I loved how the sock yarn sleeve turned out. For my second try, I picked a yarn with lots of thick and thin weights. Not sure if I’m liking it as much. I’m going to try one more in worsted weight and then post the formula.
I wish I had taken a picture of the completed sleeve with my real camera. The yarn is so beautiful in real life. Alas, I’ve already gifted it. Plus, I promised myself not to stress over perfection. Moving on and trying to stay in the flow.
Last year I sewed a bunch of sleeves and wallets to give with gift cards. Since my sewing machine is still collecting dust, I decided this year to work on a crochet version.
I found a lot of cute patterns on Ravelry, both crochet and knit, but the ones I liked were written for a specific yarn weight. I want to use up little bits of leftovers for this project and don’t feel like dealing with gauge math for every single one.
So, I’m working on a formula, which I will share once I’ve got it figured out.
What are your favorite ways to give gift cards?
Remember the first prayer pillow I made? Well, the recipient’s sister was baptized last weekend, so I thought she should have one of her very own. Everything came from my stash. My daughter approved the colors and fabric.
I had some more expensive transfer paper on hand and found I didn’t like the way it worked as much as the original paper I used. I do like how it looks all distressed, but I can’t see that look working for all kinds of projects.
I can’t believe it’s been over three years since I made my gift bag resolution. Since then I’ve been reusing bags we have been given and making bags when I need them. The only bags I’ve purchased are plain kraft bags. Wow. I impress myself.
Although I like the practice, I’ve been rethinking the drawstring gift bag lately, and wondering if I could do more with it. The whole point of making a simple gift bag is that it’s simple. I don’t make a lining or finish the inside edges aside from serging. If it takes too much time to make, I won’t do it.
Most of the bags I make are for kids’ gifts, so I started to think, “What kind of bag would be most fun for both boys and girls?” The answer I came up with was the drawstring backpack.
However, while that pattern isn’t hard, it’s not simple either. I wanted to stick with my no lining, serged edges policy. The result is essentially a drawstring bag with straps: when making a regular drawstring bag, add bottom loops when seaming up the sides and make the drawstrings longer. It’s almost too easy.
I used all four threads on my serger to make the seams extra sturdy and reinforced the stitches by the loops. It’s a gift bag, not a rugged backpack, but you never know what kinds of things a child will want to carry around.
stash: Batman fabric in my stash was free. I think it came from a friend of a friend. It was an odd shape, clearly leftover from some other project. It took some creative thinking to get two nice-sized pieces out of it. White cotton twill tape originally bought to make labels for myself, but they didn’t work out.
oops! I just realized you can’t see the bottom loops in the photo. They are the same as the loops over here.
Since I’m finishing up Boheme #3, I think it’s time I posted pics of Boheme #2. I knit this one using the feather and fan stitch for the body. I think it’s my favorite finished product, but I did not enjoy the pattern. I’m not sure why. It just seemed tedious. I always wanted to make a feather and fan scarf someday. Guess that’s not going to happen. Still, the sweater knitted up beautifully. Love it.
stash: still working with the Paton’s Rio from my stash. Boheme #1 here.
I’ve had this fabric in my stash for so long that I don’t remember where I found it. It has always been destined for my sister-in-law who loves horses. I always thought I’d make it into a tote bag because it’s a tricky print. Lay it out flat and it’s kind of busy. I never imagined I’d make it into an article of clothing.
But then I happened across a pattern for a fabric infinity scarf and couldn’t stop thinking about it. I dug it out, wrapped it around my neck and you know what? It looked really nice! I liked this pattern so much, I even set aside some brown and black flannel to make a scarf for myself. Now I just need to sew it!
resource: You can find the tutorial for this scarf over at The Cottage Home.
I guess it’s safe to say that I’m addicted to double crochet clusters. Is there a 12 Step Program for that? Here are two more gifts I made for the holidays.
This is the one that started it all. The yarn is from my stash. I’m not 100% sure of the brands, but I can tell there’s some merino wool in there. It is so soft!
I have had this single skein of Manos del Uruguay in my stash for a few years. You know how sometimes you just have to wait for the yarn to speak to you? It finally said “granny cowl” and turned out beautiful.
Coming up: the möbius and a fabric cowl.
I’ve started another boheme sweater. Same Patons Rio cotton yarn. This time I’m making a feather and fan variation.
A few weeks before my daughter’s birthday she put three stacks of 8 1/2 x 11 paper — stapled journal style — on my desk. Two were 24 pages and one was 10 pages. “Mom, these are books for you to make for my birthday.” It wasn’t really a request, and it was too sweet to be a demand, but the message was clear. I tried hard to come up with something meaningful, but lets face it, there were a lot of pages to fill!
The day before her birthday she started asking all sorts of questions about the day she was born. When did I start labor? How long was I at the hospital? What exact time was she born? All those questions gave me an idea.
I wrote down the story of her birth when she was four weeks old. At one point I was planning to post it to the blog, which was the “mommy blog” trend at the time. However, it seemed too personal to share for some reason. Yes, I know that must sound odd from someone who has been sharing her life online since 2003.
The book turned out to be much smaller than she had requested — eight 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 pages. She was surprised when she saw it. I had hoped that she would read it immediately and we’d have a special mother/daughter bonding moment, but that was not the case. You see, we also gave her the game Brave. She was infinitely more interested in Merida and her mother than our story. Also, I think she was disappointed that my book had no pictures.
Oh, well. I’m sure she’ll read it eventually. In the meantime, I’ve still got those blank pages on my desk. Now that the pressure is off, maybe I’ll come up with a way to fill them. After I help Merida up and over the waterfall, of course. Seems I’m the only one in the house who can get her to do a triple jump.
My friend Lauren used fabric to cover shelves and make embroidery hoop swatches for her baby girl’s nursery. We were chatting about what to do with the leftover fabric and I suggested a baby quilt. Let me tell you, when I saw all of this cute fabric, I was so happy when she said yes. These prints are so sweet!
I can’t make my standard Easy Baby Quilt, but still want a design that’s simple. Maybe an Easy Baby Quilt Level 2? We’ll see.
knitted sweater update: It’s finished and adorable, but not yet delivered.
kombucha update: OhMyGoodnessThisTeaTastesSoGood!
