80's Kball Prom

Here is a picture from my 80's kball prom. Both Michelle and I were nominated for Prom Queen... and it was an honor to be nominated. I feel very blessed for the honor and want offer my congrats to Lisa. Heheheh.
I put together my outfit the day of. I'm wearing a blue mini-skirt (3 tiers of ruffles) over black spandex/leggings. I bough a red 80's sweater from a thrift store and cut off the sleeves. I wore the sleeves as legwarmers. And I wore white socks with black pumps (complete with a cheesy bow). I cropped the sweater and cut it down the front. I wore it over a zebra striped tanktop that was ridiculously cheesy. I also crimped my hair and wore hoops. Oh... and I crocheted myself a fingerless glove with fur trim for my right hand. There is nothing more fun than looking ridiculous!

Just for Fun...

If Lily-cat were a cartoon character, this is how she'd be drawn. Note that she is lording over me.

Purses and Yoga Mat Bag - From Christmas

So... I finally have some pictures of the purses and one of the yoga mat bags that I made for Christmas. This first one in aran colored yarn with a red bow, I made for Sue, my sister-in-law. The inspiration for the purse came from these designer purses. I found a pattern on Crochetville, but mixed it up to get a shorter, wider bag. I bought rattan handles from Joann's and painted them a warmer, darker brown. I also made the same purse in heather gray for my sister Betsy. The yarn for both is red heart... which means that I spent less than $5 (handles included) to make each purse. Not a bad deal.

Here are some pictures of my sister Sheila's yoga mat bag made from this great pattern. I hope she's able to use it. Here are some different angles. For this one, I also used Red Heart. It's super-washsable... which is great considering how much it rains in Scotland (where Sheila lives). The texture of the yarn is not very soft, but being that these are bags, I figure that it is mor important that they are sturdy! If you are a crocheter, I really recommend both of these projects for gifts. They are useful, easy to make, and work up quickly... plus, the materials are fairly inexpensive.

Mom's Market Bag

This was my first felted project! I made Crochet Me's Pike Place Market Bag for my mom. My mom and my dad love to go to the nearby market in NC for organic food. I'm not sure that they can fully stock up on their groceries with this bag, but it's a start :) I think that this will probably be a great bag when my mom is taking Q and brand new Myla Rose around on adventures. The pocket is the perfect size for a baby bottle! I chose purple yarn because it's my mom's favorite color. I used Cascade 220 (in order to felt, the yarn must be 100% wool. For those of you who don't know what felting it, it's actually kind of a neat process. Basically, you stitch up a bag in a super-large size in wool yarn. Then you put it into the washing machine inside a pillowcase that is zipped or tied shut. Along with the pillow case, you put some items in the load to create friction (I used some plastic sandals, a tennis ball, and my old paint jeans from my set construction days). You add some baking soda to the load and wash it on HOT. The result is that the wool shrinks (ever wash a wool sweater?) and kind of fuses together into a firm fabric. Felt!
Anyway, I made this awhile back, but never got around to fully attaching the handles. I need to use my friend Kate's sewing machine for that :) Since she's been hard at work on her thesis, I haven't been pushing to get it done. I guess that the thesis for her lil' biomedical grad diploma from UCLA is kind of a priority for her right now. Don't ask me why.... obviously my opinion doesn't matter ;)

Spiderweb Lace Skirt

This project is dangerously close to being finished. I have yet to weave in the ends or add the elastic to the waist. I also haven't blocked it (but I think it'll be best if Betsy blocks it so that it fits her perfectly). I kind of got distracted by the plethora of baby hats that I've been making for the lil' ones in my life... or soon-to-be in my life :)

I got the pattern for this skirt here. I don't looooooove this pattern. It's fine, I did it... but I had some problems with the joining of the rounds. It turned out fine, but if Betsy looks close enough, she'll be able to find the problem. Because of the many layers, I don't think that the mistake matters. I think that if I were to do it again for someone else, I would make it in different yarn and also change up the lace on the skirt. I thought it would be a little bit more lacey, honestly. I think Betsy will like it - and it will be a good skirt to wear in the Cold Seattle winter. It's made with Wool Ease and can be worn over a lighter skirt, leggings, or it can be worn alone (oooh la la!). Oh, I also had immense problems with the top of the skirt because no matter what I did, I couldn't get my stitching to match size wise with the pattern. So, I didn't follow the pattern for the top portion.
I don't know that I will remake this pattern, because that much sc in such a tight stitch is kind of annoying :P The top portion took me a VERY long time. The bottom portion probably took me about a week. The top portion (non-lacy) hits at the upper thigh.
My sister Betsy is phenomenal and deserves this skirt... which is right up her alley. I hope she wears it when she dances! Once it's blocked, it should hit to about mid-calf/ankle (the bottom is not straight, but wavy in length). If she doesn't mind modeling the skirt, I will post it here.

