Still just weaving in the bazillion ends.  I've been resisting the urge to calculate how many ends there are.  I think it's best that I don't know.  Ever.

We've got handles!  We don't, however, have sunlight, so the picture is kinda crap.

OK, even though this post is late (meaning, not on Saturday) the pictures were actually taken on Saturday.  So, look  at the photo ... yes, you see that right ... I'm all done with the flowers and connectors!  Yay!!!!

This week didn't offer much craft time, but I did manage to fix my little misalignment.  I also finished up all the flower motifs.

As I was spreading out the flowers to take this picture, I noticed that they weren't lining up correctly at the bottom right ... and then I noticed the bottom left  ... oh, no ...

No mere case of gigantism is going to dissuade me from making worlds most adorable purse.

OMG ... you know how I love a long rambly post, right?  Stories and stories and stories.  But there's no time today, so you're getting the 411 bullet-list style.  My apologies.

I've started the flower purse from this book.  I'm using the smallest hook I dare with the worsted weight cotton, and it appears that the purse is going to be GIANT sized.  Since there's no people in the pictures in the book, I just made up in my head that the purse was smallish.  FAIL.

The Japanese crochet book I posted about has just about everyone flipping out to get it. And you really should, because it's awesome!

We went to New York last-last weekend (aka the weekend before this last one) for the first time since we got rid of the car.  Let me tell you, I love taking the train!  There's lots of leg room, big comfy seats, and crochet-time galore.  If it wasn't so expensive I'd take the train up every weekend just for the relaxing craft-time.

This is a mini-me doll I made for my boss' birthday.  He totally wears a green shirt that exact color with white pearl buttons and he sports a long black ponytail, too.  While he was in a meeting, we set up the cake and mini-me in his office to surprise him when he returned.  It was too much fun!

Testing out some of the patterns from my new Japanese crochet pattern book.

I've been fantasizing about owning this book since I first saw it in April.  I can't believe how patient I've been!  It's the sister-book to the crochet pattern book Alex sent me.  And now that I see it again (and it's mine-all-mine) it's even more beautiful than I remember.  I ordered it from Saucylouise on Etsy.

I've been missing crochet so much.  After making a whole handbag on Saturday, I didn't want to stop.  I decided to make one that could be lined with the awesome fabric Veronica sent me December 2007.

After getting the box o' yarny love from Shannon last weekend, I *had* to do some crocheting.  The package contained a wonderful variegated yarn that I really wanted to see as a handbag.  There was some major blue-pooling when I was doing the base which I wasn't loving.

Recently I sent a package of goodies to Diane of Crafty Pod.  One item was a custom-made wristlet.  I love making things knowing who they are for.  I'm able to put a little extra love into them.

So, I scrapped the peacock cardigan and dived back into the Icelandic Turtleneck.  The pattern has me all excited again.  I guess I just needed a little break from it.

This cute little ninja was made from a pattern in Creepy Cute Crochet, just like the monkey in a fez.  I made it for another a co-worker's birthday.  Instead of making a card* for the ninja, I had everyone write their birthday message on a 2"x3" piece of card stock.  Then I taped each one on a pin (the ones with the flat flower heads on them) and stuck the pin in the ninja.

OK, so I thought I could make a rectangle and put a button or something where my hand is and have the front just sort of  hang open, but that totally won't work and these pictures show you why.  In the side view, you can see that the front points of the rectangle point down and look stretched out .  The vertical lines of the pattern bend around from the back in an unflattering way:  along my back, they curve from top to bottom (looks good), but in the front they point down and back as if being wrapped around a bulging barrel (not so good).

I'm not sure why I've always been a little snobby about doilies.  Maybe it's the name, maybe it's the proper sitting room vibe, maybe I'm just a snob.

A while back I posted about starting a flower-themed granny square blanket ... and how I'd given up because there were too many ends to weave in ... and I was almost unanimously implored to keep going and just cover the ends as I changed colors.

Well, I didn't give the whole story in that post, so let's start at the beginning ...

Oh, yes!   There *is* something better than a monkey.  A monkey in a hat!

This post includes a review of Creepy Cute Crochet.

I got curious about crocheting the peacock pattern seamlessly.  It was actually much easier than I thought it would be.  I kept going and going and it kept being easy.  And now ... I have a fancy beginning for a water bottle holder. Ha!

I'm so excited to tell you about the article I wrote for Interweave Crochet's Summer Issue!  They have a reoccurring column called "Crochet Around Town" that focuses on the crafty/crochet/fun spots in a certain city.  In the last issue the illustrious Vickie Howell wrote a great piece about Austin.   I almost exploded when Interweave emailed me and asked me to write a tour of crafty Philadelphia.

Swatches and more swatches.

I was thinking a flower-inspired granny square blanket would be a fun on-the-go summer project ... and then I did a test square.  It's super adorable, but when I saw how many ends I'd have to weave in (6 per square!) I decided to scrap the idea.  It would have been cute, too.

This is a test swatch of a wave-and-shell looking pattern.  I experimented a little with just crocheting in the back loop on some of the rows.   I love the color combo.  It feels totally beachy to me.

In the space between putting on my shoes and leaving to see a movie this flower got attached to this bag.

These are so much fun (patterns from Crochet Patterns Book 300).  This is my favorite (foot for scale).  I remember my mom making a white crochet cotton thread table topper in a similar pineapple pattern.  I think it also looks a little peacocky, too.

