Finished Object Playful Messenger Purse

Yay for finishing something! I finished this purse about a week ago, but with the craziness of Thanksgiving we were seperated for a few days.



This purse is handknit (and a little crochet) with fun colors of wool yarn and then fulled to make the fabric sturdier and turn it into felt!
Here's a view of the inside and pocket.



This is the side.


This is my fancy strap. The strap is adjustable. I knit it a bit long so that it could be folded over to change the length. I made these adjusters out of wire and beads.



I will be selling this purse in my Etsy shop.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8137165

Soap Sock Pattern

My totally awesome soap sock pattern deserves to be out there for people to enjoy and make cute little soap socks!

I had some small bits of cotton yarn sitting around and I wanted a pattern that I could use those. This pattern is perfect for that. Even if you don’t have enough of one color for the body of the sock, you can easily make it have stripes.

This is a great project to learn how to make socks or a new sock technique, like magic loop. You don’t even have to make a second one if don’t want to so no worries about second sock syndrome.

Soapy is great for small pieces of handmade soap. It’s a washcloth that you put the soap into, and now its not so slippery.

SIZE
holds a 2.5 by 1 by 1 inch piece of soap

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Bottom of sock: 3 inchesHeal to top: 2.5 inches

MATERIALS
MC (green) and CC (light yellow) Sugar and Cream (cotton; 70.9g/2.5 oz per skein) or a cotton yarn of similar weight

1 #4 US circular needle of a long length

The finished soap sock is 13 grams

notions required
tapestry needles

GAUGE
19 sts/33 rows = 4" in stockinette stitch
Soapy itself isn’t even 4 inches and unless you’re knitting this for a specific bar of soap, the gauge doesn’t have to be exact.

This sock is knit toe up on one circular needle.

PATTERN

CO 8 sts using magic cast on (4 sts on each needle)

If you don't know how to do the magic cast on, check it out here:
http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/FEATmagiccaston.html

K around
K1, M1, K2, M1,K1 – Repeat on second needle
K around
K1, M1, K1, M1, K2, M1, K1, M1, K1 - Repeat on second needle (20 st so far)
K around
K1, M1, K1, M1, K6, M1, K1, M1, K1 - Repeat on second needle (28 st)
K two rows

Switch to MC
Work 12 rounds
Switch to CC

Short row heel

K across bottom of sock until 1 st remaining
turn and bring yarn to back, purl (This makes a YO or extra loop)
P normally until 1 st remaining on needle
turn and bring yarn to front, K1 making the YO
K across row until just before the ST with YO
turn, yarn to back and P, then P across row until just before the ST with YO

Continue making the shorter rows until 4 st remain in the middle
K4, K the next ST, turn the YO ST around so it faces the right way, K2TOG
turn, yarn to back and P like before across the row until the YO
P2tog through the back loop
turn, yarn to front, K across, now there are 2 YO’s, turn them around and K3TOG
turn, yarn to back, P across, P3TOG through the back loop

Continue until all the short row have been worked ending in a P3TOG

Switch to MC

Yarn to front, K across row, K2TOG (the YO and the 1st ST on the waiting needle)

K2, P, K3, P,K3, P, K2, K2TOG (last ST on the needle and the YO)
P, K3, P, K3, P, K3, P, K1

Continue the K3, P1 rib for 8 rows
K2, YO, K2TOG repeat 4 times
K1, YO, K2TOG repeat 4 times (8 YO’s total)

K 1 row
bind off

FINISHING

weave in ends

Make a braid about 14 inches long and thread it through the YO holes

Tie a knot at the ends of the braid.

by: Melissa at RainyDayArt

© 2007 RainyDayArt. All rights reserved. This pattern may not be sold, or posted to any website, or copied, without the written consent of the copyright owner. You may use it for your personal use and you may print it for your personal use.

Etsy Fast Truck Show Contest

Etsy Fast is having a contest to go along with the trunk show in New York. Check out the contest here http://etsyfast.blogspot.com/2007/11/find-flyer-etsyfast-trunk-show-contest.html

Search through the shops listed to find the flyers hidden in the listings. The prizes are a knitting bag, a scarf, and spinning kit, and a goody bag from Etsy Fast sellers.

Etsy Wish List

Did you know that you can share your Etsy favorites? You can easily use it to share your holiday wish list.

Just log in to Etsy, browse around, and when you see something you want just click on the “Add Item to Favorites” link on the right side of the page.

You can then share your list with anyone who asks. You can give them your etsy username http://username.etsy.com. If you don't have a shop there will still be a link to go to your favorites. Or you can go to your favorites page and copy the link at the top of your browser and then email it to people who want to know what's on your list.

