MITTENS IN AUGUST?!?

here is my first pair of mittens. the fiber group that i have been meeting with are going to make mittens to donate to homeless people at Christmas.

I haven't done mittens yet...so i thought that i should try my hand (no pun intended).

all in all...i would have to say that i am pleased with them... although i ran out of yarn on the last 2 rows of the 2nd thumb (dont you just hate when that happens?)... and although i had to put those pesky thumbs in several times!

i was going to pack them away for the charity event... but sugar daddy decided he wanted to keep them... isn't he just the sweetest?

and he was nice enough to model them for my blog posting!

these were loomknit on my 'in the attic' mitten loom set...although i didnt refer to the pattern...but rather shot from the hip on these. the yarn was a variegated acrylic from my scary stash.

FINISHED OBJECT: Woven Amulet

This is the finished amulet woven on my Journey Loom and embellished with shells and an amethyst crystal inside.

ALMOST FINISHED ...

I am done with the weaving portion of the amulet.

whaddayah think?

i am very pleased with my first small piece of weaving...even if it is only about 5 or 6 inches long!

when i started, i tried to follow some kind of pattern...but felt i was concentrating too much on design and not the experience of weaving... so i just put the yarn wherever it looked good to me.

i think i am really going to enjoy weaving...

now to figure out how to take it off the loom...

ALL LOOMED UP

OK...I am finally ready to tackle my first project on my Journey loom. I am going to start with the amulet.

My loom is warped and i have made my yarn cocoons...made with a variety of leftover wools.

Off to weave...

IT WAS ALL JUST A DREAM...

This project didn't turn out quite like I had envisioned it... but i am fairly satisfied with it. I will definitely visit this technique again... I felt almost like a potter... pulling and stretching and refelting (4 times...lol) and manipulating with the binder clips.

I bought some alligator hair clips from the dollar store to experiment with the next time.

I really like the organic pod-shape of this felted vessel. And the bobbles on the inside came out nicely.

I think I will call it Dream Vessel (#1).

Shhh...IT'S JUBAL'S NAPTIME

MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT MAKING A PREEMIE HAT

Here is my first viable attempt at making a preemie cap. the knit \crochet group that i have been meeting with donates preemie hats to a local hospital.

i made this with my mitten loom from in the attic. the yarn is bernat baby coordinates in iced mint. the tie is made with some acrylic from my stash.

the hat is open at the top and uses a drawstring to close...this is to accommodate tubes or wires.

THINK PINK

Here is the felted pink bangle wristlet. i am not entirely happy with how it turned out... the handle is a little off center... but i believe that i can work on this piece and make it better.

PURPLE FELTED WRISTLET

And here is the purple variegated bangle wristlet... i think this one turned out better.

it's just the right size to hold a mobile phone and some moolah... put it on your wrist and go!

PROJECT UPDATE

well... got the piece out from the washer and was a little bummed out. it looked NOTHING like i had imagined...but that's the adventure of felting, right?

after all of the crazy shaping, the darn thing came out round! the "holey" sections that i thought were big enough to stay open... felted together.

on the other hand, the bobble stitches came out very nice... and the binder clips made some texture... i will definitely keep experimenting with clips...will also try those little alligator hair clips... i wonder what rubberbands will do?

but i digress...

i did not like the round shape ... so while it was still damp, i started pulling it into a more oblong shape and then clipped it.

i will let it dry this way and see how it looks then.

keep your fingers crossed!

DREAM PROJECT IS READY TO BE FELTED/FULLED

alrighty, the dream project is finally crocheted.

now it is time for embellishment... i adorned it with three vintage buttons.

in my dream, i used hair clips, like the alligator clips, to achieve texture during the fulling process. i am to impatient... i dont have any of thoses clips...so i looked around and found some binder clips. i attach them... hope this works !

now it is in the washing machine with a little baking soda and HOT water.

wish me luck!!!!

binder clip placement

DANG IT!

I was working on one of my WIPs...when i ran out of yarn...dang it! I hate it when that happens!

As you can see, my first attempt at matching dyelots hasnt really worked out. The original is more pink...while the first replacement attempt is more "purpley"... dammit!

wish me luck!

HAVE YOU EVER DREAMED ABOUT A PROJECT?

Here is another sneak peek of another wip.

the other night, i dreamed that i was working on a project...that's all...just me crocheting and then doing a felting technique with hairclips...

when i woke up, i felt compelled to try to replicate it...so here goes. i do know that it will be felted /fulled using the hairclips... i dont even know if this idea will work, i havent seen anyone online mention it... so i am compelled to try it... but i dont want to say anything more...dont want to jinx my crochet mojo!

has that ever happened to you... dreaming about the creation of a project? if so, how did it turn out?

BANGLE WRISTLET #2

Here is a 2nd bangle wristlet... a small purse crocheted onto bangle bracelets. My idea was a small purse... just hold some keys...some money...maybe a mobile phone. I am playing around with different sizes.

Bangle Wristlet

This is a bangle wristlet... ready to be felted... now where's my baking soda??

Say it ain't so...

I just read on the mobile cnn site that john edwards has admitted to a fairly recent affair. i feel sad ... disappointed... and frankly duped --- i thought he was one of the good guys

A SNEAK PEEK AT A WIP

Here are a few phone pics of a WIP.

What do you think about it so far? Right now I have to say it's looking a little like ET...which is NOT my goal...lol.

SQUARE

Here is a square that I made for the knit\crochet group that I have started meeting with.

Everyone is going to do a square and then all squares will be worked into an afghan for a gift to the owner of the coffee shop where the group meets.

My New & Beautiful Chophook: made by Jimbo

Feast your eyes on my newest Jimbo acquisition... one of his very neat "chophooks".

If you are not familiar with Jimbo's work... visit http://www.jimbosfrontporch.blogspot.com/.

He makes very beautiful and functional crochet hooks; and auctions them off on his blog. I don't know if he still does special orders... but he made a hook for me (quite a while back) to fit my crazy grip.... i sent him pics of me crocheting... and i have to say, it is the most comfortable hook i own! Now with the chophook, i am "mama" to 4 Jimbo hooks!

He does the chophooks to raise money to help find a cure for Friedreich's Ataxia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedreich's_ataxia ), which is an inherited disesase that affects the nervous system.

Here is his blog post about it: http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=34291453&postID=3018539839512396579.

All he asks is a minimum of $10 to the organization (you can even do it via his blog), and he will send you one of these really cool hooks.

VINTAGE KNITTING

Thought you might want to see this blast from the past...this is a sweater vest that was made for me by my great aunt elizabeth. i was most likey less than 6 so it is over 33 years old.

i was digging around in the closet and came across this...i freaking love it! I think this was inspired by a trip that she and my uncle made out west.

I am not sure if she used a pattern for this or not.