When I started 2008 here on the craft blog, I was so excited.  If you were reading then, you probably remember my Here Comes Me post where I laid out my Craft Blog Mission Statement and my Creative Manifesto.  I saw a year brimming with crafty possibilities.  And while I tried to leave myself open to what the new year would bring (instead of imposing structure on it with a daily practice or some such thing), I *did* have some expectations, the *least* of which is that I'd continue to have lots of time for crafting.

I've been picking a different stitch to swatch from my new crochet stitch book when I have a spare minute here and there.  I'm really loving it.  Doing little swatches like this is like the equivalent of doing quick sketches.  It's wonderful practice.

[I provide links to the crochet stitch books I own]

Thank you, sweet Alex for sending me the perfect prop for making my own J-Horror movie.  Now all I need is a creepy theme song.

Thank you for all the *other* wonderful things in my package, too: the 300 crochet stitch book, the gusseted zip lock bags, and the beautiful photo of your owls.  I'm so lucky to have you as a friend.

This is the blanket I made for my sister, Nancy, and her husband when they married over seven years ago.  That sucker is huge!  I made it long enough to hang over both sides of their king-sized bed.  Thank you so much, Nanner, for taking the time to take these for me.  I know you're busy-busy-busy.

This is a commissioned wristlet I finished this week.  I was asked to make it the day before I got the flu ... and it's taken me almost 4 weeks to finish it.  Waaaaaay too long!

I'm still phlegm-y a lot of the time.  But at least I can sleep through the night without waking up coughing, and I'm not consuming a bag of cough drops everyday.  Well, it's about half a bag a day.

The title of this post is a quote from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  It came up in a search for 'rainbow' and it totally cracked me up.

The rainbow blanket is done and quickly getting buried under other projects on my ironing board, as many of you noticed from the last post. :)

Imagine me at 12 ...

I had my mom paint a huge rainbow coming out of a big fluffy cloud on the wall at the head of my bed. I spent my summer sitting on the front porch with my wood burning set. My favorite song was Come On Eileen so I taped it off the radio onto a cassette tape. I collected interesting rocks from the driveway and gave them names like "Aristotle."  I liked to sit on the floor of the library and surround myself with piles of out-dated home decorating books from the 60s and 70s.

I'm not 100% loving the actual Giant Floor Ball pattern, so I've been experimenting.

This is a little free-style stitching.  I really like most of it.  I wish I'd written down what I did.  Maybe I can reverse engineer it when the time comes.

I found the Giant Floor Ball book at the library (the bestest place on Earth).  I took the pattern and lots of yarn with me to get my car inspected, thinking I'd have all the time in the world to whip one out.  Well, it seems that when you remember to get your car inspected early in the month, then an inspection takes less than an hour.  That wasn't nearly enough time to finish this monster.

The Icelandic Turtleneck starts with a row of Foundation Double Crochet.  I had no idea what they were the first time I read the pattern, and it almost made me not want to make it.  Then I read about them in a crochet book by Doris Chan.  She seemed really excited about them.  Then I saw an article about them in the Spring 2007 issue of Interweave Crochet.

And now that I finally figured them out, I'm totally a convert!

On Saturday I noticed that Michael's was having a 30% off sale on ALL their yarn ... and it ended *on* Saturday.  Ack!  I high-tailed it over there, not really sure what I was going to pick up.

I like ruminating for months over what I want to do.  Seriously.  Then, once I work it all out in my head, I'll follow through.  Well, I knew I wanted to make the Icelandic Turtleneck from Crochet Me, but I hadn't quite figured out what yarn I wanted to use.

It's been brutally cold here this last week and the ear muffs aren't enough anymore.  Yesterday I made this hat to match my scarf.

It's made of baby alpaca that is brushed to look like mohair.  I crocheted in the granite stitch.  It's almost impossible to frog, so I crossed my fingers as I made it.  It's not tight at all, but I'm cool with that.  I won't get that red hat-line on my forehead.  It's super warm!

All day Andrew has been singing, "Getting to know you, getting to know all about you ... " and asking me where I'm visiting from.  If I go missing, send Coop to find me in the Black Lodge.

During Letterman the last couple of nights, I've been working on creating a pentagon pattern I like.  I'm almost there.

Last night I started stitching on them ... which I'm totally loving.  There are a lot of possibilities here!

The yarn I'm using are odds and ends that I keep in a ziploc bag.  It doesn't take much yarn to make a pentagon, which makes this a perfect project for using up left overs.

p.s. Try as I might, I never think of them as pentagons ... I want to call them hexagons!

On New Year's Eve, in between a delicious dinner out and watching the Ridley Scott commentary on the newest director's cut of Blade Runner, I whipped up this pentagon ball.  Par-tay!

There is only one pentagon (five-sided polygon) pattern in all my books, and it's too lacy to hold in stuffing, so I made this pattern up.  It still has too many holes, but it works as a proof-of-concept.

This would be an awesome kid's toy, or even a cat toy.  I'll see if I can come up with a better small pentagon granny square.  But the goal was to do a practice run for This Monster Ball (via Crafty Pod, scroll down).

The best part?  If you have a hole-free pentagon, then you don't have to weave in any ends.  I'll repeat: you don't have to weave in any ends!!!  You can just let them swim around on the inside.

Oh, crocheted pentagon ball, you might be the most perfect project ever ... (sigh)

All I could think about when I was making this blanket was the Neopolitan Coconut candies I would get as a child at the Pick-A-Mix station at the grocery store.  They are heaven!  I also liked the Jelly Nougats which look totally gross to me now.  Anyway, crocheting this blanket made me CRAVE candy.

The blanket is made of worsted weight cotton and is alternating rows of single and double crochet.  The single crochet gives some structure to the blanket and the double crochet makes it cuddly.

