Roar!

This is actually my second try on completing a pillow case for a friend's son. I was almost finished with the first, when I suddenly didn't like it anymore.
What I really did like though is the fabric combination of my last bag and while sewing it I suddenly knew that I wanted to use the same for the pillow case.

I finally got to make a freezer paper stencil. I wanted to try that for ages. I've seen those on various blogs months ago and ordered some Freezer Paper right away (in Germany you can order it here. It's quite expensive, but I think it will last a long time. If you do have other sources or if there is actually something similar available in stores around here please share!).

I wanted to add a dinosaur, so I googled for a silhouette, printed it out and (using my window as a light box) traced it onto the freezer paper. I then followed the tutorial of angry chicken.
It's really fairly simple and the hardest part for me was to let the fabric paint dry.
Now I don't think you can see it too well in the picture, but the outlines of the dinosaur came out very clear and exact. So yay for freezer paper stencils!

edited to add:
Now it's all ready to go. See the little tag up there?

I made it using my new rubber stamp from Sweet Papery! I first saw them here on creative little daisy's blog (she always makes great discoveries!). Now go, get some for yourself... they make great gifts, too!

Stash is a good thing!

We all knew it. It's good to buy lots of fabrics, even with no concrete project in mind. Because someday you will need something and be thrilled to find it already there... in your stash!

I wanted to use part of my new Urban Chicks fabric for a bag and was looking for some uni-colored fabric that would go with it and there it was: some linen in exactly the same blueish colorway. I bought this fabric online, thinking of making it into another skirt for myself, but when it arrived the color looked very different to what I had imagined. With no more hot summer days in sight anyway, I put it away.

Now, here is its comeback!

Sigh!

I started another hat. This time supposedly for myself, using the green colorways of the Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton and after my mom told me she really liked the striped one I started before, I figured I should give it another try.

I got as far as this:
Then I tried it on and it didn't look good. Yeah, I know one doesn't look good with needles on top of your head, but that's not what I mean. I believe I would need a different edging, something more like the one I made for the last hat. So now comes the sighing part. I need to frog a striped hat... AGAIN!

Or (and I noticed this accidentely): Go figure! I obviously have a huge head, because it could also become a baby sweater instead.
Well, I guess it's a wee bit too small for that and actually if I'd knit some sort of clothing for a baby I believe I'd much rather make a jacket.
So, sigh again and start frogging, Nicole!

Finally: Some fabric and a doggy bag!

Okay, the title is all wrong. It's not some fabric, it's a lot! We spend actually about two hours in the store and I could have stayed even longer, but it got really crowded in the end and I already had bought too much.

First up are some fabrics I bought for a baby blanket:

I love the snail fabric. When I saw it I knew I wanted to use it for the blanket. All the other fabrics were chosen afterwards. And the little bird fabric was actually not supposed to be part of it. I just really wanted it too and when I came home and folded up all the fabrics I noticed that it would probably look quite good with the rest. What do you think?
I am not sure what kind of pattern I'll be using. Any suggestions? I don't think I want plain squares, but I don't want anything too complicated either.

Next up:


I want to use these to make a Note Taker. Yes, you heard me right. I finally bought the pattern at Pink Chalk Studio. I've been eyeing it for months and now it's mine!

I believe I'll have to make some changes to it since our paper writing pads are not the same size, but I guess it will work out fine. Also I can't get Timtex around here so I have to use something else. Kathy and two of her friends gave me some very useful advice on what to look for (thank you again!), but of course I would also like to hear what you would suggest.

Then I also had to have some of these. Just because...


Oh, and the one with the red and white stripes is actually Johanna's (to be used for hearts), just like these two which will become a nice big pillow case someday.

I told you we bought a lot! (Yes Johanna, you didn't, it was just me.)

Guess what! I already sewed something. And guess what else! I didn't use any of the new fabrics.


This here was long overdue. My friend's daughter was supposed to get a bag for a long time. She chose the fabrics for it way back. I sewed it this morning and gave it to her already. I think she likes it.

Some good things have happened!

First of all: I passed my first oral exam last Tuesday. It was actually not that big of a deal, if I might say so now. I hope the next five will be just as "nice".

On the same day I had my exam, my swap partner from Vegan Pal 2 got her package. I can now reveal that I was lucky enough to get the fabulous Chan as my downstream partner. She sent me the nicest thank-you-mail you can imagine and I'm really happy she liked everything I put in her package. I sure hope we'll stay in contact now that the swap is over since I think we have a lot in common and Chan is such a great person. (If you want to know what I sent her exactly you can find it out here in Chan's very sweet description!)

So this swap has already been so much fun for me and very rewarding, but there's more. Yesterday Isabelle aka Tricotine posted on Vegan Pal 2 that she made the decision to go "Veg", following this...

How cool is that? You need to go and check out her blog, where she explains why she is doing it and where you'll find some helpful links in case you decide to give the pledge a try yourself. If you already are a "Veg" it would certainly be nice if you'd go there too to give her some support! I can not wait to see where this is going and how many other people are going to join her!

What else? I received my invite from Ravelry (My name there will be - who could have guessed it - "suessstoff".) I haven't uploaded anything yet and actually there isn't that much I could upload, but it's fun to check out all the patterns and projects. I certainly can understand how you can spend hours at that place.

And last but not least: Tomorrow Johanna and I will be off to do some shopping at Charlotta's. I can't wait! I have so many things on my list which I want to sew during the next few days.

So see you tomorrow for some pictures of beautiful fabrics!



