Noro Felted Bag

Made with Noro Kureyon, color 102. Just big enought to hold my wallet, cell phone, and keys.

Cell Phone Bags

These were all made from leftover yarn from other projects - once I got started, I couldn't stop! They are approximately 6" x 4" - just big enough to hold a cell phone, and maybe a credit card or some cash. They could also be used to hold a small camera, or when made a little bit longer, a pair of glasses. The short straps can be buttoned onto a belt loop, and the longer straps can be worn around the neck.
Blue and dark Green felted bags:
About 50 yards of bulky yarn 100% wool yarn (the blue bag was made with Lopi, and the green with Galway bulky)
Size 13 straight needles
Cast On 25 stiches on #13 straight needles.
Work in St. stitch (knit one row, purl one row) for about 8"
Bind Off 13 stitches.
Flap:
Work in St. stitch on remaining 12 stitches for about 3", then decrease on each side every other row twice. Bind Off.
Strap:
Pick Up 4 stitches on one side of bag and knit every row for aboutr 8-10"
(Longer if you want a shoulder strap). Bind off. Fold bottom half up to flap, and sew side seams.
Felt as usual. Cut slit in flap for buttonhole, and sew on button. Cut a slit in end of strap for buttonhole, and sew a button on the side of the bag.

Black and Rust colored "Incredible" Bags
About 50 yards of Lion Brand Incredible
Size 10 straight needles
Cast on 12 stitches.
Work in garter stitch (knit every row) for about 12"
Next Row: K1, SSK, K to last 3 stitches, K2tog, K1
Next Row: Purl Next Row: Knit Next Row: Pearl
Repeat these 4 rows once.
Next Row: (buttonhole row) BO the middle two stitches
Next Row: CO 2 stitches over BO stitches
Knit next row and then BO.
Fold in half and sew side seams.
Cut a piece of the Incredible the length you want the strap to be and thread onto a large-eyed needle. Secure one end to one side of the bag, and thread desired beads onto the yarn. Attach to the other side of the bag. Sew button to correspond with buttonhole.
The black bag has a readymade trip sewn on the to bottom. The rust color bag has fringe on the flap.

Brown Suede Cell Phone Bag
About 50 yards of Lion Brand suede
Size 8 straight needles
Size F crochet hook
CO 20 stitches. Work even in St. stitch for about 6" or desired length. End on WS.
Flap: BO 10 stitches, knit remaining 10 st.
Next Row: SSK, k to last 2 sts, K2 tog.
Next Row: Pearl
Repeat these two rows 3 times more. BO remaining stitches.
With crochet hook work one row of SC around flap. Ch2 and work 1 dc in each sc to center of flap, chain 3 for button loop, skip one sc, then work 1 dc in remaining sc.
Fasten off.
Fringe: Cut 5" strands of yarn, fold in half, and using crochet hook pull through each dc of flap.
Strap: Using crochet hook, make a chain the length you would like the strap to be - attach to each side of bag.
Lt. Green Felted bag with fur trim:
About 50 yards of worsted weight 100% wool yarn (I used Cascade 220)
Small amount of fun fur (I used Splash)
Size 10.5 straight needles
Size H crochet Hook
CO 36 stitches.
K in St.Stitch (K one row P one row) for about 8"
BO 18 stitches and knitin garter stitch on remaining 18 stitches for about 3"
Next Row: K1,SSK,K to last 3 st. K2tog, K1
Next Row: Knit
Repeat these two rows once. Bind Off. With crochet hook and fun fur, SC around flap. Sew side seams.
Strap: Pick Up four stitched on side of bag and knit in garter stitch for about 12" depending how long you want the strap to be after felting. BO
Felt as usual. After felting, cut slit in flap for buttonhole, and sew on button to correspond. Cut slit in end of strap, and sew button on side of bag.

Magic Ball Felted Bag

I made a 'magic ball' by winding small amounts of leftover wool (mostly Cascade and Galway) into a ball. I wound two strands of two different colors together to make it a bulky weight yarn. I cast on 18 stitches with size 13 circular needles, knit for 18 rows, picked up 9 stiches along the side, the 18 cast on rows, and 9 stiches along the other side and knit in the round until I ran out of yarn. (I forgot to measure, but I think it was about 12") Then I made a 4 stich I-cord using two strands of the pink yarn. It felted pretty quickly, and evenly in spite of the different yarns. It's about 8"x8". After felting, I cut slits in each side and pulled the i-cord through and knotted it. I also added a button on the inside, and cut a slit in the front to pull it through. It didn't come out quite as bright as I wanted it to, but was fun to make and put a dent in my leftover yarn stash. I'm going to try some more 'magic ball' projects.

