First Craft Fair :)

I have been busy lately, building up my stock for my first craft fair. It took place on Labor Day weekend at Edgewater Resort and Marina on Foster Lake. It rained all weekend.
I was extremely cold, but that just gave me a reason to show off one of my cool hand-knit scarves. It also helped me to sell a scarf, which I did not get a photo of.

This was the view across the lake from the booth. I did not have a canopy, but luckily the people running the event did have an extra. Unfortunately, I ended up sharing it with another crafter. It was a little crowded.
Here is a view of my table on one half of the booth.
My scarves and stuffed animals.

Necklaces

More jewelry

Purses

Check out the record bowls that my honey made.

I ended up breaking even on the cost of the booth and the gas to get there. I was just glad that I was able to break even, considering it was raining all weekend. I definitely want to do it again :)

Educating Esme

Today I read a book called Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher's First Year. I could not put it down. I even laughed out loud a few times while reading it. She was a lot more courageous than me in her first year of teaching, but the book did make me thankful for the teachers and principal I got to work with my first year of teaching. It was an inspiring book, and I recommend it to anyone.

Golf Club Cover

I've been waiting to post this because it was a surprise. My mom asked if I could knit her a cover for her putter. I wanted to make her one to match her golf clubs, but I didn't have the right yarn, so I decided to knit in the colors of her favorite football team, the Green Bay Packers. I found a pattern on Ravelry (there were actually a number of free patterns). The pattern called for duplicate stitching an initial on the cover. There were charts provided, but none of them worked for what I wanted to do, since I wanted the Packers' logo, so I charted the design myself. It was really quite easy. I printed the logo. I then taped the logo to a window and taped graph paper over it. With the light coming through the papers, I could easily trace the logo onto the graph paper and chart it. Here is the G. It was my first time doing duplicate stitch.
I completed the duplicate stitch while the golf club cover was still on the knitting needle (size 5, by the way), even though the pattern stated that you should pull the yarn through all the stitches and gather the top of the cover first. I thought it would be easier to do if the cover was lying flat, especially since I had never tried it before. Here is what the back looks like.

Another new thing for me was making a pom pom. There are many sites on the web that explain different easy ways to make a pom pom. I always thought that you had to cut out one of those cardboard donuts, but I found out that you don't. I just wrapped the yarn around a coaster a bunch of times. Then I carefully slid the yarn off the coaster and tied another piece of yarn around the middle of my yarn loop. This holds the center of the pom pom together and works well for attaching the pom pom to the finished project. Then I had to cut the ends of the yarn loop, fluff, and voila a pom pom. I'm not sure if that description made any sense at all. Some day, I will have to do it again and take pictures of the steps as I go. It's really big and floppy. I think it's very "golfy".
Finally, here is the completed golf club cover. I put a wooden spoon in it so it would stand up straight for the photo. Isn't it pretty??

Ocean Rose

I finally completed this necklace yesterday. It has two crocheted strands, two beaded strands, and a string of novelty yarn. I found the pendant at Goodwill and attached it with a coiled, beaded wire. Here is a closer picture:

And one without the flash, just for fun.

Market Bag is Complete :)

I finished the market bag on July 9, but I have been lazy about posting it. I really love it. I think it would make a great purse if it were lined and had a little closure added to it, but at the same time, I keep picturing a long baguette sticking out of it. Not sure how I will actually use it yet. The pattern is from Lion Brand's website. I used an H hook and Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn in Cornflower Blue. I think I want to put an edging in a different color around the handles, but I'm not sure yet. I have also been trying some new and exciting stuff, like fused plastic and duplicate stitch. I will post some pictures as soon as I have them.

Market Bag Update

Well, I have been making good progress on my market bag. Here is the body of the bag. Now all that is left is to crochet the handles.

Unfortunately, my supply of yarn has dwindled to this small little ball.
I was hoping that I would not have to tackle the untangling of the last part of the sweater. I started unraveling it in the dark and made a real mess of things. Note to self: playing with yarn around a campfire is not a good idea, for a number of reasons.
But I did it. I untangled that mess of yarn and now I have enough to complete the market bag.
I started the handle last night, and I love it so much, I might want to make it into a purse instead of a market bag. All it will take is some lining and a closure.

Arches Square

I completed the Arches square, the second April square for the afghan CAL. This square was really easy and quick to crochet. I am very happy with it.

Crocheted with Accord acrylic yarn and an I hook. Now onto May's squares. I think I should be caught up by the end of the summer :)

Waldo's Puzzle Complete!

Waldo's Puzzle square is complete. I finished it last night. It is crocheted in Accord acrylic yarn in three colors with an I hook. This one is definitely going to need some blocking, although since the yarn is acrylic, I am not sure how much it will help. I am happy with this square. Now to continue playing catch up and start the second April square.

Plarn Plans

A while ago, I got some large sheets of plastic tarping free on Craigslist. They had been used while the previous owners painted their house. I planned to make some plarn with the plastic and knit/crochet it to my heart's content. I also found a cool tutorial online about how to make fused plastic and use it as a fabric (I will have to look for it again and will post a link when I do). However, it needed some cleaning first. So yesterday, I cut the plastic into manageable sheets and scrubbed it clean. Then I hung it on my line to dry. It scared all the birds away :)
Now, I am trying to decide what the best way to cut it into knittable strips might be. Anyone got a suggestion or a link to a tute?

