futuregirl craft blog

Micro-Mini Sweater

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Not really a micro-mini sweater (nor a micro mini kilt ... of plaid). Peacock Sweater 2.0 is looking rad. I'm also loving the full-length, full-wall mirror in our apartment. So much better than taking pix in the bathroom.

Cotton Scarf Is Finished

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:00:00 GMT

This is the softest, squishiest cotton scarf ever. Just in time for summer in San Francisco (Sept/Oct) ... ha! No matter, it'll be chilly here soon enough.

There's "Busy" And Then There's "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead"

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:00:00 GMT

I had an inkling that last week was going to be busy, and that's part of the reason I planned "Macro Week" to fill in the void. I had no idea just HOW busy I was going to be. As the week was passing I kept groaning to myself, "WHY did I name the post "Macro Week - Monday?!" :)

Lesson learned: Don't promise a series of posts unless you have them written and scheduled to publish. Especially if the series is filler for when you're busy. Haha!

But even when life is at it's busiest, I'm pretty good at carving out tiny bits of crafting time, so even though I didn't have time to take and post a macro photo, I *did* have time to have crafty fun:

- I worked on the peacock sweater
- I finished the six-color spiral market bag
- I made the handles for my secret project
- I went craft store hopping with Ann (@Schliess81)
- I bought yarn for finger tubes (and a bunch of other goodies!)
- I finally got a library card.
- I checked out a book on macrame and a book on color knitting techniques
- I am *this close* to finishing Andrew's sumptuous garter stitch scarf
- I ordered fabric from Spoonflower on free swatch day

Oh, wow! That's a lot more than I thought I did. Awesome.

Sometimes it feels like I'm always in the middle of fifty-million projects and I never finish any. I've toyed with the idea of not starting any until I finish the one's I'm in the middle of. But it seems to me that having too many projects in the works at one time is actually a good thing because if I get frustrated or stuck, I can just stop and pick up something else. Then, when the time is right, I go back to the other project and solve the problem that stopped me from working on it.

This way I'm almost always SUPER EXCITED about what I'm working on. I never have to force myself to slog through a project because I have nothing else to work on. I *always* have *several* other things to work on ... and a list of a ba-zillion things that I haven't even started yet.

Macro Week - Monday

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:00:00 GMT

This week I'm going to try to get caught up with my full to bursting inbox. I thought about just not posting, but I settled instead on a week of eye candy ... with the comments turned off. Enjoy!

Peepshow

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Look what people made with my patterns ...

Megan made great use of colorful ready-made appliques on her Starling bag. And the multi-strand bow is just adorable. I was already blown away before I saw the next photo ...

Oh, there's nothing I don't love about this lining: pockets, bright fabric, PENCILS! But then I opened the next photo ....

Squeeeeeeeee! Secret rainbow bottom! Megan, you rock!

Rachel made this gorgeous gray Starling with pink felt and bead embellishments.

Don't you just love that lining?! Beautiful!

Kristin made these Mother/Daughter Starlings. The purple one with the amazing crochet flower is her daughter's. Kristin's has a smart crochet pocket on the front. Perfect for holding your cell phone. Great work!

Get all my hand sewing and crochet patterns on the free downloads page.

If you'd like to be featured in a future Peepshow, email me your project photo!

Stunt Crocheting: Six-Color Spiral

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:00:00 GMT

The other night I had an idea for a market bag. I scribbled down some notes before I fell asleep. I got a chance to try things out at craft night on Wednesday.

This is version number 4 ... and it won't be the last. I'm trying to find the right increase formula so the spiral stays flat.

Using My Own Tutorials

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Working on a handbag lining and following along with my own tutorial. Thank goodness I already figured out all the tricky bits. ;)

This is the first time I've used my sewing machine since our move back West. I had no idea how much (HOW MUCH) I missed sewing. I'm feeling super sappy about my sewing machine right now. If it were as cuddly as Neville, I'd sleep with it tucked in my arm tonight. Sweet sweet sewing machine, I less than three you.

Crafting In Public

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Wednesday, August 18th 5:30PM to 8:30PM at The Grove.

