Socks All Done!!

I finally finished my first pair of knit socks! I finished the first sock quite awhile ago, and then got bogged down in finishing other UFOs. Picked it back up again a couple days ago and finished the 2nd sock this morning :) They are toasty and very comfy!!

I used larger Dpn's for this pair because I'd never used double points before. I will use smaller ones for my 2nd pair now that I have the hang of switching needles.

Here's a photo of my socks!



I can't wait to start my next pair!! Haven't decided on a pattern yet.....lots to choose from! :)

I received my exchange package from my Winter Scarf Swap partner at Crochetville.



I just love both scarves she sent me!! The pumpkin one is SO creative! And the autumn colors one is so warm and snuggly!! Thank you!!!

My knitting class started up again this week. I worked on a scarf and some socks this week. But waiting for my Herrschner's order so I can start on a sweater vest for my MIL. It will be my first attempt at cables. Baptism by fire! lol. And I also want to make a shawl for myself out of this:



Aren't the colors gorgeous?? :) I fell in love with the colorway in the local LYS and just had to bring a few skeins home with me. :)

I'm working on some new original patterns as well. I'll get them posted here as soon as I have them ready! :)

TTFN!!

I haven't blogged in awhile....life just got too busy for a few days.

Went to the Southern Women's Show in Charlotte the other day. CGOA was there with a big booth. They were teaching people to crochet and knit. I picked up some free pattern sheets at their booth.

I also saw a couple of celebrities while I was there. Meredith Baxter was there selling face creme (she was pretty....but her products smelled nasty...lol). Also Richard Simmons was there.



I got a chance to talk to him for a little bit. He's a very sweet person -- and he had the whole crowd up and dancing. It was really fun!

My knitting class starts up again tonight. I'm gathering up all the projects I've finished since the last class ended in August. Taking them with me to show everyone. This class lasts 8 weeks, meeting on Tuesday nights. I want to make a Kiri Shawl (the pattern is at www.alltangledup.com) for myself and a sweater vest for my mother in law this time around. I also need to finish up my knitted socks and one scarf.

We're starting to have great fall weather here in western NC. The baby loves to play in the leaves. :) Unfortunately I'm not looking forward to raking them up!

Here's another creepy crawlie we saw out in our yard. My 15 year old told me I needed to take a picture of it because it was really weird looking. So here's the weird-bug-spider-thingie. lol



TTFN!!!

Ramblings....

I checked out the new issue of Knitty today. They have some really pretty patterns for Fall!! I'm most interested in making the Ella shawl because the pattern is just so unusual looking, and the Falling Leaves socks. :)

I'm finally working on the 2nd sock of my first pair of knitted socks. The 2nd sock is certainly going together much faster than the 1st one did, since that was the 1st time I had used double pointed knitting needles and the first time I had made a sock. Since we're starting to get cooler temperatures at night, I really want to get my socks done. Then I can sit out on the porch in the evening in nice warm snuggly knitted socks.

I'm working on that sock and a knitted scarf....and when those two are done, I will have successfully finished all my unfinished projects!! Yeah me! I already have a list of new projects I want to start when I finally finish these last two stragglers. :)

Sat out on the screened in porch for awhile tonight while the baby played with his blocks. For some reason, our porch really attracts butterflies and moths. I took pictures of a couple visitors to share. The photo of the moth is a thumbnail because you have to see the big photo to see the detail in his wings. Aren't they both gorgeous??

I have some thin chenille -- 4 big balls of it. I'm not sure what to do with it. I love the color. Any suggestions on things that can be made with thin chenille???

TTFN!!

Felted Pocketbook (Knit and Crochet Versions)

**If you like my blog and patterns, please vote for me on the Crochet and Hook list. Vote by clicking the blue box towards the top in the left margin of my blog. Thank you so much!! Let me know what you think of my patterns -- just click the email link (also in the left hand margin).**

A couple of months ago I made a Booga Bag using Noro Kureyon wool, and I just love it. A picture of my Booga Bag is here. I finally got around to making a matching smaller pocketbook to hold my credit cards, etc. I always seem to have to root around in my purse to find my pen, credit card, receipts, folding money, etc. So I made this bag to go inside my purse to hold all those things. :) No more sifting down to the bottom of my bag to find my credit card again!

Here's a picture of the knitted version:



Before felting, the piece was about 10 inches by 12 inches. Here's a picture of it before felting. The checkbook gives you an idea of how large the beginning piece was.



After felting, the bag is almost exactly the size of my checkbook, not including the flap. I put it through hot water wash/cold water rinse 3 times, and shrunk to about half its original size. Different brands of wool shrink differently, so you might get varying shrinkage results.

