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Now that we have returned to our regular schedule of me showing off awesome things, it is Mail Call day! I received some swap things and some other things that I will talk about as I get to them.
First: I received an OWS claim of supplies from hngoodlett, who COMPLETELY SPOILED ME:
That’s a ton of zippers, stamps, ink pads, sewing thread, glue gun sticks (I’ll have to steal my mother’s glue gun, probably), yarn, kool-aid for dyeing, and some plastic sheets that I’m not sure what are. Also: candy! Yum.
Here’s a close up of the stamps:
I also received an OWS package from Lucinda879:
It has a hummingbird quilted in! I didn’t even know you could do that with quilting! I love this thing. It’s so pretty and squishy and wonderful. : )
Next, I received some things from Knit Picks:
PIC
I have a screwy cord in my interchangeable set, so I wrote to customer service, and they sent me a new one! I love Knit Picks–they have such great service! The yarn I got on sale, and I wanted a metal US 8/5 mm 16″ circ to replace the bamboo one I currently have.
Next, I got a skein of Plymouth Colornep, a lovely pink tweed that I don’t have pictures of from a Ravelry destash. It was up for free as half a skein and a mitt, so I claimed it! I’m highly pleased. It will probably became a hat or something for my gift stash I keep meaning to start.
Last but not at all least, I received from MissDolly for my Yarnie/Sewer swap, and she totally spoiled me:
A nice purse (I have to shorten the strap though), a drawstring bag for my spinning, a cool zippered wristlet, a little wallet, a skirt, (*deep breath*) a tank top, and velcro bags for snacks.
Plus a whole load of extras!
Candy and a bracelet and magnet hearts, and cute little ice cube trays.
I would much rather have stayed at school than come home for summer (the reasons are long and somewhat personal), but coming home to like six packages did make it better. : )
So, yes. OWS. I claimed Spotnik for a totebag and slippers for her husband. And they’re AWESOME. Cause I’m good like that.
Pattern: Garter/Rib Slippers
Yarn: Bernat Alpaca Blends
Needles: US 8/5 mm
Mods: None? Made them bigger, I guess.
They are way too big on me and too big on my shoe size 8.5 boyfriend (who’s modeling), but that’s that’s to be expected seeing as the recipient’s feet are size 10.5. I think they came out well. They’re super fast and easy to make, and they look pretty good too. On feet, that is. They look very silly when they’re not on feet:
Yeah. Anyway, I also made a TOTALLY KICK ASS totebag:
Check out that hot hot reverse applique action:
The brown and blue fabrics are canvas I found at the thrift store for uber cheap, and the lining is an old sheet. I am running low on old sheet, so when I am home for the summer, I’ll have to get another one at the thrift store. Sheets really are perfect for lining stuff.
I received a swap package from icebyrd67. She claimed me for a thread catcher, and it’s great:
I’m highly pleased with it. The sand bag bit is attached to the bag with velcro, which will make it easier to clean/empty. At any rate, it’s much much prettier than the plastic cup I’d been using.
In other news, I made another OWS claim (for wrist warmers and a soaker), which I’ll be starting soon. Also, I’ve been working on my Featherweight. It currently looks like this:
I started sleeves! I finished the body and the collar and am working on sleeves! I’m so excited. It’s like the light at the end of the tunnel. The sleeves are taking forever, of course, but STILL.
Wednesday afternoon, I claimed ThatsWhatSheSaid in the Ongoing Wish Swap for a dpn/crochet hook case. Wednesday evening I sewed most of said case, and Friday morning (today) I sewed on buttons and packaged up that sucker for sending. Yes, I’m FAST. Anyway, here’s what I came up with:
It’s a variation on the dpn roll I’ve made several times. I used thicker fabric (it’s almost like a canvas) and a layer of quilt batting so it would fold into a book-style (which is how she wanted it) instead of rolling up.
I LOVE how this came out, and I’m considering making another for myself. I would make it a little taller next time to compensate for the thicker fabric (I seem to have underestimated my seam allowance just a little). I also absolutely love the fabric. It’s part of the bunch I got at the thrift store a couple of weeks ago (it’s like a half a yard of cotton canvas-ish fabric for under a dollar–75 cents, I think).
I also sent ThatsWhatSheSaid some buttons from my stash too, but I didn’t take a picture of those.
I’m still working on the socks too. I finished one sock and am about a centimeter away from the heel turn on the second. I’m expecting a total of three packages sometime in the next couple of weeks: Two OWS packages and the Yarnie vs. Sewer swap.
Okay, not really. But the main crafty portion of the package I sent to spolowitz gave me some hell. I claimed her for a knitting project bag and a learn to spin kit.
First, there was a spindle and some roving, part of the stuff I ordered when I was first starting to spin:
And then there was a lovely little book of spinning instructions, which I drew and wrote by hand. The directions probably aren’t the best as I haven’t been spinning that long myself, but I tried, and I like how it came out, especially my little spindle diagrams:
And then there was this bag.
I tried to make a round-bottom bag with a lining and that turned out… poorly. For the sake of my sanity, we’ll leave it at that, but suffice it to say that it was bad. The finished version is cute though. I especially like the applique:
Yay, swappage.
PS: Here’s the Ravelympics sweater:
(I got bored with the long rounds and started a sleeve. The body is about halfway done (well, halfway to where I join the sleeves, anyway). It’s about 9″ long and I want it to be close to 17″.)
So I had a couple of hours earlier this week that weren’t taken up by class or making up for a month of lost time with my friends and boyfriend. Instead of doing homework like I probably should have been doing, I spent some quality time with Leah, the Brother sewing machine I got for my birthday in December.