Fiber Arts Festival

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My grandchildren are back from Disney with lots of stories to tell!

On Saturday I went to a Fiber Arts Fair at the Bangor Library. (I had never been there before - what a great library!) It was worth the trip up. There were not too many booths, but some very interesting ones. There was one on wet felting, which I really want to try. At another, Bob and Amy Nichols from Artfelt Creations in Brooks, ME, did needle felting. Bob makes really incredible needle felted sculptures - one was a sculpture of a man that was about three feet tall! The faces he sculpts are really amazing. There were a couple of spinners - one from purplefleece.com in Stockton Springs. I love watching people spin wool - it's mesmerizing! Another booth had fabric crocheted baskets and rugs - made from strips of fabric - also very interesting.
Today I tried felting some soap - that's right felting soap! You use carded wool that has not been spun into yarn yet, and you wrap it around the soap, then rub, rub, rub, until it felts and makes sort of a cocoon around the soap. You use it in the shower as sort of a combined wash clothe and soap. It is drying now - I'll post a picture when it is done.
I'm also still working on my project to use up leftover yarn (so I can buy more of course). I made a mini-tote bag today, which put a dent in the stash. I added some fun fur and ladder yarn to the wool - can't wait to felt it and see how it comes out.
Also finished up a LB Trellis triangle scarf for a special friend.
And....my grandchilden are back from Disney with lots of stories to tell:

Easter Baskets

I'm having fun using up my leftover felting wool to make felted Easter Baskets. For this one I used left over Cascade 220 and cast on 35 stitches. I knit back and forth for 35 rows (17 ridges), then picked up 17 stitches along the side, the 35 CO stitches, and 17 stiches on the other side and began knitting in the round, changing colors every 10 rows until it was about 12" tall. I made the handle from a 7ft. long 5 stitch I-cord, which I cut in thirds and braided after it was felted. After felting the basket, while it was still wet, I put an oval shaped box wrapped in a plastic in it so the bottom would dry in an oval shape. For the fur trim I CO three stitches with two strands of fun fur and knit a strip long enough to go around the basket. After the basket dried, I sewed the braided handle on and glued the fur piece around the top. This is the result. For my next one, I think I will knit the fur right into the last couple of rows of the bag, and maybe add some other bits of novelty yarn along with the wool. More Easter Baskets to come!

Lion Brand Suede mini-purse

This suede is fun to knit with. I like the looks of the bag - but it's pretty floppy. I think it needs to be lined with something to make it a bit stiffer.
It only took one ball of LB Suede. It's about 8 inches wide and 6 inches tall. The pattern is in Quick Knits With Today's Yarns

Happy Valentine's Day!

These are the Valentine's I gave to my class of 18 2nd graders. And, This was my Valentine gift to my DD. The mini-tote was made from leftover wool, and the socks from Knit Picks Parade. My grandchildren's gifts were green - money to spend at Disney, where they are spending their winter vacation week!

Caron Fabulous Scarf

I knit this scarf from a pattern on the back of the label in Caron Fabulous, Misty Violet colorway. It didn't even take one ball of the yarn, and was quick to make.
It's a birthday present for my SIL. I don't like working with the Caron ladder yarn as well as the Lion Brand, or the Eros. It's thinner and a little harder to work with. I think I like the result though.

Moonlight Mohair Bias Scarf

A ball of Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair, in Corol Reef, somehow found it's way into my shopping cart when I accidently wandered into the yarn isle in Walmart recently. It was so soft and pretty that I brought it home with me! This was a quick bias scarf pattern right on the back of the label. It goes well with my charcoal coat and is nice and soft around my neck.

Blizzard of 2006?

We haven't had much snow this winter - but that is all changing today. They are calling this the Blizzard of 2006. I don't know if it will live up to that reputation - we will see by tomorrow morning!
If it does, that's okay, because I finished another pair of socks to keep me warm! This pair was made with LB Magic Sripes. They went pretty fast on size three, 40" circular, using the magic loop method.

