Boring But Necessary

We all have them...

The BORING but necessary tasks.

Often they don't take long to do, but if you're anything like me - you procrastinate for as long as possible...



A job that has been lingering on my to-do list for far too long is HAND BAG REPAIRS.

And I don't know why. This is my every day hand bag. Obviously I USE IT EVERY DAY. So, it stands to reason that if there is a problem with it - then I should fix it quickly...

And yet I didn't.



There are three zippered pockets in this bag, and the lining in every single one of them was torn. Which of course meant that any item which went into the pocket would invariably end up stuck in the "Black Hole" which lies between the bag and its lining. Especially annoying when it's your car keys... or a ringing mobile phone!




The repairs were remarkably simple. It was just a matter of tucking in the frayed edges and pinning the lining back together... then working a whip stitch to create a new seam.



Twenty minutes later, and I was restocking my bag with all the necessary goodies (including a ziplock bag of teabag strings to knot together whenever I get a spare minute)



So tell me... what boring but necessary job is at the top of your to-do list?

Embellished Crochet

I still haven't decided how to embellish my felted bag...

In fact it's looking Very Boring!

Really...

I could do almost anything here.

I have a perfectly blank canvas to play with...

And yet I feel overwhelmed with choice.

I just don't know where to start - so I'm not starting at all!

Kind of like the housework, I guess.

Anyway, yesterday my dear friend Dawnie-Pants brought over a book called Embellished Crochet.

I think she must have known that I needed help.

So my plan for the rest of the day is to flip through the pages, seeking inspiration...

And see where that takes me!

Early Entries...

Pssst.

Have you signed up for the May Challenge yet?

The one where you get to make a felted bag, and then embellish it any way you fancy?

Want to check out the competition so far? We've had three completed entries already.

And they're all deliciously different.

Take a little look:

Juanita has incorporated the eyes into her bag - but it looks nothing like mine!

She's really glammed it up with thick eyelashes and luscious lips...

I know there's a couple of Little Girls in this house who would go nuts for a bag like this.



Patricia has made two bags already - what a Speedy Gonzales!

I love the dusty pink and burgundy combination. I had forgotten how nicely they work together...

And how nicely stripes blend into one another when felted.



Janie has gone all out with the artistic talent on this one...

Such a Clever Chook!

She has used her needle felting skills to work up a farm scene, complete with clouds, flowers, sheep and a pond. She's even looking for the perfect duck buttons, so they can "swim" in the pond...



Aren't they all Deliciously Different?

And all based on the same pattern...

Which is your favourite so far? And how would you embellish your own bag?

Remember, the untested pattern is available for FREE until the end of May 2013.

If you want to join in, come and see us here on Ravelry or email me directly.

May Challenge

Ready for a new challenge?

This month we're working on a Felted Crochet Bag...

I give you the instructions for making the bag - and then it's up to you to decorate it any way you fancy!

You could add a crochet trim and maybe some embroidery...

How about some beads and buttons?

Anyone own a BeDazzler? I always wanted one of them... Imagine the bling you could add!

Maybe you're a whizz at needle felting? Or you just want to give it a go?

This is your chance to play around and see where your imagination takes you...

So how about it?

Are you interested?

Email me for the pattern... or join us here on Ravelry.



This is the sketch given to me by Esther... the winner of our February Challenge.

She asked me to design a bag with a face... and hoped for a couple of different facial options..

But where is the face, you ask?

Here it is...



And here:



And here: 



And here:



The pattern includes instructions for making these faces...

Or you can jumble them up to create your own expressions...

Or ignore them completely - and let your own creativity run wild!

The challenge will run until the end of May 2013, and during this time the untested pattern is available for FREE.

Don't miss out.

As for me - I'm still thinking about how to decorate my bag...

That Bag is DONE!!!

So it's been years in the making.... but finally that bag is DONE!

Started: Feb 2009

Finished: November 2012

How embarrassment!



I wasn't completely sure at first. Somehow it felt a bit bland - like it was just quietly waiting to be embellished...

And then a funny thing happened.



I just started using the bag!

You know the deal... Running out the door... Need a bag to throw your latest project into....

All the other project bags are overflowing....

So I grabbed this one in desperation - AND IT IS BRILLIANT!



There's room for my sketch pad and pattern notes, as well as the umpteen different balls of coloured yarn that I need to have on hand...

And still some room left over to throw in my purse, keys and phone, if need be.



If I'm throwing it into the back of the car, then I can just knot the handles together like this.

And when I come home, it hangs happily on the coat rack like that:



I'm loving it EXACTLY the way it is - and it doesn't need a silly embellishment after all.

(That being said, I reserve the right to add said silly embellishment at any time)

PS. If you've been following the progress of this bag over the years, you'll notice that I didn't use the lining or the handles that I planned to... I'm so fickle!

Winner Announced

We had so many entries for the Fishie the Plastic Bag Keeper challenge...





Just look at them all!

So many shapes and sizes and colours and styles...

But I do have a clear favourite.

This one stole my heart the first time I laid eyes on it:



So a huge congratulations to Jorel for her Scrappy Fish - I love how unique and quirky it is!

It has so much character...

Now Jorel will be able to choose what I should design for the next Crochet Challenge, which will be run in December 2012.

And before I go... here's a few of my other favourites up close.

