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...
Monday, June 30, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
It's a blog-morph...
As usually happens, something I've begun has generated a result completely off from my original intent. This time, it's this blog. Originally intended to be a documentation of our family's letterboxing adventures (hence the title), it has morphed into a showcase and journal for my crochet projects, as well as a place to share about the family. (And will shortly become somewhat political, as I'm having a hard time keeping my opinions about the current Presidential race to myself.)
I am still learning to love my hop-skip-and-jump approach to life. You see, I have what I consider a severe lack of sticktoitiveness. I get on kicks - currently it's crochet - that may last a few weeks, a few months, even a year or more. While I'm on a kick, I am certain it's going to be my creative outlet for years, if not decades. And then one day - bam! It's done, interest for it is nowhere to be found, and I move onto the next thing. Genealogy, digital scrapbooking, writing for children, crochet, letterboxing, altered books...these have all been vehicles during the process, and most of them come in and out of focus in my life.
Jodi was the first one to tell me this cyclical approach to things is not only normal but good. What I have seen as lack of focus she sees as great creativity. I like Jodi. Not only does she encourage me in my wanderings from obsession to obsession, she often joins me in them. She's a prime model of the creative lifestyle, and I only have to look to her to gain confidence in my own nomadic projects. Plus, she's a teacher, and I still have enough of that authority-pleasing little girl in me to love a teacher's praise.
And there you go. This "In case you hadn't noticed, this isn't a letterboxing blog anymore" post turns out to be a "Jodi helps me realize my coolness" post. As usual, I like the result better than the intent.
I am still learning to love my hop-skip-and-jump approach to life. You see, I have what I consider a severe lack of sticktoitiveness. I get on kicks - currently it's crochet - that may last a few weeks, a few months, even a year or more. While I'm on a kick, I am certain it's going to be my creative outlet for years, if not decades. And then one day - bam! It's done, interest for it is nowhere to be found, and I move onto the next thing. Genealogy, digital scrapbooking, writing for children, crochet, letterboxing, altered books...these have all been vehicles during the process, and most of them come in and out of focus in my life.
Jodi was the first one to tell me this cyclical approach to things is not only normal but good. What I have seen as lack of focus she sees as great creativity. I like Jodi. Not only does she encourage me in my wanderings from obsession to obsession, she often joins me in them. She's a prime model of the creative lifestyle, and I only have to look to her to gain confidence in my own nomadic projects. Plus, she's a teacher, and I still have enough of that authority-pleasing little girl in me to love a teacher's praise.
And there you go. This "In case you hadn't noticed, this isn't a letterboxing blog anymore" post turns out to be a "Jodi helps me realize my coolness" post. As usual, I like the result better than the intent.
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.
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?)
...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?)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
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:
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
Monday, June 23, 2008
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. ;-)
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. ;-)
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Kid & Puppy Fluff
As we usually get to once or twice during the summer, we're puppy-sitting for our dear friends. Meet Kaleigh:
The boys love having Kaleigh over, especially since we're a dog-loving family without a pooch of our own these days. (And we'll be poochless for the forseeable future, until we figure out which - if any - breeds are compatible with Kalen's allergies.)
Kaleigh turned fourteen this year, and I remember the day Heather got her in my freshman year of college. Jason and I had been dating about three months. Heather and her husband hadn't yet, although they would be married a full year before us. Age before beauty, and all that... (Man, she's going to get me when she reads this, but it was just sitting there, waiting to be said. Can you really blame me??)
Isn't that crown the perfect advertisement for Medieval Times? We went for Father's Day, at Jason's request. Later that evening, Kalen dubbed himself King Kalen. Thankfully, he has little knowledge of what kings really do and has not yet commanded any of us to do his bidding. He feels all-important, however, which is pretty fun and quite important for a Royal Highness, make-believe or not.
The boys love having Kaleigh over, especially since we're a dog-loving family without a pooch of our own these days. (And we'll be poochless for the forseeable future, until we figure out which - if any - breeds are compatible with Kalen's allergies.)Kaleigh turned fourteen this year, and I remember the day Heather got her in my freshman year of college. Jason and I had been dating about three months. Heather and her husband hadn't yet, although they would be married a full year before us. Age before beauty, and all that... (Man, she's going to get me when she reads this, but it was just sitting there, waiting to be said. Can you really blame me??)
Isn't that crown the perfect advertisement for Medieval Times? We went for Father's Day, at Jason's request. Later that evening, Kalen dubbed himself King Kalen. Thankfully, he has little knowledge of what kings really do and has not yet commanded any of us to do his bidding. He feels all-important, however, which is pretty fun and quite important for a Royal Highness, make-believe or not.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
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!
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!
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