A Recycling Project

Yesterday my friend Ann and I went to Goodwill looking for some sweaters to recycle into a felted bag. Above is what I scored. A wool Abercrombie stripped number (men's large) and a funky purse with some interesting wooden tops with leather handles. Hopefully I can reuse the wooden parts, the handles and lining.

First step is to felt the sweater. Hopefully that happens today. I have another hand knit bag that needs felting (a little Noro dumpling bag) so I might as well felt two bags with one wash. 

In the meantime, however, I want to do a little research on the recycled sweater bag. I feel like I need a little inspiration....

First I looked on Flickr. There is a "Recycled Sweater Pool" that is full of stuff:

Some things I never thought of, like mittens and scarves. This pool actually gives me ideas for Christmas gifts next year :) I also like the idea of a blanket made from bits and pieces of recycled felted items. Of course, that would be a much larger project...not for a first timer...

I also looked on Ravelry for ideas. Several projects I like (not bag related) is from user Adair who made a pair of slippers using a template from Marthastewart.com. There are also groups for hand bags and lots of ideas in the shared projects area in each group. I like the idea of copying the shapes of the finished bags but creating the bag using recycled sweaters and sewing it together. One group I like is the Bags, Bags, Bags group. 

Lots of ideas to chose from here....now to start felting!

Overdue post for Christmas Knitting Booty

I received many knitting related items for Christmas this year.  The most inspiring of which were the additions of a few books to my library. All three were on my list:

1. A Gathering of Lace by Meg Swansen is full of gorgeous lace projects. Most are rather intimidating looking (and require gobs of yarn), but I will eventually tackle something...
2. Knitted flowers by Nicky Epstein has all kinds of knitted flowers for embellishing on knitted things. I've made a few felted bags this year that I wanted to add to a basic pattern and couldn't find hardly any free flower patterns. There are several in there that I want to try.
3. Inspired to Knit by Michele Rose Orne...I just about want to make everything in it. The title is very apt...

I also had my Mom make me some small knitting bags that I can take with me in my handbag for knitting on the subway and while traveling. I got the idea online in an Etsy store. My family likes to hand make as many gifts as possible, and this was an "easy" one for my mom the seamstress. By the time I left after Christmas she had made me three!

Oddly enough I didn't get any gift certificates or magazine subscriptions this year. My aunt, however, did give me a card with $20 in it and the inscription "Now go buy some yarn and make me something. ha ha" - which by default goes in the knitting gifts category. I haven't bought any yarn with it, yet... technically.

While in Maine I also went to check out a new knitting shop (not new really...just new to me). It's called the KnitWit Yarn Shop. It's a cute shop and the owner (well, I assume it's the owner) was very friendly and helpful. I bought a couple of skeins of Cascade 220  - not sure what I'll make with them but I wanted to support the LYS.  Plus it's Cascade 220...who can't find some use for that? 

Thanks all for my knitting booty!

Selfish Knitting 2009

I resolve to make more things for myself this year. While this was completed in December of 08 - I'm considering this the first of more knits for myself this year:

Name: Sofia Cowl

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft

Needles: Size 6 Denise Circs

Weight/Amt: Worsted / about 75% of a skein

Pattern Source: One Skein Wonders (pg. 144) 

I also just finished a pair of socks - the last of my sock club yarn. Mad color Weave Socks were done last week and I finally got some pictures taken:

Name: Mad Color Weave Socks

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts lightweight

Needles: Size 1, 40'' circular (done one at a time on one circular)

Color: Incredible Shrinking Violet (from the Rockin Sock Club)

Weight/Amt: 1 skein

Pattern Source: designed by Tina Lorin. I got the pattern through Ravelry, but it's also available here.