This is something that’s been finished for awhile, I’ve just never gotten around to blogging it. It’s a wood working project I made with a great deal of assistance from my roommate who is a professional wood worker and cabinet maker. I started with two sheets of plywood and worked on it for about 4 hours a week for a couple months. I basically drew out the design that I wanted, and my roommate helped me to tweak the details so that it would come out to be a nice, durable cabinet. It’s perfect for my fabric and sewing storage and holds just about everything. And it looks gorgeous.

I keep my ironing essentials and serger thread on top of it, as well as some inspirations (the octopus box was painted by my boyfriend)

On the top shelf, I have labeled photo boxes to hold notions such as zippers, ribbon and elastic.

The cube shelves were inspired by some Target furniture. I wrapped my fabric around comic book boards from here. This was inspired by this Craftster post.

The bottom shelves have fabric drawers from Target that hold scraps, on-going projects, and felt.

I’ve been spinning like crazy this past week, and I will hopefully have some yarn to show off next week.

I will start this post with something I learned on Ravelry - it’s pronounced klap-oh-tee, which is French for something like “little waves”. This pattern has become something of a legend. On Ravelry there are nearly 5,000 FO’s of this project. So now, I have joined the bandwagon by completing my very own Clapotis, and I can understand the appeal of this pattern now. It’s easy enough to work on while watching TV, yet it has enough design interest to keep it from getting too boring. It’s so fun to wear and instantly makes any outfit feel elegant.

Details:
Pattern: Clapotis from Fall 2004 Knitty
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cathay - 6 balls
Needles: US size 7
Mods: None, although going back I would add one pattern repeat to make it slightly longer. Or I might make it a bit wider.

In honor of this being my first completed shawl, I bought two shawl pins off of etsy.

This one I bought here:

And this one I bought here:

In other exciting news, I went to my first ever fiber-ish convention, Convergence. It was actually a weaving convention, so I went as a day attendee to check out all the vendors. There was so much awesome spinning stuff there. I’m not really into weaving (yet) so I mostly looked at fiber and wheels. There was some knitting yarn, which was lovely, but I didn’t buy any. I had an awesome time at the Ashford booth. I was looking at the spinning wheels, itching to try them but too shy to go for it, when this British lady sat me down and got me started. Within minutes, I was spinning! It’s easy and faster than spinning on a drop spindle. I was so tempted to buy a wheel, but after getting my serger a few weeks ago, I really can’t afford it now. Instead, I bought a new drop spindle from Ashford (which I love), a niddy noddy and some awesome fiber including Merino, Merino/Tencel and other wools.

Here’s the pics:

And here’s the awesome stuff I bought:

After that experience at the Ashford booth (and my new spindle) something clicked and now I’m able to spin much thinner and more consistently. I’m addicted.

So many things to blog about, but only a few will be in here. I’ve got several new FO’s (finished objects) and a pattern in the works for one of them, so look forward to that soon. Today, I want to focus on my newest toy: my first serger. I’ve been wanting one for years, but kept making excuses: it’s too expensive, I don’t have the room for it, I don’t sew seriously enough, yada yada yada. I finally gave in when circumstances worked out in the right way: yes, I’m not exactly rich, but I figure student loans should be used towards something “educational” and furthering my sewing abilities (and the possibility of actually making stuff to sell) seems educational to me. I have a room dedicated to my sewing and crafting, so that provides enough space. And lastly, I’ve been starting to sew more seriously and really want to start creating garments because I’ve been so frustrated with ready-to-wear clothes lately. Thus, I broke down and bought a serger. It’s a Huskylock 901. Not the cheapest type of serger, but certainly not the most expensive. I went with a brand that has a good reputation and with a model that was relatively simple with some good features. I’ve been playing with it a lot and I’m still trying to get the hand of thread tension. But I will conquer, (cue evil laughter).

Here’s some pics:

I’ve also done a bit of spinning recently. I got some merino roving from Fiberologie (which I blogged about recently) and decided to try my hand at plying. It’s actually not that hard, so now I’ve made my first plied yarn on a drop spindle. There’s a weaving conference in Tampa next week, Convergence, so I’m hoping to get some more roving there and maybe actually get to try a wheel!

Birthday knitting for kids is always fun, and this project was no exception. My nephew and my boyfriend’s nephew have birthdays very close to each other, and this year they both turned three. I decided to go with something other than a stuffed animal this time. And what little boy could possibly resist Alligator/ Dinosaur puppets? I made these in a cotton yarn because, living in Florida, these will be used as puppets much more than mittens. They were really fun to make and the construction was interesting. The outside of the mitten is knit first, then you knit the mouth flat and sew them together. It made for a lot of finishing, but it was totally worth it.

