Stitchin' In September...Last Day!

I say this every year,

"I can't believe Summer is Over and Fall is here!"

I also say,

"This year I'm going to start my Christmas Shopping Gift Making early...like in September."

And THIS September I actually DID...get it STARTED!!!

See more on

 I've Been Fleeced.

I've been known to Swear to WorkOn & FINISH my PhD...

Projects Half Done or better known as WIP's...Works In Projects.

And THIS September I actually DID!

Three Credits Toward PhD...ProjectsHalfDone

Next Generation of Knitters and Crocheters...I'm In

I make myself the 'Biggest Liar' by shootin' off my mouth and  saying,

"I'm NOT making ANOTHER BAG!!!"

I can Justify this 'Broken Promise'...

"I needed to practice on making Granny Squares and the

 NEW Connecting Stitch I learned from Pinterest."

And

I wanted to 'GetRDone' before the 'LastDay of September'!

And

This is NOT JUST ANY OLE BAG...It' is a Multi-Taskin Bag!

JUSTIFIED!!

See the 'Flat Braid Joining Stitch' on my

Pinterest Crochet Stitches Board.

 

PS...Check back in October...like tomorrow...I'll be further JUSTIFING making the 'MultiTaskin Bag!



Fall Foto Inspired Stitching

Fall Foto Inspired Needlepoint

Fall Foto Inspired Knitted and Crochet Bag

I'm always so ready for fall, and this year is no exception.

Just this month I knitted this bag. 

The inspiration came from the Fall Foto, the Fall Gourd Fabric used for the lining

and the Needlepoint Calla Lily.

You can read about how it all came together HERE. 

Linking To

Show Us Your Fall

on

 

As Always...Thanks Beverly for Making Saturday Pink!!!





Next Generation of Crocheters and Knitters...I'm In!!!

Okay, I admit, I'm an Old School Hooker. Maybe I should put that another way...I don't want you to get the wrong idea.

 

Let's just say I've been crocheting and collecting crochet from right around the time Acrylic Yarn made it's debut on the Commercial Market.  I know you want to know when that was....here's the link to...Acrylic, It's Old, It's New, It's Everywhere.

 

I first learned to crochet in Mrs. Browning's homemaking class.  I was a disaster with those little bitty hooks that any Egyptian MummyMiester would have been proud to own. 

And that teeny tiny string!!!!  It was pre-dental floss!  You can just imagine how excited I was when Worsted Weight Yarn and a size J Hook came out.  I could finally make something that laid flat.



It wasn't until much later that I decided to try Crochet Thread and Steel Hooks with numbers.   I collected vintage books like the 'Crinoline Lady in Crochet' and tried my hand at Crochet Edgings around pillow cases and dresser scarves.   So for years, I SeeSawed back and forth between Crochet Thread and Yarn until I became a Knitter and a Yarn Snob...I appologize Acrylic Yarn, but I do love the feel of bamboo, alpaca, merino and all those fancy yarns.

Which brings me to my PhD #2....with PhD being Projects Half Done out of  100% wool.   Here are my Marsh Felted Slippers...with the Knitting finished and they are still a PhDone....

I still have to go through the Felting Process before I can get 'Full Credit' for them. Right now they would fit 'BigFoot' or the 'Jolly Green Giant'.  

This will be my first time to throw my knitting in a tub of hot water with a pair of jeans, and I don't mind telling you it's kinda SCARY!  I plan on giving myself ExtraExtra Credit towards my PhD...unless they end up fitting my grandson.  He's three!!!

Then there is my Third Credit PhDone!  I'm back to Crochet with this one, but as a Yarn Snob!  Another 100% Wool that will be Felted.  Only I'm not going to be the one throwing it in hot water.  I'm leaving that up to SusanB who is an experienced Wool Felting Yarn Snob. 

Not only does she have experience felting, but she is light years ahead of me as a knitter, crocheter and needlepointer.  You can see her beautiful work at Seduced By Yarn.

