Fun with Beads!!

I've been wanting to dive into the crazy world of beading and try making some jewelry... I had a field day at JoAnn Fabrics and bought a bunch of supplies that I thought I'd need. Ignoring the fact of course that I have tons of beads at home tht I've bought previously and still haven't touched.. *sheepish look*

I made one necklace last night.. I think it's kinda nifty. It's pretty simple...

Pink and blue tye dye beads strung on blue wire...

Closer view

Modeled on me!

2nd round of felting

.. for attempt #2 coaster..

and I think it looks a LOT better now!

It's now appx 4 1/2 " in diameter and felted enough so that the stitches don't show all that much... It feels pretty dense, and I'm not sure if it's small enough yet... What size are coasters anyways? I'll have to look that up.. lol

I like it so far! I want to buy more wool yarns and make different shapes like stars and flowers to felt into coasters to sell on my etsy.. but we'll see.. :D

Felted coasters attempt #2

Yup, attempt numbah two here!

I crocheted a circle this time.. 6 rounds and appx 7" in diameter, still using the Patons SWS.




I threw it in the wash with some towels.. and then in the dryer. Was it supposed to go in the dryer? Oh well. I ended up with this...

It shrank to appx 5 1/2" in diameter ans you can see the stitches still so it's not as felted as I would like it to be. I'm wondering if it would be better to throw it in the wash again or to try handfelting in the sink.

Felted coasters attempt #1

I posted my armwarmers on craftster and someone showed me the felted coaster they had made with Patons SWS. So of course I wanted to try it out. :D

She knitted hers in the round on dpns.. I have never used dpns before.. but I can crochet innstead, right?

Attempt #1

Made a small granny square thinking it might felt enough to hide the holes nd make a square coaster...
not too bad, right?











ok. on to felting!
I decided to just try hand felting it in the sink for a bit.. I don't have any laundry to do yet and why waste a whole washer on one tiny thing, right? Played with it in the sink for maybe 15 mons with hot water and dish soap.

Wow. What happened? lol
It looks like a lumpy mess of wool.. XD
It actually looks lumpier in the picture than in real life.. but it's the perfect size for a coke can! So I'll keep it as a reminder of what not to do next time.

ok.. attempt #1. Failed.

Attempt #2?
I guess I'll try and make a circle and see if that works. *crosses fingers*

Finished armwarmers

yaaaaay! Another project finished!

These actually started off as a scarf.. lol but I changed my mind during the knitting proccess and made armwarmers!

I used a little more than one ball of Patons SWS in Natural Geranium on size 10.5 needles. Just a simple 2x2 ribbing. :D Took appx 8 hrs over about 4 days or so...

I had a bit of trouble with the seaming and it could have been done better.. but these are just for me so I will wear them proudly anyways! :)

Why can't I stop?! ...

...with the yarn purchasing? It's a disease, I swear!

I went to Michael's the other day looking for ONE specific yarn, didn't find it, and ended up coming home with 9 balls of three different yarns, and some jewelry wire so I can try making wire jewelry.

I bought three balls of Patons Soy Wool Stripes, three of Lion's Brand Wool Ease, and three of Patons Rumour.

Here's some better pics in the light so you can see the colors. :D

I've already started working on a simple 2x2 ribbed scarf with the SWS...

And this is the first time I've worked with something other than acrylic.. and wow! What a difference! I love this yarn! It's so silky and slides right off the needles.. and it feels like it's going to be a super warm scarf when it's finished. I'm so excited about this, I can't wait to use the Rumour yarn because it's an alpaca blend and feels even softer. And of course I have no idea what I want to do with that yet! XD

more yarn?

oy vey.

I must stop purchasing yarn and get through the enormous stash in my closet! >_< I found this Red Heart Holiday yarn at WalMart for $1.98/ball and I HAD to buy it!!



It's sparkly and soft and I love it!



Now to pick a project to use it for.... :)

A finished scarf! Finally! :)

I made this scarf for my friend for her birthday.. but unfortunately I didn't finish it in time for it... I'll be seeing her this weekend though so I can give it to her then. I hope she likes it!

I'm a slow knitter which is why i took me so darn long...

It's knitted from Moda Dea Beloved in Pale Sky. Just a basic garter stitch, but it's super soft and I think it's pretty. It's only about 52" long, so I hope that's long enough for her!
My camera doesn't do it justice and the color is a gorgeous light blue.