New To-Go Singlet Style Bag...with a few issues

March 7: Let's see it's the 7th day of national craft month, and yes, I have crafted something everyday.  Yesterday I got my hair done (yay!) and while I was waiting for the color to be done I knitted a hexipuff.

I've decided that I want to accent each of the different colors of hexipuffs with plain hexipuffs.  I found some charcoal grey yarn at Fabric.com (love them!)  So I ordered a few skeins of that yarn.  I'm going to be making tons of hexipuffs in that color.  But I think it's going to turn out cool.

Total Hexipuffs: 8!

Today, I tackled making a singlet style (i.e. like the plastic bags in the store) reusable bag.  I found this awesome tutorial from Crafty Ady.  I decided that I wanted to make the bag lined.  I don't like having raw edges sticking out and I also didn't have pinking shears handy.  I also found some bright pink piping in my random notions box.  Here's what I ended up with:

 Here it is all rolled up.  I added a wrist loop so I can easily carry it into a store.  Sometimes I go into stores and I don't know if I'm going to buy anything and carrying one of my larger bulkier bags is kind of a pain.

This one will be easy to carry.

My bag doesn't roll up as little as the tutorial's version.  I think this is because I lined the bag.   There is just more bulk to roll up. 

This is the close up of the flap that holds the bag together when it is rolled up.  I had these bright lime mini pompoms that I added.  I wanted to use the bring pink piping, but I ran out of piping.

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Here you can see the bag opened up.  I added the pink piping.  The original tutorial doesn't have this.  It's pretty easy to add when you line the bag. 

 Showing off the inside lining.  I just used regular black cotton to line the bag.  The outside is a home decor weight remnant I found at JoAnn's.

Here you can see the flap.  I used a magnetic clasp to hold it closed.

Note to self:  Add the magnetic clasp BEFORE you sew the bag shut!

Another note:  if you want to line the bag, don't sew the handles together.  You need to leave them open in order to turn the bag right sides out.  I learned this the hard way.

I didn't want to take out all the stitches so I just cut the seam that was there.  This means that I lost a little bit of the length.  I attempted to flat felled the seams, but they are a bit messy.  The piping makes it nearly impossible.

What I'd change when I make another:  measure where the middle of the bag is for starting the piping.  I didn't show it, but the joining of the ends of the piping isn't in the middle so the flap looks like it's off center and I'm one of those people that likes things symmetrical.  But you learn from your mistakes.  I think it's still a good result and I'll use it.  I need to figure out a better way to close the open ends of the handles if I want to use piping again.  Either it needs to be a really large flat felled seam or some other way to close it.

New Knitting Project Bag

 March 5:  So here we are on day 5 of national craft month.  I decided to make a new knitting project bag today.  I wanted something with a zipper.  So I looked around and came across this one at Miso Crafty. 

I thought to myself, "I can make one for myself!"

 So I drafted my own pattern and this is the result.  At first I was trying to do things the hard way and just wasn't using my brain, but then I figured it out.

I might make for the shop.  I'll have to think about it.

 <-- Here is a side view.  Basically it's like a giant make up bag.  I added the ric rac just for giggles.  It was sitting on my ironing board and happened to match perfectly.

And of course you  must have awesome purple zebra print inside!  There is a pocket on one side that isn't show very well.   Taking pics at night doesn't always work so well.

 And here's an "in action" shot.  My hexipuffs are sticking out of it.  In fact, that's probably what's going to live in this bag for awhile anyways.  They are so addicting!

Last, but not least, my finished hexipuffs.

Total hexipuffs: 6 (and one just started on needles)

Hexipuffs and NCM Days 3 & 4

March 3:  Impromptu quilting group with my mom, B, and G.  Super fun.  Got quite a bit of the binding done on the Bark Bark quilt.  I think have a little over half to go.

March 4:  I have made 4 hexipuffs today.  I made one yesterday so the total is at 5.  I'm thinking about making a hexipuff quilt that measures 2' x 3' and I need like 167 of them.  Only 165 to got!  I also joined a fun hexipuff mini skein swap on Craftster.  So excited to get more variety of yarn.  I have been able to use up little bits of sock yarn I have lying around.  They are super addicting.  I totally see why people like them.  If only I knew how to do 2 color knits then I could do some of the fancy designs.  But I haven't mastered that skill yet. 

Here is my first hexipuff!  Still on the needles in this pic, but it's one of my favorite yarns.  I love knitting with Happy Feet yarn. 

Total hexipuffs: 5

Thirft Store Score!

 

Awesome thrift store score today.  There is an awesome St. Vinnie's near my house and today when i stopped by I found these zippers!  It's almost a rainbow, minus the yellow.  

I'm going to have to plan some more mini clutches.  There's only a few left in the shop.

This is one of my favorites. The fabric reminds me of blueberries.  I think I'm going to have to make another one of these for sure.  But I might keep it!

NCM day 2

March 2  Round up from yesterday:  finished quilting the Bark Bark quilt and adding binding.  I just need to tack the binding down on the back, wash it, and it's ready to go into the shop!  No work on socks but I did discover hexipuffs.  If you're a knitter and haven't heard about them, you're missing out.  Check out Tiny Owl Knits to find out more.  I think I've become obsessed because it's like a quilt but it's knitted.  I have little bits of sock yarn lying around and this is the perfect project to use some of it up!  I also am hopefully participating in a mini skein swap on Craftster.

National Craft Month

Did you know that March was National Craft Month?  I think I kind of did, but thanks to the internet I remembered.  I was thinking about writing about the craft projects I do each day, or at least do a roundup of what I've worked on if I skip days.  So here goes my roundup for yesterday in the crafty goodness:

March 1:  Started an ankle sock.  I'm basing my pattern off of this site: Anklet a Day.  I know I can't knit a sock in a day.  I prefer shorter socks.  Having socks up around my calf sometimes drives me a bit batty.  I'm changing the pattern by knitting a short row heel instead of the heel flap and gusset like the pattern has.  I find short row heels to be so much quicker than the other way.  I'll have to see how it turns out and weather or not it fits.

Bee Wallet

I've been needing a new wallet for awhile.  My first attempt didn't work so well, so I tried again today.  I got the idea of having it zip up around itself.  This is the first time I've done a zipper around a curve.  I'm happy with how it turned out but I think that I won't be making these for the Etsy shop.   Bees aren't my favorite, but I happened to have a yellow zipper that was long enough to go around the outside of the wallet.

Front of Wallet.  I added a zipper pouch to put change it. 

The entire outside.  You can sort of see the zipper all around the edge

The inside of the wallet.  I added a clear vinyl window to put my I.D. in so I don't have to hunt around for it in my wallet.

 The zipper was a pain in the butt to work with.  It's really hard to put them in so they open up like that.  I don't think I'll be making this again.  It's certainly not something that I could make to sell.  It's to fiddly to work with.  If I could find a different way to close the wallet, I kind of like the shape.

I have to try it out and see how I like carrying it around.  I don't do the purse thing.  Usually I just throw my wallet into my pocket and this one is a bit larger than what I'm used to.