Felting results

So, I had a chance to felt my purses the other day.  I learned a TON, hah!  So, lets start with the before picture, just as a reminder.

So the knit bag is on the left and the single crochet bag on the right.  As you can see the knit is just slightly wider than the crochet, but because it is felted, that doesn't matter.  They were both 10" high from bottom to top, plus the base which wasn't very wide.

Last night I put both into a pillow case, tied it up (to keep the loose fibers from getting into the machine) and put them on a hot/warm washing cycle.  This was a top loading washer with a center agitator.  The hot water loosens up the fibers so that they are open to one another, and the agitation makes the little microscopic hooks within the wool fiber catch together and result in shrinking the item.  That is what I wanted it to do.  Every few minutes I checked to check on the progress.  What I think I failed to do was check on both of them every time.  This is the final result.  The knit bag is on the left, the crochet on the right.

As you can see...I screwed up.  Apparently stockinette-stitch knit items felt A LOT faster than single crocheted items.  I should have taken out the knit bag much earlier, or I should have felted them separately.  So, that is a good thing to know.  The crochet bag isn't exactly what I was hoping for, but it is close.  I'm not positive if I screwed up on that one or if that is just how it comes out. I expected it to be slightly wider, I suppose.  The crochet bag shrunk, length wise, about an inch.  The knit bag shrunk about 3.  Either way the crochet bag it is cute and nicely sized.  I am thinking about turning the smaller one into a wallet - adding a zipper or something so that stuff doesn't fall out.  But we'll see.  When I decide I will show you that, too.

In any case this was a really good learning experience and I will take away lots of lessons from my mess up.  I am slightly annoyed, but I can't really beat myself up too much over it.  Things happen.  And honestly, I only need one bag, I only made the second because I had more yarn.  If I wanted I could make yet another because I still have plenty of yarn left over.  I will think about it!

In the same load I decided to put the new baby bonnet that I made as well.  It was exceedingly stiff and kind of rough.  I didn't add any detergent, just the hot water.  Apparently it was enough to "kill" the acrylic, because now the hat is floppy and super soft.  Killing acrylic yarn is what you do rather than blocking.  Because it isn't wool it wont keep its shape (especially in stockinette) unless you kill it.  I have heard of people using an iron over top of a piece to kill the acrylic - apparently washing in super hot water has a similar effect.  Also a great thing to know!  Now the item that I "killed" in the wash wasn't in stockinette stitch.  I am not positive that it will turn out the same way, I will have to test it some time.  But in the meantime I am really happy with how it softened up the baby bonnet, now it is super cute and soft enough for baby.  

This is where a baby head goes!

This is the opposite side view.  The circular pattern actually goes up onto the baby head, otherwise it would not come up far enough on the head.  I will try to get a baby to put this on so that you can understand a bit better, perhaps.

Lazy Sunday

Well, I am sitting here thinking about what I want to write about.  I did finish a new baby bonnet, though I used the wrong size yarn so it turned out larger than I wanted/expected.  It is still super cute.

I haven't learned any new tips or tricks today.  My inspiration (read: my niece) came to visit me today, though she was not overly thrilled at my holding her.  Little does she know that I am the favorite!  Haha.  Her momma did give me some crap today about the amount of yarn I have.  Oopsie!  I said that it was just a result of my inability to knit and crochet quickly.  So I need to work on that, obviously!

Oh!  So, I have this nifty little over the shoulder bag that is about 6"x7" with a zipper.  I can throw the strap over myself across my chest so that I don't have to worry about losing it.  Now, I tend to like small purses, but this is honestly a touch small for most things I prefer.  However, when I go out to the bar, or when I go somewhere that I wont have a place to put a purse, it is perfectly sized.  That doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, it really is nice to not have to worry about keeping track of a purse.

