What have I been up to

Nothing much still working on the green shopper and thirsting for the yellow basketweave madie. Have not started it because want to finish the green one first. I was going to buy some yellow yarn when I remembered I have some already. It is a thin cotton. I am going to double it and work the bag up on my 5 circulars. At least that is the plan anyway. But i do have the base and more of my shopper complete. That is a good start. I should be half way done but i am not working on it like I usually do. You know circurlar knitting it will go by in a flash. I am already thinking of ways to finish it and i am not even halfway done. Red heart did a great job on color matching this yarn looks like a great piece of fresh new grass.

The yellow bag I am going to make like Raena's Madies she cast on the length then knit the width her base and bag are seamless to me. It just takes too long for me but you get a great bag. We will see. I am thinking of putting piece of plastic canvas on the botom and adding feet I do not want my bottom poking out i really want a flat bottom bag if that makes since.

Last night I was watching QVC and they were selling D&B Bags. I want to make one of those. A large square bag with a short handle that is the next line after the yellow madie but not sure what color. Still have not made me a real big bag( because I have made a buttonhole bag) out of crochet nylon. anyway steadlily working away on my grass shopper.

Check this out

http://www.dipdive.com/

I enjoyed this.

I am knitting again

it has been a while since i picked up the needles. tried to start several things just did not stick but now i got. A bag of course. I am making another shopper.

I was looking at the new coach bags and i want these colors grass green and canary yellow. I do not know yet when yarn companies roll out their spring colors. Now that I look at it I did not do to bad on the green I did not think it was bright enough. The canary yellow may be a stretch. Where am i going with a bag that bright? I am not sure but it is cute. I can buy my interfacing from this and that lining i am not too concern probably the same lining i used for the last shopper it has green in it. I want to make a buch of pockets for this bag though. What i don't like about the original shopper or even any big bag is I can never find anything i just toss everything in the bag and regret it when I go to look for something. I love the bag becasue I can throw eveything in it but i don't like it for the same reason. So to remedy that pockets. I bought a cable needle although i have no idea on what to do with it but i may not use it and just do basket weave. This shopper or should I say my spring shopper will not be plain. If I do a canry yelow shopper i will have to be accessoried to the hilt. matching earring shoes shirts the bag must have a purpose i don't want to be like why is she wearing that bag. no that one can be plain. it is going to be too bright to focus on texture. oh bag feet or no bag feet. This and That sells bag feet for 3.50 I am thinking eight feet. oh got to go to AC moore and get theses handles hopefully they will be there I can get them for half off!

Cayla

too cute!

Baby Legs and tutus

I am behind in the times becasue apparently there has been a pattern out to make your own baby legs and tutus for a while. Anyway here are a few links to some tutorials.
Baby legs there are severl but they are pretty much the same there is one out on the net where you slice the btoom cuff in half to tighten it on the leg http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=207882.0;all

Tutus now this is the cutest thing i ever did see. I cannot wait to make my baby one. She is set for Halloween. And over the weekend I put a head band around her tummy to make sure it would not be too small. Even thought I am thinking about cutting a ribbon 1 yd long and tying the tulle on for 20" you know kinda like a tutu apron then it is adjustable the bigger she gets just add more tulle? and it is still no sew. http://plumtickled.typepad.com/plumtickled/2007/08/tutu-tutorial-t.html
the baby has some leotards too i was wondering what i was going to do with them but now i know.

Ureka!!!!!!

Thank you Virtuos (crimson Purl) because i really was going to give up on the brim. I re did it with the insert and it still was not right i was close to tears I tell you but Virtuos said don't give up look for newsboy caps. So i did and came across yarncat's pattern for a news boy cap. Her hat was 66st and my hat is 64 sts perfect i followed her brim pattern to the t and i got it! Thank you Jesus!!! Yes it is that serious.

Baby Cable Hat

Trying to make my baby a hat this past weekend i made a little baby hat. it is the cutes thing! my next attempt will be a cotton one for the summer time babies. same pattern same hooks (H,G) cut the numbers in the pattern in half.

