Scrumbly Fun

I hit Goodwill this morning. That place really gets my creative juices flowing. I stopped in for a shirt or two to use as lining for my bags. (I'm determined to use reclaimed and repurposed items as much as possible.) I found a shirt. And a wool skirt that I can sew into a gorgeous bag. And two belts that will make nifty purse straps. And an unused skein of purple #10 crochet thread. And two purses that I had a vague idea of doing something interesting to. And another purse just for me. (It was $2.60! In my favorite colors!!)

So, I've seen a few examples of scrumbling online, which I can only interpret as kind of a crazy quilt sort of crochet technique. I love the idea and decided to try it for one of the purses I got at Goodwill. In keeping with the recycled theme, I'm using only leftover bits of yarn from other projects. I wasn't sure at first how I liked it, but I think it's going to be interesting. Any thoughts?


And an artsy shot, courtesy of the macro setting on my little point & shoot:

It Seams Great!

Remember my Crocheters for Obama quilt? It's done! (Okay, I'll admit, it's been done nearly a month, and I simply haven't gotten around to taking pictures.) I seamed all thirty squares together and added a border. It has been an honor to be trusted with this project.

Here's the quilt in its entirety...5'x6' of beautiful blues!


And, because I'm so proud (and because the blanket's big enough to hide behind), here I am with it.
Are you interested in winning this original piece of art? The deadline for the drawing has been extended through Labor Day! Click here for more information.

Crocheters for Obama

Depending on your point of view, it was a moment of brilliance or insanity that prompted me to post, "And you know what…I’ll seam it!" to the other crocheters in the Knitters for Obama group. I'm leaning towards brilliance, because take a gander at the gorgeousness that is arriving in my mailbox on a daily basis!


These are the nine squares I've received so far, from across the U.S. There will eventually be thirty squares, which Mom and I will seam into a large afghan, #2 on the prize list for the Knitters for Obama drawing. This is going to be a big, warm blankie...perfect as a throw for your bed, or for snuggling under with your honey to watch election returns in November. Or maybe even to take with you to Obama's Inauguration in January? It's always cold in D.C. in January...

Another bag for the bag lady

Over the past couple of days, I made myself this:

I love, love, love my new Chic on the Halfshell! It's a pattern by Drew Emborsky, aka The Crochet Dude, and you might recognize the yarns from that great box of goodies Pam RAK'd me last month.

I want to take a minute to plug Pam's yarns, which you can see and buy here at Thistleknit Handspun Yarn. Not only are they the ultimate in gorgeousness, they work up so nicely and are yummy to the touch. I used two of her yarns in this purse, along with some of the commercial sage and violet she gifted me. The whitish yarn you see is a greyish white with silver plied into it. It's amazing in person, and I think it's her Johnny Reb colorway. The multi-color yarn in the center is Twelve Oaks. I think its beauty speaks for itself.

Okay, now that I've waxed rhapsodic about Pam and her yarns, I can wax on and off about the purse itself. It's a love-it-or-hate it pattern, I think. People are either intrigued by and enamored of its unique shape, or they just don't like it. I am both intrigued and enamored. Jason is not. I'm okay with that; he's not the one who'll be carrying it. One crocheter on Ravelry described it as looking like a TIE fighter from Star Wars. I kind of have to agree, and the geek in me likes it even more for this revelation.

I tackled lining the purse this afternoon, which was pretty simple. I just laid the purse out on the fabric and traced half of it. When I cut it out, I folded the fabric in half, so it would be symmetrical. Sewed it right sides together, no problem. The issue came in hemming the top edge. I didn't take my time and ended up puckering it. Phooey. I think to do a truly professional job, it would have to be cut a bit bigger along the top opening and gathered. I don't have the patience to figure that out, so I'm going to be happy with the job I did.

And now I will returned to my Crocheting for Obama frenzy...

Supporting the Next POTUS

You may notice a new little bit 'o swag over there on the right side of my blog. Patriotic colors, links to another blog...yep, that's it!

Over on Ravelry, I'm a member of a group of amazing people - Knitters for Obama (KFO) - who are working hard to do their part to get Senator Barack Obama elected in November. The camaraderie within this group is something else, but beyond that, even, is their dedication to this cause.

During the primary season, the group got together and knitted a blanket with the Obama campaign's logo on it. Along with several dozen other prizes donated by members, it was put up for a drawing. The rules: for every $5 you donated to the campaign, you got a ticket for whichever prize you wanted. The group raised over $8,500. And we're doing it again!