The problem with the one that I have is that it is blue.  That is all fine and good, except that I almost never wear blue.  I want one in black or brown or off-white, or a color that I wear a lot.  So, I think I am going to attempt another pattern so that I can make a similar bag of similar dimensions in the color that I want!  I know how I basically want it to look, I just have to figure out how to get that look, as well as a lining (I think - depends on what kind of stitch I end up going with) to work.  So, at some point in the future I will have that posted up on to Ravelry.  When I do i'll let you know!  I think I will try to keep the same dimensions, including the strap length.  It appears to be a crocheted item, but I think they used thread.  I am going to probably try it with some DK, just because making an entire purse out of crochet thread sounds miserable.  I will let you know how it goes!

I think I might try to work on the baby blanket tonight some.  That will force me to learn how to yarn over in knitting, as well as a new decrease that I have never done.  I don't have much else to say, so I will just keep this short tonight.

Blankets to keep me warm

Well, I finally got some pictures of the two throw blankets that I made in January or February!

I made both from the same pattern - they each require the use of very large needles (size 50) and stitches are made holding 4 strands of thick yarn, rather than a single strand as you normally hold for a stitch.  They stretch a lot, which I actually really like.  They are stretchy because they are in stockinette stitch, and they shrink or stretch depending on how you put them down.  They are heavy in terms of weight and they are warm, but they don't get me too hot, which I really like.  When I pull one over me the weight of the blanket on itself ends up forming around me really nicely.  I enjoy them a lot!

I know that I have mentioned stockinette stitch on here before, but this is a pretty good example of it.  In stockinette all of the "V" shaped stitches are on one side of the item.  So especially in the purple one above you can see each of the little "v" stitches.  On the other side of stockinette you see little bumps or ridges.  I know it is kind of difficult to tell in the pictures below, but one side you can see the "v" shapes and the other side you can see the bumps.  The "v" side is considered the right side of a work (though depending on how you want something to look this doesn't mean that it has to be on the outside).  Naturally, the other side is the wrong side.   

 Because I had to hold 4 strands of yarn together I decided to mix the colors up.  I couldn't decide if I wanted a pink or a green or a purple blanket, so I mixed and matched and made a second blanket!  This way I have a blanket for my couch and one for my big chair and I don't have to move it back and forth, haha!

The pattern called for the short edges to be given fringe.  But, a) I don't like much fringe and b) this yarn doesn't seem like it would be good for fringe.  Instead I stopped before I completely ran out of yarn and I did two single crochet rows around the edges.  This helps them to lay flatter because stockinette stitch will always curl in on itself, especially on a flat piece - it is just the nature of the stitch.  So this helps with the curl problem.  Plus, it gives me a spot to grab on to to pull under me when I am snuggling down.  On each corner rather than just doing one stitch I did three to get all the way around without making it pinch or pull.

These are by far my largest projects in terms of finished size.  However, they went pretty quick because, as I said, I used 50mm needles to make them.  I keep meaning to get a post up here about needles and hooks and the various sizes, I need to get on that!

Pictures and fun things!

So, I finally got a bunch of pictures taken today!  Here they are.

 These are the twin bags.  They did come out differently, the knit one is much stretchier and wider than the crochet. But my guess is that it will shrink more, too, because there is more open space.  It is fun to experiment, though!  I apologize for not having anything in this photo for scale, but each is 10" tall.

This I just couldn't help but make.  It was super simple, but I think babies should all have a Yoda hat!  It is pretty awesome.  I added the ties because I know that some babies (read: my niece) like to pull their hats off.  Foiled!

This is that same pattern that my niece is wearing in green and white with a red flower.  This one is, obviously, a lot more pink.  I haven't yet added a flower to it, I can't decide what color to go with.  I thought about purple, but I am afraid that that will just take it over the top.  So, until I decide, this is it!  I really do love this pattern!

After I made my sister her washcloths for Christmas I had just enough cotton from that skein left over to make this washcloth.  It is an easy pattern, but the pattern gives it enough design in the knit to still be interesting.

These were just some super quick facial cleansing pads that I whipped up, also made from absorbent cotton.  I only have the two at the moment, I want to try them out and see if I like them before I bother to make lots.  I just like the idea of having reusable items for things like this.