Wow! did not know this would be so hard

this is after several take downs and I still ended up taking this down. the brim was flat on my face. You see how it is laying flat on the ball. I believe I need to do two pieces and put and insert in the middle. I do not like the band. Not sure how to do the band to look like the one on the MJB hat. May just forego the band. I actually like the brim on the hat. never made one before. Did not really like brims. First time for everything. Back to the drawing board.

I told you I was creative

I went from a bag to a hat. Next time I want to try a sport weight or a lighter weight worsted like simply soft and see what I get next I have to make the baby's hat. My plan is to not inc to 80 and go from there. Leon says it is a female hat. I am going to make him a hat! have you noticed what I got for christmas? it is the best thing since bread! Not sure if I posted the pattern yet or not it is very easy too. http://www.rheatheylia.com/index.php?page=patterns&id=5

I have plans to use this pattern to make:

Cable Bag

Cable Neckwarmer

It is suppoed to be a hat but it looks more like a bag

as i said in previous post next time i will use a smaller needle. But i did it does it count when it does not come out right? I was thinking of putting a ribbon through it and trying to wear it that way.

Beer Can Chicken

Over the holidays I decided to do something out of the ordinary. I made a beer can chicken. It was not for christmas or newyears but since i had to eat why not try something new. I injected the chinken with Ken's lemon pepper marinade and rub him in a seasoning salt and let it sit for a day. then i filled a tilt can with water and more seasoning salt and brushed him with oil and more seasoning (and i wondered why the skin was salty but Leon loved the skin) I cooked it slow for 3 hours and basted it every hour (that is why it so dark everytime i open the oven door it got darker).

It tasted great. Lesson learned do not baste in oil (I think that is why it got so black)
Only cook for two hours (the white meat was dry)
try with different marinades (loveed the lemon still would like to try more)
keep on injecting!

Side note I made this plate for my birthday my girlfrindes took me to mad platter.
What I learned from that
I had a great time making the plate
Plan out my plate much better ( I had a plan but it really didinot come out like i had plan next time make a sketch)
Learn a better way to put words on a plate
other than that I love the plate and the experience oh yeah next get a sitter.

I am not sure where I went wrong but...

My crochet cable hat is coming out way too big. Let me take you back. I was looking at Shamkea's blog and she posted about someone who made the hat on MJB album cover. I was browsing crafster.org and i cam across the crocheted cabled hat. I thouhgt i could make the reflections hat witht ecrocheted pattern no big deal. well that was two frogs ago. I had to start the hat over twice before i got the pic to the right. Which I am happy about because it is finally looking like the picture but it is oh so big. the pattern says use j hook . But now the lady who made hers made two and the secons one ahe used a smaller hook. So I will call this the trial hat (although it looks like a bag, which it very well may be). My other question is when does it start coming down? I could just be tired of the hat I have been working all day on it. Due to the determination not to fail. Well anyway let me go knit a blanket that oh so way overdue. Which reminds me to keep my mouth closed and not offer to make anything for anyonelse. I want to say I am in a selfish crafting phase of my life. When I first started all I wanted to do was craft for other hell that was all I did but now I don't want to craft for anyoneelse because it takes time away from what I could be crafting for myself. "Hi my name is Toni and I am a selfish crafter."

P.S. anyone know of a good pattern for a crochet brim?

Go me

I made a sheet! Not pefect but it does fit. I am working on a knitted bag but that is not new. Christmas was lovely. I got a palm centro. It is very cute! I also made some pillows (not stuffed yet) Next I have to get her comforter and make her some curtain toppers I will look up the pattern for that. Wish me luck!

this what I have so far

These are my attemps at the neck warmer thingys I posted about yesterday. the one on the right I made last night and the one on the left i was making a baby genius scarf and i became bored. have not touched this in a long time. A light came on last night. The neck warmer is like a short scarf. I had just the thing. The blue one (the one on the left) looks more like the one on crafster. I need to make the beige one longer. I don't have any buttons and it is christmas time so I will not be buying any. I have some eyehooks at home i will be using them.

What do you think about this

The author says it is a rectangle. I am thinking of chaining 23 (the first three should be the 1st st) and crochet til my desired length. The stitch looks like dc. The yarn looks like wool ease thick and quick. So I am going to give it a try. AC Moore is having a sale tomorrow with a 50% off coupon so if Wool ease thick and Quick is not on sale I can have it for $3! Oh yeah size N hook.

