fo: sweater tote

I had been wanting to make this felted sweater tote from AlterKnits for years. I kept this old sweater hanging around for that express purpose. I felted it earlier this year, and on Sunday, in the middle of my weekend-long cleaning out session, I decided to just make it and be done with it already. It went directly from the sewing machine to the donate-to-goodwill pile. It was too floppy and cumbersome, and besides, it was so itchy that it was uncomfortable to hold the handles, even. Well, I'm glad to have the sweater out of the back of my closet.

fo: patchworky baby quilt

So I finally finished up this quilt! I made the quilt top back in June and it's been languishing for months. Honestly, I did not feel up to quilting it at all...but I finally got it done--no real choice about it, as I was planning to see the intended recipients on my last trip to Boston. I actually showed up to their home with it incomplete--had to finish hand-sewing the binding while we visited. But they didn't mind.

Pattern: None, just cut a bunch of 5" squares to go with some scraps of that size that I already had in my scrap basked. 24 colored, 25 white. The backing is a single piece of the print that is a lime green background with blue and white pinwheels on them (the square on the far right of the 3rd row up from the bottom.)
Finished size: approximately 33" square

fo: circular needle roll

I've been needing a storage system for my circular needles for years. I finally decided to make myself a needle roll. I couldn't find a pattern I liked online, but I generally based it on a needle roll I already have for shorter straight needles (I use it for my double points.) I used a vintage pillowcase I bought for 49 cents for the inside fabric, folding over one edge to make the pocket type flap and stitching elastic to it to hold the needles. Then I backed it with the cherry fabric, which was in my stash. After I finished it, I tweaked it by adding another flap of fabric (which velcros down) to keep the 16 inch circular needle more stable. It even sort of goes with my other existing needle roll (which was a gift from Jenny)!

summertime totes

I made these totebags from Weekend Sewing on Monday. I love the construction of the bag, and they are so nice and roomy. I used one this week to haul all my sewing stuff along on a trip to my parents'. They're not lined and made from vintage sheets, but they are surprisingly sturdy.Here's the inside--I wish I had made both bags with a contrasting lining, but oh well. I did make one alteration to the pattern on the second bag. I had so much trouble trying to gather the tops of the bags at my basting stitch, so I ended up just making a few pleats instead.

fo: another buttercup

This was yesterday's triumph. I love how it came out. The picture really doesn't capture its cuteness. I had just barely enough of this fabric (which I got from sew mama sew) for the outer. The lining is another fabric I got online--I was not too happy about initially when I saw it, but it coordinates perfectly with the outer so all is well.This is what was driving me crazy last night and this morning. I tried knitting with my handspun yarn and realized it had way too much twist. So I wound it back onto bobbins and spun it backwards to take out some of the twist. Would have been easier to fix right when I finished spinning it in the fall, but oh well. Now I've started knitting with it--I tried several patterns after searching for hours on ravelry and finally settled on this Luscious Lace Scarf:Yesterday I also got on the bandwagon and bought some vintage sheets at goodwill to make bags. They're kind of funky, so we'll see how they come out:

fo: summer shawlette

I finished my shawlette, thanks to a bout of insomnia last night that kept me stitching til 3 am. Terrible pictures, but I couldn't wait to post them. (Reason 982 why it sucks to be single: you must rely on awful self-portraits to display your knittted objects.) I didn't even weave in my ends before taking these pictures. I adore this yarn--Malabrigo sock yarn--and can't wait to knit with it again. I think the skein cost me $18, and while I think that's a lot of money for a pair of socks, it's perfectly reasonable for a lovely shawl.Here's a very blurry side view. The lace panel looks a little bumpy now, but I'm sure it will smooth out and open up nicely after blocking.Now that the weather is not so horrendously hot and humid, I can get back to sewing, so there'll be some more purses coming up next.

shawl in progress

My summer shawlette is coming along tres slowly. I can only stand to knit a couple of rows a day. I think I need a new project. I sure don't feel like working on my other (Ishbel 2) shawl.

fo: table runner

I'm not quite sure this project is wedding-present worthy, after all. It seems awful humble now as I look at it in my kitchen.I used Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece for both the warp and the weft. I used my 8 dent heddle and my warp was 100 ends with a warp length of 2 yards (or just over.) The finished product came out to be about 10" wide and 43" long (after washing). I have to say, I'm kind of over the stripes and plaids. I think I'm going to use a wildly variegated yarn for my next weaving project so I don't die of boredom.

weaving

These are the coasters that have languished on my loom for well over a year, untouched. I finally finished them up and started a new project--a table runner that will be a wedding present. It took me about 3 hours to warp it and I've spent probably 4 or 5 hours weaving so far. I've got about 20 inches, I would say, so I'm about half done. My goal is to quickly finish this and do at least one more project (perhaps a shawl for myself) before I have to pack my loom away while I head to Europe.

I had to make myself another shuttle, since I only have two. I constructed this from a triscuits box and packing tape. Elegant, it's not....but it does the trick.