ETSY!

The Etsy shop is up! Currently, there is one sleeve up, but J is photoshopping me a banner & taking more pictures as we speak. I think he is just as excited as I am. There will hopefully be three by the end of the night.

so go here & love it & bookmark it.

My day

I spent a morning pairing up some fabrics and ironing all my quarters and eights and miscellaneous bundles. It was surprisingly enjoyable and soothing. I churned out that cozy below in about a half an hour and I think I will set up my Etsy shop a little bit later in the day; I am feeling quite accomplished.

Third cozy

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This one is my favorite yet. The outer one looks fantastic; however, the inner doesn't look quite as flawless, but still pretty good.

Sara's Coffee cozy

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I am so proud of this. It is reversible, and I think Sara likes it too. I have had like 3 or 4 people ask me if I sell them. Yes, yes, I will. Etsy, here I come!

cozy

Took the loony strap of my cozy, and made a second one.

I feel insanely proud of myself, and now I need to go buy a winter jacket. <3

WHOOOOO!

Apologies to my my previous pattern's owner, I just couldn't get behind the button or the non-reversibleness or how skinny it was (which may have been my fault). The deconstructed cardboard cozy worked like a charm. I did hit a few snags, such as being so excited that I didn't properly sew my hole-for-flipping-right-side-out. So, in response to said hole on the inner polkadotted side, I created what was supposed to be my 'button'--a nice piece of diversion on both sides.

However, I was super worried that I would make it too small, and I haven't figured out how to sew loops yet without scrunching everything up, so it turned out too big--which is AMAZING. It is like a little mitten for your hand, like a soft handle. Not that I would carry my cup by it or anything, but it makes my cup feel way more mug like.

Milo was excited for the photo shoot. I'm sorry for the MacBook photos; my Posterous account doesn't seem to be wanting me to post my iPhone photos (which are much much better).

I am hoping to be able to make another, sans awkward, but warm, strap, to give to a friend tomorrow.

THINGS ACCOMPLISHED:
1. learned to rethread the bobbin in a reasonable amount of time.
2. learned to rethread the needle.
3. learned that rushing creates crappy things.
4. AND I MADE MY OWN PATTERN!

coffee cup cozy

We have abandoned ship on the pattern. I am trying to create my own sans buttons and elastic in the vein of a more traditional cardboard cup holder.

My coffee cup cozy

This would be try three of the great coffee cup cozy experiment.
Try 1: wrong type of batting and a blue bobbin.
Try 2: giant knot due to me improperly switching out the bobbin.
Try 3: okay-ness.

Why knitting is now impossible.

Milo just adores my new sock yarn.

Purchases!

So, once this stupid law paper is finished, I will be all ready to begin my coffee cozies. I borrowed my grandmother's lovely little sewing machine, got my batting from my mother's enormous craft center, and stopped by Jo-Ann fabrics to get a pile of quarters and eighths. I attempted one last night thanks to my procrastination, and it turned out dreadful. I didn't print the instructions for the cozy, and just shot from the hip (which is why I also can't cook). A puffy, ugly cozy was the result.

Thursday it is.

project wishlist.

1. coffee cozies
2. learn to knit AND purl before Christmas.
3. knit a pair of socks.
4.

day one.

As a kid, my mom was my crafting idol. Halloween customs, dresses, outwear, you name it, and my mother made it. I took my obligatory home ec class in seventh grade, and had a basic grasp on crocheting, sewing, and embroidery. Ask me to do that now, and I probably can't sew a straight line.

A few years ago, a college friend taught me to knit. When I say "knit," I mean, knit was the only stitch I could make and scarf was the only thing productive that would appear. In the time since then, I have only made one scarf in one setting with Lion's Wool super chunky (or whatever) with size 17 needles. Most of my scarves in my closet are half-finished--each scarf has it's own size 17 needles still attached. I have tried to teach myself to purl, but I can't quite manage knit, purl, knit, purl without saying it out loud.  

I am a bit of a dreamer though, and consistently purchase crafting goods that never see the light of day. For example: shrinky-dink necklaces and keychains, Sublime stitching kits that were only attempted once, a mini-quilting kit that appeared to be for small children, checkbook covers for the girls at work, scarfs for the girls at work, coffee-cup cozies.. for the girls at work. It seems the only thing I could stick to was purchasing the craft item and then devising a wonderful storage system for said craft item. 

So here I am, writing this blog in hopes that: a. someone famous will read it and make me famous, b. documenting my efforts might actually work for my pick'em-up-and-leave'em currently strategy for crafting, and c. someone slightly more talented than I will read this and tell me all the things I am doing wrong.

So, that is that. First project: coffee cup cozies... immediately after I write my law and policy paper on Tuesday.




EDIT: Tonight. I start tonight! First step: get fabric, thick hairbands and beeeyootiful buttons as my adorable new cozies will be from House on Hill Road.