The top and bottom edge have an edging of *dc ch dc ch dc* all in one stitch and then a sc on either side.  The right and left edges are just single crochet.

I'll be mailing this blanket to Barakah Life on Monday.  I heard of this project via CraftyPod.  Khadija will be hand delivering the blankets she collects to expectant mothers in Africa.  The donation deadline is January 25th and she's accepting sewn, knitted, or crochet blankets.  That's plenty of time to make a baby blanket!

Using baby alpaca yarn is like crocheting with butter.  It's amazing!  My finished scarf is very fluffy and super warm.  Today we took a two hour walk in howling cold winds and my scarf was HOT when we get home.  Seriously, I take it off, and it's hot.  I love it.

I made everyone at Thanksgiving pet it.  And I'm going to make anyone who says word-one about it pet it, too.  I love making people pet my scarf.  What kind of weirdness is that?  "Feel how soft it is.  Really, touch it ... TOUCH IT!"

What was that?  Why yes, I usually wear my coat and scarf in the bathroom.  Why do you ask? ;)

I wish I'd come up with a WOW idea for the pattern, but I like what I came up with OK.  It matches the ear muffs I found yesterday really well (the houndstooth jobber in the top photo).  I was inspired by this scarf pattern to use a dual color granite stitch.  It's a very stretchy, cushiony, wonderful crochet stitch.  I used it on this headband and several other things, but I never thought to alternate colors.

Giveaway Alert

For those of you that love a good giveaway, head over to Funky Finds.  In the post titled "Deck the Halls" she's giving away Dallas Indie swag & a handmade Funky Finds ornament.  All you need to do is leave a comment.  Go ahead ... scoot on over there. :)

This blog-reader found me when she was Googling something (I didn't think to ask what), and emailed me to see if I would make her a handbag.  She was very specific.  She wanted Barb's handbag with black, pink, and white replacing the blues and ecru.  She even verified the dimensions, the presence of pockets, etc.  She is a detail-oriented woman after my own heart.

The resulting handbag is adorable.  I had to buy new fabric for the lining (HAD to ... really).  I couldn't decide between getting this print in white on black or black on white - so, I bought them both!  I used the black for the lining and the white for the pocket.

At first I didn't know why I loved this fabric so much, but when I got home I realized that it totally reminded me of the wonderful Japanese designs in Japanese Patterns, which Andrew bought me for my last birthday (over a year ago).

Do you see all those bookmarks?  That's only the right half ... there are more on the left half.  The plan is to embroider these designs.  I'd really love to tackle the dot designs in French knots.  But it might be another year before that project moves to the top of the list.

I was really excited that a crochet project of mine was included in the Anticraft  book.  I designed this lined crochet tote bag so it would be a canvas on which you could add your own personalized design.  I submitted two designs for the book.

The "I [Skull] Trouble Tote" is actually mentioned in the promotional blurb, which totally set me on fire when I noticed.  I included a chart for the whole alphabet with this design so that the saying could be personalized,  Everyone has something important to say on their tote, right? :)

The second design is the Apothecary Tote.  I was inspired by Victorian apothecary medicine bottles.  When I was adding this design to the tote using my graph paper chart, I miscounted the spaces and had to redo it 4 or 5 times.  It was driving me nuts!  But I really loved how it turned out.


While writing up the crochet instructions for the tote, I realized how hard it is to actually explain in words how I do the seamless crochet technique.  Supplementing this pattern is a lot of the reason I put my seamless crochet tutorial on the web.

I also plan on posting a tutorial showing how I hand sew my linings into my crochet bags.  Several people have asked about it, and it would be a good supplement for the book, as well.

I'm compelled to write tutorials because I HATE it when I get the instructions for a project and they blithely say things like "sew the lining into the tote."  HOW?!  It seriously drives me nuts when they give no hint or clue about the techniques they actually used to do it.  I don't want to be a part of THAT problem. :)

I spent about an hour standing in the craft store Saturday staring at a wall of yarn in the coolest muted tones and edgy colors ... a palette I would have murdered for (with my bare hands) years ago.  Seriously.  I'm especially impressed with the acrylic selection.  Vanna's Choice, Cotton Ease (which also has great labels), and Red Heart Soft are all being made in totally amazing colors.

Back in the 90s when I was crocheting ALL THE TIME, there wasn't a lot to choose from if you were making $10 an hour in San Francisco and wanted muted, edgy colors.  OK, there was *nothing* to choose from.  I used Red Heart Super Saver to make tons of blankets and hats because that's all I could afford.  Most were studies in eye-popping brightness.

There was one granny square blanket in particular that I made in variegated rainbow, bright purple, yellow, green, etc., that would make your eyes bleed.  I thought I was going to have to keep that one for myself, but one of my friends surprised me by asking for it when it was finished.

I did manage to make a tasteful blanket out of Red Heart for my little sister's wedding present.  I'm working on getting pictures of it to show you.  It's a king-sized blanket in black granny squares with pastel flower centers.  I worked on it for months, and I really loved how it turned out.  I don't have a picture because I made it before the days of digital cameras ... oh, how did we ever get along back then?

Eventually I started buying super soft TLC (which isn't so soft anymore ... apparently they changed manufacturers) and Caron's Simply Soft, but they were more expensive, so I could only afford to make throw blankets for people.

I even splurged on some Lion Brand Microspun for hats and scarves for Andrew and I when we first met.  The Microspun was worth every penny.  It's super soft and still hasn't pilled years later.  But, again, they make it in eye-popping bright colors.

I've always been pretty tight with my cash, sometimes out of necessity and sometimes out of habit.  I remember when Lion Brand came out with Homespun.  I seriously loved that yarn.  I couldn't afford it, but I would visit it at the store and pet the skeins.  I never did buy any, but I did send away for the color cards.

