The Orts Pile is Growing

I had a paper piecing class today. This is my ugly, ugly house.

This is technically from the summer paper piecing class from JoAnn's, but the student wanted to do this one instead of the fall pumpkin. I gave her the pumpkin pattern anyway for more practice.

In other news:



I'm up to my eyeballs in socks. One of those is completed, and you've already seen it. The other Knitpicks sock is almost done.

The stuffed sock (orange/purple/blue/yellow) is ready for class on Sunday, where I teach the students to make heels and gussets, and the other one in the same colorway is started so I can knit up my 8 inches by Thursday to teach another socks class to make heels and gussets.

Hopefully my 2nd knitpicks sock will be done by Sunday so I can wear my socks to class. I wish I could do all the socks in this pattern, but with how many issues my students are having with plain socks, I can imagine how the class would implode with a more difficult pattern.

It's not the students' fault. Some of them have no experience with DPNs. Some have no experience with circulars. All of this is fine, except that I'm teaching people to knit in the round on DPNs with tiny needles (size 2) and tiny yarn so they're all kind of losing it. I feel for them. I was in their shoes a few months ago when I learned to make socks.

Once classes aren't so busy (though part of me hopes they're always this busy) I'm going to learn to make socks toe-up. I kind of know the magic loop method already, so that won't be much of an issue. Two socks at once though? That'd be nice for personal use :D

Maybe someday I could do a class on it. Once I and everyone else are all less twitchy.

I honestly wish they'd taught the class with worsted weight yarn and larger DPNs. The students would have their socks knitted up faster and they wouldn't have to learn so many things at once.

Of course, I don't write the curriculum (though I sometimes fix it), so we get what we get.

What am I going to do with all these socks? I guess I'm going to have to find a ton of people with size 9 feet. The knitpicks socks though...those are mine.

My finger is still messed up from stabbing it with a sewing machine yesterday. It hurts pretty badly so I must have nicked a nerve in there somewhere. I also managed to roll over my own ankle in the parking lot with my rolling sewing tote (with a steel sewing machine in it). The sewing machine is fine. My ankle will heal. The tote will NOT. I broke off one of the plastic legs. I just bought this tote (on clearance...now I know why) so I'm going to have to see what I can do to reinforce it. I'm thinking metal, since obviously the lightweight wood and plastic aren't working out. It'll be heavier, but I mentioned there's a steel sewing machine in it right? How much heavier can it get?

I guess I'll find out. I don't know metalworking/welding, but I know someone who does. Hopefully we'll have this thing fixed up soon. I NEED it.

One down, one to go.

Tada! Knitpicks Lily of the Valley sock done in the Peacock colorway. It fits, it looks good, and it's mine all mine! One to go (I'm past the heel on it) and then I'll be able to check 'knit a pair of socks' off my 101 goals (most are craft related, but not all).



Have to write some articles today and do some homework for work. Fun fun. At least my work stuff is crafts related?

Free swag!

Got my free stuff from amazon thanks to Swagbucks! Not my first order, but it is my first video. They apparently love videos? Now you can hear my voice (omg)!

In other news, Craft a day September is wonky over here. I AM crafting every day, but not finishing every day.

Recent WIPs include:



Still working on these socks. Down to the feet now! These aren't for my classes, they're for me. It's the knitpicks Lily of the Valley pattern, which assuredly looks much better in different yarn. I care not. I wanted this yarn.

Recent finishes:



Store sample for the fall/winter "Steps Through My Garden" quilting class at JoAnn's is complete! I had to take the pic in the classroom because I didn't have time to try to take a good pic at home, but it's done done done!

I'll be finishing more random stuff during the week including these socks. I've also started another one for a class I taught today and have to get 8 inches of sock done by next week ;)

I also have to draft 2 hardanger patterns for the November/December trend classes I'll be teaching. Holiday ornaments are fun!

Socks!

Tada! First sock ever is now complete. It's going to be the store sample for work. In the corner there you see my next sock project:



Finally working on this Knit Picks sock...hopefully I can tackle it.



Also starting what I assume will be Christmas presents for the masses. I got these giant balls of cotton yarn with some patterns included at Hobby Lobby.

Obviously I'm spending a lot of time on knitting/crochet right now. There's a reason for that...I'm gearing up for fall classes at JoAnn's because Lion Brand (check out the article) is sponsoring them. Can you say free yarn and tools? I hope other people can, because I'd like to put in some more hours teaching :D

In other news, I have to get these quilting samples done. I just hate pulling out and setting up my sewing machine if I'm not ready to go. It's such a pain in the rear. I should come up with a better set-up but I'm already taking up the entire living room with my craft/office set-up (Not kidding...moved the living room into the dining room) and I don't think I have room for more surfaces/stations.

I should share the pics of my set-up at some point.

Drowning in yarn

First off, I've worked on and finished a bunch of things...



