My First Sewing Project

As promised...a day late....my "new" sewing machine and my first sewing project. First off...my cute little machine. I have him in his own little corner with enough space to do my small projects. If I ever get brave enough to try something big...we got problems. :P

I really like that it's smaller than most machines I've seen. It doesn't take up as much room which is good because I don't have lots of room to spare with a house full of kids. lol I haven't played around with all the settings yet. There are so many different stitches to try still.

Some photos of my first project. It's a little bag with a wrist strap. It's not quite finished yet since I need a zipper and the one I had was much too big. I'm going to try to get one today that will fit so I can get it done.


Here's a photo of the lining. I am so excited. I lined a bag! How awesome is that!? Lucky for me, I have my Mom close by to yell for help if I need it. She made sure I understood what I was going to do but she told me she was leaving me to it unless I called for help. The best way to learn is to do it yourself. Trust me....come zipper time...I will be yelling for help. :P


I even did the square bottom on my bag! It's a bit crooked on one side but I'm still proud of it. Not too shabby for a first time bag maker I don't think. I think it kinda looks like one of those brown paper sacks.

I have a pattern printed out to make bags from old pillowcases and I want to try that one next. I need to go thrift store shopping and see if I can find some decent pillowcases. Hopefully I'll find some cute prints or bright colors to play around with. Recycling is a good thing. I don't know how good I'll get with it but I think I'm gonna like this sewing thing. :)

Now, I gotta go finish a little bag I'm knitting and get the little man's pool/beach bag done. He goes to the beach next month so he's going to be needing it.

Hugs!

My First Apron Is Here....

First off, I have to say that the crafters/sellers on Etsy are the best. Every experience I've had so far has been awesome. There are some super nice people there....if you haven't already...check it out...you can find everything there!

This is how my package arrived...well after I took it out of the envelope. There was a lovely handwritten note and some cute buttons and she tied the apron up all pretty with a ribbon and a cute tag. The apron even smelled good! If you're into vintage goodies...check her out.... The Good Old Days on Etsy.


Ms Thang was happy to model it for me. The pictures aren't so great. There was a breeze blowing but the sun was blazing so we were trying to hurry and get back inside. lol

I love it..it's too cute! It's the beginning of a new addiction I think. I just hope I can work up the courage to sew one myself. The other one I ordered from eBay came today but I haven't had time to get good photos so maybe I can post that one tomorrow. You can see she took it off long enough for me to snap this photo but she didn't want to give it back. Maybe I'll create a little apron monster out of her. She is the only one who shows any interest in learning any of my crafty stuff. There's hope yet.

Hope everyone has been staying cool and out of the way of those awful storms. I'm still working on my bags....making progress slowly but surely. Now I have two more new patterns I want to try. The new Knitty is out and they have a cute bag pattern. BYOB(Bring Your Own Bag)
Like I need any encouragement to knit a bag. lol Then along comes the Sassy Sacks from Knitting Daily ...yeah, I ordered that one already...don't know when I'll get around to knitting them but they were too pretty to pass up.

Off to rest a minute and maybe do a little knitting.
Hugs!

What A Deal!!

Froggie and I ran out to do a quick yarn crawl and we really lucked out today!! We hit the local Hobby Lobby to check out the variety of variegated acrylics....our timing could not have been better!

I got all this yarn for $6 and some change! The most expensive skein was 99 cents. Most were 79 cents....one was 49 cents and then the two smaller ones were only 26 cents. Yes, I am addicted to these dang bags and there will be lots more of them to come. I have no idea what I'll do with two smaller skeins (sport yarn)...it'll probably sit in my stash for who knows how long.

I know what you're thinking...Omg...more bags. (insert a groan and eye roll) This is my teacher bag #1. It's actually for her interpreter and they all chose their own colors. This one is Red Heart Super Saver in Earth & Sky. I like these colors myself...hopefully she will too.

The teacher's assistant chose these colors...well, she actually picked red, yellow and orange but this is the closest thing I could find. It has her colors but some pink and purple shades as well. I used Red Heart Super Saver in Sunshine Print.

And last but not least....her teacher's bag. Her choice was red and white. I couldn't find anything with just red and white so this is, again, the closest I could find. I like the striping effect. This yarn is Red Heart Strata in Passion.

I know you're all probably sick to death of these bags....so sorry but I'm addicted. Of course I am now knitting with band-aids on two fingers...they are so sore from pushing the tip of the needle. lol

I gotta find something else to knit between bags...got one test knit to do but that won't take long so I really need something else too. Good excuse to go on Ravelry. :P

Hugs!

Good Week Or Bad Week.....

