Some Links Here & There

Are you zooming 'round the bend of the week?

The most exciting thing I sewed yesterday is a "wrist coach" for my 11 year old son.  This is the device quarterbacks slip on their wrists to view various plays.  My son and I designed it and he is thrilled with the result.  I told him he should slide his vocabulary words in there and study them.

I am doing some custom sewing projects which are keeping me very busy: a very large window seat and a T-shirt quilt.  A simple project like a window seat can really add up.  The foam is very expensive, not to mention the fabric and trims! 

The quilt is for a customer of "Crafters for Chemo CoPay".  This is a company which pairs crafters with cancer victims struggling to pay their copay bills.

You know I love interesting ways to use old T-shirts.  My T-shirt pillow has been included in this E-book by Favecrafts:  "9 Ways to Transform Old T-Shirts".  There are some fun projects in it including a scarf and apron.

Finally, I have my T-Shirt Quilt Pattern listed on "You Can Make This."  This site is full of creative ideas!

I hope your week is going well!

November Ruffle Wrap

This is how happy I am with my new wrap - the November Ruffle Wrap by Kate Jackson of Knitting on the Square.  She has a wonderful shop in the quaint town of Chardon, OH. 

Winters in Northeast Ohio are brutal.  The areas east of Cleveland are located in the snow belt and get lots of snow because of Lake Erie.   Chardon, with it's elevation, gets a whopping 106" annual snowfall! 

The November Ruffle Wrap is perfect for throwing over your shoulders when running about town in NE Ohio November.  I also wanted to be able to wrap it around my neck like a scarf.

See how it matches my hair?

 
Here's how it looks on skinny-ma-link Annie:

The yarns are a mix of wool and alpaca strands held together, resulting in a warm, cushy wrap.  The design is simple and perfect for carry-around knitting.  I worked on mine during my son's football games.

I dragged Annie outside for a photo shoot and promised to allow her photographic license.  She insisted I only looked good when I smiled.  I took out the photos on the swing, the ones with the flower in my mouth and the ones with my hair in pigtails....

Ravelry details here.

Crap I've Made and Wanna Make

OK, I've always wanted to make a post with that title.  However, I fretted because there is a really neat blog by the title of "Crap I've Made".   (Check it out!)

I just finished knitting my November Ruffle Wrap!  I'm so excited about it I brought it to bed with me last night.  OK, so that's weird, but I love the warmth it brings when I'm under it - wish I had a huge blanket like this.  I wore it out to the bus stop and it was just right for a cool crisp morning.  I am blocking it and asked Annie to do a photo shoot in a day or so.

Meanwhile, I've been sewing for my Etsy and the craft show.  Some tailgate totes:

An oversized tote made out of a coffee sack - completely lined.

And my newest rug:

I've dabbled a little in color work, and bought this sweet pattern from The High North.  I hope to cast on later today.  I'm planning on making it for my 17 year old.  Teen girls have a habit of wearing layers of camis and tees and walking around the house saying "it's cold".   I say, "Put a sweater on!!!"  I thought this one might do the trick!

Another thing I want to make is this skeleton wreath!  You know I'm kindof a holiday decoration scrooge, but this looks like plain old fun!

The tutorial is over at  Ready, Set, Craft and is written by Meg of Mega Crafty and Mega Spooky.

This may be another Halloween thing I want to make.  My friend Sarah at Clover Lane does this for Christmas, too.  Simple decorating - love it!

OK, is that enough "crap" to throw at you?

Some Fun Awards

Thanks, Aislynn, over at Knit - Purl - Stitch for this award!

I'm supposed to share 7 things about me:

1.  I am 47.
2.  I have very thick hair that is going grey. I do not color my hair.  I don't like the idea of putting chemicals all over my head, I don't like the idea of spending money over and over again - at what point do you stop?  My hair is part of who I am.
3.  I'm stealing this from Aislynn - I clean when I am upset.  It helps me to do physical things.
4.  I'm opinionated.
5.  I love to bike, but don't think for a minute my body reflects it!
6.  I smile at people when I pass them.
7.  I have always like to organize things.

I would like to pass this award along to the bloggers listed below.  If you wish to participate, the rules are:

a) Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.
b) Share 7 things about yourself.
c) Pass the award along to 10 bloggers who you have discovered and who you think are fantastic.
d) Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award

Thanks to Heather at Implausible Yarn for this award!

To share this award:

Grab the award. Post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

Pay it forward to 15 other bloggers that you have newly discovered.

Contact those blog owners and let them know they've been chosen.

I'm going to combine these two awards and share them with:

angelina la dawn tomato
BMore Crafy
Crafty Carole
Flights of Yarn
golden bird knits
icraft@beewise
Jenny's Blog on Knitting
Made by Joanne
Mega Crafty
PDXKnitterati
Ready Set Craft
her household
femmena mala
Ars Longa Vita Brevis
EO-NO

Taffeta Stash Bag Winner!

Out of 170 entries, the winning entry, selected by Random.org was #150:

Carlina!

Carlina has been notified!  Thank you to all who participated.  There were many creative ways in which you would use the bags!

