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my creative space

zipper fabric bible cover

In my creative space today I finished up the zippered book cover from last week. I snapped this pic before I sewed in the book flaps.*

zipper fabric bible cover

They were a little tricky and if I make another one, I’d do them differently. They made my seams a little wonky.

My friend loved it, though, and that’s what’s most important, isn’t it?

*It’s getting dark earlier and I’m losing my evening photo opportunities. Pretty soon I’ll be taking them in the afternoon with my four-year old assistant. Don’t be surprised if you see a waving hand in the background. She’s just saying hello to the blogosphere.

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my creative space

my creative space crochet basket

In my creative space today is a crochet wool basket. It used to have sides, but I lost count of my stitches and it got all wonky and I had to rip back to the base. I started it because I wanted to have a mindless project. I guess even squares aren’t completely mindless.

More creative spaces over at Kirsty’s always-beautiful space.

textile sale: I bought three balls of this wool for 25 cents each. I have no idea about the brand or content, but it looks great and that’s all that matters!

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my creative space

crochet bath mitt

Remember this sweater yarn? I finished my first square. I know this is supposed to be my vacation project, but the pattern is so addicting. Maybe just one more? It’s not like I don’t have plenty of other things on my to-do list. Ha!

pattern info: This is Wagon Wheel #2 from Granny Crochet Favorites. I modified the last round to be hdc instead of dc stitches. The colors in the book are seriously dated, but the patterns are really quite lovely.

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my creative space

my creative space crochet doily

In my creative space today I’m blocking a doily. Yes, you read that right. I got out a teeny-weeny hook and used crochet thread. Can you believe it?

It’s a gift, so all I can show today is a sneak peek. Once it’s been delivered, I’ll post more pics and pattern info.

What’s happening in your creative space today? Make sure to visit Kirsty’s blog for more creative space fun.

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my creative space

my creative space

This week in my creative space I’m unraveling a sweater. I wasn’t planning to buy anymore sweaters. I don’t need anymore yarn. But I saw these little sparkles and all I could think of was a patchwork baby blanket.

I love the primary colors. New parents are always swimming in pastels. Bright colors are a nice change, don’t you think? Plus, take another look at those sparkles!

my creative space

I’m planning to crochet solid color squares, so this will be the perfect vacation project. (Yes, I’m planning ahead for vacation projects.) I’ll seam them up when they are all finished. It would be easier to join them as I go, but I need a portable project for the plane, the beach, sitting in traffic, etc.

I’m getting pretty good at this unraveling thing. I hardly had any waste yarn — just a bunch of pesky knots at the end of each color change. And even they didn’t go to waste. My daughter took the pile of ends and put them in a bowl for her stuffed dog. He had ramen yarn noodles for lunch.

Make sure to visit more creative spaces over at Kirsty’s blog.

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my creative space

blue chromium star blanket

I delivered the Chromium Star baby blanket tonight. I am in love and it was hard parting with it. The pic is before I put it in the wash. It looks even more beautiful once blocked. Would it be weird to make one for myself? I think just a little bit.

I think I can officially say that crochet is faster than knit for me. I finished this in 10 days without really trying too hard. I’m getting ready to start another little blanket, also from a sweater. I’ll have some before pics soon!

recycled: This blanket used to be a sweater. I happened to know the knitter, so I can tell you that the yarn is Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. It washes (gentle cycle in cold) and dries (on low) beautifully.

Don’t forget to visit Kirsty’s blog to see what all the crafty peeps have going on in their spaces.

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my creative space

My creative space today is a progress report on last week’s space.

mend wool sweater

The sleeve repair went smoothly, mostly because it was stockinette and straight forward kitchener stitch. I didn’t have yarn close enough in color so I “borrowed yarn” from the sweater’s seams. It wasn’t an exact match, but better than what I had on hand. I used stash yarn to re-seam the sides.

mend wool sweater

The ribbing was a little more difficult. The mended spots were definitely sturdy, but they weren’t the prettiest. I used yarn from my stash for the nitty gritty details and then duplicate stitched over the grafted parts with the sweater seam yarn for a nice looking finish.

I’m still trying to decide if the attention to detail with the duplicate stitch is worthy of praise or borderline crazy. Either way, I think it looks really nice.

What’s going on in your creative space today? Share in the comments! Then head over to Kirsty’s blog to see what everyone else is up to today.

resources: The grafting methods I used were kitchener stitch and weaving method for holes, both from knitty.com. You can also find really good grafting articles in the Interweave Knits Spring 2010 issue and in the Spring/Summer 2010 Vogue Knitting.

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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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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.