I've Crocheted many of these Baskets and found them to be great for holding YARN and all kinds of other things...like Diapers.  Yep, I made one into a Diaper Tote. 

Here it is in my SuKnitWitty Ravelry Projects  

Here it is on SuKnitWitty Blog Crochet's The Way...For Diaper Totes Times Three.

Here is the PATTERN on The Purl Bee.

Marsh Felted Slippers Pattern....FREE on Ravelry.
Marsh Felted Slippers by Claudia Olsen

I guess you can tell I'm still SeeSawing between  Crochet and Knitting!  More times than not I find myself using BOTH on many projects.  Like the Slippers where I crocheted a ruffle around the top and chained ties for bows at the back.  It's a great way to avoid having to weave in the ends. 

It took me awhile, but I finally got Pinned!

And, what FUN I am having with The Next Generation of Crocheters and Knitters!

These Gals are Taking Crochet and Knitting to the Next Level....You Go Girls...I'm All In!!!!

FIBER ART CROCHET

KNOT JUST KNITTING

Happy Birthday PomPom

It's PomPom's Birthday!

Who is this PomPom Person...you asked?

Mmmmm, how can I tell you about her?

Well, she is Full of It!

Full of what...you asked?

Full of Life, Living and Laughter!

 

Please stop by PomPom's Ponderings and wish her a Happy Birthday!

I promise you will be BLESSED by her Birthday Post!

Here's the Link

BIRTHDAY HAPPINESS



Three Credits Towards PhD...ProjectsHalfDone

Here's Credit Number One....

It's A Bag....what else would you expect from a 'Bag Lady' with a Knitting Machine named 'Bonda'.

What's the 'PhDone' part of this for my part?

Okay...I confess, I 'Didn'tDo' the Needlepoint Lily!

It is RePurposed from a framed picture to a PursePocket!

That's the PhDone Part!

With the Needlepoint Pocket de-framed, lined and ready to stitch, next came the Bonda BagBody. Yep, it takes less than thirty minutes to whip out a BagBody on Bonda.  I used the #4 plate and #4...Worsted Weight Acrylic Yarn. 

I cast on Bonda with 'Waste Yarn' and knitted the front first... keeping in mind the placement of the pocket, and that I wanted the section for the pocket to be knitted in black so the pocket would blend.   I also wanted to repeat most of the colors in the Lily Pocket...which worked out perfect for using up several PhDone skeins of yarn.

Once the front was knitted, consideration was given to what would be the bottom of the bag and the color that would wear best and also fit the scheme of the bag.  I think the burnt orange worked out great.

The 'Tweedy' looking yarn was perfect for the main color and there was more than a PhDone skein.  Bands of the coordinating colors in varied widths complete the back of the bag. 

Casted off with Waste Yarn which allows for picking up to either knit or crochet for finishing.  As you can see...I finished with crochet.


Crochet is such an easy and quick way to finish a knitted piece, and I love the mixes of textures it gives to the overall look of the bag.  That's why I chose to do the strap in the 'Afghan Stitch' aka Tunisian Crochet.  It makes for a sturdy strap as well.

Now for the decorating!!!!

With the Fall colors in the Lily Pocket being carried out through the knitted bag body, it seemed a perfect time to use the fall fabric I had in my stash for the lining.  It is machine stitched to the bag and then a running stitch of perl cotton to give a decorative look and to give the crocheted edging and bag opening stability.

More decorative touches are added with the Crocheted Shell Edging done in a DK weight yarn, and my FAVORITE  embellishment of the string of beads sewn to the strap. 

Isn't it amazing how an old necklace with a broken clasp can be Re-Purposed?

It's gives Extra Credits Towards my PhDone!

Here's a Hint of PhDone Number Two!

So, Ya'll Come Back!

Fall Family Heirloom Find

For the past year CollectInTexas Gal has been mostly about my

 Family Tree through Tracks of My Texas Ancestors,

Ancestry.com Research and a

Photo Album Scrapbook.