I also got the Red Heart color cards, as you see above.  I was holding out hope that they had cool colors that just weren't in the store.  No such luck.

It wasn't until I started making handbags in cotton that I worked with yarn that wasn't acrylic.  You know what's funny?  I never worked with anything but worsted weight yarn until recently, too.  I kinda felt like the thinner yarn was a scam to sell you less yarn for more money.

I've been learning a lot lately.  :)  There's a bunch of great info about yarn weights and hook sizes at Yarn Standards.  I also just discovered Yarndex where you can search for yarn by weight, fiber, etc.  On a recent craft shopping trip, I bought a skein of yarn (or crochet cotton) in every size they had, just so I'd have reference material at home.

I couldn't find any Super Fine #1 yarn at the craft store, but I picked up 5 skeins of this Light #3 yarn, Paton's Brilliant in Mocha, thinking I'd make the Five O'Clock Tank from Crochet Me with it.  I did a gauge swatch and I was so excited to find out it will work for the Icelandic Turtleneck!  Yay!

Unfortunately, they only had 5 skeins in this color (at half price!!) and I'll need about double that for the turtleneck.  I will probably end up just ordering a new lot from somewhere and taking back 4 of the skeins.  It's so amazingly cool!  I know it's super Disco, but I still love it.

The picture doesn't really capture it's yumminess.  The brown is pretty dark (not so red) and the glitter thread glints in copper, which you can kinda see in the blurry skeins behind the pile.

Before I discovered the Brilliant, I did some investigating and discovered Maizy yarn (corn and nylon).  I think it looks super nice.  Yarnmarket.com has a great close up of the color sea grey which shows that the yarn has tiny twisted colors in it.  I especially like the colors Kelp Grey, Sky Blue, or Bittersweet.  Have any of you touched this yarn?  I'm totally curious.

I did snag some yarn yesterday (which I'll tell you about later), but I actually *finished* a project, too.  Yay!

This is for AmberCake.  We agreed to swap over 8 months ago, setting it up for the fall.  We were both too busy then.  She's probably too busy now, too, since she's expecting!

I made longer straps at her request.  She also wanted a dark bottom and handles.  I think it frames the birdcage nicely.

I'm gonna keep what I'm getting from her a secret until I get them, to keep the pressure off Amber.  She's got way more important things to worry about.  I am SUPER excited, though, because she is making me the most wonderful knitted things E.V.E.R.

This is my side of the couch AFTER I sorta straightened things up.  Then there is everything draped all over my craft table.  I have a whole day to craft ... and you know what I really want to do?  Go buy some more yarn to start another project.  I probably won't even stop myself.

In other news, the alpaca yarn is classified as heavy worsted (what would that be ... #4.5?), so it totally won't work for the Icelandic Turtleneck, which calls for fingering weight yarn aka Super Fine #1.  Well, maybe it would work if I made an effort, but I tend to crochet-rip-crochet-rip the first time I make something and the fuzzy alpaca (it's brushed to look like mohair) is very hard to rip out because the fuzzies tangle together.  The alpaca is going to become the warmest, softest scarf ever.  You can see it just started on the floor there in gray.

The rainbow blankets and the pink blanket are all for donating to Tricot du Coeur.  The deadline is the end of March, so I have plenty of time.  They accept crochet, knitted, or quilted blankets, so if you have the inclination and the time to make something to warm an ill little one, get over there and sign up. :)

See the seamless crochet tutorial ... it points to this supplement.

I've been dreaming about making the Icelandic Cowl from the new Crochet Me book.  Kim has been blogging about her progress on her sweater, and it's just so darling.  I think it might be the perfect project for my birthday alpaca.

Last night I finally got on Amazon to order the Crochet Me book.  It wasn't expensive enough to get free shipping, so we added a couple other things to the cart.  We couldn't help but laugh when we actually saw everything in the cart together.  Bring da Ruckus!

Here is a bird wristlet in blue.  I usually use bright colors on the birds, because natural colors would look a little blah on the ecru yarn.  It was nice to make a little sparrow for Dawn.

And the ubiquitous inside shot.

This wristlet is for Elizabeth of Crafts of Destiny to give to a friend of hers who loves to play dominoes.  Her birthday was in July, so I decided to put seven spots on it.

Here is a close up of the top.  For both of these wristlets, I squared off the corners when I sewed in the lining. I really like how it looks ... although I like the loose, foldy look, too. Do you have a preference?

When the ever-inspirational Diane at Crafty Pod posted about making a washer & yarn pendant I was totally excited.  I already had a ton of washers in my craft supply stash because I used them as bases to weight my owl and bad egg stuffies.

Instead of wrapping the washer, I crocheted around it.  I could have made more stitches more to cover the sides of the washer, but I like the metal peeking out between the crochet cotton.

After the first row around the washer, I crocheted a row of [single crochet, chain one] in the top of the first row.  After I was done, I added the beads.

In the picture above, it is attached to a spool knit rope, which would work for a choker or longer necklace.  The washer's weight makes the crocheted washer a perfect pendant.  I think it would also work great as a large button, brooch, or (heavy) barrette.

Someday I'm going to make a trek over to the hardware store and search for other things I could crochet or sew around.  I bet there are a million-and-one awesome projects hiding in there!

The last couple days I've become a sneezing snot factory, culminating in fever of 99 degrees last night, which is super-high for me since I'm normally 97.6 degrees.  I say "culminating" as wishful thinking because I don't want to get any sicker ... please.

