I have not given up

Monday, June 3, 2013

     I haven't totally given up on the idea of felting but I have come to the conclusion that knitting a tote bag strains my attention span therefore I am going back to the project of a small knitted pouch big enough for a smart phone, debit card, lip gloss, etc., but far smaller than a purse.

     Felting the yarn for such a project creates a solid fabric that can hold everything securely but I haven't been able to figure out which yarn to use and my initial attempts created a fabric that was too thick and bulky.

     I've lined up some thinner wool yarns and a selection of knitting needles and for the first time I am going to knit several test swatches.

Shark tooth necklace

Sunday, May 26, 2013

     And so it begins...

     I have so many beautiful fossilized objects now and my collection will only continue to grow so I'm determined to make some interesting adornments.

     I have never cared for wire wrap jewelry and I think the look of a fossilized tooth with a hole drilled through it adds to its ancient appeal.

     So now I begin the Etsy chapter of my life.  Sol Ops Art

Bound to happen

Thursday, May 23, 2013

     Now that I have Mason jars filled with perfect fossilized shark teeth, the natural progression dictates that I purchase a Dremel tool and start making jewelry.

     Drilling a hole through a shark tooth was much quicker than I expected.  Next I tried to drill through a shard of crystalized oyster shell.  Nothing doing!  I could barely even see a mark from the diamond drill bit.  I'll try that again later, after some more research.

Score!!!

May 22, 2013

     I haven't been taking the time to stop at thrift stores to search for yarn. Finding quality yarn at a thrift store is rare. The craft shelves are normally loaded with skeins of cheap acrylics in baby blanket colors but occasionally awesome yarns appear.

     Every few months I've been driving to Ft. Meyers (to meet with my fossil club) and passing a large thrift store on the way.  Finally I had the time to stop, and thank goodness I did!

     There was only one bag of yarn on the shelf but it contained a dozen skeins of highest quality cotton and linen blends and the whole lot was priced at $1.99!

     I hugged that bag to my chest like a wide receiver clutching the Super Bowl winning pass.  Score!!!

Knitting from a pattern

Saturday, May 18, 2013
I finished my first version of the sweater knit from the pattern I bought on line.

I like it and think it has potential but I need to tweak the proportions and keep better track of my stitches in the mesh section.

Version #2 is already on the needles.

I felt BAD!

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

     I used up the rest of my felting yarn knitting what would finally be the perfect felted tote but after the first hot water wash to shrink and felt the yarn it was obvious that the bright pink band of color was knitted with a yarn that wasn't 100% wool.

     Tote bad DENIED!

     I trashed it (heartbreak) and veered back into the realm of apparel.

     

     I searched in vain for a free mesh tunic pattern to wear over tank tops.  Everything I saw either hadn't made it out of 70's Sweden or was too complex for my reptilian knitting brain.

      But the perfect pattern kept popping up on Ravelry again and again...for $5.  I had never paid for a pattern but figured it was time to try.  A couple clicks on Paypal later and I'm knitting away, using a beautiful bamboo/wool blend yarn I bought on sale in the color of Geranium.

     So far, so good!

How I felt

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

     I don't make enough visits to Joann's which may keep me out of trouble to some degree but also means I miss the eye scratching, elbow punching frenzies when a line of yarn is put on clearance.

     I recently went there to buy a large circular needle (per previous entry) and managed to scrape up the very last 97¢ skeins of a discontinued Martha Stewart line of roving yarn.

     I'll never "rove" (Google it if you're extremely bored) but I assumed, correctly, that the yarn would be good for felting.  Second attempt at a felted tote shows that I still haven't figured out the proportion issue but I'm not equipped to tote 10 lbs of baguettes if necessary.

     Third attempt is in progress and promises to have the proper height to width ratio.

No More Tiny Needles!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013
My sister crochets a killer shopping bag so I was confident I could knit an equally fabulous string bag.

Unfortunately, the best pattern I found required the use of teeny tiny knitting needles that cramp my hands and drive me crazy.
Tiny knitting needles create the stress that knitting normally nullifies.
Ugh!  
I love the result but I was driven to vow, "No more tiny needles!"

Knitting into the summer

I spent the spring coming down from an intense season of holiday knitting. Friday April 5, 2013

     A friend decided to give my hand-knit infinity scarves as presents to her family and friends which translated to me knitting at all times, even during happy hours.

But crunch time is over for now and I can relax back into just feeling the textures of the yarns and playing with color combos.  As always, I try to use good yarns "recovered" from thrift stores and eliminate waste.  This approach allows for some whimsy in the design should I run out of a particular yarn.

     I still enjoy knitting my favorite cowl scarf pattern but I've been playing around in the felting department, completing this felted dachshund carrier.

JK!  Just a tote with a dachshund shoved inside who is actually happier than she appears in the photo.

     The Florida weather will soon reach "scalding" but I'll still be knitting and working on yarn projects.