favorite friday

the crafting community. because you people seriously rock and know how to open your hearts.


if you are like me and a little slow to the game then maybe you haven't heard about craft hope's etsy store - craft hope for haiti. if you haven't (i just learned about it over the weekend) you really should check it out. so many lovely and unique hand crafted items for sale with all proceeds going to doctors without borders. as of this morning they have had over 1000 sales and have raised over $20,000!!!

my donation at craft hope for haiti was posted early this evening and has already sold! ***thank you***

if you haven't made a donation they are taking a break from accepting donations for a couple weeks. they still have hundreds more to post! keep checking in with them though because the store IS still open and they may be accepting more donations at a later time. and don't forget that craft hope always has a donation project going. project 6 is still underway and there is plenty of time to knit that up by they february 14 deadline.

absentee

i haven't meant to be away from here so much. i feel a bit out of touch, though i am trying to keep up with all of you!
i will probably not be back until next week. matt is away working and well, i have given myself a full schedule while he is away.
part of it involves working on his website as much as i can. i've slacked off quite a bit on that and it's time to resume.
today i photographed a few pieces we didn't have pictures of and re-shot some that we weren't happy with.
i'm also trying to switch websites. i want it just so and it's not quite there. it may be a constant WIP, but i'd like to get it all up and running soon.



so pardon the absence, i am still here and will return shortly!

samples

just some samples from my 365 project. so far so good. i know it's only the second week, but if this was one of my 52 weeks projects i'd almost be ready to abandon ship. yet with this project i'm still pretty gung ho!




and meet my first stranger.
kelly.

new projects

i've decided this year will be a busy year for me. my knitting queue, which was large, is getting larger. i have high hopes for some larger projects this year. sweaters, socks, and lace, oh my!

my confidence in sewing is growing so that to do list is growing also. must learn to sew a zipper. and buttonholes. those are definitely some obstacles i need to overcome.

also on my list is the desire to cook more. though i couldn't even get the couscous right the other night, but i won't let that deter me. luckily, i have a love affair with our clay pot and it is hard to screw anything up when cooking in that.

and on the photography front. well, right now i feel brave and excited but in a couple months brave may easily be replaced with deranged. i have taken on a few new projects to hopefully inspire and educate me. the first is the 365 project. i have failed to complete the 52 weeks project. three times. ouch. why i think i might complete this i have no clue. but i am going to try. (of course, i go out of town the day after i start and have no way to upload my pictures - but the photos are being taken!).

1.365


and then, i was inspired by justmakeit and decided to give it a go. the 100 strangers project is something i have been wanting to do for over a year. i can be a bit shy and have a really difficult time approaching strangers. i consider myself lacking some basic social skills quite honestly. last year we were in florida and i snuck this picture. i've always thought it would have been a great start to the 100 strangers project and i've regretted not taking that chance then.

so, now i find myself back in florida at about the same time of year (give or take a week or two) and i didn't want to have those regrets two years in a row. i took my first photo for the project and can't wait to share it with you. next week, when i can upload those photos.

until then, happy new year to all of you who take time from your busy lives to stop by here! i appreciate you so much and look forward to sharing the new year with you.
i'd love to know what projects are on your list.

the bag

as in the manly indiana jones carrier of found treasures bag.

this was henry's gift. i had originally intended to make it for his birthday back in august, but the cape, the cake, the planning, well . . .

i moved it to the christmas to do list and let it go. ahhhh.

so, of course i waited until christmas eve to sew this baby up. at least i had already cut the fabric. i'm getting smarter that way. i'm learning to cut and iron or iron and cut my next couple of projects or so at one time in the chance that i may find a moment to actually sew. that is if i take a break from knitting.

i knew i wanted to make henry a bag. he's a gatherer. he needed something for carrying his finds (and maybe a few of mine). it had to be durable and it had to be boyish. and i really had trouble finding a pattern i liked. then one day i happened upon this great pattern at mmmcrafts. i'm not quite sure how i ended up there but i am so happy i did. it was perfect! i only had to make a few modifications because henry is three and therefore short. so i shortened the strap (not enough) and made the bag itself a little bit shorter (i used one of his notebooks as guide). since i shortened the height of the bag i also made the exterior pocket a little smaller.

i have to admit i impressed myself with this project. the pattern was perfectly written and really couldn't have made it any easier, but i did things i had never done before in sewing. i made a bag with a liner! i added pockets!! i squared the corners!!!

i did have some troubles in the beginning and i am so glad they didn't deter me. when it comes to sewing it's too easy for me to let that happen. tension was a big problem. maybe because i was using a heavy fabric? i also tried using a heavier gauge needle and thread and then decided against it because the tension problem was getting worse. but, in the end i made it work.
and now the boy can tote his treasures. light saber, pez dispensers (aka action figures in our house), the infamous frog, and i can only imagine what else that bag will end up carrying.

i can't wait to see the treasures it carries home though!

the owl {complete}

as promised there are more gifts to share. this is one i am so proud of. it turned out so closely to how i had pictured it in my head before i began making it. basically, i made my own version of these.

i drew the pattern free hand and attempted several versions of legs and feet. i still don't feel i got that part quite right, but i'm still happy with the outcome. the best part was putting the fabrics together in different combinations, which is not my strong suit. the legs were originally going to be a dark red fabric with a black pattern, but those did not turn out so well. it was a good mistake because i love the stripey legs on the owl just as i like it when bea has stripey legs!

the fabrics are a mix of new, hand me down, and repurposed. years and years ago matt's grandma gave me bunches of fabric. two of those are what make up the wings. the corduroy is an old jacket of mine that i wasn't wearing anymore. the back is a fabric i've had for some time and have used little bits here and there. and the yellow and green striped fabric are relatively new and were meant for other projects but they just worked so well i had to use them. (i love that yellow!)

bea snuggled onto the owl right after she (with henry's help of course) opened it on christmas morning. it's a laugh to see her carrying this big bird around! it's great for breaking her falls. i think in the next few weeks a wee version of this owl may make its way to the sewing machine. something a little easier to tote around.

one more handmade coming tomorrow - if i can get some decent pictures.

the knitty gifts

well, now its time to start sharing all the good crafty things that were going on here over the past few months.
admittedly, most of the crafty time was spent on stockings. but once those were done i started on the projects that were intended for others and for warming. and then ended up with a pair myself because, well i had time and it was malabrigo. hard to resist that temptation.



i used this pattern which was so easily memorized and travelled well (and is also on ravelry). i was reluctant to knit them flat which is what the pattern calls for but i was afraid i would mess them up somehow if i knit in the round. which, by the way, i am sure a better knitter could do with no problems. oh they would knit so quickly in the round. i had these timed at about 2 netflix movies per pair. give or take a few breaks. and they are great by themselves or over your favorite gloves for added warmth.



**i did slip a stitch at the beginning of every row which i think made seaming them up a bit tidier**

and the malabrigo. oh my. i love this stuff. i went on a mini malabrigo binge i admit. but it was crazy economical in that i could get two. TWO. pairs of gloves from one skein. it really was a great gift to knit up. so soft. so warm. and choosing the colors was so difficult. i opted not to buy this buttery yellow and a grass green. they are still at the yarn shop and i swear to you i fondle them every time i go there. i presume they will make it home with me sometime soon.



those blue ones? yeah. those are mine.

favorite friday

i can knock out three favorites in one.
the band.
the staple singers.
the weight.



{and i have convinced myself that the muppet band is loosely based on the band}

two bands that give me goosebumps and leave me in awe.

{not sure how this works but if it works for you i recommend listening to the whole concert}