Plain Jane Wrist Warmers: A Foundation Pattern

I found some lovely yarn, a Cascade metallic, that I wanted to be the highlight of a pair of wrist warmers so I came up with a very basic, Plain Jane, pattern so that the yarn would be the focus. It's a great pattern! Turns out that I like the Plain Jane wrist warmers pattern with any yarn.

Can be used for the foundation of many more options as well. The pair to the left is made with the Plain Jane pattern but with a cable worked every 4 rows on the back and thus the thumb gusset moved over to the left side of the palm for the second one made.

The tan pair to the right is made with Colorscape yarn. It's a little thicker than the standard worsted weight I usually use. It's not bulky but it's thicker than worsted. I get confused sometimes when trying to figure out yarn sizes. Sock yarn and fingerling weights are easy enough to figure out. Bulky and super bulky are easy enough to figure out. Then you get in that mid-weight yarn and it can vary quite a bit even with the same designation on the label.

The instructions are for the heavier weight worsted but can be used for any medium weight yarn. For some lighter yarns I worked 12 rows between the seed edge rows and starting the gusset instead of 10 rows in order to reach my knuckles.

Since they are the same all the way around there isn't really a left hand and right hand for this pattern. Both hands can be made the same. Once you start adding patterns or cables to the back of the wrist warmers you will need to work the thumb gusset on the other side of the palm for the left hand but for this pattern it doesn't matter. It's Plain Jane. Easy Peasy.

Plain Jane Wrist Warmers
Worsted weight yarn (you can get two pairs from one skein of Colorscape)
Size 6 needles. I used magic loop but you can use DPNs or the two circular needle floppy method.
Gage: in stockinette, 4 st/inch

CO 32, join.
Rounds 1-3: seed stitch
Rounds 4-13: knit
On 13th row place a stitch marker after first 2 sts in round and after the next 3 sts. This is for the thumb gusset.
Round 14: K2, M, K1, M1R, K1, M1L, M knit rest
Round 15: knit
Round 16: K2, M, K1, M1R, K3, M1L, M knit rest
Round 17: knit
Continue increasing every other round after first st inside markers and before last stitch between markers until you have 13 sts between the markers.
After reaching 13 sts between the markers knit the second row of all knits then move the 13 sts between the markers to a holder. If you don't have a stitch holder just use a darning needle to move stitches onto scrap yarn. CO 3 using the backwards e method (need to replace the 3 sts we lost to the thumb gusset) then knit the rest of the round.
Knit 5 rounds.
Work 5 rounds of seed stitch. Bind off in pattern.

Thumb gusset: Move the 13 sts back to knitting needles and pick up 4 st to close up the opening.
Knit 3 rows. Work 3 rows of seed st. Bind off in pattern.

Weave in tails and your first Plane Jane wrist warmer is done!

Now just make the second one and you are ready for these crisp fall days or brisk spring days.

I used the alternating long-tail cast on because it matches ribbing or seed stitch start well.

Making one leaning right, grab the strand between two stitches from the front with the left knitting needle and knit through the back loop.
Making one leaning left, grab the strand between two stitches from behind with the left knitting needle and knit.

K= knit
P= purl
M= marker
M1R= make one, leaning right
M1L= make one, leaning left
Bind off in pattern= for seed stitch bind off, purl into knit then knit into purl, pass stitch over, continue
Seed stitch= K1, P1 across, next row purl into knits and knit into purls, continue working each row by working a purl or knit into opposite.

Getting ready to start gusset by placing stitch markers around 3 sts. I work the 2 sts at the start of the row outside the thumb gusset because I don't want to work the thumb gusset right on the edge.

Here's the completed thumb gusset with 13 sts between the stitch markers. Getting ready to move those 13 sts to a stitch holder and wrap up the wrist warmers. Only 5 rows of knitting and then 5 rows of seed stitch and we are in the homestretch.

Putting Photos on Canvas with Modge Podge

The older girls got to wear masks for a school dance and I took a photo of the youngest wearing sunglasses to keep her in the theme. I decided to play in PS with the images using a displacement filter. I love how the displacement filter onto a fence background turned out, like they're painted and faded over time.

I wanted to do an image transfer onto canvas but decided to start with using Modge Podge to glue down the images. They turned out pretty well. Painting the edges and sides black made all the difference.

I really like how they turned out.

I printed the images on my home computer on regular copy paper then painted the canvas with Modge Podge then placed the images on the wet canvas. Once they dried I applied a coat of the Modge Podge over the images, being careful not to go over the edges because I planned to paint them. Once they were dry I painted the edges and sides with black paint. Once dry, I did a second layer on top. Very easy to do and they have a great impact.

Crocheted Baby Fox Trio Versions 1,2, and 3

A fellow crocheter found a picture of a crocheted baby fox but could not acquire a pattern even with contacting the designer, so this is my version of that image, from 3 attempts. Each version has its unique qualities that I find adorable but version 3 is the closest to what she was looking for.

This is just the copy of my notes as I created the pattern and has not been tested or reviewed so there might be a few errors. If it's just a stitch count, just increase or decrease as needed to get back to the right count. I made multiple tails, ears, and legs from the pattern for the 3 versions and it worked. Sorry about the quality of the pictures as I don't have a studio area set up for product photography right now.

Each time I've pulled out the foxes to show I am startled at seeing how the faces light up, eyes sparkle, and the hands reach out when people see them.

All 3 versions were done with a size F crochet hook.

Join: When joining at the end of a round slip stitch into 1st sc of previous round to join then ch1 but that ch1 is ignored, so don't use in counts and slip stitch into 1st sc instead of the ch1. Work first sc into same position as the ch1.