I have a minor obsession with zipper clutch-type bags, so that is what I made. First was a bag I had cut out the for months ago but had not assembled:
The fabric is cheapo fabric from Walmart that was originally a skirt I was going to make for myself (I had the panals cut out for literally six years). I decided that even if I were to make the skirt, it wouldn’t fit. So… I cut apart the panels and used them for other things. The lining is the same retired bedsheet that I use to line pretty much everything.
I also wanted to do a more decorative bag, so I pulled out a cotton fat quarter and my trusty lining sheet as well as some ribbon and buttons and got this:
I love the ribbon detail. I sewed it on first with the decorative stitch and managed to sew it on HELLA CROOKED. So I trimmed to try and even it out, but you can still see there’s a definite slant. Still pretty though.
I’m amazed how even the top and bottom straight stitches are. I also love the buttons, which I sewed on using the button foot of the machine (a feature that I LOVE):
Super cute. The first blue bag currently houses my sewing machine notions (spare feet and needles, pins, etc). The other is prettier, so I may end up using it for a clutch purse of some sort. In any case, I will definitely be making more of these, though I think I might have to get some more zippers.
Come up on blog: That sock. (I finally got more yarn and started the damn thing). Also, I’m in for another round of the Ongoing Wish Swap, so that’s happening. Also, progress on Girl Friday. I finished the back and fronts and will begin the sleeves once the sock and the OWS thing is done. Whoo.
So I claimed sunspotted for a Calorimetry, some hair things, and some scrapbook paper.
Pattern: the ubiquitous Calorimetry
Yarn: Cascade Eco Wool, Coffee
Needles: US 7/4.5 mm metal straights
Mods: CO 88, fewer short rows, closed up some of the holes.
Here are the hair pins I made:
They’re glued and sewn onto bobby pins and they were kind of a bitch to make, but they’re cute, I think. I had a hard time getting the bobby pins to stay in the glue straight. It was a learning experience, at least.
There were also a couple sheets of scrapbook paper, but you don’t need to see those.
Coming soon: A couple more swap things. Some knitting. And the dino mittens pattern!
Almost everywhere I go on campus, I need to have, at the very least, my ID card, phone, and keys. If I don’t want to bring my whole purse, it’s sometimes difficult to juggle everything (while not breaking my ID card or my Blackberry). I kept my ID and keys in a little wallet I got from my freshman orientation. It worked for all of last year, but this is what it looks like now:
Yeah. The plastic is coming off, and I don’t want to risk my ID falling out and getting lost. Of course, being a crafter, I had to come up with some sort of fix to this. “Ah ha!” thought I. “I have fabric and a sewing machine! I shall sew myself a new card wallet!” And that is exactly what I did:
It was a bit fiddly to put together, but I think it came out well. The pocket is some cheapo mystery blend from Walmart and the outside is from a cotton fat quarter, also from Walmart. The lining is the same old sheet I use to line everything I sew (basically). This not only holds my ID and my keys, but also my phone! Which means if I lose the pouch, I’m totally fucked, but regardless, it’s great to have everything together. : )
In case you’re wondering about knitting: I am doing it. I started a vest, which I’ll show you all in a bit. I’ve also been working on another surprise. : ) Stay tuned!
To avoid the above problem, I made this cute little project bag!
Cute, huh? Just basic Walmart mystery fabric and a shoe lace (well, the lining is from a bed sheet), but I love how it came out! It’s small, so it’ll fit in my purse, but it’s large enough to fit a good size project. Maybe not a whole sweater, but it’ll at least hold my Featherweight-in-progress, which looks like this:
It’s going to take forever, but I think it’ll be super cute. Unfortunately, it’s not the weather for light cardigans, so this will probably be an ongoing project. In the mean time, I’ve started a pair of knee-high wool socks out of worsted weight to wear in my rain boots (regular size socks always fall off my heels and my toes get cold). I’ve also been working on a surprise for you all, to be revealed in a couple of days (probably). Stay tuned!
The second part of my Beatles swap is here at last! I finally got time to craft for the swap, and I am incredibly thrilled with that I came up with. Since there were an odd number of people in the swap, there were three of us in a round-robin sort of partnership. Here’s what I sent to SwampOlympics
This sweet bag, made from a t-shirt and Barney bedsheet and also some canvas-ish fabric for handles. A little puckery in the sides because I’m completely impatient when it comes to sewing, but it still came out nice. Once I remembered how to sew the straps on properly. : )
This FUCKIN’ SWEET little notebook. It’s made from a pad of Post Its, some cardboard, and embellishments. The background is from a book in German (which I thought was fitting because they did record a couple of songs in German), and I am SO FREAKIN’ PROUD of the submarine. I looked up the album art for the Yellow Submarine and basically copied what I saw using some scrapbook paper, white printer paper, and the measly collection of colored pens that I have (basically just red, blue, and black. I miss my sharpies). If I had any use for notebooks, I would have made one for myself too, but I don’t, so it’s been sent off.
And a collection of notecards, which is sort of my fallback craft for swaps. I love making them though, so I am totally okay with any opportunity to do so. I am particularly a fan of “All you need is love”, but I love them all. I thought the “Here comes the sun” one would be perfect for a get well soon card, and “I want to hold your hand” (which says “PS I love you” on the inside) would be perfect for Valentine’s Day, or just to tell someone “I love you” or “I miss you”. I also wanted to try my hand at a slightly larger submarine. I will probably make some more in a similar set, or at least using song lyrics, because they’re perfect for non-specific sentiments.
The rest of the swap gallery can be found here on Craftster if you want to check out more Beatles-inspired crafts.
Coming soon(ish): Inchies. A knitting wip. Eventually a spinning FO (or maybe just a wip). Stuff. Things. Crafting is happening!
Stitch, Brinn, Stitch! 