Aunt Sheila's Wrap/Shawl Finished Pics

Here are pictures of the shawl that I made for my Aunt Sheila. The pattern for this lovely wrap is from "Wrap Style" by Interweave Press. I used TLC Baby Yarn in Powder Lilac and the result is a really quite pretty. I am very happy with it and can't wait to send it to her. My Aunt Sheila was an OB/GYN nurse for decades and actually helped my mom through all of her pregnancies (6!!) over the years. Aunt Sheila's house was the best place for sleepovers! She'd wash our hair with her "special" shampoo and conditioners that always smelled amazing and made my hair feel like a million dollars. She'd give us little make up cases with Clinique eyeshadows and lipsticks :) She'd let us eat Dove Bars for breakfast and stay up late giggling. We'd play "fairies" on the stairs and pretend like the stairs were the hill where the fairies lived. She'd play these old records like the Red Baron and Peanut Butter and we'd dance like crazy.
Everything in her house always smelled so good. They always say that smells are your strongest memories, and I remember her place so well by the smell of the soap, the kitchen, even the smell of the couch. I also remember the way everything felt. So warm and cozy. The fabric of the pink chair in the room that everything was a dusty rose. I remember sitting in Grandpa's chair (which was in her living room). And I could smell this mixture of tobacco and time. Hard to explain, but that is the closest thing to a memory of Grandpa Gallagher that I have.
The majority of my memories of my Grandmother are in that house, too. My aunt was my Grandma's caregiver for most of my life. I would go over there on Saturday's and take care of my Grandma. Combing her hair, listening to her memories of growing up in Ireland and coming over here... praying the rosary with her and watching way way way too much Frank Patterson and singing along.
My aunt gave up a lot through the years, but never surrendered her personality, values, ideals, or interests. She loved budweiser over any of the fancy schmancy beers my dad brought over for family parties... and was the only woman I remember drinking bud or any beer when I was growing up. The image that that creates, though, is so contrary. She really loved all things exquisite and pretty. She loved fashion, but loved the fashion of Kate Hepburn and the images of the Victoria catalogue above all. She kept every outfit she ever loved. I remember her showing me the dress that she wore to my parents wedding - a smart outfit with a darling short, short skirt. An outfit that Jackie Kennedy wore, too. She'd tell me stories about going through great lengths to get THE outfit that was just the style. And laughing her marvelous laugh. Following up with a, "ohhhh gad!"
Right now, I live in the neighborhood that she lived in as she came of age as a young woman starting up a nursing career. I walk the streets that she walked... and both times that she visited me, we went to The Apple Pan, the first place she ate at in Los Angeles.
The story is that she drove out here from Ohio... seeking a change of scenery and a job. She drove with her friend Min (I am pretty sure), who told her that she could drive part of the way since my aunt was a brand new driver (my dad had taught her the prior week!). As it turns out, Min couldn't drive... so my Aunt drove the entire 3,000 odd miles in her in her pretty lil' vw bug . When they arrived, her feet were aching tired. First thing they did was have a burger at The Apple Pan.
My aunt did amazing things during her time here and really learned so much about life and the world. She read up on buddism and learned yoga. She met people from all over the world and so many cultures. She discovered yogurt, artichokes, and avocados :) And mexican food! Cleveland didn't get Mexican food until the latelatelate 70's, so, this is pretty impressive.
She and her friends from the Newman Center at UCLA formed a group of young, social activist Catholics. They posted flyers and worked together on various causes attempting to make the church a more welcoming, progressive place and helping those that were down on their luck.
When my aunt came out to visit a few years ago, I got to meet most of the members of this group. I felt like I was witnessing something truly unique and powerful. I was able to see her through their eyes - as a strong, intelligent, beautiful woman who changed other peoples lives through her thoughts and beliefs.
Recently, my aunt was diagnosed with alzheimers. She came out to visit with my Aunt Kay and Uncle Bob to help her cultivate her earlier memories, which frequently are the strongest. I was so terribly hurt and saddened to see that someone who was so articulate was having trouble with certain words and phrases. She gave me a package of yarn, some insanely 70's patterns and asked me to send them to my sisters who crochet (Bridgid and Betsy). She can't crochet anymore because of the alzheimers. She told me that if I wanted to learn, that I could learn from her books. I did send them on, but first I taught myself how to crochet... wanting desperately to connect with her.
She now is living in a community that specializes in alzheimers, and it is a truly amazing place for her. I know that it is the right thing, but it's hard because I wish that her house could remain as is. From what I hear, she is doing beautifully and very happy. She is able to do things like yoga (which I doubt she ever thought would come to Cleveland) and dance and make friends. I have been told that she is very much like herself, but like herself when she was younger... which is kind of nice. It's as if she gets to have a carefree adulthood and feel like a little girl.
Sure, that's idealizing it, but it is the only way that I can cope with it right now. I think that alzheimers really throws my faith (already dwindling) for a loop. I am trying to see that her soul is untouched by this disease. That the amazing soul that loved me and made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world (c'mon... dove bars for breakfast!) is still there. I just really hope that the powers that be can git their sh** together and come up with a cure!
Anyway, the shawl made me think of her as soon as I saw the pattern. It's so intricate and complicated, but yet decidedly feminine and girlish. I hope that I can get some pictures of her wearing it, but I can't promise anything. If I can, I will post them here.

