crafting

Well, I’m running out of time to make clothing for Jr. but I was able to finish this little sweater today.  It was a pretty quick and easy project that over 1300 others have made over on Ravelry.com. It’s a free pattern and I will definitely be making more in the future.

The yarn is something I’ve had in my stash for a while.  Mom brought it back from England on one of her six trips this year.  Holy cow can you say frequent flier miles!  Anyway, I like how this turned out and can’t wait to put it on the little guy with a pair of cords.  How cute would that look?

I was thrilled to discovery that my Manicure Kit Cover tutorial was featured on Sew Mama Sew (SMS) yesterday!  YAY! 

Thanks to all the new visitors that have stopped by and left comments.  It’s great to hear that you will be adding my little project to your holiday gift list.

All month long SMS will be featuring handmade gift ideas and tutorials so if you’re part of a holiday gift exchange or just want some fun ideas be sure to check it out. If you not an avid sewer don’t worry!  There are recipes, printables and lots of giveways! 

http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/

A while back Beth and I decided to do a trade after I fell in love with one of her necklaces that was on display at the Strange Folk Festival last month.

The necklace perfectly matches these earrings that are also from her collection.  So, when I asked Beth what she would like in return she suggested a crochet bobble pouch much like the one I made for her sister Holly last year.

Finished size 9 by 5 in

It’s based on a pattern from the One Skein book by Leigh Radford but I made this version wider and a little shorter so it looked more like a clutch. I also added a patchwork lining with some Swell fabric I had in my stash. I thought the fabric went well with the grass green yarn from Knitpicks.com.   Their cotton worsted weight yarn named Shine is by far my favorite to work with.

I hope that Beth enjoys this as much as I enjoyed making it.  The textile of the bobble or popcorn stitch really makes this a sturdy and unique looking piece.

Amigurumi is what first got me interested in crochet a couple of years ago but its been ages since I made a crocheted little critter.  Since I had plenty of time to kill on the drive to and from Chicago, I was able to work on this little guy. 

It’s the perfect project for a road trip because it requires so few supplies.  The most time consuming aspect is sewing all the parts together and even that doesn’t take long.

If you’re interested in learning more about amigurumi the creator of this pattern has a blog and shares some free patterns. I found that starting with the simple snail project was a fun way to get introduced to this style of crochet. 

Other great amigurumi resources include:

Ana Paula’s Amigurumi Patterns & Random Cuteness

Gormet Amigurumi

Bittersweet (Crochet & Kitting patterns)

Did anyone see this tutorial posted on ohdeedoh today?  What a fantastic idea!  Not sure how I would use it but it could be a fun way to do a gift exchange or school raffle. 

Tutorial can be found over at Artmind 

This past weekend we headed down to Table Rock Lake just outside Branson, MO.  It’s been an annual event for quite a few years now (maybe 6) and I look forward to it every year.  The first few years it was an organized camping trip but in the past couple of years we have graduated to a lake house.  There were eleven of us this year and we couldn’t have asked for better weather.  The house had 6 bedrooms, 2 outside patios and access to the lake. The only down side was that it didn’t have a boat dock so we had to drive to the nearby marina.

All the girls at the marina waiting for the boys & the boats to arrive

We rented a pontoon boat (aka party barge) as well as a little speed boat.  The speed boat was a great addition this year.  It was nice to go zipping around the lake and to allow others to go tubing and wakeboarding.  Jason made several successful attempts at wakeboarding which seems very hard and he’s still aching.  Granted getting yanked out of the water at full speed has to take its toll!  I remembered just about everything for this trip except for the camera!  So documenting this trip was a little tough.

Scarf close-up

I was able to take some pics of a project I worked on during the commute to and from the lake.  I finished up my version of the simple scarf tutorial over at Pretty Ditty which came in handy at dusk when the sun started to go down and the wind kicked up on the lake.

I used a lightweight wrinkled linen fabric purchased on Etsy.com

All in all, it was a really fun weekend even if I wasn’t able to drink or participate in any action sports but there’s always next year!