(Another great thing I saw at Tricotine's blog. Spell with flickr. )

The blue hat!

It's done. Okay, the pattern wasn't really more challenging, but when I saw it in a magazine (Inspiration Nr. 52 S by Schachenmayr nomotta) I simply wanted to do it. I used some more of my Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton and it's starting to become one of my favorite yarns for this season. I see more hats and scarves in the near future!

I like this!

This was a great recommendation from a very cool and also extremely nice person. I had to get the cd right away and now I can't stop listening to it.
Oh, and this is Regina Spektor by the way. The song's called "Fidelity".

Some frogging and a beautiful cat!

I started to knit another hat. This one was supposed to be for the little son of my friend in Norway. Unfortunately it will be way too big. I was thinking of keeping it for myself, but I don't have a jacket that would go with it. Strangely enough this is the first time I don't mind frogging and starting over. I usually hate to do it and I think I hardly ever did. Maybe this one is different, because these hats are so quickly to do and I can look for a more interesting pattern as well. Stripes are fine, but I want something a bit more challenging.

And just because:Isn't he the prettiest cat ever (I mean except for our other cat)? Can you believe that nobody wanted him when he was little?
Juri and his two sisters came to us through an animal rights group I was volunteering for at the time. They were only supposed to stay at our place until we found permanent homes for them. A lot of people came to look at them and some fell in love with his two sisters, but nobody ever wanted Juri. After about a year (we had some other foster cats then, too) I started to really hate people for not realizing that they were passing up the most wonderful and gentle cat in the world. It was then that we decided to keep him forever and we are so glad we did. Juri, we love you!

Getting ready!

The packages for Vegan Pal 2 are supposed to be in the mail by October 15th. Since there are so many other things going to happen in October I figured it would be good to have my package ready as soon as possible. I spent a lot of time on my pal's blog (a very nice one, but I can't tell you which one it is) and tried to figure out what she might like. Yesterday I bought the last thing I wanted to add and this morning I sewed this little box:
It's holding my sock project right now, because if I'd post a picture of the way it is going to look when I'm sending it out, my pal would definitely know that it's hers. (There is one very distinctive thing peeking out of the magic yarn ball!)
I got the idea for the fabric box from the Norwegian book "Tildas Hus". I had wanted to sew one of those for a long time, but never got around it. Now I definitely need one for myself. My sock project looks as if it feels quite comfy in there...The possibilites for variations of this box are endless and it's very easy to adjust the measurements to what you need. Even though this was my first box I had no trouble changing the size to "will hold a small knitting project" and "will hold all the things you want to send your vegan pal"! Nice!

Distracting!

Yesterday's weather was very nice. I was outside reading a book (for my exams) and who came to join me?After a lot of grooming he settled down like that. Awfully cute, isn't he? So cute it's distracting!

That was quick!

Last night when I was done studying I felt the urge to do something while watching tv... and it wasn't knitting socks. So instead I got out my Debbie Bliss "Pure Cotton" and found a nice pattern for a baby hat in my Lucinda Guy's book . I had to make some changes to it though, because my yarn was way thicker than it was supposed to and I didn't like the huge flower within the pattern. The rest was easy peasy.
Within three hours the hat was done. I really like that Lucinda's patterns are so simple and yet still do not look boring at all. I especially fell for the crocheted border.The yarn was really nice to knit with and it feels very soft and warm plus I also think it looks a bit as if it's partly angora. I can't wait to knit more with it!

Perfect Timing!

So I got my sewing machine back on Wednesday (she's fine, thanks for asking!) and started on the nappy bag for my friend yesterday morning. When I was almost done with it, I got a call from my friends husband telling me that the little girl had just arrived. Wow! She was ten days early. I was really exited after the phone call, but somehow mangaged to finish the bag.
About two months ago my friend (the baby's mother) and I had been at the fabric store together and she had chosen the fabrics and the trim and she also had the idea for the shape of the bag. I think it came out perfectly.
It has three inside pockets and a magnetic closure. I had some difficulties taking pictures of these details. The lining is a very cute fabric from Lecien, the outer fabric is from Westfalenstoffe and of a nice heavy quality.

This morning I decided to sew a little heat pad, filled with grape seeds, that will match the bag and hopefully be the right size for a tiny baby tummy. I'll fill the bag with a couple of other things and then it's ready to go. Congratulations to you, J+M and welcome to you, Helena! I can't wait to meet you!

Magnets!

Some of you might have guessed it. Those things are glass gem marbles, backed up with paper and a little magnet. I saw them first on Etsy at "The Airie Fairy" and when I showed them to Johanna we both had to have them. Let me tell you we bought a lot. Each of her sets looks so great - I can't wait to get them!

After we had ordered them, we thought that we could maybe try it ourselves, because we had all the supplies on hand. I think I love paper almost as much as I love fabric and the really great thing about it is that it's a lot cheaper than fabric. Johanna and I can never resist beautiful paper. We made a lot of tag sets in various sizes. Like for example this matching one:
And eventhough we made so many sets, there is still lots of paper left. Same with the magnets I had bought when I made some fabric covered button magnets for my fridge. Now the glass gem marbles were still lying around the house back from the days when it was cool to decorate with them (I believe that's not cool anymore, is it?). Anyway, Johanna and I gave the whole thing a try and it turned out to be so much fun, we simply can't stop making them.

Weird!

These things multiply by the hour...
See?!
We can't stop it!

Do you know how many there are by now? 140!

We are up to something!

Johanna and I are really busy. All I can say right now is that it's lots of fun. We can't seem to stop.