When I first start getting sick, I usually can't sleep.  Friday night, I tossed and turned for hours.  Around 4:30 AM, I got out of bed and went to the office/craft room.  I'd been vaguely thinking of making a crochet hook holder that I could hang on the wall next to my craft table.

I'd done a quick sketch of a horizontal thing, but for some reason, in my sick-haze, I decided to change the design to a vertical panel with diagonal pockets.  With zero planning, I steam rolled my way through and came up with this.

I'm pretty impressed that I was able to do this without my contacts in and (most likely) with a fever.  It was SO HARD.  It looks like it would be easy, but it was, like I said, SO HARD.

First, I cut all the little pockets, sewed the opening seam, then sewed them in a strip so the top of each one was off from the next by one inch.  That part was cake.  The SO HARD part was getting the 1.5" wide strips sewed to the background so they were 1" wide to make a pouch.

I can't find the right words to explain what I did, but it involved sewing individual pieces of 1" wide stabilizer behind each pocket and then sewing the thing the background in between each pocket.  Seriously, there were hours of trying out ways to get those pockets on there so they were pockets *and* straight.

I used all sorts of gifted and leftover fabric (recognize yours?).  The stitched dashed lines were sewn with floss from my box of floss ends.  The pink bias tape is vintage from my Green Kitchen stash.  I printed out the numbers on paper and sewed the little squares on the background.

There was no way in the world that I was going to embroider the numbers.  For one thing, I would have made a mistake.  For another, I don't actually own all these sizes, so it'll make things easy to change if I find other hooks outside of the 'accepted' size system.

I used the millimeter size to label them.  The whole letter/number thing gets on my nerves *and* it's different from manufacturer to manufacturer ... and sometimes different over the years within a manufacturer's line.

I really love how this came out, even with it's strange mistakes.  I plan on putting little notes in the pockets if I've stashed the hook away in one of my ziploc bag projects under the ironing board, so I know where to find it.  I'm also thinking there needs to be some embroidered title across the top, but that might have to wait until my next fever.

I did my duty and whipped up a crochet revolution armband in support of Crochet Me: article here, pattern here.  I can't resist a project that involves crochet *and* skulls.

Instead of the color work they suggest, I just cross stitched over the single crochet.  So much easier.  Except I didn't follow my own skull chart and mister skull's head is two squares wider than I planned.  Also, their pattern says the armband is 4 inches wide when laid flat.  Just so you know, mine is about 50% bigger than that.

Show your support of crochet and whip up an armband!  All it takes is twenty minutes and a little bit of green yarn.  Viva la revolución!

I made this cute little hat using the free pattern from Crafty Pants.  It was super quick to make, and I love it.  Jessica wrote great directions with lots of tips and reminders that help you through the process.

I made a couple of adjustments.  Either because I have a huge head or because I'm a tight crocheter (or both), I did not decrease for the band around the head, I left it at 60 stitches.  When it was 48 stitches, it sat perched on my head like a tiny chef's hat. :)  I considered ripping the whole thing out and making the hat part bigger so the 60 stitch band would be a decrease, but I think it looks fine the way it is, so I'm leaving it alone.  I also did the hat band in-the-round instead of back and forth.

I used my favorite reclaimed-from-a-sweater sequins to decorate the hat band.  I think of them as little ice crystals.  It was fun using someone else's pattern to make something.

More testing from the evil laboratory of futuregirl.

Tools:  Hot Water, Detergent (Free Clear Cheer)

Experiment 1 - I attached several samples of dark acrylic felt to some ecru cotton yarn.  I submerged it in hot, detergenty water for several hours (actually, I forgot about it all day).  None of them ran.  I think it's because the plastic fibers that make up the felt are made that color, not dyed.

Experiment 2 - I tied every color of cotton yarn I have to a swatch of ecru cotton. I submerged it in hot, detergenty water for several hours (actually, I forgot about this one all day, too).  The two red arrows above show the only visible bleeding while the yarn was still attached.  The bleeding wasn't very obvious.

Once I removed the yarn, the bleeding was a little more obvious.  The arrows above indicate the colors that bled: turquoise, hot pink, black, lime, and burgundy.

The lime was a big surprise.  The red didn't bleed at all, which was also a big surprise.

Conclusions - I don't need to worry about felt or yarn bleeding.

I think the minimal yarn bleeding was a result of the extended submersion in hot soapy water. My handbag is ecru and black with burgundy accents, and I see no sign of contact bleeding from normal washing.

I'm not just churning out overly-serious posts about lists over here ...

This handbag is ready to travel to it's final destination.  I added some leaves to the tulip label and whipped up a new one for Germany.  I love the little beer stein on the Germany label - it even has a hinged lid.  Just in time for Oktoberfest!

Here you can see the world map fabric Elizabeth picked out for the lining.

This special request handbag is for Marietta's sister.  Her only requirement was that it include at least one daisy.

I futzed around with daisy ideas before settling on these simple felt ones.  Crochet daisies just weren't "daisy enough" for me.  If you're interested in making your own felt daisies my daisy tutorial is available exclusively on Whip Up.

Whip Up's theme for this month is Simple Crafts. These daisies certainly fit that bill.  Whip Up is looking for article and tutorial submissions. Check out their submission guidelines.  Maybe there is something you could write up for them.

Once I figured out the daisies, I knew they'd only look right to me on a blue handbag ... daisies against the bright blue summer sky.  I put two daisies on each side of the bag.

I didn't think I'd have the right lining fabric in my stash ... but when I looked I rediscovered this great print.  How perfect is it?!

The Experiment
How does the acrylic felt I use stand up to washing in the washing machine?