I've been working on a market bag. I decided that I would recycle some yarn in order to complete the project. The yarn was originally used in a vintage sweater that it was obvious that I was never going to wear. So, I unravelled the sweater and washed the yarn and here it is drying on my clothesline.....

And here is the yarn all rolled into usable balls.

Waldo's Puzzle

Well, I know that I am a little behind, but tonight I started my first April afghan square, Waldo's puzzle. If you are a Ravelry member, here is a link to the pattern. You can also find it on crochetpatterncentral.com. This square has four interlocked rings in the center. Here are the first two rings.
As you can see, the rings are interlocked as they are crocheted. Here are the four rings completed.
So far I am loving the color combo. The outside of the square will be a variegated yarn that includes both the green and the red colors in it. I am looking forward to seeing the completed square.

Crochet mania

I haven't been posting very much lately because my internet is not very dependable right now, something I hope to remedy soon. Anyway, I have been in a crochet phase recently. I think it is because I am avoiding my sweater, and if I knit, I would have to work on the sweater :)

Anyway, I crocheted this hacky sack for my honey with embroidery floss and a really small crochet hook. I made up the pattern as I went and I think the size is pretty good.
I stuffed it with aquarium gravel, which gave it a really nice weight and feel.
Then I worked on the March Ravelry square for my afghan CAL. Ok, ok I am a little behind. Oh and by the way, I hate this square. It took me forever to get started. I kept making mistakes. I almost completely gave up, but made myself keep going. The square never actually looked square and now that it's finished, it doesn't sit flat. It's acrylic yarn, so blocking won't help much either. And the color combination is awful. I think I will use this square in the kitchen as a dishcloth :)
Finally, I have started a market bag as part of a CAL. Here is my progess so far, using Sugar and Cream cotton yarn and a size H hook. So far so good :)

Crocheted Necklace

I like working with the embroidery floss and the teeny tiny crochet hook so much that I decided to crochet some jewelry. The plan is a multi-strand necklace with a pendant that I found at my local Goodwill. First, I crocheted a blue strand: just a long chain with glass beads inserted.

I then chained some brown floss with multi-colored glass seed beads.

I decided to add some novelty yarn for fun. This blue matches the color scheme perfectly.

To these three strands, I will add some beaded strands. Then I will attach the pendant, a flower carved from shell. I can't wait til it is finished :)

Hacky Sack Turned Cat Toy

I have been away for awhile, mostly because my current internet connection is extremely unreliable. Anyway, here is one of my latest projects. I wanted to make a hacky sack for my honey. I found a pattern on Ravelry, grabbed my embroidery floss, bought a teeny tiny crochet hook and started working. Here is a pic of the sack in progress. This was about the point where I needed to start stuffing it.
However, I quickly noticed that the hacky sack I had crocheted was a lot tinier than the old hacky sack we have had for many years. The pattern is a little on the small side.
So, instead of stuffing it with beans or frogging the whole thing, I decided to stuff it with catnip and make it into a cat toy instead. My kitty cat loves it and has actually become an expert at kicking her new hacky sack :)
I have already started my next attempt at crocheting a hacky sack. This time I am creating my own pattern, and so far, it looks pretty good. Wish me luck :)

Progress on my Sweater

Well, I finally figured out the lace pattern of the sweater I am knitting and so, I am finally making progress on the sweater. I think it looks really pretty.

Here is a close-up of the pattern.

Blackwood Farm by Anne Rice

I am a huge fan of the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice and I really thought that I had read every one of the books. I even own a number of them. So, imagine my surprise when I discovered two Vampire Chronicles that I had not read at my local library. Of course, I immediately borrowed one.

It was not a disappointment. Blackwood Farm tells the story of a new vampire, Tarquinn Blackwood. He sees ghosts and has one spirit in particular who has followed him throughout his life as his double. Once Tarquinn became a vampire, however, this ghost became dangerous and started attacking him. This is a typical Anne Rice story. I you don't like her writing, I would not recommend it, but if you are a fan, then this is a great read. Lestat and the Mayfair witches both appear in the book, so it's helpful to be familiar with both the Vampire Chronicles and the Mayfair Witch books.

By the way, if you are interested in historical fiction, you might want to check out another book by Anne Rice, The Feast of All Saints. It is set in New Orleans and follows the story of a family of free blacks in the time of slavery. Not a vampire in sight, but a good book :)

Z is for Zen

I am not sure why it took me so long to post the final picture of the alphabet challenge, but here it is. My cute little Buddha beads.

Y is for Yarn

My crate of yarn. Yummy, yummy yarn :) The Jigsaw yarn in front was my prize for the Oddballs' sockapalooza. It's a really pretty sock yarn.

X is for X

W is for Washcloths

Knit in 100% cotton last summer.

V is for V-shaped Edging

I have been messing up the lace pattern of my sweater so much that I decided to practice the pattern by knitting a scrubbie. Here is a section of the edging. It's actually a very pretty pattern. And I seem to be very successful knitting it over 40 stitches. If only I could make it work over 200 :)

T and U

U is for Unfinished Objects (or UFOs as they are called in the knitting world.
This is just a small selection of my UFOs :)

T is for Tangled Strings.