Two Things

First of all, I finally learned how to use my drop spindle!







The thickness is far from uniform and frankly, it looks like something a child has done, but I don't care. I made it! Also, I figure it can only get better with time, so around the time I actually have enough money to buy a spinning , I will have mastered the drop spindle.

In addition to learning the drop spindle, I also attempted to sew a little coin purse type thing, complete with a zipper! It started out fairly good:



While the lines were a bit shaky, I have to say I managed to match up the fabric fairly well and mastered the zipper. I was feeling pretty good considering I was doing it without a pattern. So I then sewed up the lining and sewed up the outside before I realized that I had no idea how to completely close it.





Well crap. So much for my grandiose project attempt. Perhaps tomorrow I will bunker down and finish it by hand. Maybe.

New Scarf

I bought this yarn while in Ashville, North Carolina this summer, but alas I cannot remember the name of the store. On the drive back to Pennsylvania, I started the scarf and then set it aside for some unknown reason. Tonight I picked it up, finished off a row or two, and added some fringe. Just a simple knit stitch and the yarn is made up of five separate strands.

Free Yarn

Last Saturday, I stopped by Yarns By Design for a trunk show they were having for a few days. I needed some new circular needles and picked up some lovely hat yarn:





I plan on making a hat with the above yarn, but that's not the point of this post. The point of this post was I spun a wheel and won a door prize of 9 balls of blue bamboo yarn! There was even free patterns for a shawl and hand warmers. This was particularly exciting because I never win anything.

Tons of Fun

I have become obsessed with DYI blogs of all kinds. So, I have decided to link them here in case anyone stumbles across this blog. Check the out!


Design Sponge
Everybody Loves Sandwiches
How About Orange
IKEA Hacker
Jars of Cute
Not Martha

A Finished Project

After six hours, much frustration, and the help of my mother, my first sewing project is completed!









The pattern came from the book Sew Everything Workshop and while it was listed as an easy project, I think that perhaps I should have started with a place mat first. Oh well! My next sewing idea is to make some little zippered purses I talked about in the previous post, though I think I might wait a day or two to attempt them.

One of these days, I will make that hat post.

Now For Something Different...

A week or so ago, I picked up a book on sewing at Half-Priced Books. Needless to say, this was right up my ally. I have since picked up a few other books and after leafing through them, I decided I was going to make a simple tote-style purse. There was a quick trip to Joann Fabrics and I found some fabric:





The fabric on the right is going to be the outside/shoulder strap and the one on the left will be the lining, perhaps a front pocket as well. While the pattern didn't call for interfacing, I bought some just to make the bag a little bit stronger.

I also dug the sewing machine out of the closet. I think I'll wait for my mother to explain it to me:





In addition to the fabric for the purse, I also picked up some more fabric and zippers to make little cosmetic bags/change purses/pencil holders/etc. Joann's sells these fabric samples that are marketed to quilters, but they were the perfect size (18" x 22") for my small projects. Plus, they were on sale for 96 cents, so I stocked up just a bit:







Mom's going to help me get started. After all, she did sew her own wedding dress.

FYI

On a non-crafty note, I have started a Tumblr. I'm not quite sure what exactly you do with a Tumblr other than post whatever you like, which is what I plan on doing with it.

In other news, I went to the library on Tuesday with Mom to get my books on how to make yarn flowers. The crochet book was there, but the knitting one was no where to be seen despite the fact it is checked into the system. I seem to have a habit of wanting books that are MIA in the library system.

Next post: baby hats.