Turquoise Shawl and Black Scarf

I finally have pictures... these are from NOVEMBER. Pathetic, I know.

But still, here they are. I made the following two pieces, a scarf and a shawl in the Spiderweb Lace stitch that I found in my favorite crochet book. The shawl in Microspun for my friend Michele (aka meesh) who is modeling said shawl.

She modeled it before the ends were woven in (note the lovely end hanging out across her arm). I finished weaving in the ends at our Thanksgiving Potluck party. Which was Michele's last night in LA before she went to PA. :( I miss her!!!

To see close ups of the stitch...

This was a complicated stitch, but I loved the results!

I also made a scarf in the same stitch, but in Patons' Brilliance. I haven't decided who to give it to yet... so yeah, any suggestions are welcome ;P

It's a skinny scarf and has some "sparkle" in the yarn. I haven't decided who would actually wear it :)

Bunny for Mits

I crocheted this bunny for my friend Mitzie from one of Roxy Crafts' awesome Amigurumi patterns. Like everything I do, this one doesn't look identical to the original. I kinda switched things up here and there. This one doesn't measure up to Mitzie's two real bunnies - Bonnie and Clyde. The embroidery is kind of messy, but c'mon - it adds character!

Mitzie, in case you haven't met her, is the friend of mine that grew up in Japan and moved out to UCSB for college. She studied accounting and then briefly moved to Arkansas where she picked up a love for country music. I worked with Mitzie at MetWest (a Fixed Income place) where she was pushed around by an awful boss with terrible breath. I used to go and hang out with Mitzie at this great dive bar that had karaoke called Roger's Tattle Tale. Mitzie's comes off as this quiet girl, but man can she belt out a country ballad. :) I loved seeing the permanent residents of the bar stools at that bar look up in shock when she sang.

Mitzie works for Ernst & Young now and just moved to Houston. She seems to be adjusting just fine and I'll be seeing her in a month when I go down there to check out Austin. I can't wait to see her!

In other updates, the skirt for my sister is nearly complete! I have about 2 more rows to add to the bottom and then I just need to add elastic to the top. There were a few problems that I had with the lace where it joined. At some point, I realized that it would work better if I stopped joining and just worked in the rounds. Of course, I didn't realize this until I was a skein into it... so I did not go back and re-do it. I know this is a total sin... but honestly, I don't think you can tell. The way the skirt hangs in layers, it is really not noticeable at all. I think it's going to look really stunning on her. It might be too warm of a skirt for the summer up in Seattle, but I think it'll be perfect for this fall.

Well... that's the update. Hopefully, I'll be able to post pics of the finished skirt soon.

