The random ramblings of a crafty mind

crafty bits and pieces

2010-04-18T11:06:00.002+10:00

So i have been wanting to make another rug out of tarn, But i want to make a circular one this time so i thought i would try my hand at crocheting one. however i could not find a crochet hook big enough around here and didn't want to order one o the net. So what's a girl to do?

I read a post once where someone had whittled there own so i thought i would give it a go. I found a nice fat stick in the backyard and armed with a sharp kitchen knife, a piece of emery cloth, and no whittling know-how at all i went to work.

And here is the finished result!

Not bad for someone with no experience hey?

Also i joined a quilt block a month activity over on the ravelry group from trash to tresure I don't have a sewing machine, and i am not the best hand sewer so the lines are a little wonky, but i am quite proud of the result!

It will be made in different shades of pink and yellow for my daughter.

Kiddy craft: Storage boxes for crafty odds and ends

2010-04-12T14:06:00.005+10:00

Walking through my daughters room the other day i noticed that her craft table is overflowing with bits of paper, yarn, toilet rolls etc. A total mess!

So i thought to myself there has to be something we can do to organize it a bit better. Looking over at the kitchen bench i noticed we had a wine box waiting to be recycled and wallah! A new craft activity for my daughter to do.

First we cut the top flaps off the wine box, and glued one of them to the inside to patch up the hole the tap makes.

Next we covered it in white scrap paper so we had a nice blank canvas to work with.

Then she grabbed some of her crafty odds and ends and went crazy! Here is the finished result!

I think she did a wonderful job! Now we just need to transform a few more boxes and her craft table will be well in order!

Crafty things i would like to do this year

2010-04-03T13:25:00.002+11:00

So getting my internet back has resulted in me browsing crafty project ideas for the last few days and I now have a list of new things i want to try!

Here it is:

Make a bead privacy curtain for my daughters (Lana) room using beads we make from old newspapers and magazines.

I found a pattern to crochet a tic tac toe board, but the instructions were quite confusing so i want to make a (mostly) knitted one.

Make a bookshelf from some of the scrap timber next door.

My fiance and i have been making some wooden blocks for Lana out of wood offcuts, I would like to get these finished.

Knit a sampler blanket for jellybean (nickname for the bub i am expecting in sept yay!:)

Make Lana a new scarf.

Make a paper mache pen holder for the desk.

Weave a bathmat from tarn (yarn made from old t-shirts)

Knit a table runner.

Knit place mats.

Make a magazine bowl.

decoupage my craft tubs.

Make some needle cushions.

Sew a quilt for lana.

Finish of the marriage blanket.

Braid a rug from tarn.

Knit my brother the doctor who scarf i promised him for xmas last year oops.

Make a wall hanging from toilet paper rolls.

Make a small loom.

Learn to crochet granny squares. (Done today!)

I can haz internetz?

2010-04-01T15:00:00.008+11:00

So i blew up yet another computer. This one took us months to be able to afford to replace it, but finally i have net access again!

So what is in the works at the moment?

Well I have a beautiful little niece due in July so i am madly knitting away for her.

This is the blanket all nicely finished.

The wedding is 5 weeks away so i am madly making bouquets centerpieces etc, will post pics once its all done.

And miss Lana is off sick today and disappointed about missing her Easter hat parade, so we had a crafty day today to cheer her up.

First off we finished up her Easter basket.

Made by paper macheing (sp?) over a balloon so it is shaped like an Easter egg and then painting it.

And then we got inspired by a post over on ravelry so we made some paper beads, which she painted and then turned into a necklace.

Yay for craft days!

Look what i got at the Op-Shop!

2009-10-08T04:31:00.008+11:00

So i had a fantastic time trawling the op shops today! I went looking for a new soup pot (which i didn't find) but I got some great yarn scores.

This was all in a big zip lock bag. The colour doesn't show up very well, its a lovely dark reddy brown 100% nz wool $5 for the lot yay!

