News!

Whew! Long overdue blog update. I can’t believe a month has just slipped by.

First things first. Teresa and I ventured a bit south for the Crafty Bastards sale in Silver Spring, MD. Teresa let me tag along as her assistant and she graciously let me sell some of my yarn bags at the table.

Yarn bags?

I brought nine and sold six. After my success at CB and the Bizarre Bazaar in Boston last year, I decided to open an etsy shop. Please visit Old Ball and Skein for your knitting/crocheting in public needs!

This design is original and brand new (for selling…I’ve been making ‘em for years). The bag protects your yarn from getting dirty, tangled, or falling on the floor while the flaps allow your working yarn to feed out of the top. The box bottom allows the bag to stand up on its own and the snaps allow you to switch out projects without cutting and weaving extra ends. These bags are pretty big; they accommodate a range of weights from sock to chunky. All are fully linked, have a huge back pocket, and are machine washable.

Here’s an example of one in the shop right now:

That’s all I got for now. Next update will feature my finished quilt.

Tiny Update

It’s been a minute, hasn’t it?

Yesterday Teresa and I went to Northampton to visit Tara. We ate delicious breakfast (peanut butter pancakes!) and then shopped at Valley Fabrics and Webs. I picked up a pattern to make what promises to be a stress-free quilt. We’ll see about stress free. Here’s the fabric before I mess it up.

I sewed a few small gifts as a thank you for my amazing mentor and friend. The fabric is left over from some Ikea curtains. The tissue cover pattern came from here and the small card case pattern came from here. Both patterns were super easy to follow–thanks to the generous authors for offering the tutorials.

I’m feeling discombobulated by the recent events affecting the community of my school. Appreciate life.

Cough, cough

Wow, my last post was in the middle of January. I’m not surprised, especially because I started student teaching right after that post was written. I haven’t finished the program quite yet, but it’s a wonderful sign that it’s Sunday morning and I’m blogging instead or grading or planning like a maniac.

Blogs are better with pictures, but I got nothing for you right now.

Oh, hai

Ravelry has certainly detracted from my blog time. Not that I’m complaining or anything.

Tonight I sewed up a single coaster–my first attempt at quilting. I used the Mix-it-Up Cocktail Coaster pattern found in Denyse Schmidt’s Quilt It Kit. I fouled up the pattern enlargement, which explains why there are 4.1 visable fabric strips instead of the six I actually cut and pieced together.

I need to improve my quilting skills because I’ve fallen in love with tiny hexagons that grow into enormous blankets. I’d like to make one for my wall.

I’m going to be at the Bazaar Bizarre on Sunday with the lovely Teresa and Kristin. I’ll have a few special yarn bags for sale early early, and an Etsy store forthcoming. I have to leave early because I have the end-of-semester blues.

Say hello if you’re there!

sigh

I must have angered the knitting gods because, oh goodness, has it been ugly around the house of old ball and skein.

Purl Beret: failed

Jaywalkers: failed twice

Forest Canopy Shawl: failed

I ripped out two projects and I feel so, so much better.

Things To Do Instead of Studying for the Praxis

I’m wide awake because I ate a tofu fajita with black beans and rice at 1:30 in the morning, right after I came home from work. I also ate four pieces of soy pepperoni that I “cooked”on the skillet, but please don’t ask me to justify that action.

Pepper has the best legs.

Um, knitting, what? A real update is coming soon. Pinky.

Sweet Clutch

From Amy Karol’s awesome Bend-the-Rules Sewing.