What I knew
The cotton yarn I use comes through the washer great. I've washed my handbag lots and it comes out looking better every time.  I dry it about half-dry in the dryer on low and then air dry it the rest of the way.  But my handbag is all yarn.

I've seen two of my handbags with felt embellishments months after giving them away.  On both, the felt looked a little 'brushed,' but otherwise the felt and embroidery seemed to hold up well.  One had been washed in the washer and one hadn't.

The Test-ee
I sewed on several felt pieces, did a little embroidery (including French knots), and attached one seed bead. I made sure to use pieces of felt with sharp points on them.

The Test
Washed in the washing machine on normal in cold with Cheer Free detergent.

The Results
I couldn't tell the difference once it dried.  The sharp points of the felt were intact and, as you can see, everything looks exactly the same.  It seems to me, the 'brushed' effect felt gets is from daily use, not washing.  And, that is easily remedied by carefully trimming away the wispy bits if/when they appear.

Conclusion
I would feel foolhardy recommending that you toss one of my birdcage handbags into the washer without putting it in a lingerie bag and/or using the gentle cycle, but, I'm proud to say, it could probably handle the washer all on it's own.

I made this handbag for a previous co-worker.  She noticed that I made myself a handbag, and saw me crocheting all the time, so she asked if I'd make her one, too.  She took me out to lunch a million-and-one times in exchange - which was fine with me. :)

As you can see, I based the stripe and dash pattern on the fabric I chose as a lining.  I love the blues in the fabric.  I just happened to have just enough teal yarn left over from another project to use for this handbag.  Yay for stash-using.

I have a thing for stripes in a big way.  It's totally accidental.  I never think about it, I'm just drawn to them.  Years ago a friend pointed out that over half the shirts hanging in my closet had horizontal stripes on them ... I'd never noticed.

I didn't make a label for this handbag because I never told Barb about my craft blog.  In fact, I never told anyone at that job about it.  Is that weird?  Do any of you not-tell certain people about your craft-blog-self?

This easy-to-crochet bracelet is perfect for summer fun. The cotton thread is washable so you can wear it through all your outdoor adventures.

I've been experimenting with crochet cotton thread.  Here are just a few of the things-with-holes that I've strung up and crocheted into swatches.  Some things work better than others.

I've come up with a cute little crochet bracelet pattern that I want to post.  I need something to add to the free patterns page.  The clean/dirty dishwasher indicator looks so lonely over there.

I just noticed how perfectly this brooch matches my bag. Brown Pants sent it to me as part of her birthday giveaway.  Thanks again, Kristie!

I made this little shoulder bag for myself.  When we go on vacation or even just up to New York for the day, I like to bring a large tote to carry all the guide books, umbrellas, purchases, bottles of water, band aids™, etc.

Also inside the large tote is a small bag where I keep my wallet and other important stuff.  When we go into a store where I have to check my tote, then I can just pull out the little bag so I can still pay for my purchases.

I bought this fossil tote for our trip to San Francisco.  My New York tote is black, to hide the dirt, and I wanted something cheerier for the west coast.

I had big plans to make this little bag for the vacation, but I only got as far as crocheting it and cutting out the lining before we had to leave.  So sad.  Then, of course, I let it sit until we made plans to go to New York for The Fourth.  I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish it before we left.


I sized the bag so it would fit easily under my arm.  The zipper has little fabric tabs on either end, which you can hold onto while zippering it.  I should have made the zipper ends a little longer, though, because when the bag is fully opened, the zipper opening is smaller than the bag opening.

I lined the bag with the striped fabric Andrew bought me for my birthday last year.  It is perfect for so many reasons:  it's striped, it's got flowers in it, and it's just the right colors.

The bag has one fabric shoulder strap. I used some tiny rectangle rings as connectors.

There are a couple minor adjustments that need to be made, like the strap being too long, but overall, I love this little bag.  I would also recommend that you not use metal teeth zippers on a handbag, because they catch on your fingernails a lot.

The only big problem, is that the bag doesn't stand up on it's own. In Andrew's top photo, the bag looks crisp and smart, but what it looks like all the rest of the time is the photo above.

The other bags I've designed all magically stand up and keep a flat bottom (mostly).  I really like the structure and shape of my handbags and I was disappointed when this one became a lumpy bundle under my arm.

To fix this, I first thought I should reinforce it with all sorts of interfacing, but I'm starting to change my mind.  I'm liking the idea of working with the soft slouchiness of crochet and making a more organically shaped bag. I don't have the whole idea yet, but it's forming.

NOTE:  I just want you guys to know, whenever I link to books on Amazon (in my posts or my Library page), it's not an affiliate link.  I don't make any money if you click through or buy anything.*


The French post title (meaning "all is well") is doing double duty today.  First, it refers to my desire to become a wonderfully stylish French woman as I get older, just like Isabelle Hupert.  To this end, I crocheted this lacy scarf.  Although I will probably never have the poise or panache of Isabelle, I can feel like I do when I wear this scarf.

Second, the title is ironic, since I only had time to make this scarf because Andrew needed a filling replaced ... which snowballed into a crown ... which snowballed into a root canal.  I spent many hours crocheting in the waiting room while being assaulted by the local easy-listening rock station. I never again want to hear Walk Like An Egyptian.  Oh, what you do for love, right?

The scarf was made using an all-over pattern found in 220 More Crochet Stitches (it's stitch I.30).  I also own 300 Crochet Stitches**.  Both have been invaluable resources for me.  Almost every afghan I've made was just a huge pattern swatch from one of these books.  This pattern makes me think of an army of tiny spiders.

