she's gotta make it :: evelyn's crafty blog

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Knitting:

Lacey Knit cap for moi

Stripey sweater for Leila

Quilting:

Grandmother's Flower Garden scrappy (ongoing)

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October 7, 2003 1:24:48 PM

I made a new batch of soap over the weekend while Daryll was away on Reserves. It was a very basic olive oil recipe, and I added chammomile and green tea and arosemary, eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils blend to it. I made a little goof again, because I wanted to try adding milk to this batch because milk makes the soap very creamy and mild. However, the milk gets added after the cook in Hot Process soap making because the sugars in the milk carmelize and turn the soap a creamy brown color. I think the color is lovely, but I think that any of the favorable qualities of the milk were pretty much cooked out of the saop. I've chalked it up to another learning experience. The bars look lovely and they feel and smell great, so it's all good. I need to get some cocnut oil and some shea butter for my next batch. I'm making soap gift baskets for Christmas gifts this year. Daryll and I will also be making handknit facecloths to go in the baskets, and some little home-made candles. As soon as I get a sample basket assembled, I'll take a picture and post it.

This week I am working on finishing up my Level I Master Knitting portfolio. I've given myself the deadline of October 18th. I'll get it submitted for evalutation, and if I pass, I can start Level II in January. I also plan to pursue the Craft Yarn Council Certified Knitting Instructor credential, too, so I need to get this thing done. For as long as I can remmber I have had the habit of starting projects and not finishing them before I start something new. Lately, I have been focusing on finishing some of the projects I started before I delve into too many more new things.

I am proud to say that I finally finished a cross stitch design that I had been working on for my mom for the past five years. Last week I went to Frame of Mine, a little DIY frame shop near Eastern Market and framed it myself with their expert guidance. I shipped it off to mommy in time for her birthday, which was yesterday. Next week, I'll go frame another cross-stitch design that I made for my little cousin who was born in 2000. Her third birthday is coming up, so I thought it might be nice to frame her baby shower gift. I'm catching up and feeling very accomplished these days.

September 24, 2003 10:14:04 AM

On Sunday, I went to the Knit Out & Crochet Too on the National Mall. The weather was a beautiful, breezy 74 degrees and sunny. I taught knitting for 2 hours and then I toured the vendors tent. I jumped in and tried team knitting, which was a hoot. Four of us worked on a circular shawl. Each knitter had the other end of the circular needle of the knitter on either side, so we were knitting four rows simultaneously, and one person was doing the increases, which were done every fourth row. I saw team knitting at the Knit Out last year, but I was too shy to try it. It was fascinating and fun.

After my short break I sat at the knit doctor table and learned to knit left-handed. This year there were far more people in attendance than last year. I was working with six students at my table at one point, which got to be a little challenging. It was exciting to see people 'get it,' and fell excited that they had really learned how to knit. It was a rewarding experience.

After the Knit Out, my knitting group got on the Metro and went to Union Station for dinner.

I've been making good progress on my swatches for the TKGA Master Knitter program. I think I'll be ready to send them off by mid-October.

August 26, 2003 5:19:02 PM

Here's a swap group, where everyone crochets squares for each other and then everyone ends up with their own afghan. I'm not great at crochet, but I've wanted to assemble a blanket made with swapped squares, so I'm going to join this swap and learn as I go.

August 21, 2003 4:02:29 PM

We had another wonderful knitting group at Teaism last night. There were about 15 people who showed up to knit and eat and chat and have a good time. I worked on my Mobius scarf, which is coming along nicely. I also worked on my Level I swatches, although, I had to put them away because it was too difficult to focus on the instructions and talk at the same time. Next time I bring only mindless knitting to Teaism.

August 12, 2003 11:37:19 AM

Last night I went to St. Mark's Church to teach a knitting class. I arrived about 20 minutes early, so I had the opportunity to sit in their lovely garden and do a little writing. I spent a few peacful moments among the flowers swatting away the mosquitos, but enjoying the quiet as the afternoon faded into evening.

Class was held in the Parish Hall, which was a large airy space with lots of tables and chairs and tall windows. It turned out that there were three teachers and just one student, so I ended up spending a relaxing evening sitting and knitting and chatting with some fascinating women. We talked mostly about knitting and about our lives and families.

I was able to clearly explain to one of the students about the importance of properly measuring gauge in knitting. This was a hard won lesson for me because I used to hate to do gauge swatches. After having to rip things out because the size was wrong, I learned that the time it takes to knit a proper gauge swatch saves much ripping and frustration later on.

We are all looking forward to the Knit Out & Crochet on September 21 on the National Mall. I attended this event last year and this year I am signed up to volunteer as a knitting teacher and project doctor.

August 5, 2003 11:21:03 AM

I have finally signed up for the Master Knitting Program at the Knitting Guild of America. I've been knitting since childhood, and it's been one of my favorite creative pursuits. I've been wanting to move it up to the next level and start designing patterns for sale, so I'm trying my hand at this program to hone my skills and get input and feedback from the professional panel who reviews each entry.