Yesterday was a dreary kinda day....cloudy and the wind blowing...sometimes coming in such strong gusts that it repeatedly re-arranged the chairs on the deck. Then comes the dark clouds and rain and I'm thinking....this is NOT the way I want my week to start out.

The clouds finally started rolling out and we really need the rain so I shouldn't complain. The clouds do make for some pretty cool photos too. Like I said.....I so do not want a week that goes like this.

I'm seriously hoping the rainbow that followed is a MUCH better sign for the week ahead. I wish I could have gotten a better photo but the light was crappy and this is as good as I could get...plus I was standing in the yard under an umbrella taking this photo in the rain. The rain started back just as I saw the rainbow. I guess it can't decide what kind of week I'm having just yet....that's normal....chaos as usual. lol

A quick knitting catch-up....this is the bag for my neighbor's daughter. Her favorite colors. Mom assured me that she will love it since she wasn't home to see it yet. It was done in Sugar & Cream....black and red.


This is teacher bag #1. Again, her choice of colors. This one (as well as the other two teacher bags to come) was done in acrylic and I'm just gonna say it.....I HIGHLY recommend using acrylic for these bags. It's low maintenance, knits quickly and won't break the bank...not to mention the unlimited colors available in acrylic. This one is done in Red Heart Super Saver...color is Earth & Sky. I finished this one over the weekend so I'm thinking if I really buckle down...I can have all three done by the end of the week. I did just a bit of pattern adjusting for this yarn....cast on 34 stitches instead of the 44 on the pattern and used a US Size 7 needle for the bottom (US Sz 5 on pattern). I knit the body of the bag on the US Sz 10.5 just as the pattern calls for. It's a good size...not too big and the acrylic has so much more stretch than the cotton. Then it's back to finishing up the bags for us. I've lost count on how many...wondering if there will ever be a last one. :P

Back to bag #2...hope you're all doing great!
Hugs!

Summer Bag And A New Book

With all this bag knitting...I thought I would change it up a little and try a new pattern. I have so many more to knit and I don't want to get bored with it before I get them all done. So....

I decided to give this one a try. This is Mary's Summer Bag from Knit Picks. I love this pattern as much/if not more than the Everlasting Bagstopper from Knitty. It only takes two balls of cotton. I used Sugar & Cream in Sea Mist and a co-ordinating blue.

I admit that I'm not particularly thrilled with the top part (ruffle) or the little twisted cord handle. I prefer a handle with a little more bulk to it...much easier to hold on to. I've already started another one in shades of green and white and this one I will tweak when I reach the top. Maybe I'll do something a little more similar to the Everlasting Bagstopper with the top...we'll see when I get that far.

I got this in the mail yesterday. I love Vickie Howell...she's so talented and so much fun to watch...although Knitty Gritty isn't available here anymore. :( I started watching it when I was teaching myself to knit and I learned so much from this show. This is her new book and it's the perfect size to fit in your take-along bag with your knitting. It's got tons of useful info, tips and even a sheet of knitter's graph paper that you can make copies of to use for your projects. The back has a handy little tool for checking your needle size and your gauge. It's definitely worth the whole $7.95. Great price for a handy, helpful little book.

The bonus....I snagged an autographed copy. How cool is that!?

Back to my next bag....pool time will be here soon and I gotta get these things done. *mental note to self- go get black yarn for bags* For the boys...they don't want those girly colors....YUCK! lol

Hugs!

I Finally Finished Something!

I feel like I haven't finished anything in ages. I knit (not as much as I normally would) and still I don't get anywhere. I have managed to get my socks knitted to the same point. Now I just need about 2 more inches on each one and then I can do my toe decreases.

I finished this dishcloth. It was our first stitch KAL in the group and it turned out so pretty. Shirl designed this cloth and has at least 5 more almost ready for future KALs. I've seen next month's and it is just as nice. I can't wait to knit it up too!

I finished my Everlasting Bagstopper today! I changed the handles to garter stitch rather than sewing on some ribbon. The ribbon is really pretty but since this is intended for carrying wet stuff back and forth to the pool....I thought it would be better to leave off the ribbon. It would probably just get messed up anyway. This way I can throw the bag into the washer with the suits and towels.

This is the bag with a bottle of Tide laundry detergent inside. This thing will stretch soooo much! And it was tough enough to hold that heavy bottle. The bag knit up pretty fast but the handles seemed to take forever. I'm not sure if I'll do the handles the same way next time...we'll see. I only need to make 4 more regular size....1 a bit smaller and then 1 kid size for the little nephew man. I don't think his dad will want one but if he does...what's one more, right? lol I just have to get the colors that everyone wants so there's no fighting over which one belongs to who.

Heading off to stash dive....think I have some bright colors in there somewhere to use for Ms Thang's bag. Who knows WHAT I might find in there. lol

Hugs!