Details:
Pattern: Lator Gator Mittens from Stitch N Bitch Nation
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport (a worsted yarn probably would have been better, but this was what I already had)
2 skeins Grass
1 skein Cherry
Needles: US Size 6
Notes: Following the advice of fellow Ravelers would said that the pattern runs small, I knitted the child’s 6-8 size, which came out perfectly for three year old hands. They instantly put out the mitts when they opened them up and started “biting” everything they could find.

In EZ’s Knitter’s Almanac, May is the month for mittens and June is the month for hats. Her theory is that it’s better to get small winter things knitted before it actually gets cold, so that you’re prepared. If I’m lucky, I’ll get to wear these maybe two days out of the year here, but it was fun to make them none the less. (I’m sure my neighbors were entertained, seeing my wear wool mittens and hats in my backyard in 90 degree weather while I shot these photos).

May Mitered Mittens and June Ganomy Hat

These were so much fun. Both projects use miters to create shaping. The miters in the Ganomy hat help it to perfectly cover the ears. The mittens had an afterthought thumb. To make one, you knit until you’ve completed the body of the mitten. Then you try on the mitten, mark where you want the thumb to be, cut that stitch, unravel x amount of stitches on either side of that stitch, pick the live stitches up, and knit the thumb. It’s so easy and so fun.
I decided to make both of these in the same yarn so they would match. I’m working on a scarf to go with the set now.

Details:
Yarn: Patons SWS, natural navy, 3 balls, with a lot leftover
Needles: US 8, magic loop method
Time to knit: It was only a few days for each.

May also had a Norwegian mitten project. I tried, I really did, but they were coming out horrible, I didn’t like the yarn (Knit Picks Telemark) and they looked wonky, so to the frog pond they went. I might try them another day, with another yarn. I love the design.

Last, my June Maltese Fisherman’s hat. This got me excited for several reasons: it only took one day, I got to use my first handspun yarn and it just looks so dorky and cool at the same time. I decided to wear it inside out because I like the way the reverse stockinette looks in handspun.

Details:
Yarn: my handspun
Needles: US 10 1/2, magic loop method

Some may say that I cheated for the month of April. I’ve been following Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Knitter’s Almanac since January, making at least one of the projects for each month. I try to stay as true to the original project as possible if I make modifications. April’s project consisted of a mitered square blanket where all the squares were woven together at the end. I tried. I knit three squares, and I just wasn’t feeling it. They looked lumpy. The yarn was screaming at me to be knit in garter stitch and not stockinette. So, I ripped. Wanting to stick as close to what EZ intended, I found a pattern for a garter stitch blanket in the Opinionated Knitter. It’s made of four garter strips with short row corners which are sewn together. Then an applied i-cord border is added on. I was in love. I had to have this blanket. So… that was what I knit for my April project. The blanket is so warm and comfy and is the perfect size for sitting in my “knitting chair” and watching DVD’s.

Here’s the details:
Yarn: 9 skeins Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Bulky
Needles: Size 11 Knit Picks Options
Notes: This yarn sheds. A lot. I’ve used a lint roller on the finished project and that seems to be controlling it. But it will shed on you while you knit. Trust me.

I’ve finished up a lot of other projects lately, and those will be posted soon.

My boyfriend, Carlo, and I love to ride our vintage bikes. Since May was national bike month, he rode his bike to work with a co-worker a few days. He needed a bag that he could keep his work clothes in while he rode, but it had to buckle onto his bike so that it would be secure. We had a backpack lying around, so I used that. I cut off the straps and the pointless elastic on the front. I ripped out the seams to clean this up. I was having trouble finding buckle hardware that would be large enough. Of all places, I found my solution at K-mart! I hate big box stores like this, but while we happened to be browsing around there, I noticed the luggage straps in the travel section. It had the buckle and strap hardware already put together; all I had to do was cut them to length and sew them on. After much measuring, seam ripping, and sewing, the bag was ready to be secured. However, there was no way to carry it since I took the straps off. Carlo wanted to be able to carry it like a messenger bag, so I used one of his guitar straps and stitched it on. Thus, this is the best bike “backpack” ever.

There’s been lots of other craftiness this week, but I’ll only post a bit of it now. First, I made a pair of simple, 2 x 2 ribbed toe-up socks using Elsebeth Llavold Silky Wool and size 0 needles. I used the On Your Toes pattern by Ann Budd from a back issue of Interweave, but any basic toe up pattern would work.

And I learned how to make soap today! I bought a kit from Joann’s and made about ten bars of soap. Some of them are a bit sloppy, but it was a lot of fun, so I see a bunch of this in the future (can you say, “Christmas gifts”?)

I’ve decided to start doing some reviews of places I love, products/tools that I can’t live without and other crafty stuff.  My first installment of this “series” is a review of some of the cool and crafty places that I like to visit in St Petersburg, FL.