Tomorrow is the third Wednesday and that means Crafting In Public! The forecast calls for a bone chilling high of 62 degrees which means by the time we gather at 5:30 PM, it'll be even bone chilling-er ... and foggy ... and windy ... and that just makes it hard to craft outside.

With a quorum of two, since Steve is also a late-night tweeter, the decision has been made to meet at The Grove, which is right near Yerba Buena. I haven't had a chance to check with all the usual suspects, but I'm sure no one will complain. :)

Everyone is welcome! Just show up with your project and introduce yourself.

... In Which I Learn The Value Of Blocking

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:00:00 GMT

I've completely frogged the peacock sweater and started all over again. Meaning, for the five-bazillionth time. And somehow, I'm as excited as I was the first time.

This photo, from my last peacock sweater post, artfully showed off the kick ass sleeve I made, but I sneakily downplayed the mistakes that were becoming apparent in the rest of the sweater as I went along.

Namely, that the V-neck was becoming too deep and the back of the neck was half way to my shoulder blades. The issue is that the weight of the sweater was pulling the stitches down, stretching them out.

Here you can see the super-low dip in the back neck as well as the worst problem of all: the wide-set arm holes. The arrows show you how the armholes are half way down my biceps.

There are two separate problems.

There's more! Read the full post -->

Peepshow

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Look what people made with my patterns ...

Patricia made this Starling to be used as a diaper bag with a blanket to match. I'm a huge fan of random striping. What a beautiful set!

Shelley made this Starling for herself. She's already had a request to make one for her Mother. I love that velvety lining. So luxurious!

Hazreen from Malaysia made this Sigmund. I'm amazed at all the tiny perfect stitches along his tentacles. (^_^) Great job!

Get all my hand sewing and crochet patterns on the free downloads page.

If you'd like to be featured in a future Peepshow, email me your project photo!

Crafting Tonight

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Tonight I'll be at the American Craft Council show at Fort Mason. Etsy Labs and MOCFA have a booth where you can complete a small sewing projects or you can learn to knit from one of the fabulous (if I do say so myself) instructors.

The show is usually $12, but after 5 PM today, it's only $5 and includes our hands-on crafting area in addition to the rest of the show. It goes until 8 PM.

Awaiting Finger Tubes

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:00:00 GMT

These are man-sized gloves on my woman-sized hands. I've gotten as far as I can with the yarn I have left.

Here's the left glove. To get the ribbing the right tightness around the wrist and the hand big enough, I had to do some increases the first couple of rows.

There's more! Read the full post -->

Knit Cables

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:00:00 GMT

The other day I started thinking of cool things you could do with knit cables. I did some searches and I couldn't find what I had in my head. So I made a swatch.

I started with a normal 3x3 cable twist. Then I brought one of the cables to a point, which is the bit on the left. Not quite right.

When I tapered off the other bit of cable, the bit at the top, I paid more attention to which direction the stitches were pointing. I love the top one. Super point!

My second experiment, which was to have a stockinette field bordered by a cable edge didn't look like what i thought it would look like, but it has potential.

I need to learn more about increases and decreases before I can get these looking the way I want. Once I have a better idea about how this whole knitting thing works, I have some amazing cable kung fu to unleash!

This is where I chop the air as if I were doing karate ... or the robot.

Peepshow

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Look what people made with my patterns ...

Ravelry user Sugarmountain made this great Starling Handbag. Love the stripe effect of the variegated yarn.

This is the first Starling Apinpicha, a crocheter from Thailand. Great job!

Amanda made these amazing octopi! So beautiful!

Get all my hand sewing and crochet patterns on the free downloads page.

If you'd like to be featured in a future Peepshow, email me your project photo!

Super Secret Crochet Sneak Peek

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Proof that I still crochet. This is all I can show you without giving you super-secret security clearance. And a badge. Ooo, I want a security clearance badge.

Lot Of Knitting Learning Happening

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:00:00 GMT

I'm plowing ahead on the fingerless gloves. I figured out how to use my double pointed needles. I learned the tubular cast on from a Ysolda Teague you tube video for the ribbed cuff. I also learned the cable cast on from the Stitch and Bitch book for the top of the thumb hole (the orange stitch holder is the bottom of the thumb hole).