My packet of instructions arrived this weekend and I've already gotten started on a few of the swatches. Doing this is forcing me to follow the instructions carefully and be very mindful of the evenness and appearance of my stitches. Doing this is causing me to develop a little bit of discipline and to slow down and be more mindful of what I am doing. I'll post my progress as I go along

July 27, 2003 11:07:23 AM

I was writing to a friend about my experiences as a child growing up and being homeschooled. In the early 80's, we lived in rural Southern Oregon on about four acres of land. We raised sheep and goats and chickens and rabbits. We canned food and made soap, spun yarn and ground fresh wheat kernals into flour. I was remebering those days and I decided to try my hand at making soap. I found a zine called, DIY Bath & Body, by Brooke Stant, bought all of the tools and equipment and gave it a try. After reading Brooke's zine, which gives instructions for the Cold Process (CP) method, I knew I'd be too impatient to wait three weeks for the soap to cure, so I bought a book called Handcrafted Soap by Delores Boone, which teaches the (HP) or Hot Process method. Using HP, you can use the soap in the same day. I did make a goof and added the EO before the cook, which caused the batch to curdle a little bit. I'm going to get some more olive oil and try another batch later today. The soap came out beautiful, and it smells so good and makes your skin feel so luxurious. Daryll was so proud of me. He absolutely loves the soap.

June 07, 2003 08:10:28 PM

It's a rainy Saturday and it's been ages since I sewed anything, so I made this.

May 27, 2003 10:51:03 PM

Over the Memorial Day weekend, I did some stamp carving with some yummy new soft block carving materials. With my new stamps I made some ATC's.

May, 04 2003 08:47:29 PM

When I went home to Cambridge for a visit in April, I got the news that I'm going to be an auntie again! Of course, that means that I had to make a quilt. I made it out of cotton flannel and I tied it with embroidery floss knots, so I was able to complete it in about 2 hours. I think its adorable, and its so soft.

April, 09 2003 06:29:02 PM

I received my object for a knit item exchange on Nervousness today. It was a luscious dusty purple, wheat, and creamy colored chenille scarf made by the fabulous, Kirsten. She thought I'd have to put it away until next season, but around here it's been raining/slushing/sleeting and in the 30's and 40's, so I will be using it.

I have been working on a fresh batch of ATC's. I learned about tessalations, and I made some of my own on ATC's.

March 18, 2003 03:59:23 PM

I am so upset! There was a meeting of the DC Knitters last night, but because some bozo crashed his tractor into the pond on Constitution Avenue, they closed all of the surrounding streets. Traffic was backed up for hours, so Daryll was unable to get home in time for me to leave to go to the meeting. I was looking forward to going and meeting some local knitters. I finished knitting my swap socks and I find myself in the awkward position of having no knitting WIP's at the moment. It's a terrific excuse for a shopping trip, but alas, I have no cash, so it'll have to wait.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and I've found that to be true. Leila and I wanted some new rubber stamps, but I did not want to spend the money, so we made our own. When we were kids, my sister and I used to make rubber stamps out of regular pink erasers. We looked around the house and found an eraser and some fun foam and I used a craft knife and carved a few stamps. They came out pretty nice.

March 10, 2003 11:15:29 AM

I've been in bed with an icky cold, which has allowed me to get a bit of knitting and quilting done. On Saturday afternoon, when Brianna took the girls out for awhile, I was able to finish the quilt journal cover that I am working on for a swap that's due on March 30th.

Ever since I heard of the 2 socks on 2 circular needles technique, I've wanted to try it. So, on Sunday afternoon while propped up in bed with some juice, my puffs tissues and a good movie on TV, I set out to conquer these socks. Now I am not a novice sock knitter by any means. I've made plenty of socks--on dpn's, toe-up and even on two circulars--but I was unable to get the hang of the technique. The instructions were clear, and there are photos of every step. Maybe its because I was all stuffed up, but I tried and tried and frogged and tinked myself to tears. Daryll saw me with a tangled mess of yarn and needles with the laptop perched on my lap and had to laugh. After two hours of frustrating attempts, I gave up and decided to try it again another time.

March 3, 2003 4:21:04 PM

In addition to my love of writing, I have a passion for being creative with my hands. Knitting and quilting and cross-stitch and redwork embroidery, drawing and painting and working with clay or decoupage�anything that involves making something new and beautiful� all give me pleasure and a sense of connection to the One Creator of all. This will be my creative space where I can keep track of the various craft projects that I am involved in. This will also be a resource site with links to other craft blogs, free pattern sites, and I will also post my own patterns in the future.

In the three years that I have kept an online journal, I have greatly enjoyed the relationships that I have made with people that I may never meet from all over the world. This love of being creative is a common bond, and I hope to be able to meet many more new friends through this new venture.

This won't be a daily journal, but I will update it at least weekly with pictures of whatever crafty thing I'm working on, or when I learn something new that I feel compelled to share. Eventually, I will add a forum where we can create a community around our shared creative pursuits.