I Want My Crafts and Cheese Please!

Plarn Bag

2011-04-21T15:44:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't updated in a while, so here are a few pictures of what I've been working on!

This is a crocheted plarn bag, modeled by my lovely friend Brittnay. Sad to say, this was not a wholly original pattern! I mostly followed a pattern I found on a website somewhere...but I can't remember where. A step-by-step close to the instructions I used can be found here. It was simple enough to make, if you know some basic crochet stitches, but the most time consuming part was making the plarn itself. A great tutorial for making plarn is here.

Plarn bags are really neat for a few reasons. One is that they recycle plastic bags that you might get by the dozen when you go grocery shopping. Another reason they're cool is because they combine the normal durability of plastic bags and multiply it, due to the nature of crocheting/knitting. The plarn bag in the photo here is actually holding a thinkpad laptop with little to no strain on the strap! They're great for groceries, books, little thingamajigs, etc. Sometimes I hang mine on a doorknob with yarn inside, and use it to keep yarn from rolling all over the place when I knit or crochet. In any case, they're cool, and if you're interested in making them, you should experiment with different colors and patterns. :) I'd love to see some variations!

This is a random little doodad I made to spice up my desk a little. I took a plain plastic pencil holder (you can probably find one at Wal-Mart for a few dollars), wrapped it in tissue paper, put a rubber band around the whole thing, and cut the tissue paper standing up around the pencil holder into strips to create a kind of fringe-like pattern.

This is a forget-me-not-holder, as I have so creatively named it. It is made out of nearly all completely recycled materials. The base is the plastic top off of a Chinese take-out plate, the 'vase' is a glass bottle wrapped in some scrap paper that I thought was pretty, and the flower is made of a bent clothes hanger, spare scrap paper, and a toilet paper roll holding the petals in shape. All of it was put together with a bit of patience and hot glue. :)

I know that these projects aren't for everyone, and they're not really super sophisticated, but if you're bored one day and want to do something kind of unique with recycled materials, let me know what you come up with! :) I'll be updating every now and then with a few new projects.

Knitted Sackboy Toys

2010-05-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

This is actually an explanation of a project that I did about a week ago.

I used a pattern by the fabulous Alan Dart which he has been distributing for free that you can find at this link : http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00686/SKM49_2__proj_sackb_686954a.pdf

I've actually made two of these toys, one in white, and one in purple. While this project recommends using a zipper for the middle, I made the purple sackboy body with yarn to create a corseted look after stitching the sides of the body together.

This pattern is actually a bit more complicated than I'm used to, but it's more time consuming than difficult. Personally, I found putting the toy together the most fun. :) You can customize this toy pretty much however you like. It allows for a lot of creativity, and I'm planning on designing some clothing and hairstyles for them. :)

Here are some pictures of the purple sackboy that I made for a friend of mine. And if you're wondering, that's me in the picture with him.

Ribbed Slippers!!!

2010-05-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

My latest project has been to make a pair of stretchy ribbed slippers. I couldn't find any patterns that I really liked, so I decided to keep looking online. I found the greatest pattern here: http://www.blogster.com/nittineedles/ribbed-slippers-free-pattern#comment-xajp

This pattern is really easy to knit, simple to stitch together, and they are really cute. :) I decided to make mine out of a purple yarn, and instead of using yarn to make the bow which ties it all together, I decided to use a thin black ribbon.

These slippers also go back to a squarish shape, and can be folded up and thrown into a purse, which the pattern creator also points out. I highly recommend this pattern if you're looking for a quick knit that makes something practical and cute. You can even alter the size of them, and the pattern creator also explains to you how to do that. :)

Here are some pictures of my new slippers. :)

Knitted Hanging Needle Holder

2010-05-10T22:35:00.000-07:00

Alright! This is my first post, so let me introduce myself . My name is Kristen, I'm a college student, and I picked up knitting a few months ago. I'm not a complete beginner, but I'm most definitely not an expert (yet), so this blog is kind of an account of my journey through learning how to knit all sorts of fun things. Anyway, back to the topic of this post.

I have been wanting to make knitting needle covers for a while, however, all the patterns I found were either machine sewn, or simply not to my taste. After several hours of searching, I decided that I was going to design my own knitted needle covers!!! Which, by the way, was easier said than done.

I wanted something simple that even knitters in their earliest stages of learning could do, so it's done in a simple stockinette stitch. It can be adapted however you like - I'm thinking of doing several to practice intarsia and patterning. It doesn't require any sewing, so the only notions you'll need are a ruler (if you'd like).

I didn't do a gauge, but I will give you all the details I know (most are approximated).

Yarn Used - Bernat Camouflage Yarn (Worsted Weight?)
Needle Size - US Size 9

Step One - Cast on 15 sts.
Step Two - Knit one row.
Step Three - Purl one row.
Step Four - Repeat steps two and three until your work measures about an inch from both ends of the needles you are making covers for. (Ex. If your needles are 16 inches long, your work should measure 18 inches total)
Step Five - Bind off, sew in excess yarn.

- At this point, you should have a nice rectangular piece of knitting, that looks somewhat like a thin scarf. Because it is in stockinette stitch, the work will curl a little bit.

- On the wrong side, use a mattress stitch to sew the sides together. After sewing, flip the work halfway inside out. This should create two layers of knitting in a tube.

- Sew the inside layer's bottom together with a thick mattress stitch. Then sew the outside layer's bottom together with a thick mattress stitch. This has created a pouch about half the length of your needles.

- Next you can create a strap for your case. I decided to braid some yarn together, and double them back, then sewed them to the inside of the pouch.

AND VOILA! You have a hanging needle case! And you only had to use two stitches. :) I know that it isn't the most sophisticated design, but I'm sure you'll come up with all sorts of ideas to make it your own. I'm playing with the idea to create little knitted appliques, like flowers. :)

I will add pictures soon of my finished products. If you decide to make these needle covers, you can e-mail me pictures of your work at kristen@snowdeals.com, and I may feature them on my blog. So, knit away!!!

~Kristen S.