This time, we have a knitted blanket (with a little crochet thrown in) in the shape and colors of Old Glory, with each of the 50 states and D.C. represented. We're also offering a crocheted blanket in varying shades of Democrat Blue, and once again members are stepping forward with tons of additional prizes. The drawing begins Independence Day and runs through August 7, so please consider donating to Senator Obama's campaign this summer!

Next time on KFO Update: Warming preemies and veterans...

Those pin-things are sharp!

When last we left our heroine, she was facing this sewing to-do list, to which "take in waistband on Nicky's too-big PJ's" was added.

...time passes...

And ta-da! The PJ's, karate uniform, and dress pants are all marked off the list. (The crowd goes wild.)

The bag lining is mostly done. Twice! The first go ended up two inches too narrow, thanks to a misinterpretation of the tutorial I was following. Ah well, it's fixed now. I got the flap lining sewn on, complete with magnets...

Before:


After:


And the interior lining is sewn, with cell phone and pen pockets and nifty little "Fashioned by Aimee" label from the box mom bought me about twenty years ago (no exaggeration):



...and it's pinned in place!



Who knows if it will get hand-sewn in tonight. It's 6:15 and I haven't even contemplated dinner. (Hey Hon, feel like stopping by Subway on the way home??) I've left the most labor-intensive job for last...I'll probably get to it on Friday. Behold the pile of pants awaiting cutting-off and hemming! (And please ignore the stained carpet. Have I mentioned the two young boys in the house?)

A little structure is always a good thing

Behold the canvas lining for the messenger bag:


I wish I could say this was my brilliant idea, but nope, I've seen several other people use it in their bags, and I think it's great. The canvas will not show; the black lining will cover it completely. I've been waiting to get to this point before dragging my sewing machine out of the closet. On the take-up-the-kitchen-table-for-a-few-days list are:

• Line this bag (woo hoo!)
• Repair torn pocket in Jason's dress pants
• Cut off and make shorts out of all the boys' holey-kneed jeans from last winter (Poor Nicky in his old shorts and long legs! He's long overdue for these cut-offs.)
  
• Sew about eleventy thousand (more or less) stars to Nicky's karate uniform jacket
  

The Messenger Bag Comes Together

Last night, I finished the last piece of the messenger bag for Swis and stitched the three pieces together. Voila!

This is just the shell. Next, it will be lined with plastic canvas (for structure) and then black fabric (for lining!), and I have magnetic closures for it as well. I'm pretty darn thrilled with it, except for the strap length, but I've complained enough about that off-blog that I won't bore you with it! Suffice to say that it's a fair bit shorter than was intended...

Here's a photo for scale. I will NOT complain about how I look in it. ;-)

Green-Green Pool Wallet

When we go to the pool in the afternoons, I don't like to take my wallet with me - just my driver's license and our seasonal pool passes, which amounts to four cards total. I've been paper-clipping them together and tossing them in my pool tote, but I can see losing them pretty quickly in that ginormous bag. So, here's my new Pool Wallet:

I used single-ply spiral-cut plarn made from a medium-sized Barnes & Noble bag for the body, and trimmed it in double-ply brown grocery store bag plarn. (I will be posting two different plarn-making tutorials in the days to come to answer some of the questions I've received.)

Green-Green Pool Wallet

Materials:
One ball of green plarn
Scraps of brown plarn
Hook: J
Yarn needle

Gauge: After 3 rows, measure against your cards and make sure the piece is slightly wider.

With Main Color, ch 15.

Row 1: Hdc in 3rd ch from hook, hdc across. Ch 2, turn. (Ch 2 counts as first hdc in next row here & throughout.)

Row 2: Hdc in ea. hdc across. Ch 2, turn. (13 hdc)

Rows 3 - 13: Repeat Row 2.

FO & weave in ends.

Fold piece in half and make sure your cards will fit. With contrasting color, blanket stitch* up one short side through both layers. Turn corner and blanket stitch across the top through front later only. Turn corner and blanket stitch down the other side, through both layers. FO. Attach contrasting color to back layer at top corner and blanket stitch across. FO & weave in ends. Embellish as desired.

*Good blanket stitch tutorial here.

Feel free to make this for yourself, and to link back to this post to share the pattern! Please do not claim the pattern as your own, but you may make these for yourself, friends, and for resale if you like. If you sell, please note on the tag: Designed by AimeeCrochets. Thank you!

A Message for You, Swis!

My sister (often referred to as Swis, long story) is waiting patiently for her plarn messenger bag. I'm happy to report that the front panel is finis! She may just have to pry this particular gifty out of my fingers. I'm loving it to bits.

