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So I recently participated in the Rainbow Swap on Craftster.org. Unfortunately, my partner seems to have flaked on me, though she has until Friday to contact someone before the organizers of the swap get an angel (someone else on Craftster to make me a package and in return, they get Friend of Crafster status for a year).
Since I am sure she received my package (which I’m kind of bummed about) I’ll go ahead and show you what I made for her:
Fingerless mitts using Peaches and Cream in fiesta and some black Simply Soft
Crochet bracelet that took me a while and I liked, so I’m pissed I gave it to someone who flaked on the swap.
Little pouch I wasn’t using anyway.
Shrinky-Dink jewelry, which I’m really pissed about because I love how it came out and the ring was a bit of a PITA to get right. Rawr.
I also sent her a couple of extras, like shoe laces, the rest of the Peaches and Creme yarn, an a flashy light up thing. Hopefully I’ll get an awesome angel and I won’t feel quite as bummed.
At long last, the items for the Craft my Wish Swap on Craftster have been sent and received by the intended parties, and I have finally received my final package from sg1psychopath, which came all the way from Great Britain and somehow managed to do that is less time than it took for Nikimac’s package to get from Virginia to Washington. *shrug*
Anyway, here’s what I got from sg1psychopath:
Sweet buttons (the red ones will probably go on my version of Lilith, which I think I’m just going to design myself), a phone holder, which I will make an honest effort to use, a bookmark, a little box with shells (which she didn’t make but had around) and a pillow cover, which doesn’t have a pillow in because she (understandably) wanted to save on shipping, and one of these days, I’ll just haul my ass to Michael’s to get my own pillow form.
And here is what I made for my partners:
For Nikimac:
A little itsy-bitsy sweater for her baby due in July:
I’m so excited I got to make this. : ) I used Lion Brand Cotton-Ease, US 10/6mm needles and the 5 Hour Baby Boy Sweater pattern. It’s so tiny and so cute! Now I want to make a ton of baby sweaters. : )
Also, this little earflap hat for her two-year-old son:
I freehanded the pattern top-down using US 7/4.5mm dpns, red Ella Rae Class wool, and blue Lion Wool. The earflaps were picked up after casting off, and there’s a border of single crochet around everything. I love this hat too because it’s cute and tiny.
And also this kickass apron:
Oh my God… This apron. It is my opus. Okay, not really. But it WAS extremely frustrating and turned out extremely AWESOME. I am kind of sad I don’t cook and therefore have absolutely NO use for any such thing because I really love it. Niki really loves it though, so that’s good. : )
I was going for a retro sort of look, and I think I got it. I found the fabric at Walmart on the day before send out (yep, I did this all the night before, as I do everything) for $1.50 a yard and bought a yard. And I used every inch. The white bits are pieces from various t-shirt scraps. The ruffle at the bottom was extremely frustrating and I did not enjoy sewing it on and poor Mary, my sewing machine, did not enjoy sewing it on either. She does not like knit fabric. Nor did she like this this, seersucker-ish fabric that the main bit of the apron is made of. But she pulled through like a champ, and it looks awesome. I am SO SO proud of this thing.
For JanelleJ:
Amigurumi Fruits and Veggies:
With faces! Cute. Had to put these off til the last minute because I lack food-colored yarn at school. Fail. I actually intended to make many more of these than I actually did, but I ran out of time and also desire. And food colored yarn. So I have a pear, a lemon (which I made up and did NOT use a pattern for, even though there’s one on Ravelry), and an orange which actually looks more like a peach and I guess it doesn’t matter which. Pretty basic patterns.
A stuffed elephant:
I improvised this design using Vanna’s Choice, left over from Talia way back. It’s based on the crochet elephants I used to make, and I definitely like the knit design much better. Mostly because I prefer knitting and find it’s much faster and much less annoying. *shrug* I think this little guy came out looking pretty cute though. : )
Headbands for her two-month-old:
Basically some elastic and some fabric scraps. These were definitely a last minute decision, and I, of course, made them Thursday night. I like how them came out though. They were very simple, and I would definitely make them again given an occasion.
