Snow Daze

About a week ago we had two snow days at the university.  It is rare enough to get one snow day - but two in a row is nothing short of a miracle.  So, we made the best of the situation and walked down to the local coffee shop to knit for a good portion of the day.

We got about 14" of snow over the two days.  I wonder if we'll even have 'spring' this year, or if it will just go from snow to summer.  

Downtown Madison - piled with snow. 

Can you spot the car?

Nate and I decided to go on an adventure/walk during the snowstorm to get out of the house for a bit.  

I think I've had my fill of winter now though - bring on the warmer weather please!

Knitting!

Now that the weather has cooled off and my schedule has become a little less insane, I finally re-started our knitting night!  I started knitting when I was in college and haven't stopped.  It has been a great way to meet new people.  When I moved to Sycamore, IL for grad school and when I moved here to South Dakota - some of the first people I met were fellow knitters (who I found through Ravelry.com - a great resource for fiber artists!).

Last week I had the honor of teaching my new friend Kacie how to knit (and she's already halfway through her first scarf!) at our Stitch & Bitch.  It is fun to teach people a new craft.  I've probably taught about 50 people how to knit in my lifetime, and I really love seeing the directions they go with their craft!  Making things with your hands can be so rewarding and relaxing (once you get the hang of it).  

{Jacy looking pumped!}

I also love how craft can bring people together!  :)

I worked on a pair of legwarmers made from some recycled wool yarn - they are finished now, and I've worn them almost every day since then!

I've also been working on dismantling a few other sweaters to 'harvest' their yarn.  

It is my favorite way to get yarn. :)  

Well, I better get back to my grading!  I've got another day's worth then I am done!!!

On the Hooks and Needles

Cold weather is knitting weather!



I started these legwarmers Saturday night while knitting with some good friends.  I'm thinking of writing a pattern for these.  I love the little houndstooth design. :)



I also took the time to (finally) weave in all of the ends on this beast.  I think it took me longer to weave the ends in than it did to crochet it!



It is a cowl made from an acrylic/cotton blend I picked up earlier this summer.  It is so soft and cozy!



It is nice to be knitting and crocheting again.  Especially with all of the looong car rides we have ahead of ourselves this holiday season!

Revamped Dress

I've been busy packing to go to Wisconsin/Chicago tomorrow, but in between my errands I had a chance to revamp a thrifted dress!
You like?

This dress cost me a whole dollar!  I really liked the cowl neckline, but color and length were all wrong:

Completely unflattering.  I am about 5'10", so this supposedly full-length dress was a full 6" off the ground.  So, I cut off about 20" and then hemmed the bottom with a simple straight stretch stitch on my sewing machine.

But I still didn't love the color.  I remembered I had some dye that I had picked up a while ago for cotton yarn, so I used it on the dress, and it worked great!

Those last two pictures of myself make it seem like I am somewhat photogenic.  I assure you I am most certainly not!  Proof:

Nate told me to do a foxy pose, and that was what he got.  Fail! 

DIY Fancy Dry Erase Board

This project was super easy.  It requires a frame with glass, spray paint, and paper to put in the frame.  All you do is take the frame apart, spray it the color you'd like, cut the paper to size, and put it all back together.  You can use dry-erase markers on the glass.  

Here is the frame I used - we had gotten it as a gift and never really used it because it was a bit gaudy for our style:

And after:

I love spray paint.  It makes everything better. :)

DIY Chalkboard Paint Closet Doors

My studio is not huge, and I'm really trying to use all of the surfaces/space that I can.  I was surfing on Pinterest (you can follow me here: Cassie Marie), and I came across a recipe for DIY Chalkboard paint. 

So, naturally I had to try it. 

I lightly sanded my closet doors, and then made the paint using some flat wall paint that I already owned.  You can find the recipe for the paint here: Chalkboard Paint.  

It turned out really well!  I'm going to make some more for a large chalkboard for our kitchen soon too!  It is nice to be able to use the doors for sketches, to-do-lists, and just doodling. :)

This saves a ton of money, especially if you are doing a large area, or wanting to use up old paints.  

Lastly, Rascal says hi!

Knitting - Mittens and Cowl!

This cowl is my first real finished project from my new (to me) knitting machine.

The main yarn I used was recycled from a cotton sweater - it is a marled black/grey/white mix.  That is the part that was done on the knitting machine.  For the white part, I picked up the stitches and knit with some spare yarn that I had left over from another project.  I really like how it turned out.

Second up is a project I started while watching the NFC Playoffs.  They are gold mittens - in honor of the Packers. :)



They've got a chain cable running down the center.  I think I'll call them the "movin' the chains" mittens.  I've got to work out the kinks a bit, but I think I may write up a pattern for these as well.

DIY Brown Sugar Scrub

Because I have such sensitive skin, I've always been wary of skin products and body washes that contain crazy chemicals.  It creeps me out that all of those weird ingredients are being absorbed in to your skin.
I used up the last of some really great sugar based body scrub and have been on the search for an inexpensive way to make my own.  It couldn't be any easier to make, and so I'm sharing it with you!

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Brown Sugar (Organic or Regular)
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• Vanilla Essential Oil (Optional)

All you need to do is mix the oil (slowly) into the sugar.  If it is too grainy for you, add some more oil, and if it is too oily, add a bit more sugar.  It is not rocket science!  You can use it as is (it has a light brown sugar smell) or add in a few drops of essential oils.  You can even use plain sugar instead of brown sugar.  

