for myself, too!

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362 days until christmas

handmade jingle bells

I’m always amazed how fast Christmas is over. There is such an enormous build up: two months I counted this year with decorations appearing in craft stores before Halloween. Even with all of that time, it’s amazing how busy everyone is right up until Christmas Eve.

Then everything comes to an abrupt end. The lights will stay up until New Year’s Day, but the music is gone from the radio, decorations are on clearance and the craft stores are all focused on Valentine’s Day.

Well, I’m not ready for candy hearts. I’ll be getting back into gear with some handmade gifts that I couldn’t blog about until after they had been given. I also have a couple tutorials. Don’t put away those jingle bells yet!

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heart-shaped christmas card box

My daughter is still obsessed with this craft book. She reads it every day, carefully studying the projects and pictures.

Crafts to Make in the Winter by Kathy Ross

This week she insisted we make the Valentine Card box. Our entire stash of construction paper has been cut into colorful snowflakes, so we made a white heart (which is “the color of snow!”). She added a few squiggles and now we have a Christmas Card box.

Crafts to Make in the Winter by Kathy Ross

The cutest part: she takes this little box around the house and “delivers” all of the cards to her stuffed animals. Then she goes around and picks them up like our mail carrier.

recycle: Cereal box from our recycle bin, paper and yarn from my stash.

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pajama twins

bella leith matching pajamas

photo by: refibered

Last night, my friend Kelly and I took our daughters to pajama party storytime at the library. Kelly made these amazing nightshirts for the girls to wear. They had a great time and loved being pajama twins. Don’t they look adorable?

As we were leaving, I thanked Kelly for the pajamas. She thanked me for allowing her to use up some of her yardage. When we got in the car, my daughter asked if I had any yardage I needed to use up. If so, could I make her some more nightshirts? What a cutie.

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trying to stay focused

Design-It-Yourself Clothes: Patternmaking Simplified

The time for holiday crafting is almost up and I’m almost finished. I didn’t have too much to make this year because I bought a lot of gifts off of etsy.com. Still, there are a few things that need to get done. Cal Patch’s book is making it hard to stay on track.

I got this as an early Christmas present and there are so many things I want to try! I haven’t even had a chance to sit down and read it, although I did look at the pictures. The day after Christmas I’ll be all over it!

How are you doing in the final days of gift preparation? Are you braving the malls for last minute gifts? Logging extra hours crafting in the wee hours? Share in the comments!

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little sweater ornaments

sweater ornament

I’ve wanted to make these ornaments for a long time. The pattern is from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. The inspiration for the Husker “N” came from my friend Christy, who has made a gazillion of these. The pattern suggests making a hanger out of a pipe cleaner and I think it’s absolutely adorable.

I’m having a hard time blogging because a lot of what I’ve been making hasn’t been gifted yet. I don’t think the recipients read my blog, but if you get one of these from me, just act surprised, ok?

stash: Red wool from the 2010 East Campus garage sale. White wool from the 2009 East Campus garage sale. Fabric for gift bag from here. Crazy that I remember all of that!

p.s. Congratulations to giveaway winner Shana Putnam!