Projects! Projects! Projects!

Project : Napoleon by Berroco (Blackstone Tweed #288 Booklet)
yarn: from a goodwill sweater
needles : US 6

My gauge wasn't quit right so I did a little fudging from the pattern here and there. Love it!!

The best part is...

the braid and the edging. I used a smaller crochet hook than what it called for because it was the only one that I had and I didn't want to buy another one. It worked out fine.

The second best part about the sweater is that it only cost $15 total (booklet and yarn)!!


Next.

Project : Rosamund's Cardigan by Andrea Pomerantz, Interweave Knits, Fall 2009

Yarn : rummage sale sweater

Yarn content : half wool / half cotton

Needles : US 6 / US 8

Buttons : JoAnn Fabrics

My youngest boy helped pick out the buttons. They were rather expensive. $5.50 per button. But they look great with the sweater and I love how they fade from black to gray.

Total for this sweater : $0.50 (sweater) + $11 (buttons) + $.00 (magazine = free trial) = $11.50 for this lovely sweater that I will be wearing a lot of.

Oh yeah, there are hooks and eyes holding it together down the front. I used 5 sets that I stole off of something else. So again, free!! Loving it!!!

I have started working on some more Christmas gifts for people. These are door organizers that I blogged about here.

These are handsewn together. I didn't have double sided fusible webbing so I used single sided and just stitched all the way around instead of just around the pockets. I also stitched around the holes at the top for more stability when they are hung.

I made 6 but my boys stole two of the camo ones already. They have no pacience!!

And you probably can't see it but the two in front have a paisley design stamped into them. I had no idea felt could come that way. This felt all came from Hobby Lobby.

Another Christmas present. This one is for my sister-in-law. It's a pair of Fetching made from some Malabrigo that I received in a trade. They are almost done and ready to wrap!

And the last one to talk about today.

A pair of socks that I started knitting for the mother in law. They are knit from the tow up. There are 68 stitches here. After the ball of the foot I started a 1 x 1 twisted rib. Then every fourth row, I k1, YO, k2tog, k1, p1*. I am going to continue in this pattern till the ankle and then switch it up.

The yarn (Patons Kroy Sock / color : 205779 / Glencheck ) is something that I picked up from Hobby Lobby too. Bought 4 balls of it. She has BIG feet.

Not the greatest yarn in the world but it is very warm.

Stay tuned, more tutorials to come as well!!

a last minute addition

Marie-Jolie over at Permission to Unwind sent me this link for a baby gown. I know that I have seen the entry before but had completely forgotten about it. So once she directed me there again, I just had to make one. So I rummaged through the Goodwill T stash and found the perfect t. Unfortunately the day I made it it was cloudy and the T is black (never good for photography!).

I love this. I wish my boys were babies again. I would make a ton of these. Super easy and fairly quick considering I sew by hand (still no sewing machine here in sneezerville). The sleeves are from a second T because the T that I used was just a small; not enough left over for the sleeves. But I really like the two toned look!!

I put some recycled elastic in the bottom to cinch it in.

I didn't bother to hem the sleeves. Let's face it, with t-shirt material you don't have to. It is not going anywhere.

Now this is what you can't see and it is my favorite part. Check out the pattern. The shoulder area kind of overlaps and curves which make for this great way for the baby's head to fit through. LOVE IT. I want to make myself a neckline like that on a T. one day maybe.

My second favorite part. All of the cool pictures on the front of this T!!

What is your favorite recycled project??

baby shower gifts

I have to go to a baby shower this coming weekend for the wife of a cousin of my husband. I know confusing... Anyway, I made some gifts this weekend.
These came from the book, Generation T: Beyond Fashion: 120 New Ways to Transform a T-shirt by Megan Nicolay. She has two of these books. I love them both. You should really check them out.

These are the 0 - 6 month baby booties. These are made from an old rummage sale onezie that I liked the design of.

And then I made burb clothes. Or as the boys like to say barf clothes. Three different rummage sale t's with cool desings.

You shape them with indents in the middle so that they lay better on your shoulder. Stitch a running stitch around the outer edge. Then stitch two vertical rows about 4 inches apart down the middle.

I love the designs on these ts.

And the colors are more for boys. so maybe the hubby will use these clothes more than wifey poo.

then i cut up another onesie to make a little bag for them. Simple cut off the bottom of the onesie and the sleeves. sew along bottom edge. voila. bag. then i don't have to wrap anything.

all material from rummage sale goodies. all extra cool. all super cheap. thank god for thriftying!!