Don't get too attached to this glove, though, because I have to frog it back to the ribbing. I measured an existing glove and then left my schematics at home. At the cafe I remembered them as 2" of ribbing and 2" until the thumb hole ... but it was 2.5" for both.

Bright side: lots and lots of practice.

My First Renegade

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 15:00:00 GMT

It was a foggy day when I got there around noon. I sure do love a view of the Golden Gate Bridge when it's half-covered in fog. So magical.

I was stationed at the MOCFA booth in the very back on the loft helping people with a mini sewing project. I even taught one woman to knit. It was fun to sit up there and observe the action. I even had several friends stop by and say, "Hi!" which was nice. :)

I did venture down on the floor for a bit, and the whole reason I did was to find Cathy of California. I bought this flower loom from her years ago, and I wanted to introduce myself. She is super sweet!

Mending Pile - Scarf Enshortening

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:36:17 GMT

Andrew loves this scarf. It's too long, but he wears it anyway, which is a testament to just how much he loves it. For a long time (omg, it's been *years*) I've been saying, "I can make it shorter." But now that I can knit, I thought I'd actually tackle this project.

It was super easy to unravel the woven-in ends, undo the knot between colors, and take out a row to shorten the end.

There's more! Read the full post -->

Mending Pile - Neville

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:18:29 GMT

I've written about my sweet bear, Neville, before. It's weird to realize he's almost 12 years old. A couple months ago I pulled him by the arm and heard a seam pop. I thought it was his arm socket, but it was his arm seam. Thank goodness, because that's easy to fix.

This is how I sleep with Neville. I think this is called a sleeper hold. I know he looks like he's trying to escape, but he loves it.

Some quick work with a needle and thread fixed him right up. Seeing how thick this faux fur fabric is amazes me once again that a sewing machine could handle it.

See? Good as new.

Peepshow

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 22:09:40 GMT

Look what people made with my patterns ...

This beautiful Starling Handbag was made by karin @ made by k. If you follow that link you'll find a twin of the bag with a cross-body strap, which was made seamlessly and looks AWESOME.

Kelly posted this cute black Starling Handbag in her Ravelry account. I can't wait to see the fabric she picked to line it. :)

I found this octopus, named Sybolt, posted on Cut Out + Keep. I love the button eyes with the X and O stitching in the button holes.

Get all my hand sewing and crochet patterns on the free downloads page.

If you'd like to be featured in a future Peepshow, email me your project photo!

Crafting Meetup #2

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 06:10:39 GMT

On Wednesday we had our regular 3rd Wednesday of the month get together at Yerba Buena Park. We could only take about 30 minutes in the freezing cold wind before we all trekked over to Grove. What a great coffee shop!

Clockwise around the table: Alice (me), Steve, Rita, Mo, Kelly, and Ann, Bethany. (My apologies to Bethany for taking a blurry photo when it was my turn and then photoshopping blurry-her onto the awesome photo she took of the rest of us.)

I am so happy that we've found somewhere indoors as an alternative when the weather isn't great for being outside. And it's only a block away from the park, so it's super convenient ... and big ... and inviting.

Rita, Steve, and Ann were at last month's meeting, so they are totally OG now. Bethany and I are IRL friends from WAY back. I've hung out with Kelly, who knits amazing lace, a couple times at Craft Bar. And Mo just showed up out of the blue with a beautiful crocheted blanket to work on and made my night by saying he knew about the meet up because he reads my blog.

I*love* hanging out with people who are making stuff. I love our conversations about crochet hooks, ways to avoid wrist pain, projects we're hoping to work on, and general maker-nerd stuff. And this time, we had several quiet moments where we were all immersed in our projects. So cool.

So, if you're in area and think you might want to come MARK YOUR CALENDAR because the next one will be Wednesday, August 18th at 5:30. And, now that we have a place to move if the weather isn't good, I can see this going year round every 3rd Wednesday from now on. No. Matter. What.