I Refuse To Not Knit!

Things didn't work out so well with the bag pattern I originally intended to knit. I lost count of the number of times that I frogged and re-started and frogged and..... So, I decided that this yarn is kinda getting himself a little attitude going. Excuse me, Mr Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick, but do you realize who you are messing with here? I may be small but I sure as heck ain't gonna be intimidated by some chunky yarn. Puh-leeeeeezzzz. Off to Ravelry I went in search of a different pattern which I could use to whoop his butt.

That pattern would be Purl McBigBottom by The Crochet Dude. Mine is a little smaller than the one in the pattern photo but still a pretty good size for a bag AND.....we are totally kicking Mr Wool-Ease Thick & Quick's behind!!! Of course I'll do a little "tweaking" to it somehow but mostly "by the pattern". It's knitting up pretty quick and that's a good thing....I so need that right now. I'll keep you posted. This could end up being a good one for the Christmas gift box.

This is hopefully going to be my next victim. Froggie and I both got a hank in different colors and our plan was to knit ourselves a scarf. We played around with a design today and would like to get it cast on tomorrow...imagine that, knitting for ourselves. As long as I don't go playing around with what we charted already...tomorrow shouldn't be a problem. I have a couple of different ideas floating around my head as I type...maybe I'll chart them up and get her opinion tomorrow. We'll pick one and cast on while we wait for the kids to get out of school.

* Just wanted to say "THANKS!" to everyone for the awesome encouragement you've given me lately....You are all such awesome friends and I don't know what I'd do without you! Massive HUGS...I <3 You All!!!!

Now What?

So I'm having the strangest feeling right now...what the heck do I knit?! I know I've got to get my Icelandic Shawl going again but I have to wait for some quiet time for that...my mind is totally blank. Now that I don't have anything else scheduled or waiting OTN...I just can't seem to figure out what to do. This is such a weird feeling for me since normally there's a huge list of things screaming my name. I did go get the pattern for the bag we just did as a KAL in the ILoveKandCAlongs group. It's a super cute bag with knitting needles for the handles. I've got it started but I'm not sure I like the yarn and may frog and switch yarns. I'll do a few more pattern repeats before I decide. You can see it here....Knitting Needle Knitting Bag .

Sorry for the short post...between my knitting issues and my sick little nephew, Major Cuteness...it's been a heck of a day. The little fella is really feeling yucky and it's hard to see them suffer and not be able to make it all better. His Mommy took him to the Doctor this morning and he started some meds right away so we hope tomorrow he will feel at least a little better.

*maybe this would be a good time to start another pair of socks*

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Just a little update....I frogged the bag already. I was using a pretty bulky yarn and that thing was turning into a suitcase sized bag. lol Maybe I'll try it with a bit fewer stitches or just another yarn all together. I gotta get it together here. :P

My Tooth Fairy Bag

Inspiration comes from the strangest places sometimes. We recently watched the movie Transformers (awesome movie) and at one point during the movie, a little girl reaches under her pillow and gets her tooth fairy bag. This scene stuck with me for some reason but not until my brother-in-law said something did I think about this. He said I should knit a tooth fairy bag so...
here it is. This is the first completed version of My Tooth Fairy Bag.



This is a photo of the bag before adding the I-cord. I had no idea how to add eyelets to a double knit piece so simply separated the two sides at this point and knit them one at a time.


I had no desire to fight with my double points or do any seaming (I HATE SEAMING!) so I thought, why not do it in double knit. I really like double knit. I had only done this technique once before but it's very simple and I really enjoyed it.

This photo of the top of the bag is kinda fuzzy...sorry about that. I wanted it to have some type of ruffle to it. I know nothing about ruffles in knitting so I just winged it with knitting into the front and back of each stitch for one row. I'm sure there's a better, prettier way to have done this but I don't know it. lol

I will post the pattern for it later if anyone is interested.

Contest...Mandy's Candy Bag

This is Mandy's Candy Bag. Cute isn't it? Well, Mandy is having a contest. All you have to do is knit her cute candy bag and post a picture of it on your blog. Then let her know that you've posted the photo and include the link to your blog. Then your name goes into a drawing for some swag. How awesome is that? The deadline is Monday, September 3rd.

The pattern for her cute little bag is found here... http://home.comcast.net/~acw99/MCB2.pdf

This is in PDF format. You can also print the pattern from her blog if you can't open PDF files. Just scroll down the page and you'll see it.

If you've like to see her blog...very nice...it's found here... http://nhknittingmama.blogspot.com/

Now I'm off to pick my yarn and get started on the bag. I'm thinking I will have to make several of these to add to my box of future gifts. These would be perfect to keep on hand for friends, family, even my kid's teachers.