Juanita designed some fabulous fins which she has kindly shared the instructions for . Love the eyes on this one, too:



Shhshh produced this magnificent Koi, and based her fins on Irish Crochet leaves:



Julie used a different style of fin to create a shark:



Grayhare added some serious BLING to jazz up her plastic bag keeper...



Lise went with a magnificent array of bold colours:



And I love the cartoony eyes on this entry from Esther:



Finally a CAT-FISH  from Wendy... love here interpretation of the pattern:



And the fully tested version of the pattern is now available for sale!

Quite a number of the testers have made a second one already - and are planning to make more as Christmas gifts this year...

Click here for more details about purchasing the pattern.

Rag Basket.

So.

Way back in July, I blogged about how I was FINALLY going to line a Rag Basket which I had made way back in 2010.

Well - I had good intentions - but it didn't get done then!

And by the time I finally got around to lining it, I decided that I no longer liked the lining fabric I had chosen...

I AM SO FICKLE!

Anyway. I chose something much more simple. It was a bit fiddly to line, because I wanted the handles to be lined too - but I love the way it has come together.

I wasn't going to add an embellishment... but it looked too LONELY without one.

So I've compromised, and made a removable embellishment. I've made use of a brooch pin on the back of the flower, so that it can be taken away on a whim...

So that's another UFO out of the way!

(and now available for sale HERE)

Now what else can I find lurking around here?

Fishie the Plastic Bag Keeper

The October Challenge has been revealed... and if you want to join in the Crochet-Along this month, you can join us in my Ravelry group here

It's a little unusual, but this month's pattern is a Plastic Bag Keeper shaped like a Fish. You store your bags in through the tail - and take them out through the mouth!



Mr Goldfish tells me that it looks more like an eel than a fish - and I think he might be right. It would probably look More Fishy if you added some fins...

In fact, you could have all sorts of fun with this pattern. Forget the fish idea - you could make it into a tiger, a pig or an echidna. Or anything else you can imagine. You already have the basic bag body - so you could embellish it any way you like.

Or just leave it plain. These colours are gorgeous on their own. Leave off the eyes and let the ripples of colour be the main feature... Choose colours to match your kitchen.

As always, the Challenge runs for a month. You can join in the fun HERE at Ravelry.

Which Mitt Should I Frog?

Well?

One mitt is smaller than the other - so they're useless as a set... but which one do I frog???

My plan is to knit a THIRD mitt, and see which ones match best!



Do you see the little green bag in the photo?

That's another one of Dawnie's creations
- it's for keeping my yarn neat and clean and tidy as I work...

And if I want to work outside, or on the move... I just pop the drawstring around my wrist and off I go - no yarn trailing behind me to get tangled.

Anyone would think she had witnessed my yarn rolling around on the floor as I work on a project!

Surely not!




So this clever bag is made using a plastic bowl.

Dawn has drilled holes all the way around it
- and then crocheted into the holes to work the rest of the bag.

At the top is a drawstring closure. How cool is that???

(It's probably, maybe a teensy weensy bit on the PLAIN side for me - but I'll fix that - and Dawnie won't mind a bit. She's used to me by now, and knows exactly what I'm like. In fact, she's more likely to be SHOCKED that I haven't done it already.)

Edited to add:

I've just had an email from one of my readers, which I'd really like to share with you (and I don't think she'll mind at all)

I taught myself to knit and wanted to suggest what helped me. Continental method is the closest to how you would hold crochet;

the project in your left hand with the working thread wrapped around one of those fingers for tension while you knit with the needle on the right.

Once I thought of it in those terms my tensions became the same throughout.

So... I'm going to start thinking along those lines when I next pick up my mitts, and see if it helps. Thanks for the tip Steph - and by including it here in the blog, I hope it can help others too!

Announcing the Winner...

Time to choose a winner in the Flaming Lamborghini challenge..

There were some very creative bags on offer this month: Just take a look...

See the one on the top left... the Flamingo Bag? Loren knitted it out of PLASTIC BAGS! Yes. The entire thing is made from plastic. Even that striking flamingo...

And the one on the bottom left? T-shirts. Suzie knitted it using strips of old t-shirts. 

How clever is that?

Then you'll notice that the centre right one has a hole in it. 

A beautiful, practical, and intentional hole. 

Melba created that so that her yarn can stay safe and clean inside her project bag, 

while she is crafting...

Centre left we have the Icicle Bag. By changing the colour palette,

 Julie has entirely changed the feel of the bag... taking it from flames to icicles...

And look closely at the other two bags there... Jorel and Debbie have been quite sneaky. Instead of weaving in their yarn ends at the tip of each flame, they have left them loose as a bit of a design feature - creating a small tassel.

I love all these different versions, but I haven't shown you my favourite one yet:

Daphne has created the Africa Bag.

What amazing dedication to her theme... the yarn choices... beads... and the lining...

At first glance, it looks like some wonderfully intricate colour changing yarn has been used. But these are all individual solid colours, and it's Daphne's technique and timing with the changes that makes it look so awesome!

So a HUGE congratulations to Daphne...

and I will wait patiently to hear what she would like me to design for our next Knitting Challenge

(that part always makes me a little bit nervous - and excited at the same time)

Meanwhile.. the Flaming Lamborghini Bag pattern is now available for sale

PDF Knitting Pattern available for AU$4.50