granny square scarf almost finished

granny square scarf

You’d think that with all of this gift making I wouldn’t have any time to make something for myself. These granny squares are perfect for fleeting moments of “me time” and I can’t believe the progress I have made! I’m going until I’m out of yarn, which will probably be two more squares. I’m loving the atypical, monochromatic look.

Even though these are fun and working up quickly, I can’t imagine doing enough for a blanket. I’m not even looking forward to seaming these together for a scarf. Any future granny projects will probably be small ones for me!

project notes: Granny pattern from Attic24. Yarn from Freecycle.

pretty, plastic granny squares

I try hard to limit our impact on the earth. When I’m at the grocery store, I look for items with recyclable packaging. Sometimes, it isn’t always possible, though. For example, we eat a lot of frozen peas, I don’t always have time to make our bread, and I don’t have any time at all to make tortillas!

I know I need to cut myself a break now and then, but this week we were overwhelmed with plastic. Last week was my daughter’s birthday and there were bags filled with air, bags to hold toy parts, and for some reason, a lot of food bags. Every time I went to put one in the trash I had this question in my head: How long will this be sitting in a landfill?

Yes, I worry about our landfills. I’m concerned about what seeps into the ground and finds its way into our drinking water. I wonder how many big piles (or holes, I guess) of trash will exist when my daughter is my age. I know this worry is kind of crazy, especially for someone who tries hard to minimize my impact on the planet, but I know I can always do better.

plastic crochet granny square

Yesterday I grabbed a bunch of clear plastic packaging bags and made some granny squares. I’m thinking of turning them into a small zipper pouch. It was hard to capture with the camera, but they are very sparkly.

plastic crochet granny square

They just made a dent in my bags for the week. I’d like to fuse my extra bags and make “fabric” for sewing totes, but I’m concerned about the fumes. I am very sensitive to smells and I’m worried about getting a headache that might last all weekend. Maybe if I did it outside on the deck? Does anyone have any experience with this?

recycle: I’m always looking for ways to recycle our non-recyclables, but in the end, I think the best thing to do is limit what we bring into our homes. It’s hard, especially in our convenience-packed culture, but it’s something I think is really important.

chromium star blanket finished!

chromium star baby blanket

Not only is it finished, but it’s blocked, too! I really love this project and Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece has got to be one of my favorite yarns. I will definitely be making more of these.

project notes: I used exactly one skein of white (I had only inches left over) and two skeins of red. I didn’t measure, but it’s lap-blanket size. It would be a nice size for a newborn, too.

thrifted placemat dilemna

crochet placemats

I bought these crocheted placemats at daycare garage sale a few months ago and I still can’t decide what to do with them. At first I thought I’d make two tall totes, but after seeing them folded in half on my shelf, I also considered four zipper pouches. Then I thought maybe just one large tote. I can’t make up my mind. (Yes, I did consider actually using them as placemats, but they are kind of small.)

Any suggestions?

thrifting: Usually I pass up things I can easily make myself, but I really liked the pattern of these. Plus, they were only 25 cents. I wonder what the person who made these by hand would think of that price.

my creative space

my creative space

I can’t believe it’s Thursday already! I haven’t been able to do as much sewing as I’d like this week, so my creative space is all about my Chromium Star Blanket. I’ve just started the second skein of red yarn and I’m loving how this is shaping up!

Red seems to be the color of choice for a lot of crafty bloggers this week. Check out the comments over at Kirsty’s blog for more creative spaces.

mixing bread bags and wool with crochet

A long time ago I started to crochet a tote out of plastic grocery bags. I thought it would be a good way to keep the bags out of the landfill. It wasn’t fun. The plastic was sticky and it hurt my wrists. Then my recycle guy started accepting the bags for curbside pick up. That was the end of the guilt and the project.

The past few weeks, I’ve been taking a hard look at what we put in the trash. Was there anything else I could possibly recycle? Tea bag envelopes? Receipts? Bread bags?

I did some investigating and my recycling guy only accepts newspaper, dry cleaning and grocery bags. If I can’t put them at the curb, what else can I do with them? I know others have crocheted them just like grocery bags, but when I tried, they kept breaking. Plus, I’d need to eat a lot of bread to make anything substantial. Then I got an idea. What if I cut really thin strips and held them along with something else?

crochet bread bag and wool

I am totally loving this! I’m using recycled sweater yarn that has a bunch of knots. The plastic hides the yarn imperfections and the yarn keeps the plastic from breaking. If the plastic does break, the yarn holds the “fabric” together.

This is so much easier on my wrists! And check out the pretty colors! Not bad for some plain old gray recycled yarn.

crochet bread bag and wool

So far I’ve used bread and tortilla bags. I’ve also got a salad bag to throw into the mix. I’ll keep you posted on my progress!

recycle and reuse: I love thinking of new things to knit and crochet. The yarn is from my first attempt at recycling sweater wool. This is a good project for both frugal and green crafters!

twinkle, twinkle little chromium star

chromium star blanket

I won’t tell you how long it got me to get to this point in the Chromium Star blanket pattern. I’m not sure why I had a hard time following the instructions because when I look at them now, they seem so straightforward. It helped to put stitch markers at each adjacent dc stitch. Now that I have the hang of the pattern repeats, this is really addicting. I find myself sneaking in a few stitches whenever I get the chance.

stash: I went shopping for this yarn in my stash. It’s Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece and originally was going to be a sweater for my daughter. Too bad I didn’t get it done before she outgrew the pattern. I think it will make a lovely blanket. Pattern from The Kidney Bean.

crochet tote finished!

crochet tote bag

I was so excited to finish this last night. I really love it. I plan to use it for my next big project: my Manos del Uruguay blanket. I’ve been squirreling away sale and ebay Manos for the past two years. I finally have enough to make a blanket. Now I just need to figure out which pattern. I want something that can be done in blocks rather than in one piece. Suggestions?

project notes: Garage sale yarn (still have quite a bit leftover). Vintage buttons from my stash. Attic24 crochet bag pattern.

my creative space

my creative space

What’s in my creative space today? I’m working on my crochet tote! All of the little bits are finished. The handles have been blocked. Tonight I’m going to watch some Battlestar Galactica and sew everything together. I’m so excited that this is almost done. I’m totally in love with it!

Visit more creative spaces over at Kirsty’s blog.

p.s. My daughter picked out the buttons. Didn’t she do a good job?

my first granny squares

granny squares

I needed a small, portable project for our trip to Kearney last weekend. In the past, my travel projects have mostly been socks. Now that my daughter is older, I prefer something that doesn’t require so many needles and won’t completely unravel if I throw it in my bag to chase her down.

granny squares

I decided it was time to try my hand at granny squares and I think they’re looking pretty good. I finished one in the car on the way out and one during the day. (That’s the president of the local BMW Car Club holding my square over a Porsche. Isn’t it great how the fiber arts bring us all together!)

granny squares

I’m planning to seam these together and make a scarf for myself. I’m really happy with the colors and the yarn is really soft.

stash: Yarn is Lion Brand Wool-Ease from a giant freecycle haul. Most of what I got that day has been given to knitting guild members to make squares for charity blankets. There were about five skeins of this colorway that I kept for myself. I’m not sure what I’ll do with the rest of it yet. Maybe matching wrist warmers?