The pattern can easily be adjusted to make a larger bag....just make your beginning piece larger. I always estimate it will be about half the beginning size when the felting is done. And a strap can easily be added by making a length of I-cord, or single crochet stitches and attaching the straps to the sides after felting. I didn't make a strap for mine since I wanted to use it as a small pocketbook inside my larger purse.

The basic pattern and assembly is really easy! :) Feel free to email me if you have any questions. There are both knit and crochet versions below. The stitch counts listed are for a small bag, like I made.

***The usual disclaimer: This pattern is an original work by Juli Wyant, and is wholly owned by her. This pattern is provided for personal use only, and can be printed for your personal use only. Please do not copy this pattern to other websites/blogs/groups, or distribute copies -- but feel free to link to this page. Yes, you can make items for sale from this pattern....but please don't sell the pattern itself, or present it as your original work. Yadda, yadda, yadda. We all know the copyright drill. ***

KNIT VERSION:

Small amount feltable 100% wool (i.e. not superwash wool....it won't felt)
thick cardboard or foam board for blocking
blocking pins
scissors, yarn needle, etc for weaving ends and sewing seams
large button
Heavy duty thread (or crochet thread) for attaching button and for around buttonhole
sz 10 knitting needles

Cast on 50

Work in Stockinette stitch (1 row K, 1 row P) until piece measures approximately 12 inches high
Bind off

FELTING AND FINISHING:

I do my felting by putting the item in a pillowcase and shutting it tightly with a thick rubberband. I toss in a couple pairs of jeans or bath towels, and check after each hot water wash/cold rinse to see if the felting process is done. When it looks fuzzy and you can't see the individual stitches anymore, it has achieved felting nirvana. :)

After felting, stretch the piece out flat on a thick piece of cardboard or foam board. Tug lightly on all sides to make sure the piece will dry flat and with straight sides. Pin both long sides and one short side. On the remaining short side, pin the two corners and in the middle gently pull up and pin so that the side will dry with a slight point in the middle (see picture of finished bag). I used two pins to make sure the point was held in place. Let the bag dry for about a day, then unpin.

Fold the piece with the right sides together (wrong side out), leaving about 3 inches at the top for the flap. Starting at the open edge, stitch the side seams using leftover wool or a coordinating color of yarn and a yarn needle. Stop about 1 inch from the folded edge and sew diagonally to the fold, forming a gusset. This forms the bottom of the bag.

Here's a diagram that hopefully makes the directions more clear:



Using scissors, cut a hole in the flap of the bag slightly smaller than the large button you will be using. Using a coordinating color of thread, sew around the button hole with an overcast stitch to prevent tearing. Fold down the flap to see where the button should be sewn, then securely attach the button onto the front of the purse.

CROCHET VERSION:

Small amount feltable wool (not superwash)
Size H crochet hook
Coordinating color of thread
1 large button
Scissors, yarn needle, etc for sewing
cardboard or foamboard for blocking
blocking pins

Chain 40 (or # needed to make piece about 10 inches wide for small bag)

Sc in 2nd ch from hook and across, ch 1 turn

Repeat this row until piece measures approx 12 inches high (or size needed)

Finish off and weave in ends.

**See Felting and Finishing section of Knitted version above for finishing instructions**

If you have any questions or comments about this pattern, feel free to email me at juliwyant@bellsouth.net !!

Cool weather!

Finally we are getting some fall-like weather here in my neck of the NC woods. :) The baby is enjoying being able to play outdoors more, and I'm getting yardwork done.

I have been working on knitting dishcloths the last couple of days. Here's a NC one:



The dark yarn makes it hard to see the design. It's has the state outline of NC with the initials N.C. at the bottom. There is a website that has dishcloth patterns for all 50 states and all the Canadian provinces, plus animals, holidays, etc. You can find the state patterns here. The other patterns are on the main index here.

I've also been making stitch markers for an exchange at C'ville. Here's the ones I have made so far:



With the evening temperatures getting cooler, lately we have been seeing a lot of guests hanging around outside. We took a picture of one of them:



I am not really a fan of spiders, but I think garden spiders are pretty. Plus, I'm sure it ate quite a few bugs while it was living right outside our screened in porch. Every morning we went out to see how the spider was. But this morning, the spider was gone. It appears that it's web got damaged overnight. I suppose it moved elsewhere in the yard. It was pretty to watch while it was there. I don't mind them when they're outside...and garden spiders are big, but harmless. But.....spiders in the HOUSE. Oh eeeeek! Now that I don't like! :)

TTFN!!!