Decorated Notebooks:
The smaller one I got in a previous swap but knew I would never use, so I slapped on a carrot (one of her desire themes/motifs) and called it a day. The other one I am MUCH more fond of, but I went through a couple different octopuses before settling on that one. I think that one is adorable though. The paper inside of it is the innards from a small notebook that was missing a cover. So I glued some black construction paper to the spine, slapped on an octopus, and called it a day.
And because I didn’t make anything large like the apron I made for Nikimac, I also threw in two skeins of Bernat Matrix and two spools of ribbon. You don’t need pictures of those.
I’ll be honest. I picked the Matrix because I wanted it out of the stash. I have no regrets.
So yesterday, as a lovely end to a fairly crappy day, I received one of two packages for the Craft my Wish swap on Craftster. This was something of a nontraditional swap in that the people/person you craft for are/is not the people/person you receive from. I’ll show you what I sent off in a later post, but here I’ll show you what I got from Craftster user zcrafter:
A holder for my circular needles, a drawstring bag, and a vintage knitting magazine full of sweaters. I haven’t really flipped through the magazine yet, but I’m thinking it will be interesting and maybe have some cute vintage-y patterns. : )
I finally received my tree swap package from Lunakitten on Craftster.
Let me just say it is fucking amazing:
These AWESOME paintings on BOOK PAGES. Seriously, I am in awe. Until I obtain frames, they’re just chilling on my desk, but I’m totally going to frame them because they’re amazing.
Tote bag. HUGE totebag. I could fit myself in this totebag. It is awesome. I shall carry everything I own in it. Or at least use it for my books. : )
This BITCHIN’ box, which currently houses my button collection, meager though it is (my button collection, I mean. The box is kickass).
Sweet stitch markers to add to my collection. These are so pretty!
Thanks a ton to my super AWESOME swap partner, Lunakitten. So much win!!
And here’s what I sent her:
Pillow cover made from a bedsheet, random brown wool yarn, Red Heart yarn, and hair ties. The tree is freehand crochet (I made it up as I went along) and the cover is removable but buttons together with two crocheted buttons that secure via cannibalized hair tie.
Another pillow cover. Made with a thrifted curtain, brown stretch knit fabric with houndstooth on one side, an old green tank top, part of a white t-shirt, the leg of some old jeans, a button, and a hairtie. Basically, I took parts from all the old clothes I had in my fabric stash. She (and her son) seem to really like this one and I am thrilled because I wasn’t thrilled with how it came out (though I guess it came out alright). It was fiddly as hell to sew the tree on there, and my sewing machine did not enjoy sewing through denim. I actually sent her two covers and one pillow form, so she could change them out as she saw fit, but apparently she just got another pillow form so she could display both. : )
Made from a curtain, a cereal box, white paper, t-shirt scraps, awesome glue, ribbon, and dental floss. I did a bit of searching to find how the hell to do this, but I mostly just made it up. It was pretty easy, but if anyone wants a tut, let me know, and I’ll see what I can do.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v447/EssenceJaded/Crafting/?action=view¤t=2103.jpg
Possibly my favorite papercraft thing I’ve ever made ever. I just used construction paper and computer paper. I think they came out wonderfully, even though holepunching for the autumn tree took a VERY long time. I love how it came out though. Also, look at the cute little bird on the spring tree:
So cute.
The gallery for this swap is located here if you want to see more trees.
And because I forgot to mention it before, the gallery for the quotes swap is here in case you want to see more quote crafts.
(Hey Teach pictures are coming… eventually. I promise.)
I finally received my swap package from Rockmygypsysoul on Crafster, and it is rockin’:
KICKASS tote:
Sweet coasters:
Stitch markers:
She used almost all of my quotes between the bag and the coasters, and the bag has such a great shape. Because I know you can’t read it, the quotes on the bag are:
“The one you love and the one that loves you are never ever the same person.” (Invisible Monsters)
“You know that old saying about how you always hurt the one you love? Well, it goes both ways.” (Fight Club)
“We are not special. We’re not crap or trash either, we just are. We just are, and what happens just happens.” (Fight Club)
And now, here are the things I sent to her:
Notebook made completely from scratch (recycled cardboard, white paper, decorations from stash). Interestingly (I think anyway) it’s sewn together with dental floss–I wanted something stronger than thread but didn’t want to buy anything new. Stash item ftw.