A whole bunch of novelty yarns, including silver and gold YAY more tinsel for the tree $1 for the lot.

I'm not sure what this one is meant to be for storing. Socks or toys maybe? Anyhoo its huge and perfect for storing most of my yarn oin so its not living in plastic bags next to my side of the bed anymore 50 cents.

And some pretty yellow lace, about 3 metres of it for 20cents.

Now i know i am supposed to be saving, and i was meant to be shopping for a soup pot, but this finishes off the last of the yarn i need for knitting up the christmas pressies (aside from my little brother, still no idea there)I also got 4 xxl t shirts for a dollar each which will get turned into tarn for my dads rug, and i went to the $2 shop and bought a ball of caramel coloured acryllic for lana's doughnut's and cupcakes.

79 day till christmas, 178 days till the wedding

2009-10-06T08:03:00.011+11:00

ugh another night with no sleep! between stressing out about christmas and trying like all hell to try and figure out a honeymoon that we can afford, and madly trying to get my christmas knitting all done in time there is just not enough hours in a day.

Godfuckingdamnit why does everything have to be so bloody expensive? So This morning i have a few things sorted.

1 I can afford the wedding, but i can't afford a honeymoon that eveyone is happy with.

2 I reallly really really need to get a job or two. Someone who can work around Dale (my man) shifts cause we cant afford a babysitter, not when they charge what we earn an hour.

3 i was hopeing to have a little money for christmas as Dale doesn't like anything knitted (I'm hopeing the wedding present is the exception to the rule)so i could buy him a present, but if i want to get married in april thats not a possibility. Now i have no idea what to give him.

4 the present list... well mostly anyway.

* My sister garter stitch scarf 100% done

* My step-dad's red yarn vomit scarf 60% done

Pattern can be found here Yarn Vomit Sarf

* Lana assorted knitted foods for her dolls to have picnics with. Not started yet. I also have some dvd read along books i got on special for $3 that i have stashed away. Would really like to get her a bike from santa, but i just don't think its feasable. Maybe ii could ask the grandparents to be santa this year?

* My step mother Party lace scarf Not started yet, not sure if i can afford new yarn for it, it needs lace weight and i dont have anything close to thin enough.
Pattern can be found here Party lace scarf

* My dad rug made from t-shirt yarn. Not started yet.

* My little brother I would love to make him a doctor who scarf, but once again i dont think i can afford the yarn

* littlest step brother NO IDEA!!!

* Mum i cant deecide between a mobius scarf and a chunky braided scarf. I'll probable leave it till last and llet time dictate which one i choose

And thats the list!

Christmas decorations done so far:

knitted tinsel.

Pattern is very easy one ball of eyelash yarn, size 10 1/2 us dpn's.

CO 3 stitches, (5 for thicker tinsel) and knit i-cord until tinsel is the desired length. weave in the ends. TADA! i think it would look extra christmasy in metalic eyelash yarn (if such a thing exsists, but i have yet to find any.)

And Bows for the presents upcycled from old magazine pages.

Instuctions can be found here Gift Bows(warning can become addictive)

A knitted christmas

2009-10-04T13:00:00.002+11:00

so christmas this year is going to be really tough financially.

Not that i have ever had oodles of money for christmas but this one is looking pretty dire. As in we cant even afford to buy decorations. (I'm not even going to go into what happened to my box of decorations *darn kitten* But there was no survivors)

Now i have bags and bags of yarn sitting around the house and i thought, why not knit the decorations??? It was discussed by the family, (where lana and i were going yeah yeah!!! and i got disinterested grunts and no lights we cant afford them out of the fiancee)and it was decided.

How ever now i have realised that i have christmas decorations for the apartment to knit, presents for the family, as we cant afford to buy any this year and not much time to do it. Also no idea of what decorations to make. I have one pattern found on the net for little knitted stockings and i have an idea for making some tinsel but other than that nada, zip and zilch.

Why oh why did i ever decide that knitting hristmas would be a good idea????

