9 months early or 3 months late?

If you made some Christmas items this week, would you think you were 9 months ahead of the game (having them ready to enjoy this December) or would you admit to being 3 months late in working on Christmas 2009 projects?

I am in the latter group. 

Oh well, these items (and more to come) will be brand new for the 2010 holiday season. The candy cane is made of jumbo red and white rick rack and a fine gauge wire. I don't know the number of the wire, but it is very easily shaped. After intertwining the two rick racks, I laid the wire over it and zig-zagged by machine over the wire. A drop of Fray Check on the cut edges of the rick rack and a tiny bow almost finish the project. I will be making more after I buy more rick rack and will decide whether to leave them as is, possibly to use on Christmas cards that I will deliver to neighbors, or to add a hanging loop for ornaments. They would also be cute on packages. Hmmmm, I wonder how this would look made up as hearts for next Valentine's day, maybe in pink and white or all pink or all red?

 

 The second project yesterday was a Christmas purse. The finished size on this is roughly 10" wide, 8" high and almost 4" deep. The interfacing that I used was a bit too stiff for my liking and the purse sat open like a bucket until I tucked the sides in along their seams and pressed them with an iron. I added a button and loop closure. The larger print fabric forms pockets all around the purse, but they aren't very roomy. I will  change that if I use this pattern again. I would also make the handles a little longer. I've gotten away from long should bag straps, but I still like the strap(s) to be long enough that I can hoist the purse up over my shoulder if I want to do so. This handle is 7" tall from the top edge of the purse. Ten inches would have be better but I didn't have enough of the strapping to do that.

 

A friend of mine has been completing unfinished and never started projects that have been aging in her stash. She is my inspiration and I hope to have a few more Christmas items done by the end of the week. I am working my way backward through my pile of things to sew. I hope there isn't a baby outfit cut out and waiting for Chuck or Billy at the very bottom...considering they are both in their 30s now!

Oh, but wait...just like Christmas 2010 will be here and no one will know the candy canes and purse were originally intended for Christmas 2009, soon another little boy will be in life and I don't think he will care if a pattern is 30 years old! Two weeks from this Friday is the Little Prince's due date! 

Craft tools: Knitting

I am very lucky that when we remodeled the house years ago, a former bedroom became a craft room. Considering I have always sewn, knitted, embroidered and painted, it is a wonder I had room to store all my supplies before the addition. We do not have a basement. I was very creative with where I would shove things before I had a room devoted to my projects and supplies.

This week I plan to write about my craft supplies. They mean as much to me as the tools in the garage mean to Bill and I am thankful he understands my need to create and the importance of good tools. I am beginning my craft story with my first love, knitting.

I did not photograph the bin of yarn that is partially buried in the closet, nor did I photograph the file drawer full of patterns taken from magazines or printed from the internet. I did take a shot of two drawers full of knitting needles, row counters, pom pom makers and crochet hooks.
The bag on the left was originally supposed to be for jewelry or lingerie. Ha! It holds packages of circular knitting needles. Not only do knitting needles come in different sizes necessary for the outcome of various projects, there are two basic lengths of straight needles, many lengths of circular ones, and also there are double pointed needles in various sizes and lengths. I can almost match Bill many different sockets to my multitude of knitting needles! The red quilted bag in the right drawer holds most of my straight needles. I have had that bag for over 30 years.

Most of my knitting books are on one shelf in the craft room. One entire wall is book shelves and I try to keep it organized but occasionally one craft encroaches on another.
My ball winder is in the box on that shelf, the swift is stored on top of the book shelf. This photo from the internet shows a swift on the right holding yarn that is being wound into a ball on the left.
One of the reasons I have always enjoyed knitting is that it is very portable. Unless the pattern requires intense concentration, I can knit in waiting rooms, while watching TV or talking to friends who are also knitting or doing a similar craft. I have a tote bag that goes with me to knitting sessions at a local yarn shop or when I visit my sister-in-law, also a knitter. This photo shows the current contents of that bag.
Starting at the upper left, the free-standing tool holder keeps my tape measure, pens, pins, stitch markers, tapestry needles, scissors and other necessities organized and easy to find in clear vinyl pockets. The yellow yarn is intended for a hat, the blue is sock yarn, the red will be socks also. The white yarn is a lace project that I will show when completed. I go back and forth between that and a few other ongoing projects. In front of the yarn is a package of DPNs. That stands for double pointed needles. I began knitting socks on them before I discovered knitting a sock on two circular needles. The sock in this photo is being done that way. It is my favorite way to make socks. Between the DPNs and the tape measure is a row counter that is made like a mini peg board. The black fabric in the lower left holds a set of Harmony knitting needles from KnitPicks. They were a Christmas gift from Bill last year. I love the feel of them in my hand and also how the yarn glides along them.

The only thing keeping me from looking like this lady is that we have cable TV and not rabbit ears.
When I first became active on message boards years ago, I chose the name KnitWit. I am still known by that name on many boards, but usually addressed by the nickname Knitty. These two graphics are the ones I use most often to identify myself. One bears a closer resemblance than the other, but I'll let you guess which one.


Thanks for visiting today. Tomorrow I will be back with jewelry making supplies.

Ahh, a little sunshine and warmer temps...

Numbers are relative, aren't they?

As someone who doesn't like cold weather, a high of 36 degrees is nothing to cheer about...unless you haven't seen 36 degrees in a month or two! The thermometer reached 40 in my part of Michigan yesterday. Bill was outside in a sweatshirt jacket. I'm not there yet, but I did have my coat unzipped and no gloves on. That felt almost naughty, almost naked!

Cold weather is moving back in on Wednesday but I will celebrate this brief respite by having my car washed. The salt and grime would leave you wondering about the color of my car. There will be much more snow, salt and grime before the season is over, but today is like a rainbow, a promise of what is to come.

The hint of spring was all the encouragement I needed to get out some Easter crafts that haven't been started yet. This was supposed to be a pillow, but with wired ears, I think it will make a better wall hanging. I stitched this during the Super Bowl game last night and hope to attach it to fabric for a wall hanging tonight. This pattern is called Can I Have This One? Hungry bunnies are hopeful too.