Two bags by Christina

I have poor pictures of two bags - one finished and one a work-in-progress (see how I copycat Cyndie!?). Anyway, the lighting isn't great, and the first bag is dark, so you're just getting a glimpse, but this is the one I made out of grey wool, with ribbony accents, and then I felted it and shaved it and added the snap. The bag was a pattern from my local craft store, but I adapted the handles from a bag called Sophie on MagKnits.com. Although it looks a bit small here, it's about 14 inches deep and 18 inches wide. I made the handles long so I could sling it across myself to carry it, thinking it would be a bag to take to the farmer's market, but it turns out it's my knitting bag, where I stash my work I'm taking on the go.

This bag was pricey, though, and I think my talents did not do justice to the expense of this wool. So, I've turned my meager talents to something a little more affordable, which may make you cringe. Yes, it's true - I'm now working with plastic. I got sick of all the grocery bags we accumulate, and yet when I try to re-use them they are often too flimsy. So, I found a few patterns online, and am adapting them to make a tote that I'll just store in the car for grocery shopping - you cut up the plastic bags in one long spiral (like you're peeling an apple) and then I'm crocheting with that to make a front (pictured), an identitical back, and then a four inch gusset that will run all the way around between front and back. We'll see what we see on this one - it reminds me of the breadbag rugs mom had - or at least I think that she did. Anyway, I thought that I woudl like the multicolor of this, but I have few multicolor bags, so I'm sticking mainly with it being white and beige. The beige color is from our Safeway, and when I crochet it up I think it looks passably like straw (see closeup) so if I make another of these, I might make it all out of Safeway bags for a uniform look. Anyway, fun to play.

two sweaters by Cyndie

So here are two sweaters, one old and one new.

The first is from a pattern in Stitch and Bitch Nation, by Debbie Stoller. Its called Lucky, and its knit in laceweight cotton yarn that I recycled from a thrift store sweater (a great way to get fun yarn for only a dollar or two!) . I knit it last summer, and it took forever, but I love it!

The second sweater is one that is still in progress...I am making up the pattern as I go along. The yarn is from knitpicks.com (a great website for high quality, lower priced yarn), and it is sport weight merino wool. The plan is for it to be a hooded, cabled cardigan that shuts with a zipper (requiring sewing skils that I don't really have...we'll see how it goes). So far I have the back and one side of the front done, and I am about two thirds done with the second front. If anyone has any suggestions for how the sleeves should look, please share! They are up next to be knitted, and I don't really have a plan for how they should look.

Baby Leggings by Christina

So, these are the leggings I posted about yesterday - I got them finished, and although they may look a little bit awkward in the leg, it had more to do with me having to get them to lie down on a slick surface than any design flaw. When laid out properly, I swear it doesn't appear that a baby would have to be oddly bowlegged or have two different length legs to wear these. It does seem like they'd have to have some pretty droopy drawers or really big diapers, but I hear that is all the rage with babies, so perhaps these will work. Anyway, they are from the book "Simple Knits for Cherished Babies" and the yarn is a mix from Frankfurt Ave called Cool Canyon. The only change I made on these is that I decided they shouldn't have built in feet (like footie pajamas) and so I made ribbing at the bottom of the pant legs instead. Otherwise, they more or less look like the pattern. I like them because they look a little like denim, but softer and maybe cuter.

So, that's one of my projects down - lots more fun things to go. Can't wait to see some of other people's crafts, too.

Christina's Works in Progress

I'm going to try to post pictures in the next few days, but to get the ball rolling I thought I'd just post what I'm working on now.

First, I'm almost finished knitting some baby drawstring leggings out of some blue yarn I got off ebay (frankfurt ave has cheap but pretty blends on there all the time).

I'm also trying to finish the bag that I knit out of grey wool and felted - I wanted to shave it to make it look nice, and to put a magnetic snap closure on. But, I'm scared of cutting the wool to put in the snap, and I can't find a sweater razor to shave the bag - so that one may be a couple of days.

I'm also starting work on a tatting a receiving blanket for Lucas (Vin's soon to be born son) and sewing an elephant to coordinate with it.

And, in food-related crafting, I'm making little egg cakes for an Easter dinner this weekend using Wilson oval baking pans - I'm thinking of experimenting with fondant, but I'm kind of scared of it.

How pie in the sky is all of this? Lord knows when it will all get done (by any deadline whatsoever) but I think most of us have a lot of things we'd like to be doing at the moment, so we'll just see what I end up getting done and when.

What are you all working on, or thinking about starting?