Be sure to keep your list up to date. As things sell, it will say "SOLD" in your favorites.
You can also ask your friends and family to make lists to make your shopping easier.

Have fun. :)

Reasons to Buy Handmade

CozyCat over at Etsy came up with these great reasons to buy handmade that I wanted to share.

1. Handmade products are unique. Do you really want the same scarf, mug, earrings, necklace or other item that 20,000 other people have? Of course not! Handmade items are always unique, even if they are the same type of product because they are not made by machines they are crafted by human beings so each piece will have its’ own unique characteristics.

2. Handmade items have personality. Life is not about being blah. Life is about expressing yourself and to do that your things need to have as much personality as you do. If you are happy with buying mass produced items that have no personality off a shelf at Wal Mart think about what that says about you. Don’t you want to express some personality?

3. Handmade items are special. When you get a gift don’t you feel a little bit more loved when someone gives you a handmade gift? Everyone loves getting handmade gifts or wearing something that was made just for them.

4. Handmade items last longer. Because they are made from high quality materials and handcrafted by trained artists items that are handmade last longer than low quality imported mass produced items.

5. Handmade goods are high quality. If you are a person who values the quality of an item more than the price then you already know that handmade items are far superior to mass produced items. While a mass produced item may be cheaper initially is it really cheaper when the item needs to be replaced a month later? When quality matters, go handmade!

6. Handmade items are not made by children in sweatshops in Third World countries making 10 cents a day. Experienced and trained craftspeople make each handmade item. So while you might pay a few dollars more for a handmade item it’s because you are paying for quality, experience, talent, and craftsmanship. Isn’t that worth paying for?

7. When you buy handmade you are supporting traditional arts and crafts techniques that have passed down through generations. In today’s high tech world the old arts and crafts traditions are being replaced by mass production but when you buy handmade you are saying that you prefer your items to be high quality pieces of art instead of mass produced trinkets.

8. When you buy handmade you are supporting local and small businesses. By paying artists and craftspeople for their goods you are supporting them and all the businesses that they do business with. If you are a person who believes in supporting your community economically then buying from local artists is a great way to support your community and make sure that your money goes to support local businesses.

___________________________________________

I love to buy handmade. Many artists do custom work so you can get exactly what you're looking for. You know where your money is going, to support the artist.
Now I just need to sell some more so I can buy some more. :)

Double Knit

I finally finished knitting something, and its a 6in by 6.5in rectangle. It is twice as thick and reversable! I tried out some double knitting. I like how it looks but it takes a while. If you can knit and purl, you can do this. If you want to give it a try you just cast on twice as many stitches as you want it to be wide. As you go, you knit the front side stitches and purl the back. So its K1, P1 all the way. The main difference is that you bring both strands to the back when you knit and bring both to the front when you purl. So in my rectangle I knit all the green and purled the purple in the first row, when I turned it around for the second row, I knit all the purple and purled the green.

Fall Thing Craft Fair

Don't miss out! If you're in the Seattle area, check out the Fall Thing Craft Fair. That's where I'll be spending my day.
See pictures and a list of artists here:
www.prettyjewelrydesigns.com/craftfair.html

Bulky Yarn

I've been spinning a bit more than usual this week, trying to have a few more skeins for the Fall Thing Craft Fair this Saturday. I just finished this skein. It's a bulky one and I plied it on my new bulky flyer. I can fit sooo much on the large bobbin! :)
I took this picture right after I took it off my swift, before I set the twist.

Dragon Treasury

I made a treasury about dragons. :) Just seeing what dragon stuff was out there on Etsy and I found enough to make a treasury. The lavendar pendant in the 3rd row sold pretty quick. Its so nice that my treasuries have helped someone out. It ends friday, so there's still a little time left to visit it!

Blanket Update

I made a tag and attached it to my blanket. I wrote the words in marker and then sewed them with that pretty blue thread. I like how it turned out, but I don't know if I want to make the Blue Faced Leicester one this way. Here is some yarn I was working on today. This is before I plied it. It's now hanging to dry.

Treasury Time

I scored a treasury the other day and decided to have a fall theme. There are so many great things to choose from! I just love the orange colors here. The wrist warmers sold pretty quick too!

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged by CC Design. Here's how it works. I need to list 6 things about me and then tag 6 other bloggers.

1. My favorite color is purple.
2. My elbows bend farther than normal (past 180 degrees).
3. I really like ceramics and want a kiln.
4. I rock at connect four but haven't played it in a long time because no one wants to play with me.
5. I don't like getting flowers because it is sad when they die.
6. I want to go skiing.

Ages on Etsy

loosewirestudio over at etsy made this really neat graph
http://www.flickr.com/photos/loosewirestudio/1406464118/

Based on the ages posted in this forrum thread http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5238050
loosewirestudio graphed the responses. Check them out in that flickr link.

