This is what I spent my day working on:

Tank w/shrug


Back


Plain tank


Back


Tank w/shrug buttoned on (I don't know if I like how this way looks, but it is another way to wear it)


Now for the very pic heavy tute

I started out with these two t-shirts, both size medium-ish


I then cut rectangles off the bottom of each


I put the bodice up to the bottom part to see how much I needed to take up, then prepared to gather below the boobs.


I basted in between the pins, then gathered and pinned right sides together, basted, tried the top on, the sewed.


I gathered fabric above the boobs as well, then added darts in the back to make the top fit nicely, and stitched a border over the top. (My darts came out wonky, but it still looks cool)







Then I made straps, tried on the top and pinned the straps in place, stitched them on, and added button accents.





That completes the tank.

For the shrug, I took the top part of the flower print tee, added button holes (so it can button on or be tied.


Then I cut strips from the red tee, and added a red edging to the shrug




And voila!  A shrug and tank.  I like that I can put on the shrug at work (to fit in dress code), then wear just the tank top when I'm going out and about.

Hope you like it!

Inspired by Knitty's Brown Bag, I decided to whip up a felted lunch bag that would be the perfect size to carry my lunch to work.  I hate taking and wasting plastic bags each week, so I figured this would double as a eco-project to help me waste less.  I started with Knitty's pattern for the bottom, but I made up the rest as I went along.  The body was knit in the round.  I sewed in a zipper for closure and added a ribbon strap to carry it with.  (I double stranded Lion Wool using size 10 Denise Interchangeable circs)

with lunch and utensils


hanging


zipped up


pre-felting

My iPod had a very boring case that I made awhile ago, so I decided I needed to make it more interesting.  Being that many of my favorite bands come from Britain (The Smiths, The Clash, etc)  I decided to go for a British flag case.  This also gave me a good chance to practice my colorwork.
I drew up a chart for the flag, embroidering the white stripes afterward.  The back is plain black.  Very simple and easy, it only took me about two days to make.
Enjoy!




And here's the rough pattern w/chart

I used several different worsted yarns (double stranded), including Lion Brand Wool-ease, Cascade 220 and random acrylic.
For the flag side, I knit 2 rows in garter st in the black yarn, then knitted the cart in stockinette (the crossed out rows on the side were included)



The I knit two more rows of garter in black, and bound off.  I embroidered the white stripes.

For the back, you could just knit the same amount of rows and sts in plain black.  Then sew both panels together.  I made the back of mine differently, but I'm not sure how to explain it on here.  It's the same construction as the top part of the house slippers in Knit Two Together, by Mel Clark and Tracey Ullman.  That book probably explains it better than I can.

And that's it.  Simple, easy, fast and a great stash buster.

This is the toe-up two at once pattern from Knitpicks http://www.knitpicks.com/Two+At+Once%2c+Toe-Up+Sock+Pattern_PD50417220.html and my first pair of finished, wearable socks.  I modified the pattern to make them ankle socks.  I'm very happy with them and now about to tackle Knitty's broadripple socks.





Enjoy!

These are the felted house slippers from Knit2Together.  The yarn is Lion Brand Wool.  This is my first real felting project and I loved it.  The slippers are super comfy and have just the right amount of warmth.  I wear them constantly around the house now.  They were a fast knit too; it only took about 3 days to finish them.  The embellishment was made from cutting a felted swatch, then sewing it on with a button on top.





close up of embellishment


This is what they looked like before felting

I made this quilt with fabric from my stash for my mom's guest room.  Nothing really exceptional about it, but I had fun making it and my mom's really happy with it.



Here's a close up of the fabric


For the underside I used a twin sheet that I had plus some extra fabric (the quilt is a full)


Enjoy!

This pillow has an interesting story behind it.  While I was getting my BA at University of South Florida (USF), I would often crochet and knit in class.  This led to a few custom orders for pay.  One of them was this pillow.  In my Urban Studies class, this big football player asked me if I could make a pillow in the school colors that said USF.  At first I thought he was joking, but he was serious, and offered to pay me.  So I went out and got some yarn (it's Red Heart Acrylic), wrote up a chart on some graph paper, and crocheted it in a couple of days.  It's stuffed with fiberfill.  He was really pleased with it.  One of my most unusual requests.

So, here is the pillow...


And the back


And of course, the obilgatory cat shot

I had started on this bag awhile back, but I hated how it was turning out and kept avoiding it.  I finally frogged it last night and remade it, and I'm so happy with the results.  It's made from many, many grocery bags.  I used a Q hook, crocheting in the round for the most part.  The inspiration came from an issue of BUST magazine, but the pattern is my own. 

So, here's my plastic bag tote



perfect for a trip to the library



Or the grocery store



Save the planet in style and finally do something with all those plastic bags accumulating in your kitchen!


Here's a tute (tute pics coming soon!)

First, get a bunch of plastic bags.  I mean a bunch, it takes a lot.  Harass your friends and neighbors for them, they'll be glad to give them away
Take the bag, lay it out flat.  Now roll it up like a sushi, keeping the handles on the same side.  Cut off the handles, and then cut off the bottom.  You now have a plastic sushi roll.  Cut about every two inches, and you now have a few plastic loops.  Repeat this a billion times.
Now take two loops, and pull one loop through the other and back through itself.  Pull them taught, and they should secure in the middle.  This will make more sense with pics, but keep experimenting, it's easy once you do it the first time.  Keep attaching loops, then roll them up in a plastic yarn ball.
Congrats, that's the part that takes the longest.

ch 35 sts, the join.  single crochet in the round until bag is as long as you want it (note: it will stretch when you put stuff in it)
Then, work back and forth on 14 sts for 4 or 5 rows.  this flap will be the bottom of the bag.  Single crochet this flap to the bag to make the bottom.  Cut "yarn" and pull through last loop.  Weave in ends, or just pull it to inside of bag
Body of bag is done.

Now, you could add fabric for straps, or buy some knifty ready made purse handles.
to crochet some, just start at the side of the bag where you want the handle, sc through 4 sts, then work these back and forth until the strap is desired length (again, it will stretch).  sc  the strap onto the other side of bag, being careful not to twist.

I wove a ribbon into the body of the bag to make it a little more feminine looking.

You could also finish the bottom of the bag like a hat, giving you a round bag, but I like square-ish bags.  It's a lot of fun to get different colored bags and add stripes too.
Good luck!

This is a poncho I made a while back but never posted.  The yarn I bought at Hancock fabrics, but I honestly don't remember what it was called.  It's actually a bit rough in texture, but it works fine on a loose garment like this.  The pattern came from Crochet Pattern a day 2006 calendar with Annie Modesitt and Friends. 

It worked up quickly and looks jazzy.

A few years ago, I spent 6 weeks in Nicaragua.  Being that it's very hot there, there aren't exactly yarn shops on every corner.  But, they do sell this brightly colored twine in the market.  So, I bought a couple balls of it and made a door mat.  I've actually also used it as a wall hanging.
I didn't really have a pattern, it's just a rectangle made of double crochets and half double crochets.
If I ever go back, I'd like to get more of this and make a basket.  It's very sturdy.



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