Another sewing project

A while back I got a bunch of fabric through my local freecycle network.  All that fabric gave me ideas and courage to try sewing a few things – like the rug bucket.   Yesterday I finished an even bigger project.  I usually use 2 folding tables at craft shows that I cover with white table cloths.  I’ve always liked the table coverings that fit around the tables and reach the floor on all four sides to hide the tote bins, etc, that I stash under the tables.

I found a HUGE piece of pink fabric – it had to be 8 – 10 yards – and I started cutting.

Table covered

And I started pinning and sewing.

Easy storage

I made each side a separate piece so it would be easy to slide and hide things under the table.

Add a banner

Then I remembered the paper proofs from the printer who printed my banner that goes on my canopy.  I covered both sides of the paper with clear contact paper.

Complete!

For now, I just used clear packing tape to tape the name banner to the fabric.  This gives me the ability to remove the banner if I need to wash the coverings.  Plus, I really haven’t figured the best way to attach the banner to the fabric.  Ideas welcome!

I now have new, good-looking coverings for both my craft show tables.  They will be making their debut this Saturday, April 12, at the Big Lake High School for the Sherburne County Master Gardeners Garden Expo.  I hope you will come see me there and get in the spring spirit with a little shopping!

Advertisement

I felt like sewing

For some reason, I got the itch to do a little sewing today.  And since I remembered an idea I had after my last craft show, I got to work.

Materials

I found a clean 5 gallon bucket and a piece of black fabric that had been a yard long, but had a chunk cut out of it.

With a little measuring, sizing, piecing together and sewing, I was ready to try it on for size.

Lined bucket

I even put a fabric bottom in my bucket cover.  Then I added the real reason I needed this.

Rugs in a bucket

I added the sign and, voila’, I have a new display for my rugs at craft shows. These are the last of my alpaca rugs.  There are not enough left to bring my rug rack to shows, but they need a way to stand out.

And speaking of shows, my next craft show is April 12, 8 AM – 3 PM.  It is the Sherburne County Master Gardeners Garden Expo in Big Lake.  Hope to see you there.

A bit of dyeing

I like to keep a bit of un-dyed yarn on hand in case I need to make something special.  But the 2013 fiber I sent to Rach-Al-Paca should be spun into yarn and ready for pick up in another month or so.  Yesterday I wound the last of my 2012 yarn into big skeins and dyed it.  I wanted some nearly solid colors to knit into headbands.

Freshly dyed

This morning the big skeins are nearly dry.  Looks like they’ll need a little more time to dry before I can wind them into balls and knit.

In other news, I have only one craft show left for the year.  It is at Oak View Elementary in Maple Grove on Dec 7.   My alpaca wares are also available at Anoka Fiber Works in Coon Rapids and are always available in my online shop.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I want to wish everyone a wonderful day.  I’m so thankful for my family and my fiber friends and all my customers who support my very small business.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Keep those ears warm

Snow, snow and more snow!  The calendar says Spring and April, but the snow on the ground says December!  I’ll be at the Sherburne Master Gardener’s Garden Expo tomorrow, April 13.   I’ll be bringing my new headbands! 

You might need this

I have 3 made of this 100% alpaca yarn that I dyed in purples and lime green. 

More headbands

I also have 2 in grays, one purple and one in blues and pale green, all are 100% alpaca yarn that I dyed.  The snow is supposed to stop for tomorrow!  So come take a gardening class and do some shopping.  The Garden Expo is in Big Lake, MN at the high school from 9 – 3.  We need to prepare for spring, because I think when it comes, it is going to quickly turn to summer!

Do the math without calculations

I’ve had a few requests for wrist warmers that are longer, that reach nearly to the elbow.   The pattern for these has been rolling in my brain for a while.  Yesterday, I decided it was time. 

I knew the ‘arm warmer’ (as I’m calling the longer version) would need to be a bit bigger around at the end that is near the elbow.  But how much bigger and how does that convert to stitches?  I asked Darryl to help me and he said something about calculus!  Yikes, that is beyond my math eduction.   I find a non-stretchy piece of string and explain that I need him to help hold the string around my arm.  It is difficult to keep the string in place with only one hand while the other is being held out to be measured.  I put one of my wrist warmers on, we wrap the string around my arm where the arm warmer will end (I have decided to add about 22 rows).   Then we wrap the same piece of string around where the wrist warmer ends and mark the difference in the length.  I lay that length on the wrist warmer and count how many stitches it covers – eight.   That is how many more stitches I need at the elbow end.  I plan to start knitting on the ribbed edge (the elbow edge) as I do for wrist warmers, so I need to start with the most stitches and get smaller as I knit towards the hand.  I’ll decrease a stitch on each end of the decrease rows, so that means I have 4 decrease rows to spread out among the new 22 rows.  It did take a lot of scribbling.

A pattern in the making

But after I wrote down which rows that would be decrease rows I gave the idea a try.