I've always wanted to do something with my tiny hooks, but doilies have never caught my fancy**.  When I got my big box of craft stuff from Green Kitchen, I was super-happy to find several balls of crochet cotton thread in there.

I really love working with the crochet cotton thread and a tiny hook. Going back to regular yarn is like moving from micro-point gel pens to jumbo sized crayons.  I really really want to make something else with this stuff.  I was going to make some more scarves, but I already love this one, so why make more?  Do you have any suggestions of cool stuff to make with crochet cotton thread?  I've put the kibosh on doilies, arm chair accouterments, doll blankets, collars**** , and the like ... what does that leave?  I might have to settle for snowflakes ... but I want something a little cooler than that (no pun intended).

The vintage crochet cotton thread is a little scratchy on my neck, but it's not terrible.  I'm thinking of getting some new-fangled crochet cotton thread just to see if it's softer.  I'd also like to do something with the scarf ends.  I don't want fringe, but I feel like the ends need something.

Our little photo shoot took place across the street from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where we went yesterday to see Japanese Masters of the Brush.  There is a great monument to something-or-other that is ringed with awesome sculptures.  There is a deer, a bear, an eagle, some scantily clad Native Americans, and this kick ass moose.  He isn't very French, but he has a certain "Je ne sais pas quoi*****."

FOOTNOTES:

*I think I'm just feeling a little weird about my Martha post and my Sock and Glove post.  I shouldn't though, because who would turn down swag?  Plus, I always tell you if I was given stuff (all two times) and what I write is honest.  I just don't want you guys to think I'm a shill.

**These two books were the initial free books I received when I misguidedly joined a craft book club in the mid 90's.  The kind where you get a couple books free and then you have to buy 5 more books over the course of the year.  "Misguided" because in the mid 90's there were about ZERO craft books that were interesting to me.  I ended up fulfilling my contract by purchasing such humdingers as Vanna's Afghans All Through the House.  Why, oh why, wasn't there cool crafting back then?!

***I also subscribed to all of the crochet magazines that were printed during the 90's.  I think there were three.  I made exactly ZERO things from those magazines.  The only crafty bright spot during that time period was Handcraft Illustrated which was a quarterly magazine.  Handcraft Illustrated was beautifully designed, skewed young, and contained stylish craft projects.  I remember being a charter subscriber and I was very sad when they went out of business.  Based on the articles I cut out and saved, I subscribed from about '97 to '99.

**** My Granma made me several crochet collars when I was in Middle School.  And I wore them.

**** French for, "I don't know what."  Dear French readers: please correct my French and translations if I'm wrong.  Merci!

Elizabeth, a wonderful web-friend, who blogs at Crafts of Destiny contacted me months ago (March, actually) because she wanted a handbag for her Mom's birthday in June.  She gave me a couple themes to choose from and asked me if I would like to design something.  The nautical theme captured my imagination right away.  After doing some google searches, I discovered that nautical flags actually stand for letters.  Part of me thought it'd be really cool to spell something out in nautical flags - like a secret message for sailors.  Another part of me thought I was out of my mind.  When I emailed Elizabeth about the idea, it was exactly what she already had in mind - perfect!

The flags spell "Margaret," which is Elizabeth's Mom's name.  I cross-stitched on 22count Hardanger (I didn't make the smallest possible X, but I liked the tighter weave of the 22-count fabric).  Originally, I wanted to use metallic gold where the light blue is, but the metallic floss was a bitch to use.  It pulled funny, broke apart, and was generally finicky.  It also didn't look as cool as I thought it would as the ground for the flags.

I made a simple felt square key chain to match.  Anchors are a great nautical image, and it was fun stitching this little one.

Now that I've become familiar with nautical flags, I'm seeing them everywhere.  Even though I only know the letters m-a-r-g-e-t, I can figure out words sometimes.  Last time we drove to the shore*, I realized the flags flying across the roof of the Atlantic City Convention Center spelled "Atlantic City."  I'm so smart! ;)

*In South Jersey (or the southern part of New Jersey, as everyone else would say), the beach is not the beach, it's the shore.  You even see this on the highway signs when driving south out of  New York.  There are all sorts of exits for "Shore Points,"  meaning cities along the coast.  I've lived a lot of different places in this country, and I always enjoy learning the colloquial language of an area.  It helps me feel at home.

Marci and I made our acquaintance when I made a comment on Craftlog and noticed someone else (Marci) made a comment at the exact same time.  I visited her blog and sent her an email asking about altered books.  Isn't it weird how you make connections on the web?

Since then Marci and I have swapped and even hung out a couple of times.  She recently bought a place in Brooklyn and I was trying to think of an appropriate house warming gift.  Lucky for me, she emailed me asking about commissioning a wristlet.

She had some cute ideas about what she might want so it would match her summer outfits.  She liked the striped purses and she wears a lot of teal and apple green.  I told her I loved her ideas and I'd get back to her.  What I didn't say was that I'd get back to her with a box. :)

The handle is spool knit with the same cotton yarn that I used for the wristlet (Have you seen this loveliness?!  I need to get some large-holed beads!).  For the label, I used Apple Green felt.

  The interior has a little money-and-card pocket, too.  I really like the way you get a peek at the fabric pattern above the zipper.  I didn't get a good picture of the top of the closed wristlet, but you can kind of see what I mean in these pictures.  (Bethany commented on the fabric peek-a-boo effect on this wristlet.)

This is my second fancy fabric tab zipper pull.  It's hard to see the detail because of the fabric's print, but I used a star-shaped eyelet and a jump ring to attach it to the zipper.  I LOVE putting eyelets in things.

