From The Craft Room

Archive for October, 2007

These ornaments were really popular at craft malls and fairs a few years ago. I never bought any because I figured I could make them myself and I even had instructions to make them at one point, but lost them. Colleen posted a link the other day to an online Ribbon Pinecone Ornament tutorial that she found while looking for holiday crafts for her kids. Yay!!

There are tons of ways to cast on. Here’s a cool visual reference to a lot of them: Knit Picks Knitting Room » Casting On.

I was over at Knitty.com and found the neatest pattern I want to try in the next bag I just started knitting. It’s called Little Slip of a Thing (designed by a woman named Diane at Felted Handbag Workshop) and has an interesting contrasting square pattern. I think I’ll try that technique in the very center stripe. We’ll see.

My first bag is done and I’ll get around to posting pictures later this evening after I take some.

I had to stop by the yarn shop last week because I didn’t know how to finish off my icord I was making for the bag handle or how to start the 2nd one. The shop owner showed me again how to cast on so that I could start my 2nd bag that I want to make into my knitting bag, too. I spent a good portion of last evening casting on, knitting a few rows, taking it apart and starting over again, just for the practice. I’m getting better at it.

Now I have finished both icord handles, so now I need to go through the process of felting the bag. It involves putting it in a pillowcase in the washer in very hot water and high agitation. I was going to do it today after work, but I was in a rotten mood when I came home, so that will have to wait until tomorrow.

It takes a couple of days to dry stretched over a cereal box and then I take it back to the store so that I can be shown how to attach the handles. With any luck, there will be pictures of the completed bag this weekend!