My Swift

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Ali

Want to see the swift in action? I had some inquiries as to how it actually worked… so here it is!

Yarn comes like so:

Or possibly like this:

Gently untwist it into a large circle:

Attach your swift to a stable surface (I used a heavy book shelf, so it wouldn’t budge)

Expand your swift, but not all the way:

Lift your yarn and put it around the swift, making sure not to get it hooked on the edges. No tangles!

Find your end:

Start making a ball:

Keep rolling, and voila! You’ve got yourself a ball of yarn!

And that’s my swift!

Taterpot.

Posted on April 6, 2010 by Ali

My Taterpot came in the mail today!

He’s oh-so-cute, and will soon be sprouting little mint-shoots.

They also sent me a random free gift, with purchase, I guess. I doubt I’ll be wearing them much, as they’re kind of huge.

I’m not quite sure about them.

Also, Paul and I got to take a peek (outside only) of the place we’ll be living in a few months! I’m getting pretty excited to move, ready to be in a bigger place and have room for our instruments, craft stuff, etc, etc…

Also, giveaway is going to be posted TONIGHT!

Pizza and secret knitting.

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Ali

We made pizza!

And I am doing some secret knitting for a friend. I love knitting up surprises.

And I actually managed to (semi) successfully french braid my own hair.

Giveaway coming tomorrow!

Easter Bunny

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Ali

So, I’m not completely in love with this one. But he’s kind of cute anyway…

The more I look at it, the more I want to change the nose, but I don’t know exactly how I want to do it. Any suggestions?

When I was constructing the body, he looked like a little ghost, which I thought was kind of cute,

But they are all happily co-habitating on the knitting shelf.

And, while it stopped snowing, it’s kind of gross, drizzly and yucky out. I think we’re having a night in! (And making homemade pizza for dinner with Artisan Bread dough)

New Headband and Little Lamby

Posted on March 27, 2010 by Ali

Last night I made another headband for the Birds on a Wire fest we went to, (And will be attending again today)

And I made that little lamb.

Before the stuffing.

After the stuffing.

So, I was going to use black bead eyes, but I didn’t have any, and didn’t feel like going out to get some. So I made it with white buttons. It might look a little too Coraline for me, but we’ll see. Cute, no?

How cute!

Posted on March 24, 2010 by Ali

How cute is Charlotte in the Ruffle headband?

WIP’s

Posted on March 22, 2010 by Ali

Working on the little lamb. I’ve got his legs and body done, now he just needs a head and some arms.

Baby blanket for a friend, about 1/4 done. The fabulous and fun rippley pattern that I made Ezra’s in.

And the sweater vest! I’ve got mine nearly done. The back half is almost done blocking and then I just need to sew up the sides. I’m stoked to wear it.

Ok, I know it’s weird. The front half is gray and red striped, and the back is solid red? Weird. Yes. When I went to the store, they were out of the gray, so I just bought the red instead. And figured it would just be… unique? I don’t now. I am a little scared to try it on. I should have used a pattern!

I think I’ll start piecing it together this evening. Or, maybe I’ll just go to bed early. I did work late, and I’m kind of tired.

But, one more thing before I go! I made some Artisan Bread this weekend, and I decided to shake up the recipe a bit and added olive oil and roasted red peppers. And, let me tell you, it was amazing. We’ve been eating lots of it. So, so, so good.

Saturdays are my favorite

Posted on March 20, 2010 by Ali

Fresh fruit.

Artisan bread rising for Sabbath dinner.

Some good thrifting scores. A casserole dish, perfect for dinners for two.

And I got a ButterBell at The Salvation Army.

I hadn’t ever seen one of these before, but they’re pretty cool. You pack the bell full of butter, and put some water in the bottom of the bowl and it keeps your butter fresh, and soft, because it doesn’t need to be refrigerated.

Probably alot more sanitary than our regular butter on a small plate, sitting out.

Now we’re watching Heroes, chilling out in the apartment. It’s lovely outside, though, we may need to go for another walk!

A DIY and a Giveaway

Posted on March 13, 2010 by Ali

So, a combined post- a DIY and a Giveaway. First, I will show my DIY. Ruffly Headband!

You will need:
Scissors
Aprox 1/8th yard of lightweight fabric
A Ribbon
Needle and thread

Cut 10 of the fabric into squares roughly 3 inches across and 10 into roughly 4 inches across. Sizes don’t really matter, really, the rough edges add to it’s charm.

Then fold those squares into quarters:

Trim them round, don’t be afraid to cut off quite a bit of fabric, you don’t want the ruffles too big.

Once you’ve cut them all into rounded quarters they should look something like this:

Then take one of the squares, pinch it up like so:

Then take one of your other squares, and pinch it around the outside of that one:

Then starting somewhere around the center of the ribbon sew it laying flat:

There are about 10 ‘flowers’ on my headband, sew them sort of pointing alternative directions, to give it lot of fullness.

Sew them all on, and tada, a ruffly headband!

So, as the Giveaway, I am giving away the Ruffly Headband shown here.

Two ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me how much you want this cute headband
2. Link it onto your blog you gain yourself another entry BUT make sure to leave A SEPARATE comment telling me you’ve done so, to make sure that you get an extra entry!

The winner will be drawn Wednesday, March 17th, 6:00 pm.

Good luck!