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Quick Crafty Round-Up

8-29-09

A very cool way to make a flip doll with legs from We Wilsons (link via Luv in the Mommyhood).

And over at Meet me at Mike’s, Pip has posted some great links: 25 Adorable Amigurumi Critters to Crochet and25 Super Cute Totes to Make (that’s my kid’s artwork tote pictured).

Print this handy Pocket Stitch Book from Cassi of The Crafty Crow for Sew, Mama, Sew.

Make this Table Runner from Betz White for Craft.

Pincushion from A Stitch in Dye (link via Whip Up).  And look, she has a new book available for pre-order.

Find some sandwich inspiration for your kid’s lunchbox from Funky Lunch (link via Craft Gossip).

Log Cabin washcloths from The Purl Bee.

Make it Do shows you how she made these school bags (she used my squirrel appliqué design that you can find here).

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Felted Bowls

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I did not make these, but my friend Trisha did.  Aren’t they beautiful?  She knits and then felts them.  She has about 100 more of these — not kidding.  I would say that she needs an Etsy shop, don’t you think?  My daughter helped me choose these colors to match a drawing that she made and I think they are lovely together.  Now, if my children would just stop wearing these bowls on their heads.

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Trisha also inspired my six-year-old to try knitting again.  She didn’t get too far today, but did do a row on her own.  We say “Needle Under.  Throw the yarn.  Pull it through.  Slip it off.  Tug (gently).”  I guess that I use the English method, although from what I gather it is less efficient.  Oh well.

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Knitted Blankets

I’m not much of a knitter. I started this blanket for my younger daughter about three years ago. The unfortunate thing is that I used #6 needles and cast on 200 stitches or something ridiculous. The blanket was left in an odd long rectangular shape, so I cast off, cut it in half (by sewing a zig-zag stitch over some bias tape before cutting) and made two blankets for the girls, backed with this Liberty of London fabric. My kids are three and five, but still sleep with their blankies, so here are two more. At least this project is done!

These turned out a bit wonky, so I’m definitely not one to give instructions on how to sew knitted material to cotton fabric. But there’s a nice blog post from the purl bee addressing the subject.

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Yarn Projects

I’m not a very good knitter. I can’t follow a pattern and I am still working on my three-year-old’s baby blanket! So now I’m planning to turn it into a stuffed animal. I’ve decided to knit some small projects and use up my yarn in other ways. I’ll be posting some projects in the next few weeks.

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Here is some trim that I made for a jumper. Just a few rows of knitting. I tacked it to the underside of the dress and then sewed it on so it would be secure and stay flat. I think I can wash this on delicate, but no dryer. I made this extra long, so I had to sew it with a wide and dense zig-zag stitch, and then I cut it. I was a little nervous about sewing the knitted yarn, but it worked really well. I am thinking of making a hair ribbon or headband with the rest.

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And here’s a jar that I wrapped with yarn. This was super fast and easy. I just used a glue gun to secure the beginning and the end on the back side. Would look great for vases of flowers or flower pots and I think it would be nice in multiples.

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Bamboo

I bought some bamboo yarn the other day, which was a new find for me. Is there anything that can’t be made from bamboo? Since my knitting projects are stacked up and moving slowly (still working on my three-year-old’s baby blanket), I try to stay away from yarn stores these days. I’d be interested to know how this yarn stands up over time and it looks like it might slip around a bit on the needles. I guess I need to get out my knitting needles.

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The image above is from Yarnlust over at Etsy and is a bamboo blend, which I suspect will hold up better. You can find a variety of colors in 100% bamboo here and it’s likely to be available at your local knit shop.

Anyway, since I was thinking about bamboo, here are some other bamboo finds:

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I saw these bamboo kids’ utensils on Cool Mom Picks a while back and keep meaning to order some for the kids. Available from Branch for $7. There’s a lot of other great bamboo stuff there, like these colorful bowls.

Bamboo fabric? It might be slippery to work with, but great possibilities for pajamas and baby things.

Bamboo clothes at Bamboosa.

And of course you can find bamboo sheets all over the place.