Machine Knit Kaiju

I made the smallest one. I cannot fit it myself. So I am making the largest size and i think it i will be too big. They knit up fast. I made the first one to see if I could make it. Now I have a belt to fit a waist os 22"-24". Who has a waist that size? it fits the baby.

Guess what I had the other day

A strawberry eggnog milkshake! I asked my baby did she want a regular or chocolate eggnog milkshake. Those are the ones I know they made. She said I want a strawberry egnog milkshake I was like I don't think they make those. But they did. It was good too! When it is watermelon milkshake time I will request a strawberry watermelon one!

Machine Knit Kaiju in the making

My yarn is not fancy just simple cotton/acrylic but it is cute. I made my swatch last night. I have a question though. Do I or don't I stretch it to measure it? Half is 1x1 rib and the other half is 2x2 rib. Once i get my measurments I am good to go! The pattern is fairly simple i do have another question about rehanging the side of the center pieces I am not sure what I am suppoed to be doing I am not sure if I rehang the entire side or just the purl stiches or what? That part is going to be totally trial and error. It takes a while to translate a handknit pattern to machine knit but no time to make it on the machine. My plan is to make christmas gifts. Realy not sure how to size it though just make them to fit me and if they don't fit I wll take them back! (Nah)

So Sad

I worked on this bag for like three days and i did it wrong. I was almost done with the center petal when i realized i was not doing the outer two petals. Now yesterday I was cussing I am better today. I have not picked up a needle or a hook since Sunday (that is when i noticed it) so I figure I am still a little bitter. I was supposed to be another madie this is the chart from the Damask pattern from Berrocco. I will make it just not right now.

Almost Finished

Ok so I have bound off. See I added the cutes little pin (thrift store find $.80). I am going to take down the red and black bag i posted about earlier. I do not lke the bottom of the bag. I am going to do my bottom like Ranea does. I like how seamless her base and body are. I think that will look much better with this type of patterned bag. I want a tote bag in this jazzy chic pattern and i beleive this will do it. But you know what my left thumb is hurting. How is my left thumb hurting i don't really use it like my right. Like I was telling raena it time to take a break. Sad. Why now? I have this hot bag idea in mind. Maybe do it a little at a time? Nah I should not push it. Just take this time to line some bags. And my sewing machine should be fixed soon. Then I can be a bit quicker on lining my bags! On a sad note my cream wrap is more yellow than the cream in my bag so they do not match. Boo Hoo. But i do have a black wrap but it needs a lot of tlc to get all the lint off.

New Madie

This is Madie number three. I needed a Jazzy chic (my name for the faux houndstooth pattern) Buttonhole bag for the pattern book so here she is. I would put my freak'em girl pattern in the book but it is a buttonhole bag. I amazed at how I am creating bags for the pattern book as I go. That really was not the plan. Maybe it should be called the Madie Book! this one will not have handles. I have not lined the last bag and I am not looking forward to line those handles holes. So I am saving myself the trouble on this one.

New bag

It is not lined i just finshed it yesterday. I made a boo boo but managed to to do enough correct rows on top and bottom to make it look like a design element. I am going to sew or crochet some sturdy rope to the handles to keep it from stretching. Because with my shopper i am wearing that handle out. I don't really want o put this patternin my e book because I made a mistake. I have a cream and black planned that one I may go in the ebook.

Since I am posting patterns

Shopper

By

ttd Creations

Using two strands of the yarn held together, CO 3st.
Knit
KFB, K1, KFB
Repeat these two rows until you have 30sts
Knit 20 garter ridges (40 rows)
Next row SSK, knit to the last 2 sts, K2tog
Next Row Knit
Next row SSK, knit to the last 2 sts, K2tog
Repeat these two rows until 3sts remain
Bind off 3 sts. The strip forms the bottom of the bag.

Starting at the center cast on edge pick up and knit all sts ending at the center bound off edge. Place marker. Starting at the center bond off edge (where you left off) Pick up and knit all sts ending at the center cast on edge (where you began) place a different color or type marker so that you are able to tell that this is the start of the round. Make sure you have picked up the same number of sts on both sides.

Knit until the bag is the desired length.