Need to make an adjustment

My goal is to knit both arm warmers from one 50 gram ball of yarn.  The one on the left was knit first and had 66 rows.  I ran out of yarn at 59 rows on the second one.  With some yarn left over from wrist warmers, I made it to 62 rows.  I’ll have to rip back 4 rows on the first one.  Not too bad for a first try.

They match!

On the second try, my pair match!  Sixty-two rows seemed to the sweet spot! 

Very little left over

That is about 55 inches of yarn left over.  I’m happy with that.

Completed

The seams are sewn and they are ready for their debut.

Too long for my model

They are too long to be photographed on my display hand.  I’m not sure of the best way to show these.

On my arm?

Do they look better on a real arm?  What do you think?   Which way is the best photo to show off the new length?

I’m hoping to have a few of these finished for my first spring craft show — which is coming up next Saturday!  Spring Days is in St Michael, March 9.  Hope to see you there.

A few more orders complete

A while back I finished a hat with a deer hunting deadline.  Since then, I’ve been working on knocking out a few more orders.  This scarf is complete.

Extra wide and long

It is 6 1/4 inches wide and about 62 inches long.  Made from 100% alpaca sportweight yarn I dyed. 

Felted mittens

These are for 2 different orders.  Also made from yarn I dyed, the purple pair have an extra 6 rows knit in the hand.  They are currently drying and will be ready for delivery or pick up soon. 

Tomorrow I will be at the St Michael / Albertville Women of Today Craft Show.  If you are out and about, stop by and get a head start on your shopping list!  Only 2 shows left after this one. 

 

Dyed and gone!

A while back, I spent some time dyeing more yarn.  This time it was mostly lace weight and bulky weight alpaca yarn, plus some sport weight for custom orders. 

Side one of rack

This is half the yarn on the drying rack.

Side two of the yarn

The lace is near the top and bulky near the bottom.  Then I got it all re-skeined, labeled and took it to the Upper Midwest Fall Fiber Festival.   And a bunch of it sold before I remembered that I forgot to take a picture to show you all the pretty skeins.

Remainder of bulky skeins

These are the bulky skeins I have left.  The first 4 are 6 oz skeins, the bright turquoise is 8 oz.  And I have one more cone of white to dye.  The bulky sells fast.  Most of this is now at the Anoka Fiber Co-op, so check it out there or let me know if I should grab one to save for you!

Mostly lace weight

I dyed a couple 6 oz sport-weight skeins of the pink/gray combo (on the left), which proved to be popular, as there is only one left.  The others are 4 oz skeins of lace weight. 

Please check out my craft show schedule and come shop local and handmade!

Soap is back

A few hours into our Farm Tour, I sold out of my felted soap.  Last week I got in a new batch of soap from Caroldon Soap Company and have started felting it.

15 bars done

I’ve finished 10 bars of Rainkissed Leaves and 5 of Patchouli.

15 bars in progress

I have 10 bars of Lemongrass Sage and 5 of Stud Suds drying.  Yet to be felted, I have 10 bars of Jasmine Neroli and 5 bars each of Almond Oatmeal, Honey Bar, Lemon Lift, and Vanilla.  That will be 60 bars in all, nine different scents.   I would like to finish them all by Ladies Night Out this Friday.

Whose turn is it to do dishes?

When I was a kid, we siblings took turns doing the supper dishes.  There was no automatic dishwasher back then.  We were the dishwashers! 

I’ve just finished up a bunch of pretty dishcloths that would make anyone a little happier to be doing the dishes.  I started with this:

3 cones of yarn

This is 100% unmercerized cotton.  Dishcloths are the only thing I knit for sale that is not alpaca.  They are fun, easy and pretty quick on the knitting machine. 

Pile of dish cloths

Before long I had the most of all three cones knit into dishcloths. 

Variety of color designs

I really like that the bright colors of this yarn pooled into different patterns on each dishcloth.  No two are alike. 

Ready to go

Thirty-seven new dishcloths are added to inventory.  They are tagged and folded and ready for sale ($3.50 each).  They’ll be at the farmer’s market as well as at the Elk River Arena show this weekend, Sept 15-16. 

Come for the fun

I hope you will stop by the craft show and find my booth.

The Packing Challenge

I’ve been staging things to go to Shepherd’s Harvest for the last couple weeks.  But yesterday, I had to get serious and try to fit it all into our car. 

Product

I have 5 tote bins – the clear one in front is just yarn! The others have hats, mittens, socks, shawls and lots of other alpaca goodies for sale. The box in back has my rugs and place mats/stadium seats.  

Fleeces

I have 7 fleeces and 2 bags of roving, a box of felting kits, and a small tote bin of wrist warmers.

Display racks

 I’m also bringing my garment rack and my yarn rack.  Fortunately, these come apart.  By last night, all this was stuffed into the car!  With the front passenger seat reserved for my suitcase, backpack, knitting project bag and one rack I forgot about yesterday. 

Thanks to Twisted Suri Alpaca Ranch for bringing the grid-wall and tables for both our booths! 

Baby news – nothing yet, but my husband could experience his first alpaca birth without me this weekend.