Everyone is welcome! Especially you. I mean it. All of us are so nice. And if you don't already know how to knit or crochet and you want to learn, we'd be happy to teach you. Seriously.

Starling Handbag Video Crochet-A-Long - Episode 5

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:55:37 GMT

Episode 5 covers handles of the Starling Handbag.

Here are all of the Starling Crochet-A-Long videos.

Here is the foundation single crochet bridge tutorial.

This is the last video! Big thanks to karin @ madebyk for telling me about the video software (Movie Maker. Free!) that I used to edit together and add titles and music to this video. See what I mean about the sparkles in my theme song?

I also learned how to better make videos now that I can edit parts together and add transitions between bits so you can see fsc 1,2,3 (nice fade) 23,24, 25. The actual recording time for this one was MUCH shorter. The software was super easy to use and made putting the whole thing together so fast.

Now I just need a camera that doesn't make me sound like I lisp. :)

Comment Changes

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:29:23 GMT

For those of you who consider coding and design a craft project ...

I had some fun changing my comments last night. There were a couple things I'd been meaning to do for a long time to make the comments easier for me to use and for all of us to read.

HERE IS WHAT THE COMMENTS USED TO LOOK LIKE:

I'd differentiated my comments from reader comments and I'd threaded my replies (put them after the comment to which I'd replied). But over all, I feel like this text is all a jumble and hard to read or quickly scan or quickly understand.

HERE IS THE NEW COMMENT STYLING:

(1) First big change is the outline around each comment. I feel like these are the "talking bubbles" of my comment conversation. So much better than the blocks of text in the before image.

(2) My whole comment is in a purple box. I'm taking a que from iHanna and her pink comment box.

(3) My reply comments say "futuregirl replied ... " Whew! That's been bugging me for a LONG time.

(4) I took the date out of the box and put it below on the right. I like having the date for context, but it's not an integral part of the conversation. The old way, where it was on a line between the name and comment text just cluttered everything up.

(5) A change you can't see, but is super helpful for me: When I'm logged in, each comment has a "reply" link that allows me to leave a threaded reply comment. Now, when I click the link, I automatically add the beginning reply text "YourCommentName ..." in the comment box. A little change, but a big help since I kept clicking the links to your blogs when I'd try to copy and paste your name.

And that's how I spent my craft time last night. I went to bed wishing I had more time to code for myself. :)

Craft Supply Storage

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 02:14:45 GMT

I love to modify and enhance packaging to reuse it. I haven't shared many of my construction mods here, but trust me, I'm a whiz with thin cardboard, invisible tape, and binder clips. But the absolute best is when you can reuse packaging without any mods at all.

These bulk salad containers are one of those things. They are boxy, spacious, see-through, and stackable. Perfect for stash storage!

I keep things that I access a lot, like crafting tools, in more sturdy boxes (the ones on the left with the clamp-on lids), but for yarn I'm hoarding, these salad boxes (on the right) are great.

They are also good for holding the supplies I'm using for a project. I recently worked on a super-colorful project that involved lots of skiens of yarn. I tucked them all in one box. It made it easy to move around the apartment with me AND kept all the yarn tangle-free.

I'm also thinking of using the boxes for my WIPs instead of the gallon ziplocs I used to use. The ziplocs just become a dog pile of "why aren't you working on me." Maybe the salad boxes will seem more like a smorgasbord of orderly crafting choices.

Peepshow

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 22:04:37 GMT

Look what people made with my patterns ...

Aubrey made this beautiful, monogrammed bag.

The lining is quilted. Imagine how much work *that* was.

I love the little peek of pink stitching on the dark lining fabric. And I had to include a close up of that slip stitched B. Gorgeous work!

Terhi from Finland made this Starling Handbag. I'm a big fan of simple horizontal stripes. I also own that great IKEA fabric she has in the background. Small world!

You can read the sweet story about this handbag on Unschcool Plus. Aren't those felt flowers gorgeous on the handspun yarn? It looks like a soft, luxurious handbag.

Get all my hand sewing and crochet patterns on the free downloads page.

If you'd like to be featured in a future Peepshow, email me your project photo!