Tampa is about 1/2 an hour away from St Pete (at least the part of Tampa I live in), so I go there pretty regularly.  I don’t consider myself an expert on the city by any means, but I know of some cool hang outs and shops.

First off is a favorite of many and one of the best (and largest) bookstores in Florida: Haslam’s.

2025 Central Ave, St Petersburg, FL 33713

(727) 822-8616

This very cool bookstore has everything from first edition classics and  books in French, Polish, Russian, to modern novels and Low-Carb foods.  The selection is terrific and they have a good balance of used and new titles.  I love looking through all the foreign language titles, even though the only language I can read besides English is Spanish (and that just barely).  The crafty section is fun.  They often have some great vintage needlework and sewing books.  Sadly, their knitting and crochet section doesn’t usually have too much, but I’m hoping that’s just because they get scooped up as soon as they come in.

Needles and Knobs is only about 10 minutes towards the beach from Haslams.  This yarn and cabinet hardware shop has a nice selection of yarn.  They even carry Buffalo Gold (at $84 a skein, I don’t think I’ll be getting any soon).  When I went to this shop last week, I got some beautiful Collinette Jitterbug in Velvet Plum.  The owner of the shop is really nice.  She offered me fresh coffee when I came and helped explain to me which of the sock yarns pooled and which didn’t.

7213 Central Ave. St Petersburg, FL 33710   (727) 345-5662

If sewing, weaving, felting or quilting are more your game, then Fiberologie is for you.

411 15th Avenue North St. petersburg, FL 33704

(727 )895-1294

This beautiful shop has gorgeous designer fabrics from Amy Butler to Kaffe Fassett.  The owner is super nice and let me try out her loom while I was there (I really shouldn’t start another fiber hobby).  The store also hosts classes.  It’s one of the few places in the area I’ve been able to find roving, so I snatched up some brown and turquoise merino roving so I can learn to ply.

If you need a hair cut or some cool punk rock items (such as magnets, coasters and jewelry), go to Star Booty.  I’ve gotten my last several hair cuts there, and I’ve been pretty happy with them.  I’ve also bought a Clash magnet there, as well as a cool black and white striped bangle.

681 Central Ave.  St Petersburg, FL  (727) 895-7827

There’s several other spots that I didn’t visit on this trip, but definitely deserve mention.

The Globe Coffee Lounge is a great place to hang out.  They’ve got coffee, tea and beer as well as great food and a great atmosphere.  532 1st Ave N.  St Petersburg, FL  (727) 898-JAVA

Daddy Kool Records is an independent music store that has a great selection in a small space.  The prices are great and the staff is helpful. 538 Central Ave.  St Petersburg, FL (727) 822-5665

While it’s about 20 minutes outside of downtown St Pete, the St Pete Beach Theater is totally worth the drive.   This historic one-screen theater often shows films from off the beaten path.  I got to see The Future is Unwritten, a documentary about Clash frontman Joe Strummer there.    Definitely the place to go to see movies.

Those are my top picks for St Pete.  More craftiness coming soon.

At least in Florida. Of course here, it’s “summer” about 80% of the year. And when it’s 90 degrees outside, a girl needs some shorts. None of my old pairs fit well, and I can’t seem to find anything in the stores. The answer to my dilemma? My sewing machine and fabric stash. I used Simplicity pattern 5350 (which seems to be out of print, I couldn’t find it on their website). I chose the H pants, which are actually gauchos, and changed the hem to shorts-length, 10″ long from the crotch. I’m really happy with how they came out, They fit perfectly, and this was my first time ever doing a zipper fly.

I also had a fun, crafty trip to St Pete today. I’ll be posting about that soon. I’ll leave you with a pic of a flower that’s blooming in my backyard today. I inherited it from my grandfather.

Yes, I know I’m a bad blogger. I finished this last week, and I’m just now posting. But it was also my last week of classes, so I wanted to get everything for school finished up before I blogged.
I finished my Tangled Yoke Cardigan in time to wear it to my last class of the semester. Everyone loved it. One of my classmates said “I feel like I’ve watched it being born.”
I didn’t make too many modifications. The sleeves came out a bit long, but I just fold the cuffs back. I didn’t pick up the same number of stitches as the pattern specified for the button band, but I never do anyway. I used 11 buttons instead of 9, and had to use yarn overs for button holes because of the size of the buttons.
Here’s the break down:
Pattern: Tangled Yoke Cardigan by Eunny Jang, from Fall 2007 Interweave Knits
Yarn: 6.5 skeins of Elsebeth Llavold Silky Wool
Needles: US size 5 options
Notes: Color code your cable chart!!!














I’m starting on a bunch of small projects now, so there will be more FO’s (finished objects) on the way, as well as some other crafty projects!