I felted!

I am so excited. I've been workign forever on a bag design to felt. I've rstarted the thing like a hundred times. I finally finished up the peices last night. Sewed them together today and just pulled it out of the washing machine. It looks so purty!

One thing I will have to remember for next time, if I choose to use a pair of shoes to run through with the felting I'll need to make sure they are the same color as the yarn. I used a pairof brown shoes that needed some washing done and put them in with the bag. The bag is a charcoal color from Lamb's Pride. When I pulled it out, it had brown stuff mixed in with some of the fluff left on the bag. I've been scraping the brown stuff off, but it didn't really effect the outcome.

I also think that next time I'm going to do a straight garter stitch. At least for the handle. I did a stockinette stitch this time and forgot that I don't have blocking pins. The handle is rolling in on itself, but it actually looks pretty good. It just makes the handle look thicker instead of wider.

I think I found another new love. I've already got another design in the back of my head and am buying some lovely yarn from Knitpicks when I get paid next week.

Chantle asked if she could have my new bag. Uh, no. Maybe I'll make the next one for her.

I'm officially old

Yesterday was Chantel's 13th birthday. Gawd, I can't believe she's already a teenager. It seems like yesterday I was toting her around on my hip and changing her diapers. Time has flown so fast.

I'm so thankful that we are in a safe and secure place now that she's entering this stage of her life. She's been through so much, and I can't imagine what it would be like for her if we were still living in an abusive home. These next years are going to be had as it is, I don't even want to think about what it would do to her to see and hear the things she has before.

Becase she's 13 now, she also has to change day centers. She will now be going to one for adolescents. She's so funny about it. Last week she told me that now that she's going to be around teens, she is going to make sure she wears her bra everyday. Such a dork. She told her therapist it's also because she doesn't want to have boobs like her mom. Thanks.

I threw her a party yesterday. One of her aunts from her dads' side came, her half-brother and her cousins from my side of the family. Two of her friends from the neighborhood came. It was nice to not have a bunch of people. She ended up with $55 from friends and family. I told her that was her rent money for next month. She didn't think that was too funny.

Even though she's reached the teen years, she's still my Chanie. Today we went to Salem Center Mall, and she wanted to go to the Elephants Trunk and buy stuffed animals. So we did, and she spent all her money there. Well, all but five and that she spent on Orange Julius' for her and her brother.

It's just too hard to believe that we're in this stage of life already. It's going to be interesting to see what she throws at me now.

Anything goes, frogged again

I was working on my Anything Goes Blanket last night and I realized that the sides were curling in. Even with a 5st moss st border it wasn't keeping the blanket straight.

I frogged it last night and am going to start working on it again today. I hadn't realized how much yarn I had used until I was unraveling the blanket. I was hoping to have the blanket done this month, but now it looks like it won't be happening until March.

This totally bites and is exactly why I normally don't do afghans or blankets. So much time and my patience wears thin. Before I'm halfway done, I'm ready to put the project in hibernation no matter how simple the design.

I am boundd determined ot finish this one. It's like a quest, or more like an obstacle in a journey. I know I'll love it once it's done. I'm just so wonderful at shoving anything that is hard or time consuming aside and not finishing it. Kind of like what I do in life. it's too hard, too complicated don't want to deal with it, so I'll just ignore it.

Why is it that knitting always has to symbolize something to me? I think because it's easier for me to put my emotions onto the yarn and not have to face them in real life. Well this is one that I am going to complete even if it's just to prove that I can finish a long project!

Finishing

So I joined this group on Ravelry called February is for Finishing. It's all about finishing your UFOs that have been sitting there calling out your name to be completed. For me it's the ones I get so excited about starting and then they sit there. Either because I get bored with them or they just need to be sewn together.

Well I just realized that it's February. Granted it's still early in the month, hell it's only the 2nd, but I've already started getting this knot in the pit of my stomach. It's that whole, I think I bit off more than I can chew knot. The I'm never going to be able to do this thought.

What's really pathetic is I only have about four projects that I'm working on that need to be completed. A pair of socks, the rest of the bookmarks, a blanket and a pillow that needs to be stuffed. Actually, I just started another project the other night. A seamless bag that I plan on felting. So five altogether. It's not like I HAVE to complete them, well the bookmarks have to be completed this month. But I signed up for something and if don't get them all done I'll feel like a failure. Shouldn't but I will.

I'll have to keep track of how feel when I pick up each prject and how I feel when I finish. I think this will be interesting for me to keep note of. I'm a terrible procrastinator and have a tendency to be stubborn. Almost like I won't knit because I just know I'll fail so I'll wait til March to knit again :(

Maybe this will be another healing excercise for me. At the least ifI work hardand get the five projects done, I'll have some pretty cool new things to brag about :p

New blog for my designs

Seeings how I plan on writing down and then posting all of my designs or patterns that I needed to create a different blog just for them. I'll be moving the few that I have on this page over within the next couple of days.