So far there are the most 27 year olds.

Works in Progress

The purple and green project is some double knitting I've been working on. I really like the resulting fabric, but it takes soooo long to do.

The scarf is one I'm working on to donate.

Etsy Shops Directory

I found this site today and its another way to search for things on Etsy. You can browse shops by category. Check it out, its pretty cool.

http://weloveetsy.com/shops/

I'm in the Fiber Arts/ Eclectic category.

Women's Equality Day

Today, August 26th, is Women's Equality Day.

On August 26th, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted women the right to vote. In addition to commemorating the passage of the 19th Amendment, Women's Equality Day emphasizes the continuing effort toward full equality.

http://www.nwhp.org/resourcecenter/equalityday.php

Here is an article about Bella Abzug who instituted Women's Equality Day in 1971.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/judi-jennings/womens-equality-day-aug_b_61780.html

"I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is; I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat."
-- Rebecca West 1913

I Totally Fixed My Bike!

This is my bike. I used to have a rockin green one, but it was stolen years ago.



I finally got my bike to my new place and pumped up the tires! That was enough of an adventure in itself, getting a pump, getting a bike rack, getting pliers to take the cap off, etc. When I went to ride it the front brake was rubbing on the wheel on one side. It turns out that when someone (not naming names) tried to take off the front wheel to put it in my trunk even though I was saying it won't fit, that someone didn't bother to put the wheel back on correctly. So the front wheel was crooked, causing the brake to rub.

This is the front axel of the bike. I took off the bolts, centered the wheel and put them back on.


This is the front brake. See the bolt on the right side? It controls how close the brakes are to the wheel and how tight the brakes are when you squeeze the handle. I adjusted that so the brakes are the right distance from the wheel.


This is the back brakes for comparison.

Top view of the back brakes.


I took it for a test ride today and it worked great! Wooo! I can ride my bike again!

Webcomics

I was doing some catchup with some of my favorite webcomics and thought I share them with you, plus it'll be convenient to have them in one place.

http://www.megatokyo.com/
http://www.thedreamlandchronicles.com/
http://www.seraph-inn.com/index.html
http://www.earthsongsaga.com/index.html
http://www.9thelsewhere.com/

Upcycled Bag

This is a purse I made out of plastic grocery bags. I ironed them together to form the "seams." It makes a thicker sturdier plastic.
This is great for anyone who likes recycling/upcycling or safeway. :p

Etsy at the Beach

I'm going to Etsy at the Beach in Lincoln City, Oregon on September 1st! There are lots of great Etsy sellers signed up so I hope you can make it! :)

It is at the Cultural Center in Lincoln City, OR 10am to 6pm

The Vase is Done :)

Here is the vase after I took it out of the washer. I think it turned out pretty good. :)

Knitting a Vase

I had this idea to knit a vase, obviously not one that you'd put fresh flowers with water in. It is art. It is a sculpture done in yarn. I thought there would be more patterns out there with all the excitment over fulling knits, but I didn't find any that I thought suited this project. So I bought some wool yarn, made my swatch (I needed to know how much it would shrink) and then started knitting.

The swatch shrunk about 1/4 in horizonataly and 1/2 in vertically for a 2 in section. If you can see the pink thread in the picture, they started 2 in apart.

Here it is on the needles. I added some stripes where I felt like it. :p

I really like magic loop. It's great for something that changes diameter like this.

Here it is in all its floppiness waiting to be fulled in the wash. I hope I like how it turns out. I have more ideas for unexpected knit sculptures.

Moonlit Garden Handspun Yarn

For my Moonlit Garden Yarn I started with these:

top left is my handdyed River Garden Roving, top right is some cotton yarn, bottom left is sparkly gold tinsel, and bottom right is shetland roving.


and spun them into this:

My Moonlit Garden Handspun Yarn! Starting with my River Garden handdyed wool roving I spun a thick and thin single. I spun another single with a cotton yarn, white shetland roving and gold sparkle tinsel and I plied those together.

This is an entry in the EtsyFast AugustChallenge.

ETSY FAST'S AUGUST CHALLENGE - CELESTIAL THEME:Fast stands for Fiber Arts Street Team. We work together to promote our fiber art and the Etsy site. Just for fun, we pick a challenge each month for all of us to be involved in. The August Challenge is anything celestial, suggested because we will have both a meteor shower and a total lunar eclipse this month. If you would like to enjoy our submissions Search either "etsyfast" or "augustchallenge".

KeysAndMemories

I keep finding such great things on Etsy. I got this ring from KeysAndMemories. She makes jewelery out of old typewriter keys. She has so many good pieces it was very hard to choose! I finally decided on this ring with a Back Space key on it.