Strawberry Purse

I started this purse last weekend during the yarn crawl that Teresa and I did through Pasadena/Monrovia. Like many of my projects, I started following a pattern and then found myself bored. Teresa and I were joking that the baguette was turning out to look like a little strawberry. So, I thought, hmm... why not just make it into a strawberry?
I added some green trim, a button, and a strap. Later I added some black seeds (after a bit of a discussion with friends on why strawberry seeds are actually tan but are always drawn as black).
Whether they should be tan or black, it still made for a darling little purse for a darling little girl.
Of course, after finishing the project, I realized that I didn't know any girls that were the right age for a strawberry purse -darling or otherwise. I was making fun of myself for finishing that project when I have tons of UFOs (unfinished objects) begging for attention. But, as the rule with things that are cute, the opporunity for the strawberry to be adopted arose immediately.
My co-worker Gretchen was going to meet her boyfriend's parents at his niece's 6th birthday. She had been going back and forth on attending (it's a wee bit of pressure meeting all the family all at once!), and suddenly the party was quickly approaching and a) she was going and b) she didn't have a gift.
She was explaining her dilemna to me and I felt very much like a Stepford Wife, "You need a gift for a 6 year old? I'm sure I can find something perfectly suitable in my fully stocked gift closet."
Gretchen and Doug filled the strawberry purse with lots of 6 year old girlish trinkets and gifts. And apparently, she was delighted!
Happiness all around.

Floppy Blue/Green Fuzzy Bear and Weekend Update

Here is a picture of Q and his floppy, blue/green, fuzzy bear from Christmas. I made it without a pattern in Baby Clouds - Baby Green (which actually looks more blue?) and did embroidery for the face. He's a little lumpy, but Q doesn't seem to mind :P

Q is sitting on his big boy bed!

This weekend was great. On St. Patty's Day, I went to a party with some kickball friends at Katie's place. It was fun and chill. Much better than waiting in lines and paying ridiculous covers. I made more soda bread and some bailey's fudge. Yummilicious! On Saturday, Teresa and I did a yarn crawl through Pasadena/Monrovia. We went to Unraveled (located at 137 E COLORADO BLVD) where they were having a huge sale and then later to Skein. Unraveled was nice because it was really spacious, but to be honest, the yarn selection didn't impress me much. Sure there was a lot of variety in terms of brands, but within individual brands, I didn't find much variety. 3 shades of Cascade 220 is pretty pathetic. But, it was a really comfy store. Though, Teresa wasn't a big fan of the service. We both felt like the saleswoman there thought we were going to steal something. Cuz, Teresa and I look so tough. Hahaha... yeah right. Our combined height is still under 10 feet :) Skein was a better shop and in an adorable house. But, they didn't have as many crochet patterns as knit... maybe 1 crochet book for every 10 knitting book. And the crochet books all seemed to be circa 1983. It was my first yarn crawl that I left empty-handed.
After our yarn crawl, we celebrated being in pseudo-suburbia with a trip to Target. We purchased happiness for $1.99 despite the claims of a local and very vocal religious group that we could not buy happiness. Our happiness came in the form of a microwaveable egg poacher. It's super-rad. You can poach eggs in the morning for breakfast and only use one dish. It's superfast and easy ... and it makes it easier for me to meet my new protein reqs.
After the Target, we found ourselves hungry and amazingly enough... just as our tummies grumbled in hunger, Teresa remembered that her beau TJ was performing at an Indian Restaurant in Pasadena. He is a drummer who is really into tables and sacred drums of India. The boy is really good... and super-sweet. So we went over there to suprise him and listen to his neato-music while eating some delish Indian food.
Tres bien.
On Sunday, I had to do some random med test at home (long story). I was bummed about having to stay home for a full day, but luckily, I have awesome friends. Teresa, Carina, Rachel, Carrie, and my roomate Alexandria all hung out. We watched Pirates of the Carribean and swooned over Darlin' Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. Afterwards, we watched Harry Potter (#4) and then Desperate Housewives, and Grey's Anatomy.
Most of us worked on our respective projects.... Rachel's cable purse is absolutely stunning. Teresa is working on her 2nd (and less decadent, albeit more washable) Lady E. Carina is making a fabulous Mile a Minute Afgan. I'm working on Betsy's skirt- although... the pattern is really sort of obnoxious! :P
Anyway... nice weekend, eh?

Bridgid's Bedspread and Mesh Yoga Mat Bag

Hello again...
These pictures are from projects of Christmas past... yet again :P

The first is of a rather neurotic bedspread that I made for my rockclimbing, rockstar sister Bridgid for Christmas '04. The bedspread is done entirely in double crochet - approximately 8,000 of them! in Lions Brand Chenille Thick & Quick. The bed pictured is a twin. On my Full, it just covered the top and draped over the bottom. Kind of an odd size for a bedspread, but it is super-snuggly and soft! I made it in just over a week whilst going through an obnoxious breakup (b/c normally they are oh, so pleasant!), if that helps to explain the insanity. Anyway, it's a beautiful blanket and I'm very proud of it... and happy that my sister loves it.