UPDATE: Craft book swap has been moved to Ravelry.com and The Chitterychattery Swappery Swappers group.

I have a few craft books and kits that are collecting dust that could get more use if in the hands of fellow crafters.  I know that we’re all trying to cut back these days so I thought it would be fun to organize a craft book swap.  So, who’s up for trading?

Depending on the response I get I will follow-up with some swap guidelines but here are a few of the selections I have to offer:

Pictured here: The Felted Knit Kit (never used); Lotta Prints; Get Your Crochet On!; One Skein Wonders & Simple Gifts to Stitch

NOTE: If you would like to sign-up for the swap please comment by Friday, August 21st and let me know which craft you’re interested in (sewing, knitting, crochet, etc) and what you have to swap.

I recently purchased a manicure kit from my local drugstore and even though it came with an ugly plastic case I decided to make my own.  It turned out to be a really easy project and a great way to use up fabric scraps.  Although it’s a little early to be working on holiday gifts these would make for some super handy stocking stuffers!

Supplies:

Small amount of fabric for front, inside and pocket
Medium to heavy fusible interfacing
Snap kit or velcro for closure

Step 1: Download the manicure kit cover template I created.

Step 2: Cut out fabric using template. Cut 1 front cover, 1 inside cover, 1 interfacing & 1 pocket (on fold)

Step 3: Press interfacing to front fabric piece

Step 4: Fold, press & top stitch pocket piece

Step 5: Pin pocket piece to inside cover piece.

Step 6: Using template pocket guidelines stitch on dotted lines to create dividers and attaching pocket to inside cover.  I used blue water-soluble marker to create guidelines.

Step 8: Pin front to inside cover (right sides together)

Step 9: Sew 1/4 inch seam all way around leaving 1-2 inch gap for which to turn cover inside out

Step 10: Cut around curved edges of fabric to create a smoother corner when pressed

Step 11: Turn work inside out and press

Step 12: Topstitch around outside

Step 11: Add snap closure to front and you’re done.

If you give this a try and find that you have any problems or questions please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Seems like I’ve been crafting up a storm lately!  I just can’t stop.  It all started with a simple knitted sweater, which turned into a matching hat.  Since we just found out we’re having a boy I felt the need to whip up these cloth shoes. I love the fabric.  The green in the sweater is really a grass green but the brightness of the shoes stole this shot.  Anyway, all three patterns are free and available to download: Sweater, Hat, and shoes.

Yarn from Knitpicks.com and Japanese cotton frog fabric found on Etsy.com.

It’s seriously out of control.  I’ve started working on a throw that will take some time to knit.  Hopefully, that will slow me down a little but at least it keeps me occupied.

I’m looking forward to working on this super cute scarf project with “the girls.” Yay for Craft night!  Something that’s not baby-related for a change!

Image & Tutorial from Pretty Ditty.

Wow…where has the time gone.  It’s been a while but we’ve finally been able to share big news with friends and family that a baby Buscher is on the way. YAY! 24 more weeks to go.

Once I learning the news of Baby B my first reaction after realizing I need to stop binge drinking and chain smoking (only kidding) was what can I make for this little girl or guy to be.  We wouldn’t know the sex of the baby for a few weeks so I started with a sweater since I’d made one before for a friend’s baby shower.

It’s funny how you don’t realize something until it’s right in front of you and that happened for me the other night.  I’ve been working on this little number.  I like the yarn and the tight weave of the pattern makes for a nice, chunky effect.  I thought the color combination is pretty neutral and could work for a boy or a girl.

Magi Knit yarn by James C. Brett

Once we started moving a few things around in the kitchen to accomodate some new appliances (let the nesting begin) I noticed something about our kitchen rug that I hadn’t noticed before…

OMG…the colors of the rug and the yarn are almost identical!  It’s one thing to have a matching scarf and gloves but how often does someone say their kid matched the kitchen rug.  Hum…I may have to rethink this one or get a new rug.

Anyway, since the word is out, it’s so great to finally be able to talk about it. So, for any of you that follow mommy blogs or mommy-to-be blogs if there are a few that I should add to my Google Reader, I’m love to hear about them.