The cabled mug cozy from knit picks is done. Finished it at work.



Unfortunately, though I'm a coffee hound, I have no use for a cabled mug cozy...so I upcycled it by wrapping it around a box and turning it into a post it notes holder...which I desperately needed.



Since I'm obviously an organization junkie, I also finished felting this knitted basket (pattern at ravelry), and now it's holding all my sock yarn. It's not round because I have a giant book stuck in it.



I've made some progress on the design for Smac. I have to rip out some stitches, but I'm further ahead now than I was in this picture. Still hoping to make my deadline.



My grandma came over today with ALL OF THIS. I don't even know what I'm going to do with it all yet. I still haven't cataloged it. What a stash, though.



Much of it will be going into my secondary stash of yarn for granny squares for my charity of choice, Heartmade Blessings.



She liked this yarn so I'm making her a lace scarf. I hope she'll like it.



We headed to Hobby Lobby where I picked up some free patterns and a measuring tape. Then I went to Michael's and picked up something interesting...



This appears to be a kumihimo wheel, packaged as a kid's craft. I'm going to try it with the packaged gimp and then switch to cords to see if it will work. It was on clearance for $2.99 and you can't beat a deal like that.

I'm going to be running like crazy tomorrow, but hopefully I'll have time to work on the design for Smac some more. I'm really enjoying tearing through these projects, but I have so many to go. It's how I like things, but I don't think I could put this much on myself if I didn't finish projects as often as I do. I need that sense of accomplishment.

I also put those mini cakes up on Etsy here if anyone wants them, and I'm getting ready to put up some vintage fabric.

Mmm, coffee.

I'm working on Knit Picks' Cabled Mug Cozy pattern right now, and it's cute so far.

I have time to work on this because:





I got those Men's Convertible Gloves done (another Knit Picks pattern). I love finally finishing patterns that were in my craft bowl. It's still overflowing (as usual) but not as badly.

Knit Picks Gloves, DPNs, Stitch Markers, and Other Accomplishments/Failures

Accomplishments the past few days:



Even though I used DPNs to hold my stitches, I still managed to finish 1.5 gloves. The pattern is from Knit Picks, it's the Men's Convertible Gloves pattern. Making them for a friend, and then I have to make another pair.



I am not a perfect knitter, but they say practice makes perfect? One glove complete, the other is almost complete.



I managed to take a picture today of my TUSAL jar for the Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long The best SAL ever, in that it involves saving your threads and other tiny needlework bits. You work on whatever you want and save the leftovers. Yeah, there's yarn in there. There are tiny shreds of quilting fabric in there too, because I can't follow instructions. I love this SAL. It's my favorite. You should join.

I cranked out a couple of articles for one site this weekend. One was even crafts related.

I also managed to get up to work to add some classes to my teaching schedule as well as pick up some supplies.



Wire. Oddly, all of this is for knitting. The wire, the fabric, the beads. How? The fabric is becoming a needle organizer to hold my DPNs, and the beads and wire are for stitch holders because if everyone else jumped off a bridge I'd do it too.

The problem here comes up in my list of:

Failures



I know NOTHING about beading. Beads in needlework? Oh sure. Beads on wire? I don't know wire. I don't know supplies or tools or the best way to thread things unless it pertains to needlework. After attempting to close these things 3 different ways I've admitted defeat and will now do what I was avoiding doing earlier. Find and read some instructions.

*sigh*

I also have no idea what this guy is supposed to be:





I am befuddled.

Another failure...2 partial socks started, 2 frogged. One is a Knit Picks pattern. The other, well I just knitted it on needles that were apparently too big so that's not a big deal. At least I did it correctly!



Pretty sock from Knit Picks pattern with Knit Picks yarn on Knit Picks needles...all frogged now. The other sock, I was halfway down the foot before I realized it needed to be frogged. :( I can't yet check 'make a pair of socks' off my list of goals.

In other failures, I took pictures for an article to write on storing wool roving but have yet to write the article, re-size them, and upload them.

Knitting socks, and Valdani threads.

My order from Knit Picks came today. I'm trying to learn to knit socks (shouldn't be too hard) so I can knock it off my list of 101 things to complete in 1,001 days. The color of the yarn is Peacock multi (sock yarn) and the brown yarn is for some Men's Convertible gloves (there'll be pictures of the pair I'm currently finishing up soon...this is yet another pair).

In an interesting twist of events (common around here), JoAnn's asked if I'd teach a class on how to knit socks that will start up this fall. You betcha?



Welcome to crash course crafting. My name is Rabid and I'll be your host for this roller coaster ride...

In other news, remember Garden Party? The free pattern is here. At any rate, I'm making a much bigger and more intricate one for Valdani to take overseas.

The color of the thread is the same, but the fabric is different and the design will be adapted considerably so it'll look different.



If you're interested, keep on coming back. I have to have it out of here by August so it'll be another mad dash to the finish line. Just how I like it.