These next pictures are of a Mesh Yoga Mat Bag that I just kind of made up as I went along. I definitely used the previously posted Yoga Mat Bag pattern as inspiration, but the body of the bag is definitely... uh random. It's done up in Caron Simply Soft and was a very fast, easy gift that is actually useful :) I highly recommend this project. I believe that Bridgid's Boy Brian is the model.

The first picture is a close up of the mesh or net stitch (chain 5, 1 single crochet). The second is the full bag shot. The third pic is of the strap which can either be slung over the shoulder or worn Rambo-style (Namaste, biiiiatch).

Grandma Gallagher's Soda Bread

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope everyone is sipping some guiness and wearing green :) I made 4 loaves of Grandma Gallagher's Irish Soda Bread last night. Soda bread is unique because it is made with out yeast, but still rises. This is because of the mixture of buttermilk and baking soda. You might notice a cross in the top of the loaves. One of your Irish friends might tell you that this is to “let the devil out”, but really it’s so that when the bread rises quickly, it doesn’t completely crumble. It's a very dense bread that tastes like a scone and is great with butter, honey, maple butter, or apple butter.
I'm going to make a few more loaves tonight for a party that I'm going to - and maybe some Bailey's Fudge, too! For kickball this week, I made fudge brownies with Bailey's Frosting. It was a huge hit, but because of the resulting food comas, our team was massacred. Ah, well :)

Here is the recipe for Grandma Gallagher's Soda Bread:
Ingredients:
4 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Cups Raisins
4 Tablespoons Butter -softened (I use Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter)
1 Tablespoon Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 cups Buttermilk
1 egg

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Soak the raisins to make them plump. I put them into a bowl with water and microwave them for 1 minute. Then I drain them and set them aside.
• Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt) until well blended.
• Cut the butter into the mixed dry ingredients. I use my hands. Press the butter into the mixture and continue to mix until the ingredients resemble cornmeal - ie, are crumbly.
• Mix in the (now plump) raisins.
• Lightly beat an egg in a small bowl with a fork.
• Pour 1 1/4 cup of Buttermilk (save 1/4 cup for later) into the bowl with the egg. Stir together with the fork.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
• Slowly Pour the Buttermilk and Egg blend into the well in the dry ingredients.
• Fold the dry mixture over the buttermilk blend with a wooden spoon. Softly stir until the dry ingredients soak up the buttermilk blend.
• Flour your hands.
• Take the very moist and sticky dough and softly knead the dough for just a minute or so. You want the dough to be moist, not stretchy (over kneaded) or dry. Dry dough = very bad. If your dough is really dry/cracked, it won't bake correctly... so add in more buttermilk in Teaspoons at a time until it has the right consistency.
• Divide the dough into 2 balls.
• Grease a baking sheet or two pie pans (either work fine).
• Place each ball on the sheet.
• Cut a cross in the top of each ball. The dough will not bake correctly without the cross.
• Pour the remaining Buttermilk Blend (1/4 cup) over each loaf. Pour into the cross and then use your hands to coat the top of the loaf.
• Bake for 30 mins.
• Bread is ready when you insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf and it comes out clean. If the center of the bread is not finished after 30 mins of baking and the outside is baked, put the oven on warm and let the bread sit for 5 more minutes.

VARIATION: My friend Erin coats hers with melted butter and then a heavy sprinkling of Cinnamon Sugar. Yummilicious!

It's not exactly the same as my Grandma's, but it's pretty dern close - which is awesome because she never wrote hers down and never measured anything! My mom came up with the above, I think, and I think it works very well. I think I want to play around with the recipe a little and see if I can get a larger, creamier, flatter loaf.

Enjoy!

Sean's Hat - and More Cutey-Q - and my first Hat

Here's another picture of Q- this time with his Dad!


The hat that Sean is wearing is one that BRIDGID crocheted! Whoops, I orginally posted that it was the beanie that I made him - but I guess that Bridgid made him one, too. hehehehe...

I'm having a little bit of trouble editing these photos (look how pixelated-- tres 1980's Superman, huh?) Anyway, they are still really cute! So there :P

Enjoy!

Update: The hats below are the same style/pattern, but in those pics you can see it and the detail. The first one (one left) I made over a year ago for my friend Jeff. It's done in all single crochet and I believe I used Simply Soft and Woolease. All hats were made from the top down with increases to the crown (until it looks like a pancake), and then just around and around until the yarmulke turned into a beanie. The hat on the right was posted earlier. This hat was for my brother-in-law Matt for Christmas. Again, the wrist cuff in the pic were made my awesome sister Bridgid. Hooray for Beanies!!!