Peace out
Tai

my dull, hectic, scattered life

2009-10-02T05:20:00.008+10:00

so i havent written in AGES, life just got so hectic there for a bit.

My daughter has moved back home, (one month early yay!)
I moved in with my boyfriend (now fiance, *dances around a little*!!!)
quit my job..... which felt fucking amazing at the time but in hindsight Really Bad Move!

so i havent been doing much knitting at all up untill the last fornight really, where i had a little knitting explosion!

Explosion one

My daughter decided her doll piggaro needed a blankie, very basic just small garter stitch squares with larger blocks of garter stitch surrounding them and a single crochet border

explosion two

then she decided that her 'my little pony' millkie needed one too. ok no problems i have been wanting to try mitered sqares for a while, great little trial project, turned out pretty good and inspired the wedding present of doom. (but more about that another day)

explosion three

In which i decided that since our apartment is waaaaayyyyyyy W.A.Y. to small for a christmas tree this year i would knit stockings for the pressies......... a nice introduction to short rowing yes, but other than that complete fail! i dont know where i went wrong but its all lumpy and gross. i thought i followed the pattern exactly???

my other explosion, very nice and easy, something to get me back into the swing of knitting, a simple garter stitch scarf... knit on 4.5 mm dpns... in furry fun yarn... still not too much of a problem long and boring yes, but problematic no. Untill i run out of yarn and i can. not. find. a matching ball of yarn anywhere!!!!! so now i am left with a way too short scarf, but i refuse to frog it after the time put into it. so i suppose it will sit in the bottom of my wip pile for all of eternity, or untill i decide not to be so stubborn, frog it and make something else with the pretty pretty yarn.

(ok so eternity it is)

pig tail hat pattern

2008-09-13T14:12:00.000+10:00

Pig tail hat pattern

You will need
4.5 mm circular needles
4.5 mm dpn’s
8 ply yarn in 2 colors

Instructions

Cast on 80 stitches in your preferred cast on method and join in the round placing a stitch marker so you know where your rows end
Row 1-4 knit in double rib stitch (knit 2 pearl 2 repeat) in main colour
Row 5-7 knit in stockinet in second colour
Row 8-10 knit in stockinet in main color.
Continue doing step 2 and 3 for 2 inches
Transfer 30 stitches to one dpn and 50 stitches to another dpn
This is where you make the holes for your pigtails to poke through
Take the first dpn and continue in pattern for one inch then do the same with the other dpn. You will now have one inch of flat knitting on each needle.
Transfer all stitches back to the circular needles and continue in pattern for another 2 inches.
Working in your main colour now switch to dpn's
Knit 9 stitches knit 2 together repeat till end of row
Knit one row
Knit 8 stitches knit 2 together repeat till end of row
Knit one row
Knit 7 stitches knit 2 together repeat till end of row
Knit one row
Knit 6 stitches knit 2 together repeat till end of row
Knit one row
Knit 5 stitches knit 2 together repeat till end of row
Knit one row
Knit 4 stitches knit 2 together repeat till end of row
Knit one row
Knit 3 stitches knit 2 together repeat till end of row
Knit one row
Knit 3 stitches knit 2 together repeat till end of row
Cut off yarn leaving a very long tail.
Thread tail onto a darning needle and slip it through the remaining stitches and pull it through to the inside of the hat pulling tightly to close the circle. Tie off and weave in the end
Weave in all your other loose ends and hey presto a pigtail hat!

On the art of procrastination

2008-09-12T11:42:00.002+10:00

procrastination is a beautiful thing isn't it?

There are many things that i should be doing right now, responsible adulty things that need to be done, but instead i am madly finishing off a beanie i am knitting, dancing madly to iggy pop and writing here. Namely i should be working out my weeks budget, sorting out bills, madly working on catching up in my science class as i have been off sick for the last three weeks, setting up my salinity experement for said science class, cleaning my house for my upcoming rental inspection and other such boring things.

however today procrastination seems to be my middle name and i am loving it.

for my next knitting venture i have decided that i will be making some new tea towels as i have been saying for the last 3 months that i wanted some, but other projects have gotten in the way. I would love to make some with skulls, however as my intarsia skills still suck donkey balls i am thinking of making one in the feather and fan stitch, mostly black with some turquoise thrown in.

