June 2022 Chatter - Crafting on the go!

[hereami Expert Crafter Find all posts View Profile Close hereami]

I wanted to use up the rest of some yarn so I made this book bag. I pleated the bottom a bit so it expands, and added a handle to the back top. In the picture I have two hardy boys books in it. I am going to give it away either with books in it or I will make it into a craft bag with yarn and a hook.

That is Mr. Darcy, my dog, laying in the chair. He's not judging us. I think he is waiting for something important to happen. He often sits and watches me. My children were a bit taken aback with his constant silent shadowing and staring. I adopted him over a year ago, so they are used to it now and use it to their advantage. If they are looking for me, they look for the dog.

[FreedomLover]

I love the bag and Mr. Darcy.

[Char Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Char]

I am all set up to teach English Paper piecing today!!!

[hereami]

Oh...I wish I lived close to you!! That looks like lots of fun.
Where did you purchase those tiny scissors?

Do you know if someone sells a beginner kit for English Paper piecing??

[PurlgirlButtons]

Hi

Char

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Char, How did Char’s Quilt Camp go? that sounds so interesting. I have never tried it. what are the little black rings for? Did you make up these kits?

[Char Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Char]

hereami

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hereami we had fun! I wish you were here too. paperpieces.com will send you a free kit - basically it is 7 hexis and 7 pieces of fabric to make a flower. Alternately you can Google paper piecing hexagons and find downloadable templates you can cut out yourself. paperpieces.com has tutorials and a wealth of information. I recommend a heavier weight paper. The tiny scissors came from Amazon in an 8 pack I think.

PurlgirlButtons

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PurlgirlButtons - everyone seemed to enjoy it. Most seemed like they would continue. Everyone was amazed at the accuracy the first time they did it. . The little black rings are 1/8” washi tape. I taped it on thumb nails as a guide for how far apart the stitches should be.

Here is my finished coaster from today’s event:

[hereami]

Thank you

Char

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Char
Your coaster looks great. So glad you got out and had a good time teaching this craft.

[PurlgirlButtons]

That’s really cute and vintage-y.

[Nyssareen Expert Crafter Find all posts View Profile Close Nyssareen]

I think I've posted these pics in just about every group I am in, but I love how well they turned out so much that I just want to share them. I've been working on these socks since the beginning of May, but to me, they were worth the wait! I give you my pink and purple Gothix socks! 😍

[Hellokitten]

Agree! These are truly gorgeous!

[Natalia]

So beautiful socks😍

[FreedomLover]

These are gorgeous!

[Sjuly Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sjuly]

Start over Sunday??

I had dropped a section off the needle and did a sloppy job of picking it back up in the short row hem area. Now I counted stitches after the waist shaping is done and I have 89 st on the back, 83 st on the front…but both are supposed to be 95. 😑 at this point I am unhappy enough to just start over. I will lose two weeks of work but I will be more satisfied with the finished sweater.

[Char]

Oh no! I have done that a number of times. Better to 🐸 than to put that beautiful yarn in a basket.

[Nyssareen]

I agree with Char, it is too pretty to be relegated to a basket somewhere and get ignored for months or years. Best to frog it and start over so you can enjoy both the process and the finished product!

[FreedomLover]

Yikes! You seem to be in good spirits about starting over, so good for you.

[Char Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Char]

It is motivation Monday! What do you need motivation to do?

I need motivation to finish my sewing room organizing.

Here
I
go!

[lovestostitch]

My daughter, SIL and grandson arrive tomorrow. I need to shop and cook. Once they arrive - it's float in the pool time!

[Hellokitten]

lovestostitch

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lovestostitch That's fantastic! Have a wonderful visit.

[FreedomLover]

Char

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Char, don’t mention needing to organize craft stuff, mine is in need of this as well and I have no motivation right now.

lovestostitch

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lovestostitch have a wonderful time!

[Lemming13 Expert Crafter Find all posts View Profile Close Lemming13]

I need motivation to stop binging tv mysteries and do some crafting or finish organising my pattern collection. On the positive side, I finished my on-the-go bag project; on the negative side, I don't like it, the sides are too floppy and nothing seems to work to sort that out. I've tried adding a gusset, stitching the upper sections together, and even starching the sides. It will never satisfy me as a summer shoulder bag. Still, it makes a reasonable storage bag for my daughter's collection of tights and pop socks.

[hereami]

I love these colors.
What about adding a half granny square to each of the open sides?

[Lemming13]

I did try that but though it worked it made the bag so deep I couldn't get to my purse. I also tried doing a full square and making it a flap, but then it was still floppy on one side and too deep. Well, never mind - I was only stash busting yarn anyway, so it isn't much of a waste.

[FreedomLover]

At least you found a use for it.

[hereami Expert Crafter Find all posts View Profile Close hereami]

Motivation Monday...hmm...

I like the make a list idea

Hellokitten

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Hellokitten mentioned. There are several things I have been putting off doing for months.
Maybe, I will make a list for the week.

I need to go through a book shelf, sand and repaint a dresser, rearrange some furniture, and finish some Wips. Oh, who am I kidding ....Wips, lol !

I will stare at the Wips, maybe even touch them and then decide to go play with a different yarn.

[Hellokitten]

Char

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Char I can't keep anything in my head anymore.

[MBearMakes]

I have a list with about 50 things on it. Then I forget to look at it. 😅

Since I have ADHD, I have (just...at age 56!) figured out that if I stop looking at my list/s, I need to move them to a different place or format. So, just now I have it in Excel, but I still have to remind myself to refer to it. Or, really, *make* myself look at it! Then I will make a small list with just a few things on it, and try to do those things today.