 

With the First Scrapbook finished and the second on on the back burner

at least until after Christmas.

 

It is time to get back to

CollectInTexas Gals Collections.

Let's start with a

Fall Family Heirloom Find.



Thank you Maime for this exquisite, beautifully crocheted tablecloth. Although, it was meant for your daughter Kate and probably her descendents, of which I am not one, I will treasure it for the Family Heirloom it was surely meant to be. 

According to the note that was folded in the tablecloth along with the pattern, this was the second one that you made.  How incredible is that!  What a special gift to Vivian and to Kate, who by all indications, must have passed it on to one of her descendents.   This I know, Mamie, from the research I did on Ancestry.com which I was able to find because of the documentation of names in the note.  Thankfully, one of your descendents wanted  your crocheted legacy to endure. 

Although, the note is not dated, I was able to date the pattern back to the 1930's when Sears, Roebuck and Co. offered Hearthside Crochet Cotton and Pattern Booklets in their Catalog.  This time frame fit with yours and Kate's Ancestry Timelines, too. 

Maime, it is now the Fall of 2012.

I thought you would want to know that some Eighty years later your

Hearthside Heirloom Crocheted Tablecloth

is as beautiful and perfect as they day you gave it to Kate.

Found at a Chrisitan Thrift Store that takes donations with all proceeds to the needy.

  This donated from an Estate Sale.

Thank-you Maime, your Crocheted Tablecloth adorns my dining room table

and is now my

Treasured Fall Family Heirloom Find.

I've Been Fleeced

Seriously, I'm up to my eyeballs in FLEECE....and I'm LOVIN' it!!!!

And to think I've resisted getting on the Fleece Blankee Band Box!!!!

Are you wondering WHY?
Here's the Thing.....I'm a QUILTER....and making a Blankee is SUPPOSE to be a QUILT

AND....take FOREVER!!!

Phooooey on that Thinkin'!!!

I've jumped' on the Fast Fleece Blankee Bandwagon!

There's a perfect Themed Fleece for everyone on my Christmas List!

AND....

....It's the perfect time to make a change on CollectInTexas Gal.

Yep, I'm in the

 'Stitchin' Stuff Mode'

So...Are Ya'll Ready for

CollectInTexas Gal's

Stitchin' Stuff Collections?

My Miniature Sewing Machine Collection

 and

More

New Stuff

on the

Sidebar

As Always...Thanks Beverly for Making Saturdays Pink!!!

Wall Paper Memories

"Mom put up new paper every year.  My job was to brush on the paste."

We rolled out the paper the night before. 

The panels were laid out on the floor in the order they were to be hung

 and cut with the pattern matches made. 

Mom made her own paste...no pre-pasted paper or buckets of commercial paste.

I remember that so well.  It seems like just yesterday, but of course it wasn't...it was 1940.

Does anyone wallpaper anymore?

Not as much as they use to, Mother!

Although, with the 1940 Census now available on the Internet,

and the '1940's Retro Look' becoming more popular,

I bet it won't be long before folks will be 

"Busier than a One-Armed Paper Hanger"!



Stitchin' CrocScales

Crochet Is A Croc...

...OOPS!...what I meant to say is this...

Crochet is a great way to make 'Crocodile Scales'!

And

Once a Crocheter...Always a Crocheter! 

Ya know, I'm a 'Chainer' from Way Back When, and it seems that no matter how many other
 'Needleworks' I get involved in  passionate about  obssessive over...

...I always come back to Crochet!

Also...it seems I always come back to  BBC's and BAYS

BRIGHT BOLD COLORS and BIG ACRYLIC YARN SKEINS

That's my choice for 'Crocodile Scales'.



What are 'Crocodile Scales' and what is this project?

Sorry, I can't reveal the project...it's a GIFT!

But, I can reveal the HowTo UTube for making Crocodile Scales.

Click HERE

More SuKnitWitty Posts

Click HERE

 

As Always...Thanks Beverly for Making Saturday's PINK!!!!