Handles: Next round Moss stitch x sts BO x sts, Moss stitch x sts SL marker Moss stitch x sts BO x sts, Moss stitch x sts.
Next round Moss stitch x sts CO (using the ‘backward loop’ or thumb method of casting on) x sts, Moss stitch x sts SL marker Moss stitch x sts CO x sts, Moss stitch x sts.

Knit 3 more rounds in moss stitch. Bind off all sts.

Line as you desire.

Madie Details

Materials: Wool two skeins (or what ever you like)

Needles: Size 15 circular

Gauge:

THE YARN IS DOUBLED THROUGHOUT THE PATTERN.

KFB: Knit into the front and back of the stitch, resulting in an increase of one stitch.
SSK: Slip 1 st purlwise, slip 1 st purlwise, then insert left needle into front of these two sts and k2tog.
Using two strands of the yarn held together, CO 3st.
Knit
KFB, K1, KFB (5sts)
Knit til piece is 10”
SSK knit to the last 2 sts K2tog (3sts)
Knit
Bind off 3 sts. The strip forms the bottom of the bag.

Starting at the center cast on edge pick up and knit all sts ending at the center bound off edge. Place marker. Starting at the center bond off edge (where you left off) Pick up and knit all sts ending at the center cast on edge (where you began) place a different color or type marker so that you are able to tell that this is the start of the round. Make sure you have picked up the same number of sts on both sides.

Knit until body is 10” long. Beginning of the next round start moss stitch pattern (K1, P1 around next row P where you K and K where you P). Work in pattern until entire piece is 12”.
Bind off.
Line as desired.

A Better Madie Introduction

I wanted to take a "Crimson and Purl" shot you know how everytime she make something she is out in the city taking pics of her projects in action so I had to follow suit. Hey imitation is the highest form of flattery.

I lined somethingelse

I lined my jumbo buttonhole bag. it needs to be shaved it looks kinda ratty. The stitching is not the best and the thread does not match but that is all right. I love the color it is my own version of a shopper. I have plans to line some more bags i have the fabric now just need the interfacing. I got an email about duplicate stiching i tried it before but it did not work so well I may have to give it another try. So i can jazz my bag up some. the bag is a buttonhole bag with modfications. Which have i made has not been a buttonhole with modifications.

Madie 2

this one is made out of red heart acrylic double stranded. I put handles on this one. I was going to line it but I did I not have enough purple fabric. the bottom is a bit pointy not sure how I am going to remdy that. It came out nice. I think I like it without the handles though. I should have done the whole bag in black and purple I like that. I am going to do a black poppi pin for this one. I like the name Madie.

A wonderful time was had

I have no pics of SAFF but I had great time! So much fiber and yarn i was inheaven and i have made up my mind that I am going to learn how to spin. The pic is of my Mdison clutch. I had to have it. Stayed up till 12:30, 1:00 Am finishing this bag. I even put a lining in it! now if that was not amazing. Now i have to make my gold or yellow perky poppi pin and attach a magnetic then i will be done done! Am i working on Madison clutch 2. I do need another name.

The Fall Must Have

of course this bag is $285 by Mimeki. Joan (on Girlfriends) rocks these in every episode! I am trying to make one now but i am trying to be fancy and do a mosstitch and it is taking me forever. I am about to go to the machine or hand knit with chunky yarn on the 15s. it is nothing but two sides and buttonhole handles. you can go in a round to make it quicker or straight stocking knit on the Machine. This is why i want the seed stitcher then i could have my moss stitch bag quicker! Oh and it converts to a quick tote depending on your mood ( websites words not mine).

The light came on!

I was browsing Ravelry for baby booties and i cam across debbie bliss garter sttich shoes and they were finished with a bow. The light came on! I can finish my slippers the same way. These poor things have been siting for the longest waiting on me to find the trim I could find find it. Iwas worried by time i found the trim the baby would be too big but no worries since i made them jumbo size.

my baby knit two rows!

She said she

wanted me to teach her how to knit so i did. She is a leo and stubborn as all get out. I am helping her she i am holding her hands to guide her she snatches her hands away and says i got it. Mind you she is four. But she really had the hang of it. if we keep at it I may have a four year old knitting buddy!