This is the bottom edge of the baby blanket I am making.  The green rings are stitch markers so that I don't have to count to 145 every time I go across to make sure that I am making the right stitches in the right place.  This is being made from a ball of yarn that I got from the thrift store.  I decided to use it because it isn't so typically PINK, though I do love my pink!  A nice peach color I thought was relatively neutral, and even if it isn't, it will be something that most people aren't giving to a baby.  

This is all on one long circular needle - part of an interchangeable set that I got as my Christmas present this year.  I love the needles!  They are all super nice to use.  They are Hiya-Hiya brand and although the cable tends to curl up, the needle tips are absolutely amazing.  Good choice to ask for them and a fabulous gift!  I use them a TON.

This is the pre- and post- felted version of my door stopper.  The colors did change some, though the lighting exacerbates the change.  This gives a sense of just how much a felted item shrinks - that is a quarter sitting on both of them.  The bottom one is filled with beans now, too, so that distorts the shape some, but in any case, it shrank dramatically. I apologize, it looks like I took the pictures in opposite directions.  If you look at the large purple section on the top photo that is on the left-hand side you can see that same section on the right-hand side in the second photograph.  Either way, it shrank A LOT.  Which is kind of the point.

This is the necklace that I mentioned earlier today.  As you can see it is not attached to a chain or other necklace, but this is the crochet portion.  I use crochet thread or floss and a very small sized hook to crochet around plastic rings.  I then just sew each of the rings together in whatever pattern I like, use a small bead to hide the thread from the front, and voila!  I am excited to play with this with a lot of different colors and different combinations of the rings.  They are relatively quick and easy, and once I figure out how I want to attach a necklace to it, I should be able to make them for both myself and for friends.  

 

Well, this very wide variety of items that have been recently started and completed hopefully show some of the range of items that I like to do.  I am far from an expert.  I notice a lot of mistakes in my work and imperfections.  But, over all, I don't think I do half bad considering that I have been doing this only about 9 months, give or take.  I enjoy finding new projects to make and then playing with them until they really become my own.  I like the exploration that is possible with all of these types of projects.  It is a freaking blast!

Just a quickie!

Well, I finished the crochet version of my bag yesterday.  I didn't get a picture of them together, but I will try to do that later today.  Now just to wash/felt them and see how they turn out!

I am also continuing, very slowly, on the baby blanket - I have finally finished the first border, ha!  I am also off and on working on a cute little baby bonnet.  I don't know what these are really for, except as fun things to make.

The next couple of weeks are going to be super busy for me, and while I will certainly try to keep updates coming and continue to work on new projects, I am likely to miss a day here and there.  The last push before the end of the semester and before I graduate.  Hooray for that!  Now I just need to get my job situation straightened out.

In the meantime I have found a home for my crochet thread so that it isn't hanging out in the middle of my floor anymore.  I am going to be using that to make a variety of necklaces.  I have already finished one - it just needs to be attached to an actual necklace.  Once that happens I think it will be super cute!  I never thought I wanted to make my own jewelry  and I don't still, but I have no problem making some pieces now and then.  I will try to get a picture of the part that is crocheted to put up here, and I might get some in-progress pictures of the things I am currently working on.

Starting out

Well, I still have a number of projects in the works, but nothing that I have taken pictures of yet, so we'll just have a picture-free day today, I suppose!

Aside from the things I have mentioned in earlier posts about why I love knitting and crocheting (read here: I love my needle arts).  I think I also like experimenting with a large variety of yarns.  I don't know if I have mentioned it before, but I am a graduate student, which means I am insanely poor.  Most of the yarn that I have purchased has come from thrift stores.  All of my collection of straight needles, some of my circular needles, and almost all of my crochet hooks have all come from various thrift stores in town.  Now, I am extremely lucky to live in a college town that has AMAZING thrift stores!  So I admit that I have gotten super lucky in finding as much as I have.  I have also brought home probably 25 skeins of 100% wool, some of it worsted and some DK, that were all about $2 a piece at the thrift store.  I have gotten baby yarn, I have gotten 1lb skeins of yarn, and I have purchased some sweaters that I then took apart for the yarn because I loved the color.  I admit to having entirely too much yarn.  I justify it to myself by buying it at the thrift store, though!  Granted, some of what I have gotten there is less than fabulous, but most is at least worth the price I pay for it.  If it hadn't been for the thrift stores around here there is no way that I could knit and crochet nearly as much as I do.