As you can see, my wristlets only hold the essentials: phone, keys, money, ID, and credit cards.  I think I could probably sneak a lip gloss in there too.  You know, since I didn't tell Marci I was going to send her one, I was totally tempted to keep this baby for myself.

When I was younger I had a pen pal (maybe more than one ... I can't remember).   It was always fun to imagine people a world away who knew my name. I think I found them through some weird ad in the back of a magazine like Tiger Beat.  Anyway, Aranya is the modern equivalent of a pen pal.  Andrew and Aranya crossed paths on IM and they've kept in touch for years.

Aranya lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand and works as a nurse.  She is such a sweetheart.  I once complemented the plush dog-shaped purse she was wearing in a vacation photo and she sent me one of my very own.  There is a zipper along the spine, so all your stuff is like the dog's guts.  His little feet are hilarious, too.  OK, words don't do the purse justice, so here's a middle-of-the-night bathroom photo.  Even the strap is plush!

This year for her birthday, Andrew commissioned a wristlet.  He picked out the color and style, and I think it turned out way cute.  The fabric zipper pull was a brilliant suggestion from MaryBlanca, who purchased my second wristlet.  I sent her a key fob made of a fabric strap to match her wristlet.  She emailed me to let me know she'd attached it to the zipper.  Now why didn't I think of that?!  The brown zipper is the first thing I've used from my Green Kitchen stash.

Also included in her birthday package was the elephant I made for her in January 2006.  Oh, goodness, was it really that long ago?  I didn't include the monkey ... the google eyes are just too goofy. How funny are those early blog photos?  They're making my eyes hurt. :)

I've been focused on finishing up projects before the Philadelphia Film Festival starts on Thursday.  This year we're seeing more films than ever before, so there won't be much of anything going on* until after the 17th.

One of the things I finished is a wristlet that was commissioned in February.  I made a couple of changes from my original wristlet.  This one has the spool knit strap, a small pocket, and a new zipper installation technique.

The little pocket is just the right size for credit cards, business cards, and folded money.  I was a little worried about sewing the zipper in without enclosing it's fabric edges in fabric, but I think it actually creates a cleaner line, in this instance, to just sew the zipper directly to the fabric without all the folding.

Here you can see that the closed end of the zipper just curls into the wristlet.  I like the way that looks.  I tacked the end of the zipper with some stitches so the zipper head won't slip down into the wristlet.

I try to make every handbag (or wristlet) the best handbag I've made.  I like that I'm always improving.  But that means that earlier pieces might not have all the features current ones do.  I hope no one who has one of my handbags ever feels like they are missing out.  You know, your handbag was the best one I ever made up to that point. :)  


* I will get some crocheting done as I patiently sit in my seat waiting for our movies to start ... unless that's when I have to eat my dinner or catch up on my sleep.

I'm so happy with this recent set of completed handbags.  Aren't these close-ups adorable!?

The handbag above is mine, all mine.  I *love* this handbag.  If you make stuff (and if you are reading my blog, you probably do), I suggest you make one (of whatever it is that you make) for yourself.  It feels so good to spoil yourself the same way you like to spoil other people.

I'm not a handbag connoisseur.  I like having a cute purse, but I usually buy cheapies from Claire's or Target.  The only reason I made myself this bag is because my last one was starting to come apart.  It was just too ridiculous for me to buy another $15 purse when I freakin' make purses.

I modeled my handbag after the one I created for Bitter Betty.  Instead of the anatomical heart cameo, I decided on the three blood drips.  My concept here is Asian Horror Movie ... which is why the blood is dripping *up* the purse.  I left the drip ends open, like I did on BB's handbag. I like that the blood drips kind of resemble simple flowers.  I also like how they look a lot like this awesome Alexander Henry fabric that I'm seeing on everyone's blog.  I *must* get some of that fabric!

Not only is it nice to spoil yourself, but now that I'm carrying around one of the handbags I sell, I can see first hand how it performs in the real world, which is invaluable information.  You can see that the handles have stretched a little after weeks of use, but they still are in proportion - thank goodness.

I put a pocket in my purse that is split into a 4" pocket for my cell phone, a 3" pocket for my headset (I put lotion in it for the picture), and a 1" pocket to hold a pen. (Sorry Bethany, I didn't think of the pen thing for yours.)

Just for fun, I thought I'd show you what is in my purse.  Let's see ... my organizer, my wallet (with blue paint chip tucked in the front pocket because I liked that the color was named "Confidence"), lip gloss, sunscreen lip gloss for car trips, ear plugs for live shows (the purple things in their carrying case), cough drops, cinnamon Listerine strips, hand sanitizer, lotion, a pen, yarn scraps in a zip lock for fabric matching (sticking out of the organizer), tissues, mace, and spiked brass knuckles (on the left, under the keys).  You probably shouldn't sneak up on me if you recognize me on the street.

I've finished embellishing the birdcage and flower handbags that I'm making to send to Dustpan Alley.  Earlier this week, I finished embellishing the three teal bags.  Six of the nine "handmade by futuregirl" labels are done.  Next I need to cut, sew, and install the linings.

I've been working on the bags assembly line style: cut 8 flowers, sew flower details, attach stems, etc.  It's so much fun for me.  If I could make a living working on a factory assembly line, I would.  I actually did work on an assembly line for a while in college making gas filters on the graveyard shift.  It was very satisfying work.  It just doesn't pay diddly squat.

When I made my first small flower handbag,  I ad libbed the stems.  Afterwards, I made a chart of exactly how they looked.  Thank goodness I did!  It would have taken so much longer to do all the stems without it.  Tonight I added the chart of the three flower cluster I used on the medium and large handbag.