Something I did instead of organize my supplies...

Something I love.
-Rachel

So I Know I Said That...

It was beautiful Fall weather a couple of days ago, but jeez, Fall has officially arrived today. It's been a little chilly with a cool breeze and some nice cloudy sunshine.

This scarf is for my friend, she picked out the yarn it's that Lion's brand Home Spun yarn, I actually like the colors. I am messing around trying to figure out a pattern that I like for it though. I am not sure if the one above works...but I have some time before it gets too cold, and the yarn should be a quick knit, it's pretty thick.
Oh, macro shots, I love them. But you can see the different shades of the yarn and the texture.
I'm using size 1o needles, they seem to be working out pretty good.
So this depressing shot is my wall, the wall itself is like textured outdoor true white paint. It's pretty boring and ugly. So my plan is to give it as much visual interest. This part of the wall is going to be a little cluster of embroidery hoops.
I love this quote from the movie Fight Club, and I LOVE my labeler right now. I remember when I got it and I was so fascinated by it. Lately I bought this black tape, and that has brought my love for it back.

All my notebooks are now clearly labelled. I also sent little labels to my family members and one of my good friends. I don't know how much they appreciated them, but I love making them!

I am thinking more about scrapbooking lately, so there will probably be a scrapbooking post in the near future!

--Maggie

Falling into Fall!

So I realize the above title is a little cheesy, but doesn't something about Fall make you want to be a little more cheesy then usual? Like in 100 degree weather, I am much more cynical, but now? The weather is pretty inconsistent here right now. But today it was rainy and nice! Anyway, so this cozy weather makes me a little crazy for knitting. In my last post, I talked about my foray into lace knitting. This has made me a little more confident in following patterns, even simple ones like the one below.

I'm using this yarn that I got at Wal-Mart, oh college. (I end up at Wal-Mart looking for craft supplies, so depressing. haha) So it isn't the fanciest yarn, but I actually like it! It's Caron Simply Soft Eco, and supposedly it is made from plastic bottles, so far I have used .6 plastic bottles, but I am starting on a new ball! So soon it will be 1.2 bottles and it will definitely be more before the project is over.

This is another scarf I have going. It's a different pattern that I picked up from a free washcloth pattern on Ravelry. I like the way it's turning out, but I am running out of yarn and I didn't buy it here in Columbia!The yarn is pure wool, which I love, and it's kind of bumpy and thick! It is actually more gray than it is showing up here, but oh well.I was super excited when I first got these rosewood needles until I tried them out for the first time, they seemed super sticky. But since them they have worked really well with the wool, maybe they just didn't like working with super cheap acrylic yarn, haha. Plus the ends of the needles are pretty!

My cardigan hasn't seen much progress, mostly because Rachel and I can't find 8 inch circular needles! But once that problem has been fixed I am motivated to start! The cooler weather is making me excited to finish!

--Maggie

Bridgesicle.

So for the 3d Design course that I'm taking, we had to create a bridge that would support an eight pound brick that also met these requirements:
-only using popsicle sticks, woodglue, and kite twine
-must be 24 inches long
-cannot layer the popsicle sticks any more than 3 deep at any given point.
This is what I came up with:
I knitted a net for the brick to be set in in the bottom, which really seemed to impress my instructor, actually. He told me I should "go to New Zeland and help make chain mail for the new Lord of the Rings movie." He's kind of a character.

He was pretty helpful to me though, I am more good at making things that are aesthetically pleasing and not so much have any practical uses, such as brick holders. He advised me to have it meet at the top or else it would fall in on itself, which I wouldn't have had the foresight for. I tested it with a couple things at home, such as a weighty candle, but couldn't find anything heavy yet small enough to compare to the brick, but what i did have to use didn't even seem to phase it, so I have pretty high hopes, seeing as whoever had the bridge that can hold the most bricks gets 2 movie tickets! This really was a big learning experience for me, having to think about creating things with a purpose and solving problems along the way, such as trying to attach two popsicle sticks with a dowel rod.

Anyway, the brick contest is Monday, I will report back with how it goes down!
And I will be sure to post our next project on here as well, which is a chair made out of cardboard that doesn't look like a chair...and can support a human sitting in it.
-Rachel

Wearing it on your sleeve.

This isn't so much a current projects post as a plug to others I have come across. I have always liked custom shirt designing, and have a few that I have done myself which I realized right before I wrote this that I have no pictures of. Maggie and I have even dyed a few of our own shirts, and meant to get around to do doing some more this summer but it looks like that will have to wait for fall break. So I will be sure to share those with you sometime later! But I really like one of a kind items, of course, and that certain feeling from wearing something that you know can't or won't be duplicated, no matter how subtle it is.

One artist who I came across recently is Sam Wolfe, who actually draws all these shirts with fabric markers. If I ever purchased one I would be afraid to wash it too much for fear of fading, but I am amazed at his skill! Some of his subject matter leaves me wanting, but having used fabric markers, I am impressed by what he does. And he also uses Hanes and American Apparel Vnecks, so he is obviously a kindred spirit.
Wolfes Clothing

Another more fun one is Yawn clothing, their's is less technical art and more design, but I am still always pleased. I usually tend to stay safe and buy neutral colors, but they make me want to throw in some neon purple or turquoise!
Yawn

Another site I frequent is teefury, who posts a new one of a kind shirt for sale that day and that day only. Sometimes I find the designs a bit cheesy or cheap, but am always willing to check back the next day!
TeeFury



So I will be sure to get some pictures up here of projects I have done or that Maggie and I have worked on, and don't be afraid to get some $2 hobby lobby shirts and give your hand a try!

- Rachel

Blocking and Bookmaking!

So I am working on a bunch of projects, since school has started and therefore I need things to make me procrastinate from my actual homework. Unlike Rachel's awesome school project below, this is not for any of my classes. But I am trying to do more exciting knitting projects. So this is my first attempt with lace knitting. I'm blocking it here with t-pins.

Here's a close up. But don't look too close, I wasn't worried enough to make it perfect. It's supposed to look like leaves though. I think it does in a kind of abstract way.

So, I used to make little books all the time, but I haven't for a while! But lately, I have been making crazy lists and my mom's birthday was coming up, so I made a couple. The pattern from the blog, http://www.creaturecomforts.typepad.com/, which I love.

One was made with blank pages, and I made one with lined pages too! I sent my mom the one with blank pages and it received rave reviews. So I'm excited!

Now I'm working on two new scarves and Rachel and I have got to start our cardigans if we want to get done by Thanksgiving. We are currently looking for 8 inch circular needles, because neither of us want to try the seemingly impossible task of double pointed needles. So our cardigans are at a standstill!

I will try to be a more routine blogger, especially because I want to show off my scarves!

--Maggie