In appreciation of your participation and in celebration of these new bags, I am offering a 25% discount on all stash bag orders placed by Sunday 10/24/10 for those who participated in the contest.  Etsy does not have a way to apply a discount code.  Therefore, you can either make a purchase and write "Contest" in the "note to seller" and I will refund the difference to you.  Or you can contact me prior to your purchase and I will set up a custom order for you.  I have more of the items than those that are listed, so if you need a different quantity, just ask!  Check out the bags here:

Drawstring Stash Bags

Thanks for playing!

Check out the FaveCrafts Blog Hop!

Sweet Little Sweater

Taffeta Stash Bag Giveaway Here!

This darling little sweater is for the newest family member that is expected any day now.  My nephew and his wife are expecting their first and it's supposed to be a little girl!  I knit the A-Line Cardigan pattern  from the book "Design It, Knit It; Babies" by Debbie Bliss.

 There is a similar Debbie Bliss pattern in a Vogue Knitting Magazine, I believe.

I could look through Debbie Bliss books for hours.  Her designs are classic.   I love how the brown edging on the collar updates a classic to give it a modern feel.

The complete project details are on my Ravelry page.  I liked how the collar was knit.  I don't have enough experience to knit a collar without exact instructions.  The sweater was knit in pieces and there was quite a bit of sewing up and weaving in ends.  I really could have used my Sweater Wizard software to knit this top down and finishing would have been a lot easier.  Do any of you have Sweater Wizard?  I love it!

Pretty but Practical Stash Bags for Knitters and Giveaway!

Last Christmas I found some stash taffeta and sewed up a simple drawstring bag for four of my knitting friends. They loved it.  They found it perfect for stashing their sock in progress and slipping it into a purse or bag.  The taffeta was lightweight, yet strong - strong enough to withstand needles.

I picked up some lovely taffeta fabrics and created Taffeta Drawstring Stash bags in three sizes.  The small size is perfect for socks or a small lace project.

 

 

The medium size is great for a scarf, lace shawl, or sweater.

Finally, the large size is perfect for bulky projects.  The bag is designed with width in mind.  I don't like to dig down deep for my knitting.  Here you'll see the large size holding my November Ruffle Wrap.

You can see all my drawstring bags at Maiden Jane's Etsy Shop.  To celebrate this new line of bags, I am hosting a giveaway.

What:  One Small Drawstring Taffeta Floral Bag

Who:  US and Canada residents

When:  The contest closes Monday 10/18/10 at 8:00 AM EST.

How:  Leave a comment on this post and tell me how you would use the bag.  If you have creative uses besides knitting I'd love to hear about it!

Extra Chances:  For five extra chances, "Like" my Facebook page.  Be sure to let me know you did so by either writing on my wall or letting me know here.  If you are already a fan of my Facebook page you could get five chances by sharing this link and/or my page with your followers.

I will collect the names in an Excel file (either one or six chances) and pick a name by the random number generator.

Thanks for playing!

Boo Humbug

Don't let the title of this post scare you away.  I say it in reference to myself.  As many of you know, I'm a bit of a holiday bore.  Living in a small house I don't have the space to store a lot of decorations for various holidays.  Or, maybe I'm just lazy.  Or, maybe I find decorations clutter my space.  It usually falls to my kids to drag out the meager decorations that we did have.  In recent years, I've tried to increase my attention to decorations while realizing I will never have holiday decor like some of my fellow bloggers.

When Favecrafts released several Halloween E-books I thought I'd take a look.  Favecrafts has three downloadable Halloween craft books here.

I downloaded the "Homemade Halloween Decorations:  Blogger Edition 2010 eBook"   There are seven projects of varying degrees of difficulty.

One of the more intriguing projects (and simple enough for me to handle) is the Bloody Pillar Candle.

 

I also think this Trick or Treat Candy Pot is adorable!  (I'll assign this one to Annie!)

There are three fiber pumpkins to make:  one from felt, one crocheted and one felted.  The latter is the most interesting to me.  You wrap yarn around a fiberfill ball and then felt it in the washing machine.  The only knitted part is the stem.  I think my 11-year-old son may enjoy this!

So, if you are a Halloween booooooore like me, shake it off and give one of these projects a try! 

It's All About Me!

I love fall....love plaid...and decided I needed a bag that could carry all my stuff AND my bigger knitting projects.  (Weekend football games demand some knitting in hand.)  So, I decided to sew myself a messenger bag!

The pattern is a See and Sew B4583.

I used a canvas for the outside and red wool from my stash for the inside.

 

And me in all my glory?  Yes, that is a piece of tape on my leg.  I picked that up at work.  Thankfully I didn't stop anywhere on the way home!  Looking at this photo, hair pulled back in a pony, WHO DO I THINK I AM?  I am a 47-year-old woman with no fashion sense carrying a plaid messenger bag.  I need help.

Sewing Summary (but it's not Summery around here!)

Annie and I have been getting lots of sewing done. Some for our Etsy shops (Annie's shop is The Pink Paintbrush), some for the craft show, some for fundraisers.

Rugs:

Aprons (A mother/daughter pair!)

 

A Tailgate Tote for a customer:

Bandana headbands:

Quilted lanyards.   Aren't these the cutest things ever?  There is a great tutorial here.

Iphone cases:

Headbands:

A pair of aprons for two little boys!  (A custom order from this sweet blogger, Her Household)