Everybody is Doing It why not me?

This is the EDI (Everybody is Doing It) cowl from presents knits. She has some really cute designs. If you haven't checked out her site yet, you should.

This is made with 2 skeins of LionBrand Thick and Chunky in charcoal.

On size US 13 needles. The pattern called for size 15 needles but I didn't have those. 13's worked fine.

It could stand to be a little wider. So 2.5 skeins would have been better. But I was trying to work with what I had.

It is soft and extremely warm. It can be pulled over the shoulders, scrunched up around the neck or...

pulled up over your noggin.

And this is my latest WIP, Rosamund's Cardigan by Andrea Pomerantz from the fall 2009 Interweave Knits. I am doing this with some recycled sweater yarn.

addiction / obsession

I am an addict.

I can't get enough. I just want to recycle every cheapo sweater out there I can find. It is fun and soothing to unravel some machines hard work. My boys even love it.

So here is another sweater that bit the dust.

A $0.50 rummage sale sweater of 100% cotton. very soft stuff.

These balls are small sections of reds, greys, greens, golds, and dark blue that made up the striped section of the original sweater.

These following balls are the dark blue main sections of the sweater. love this dark color.

the next yarns are from a trade on ravelry. the other thing that i love doing. trading something i am not using for something else super cool.

like these, hand dyed beauties.

and some malabrigo. love malabrigo. destined for another foliage so that maybe i can keep the other one!!

lastly, my mother-in-law is addicted to buying me buttons. so here are some that she picked up from JoAnn Fabrics.

more for the giveaway

an added item for my giveaway. merino. spun by me. one 3ply (@60 yds). one 2ply (@60 yds).

see post below for more details on the giveway for my 100th posting!!


i spent this weekend recycling a couple of sweaters from goodwill.
can't remember the company for this one.
but it was a large striped sweater.
this is 100% cotton in lots of strips because of the stripes.
but should make a really cool sweater for a baby or little person.

more 100% cotton yarn. for US 7 or 8 needles.

from a sweater from target. Merino brand name.

lovely chocolate brown.

hoping to make a vest or sleeveless sweater from this.

ideas are circling in my brain.

must finish napoleon first though.

son's 6th birthday was saturday.

he wanted a ghostie cake that he saw in the martha stewart

halloween magazines.

ghosties made from large and small marshmallows and chocolate icing.

it was a big hit with everyone.

he also wanted a red velvet (blood red) cake.

here he is looking oh so excited before blowing out the candles!

giveaway coming and an FO

First, I am nearing my 100th post. actually it is the next one!! that is kind of a milestone so there will be a giveaway. sorry sewers, it will be yarn related. so look for the details in the next and 100th post!

Foliage by Emilee

yarn: lamb's pride worsted

color: prairie fire

needles: US 7 and US5

I love this hat!! it is a little scratchy according to my boys and is a "girl's hat". it is destined to be someone's christmas present. i guess a girl's christmas present.

i love the color of this yarn. i have some of it left. i need to find a creative way to use it. headband?? bracelet?? not sure that there is enough there for anything else. :(

I have started Napoleon with the rummage sale sweater orange tweed yarn. i decided on size 6 needles instead of the size 7. I was getting 19st = 3.5 inches. so i cast on 76 and made the end stitches selvedge.

this sweater is knit in different directions. the botton is knit in 2 parts. the knitting is not done from top to bottom but rather it is knit so that the knit stitches will run horizontal. it should be interesting. i hope that the finished product is as beautiful as theirs. i have been in love with this pattern ever since i first saw it!!

Remember, giveaway details the next time i post!!

goodies from recycling

First up, t-shirt backpack from one the the cool t-shirt recycling books that I have picked up. one i posted about last week. this was cool skeleton t-shirt.

the pack is double layered for sturdiness.

it's ties are also from t-shirt material knotted through holes in the bottom.

the boys love it.

second, goodwill sweater recycling. sweaters from goodwill not as cheap as from a rummage sale but way better selection. this sweater had 7 cool buttons too.

it is a orange tweed. made of 55% ramie, 30% nylon, and 15% wool and it is made by baxter and wells. perfect for size 7 needles and Napoleon by Berroco.

third, another recycled goodwill sweater. this is more size 3 needles or 4. it is a gorgeous green tweed. 50% acrylic, 25% wool and 25% nylon. very soft if you can believe it.

fourth goodie, my niece. in a snow cat hat!! free prize pattern from cosymakes.

sorry, she wasn't a happy camper for the photo shoot.

but thanks over there at cosymakes!