so much to do!

i still have to finish the bag for the auction. i decided not to use the tee shirt for the lining, too stretchy. i'm going to get some fabric from the thrift store so it will still be all recycled. i found a little asian-style metal charm that came as a tag on a yoga shirt i bought that i will use for the charm. all of that has to get done this weekend because the party and auction is next saturday.

then, contrary to my declaration (on vania's blog) that i would not be making any gifts this christmas, i need to get working on a christmas present for trav's sister. every year we pick one name out of a hat for the gift exchange, saving us from having to buy a gift for everyone in the family. last year i got travis' cousin, and after much drama ended up knitting her a matching hat and keyhole scarf. this year, i got travis' older sister. i tried and tried to think of something to buy her but i couldn't think of anything that i wouldn't be buying just for the sake of buying. so i decided to sew her a set of grocery totes to reduce the number of plastic and paper bags she has to use. i'm going to make three totes and a pouch to keep them in, all out of thrift store fabric. i came up with an easy (and hopefully strong and durable) pattern, now i have to go find the fabric and get sewing. fortunately, i've already done the rest of my christmas shopping.

when i finish all of that, i'll worry about the gift for my yoga instructor.

technorati tags: christmas gifts sewing tote bags

present for my yoga teacher?

i think i'm going to make her a tote bag. i figure if she wants a yoga mat bag, she probably already has one. yesterday in class she was using a canvas bag from whole foods to carry her notebook and stuff. i thought a tote bag is something that everyone can use.

i'm trying to decide if i should knit it or sew it. i'm leaning towards knitting (with a fabric lining) because i think with my skills it will come out better, and i also prefer knitting. but i'm not sure which she'd prefer. suggestions?

enjoying a handknit hat

noah (star of liza was here) seems to like the umbilical cord hat i knit for him.

technorati tags: cute baby hat

finished the bag for cok

it knit up very fast. i just have to do the seam, lining, and sew on the handles. i haven't decided whether i'm going to put on a little charm like i did on the last one. maybe i'll peruse the bead store and see if anything looks good.

i think my next project will be a yoga mat bag for my yoga teacher. she's leaving soon to move to santa monica and i want to give her a going-away present.

a knitting post!

fall has officially begun: i started knitting again! and not only knitting, but knitting in style with my first pair of addi turbos...

my friend erica asked me to knit something to donate to the silent auction at the compassion over killing holiday party this year. so i finally had the motivation i needed to get off my butt and start knitting again. i decided to make another bag from stitch 'n bitch like the one i made for myself. it comes out really impressive-looking (if i do say so myself), particularly for the amount of work that goes into it.

the first thing i did was take an inventory of my yarn stash and my unfinished projects. i ripped apart the tank girl tank i had been working on. i'm just not into it any more. i decided that, to save time and money on the cok bag, i will knit it on size 13 circulars with a strand of recycled sari yarn and a strand of the plum reclaimed yarn (ripped from tank girl) held together. that should knit up really fast and be a lot less expensive than using just the recycled sari yarn. i knitted up a swatch and it looked great.

but my thriftiness was then thwarted, because i discovered that i needed a 24" size 13 needle and all i had was 16". i went to my lys and the only metal needles they sell are addi turbos. so i splurged. i had previously poo-poohed spending over $20 on a pair of knitting needles, figuring "how much better can they really be?" duh. they are SO much better. they weigh nothing and feel perfectly balanced in my hands. and the yarn glides over the slick metal more effortlessly than any other metal needles i've used. so now i'm addicted to very expensive knitting needles -- great. (i did refrain from buying anything from the very tempting sale yarn bin, though!)

but i'd rather splurge on knitting needles for myself than on yarn that's going to be auctioned off. and it actually looks really good with the plum recycled yarn. i think the bag will have a broader appeal this way, which is obviously good for an auction item.

so i had a great idea for the lining, i hope it works. i volunteer at cok twice a week, and one of the things i end up doing for them is folding the tee shirts that they get printed up with their designs and then sell. well, they got this defective batch of their "dog on a plate shirt" that they have to send back and i snatched one (with erica's permission). i'm going to try to make the bag lining out of the tee shirt. won't that be super cool and unique? i just hope it works because the tee is made out of that really stretchy "baby doll tee" material. it seems a lot harder to work with for a novice seamstress like myself. but i'll give it a shot. if it works, the entire bag will be made out of recycled materials: recycled rayon sari yarn, reclaimed cotton from a thrift store sweater, and re-purposed fabric from a defective tee shirt. cool huh?

technorati tags: knitting recycle yarn diy