Posted by Som
Tue, 04 Jul 2006 18:55:00 GMT
I've been busy with crafting projects lately, but once again, I've forgotten to take pictures of some of them. I made diaper bags and changing pads for my sister-in-law and a dear friend, but alas, I gave them away without snapping a photo. I do, however, have pictures of the stuffed bunnies I stitched up for my girls this past weekend:
The pattern for these is free from Wee Wonderfuls, downloadable here. It's very simple to make, and with embroidered eyes instead of buttons, they'd make a great gift for an infant.
I've given up on the lacy serpentine scarf for now. I don't know if it's the yarn, the pattern, or just me, but that whole project has been cursed from the beginning. I just ordered yarn for three new projects:
- KnitPicks' Suri Dream for two cardigans for my girls (pattern "A Simple Sweater for Children" from Mindful Knitting.)
- KnitPicks' Andean Silk for the "Kata Felicity Scarf" from Mindful Knitting (this will probably end up as a Christmas gift.)
I'm excited about starting some new knitting projects, though I should probably knit something for myself every once in a while (as my husband keeps telling me.) I can make the "To Dye For" pullover from Stitch & Bitch in Suri Dream for under $30, so maybe I'll do that once I finish these. I can't recommend KnitPicks enough: gorgeous yarns in delightful fibers at bargain basement prices. It's a bit depressing to fall in love with a knittting pattern, only to discover that the recommended yarn would cost $200 for an adult's sweater; skip on over to KnitPicks and find a superb alternative yarn for around $50 instead! Srsly. I love that site.
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Posted by Som
Mon, 17 Apr 2006 15:38:00 GMT
I have these great patterns for lace beaded bookmarks, but they call for US size 00 or 000 knitting needles. None of the local yarn shops carry needles that small, and most of the online shops charge $10+, which seems a little ridiculous for needles that small.
Luckily, over on eBay, purseparadise has a TON of tiny needles in stock for around $3.50/pair - all the way down to US size 00000000! That's 0.5 mm diameter - unbelievably tiny. I picked up a pair of US size 00 needles for just $5 with shipping.
Maybe bookmark-knitting is just the thing I need to get me back into craft mode. I've been reading instead of knitting lately; this weekend, I finished all of the Baghdad Burning blog, and I'm halfway through Reza Aslan's No god but God and the Dalai Lama's The Universe in a Single Atom. Both are quite good, but I'll most likely be burnt out on reading nonfiction for a while once I've finished with these two. I'm building up quite a long crafty to-do list:
- Finish that godforsaken lacy scarf
Stitch up a couple of superhero capes (and masks?) for my daughters - finished the capes, 4/30/06- Make a few beaded lacy bookmarks
- Piece together the quilt top for the girls' quilt
- Begin a long-term lace shawl project
- Build up some mad sashiko skillz so I can make a lovely duvet cover for my own bed
- Make Halloween costumes for the girls - I'm thinking Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service this year, so they're going to need little stuffed Jijis, too
- Put together a pirate costume for myself
- I really should start thinking about Christmas gifts sometime soon. Blargh.
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Posted by Som
Fri, 17 Mar 2006 18:06:00 GMT
As you might recall, I've made quite a few scarves out of Mango Moon Recycled Silk yarn. I love the way it looks, the way it feels, but sadly, I have to say that I'll never buy another hank of it.
Half of the scarves I've made now have gaping holes in them because the yarn was too thin, and it broke. There's no way to repair these holes without frogging the whole scarf, mending the break, and reknitting it - and due to the way silk yarn sticks to itself, frogging is not an option.
So: Don't buy it. It's expensive, and yes, it's beautiful, but it breaks far too easily.
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