It is a great exfoliator - I wouldn't use it more than once or twice a week though!  Better yet, it is under $1 to make a whole tub!

Enjoy!

Wristlet

After my favorite wristlet/clutch bit the dust, I was determined to replace it with something handmade.  This is the solution to that conundrum:

I'm working on writing up a pattern for this little beauty.  It is done with a combination of knitting and crochet, and has very little seaming.  The most challenging part of it is the lining, but even that isn't so bad.  I'm thinking of making a version with a button flap too for those people who cringe at the thought of sewing in a lining.  

I was hesitant about the zipper at first, but now I love it.  

Also, there is only ONE end to weave in with this.  I think I may be the laziest knitter/crocheter ever!

Progress shot:

Pinning in the lining: 

Done!

Making Things

Once the snow and cold sets in each year, the crafting/knitting bug starts to take over.  There is something about sitting in a sunny window with your tea, a blanket, and a crafting project that can't be beat.
This weekend I picked up some supplies for necklaces.  I've been seeing some simple geometric jewelry in a bunch of stores, and so I thought I'd try my luck at recreating them on a far less expensive scale:

They are made using brass and pewter mostly.  I've been a fan of brass and copper lately, so I may try to purchase some more supplies for these soon.

They are all long enough that they can slip over your head, so they don't need clasps, and they don't get tangled in my hair!


I've also been chugging away on my sweater that I've been attempting to make without a pattern.  Here is the progress so far:

It is made from a fingering weight super wash wool that is really soft.  I wanted to use a lightweight yarn so that it would drape a lot better.  I am going to try to write up a pattern for this sweater as well. :)  The neckline is crocheted and then you pick up the crocheted stitches and knit the body and sleeves.  The pattern is surprisingly simple, and fits really well so far!

Recent Knitting Projects

It is cold and snowy outside today, and on top of it, I seemed to have picked up a head-cold that has kept me wiped out the last few days.  So today, I am drinking copious amounts of hot tea, sitting under a warm blanket, and knitting.
First off, I finished this project about a couple of weeks ago - It is another scarf loosely based on this pattern - Gathered Scarf - made from 2 skeins of Omega Sinfonia.

Here it is modeled by my little sister Molly - We did a quick photo shoot while I was home for Thanksgiving as a precursor to doing her actual senior pictures over winter break in Milwaukee.  Isn't she pretty!

Here's my favorite shot from our 10 minute quickie session:

Over break we also got a chance to head in to Mineral Point, WI, and I picked up some 1/2 off malabrigo yarn (yum!).  I love mineral point, it is such a quaint little artsy town with a pretty little downtown.  We love to eat there as well - my favorites are the Brew Pub, and Cafe Four.  

This is the project I'm currently working on - it is a clutch to replace my current clutch which I have been using for about 6 years!

Hopefully I'll finish this today, and have a zipper in it soon! 

On Hooks and Needles

I've been neglecting the crafty roots of this blog a little bit recently, so here's some crafting to fill that gaping hole!
First off, I've been working on this gem for a while.  It is a handspun crocheted blanket.  I am maybe 1/5 of the way done with it.  I usually just leave it out on the back of one of the chairs in the living room even though it is only part way done because it is so pretty.

Bo loves the blanket, it is his favorite spot to cuddle up.  Sometimes he knocks it on the floor too, and he'll still curl up on it.

I'm also almost finished with the scarf I started a few weeks ago.  It is made from a mercerized cotton yarn (I like scarves I can just chuck in the dryer!) and I just improvised the pattern as I went along.  It is really similar to another 'gathered scarf' pattern that I saw on Ravelry.

Last but not least, A new project!  

It is a sweater I've been wanting to make for a while.  I finally sat down, took some measurements of other sweaters I own, and hacked out a rough pattern.  

It is going to have a crocheted neckline, that fans out for the body of the sweater.  I wanted something I could knit without having to pay attention to it.  I've already got the neckline done, and about 4" of the body knit.  I may even gather the enthusiasm to write a pattern for this one! 

Do any of you know any good resources for figuring out sizing of knitting patterns? 

Lamp Re-Vamp

Lamp Re-vamp!  I like the sound of that.
This is one of those thrift store finds that I bring home and Nate looks at me like I've brought a dead bird into the house.  Well, maybe not that extreme of a look, but a look nonetheless.

Sure, the cord was frayed, and the lamp base was a bit grungy, but I've always wanted to try to re-wire a lamp, so for $3, this beauty came home with me.  I loved the shape of it and saw the potential.

You can see from the above photo how dirty it really was.  The bright side is just after one swoop with a soapy rag.  Eeeew!
Then I re-wired it.  Honestly, I thought it would be much harder to rewire a lamp, but it turns out it is really simple!  It took about 5 minutes flat, and now I don't have to worry about faulty wiring.  The new cord was only $2.
After that, I decided I wanted to spray paint the base so I taped off the wood part of the base with Frog Tape and Plastic bags.  As I've said before, I am a frog tape convert, never again will I go back to blue painters tape.  Anyhoo, I just went with a flat grey primer.  I've used this color on a few of the mirror frames and other odd items in the living room, so I figured I would use it on the lamp as well to tie everything together.
Here she is pre-paint:

And the finished product: