I’ve been keeping myself busy crafting, despite the fun and food filled holiday weekend.
My latest accomplishments? A set of glow in the dark coasters and sunglasses case. The coasters are made from Bernat Glow in the Dark yarn, and the sunglasses case is made from 2 fat quarter pieces from JoAnn’s fabrics. Both are relatively easy and fast to whip up. I worked on the coasters on the long drive to the Bay Area from LA.
Materials:
Size 8 circular needles
Size F crochet hook
1 skein worsted weight
Gauge:
None. This is a simple design that can be made for all ages. This pattern fits an average adult head.
Pattern
CO 70 sts.
Rnd 1: K
Rnd 2: P
Rnd 3: K:
Rnd 4: K
Rnd 5: K
Rnd 6: P
Repeat rnds 3-6 until pieces measures 6″
Next rnd, K2tog all the way around
Next rnd: K
Repeat until there are only 10 sts left on needle. Use a yarn needle to pull sts together.
Finishing:
With a size F crochet hook, pick up and crochet 2 rnds at the bottom of the hat for a cute and snug border.
Weave in all loose ends and you are ready to go!
Taking a break from sewing, I thought I would start knitting hats. I haven’t really knit many hats in my 5 year knitting career, and it seems like one of the most basic, quick and easy projects to help me get through my overpiling yarn stash.
This beanie is made with the now discontinued Moda Dea Sassy Stripes on size 8 circs. Its a k1 p1 rib for .5″, followed by a k2 p2 rib for about 6″. I then had to switch to size 10 dpns to finish the top, which gives it a spider-webby feel to it. Its a cozy, colorful little hat and only took a few hours to make.
Having faithfully watched Project Runway for the past 6 seasons, I always felt a strong desire to learn how to sew, and to make all my own clothes. I knit as much as possible, to give my fashion sense a unique flavor to it, but knitting takes a lot of time, and is a big strain and stress on my wrists and fingers. I’ve knit a few sweaters, socks, vests, scarves, hats and cardigans, but usually my sizing is off by just enough for the clothes to not really be form fitting.
Watching Project Runway makes me want to sit down and design my own clothes, or at least hem and alter what I already own to make it prettier. So, I got a nifty sewing machine for my birthday a month ago.
I’ve only made a coupon things, an apron and more recently a little handbag.
My seams are still a little wonky, but with this project, I learned how to do a lining, how to work with 2 fabrics and I played around with the different seaming options on my sewing machine.
I think the most discouraging aspect of sewing is just how time consuming it is. I’m not used to that with knitting. Knitting, you just cast on and you’re off. With sewing, there is a lot more prep work involved and that part I’m getting used to. You can’t just grab fabric and head off to the sewing machine. You need a template, measurements, pre-stitching, color swatches, etc.
I think to really develop with this craft I need to sign up for classes somewhere. I’ll have to see what my local community center has to offer next year. Until then, I’m going to keep working on a bunch of Fat Quarter projects. Mostly to just get used to different fabrics and to practice my seaming.
I finished my first real sewing project today. A simple square apron with a ribbon sash. I used my Singer sewing machine, a “fat quarter” of cotton fabric from JoAnn’s.The seams are sort of crooked, but hey, I didn’t break a needle working on this project, so therefore it is a success!
Yesterday I learned how to thread the sewing machine, how to wind the bobbin and I learned the difference between hand sewing thread and machien sewing thread. Apparently they are not interchangable when it comes to setting up the sewing machine.
No projects yet. Today I plan on practcing the foot press on an old bed sheet with the thread my mom gave me, and on Monday…I will finally learn how to hem my pants!
My mother and sister gifted me a fantastic new sewing machine for my birthday. Now I can finally learn how to sew. A few projects that I have in mind are: a tablecloth for the dining room and curtains for my future home to be. =)
I’m in the midst of apartment hunting, so how knows when I’ll actually get to the curtains. The tablecloth, in theory, should be pretty easy (it is just a big square after all). I knit and I crochet, but sewing is all new territory for me, and I am very excited to jump right into it!
Knit with Bernat Boa yarn on size 9 needles.
This yarn isn’t as annoying as I thought it would be. It knit up smoothly with no tears or rips or mishaps. A great project for an evening in (took only a night…or a disc of Gossip Girl).
Berrocco is known for having fashionable designs with a mix of both complex and easy to follow patterns that produce quality knit and crochet production. Berrocco is usually my first point of contact when looking for a new sweater, cardigan or scarf to knit.
Here is one of the cardigan patterns that looks adorable, and I mean the design and the color of the yarn.
This fancy cardigan caught my eye at Vogue Knitting. The cardigan is an easy to follow basic rib pattern knit in 4 pieces. You can find the pattern for the Cosmo Cardigan here. Just download the PDF, buy some fun varigated yarn and get those knitting moving!