A set of notecards made from computer paper and construction paper. The quote on them is “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart, I will always be with you.” (AA Milne). They were lots of fun to make.
And finally:
Tote bag made from red houndstooth fabric, a flowery bedsheet (the lining), and felt. I used this awesome-strong fabric glue so I didn’t have to fiddle with sewing on the letters, though I did cut them out free hand. The quote that this goes with is from the West Wing and is something to the effect of, “Victory is mine! Victory is mine! Bring me the finest muffins and bagels in all the land!” The muffin is a t-shirt scrap and a scrap from a thrifted curtain.
Stay tuned for one more swap, which is finishing up soon.
So remember that cable cardi, the one I finished except for the buttons, which I was going to sew once I got back to school and then take lovely pictures of? Even though it was going to be lovely and warm for a week?
Well, I left it in the car when I came back to school. And also it’s snowing. Interestingly, though, it is snowing quite a lot, but it doesn’t seem to be sticking or it’s melting faster than it’s melting. Interesting.
Anyway, the point is, there won’t be FO pictures of the cabled cardigan for a while. : ( There will, however, be FO pictures of Hey Teach when I finish it, which should be soon. It knits up so quickly that it’s ridiculous. I haven’t had as much knitting time as I’m used to, and I’ve already finished a sleeve, the back, and a front. Lovely. : ) So that’s to come.
Also to come are swap things. I’m in two swaps at the moment, a quotes swap and a tree swap. I have one project left to craft for both of those, so I should be sending out within a week or two. When everything is received, I’ll post pics of the lovely things I made for the swaps, all of which I am RIDICULOUSLY proud of.
I recently participated in a swap on Craftster, the theme of which is naughty words. Awesome, yeah? Well, both my partner and myself have received, so here I will provide you with pictures of all the swear-y goodness.
From me (and these are her pictures because… well, my camera, my laptop, my hard drive, and I don’t really get along that well):
A coffee cozy (Red Heart acrylic on eights, knit flat and seamed. Says Fuck), a pair of fingerless mittens with very crude embroidery/duplicate stitched “fuck!” and “shit!”, a little pouch (with a snap! And a wristband!), and the most awesome bag I’ve ever made. The lettering was a bit tedious, but if anyone wants a bag like this, let me know. I’m more than happy to commission another one cause it was quite fun to make. Also: other words. : )
Anyway, here is my totally bitchin’ package from my partner:
A door sign which is currently on my bookshelf:
Note cards for wishing someone “Whore!” or “Cunt!”:
A kickass box, in which to store my stitch markers:
Many of which she made me:
(As a side-note, I fucking LOVE stitch markers and would like to horde some awesome ones. I’m planning like 47 more swaps, expressly for this purpose.)
And this FUCKING AWESOME embroidery, which is currently residing on my printer:
It was an awesome swap! If you want to see more swear-y, crafty awesome, the swap gallery is located here.
I recently completed a swap with the theme of all things Chuck Palahniuk–Fight Club, Choke, Invisible Monsters, and the like. I made some awesome things and I recieved some awesome things. Here be the pics:
Things I made:
This awesome Fight Club scarf:
Coasters with the symbols from the front of Choke:
A kickass notebook which I made from an old notebook. I redid the covers and drew on the bird from the front of Lullaby:
And my favorite thing, these fingerless gloves, so you can wear Tyler’s kiss without the lye. I believe I will be making more for my Etsy shop because they were such a hit. I’ll be sure to post a link here when I list them.
The glove bit of these is crocheted, and the wrist bit is knitted. The lip bit has about half a bottle of fray check on it because of the fabric I used.
I also colored her a card:
She also sent me some really cool things:
This cool shirt, which I will be wearing soonish over long sleeves:
A keychain for my keys:
A notebook to store my favorite Chuck quotes:
And some cool fridge magnets:
Plus a bunch of random gag gifts, as required by the swap:
It’s basically the best swap ever. I love everything I received. In case you want to check out more crafty Chuck goodness, the Craftster gallery is here.
Stitch, Brinn, Stitch! 
