Woo-Hoo Moo!

My Moo Cards just arrived! Available through Flickr, they are smaller than a standard business card. By having photos of some of my work printed on one side and my contact information on the other, they will be perfect as tags and for general advertising.

T-Shirt "Yarn"

I've been playing with "Calamari Knitting" (and crochet) as shown in the Mason Dixon Knitting book. I love the idea of using old T-Shirts for knitting and crochet, but the double strand of fabric makes a very thick "yarn," precluding its use for most items. While it is wonderful for a cushy bathroom rug, I would not want to wear it.

Instead, I have been cutting the torso of my worn shirts into single long strips.

After trimming off the hem, I cut a 1/2" to 5/8" continuous strip (around and around and around...) up to the arm pits. As I wind the resulting "yarn" into a ball, I slightly stretch the strip. This causes it to roll back on itself (it's stockinette stitch), and make a more rounded yarn (rather than a flat ribbon). Depending on the width of the strip, the yarn is a bulky-weight gauge that can be knit or crocheted into a dense cotton fabric.

And the sleeves??? They certainly could be used to make something else fun (patches? pockets? bag linings?). I like to use the soft cotton for cleaning cloths. No waste!!

In Our Prayers

Feelin' Swappy!

What a great day! I received these beautiful stitch markers from my swap partner, Melissa. The swap is through Get Stitchy!, a great online forum for knitters, crocheters, and other fiber enthusiasts. I love the blue and silver...one of my favorite combinations.

And here are the ones I made for her. I really liked working with the green glass beads and the silver wires. These are not my first markers, but I do have very limited experience making them. Each time, I learn a little more... especially about making the wire loops. Below is my first attempt at a row counter. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. I'll need to make one for myself now!

Spring!

It's official. Ashes has seen her shadow and declares it is Spring!

For those of you who don't know Ashes, she is my sweet kitty that is soon to be 15 years old. She developed diabetes last year, and has been very ill since about October. In fact, we really did not expect her to survive the winter. With love and care, she has been doing much better in recent months. It has become her habit to just quietly hang out in my bedroom all day, coming out only to eat or use the facilities. Then the sun started shining. She has been making more appearances in the living room, basking in the springtime rays. Ahh, the sunshine makes us all feel better.

Silly me!

I printed up some Jan-Knit business cards this weekend. Then I needed a case to protect them in my big bag. I found myself looking at some in the nearby office supply store, and being disappointed in the selection. Then it hit me (oww)...make your own, silly girl!!! So a couple of On-Demand movies later, here's my new card holder...

It's crocheted out of recycled gray wool, embroidered with some of that thrifted crewel wool I found a while back, lined with a bit of cotton scrap from a sewing project, and fastened with a leftover blue mother of pearl button. Ta-dah!! Beat that, Office Max!!

V-Stitch Shawl update

The main body of the shawl is now complete and being blocked. I am still consider multiple options for finishing...fringe, beads, edging... I decided to wait and see how it drapes after it's blocked and dry... to be continued.

Oh, and the little colors peeking through are happy flowers on my sheets! I love them!