However, very few people have the challenges I have with Motivation Monday! 🤓

[Hellokitten]

Rarely can i complete my list on a daily basis. I keep it in a prominent place where I can see it. It's a list for the week, the month, whatever. Just so I keep reminding myself. Retirement is awful. ! can keep putting everything off because there is no pressure.

[Nyssareen Expert Crafter Find all posts View Profile Close Nyssareen]

I am currently working on the third body for the Hedwig the Owl I am making for my sister's birthday present. I made one for my niece back in February and made the unpleasant discovery that for some (still unexplained) reason, the white 100% cotton yarn I bought for the project, which matched the white of the white-with-black-spots yarn for the wings, was breaking when I tugged on it. I managed to finish the one for my niece with a replacement yarn and started on one for my sister shortly after. At this point, I was feeling very proud of myself for starting on a project more than 3 months before it was needed! Well, I ran out of the replacement yarn and have been trying to get more ever since, even though it should have been a very easy yarn to find. My sister's birthday was on the 13th of June, but she has been sick, so I've had a time extension. I finally managed to find another replacement white yarn that worked with the white in the wing yarn, but I am now on the third version of the body for this same project and I am running seriously low on motivation to continue!

[Nyssareen]

There is a downside too, believe me! I have a tendency to finish movies or entire TV series or read all of a book even if I don't care much for it. If it is upsetting I won't, but if it is just boring I will keep watching/reading until it is done. I am currently watching Book 2 of the North and South mini-series that was made in the 1980s, even though it is annoying me half to death because I am just determined to find out if it even gets batter (even though I'm pretty sure it won't)! 🤦♀️ And the same applies to knitting projects, I have to REALLY hate the project to give up on it and frog it. 😬

[Pegg Thomas]

Nyssareen

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Nyssareen - DO NOT watch book 3 of that North and South series. The first one was good. The second one was okay. The third one is a total train wreck.

[Nyssareen]

@PeggThomas I've been leaning more and more to just not starting Book 3 at all. Book 2 is annoying me so much and just keeps getting worse so I think I'll just pretend it doesn't exist. On a side note, I laughed SO hard when Abraham Lincoln first came on the screen because the makeup job was so atrocious. It looked like the Lincoln from the Hall of Presidents came to life and wandered onto the set! 🤣🤣🤣

[Natalia Expert Crafter Find all posts View Profile Close Natalia]

I need motivation to finish few WIPs, which I started last year
But now I'll show a new sweater started last week. Going to finish it tomorrow.

[Pegg Thomas]

Very nice! I had to look closely to see if the body was knit or crochet. That's a lot of texture!

[MBearMakes]

That looks warm and cozy, makes you want to touch it! And, I really like the colors.

[FreedomLover]

This is beautiful, I love the stitches and the colors.

[hereami Expert Crafter Find all posts View Profile Close hereami]

Random question. Does anyone out there really eat Tacos for dinner on Tuesdays?

My mom used to have a menu where each day of the week was planned and we would rotate thru family favorites. Our house...not so much.

My crafting is the same as my menu planning. I take a look at what supplies are available , then figure out what I can make with it. Only for special occasions do I shop for ingredients for a special thing/meal.

[lovestostitch]

I'm like you. The only time I plan ahead is for company or if I want to try a new recipe that requires ingredients I don't typically have.

[Nyssareen]

My mom also had a set menu, though we didn't have the same meal each day of the week. She planned the menu a month in advance and kept the list on the fridge so everyone knew what we were having and when. I tried doing the same when I got married, but even though I only had 2 kids and she had 4, I never could get as organized as she did (in my "defense" I was a single mom from the time my boys were 1 and 3). Even when I moved back in with my parents when my kids were 8 and 10, I couldn't do a scheduled menu, no matter how much Mom complained about it. Oddly, my dad said he preferred not having a scheduled menu, though that might just have been him trying to make me feel better. 😂 I just look at what we have and make something from that. I try to make sure we have certain staples with each shopping trip so I usually have what I need to make the stuff people like. If there is a special event, I will plan a menu for that, but other than that, it's random. I do have one friend who ALWAYS has tacos on Tuesdays, though, it's kind of funny. But she recently married a man who came with 4 kids, after being single for many years (she is in her early 40s) so I am wondering how long her strict menu plans will last! 😂

[crosstitchlinda]

I did taco meat tonight. It was easy and I was fading fast. Stupid virus.

[FreedomLover Expert Crafter Find all posts View Profile Close FreedomLover]

I ordered a new pair of needles and they arrived with a tip broken off. I don’t have any Knitter’s Pride Dreamz and I’m surprised they have plastic tips.

[KikiKnits]

I had that happen, I reordered and the second pair was the same! They were squared and wooden.. I can't remember the brand or if I asked for a refund.

[FreedomLover]

I’m getting a refund. I love Chiaogoo needles but saw these on sale and thought I’d give a different brand a try. I’ll stick to my tried and true from now on unless I receive a glowing recommendation from someone here.

[Nyssareen]

I'm a huge Chiaogoo fan as well. I've been using their Twist interchangeables for years and it would take something pretty spectacular to make me change from them!

[hereami Expert Crafter Find all posts View Profile Close hereami]

This week I decided the wip to work on was this Cross Stitch pattern. I have had it in my collection of kits to get done for too many years to admit to.

I learned to cross stitch in Jr. High. I loved it and did a lot of it for a while. I haven't done much of it in the last 18 years or so. I am hoping to put it back into my craft rotation.

[MBearMakes]

Very nice work. It looks like a relaxing project!

[Char]

Very nice!!!

[FreedomLover]

How nice to spend time with an old crafting friend, it looks lovely.