Cutey-Q

Ok - not crochet related, but tell me... is this not the cutest toddler that you've ever seen!?!? That's my nephew- the son of my brother Sean and my sister-in-law Sue. Sooo sweet!

Pooh Bear and Wrist Warmers by my Crafty Sisters!

Pooh and Piglet by Betsy!
Here are some super-huggable creations by my sister Betsy! Aren't they soo cuddly? I love them. And they are giant - they must have taken a lot of patience (looks like giant amigurumi - amigurumi are japanese-style crochet, typically tiny animals done entirely in single crochet).
Bravo, Betsy!
Sooo sweet, I think I'm getting a cavity! :)
To further express the talents of my crafty sisters, here are some wristwarmers by my sister Bridgid. She made all of the women in my family a pair - which in typical families is a task, but in our family - with our family it is nothing short of a feat! That's 6 pairs of wrist warmers. Wowza- she's a machine :) I wore mine to Kickball and everyone wanted a pair! To the right is Betsy elegantly modeling a pair whilst Bridgid checks out the Muench Touch Me Yarn That I gave her. Bridgid's face is unfortunately cropped out. The wristwarmers are done in Alpaca Wool. Super-warm and so beautiful! Here's a picture of my Mom showing off hers. She is wearing a pink shawl that I made her for her birthday last February. The shawl was done in TLC Amore from my own design.
My update is that this weekend, I felted her bag that I making for a belated birthday gift for her. It's really beautiful. I just need to stitch on the handles. I also designed a new handbag yesterday! It's really sweet looking and I can't wait to post the pictures. I'm tempted to submit the pattern to either Crochet Me or the Crochet Pattern-a-Day Calendar. Yippee! I started to teach Liz, from my kickball team, how to crochet during the Oscars. Rachel showed me some beautiful scarves she is working on. She is normally a knitter but is working her way through some great lace crochet patterns. On Saturday, Kate and Amy came over and knitted while we watched Flight Plan and ate from La Bottega, my favorite restaurant which just happens to be 2 doors down from my apt (Dangerous, I know).

Yoga Mat Bags and Crafty Matt Gifts

Yoga Mat Bags...

These are more belated postings of projects from Christmas Past! I'll have some more as I go along, I'm sure.
The first is a yoga mat bag that I made for my sister Sheila. I had previously made one for my friend Stacie (far left), but it was my 3rd project and I misinterpreted the pattern. It worked out well (I did long dc's insead of short), but when I made the bag for my sister Sheila, I actually *gasp* did the project correctly! Anyway, Sheila lives in Scotland and needs a bag that can get wet! This is not waterproof, but definitely washable. The picture to the left is a close up of of Stacie's bag so that you can see the detail on the long dc stitch.

Crafty Matt!
One of my brothers-in-law, Matt, was gifted with a few crafty accessories this Christmas. I made him the hat in black and gray - all sc - which you can't really see. But- far more interesting: my sister Bridgid made him the fabulous skull wristband from Stitch 'n' Bitch Nation by Debbie Stoller. The skull is beaded! She's super-talented, isn't she!!?!
Here's Matt and his bad ass crafty booty from Christmas. He made some beautiful jewelry this year as gifts and I'm hoping to post that up here as well.

Betsy's Purse - Christmas

Here is a picture of the purse that I gave to one of my Seattlite sisters for Christmas. Look how happy she is (actually, I think part of her is wondering if my Dad really needs to take her picture on Christmas morning)... I'm not sure if you can see the cables on the purse from this angle, so I will repost with pictures from a different angle. The inspiration for the purse came from these designer purses. I found a pattern on Crochetville, but mixed it up to get a shorter, wider bag. I bought rattan handles from Joann's and painted them a warmer, darker brown. I used Red Heart Yarn in Heather Gray and added a satin ribbon. I made another purse in a skein of Aran for my sister-in-law, Sue. I love the cables because they are simple but add a lot to the purse. The cable work inspired me to work on this Lion's Brand vest for my dad, which I haven't finished yet. The vest pattern is frustrating because it is waaaay too short for most men. I'm hoping that it will work out when I finally block it out. I ended up not making it in wool because I figured that he might want to be able to easily wash it. I'm also adding extra pockets because my dad always needs extra pockets! I'm planning on finishing the vest as I work on the Spiderweb Skirt pattern for Betsy's Birthday... which might end up being next year's Christmas present depending on how it goes :)