Of Plarn and RAK's

I finally got my camera out, so I could share a photo of the gorgeous RAK I received from Pam:
Will you just look at that home-spun yarn?!? I've never touched anything like it, and I'm in love. My favorite is the green/yellow hank in the middle, which is her Carmel Apple colorway. (Visit her etsy shop here: Thistleknit) I would take a ton of that without complaining! Hint, hint... ;) Twelve Oaks is also incredible, and the one my mom immediately picked as her favorite when I showed her the box of goodies.

Anyway, on Saturday, I made Jason's day by buying four plastic totes to store my plastic bags. Our dining room was being overrun, and I could tell his patience was close to wearing thin. What wonderfully patient spouses we crafters must have! I now have a well-organized stash of plastic, waiting to be "spun" into plarn.

I even went so far as to organize them by color and bag thickness, so I can find what I want for any project. Sometimes I really am my mother's daughter.

Baaaaaa!

I've been RAK'd!

For those unfamiliar with the acronym, RAK stands for Random Act of Kindness, something with which I've long been enamored. (See my senior quote, umpteen years ago.) Ravelry has a RAK group, which is handled quite nicely. Anyone who wants to may join, and members post monthly wish lists. Other members comb through the wish lists, and as they see things they can pass along, they do so. It's purely giving, without expecting anything in return. It is so much fun to read through the lists, and Jason can testify that doing so is always accompanied by little outbursts such as, "Oh, I have some of that I don't need!" and, "I know where I can get those!"

Well, today, I received my first RAK! A lovely woman, Pam, who works nearby, emailed me, and we arranged a time to meet. I picked up a box of lovely, yummy yarn, mostly hand-spun by Pam herself! I'm so excited, and I can't wait to figure out what to make with it. Right now, I'm thinking maybe a granny square purse for the fall. She also included some buttons, purse hardware, and a cute little notebook. (One can never have enough notebooks and notepads, I always say!) Not least importantly, I got a big hug from a new friend.

When I heard that Pam had a RAK for me, I looked up her wish list. She had very little on it, but one item I knew I could provide. She loves all thing sheep, so I quickly whipped up this little gal last night:


Isn't she adorable? I named her Fauxy McCrackle ("Faux"y because the irony of a sheep crocheted of acrylic yarn does not escape me, McCrackle because her stuffing is - what else? - plastic grocery bags). Fauxy now lives on a shelf in her new Mama's office along with several other miniature stuffed sheepies.

To the Pool!

Summer is now officially allowed to begin, because (ta-da!) I've finished my pool tote. And I'm thrilled with it. It's crocheted completely of Kroger grocery bags, which is why it took a month. (I'd crochet as much as I could until running out of bags and continue after the next shopping trip.) I finished it off with polka dot ribbon in exactly the same blue as the printing on the bags.

It's perfect timing, too, because Nicky's swim lessons began this morning. (I couldn't get both boys in this month, so Kalen will start with a session in late July.)

I also finished another nifty project this weekend, but that will have to remain a secret, as certain people who have access to this blog may find one under their Christmas tree this year! I started two more projects over the past couple of days with the same restriction.

However, my newest plarn project is for my sister, at her request. I'm making a messenger bag out of bags she sent me from Virginia. (Giant grocery stores have bags in a beautiful aqua shade I can't get here in Georgia!) There aren't enough blue bags for a complete project, so I'm creating a striped bag that will showcase the blue nicely. I'm excited for it and am improvising it, so I'll keep track of the pattern as I go. If it turns out well, I'll post it here for anyone who wants to make one.

Vintage buttons

Remember all the great buttons I got a couple of weeks ago? The sparkly ones from my mother-in-law are wonderful, mostly because of their significance. She brought me a photo yesterday of herself in the dress they adorned forty years ago. She laughed and cringed when I told her they could officially be classified as "vintage." Here she is in the dress, on New Year's Eve '67...
I love the hair and the dress! So very 60's chic!

Crochet 'til it hurts!

That's been an item on my To Do List (literally) for the past couple weeks. And I've done it! Today was Blue Giraffe's last day of school, and I've been working on nothing but teacher gifts for the past week. Well, longer, really, when you take into account the preschool teacher gifts for Little Turtle last week. Working with plarn is fun, but if you overdo it, it really puts a strain on your hands. I have 5 more preemie hats to finish that need to be mailed out by Friday, and then I'll need to put the hooks away for a week or so to rest my right hand. So, without further ado, some of the fruits of my labor. I think it was totally worth it, and it really has been fun.

This is the finished afghan for BG's former teacher:

Here's the plarn purse for his current teacher:(Isn't that button awesome? You may recognize it from the stash Mom gave me. It's from a set that were handcrafted in Africa.)

