Ma Cherie, Turtle and Bags from Bags

Sometimes I get so caught up in creating items, I don't slow down long enough to edit the pictures and put them on the blog. I wonder if anyone else is like that?

 

I get so excited that a project is done, that I cannot wait to start another one. Of course, there is a long line of ideas and yarn calling out my name, "Joanne, Joanne, Joanne, pick us up and knit, or crochet, we aren't picky, just make something else."   

 

Below we have several projects that are in that category. They have been finished for a while, as a matter of fact they are on etsy. But, I have never posted them on my blog.

 

Here are two Ma Cherie shawls. You know, these will work well as a scarf and work in air conditioning too. If a knitter doesn't have bulky yarn, several yarns can be put together and then held as one strand to make this pattern.  That is what I did with this black one. I had a finer black yarn and added some silver and light blue skinny yarns. Held these several strands together as one strand and made the shawl.

 

 

 

In the town near my home, Denton, there is a business called Scrap.  People will donate their unused craft supplies and Scrap sells them.  I do go in there, from time to time, and sometimes will find some fantastic yarns. Below is one of those yarns.  A super bulky art yarn that also works well with the Ma Cherie pattern. This yarn gives the shawl a boho look.

 

The turtle is a test knit that I did for a designer on Ravelry, here is a link to the pattern.  I loved making this little turtle.  It is actually an ice pack. Inside I put a cotton fabric bag, full of popcorn kernels.  Store the turtle in the freezer and when your little ones bump themselves, you are ready with a fun ice pack. You know, maybe I should make one for me? I still bump myself, do you?

 

The turtle can also be a tiny heating pad. I used cotton yarns for the entire turtle, stuffed the head with cotton yarn bits and used cotton fabric for the bag, that holds the popcorn, inside the body. Using all cotton and popcorn, allows us to put it in the microwave to heat. 

 

This little turtle went to live at my daughter's home to help my grandson, and now granddaughter, out when they bump themselves. 

 

 

The next project started with my 30 inch tri-loom.  Every once in a while, I will weave on it.  I made this triangle and then crocheted an edging around the triangle to make a shawl.  The yarn is from Brown Sheep and is their Cotton Fleece. This item just sold in my etsy shop.

 

Last, but definitely not least, I have a really good friend who is having a blast making bags from bags!  She is taking plastic grocery bags, cutting them in loops, connecting the loops and making yarn. Then she crochets bags. I think she has done close to 30! She stopped counting at 24. :)

 

Most of the bags have been gifted away, but she did keep a few for her own shopping and crafting use.  A few weeks ago she showed up with these. More bag yarn is in the larger one and her lunch was in the tiny one.  I love these bags and they are so much fun to make and see. 

Alligator Surprise!

Well, I have mentioned the rain before and thankfully it has slowed down some, but we are still getting an occasional rain storm.  Some of the roads near and around the lakes are still flooded in several places. In our little town, we have one major road flooded in two places and another road still flooded in one place. This makes for driving and getting out of the community pretty tricky. We now have only one road in and out.

Here is one of the flooded roads. That lime green stuff you see, is the water.  It is full of algae and really awful looking. I stayed in the car to take the picture, didn't want to meet a snake or alligator, not to mention the mosquitoes. Nope not that brave, thank you. 

 

Umm, here is why I mentioned alligators.  Normally, we don't think of north central Texas having alligators.  Well, apparently, people have been buying the babies and having them as pets. Crazy and nuts, if you ask me. Anyway, they don't want to kill them when they get too big to have as a pet, so what do they do??? They dump them in the local lake! Good grief. This is the second sighting of an alligator. The first sighting was near the place of the green water and it was only a 6 foot alligator. Haha! And since I didn't want to tempt fate AND I didn't need a new pair of boots or a bag, I stayed in the car.

 

 

KNITTING! I finished my Seabrook vest. The pattern is from Berroco and is free. I used a cotton yarn from Cascade, named Luna, for my vest. I didn't meet gauge with this yarn. But, I solved that by just casting on fewer stitches. This vest is knit sideways and is a giant rectangle.  If I had cast on the amount of stitches called for, I would've had a floor length vest.  Being only 5' 1", I am not exaggerating(much) on that comment.

So, the vest is supposed to be ALL seed stitch.  I gave up on the seed stitch after only 4 inches. You know, there can be too much of a good thing. I decided to knit every row, for the rest of the vest and finished with a seed stitch border on the opposite end.

 

Another project, that I just made is this scarf. I had to run and find the pattern just so that I could give you the correct name. Um.  Here it is. Linen Summer Wrap. This scarf is addictive. It is one of those projects that you can memorize the pattern and just knit. You knit it sideways and increase to a certain stitch count, then start to decrease. Every so often you throw in a row of extra yarn overs for each stitch and the next row you drop those yarn overs, so that you have a lacey look.  It looks great when done and is a wonderful accessory to your outfit! I have just started my 4th one. No gauge worries either! You just want it to be a drapey fabric. It takes about 160 yards of yarn.

Yarn for this scarf is Linen Concerto, from Plymouth yarns.