I was pretty concerned about the size since I have such tiny hands, but this ring is adjustable plus KeysAndMemories made sure it would go small enough for me. I can wear it on my middle or index finger which is what I wanted. This was a great buying experience with a great Etsy seller.

Poster Challenge - Spinning Knitter's Dream

Etsy is having a poster challenge. Members can either make a treasury or a poster sketch (similar to a treasury but without all the waiting). The winning entries will be made into posters.
Here is my entry.


It has dreamy yarns and rovings in my favorite colors plus some interesting knitting and spinning tools!

Dyeing Roving

I dyed some roving in my River Garden colors too! Even with the amount of intentional felting that I've done I was very paranoid about accidentally felting it!
Here it is rinsing in the sink.



Here it is after it dried.




I have about 4 ounces here. I'm planning in spinning up a 2 oz skein and seeing how it goes from there.

River Garden- Handdyed Merino Yarn

Things seem to have calmed down just a little and I found time to dye some yarn.
Here it is rinsing in the sink.



And after it dried. :)



Here's the etsy link http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6478095
I posted this in the EtsyFast JulyChallenge. To see all the entries, just search for "etsyfast" and "julychallenge" on etsy.com .

This was very fun to dye. I started with the blue and added the other colors thinking of flowers.

Scored a Treasury

I decided to feature the fiber folks of etsyfast for this one. Some lovely things in some lovely colors. :)

I Was Featured in a Treasury

It's always exciting to see other people admiring your creations.
msutil put my tic tac toe coasters in her very first treasury. Thank you msutil for the feature and the warm fuzzies. :)

Product Testing

I'm planning on adding some more knitted items to my store, but the items I'm thinking of would need to get wet. So I'm testing out some cotton yarn to see how it works.


This is just a washcloth that I made today to test the yarn. If the test is successful I'll knit my idea.

An update on the crazy socks: Knitting from the other end of the ball was working very well for the toe. My gauge was good. Until I found a knot in the crazy gauged ball of yarn and because its two pieces of yarn just tied together it drastically changes color and yarn weight at that point. Now its more of a challenge to see if these socks can be completed, but its also tempting to make up another use for the yarn.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I saw the new Harry Potter movie on Friday night. I liked it, but it really seemed to fly by. There was a lot left out. I really would have liked to have seen the picture of Sirius's mother. Sirius was also a more prominent character in the book. I think having him in the movie more would have really emphasized how important he was to Harry.

The movie made me really want to read the books again. So now I'm reading the Half Blood Prince. I should be able to finish it pretty easily by the time the last book arrives at my door next week.

Aviation Treasury

I made an aviation themed treasury over at Etsy. I'm not the only one who has made things out of sectional charts.

I've really been meaning to post more often, hopefully I will soon when life calms down a bit.

Etsy People Who Accept Google Checkout

I said I wanted to make this list and here it is:

12fifteen
anodynedesign
aromaticbodyoils
cheapthreads
designsbycher
dragon06
emilini
FooberryIncense
glasshousejewelry
islandblossom
jessprkle
laurali
LAVENDERDRAGONHERBS
marshallarts
MermaidAndFriends
OririDracoDesign
PurpleKnits
RainyDayArt
redpanda
SpaTherapy
ThePaintedTiger
ThePeacockFeather
yatsu

First Treasury Ever!

I managed to get a treasury over at Etsy! It's pretty exciting. I think my time zone helped. :p

A treasury is a list with pictures of different items available on etsy. They can have different themes. This list is of items you can buy using Google Checkout. I'll be putting together a list of people who accept it for payment.



Before it expires you can check it out here http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=1651

Crazy Socks

So I started knitting some socks on one long circular needle. checked my gauge, did the figure 8 cast on and started knitting and increasing. Then I noticed that my socks were pretty different.


I know I checked my guage. I just didn't check each skein seperatly; they're supposed to be the same.

5 st/in vs. 6.5 st/in.... great...
I asked the nice people at knittinghelp.com about how to solve this problem. I got 1 response suggesting to start at a differnt spot in the skein and match up the colors as this yarn happens to vary in size. They're usually more talkative than that. Oh, well. I seem to be good at killing threads on any forrum. So I wound the skein on my ballwinder and tried the other end. This time using the magic cast on. I don't know why there is so much "magic" stuff in knitting. I used the magic cast on on magic loop and so far its convient and looks good, but isn't magic at all.
So the new toes are moving right along and now I'm trying to decide if I want ribbing on the top of these socks and what kind and wondering where the skein gets fat. Wish me luck, I really like these colors!

So, if you have some of this yarn

be careful, it might change gauge on you.