Nori Kureyon Fan & Feather Scarf

This was my first Noro project. I used Noro Kureyon, color 102. The pattern was an easy fan and feather from The Little Book of Scarves, and it was fun to watch the colors change. It's not as soft as I'd like it to be but I think it's pretty. In keeping with my goal to use up all of my leftover yarn I made a mini tote with some Galway and leftover Kureyon. I think it is so cute! I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it though - maybe a mini gift bag.

Fell off my yarn diet!

But I wasn't too bad. I just bought three skeins of Noro Kureyon, color 102. And...I had a gift certificate. I've been wanting to try it for a long time, and then read a lot about it on KR. Seems people either love it or hate it. I think I'm going to make a feather and fan scarf, and if I don't love it, I'll frog it and make a felted bag.

Felted knitting bag

Here is my finished 'stash buster' knitting bag, made from leftover yarn from other felting projects, that I am determined to use up. I have my current sock project in it - two needle socks that I'm knitting with wool-ease on size 5 needles. They are super simple, but of course the seams will need to be grafted, and I'm not so good at that!

Felted Slippers

I felted my slippers this morning. I did what the pattern suggested and after they were felted enough, I spun most of the water out of them, and then wore them over some socks to shape them to my foot. It worked really well, and I love the slippers.
I don't know how this would work if I was making them for a gift though! They were knit with one skein of Cascade 220,colorway 9440, which I received from my KR gift elf, using a pattern from the Knitty archives. I'm thinking needle felting some flowers on them- what do you think?

Socks for a Giant?

I just finished knitting up these giant socks. They are supposed to turn into slippers after they are felted. Stay tuned for the results!

I finished my third pair of socks - and wore them today! They feel so good - probably just because I know they are handknit - by me! I really needed them today too because we are finally having winter. It snowed all afternoon, and the roads were so bad by the time school was out that I practically crawled home!

2006 Goals, continued.

Another goal I have for 2006 is to use up some of my leftover yarn, before I buy any more new yarn. This is not an easy thing to do - especially with a gift certificate to my favorite LYS burning a hole in my wallet! I've made at least a half dozen of my version of the felted "Booga Bag" and have given them all away - so I decided to make myself one with the leftovers to use as a knitting bag for small projects. In fact, I think I will have enough for several from my leftovers. Most of the yarn is Cascade, Galway, and some Patons. It will be interesting to see how they felt when used together. I'm about half finished with this one - and here is my basket of leftover wool. Well - actuall, that's not all of it. I have some in plastic totes, and a basket of fun fur and novelty yarns. There are no full skeins, so it will be a challenge to come up with things to make to use it all up. Any ideas?

Then of course there are the usual goals: eat healthy, lose weight, get more exercise, etc. Does anyone know how many calories you burn when you knit? At least I can't knit and eat at the same time! Is knitting considered an exercise?

Goals for 2006

New Year's resolutions don't work - so I thought I would try some goals. The first was to learn to make socks - and I'm working on that. I just finished my 5th sock (that's two pairs plus one single). I love the colors and stripes in this new sock - it's from yarn that I found in my stash that I must have bought years ago. The labels were not on, so I don't know what kind it is, but I'm pretty sure I bought it at my LYS. It's a finer yarn than the Parade, probably fingering weight, but I still used the #3 needles, because they are the smallest size I have. I also started a baby sock with Parade in shades of blue - but have already frogged it three times - it's so tiny, I keep losing stitches. Here is the single sock I finished:

Another Pair of Socks

I finished another pair of socks! I know you are as excited as I am (LOL). Notice they don't quite match - one has a purple toe and one a gray - I did that on purpose of course!

Socks!

I finished my first pair of socks!!! Well - they are nothing to brag about, except to myself. There are lots of mistakes in them, but they look reasonably like socks and they fit, and a non knitter would never know the difference. I used the magic loop method and Knit Picks Parade, and loved it. Had no trouble turning the heel. My biggest problem was with the toe. I followed the directions for kitchenering them together, but they don't look right. I guess I need more practice. I cast on for another pair yesterday, and I'm already down to the heel. It's a little different pattern, but I'm still using Parade, and the magic loop. Here they are!