This is one of the water bottle carriers I made for two of his resource teachers:

In further crochet news, my friend, Heather, and I are seriously looking into selling our plarn bags. She would concentrate on the tote size, whereas I would do the purses. As she says, that arrangement plays to our strengths. Besides, wherever we go with our bags, people ask if they can buy one. We both have lists of people waiting for information while we come up with our own patterns and figure everything else out. Keep an eye here for news! I'll post as soon as we've worked out a plan.

Who's got the button?

Me!!!

For Mother's Day, along with a great Willow Tree figurine, my parents gave me a bunch of buttons. These were from my mom's stash and were given with the idea that I can use them on the purses I'm crocheting. What a great assortment! Those ones on the cards are specialty buttons Mom obtained at craft fairs. (If you want one on your purse, just know there will be a nice price increase!)



When my mother-in-law heard I was collecting fun buttons, she grabbed her stash for me to look through, too. I am thrilled with these! Look at those sparkly ones. (The picture so does not do them justice.) I asked her where they came from, and she said they were on the shoulders of her favorite black crepe dress in the late '60's. I think I'm going to have to hold those aside for a special project. I'm ecstatic that she entrusted them to me.

Plastic Evolution

A photo tour of my latest plarn purse:

Step one: Gather bags! These were donated by my mother-in-law and father-in-law. Thanks!


Step Two: Cut the bags into strips/loops and ball them up. I call this "spinning plarn." For this bag, I estimated I'd need about 20 bags. (I was spot-on, too!)



Step Three: Crochet! I made this design up as I went along. Since I've been using free patterns from the internet for previous bags, I can't sell them. (Those patterns are the property of the designers and can't be used for profit by anyone else.) I'm pretty happy with this one!



Step Four: Add embellishments. For this one, I used Bernat's Bling Bling yarn, and if you look closely, you'll see an "A" charm. The recipient of this bag's name starts with A, so I thought it would be a fun touch.



This is a nice, summery bag, the perfect size to hold wallet, phone, keys, errands list, and a few odds and ends (juice boxes for the kids?). I hope she likes it!

Edged Out

I did manage to finish the Through Any Window baby afghan I was working on. (During Dancing With the Stars, if I'm not mistaken.) The edging was such a PITA to figure out once I ran out of yarn, I have to share how it ended up.

I ended up doing: *2 sc, ch 3, sk next st*, making sure the 2sc lined up with the 2hdc in that color in previous rounds.

Summer Flower

Hey look! The cute boy afghan is almost done. I had it nearly completed on Saturday and ran out of yarn about 3/4 of the way through the picot border. Dangit! I hate making picots anyway, so it hurt to rip all those puppies out. The blanket's been folded up staring at me accusingly since then, waiting for me to figure out how I'm going to edge it. It's also in desperate need of some blocking...the twists are hypnotizing me...must look away...

So, anyway, to distract myself from the edging dilemma, I started on the round ripple baby afghan I'm doing for Blue Giraffe's first grade teacher. I chose this pattern by Monica Zenberg and decided on what I call "summery-modern-girlie colors." I love the limey, kiwi-y, and sagey greens that are fashionable right now, especially mixed with pink. Here's how it looks so far. I love the pop of green. (Thanks, Mom, for picking out the wonderful, soft pink for me!) I also love how it's turning out to look more like a flower than the stars or webs round ripples typically resemble.

The very exciting crochet world happening for me this weekend was joining Ravelry.com. That place is awesome! I had to wait two weeks for my invitation, but it was well worth it. (They limit sign-ups to a certain number per day in order to keep their servers from blowing...smart way to control growth, IMO.) It's a networking site for knitters and crocheters, but its main function is as a personal repository for your patterns, projects, hooks/needles, yarn stash, works in mind, etc. Wonderful place! I love seeing everything I'm working on at a glance, and I love the idea of having a record of what yarns I used in which projects, hook sizes, etc. I'm "hooked!" (Ha-ha.) If you're a knitter or crocheter, I highly recommend signing up and checking it out.

Awwww...

In keeping with the "OMG, the school year's almost over?!?!" panic I'm sure is taking over more moms than I, I'm in full teacher-gift-making mode. Two of Blue Giraffe's teachers (one current, one former) had babies this school year, so I'm also crocheting baby blankets for them. I can't resist, especially since one's a girl. I never get to make girlie stuff! (In fact, I have to run to the store to get a skein of pink yarn...yay!)

For the baby boy, I've chosen this Through Any Window pattern by Laura Lynn Hanks, and I think it's turning out quite nicely. It's a really quick make, all in half-double crochets.