I am also planning my pieces for my english portfolio. while i should be concentrating on science, my mind keeps going back to my portfolio, and just how many of my writing pieeces i can link back to stargate atlantis and slash fanfiction lol. Hopefully i wont give my teacher a heart attack with some of the stuff i am thinking of putting in there, but well, in this day and age everyone is pretty open minded arent they?

living in real life

2008-09-02T15:04:00.002+10:00

life can get real hard sometimes, ask any one..... especially a single mother.

there are many ways to deal with the mind numbing trudge through pain and suffering with the occasional high note of not sucking that is life.

Some people drink, some people have sex with random strangers, and some people throw themselves out of panes with an itty bit of fabric the only thing thing saving them from ending up as a little puddle of red goo when they land (but seriously fuck that!).

and others turn to religion and pray. I had a line of the serenity prayer going through my head as i was on the phone battling with the bank so when i got off i just had to go look it up. This is what i found.

~The serenity prayer~

"God Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference."

well this is all well and good, but no matter how many times i say this it really doesnt help, so i decided that i needed to rewrite it. And this is the result.

~the single mothers prayer~
"God grant me some money to pay the bills and keep the debt collectors away,
A house that keeps the wind out and isn't falling down,
and a kid who cleans their fucking room"

Knitting in real life

2008-09-02T11:48:00.004+10:00

ok so it turns out that real life does not only get in the way of such fun things as internetting and writing fanfiction, it also gets in the way of crafting. Between single mothering and schooling, paying bills, shopping and all the other fun fun things that make up a 22 year olds life these days, there has been no time for the crafty therapy that keeps me sane. So some would figure that the flu that had me in bed all of last week was a godsend as it got me knitting again. (And if i had been thinking clearly at the time instead of spending half my concious moments praying for death, and the other half pleading with god not to et me die, i probably would have agreed.)

so whats new on the knitting needles you ask?

well i have finished my second pigtail hat, and i think i have all the kinks worked out of the pattern and i quite like the results. A pigtail hat is an absolute essential for any girl living in a cold climate, how else can you keep your head from freezing, whilst also showing off your love for pigtails?

have also started a feather and fan scarf in my footy teams colours, hoping to get this finished off soon so i can start on a matching beanie.

there have been no other crafty projects in sight other than these, however my daughter got lots of jewelry for her 4th birthday the other week so i am hoping to get some cash together and make her a jewelry box.

right well i'm off to do more of those aforementioned real life things, like talk to my teachers about making up a biology exam how fuckin fun!

peace out

knitting fuck up

2008-04-27T14:54:00.002+10:00

ugh so i have spent days working on a new pattern. Charted, charted, charted some more, made swatches even did some math (yucky). i was finally happy with everything so i settled in to start knitting. 10 inches in, i realised that while everything was working, the design looked right, (my intarsia was a bit loose, but nothing that couldnt be fixed) i realised that i had charted the runes in mirror image. arhhhhh! so i give up! screw the intarsia, i'll just knit it all up and then work the runes in duplicate stitch. i'll leave the intarsia till i am a bit more competent.

Hairsticks

2008-04-27T11:40:00.005+10:00

So i whipped these up for my sisters fashion show last Friday.

They were pretty easy i just grabbed beady bits and pieces i had laying around, strung them onto bits of wire and twisted it around randomly. i also added a little chain from a broken necklace. I twisted the wire ends together in two bunches, then thread it through the back of some silver buttons. I put the ends of my dpns (double pointed knitting needles) through the other side of the buttons, twisted some loose wire from the bunches around the dpns to hold it, and secured it with superglue. I then fanned out the beady bits and voila hair sticks:)