Off the shuttle: Tatted embellishments on christening outfit

Years ago, my mother's hobby was doll making and sewing outfits for the dolls. She used some of my early tatted edging as an embellishment. Now that I'm so much better at tatting, I decided to make new edgings. The light blue edgings are DMC size 20 and size 30. The darker blue on the bonnet is a vintage thread in size 70.

On the Needles: Knit Along Shawl

I bought this yarn from Warm 'n Fuzzy, the new yarn shop in Cary. It's "Crazy" from Stonehedge Fiber Mill. It's basically mill ends that are spun together in random order so no two skeins are alike. The pattern is a knit-along shawlette with directions given out from early August till Labor Day. So far, I've knitted all the clues and am waiting for the final set of directions. More about this project at https://www.facebook.com/groups/471591562853584/.

Off the Needles: Linen Market Bag

Here's another project that I got to the almost-finished stage and then put aside for a few years. The only things left to do were to sew up the sides and add the strap. Since the body of the bag had a tendency to skew, I blocked it before doing up the sides. The yarn is 100% linen in magenta (2 strands used throughout), and it blocked very nicely (despite the uneven appearance in the photo). The pattern is from Folk Bags: 20 Knitting Patterns and Tales from around the World by Vicki Square.

The body is mostly knitted mesh stitch and the top edge is a basketweave stitch. In the pattern the strap was yet another pattern, but I found it a bit too fiddly for my patience and did the strap in the basketweave stitch as well. A nice thing about the basketweave stitch is that it doesn't stretch much on the vertical so the strap won't have a tendency to "grow" and lengthen.

Off the Needles: Summer Cardigan

 

I started this sweater earlier this year and just finished sewing it together this weekend. The pattern is Jill Vosburg's  "Drifting Dreams Jacket" from Just One More Row. The yarn from my really old stash. It's Bucilla Caprice, a 100% pima cotton that I bought years ago at the Belk in downtown Raleigh. It's probably over 20 years since there was a Belk there that sold yarn. The original price for a 50 gram ball was $3, but I bought it at the markdown price of $0.50/ball...so this sweater cost me less than $3 in materials. And I got the two shell buttons I used on sale for $0.25. Truly an almost free project!

Off the Hook: Crocheted Bowl

I crocheted this bowl for my Recycled Fibers Projects demonstration at the 2012 Carolina Fiber Fest. I made it out of one of my daughter's t-shirts.

2 Days of displaying/demonstrating recycled fiber projects at the Carolina Fiber Fest

Photos from day 2 of Recycled Fiber Projects demo at the 2012 Carolina Fiber Fest. Exciting to meet lots of amazed and inspired fiber crafters who "get" the whole idea of repurposing materials. And got rid of 2 bags of pantyhose to a fellow crocheter and to a rug hooker.

Pantyhose rugs:

T-shirt yarn crocheted bowl, videotape clutch purse, and recycled sari silk bag:

New Skill: Hair Pin Lace

I attended the NC Regional Lacers Spring Lace Day in Chapel Hill on Saturday and took a class on hair pin lace. Above is the bookmark that I made in the class. After I got home, I made another using Cascade Yarn's "Copa" -- a 100% viscose yarn. This is a very slippery yarn, so although I used the same pattern for both bookmarks, this one came out looking a bit different.