So, back to cool yarn.  As I said, I have gotten baby yarn at the thrift store as well as 100% wool.  I have gotten cotton/wool blends, cotton, DK, worsted, lots of crochet thread, thick gauge yarn, too.  A good portion of it has been acrylic, but, as I have said before, that doesn't bother me.  I have found places to use it that I think it has worked wonderfully.  Just last week I found a bag of a huge variety of beads - from seed beads up to larger than the size of a green pea.  They are in all different colors, some of the larger ones have painted decoration on them.  In any case, I am really excited about them and I can't wait to add some of them to various things I make!  The huge variety of yarn that I get this way (sometimes something I want is bagged with something I normally wouldn't pick up) leads me to try projects that I might not otherwise think of.  Pompom yarn, various types of variegated yarn, crochet thread, this baby blanket that I started the other day and lots of other stuff.  It is just a bag of excitement waiting for me to figure out what I am going to do with it!

The other place I shop for yarn (when I don't have a 50% off coupon for Joann's or Michael's) is Craigslist.  I am looking at about 15 skeins of a wool blend yarn in some really  nice colors for $10.  This is usually a hit or miss spot - either someone has nothing that I want (when it is advertised) or they have lots of yarn because they are giving up a craft.

Basically I am just a patient person when I am waiting for yarn.  I managed to hit it big at the thrift stores when I first started (I don't think many people think to go there for knitting needles, crochet hooks, and yarn,) and now I have a large enough stash to keep myself occupied until I find something else I think I can't live without.  I'm sure this is money that would be better spent elsewhere, but I love it.  It is a great way for me to relax, I can do it while reading for class or watching TV and it makes me feel much more productive.  Plus, now I am having fun trying to find ways to reduce my stash some because it has gotten a bit out of control.  So I am getting lots of really fun things made, and it is fabulous!

Finishing up and starting anew!

So, I began knitting a bag the other night for felting.  To make the bottom it had me just knit garter stitch for 6 rows and then it told me to pick up stitches on the other three sides.  I wasn't completely sure how to do that - to get the yarn where I needed it was really difficult.  I ended up using 3 different sets of circular needles to hold stitches until I could figure out how to get it all onto the same needle.  I am quite sure that I looked a fool!  I have it going for now, we'll see how it turns out.  I think I will have more than enough yarn left over to make a second bag, and I think I will do that one with the crochet option.  I doubt that there will be a difference in the finished project, but it will be fun to do, anyway.  Plus, then I can give one away and I always like that.  This is the knit one after I finally got it on a single set of circulars and after the part where I was struggling to get it to shift properly around the needles.

I have owed this to my younger sister since Christmas - all of her stuff was Harry Potter themed (I think I mentioned that in an earlier post).  I wanted to make her something to wear, but I didn't want to do a full scarf.  So I made this that can be worn as I have it here, or it is long enough to go around her waist as a belt.  Hopefully she'll enjoy it, anyway!

This was a key-hole scarf I started about a couple of months ago and finished a couple of weeks ago.  I think it turned out really cute, though the colors don't show up here really well.  I admit, I preferred the blue and silver colors and how they stood out on the feather-like yarn.  Once it was knit up, it lost some of its prettiness, in my mind, but it is still cute.  My other complaint is that this yarn sheds and leaves bits of yarn all over whatever you are wearing with it.  Needless to say, since I already have a cat, I don't really need to be pulling anything extra off of my clothes.  Hopefully it will stop after a few wearings?  I hope so, anyway.