The new blog site is queencknits.blogspot.com

I'll be posting any revisions, comments or updates on my designs there.

Check it out, I promise it will be worth it!

Moss stitch bookmark design

This is a very easy and basic design. These are great gifts. you can get up to 6 out of each skein of yarn.









Materials:

DMC Traditions Crochet Thread(size 10) Pastels
Aunt Lydia's Classic Crochet Cotton (size10) Cream
Aunt Lydia's Classic Crochet Cotton(size 10) Maroon.

Size 1 needles
Beads

Pattern:

You will hold and work with all three yarns at the same time. I find it easier to roll them all up into balls and keep them in separate bags. I use ziploc baggies that I can pinch shut and am able to leave enough space open for the yarn to pass through.

Cast on 1 st.

Row 1: K, bring yarn forward and p into 1st st, bring yarn to the back and k. You should now have 3 sts.

Row 2: K, p, k.

Row 3: K, bring yarn forward and p into first st; k, p; k, bring yarn forward p into last st. This will bring you up to 5 sts.

Row 4: *K1, p1.

Row 5: K, bring yarn forward and p into first st; *k1, p1 to last st; k bring yarn forward and p into first st. Now there should be 7 sts.

Row 6: *K1, p1

Row 7: K, bring yarn forward and p into first st, *k1, p1 to last st; k, bring yarn forward and p into first st. You should now have a total of 9 sts.

Row 8-desired length: *k1, p1

To decrease: K first st, p, slip first over second; *k1, p1 to last two sts; p, k slip purled st over last st. Brings you down to 7 sts.

Next row: *k1, p1

Continue decreasing until you have only 3 sts left. K first st, p slip first st over(you'll now have two sts, one on your right needle and one on your left); k slip first st over.

This leaves you with one st. Cut yarn leaving a 1" tail. Pull through last st. Secure by tying a knot at the top of your last st.

For my bookmarks I added beads at the end of the tails. You could add tassels or anything else. Now grab a good book and enjoy.

Seamless pom-pom bag revisions

Oh hell, who am I kidding. I have to redo the whole dang pattern. Lesson: Never think you can just write a pattern down after two years of not having done anything with it. Anyways, here's the Real Pattern!

Materials:
Red Heart Ltd. Super Saver Country Blue(a)
Red Heart Ltd. Super Saver Blue Jewel(b)
Red Heart Ltd. Super Saver Pale Blue(c)

Size 6(US) knitting needles
Size 6(US) Dpns
Row counter

Pattern:

With A, cast on 80 sts.

Row 1: K
Row 2 -47: Slip first st purlwise; *k, slip next stitch purlwise(sspw). You should end with a knit st.

Row 48-49: (This is the row you will add your new color to. You will follow the same pattern only now you will hold b and tack it into place with your k sts.) *Sspw; k.

Row 50-97: (On this row you will start knitting with b. The next 50 rows you will be using your seond color and can cut A. Leave enough to weave in, or use the same method as adding a color to tack the end into place)*Sspw; with B k.

Row 98-99: (These two rows are wher you will add C on. Follow pattern only now wyou will hold C behind your work and tack it into place with B). *Sspw; k.

Row 100-149: *Sspw; k.

Bind off. To bind this project off and leave an opening you will need to slip the first st onto one of the dpns. Knit next st and then slip the third st onto the dpn. K the fourth st(you should now have two sts on your right needle and two on the dpn.) Pass first st over second. Continue until you have 1 st leftnright needle and 40 on dpn. With right needle k first st off of dpn. Pass first st over second. Continue binding off until all sts have been worked. Cut yarn and pull through last st.

Flip bag inside out. Now you are ready to add the handle and pom-poms.
I-cord: Using dpns, cast on 5 sts. Knit those sts. Switch the needles in your hands without turning your work. Slide the sts to the other end of the needle in your left hand(the yarn should still be hanging from your left and not from your right). Knit these sts. Make sure to pull the yarn tight on e first st of every row so the fabric rolls in on itself. Keep doing this until you reach the length you want. Bind off.

Pom-poms: I used yarn from each of the colors in the bag to make multi-colored pom-poms. Thread A onto needle. Using pom-pom maker wrap yarn through and around the two circles. Coninue doing this alternating between the three colors until the center hole is filled. Cut through the loops all the way around the outside of the circles. Cut a piece of yarn about 8 inches and pull this between the two halves of the pom-pom maker. Make sure you wrap it tightly around the middle of the pom-pom. Tie a knot to keep it in place. Pull the rings off, fluff and trim your pom-pom to even the ends. Make 6.


Attach the pom-poms using the same yarn you used to tie it together. Using needle, thread yarn through needle and attach to bottom of bag. Weave ends in.

Attach i-cord to top of bag on sides where you bound off.