Decrease = To decrease 2 sc into 1 sc, insert hook into front loop of 1st sc, yo, insert hook into front loop of 2nd sc, yo, and pull yarn through all three loops.

Increase = 2 sc in 1 sc

When changing colors, start new color at second part of last stitch of working color. Example, pattern calls for 6 sc in Color A and then switch to Color B, so work 5 sc in A, start 6th st with A and finish stitch with B.

Orange = O
White = W
Brown or Black = B

Ears for V 1,2, and 3:
Ch 9 with Orange, join, sc 8
R2: 8 sc
R3: 1 sc, increase 2x, 2 sc, increase 2x, 1 sc,  (12)
R4: 1 sc, increase, 2 sc, increase, 2 sc, increase, 2 sc, increase, 1 sc  (16)
switch to black or brown yarn
R5: 16 sc
R6: 1 sc, decr, 2 sc, decr, 2sc, decr, sc, decr, 1 sc   (12)
R 7: 1 sc, 2 decr, 2 sc, 2 decr, 1 sc, cut             (8)

Tail for V 1,2, and 3:
Start with brown or black
Magic loop, 6 sc
R2: increase 6x   (12)
R3: * 1sc, increase, repeat from *  (18)
R4: 18 sc
switch to orange
R5-6: 18 sc
R7: *3 sc, decr, repeat from * end with 1 sc, decr   (15)
R8: 15 sc
R9: *2 sc, decr, repeat from * end with 1 sc, decr   (11)
R10-12: 11 sc
add a bit of stuffing, cut yarn, leave 7-8" tail

Body for V 1:
Orange
Magic loop, 6 sc
R2: incr every stitch   (12)
R3: *1 sc, incr, repeat from *  (18)
R4: *2 sc, incr, repeat from *   (24)
R5: *3 sc, incr, repeat from *  (30)
R6-10: 30 sc
R11: *3 sc, decr, repeat from *  (24)
R12: *2 sc, decr, repeat from *  (18)
R13: *1 sc, decr, repeat from *  (12)
R14: *decr across                       (6)
cut yarn, leaving 7-9" tail, with darning needle, pick up every other stitch and tighten to close remaining hole.

Body for V2 and 3:
same as body for V1 except work 4 rounds of 30 sc instead of 5 rounds of 30 sc at R6-10.

Version 1 Head: 
Start with Orange
Magic Loop, 6 sc. join
R2: 2 sc into each sc  across      (12)
R3: 1 sc, 2 sc into 1 sc  across   (18)
R4: 2 sc, 2 sc into 1 sc, across   (24)
R5:  24 sc (work an extra sc at end of round)  (25)
R6: 6 sc with O, 6 sc with W, 6 sc with O, 6 sc with W, 1 sc O      (25)
R7: 5 sc O, 8 sc W, 4 sc O, 8 sc W,
R8: 4 sc O, 10 sc W, 2 sc O, 10 sc W
R9: 3 sc O, 22 sc W
R10: 2 sc O, *2 sc W, decrease, repeat from *
R11: all white now, *1 sc, decrease, repeat from *
add some stuffing
R12: decrease every stitch, join, cut yarn with 7-9" tail

Version 2 Head: 
Start with Orange
Magic Loop, 6 sc. join
R2: 2 sc into each sc  across      (12)
R3: *1 sc, increase, repeat from *  (18)
R4: *1 sc, increase, repeat from *   (27)
R5: *2 sc, increase, repeat from *   (36)
R6:  36 sc
R7: *5 sc, increase, repeat from * end with sc 1   (41)
R8: 6 sc with O, 6 sc with W, 10 sc with O, 6 sc with W, 4 sc O      (41)
R9: 5 sc with O, 8 sc with W, 8 sc with O, 8 sc with W, 3 sc O      (41)
R10: 4 sc with O, 10 sc with W, 6 sc with O, 10 sc with W, 2 sc O      (41)
R11: 3 sc with O, 12 sc with W, 4 sc with O, 12 sc with W, 1 sc O      (41)
R12: 2 sc with O, 14 sc with W, 2 sc with O,14 sc with W                   (41)
R13: 3 sc O, 22 sc W
add some stuffing
All white from here
R14: *1 sc, decr, repeat from * 
R15: * decr all across, join, cut yarn with 7-9" tail

Version 3 Head:
Start with Orange
Magic Loop, 6 sc. join
R2: 2 sc into each sc  across      (12)
R3: *1 sc, increase, repeat from *  (18)
R4: *1 sc, increase, repeat from *   (27)
R5: *2 sc, increase, repeat from *   (36)
R6: *5 sc, increase, repeat from * end with sc 1   (41)
R7: 6 sc with O, 6 sc with W, 8 sc with O, 6 sc with W, 15 sc O      (41)
R8: 5 sc with O, 8 sc with W, 6 sc with O, 8 sc with W, 14 sc O      (41)
R9: 4 sc with O, 10 sc with W, 4 sc with O, 10 sc with W, 13 sc O      (41)
R10-13: 3 sc with O, 12 sc with W, 2 sc with O, 12 sc with W, 12 sc O      (41)
R14: 3 sc with O, 26 sc with W, 12 sc O         (41)
R15: *2 sc, decr, repeat from * (work O and W as needed or just use W at this point)
add some stuffing
R16: *2 sc, decr, repeat from * 
R17: * decr all across, join, cut yarn with 7-9" tail

Attaching parts. Use photos for reference. These are notes I made while working up the first version on placements I used. Place where you like.
Hold body with end of magic loop facing you and place head with front edge on 3rd ring from starting center, attach to the body by sewing with the tail.
Tail, back of tail on/at center of end of body's ball facing back of head. Attach to the body by sewing with yarn tail.
Front legs, line up inner corners with 2nd rung from center.
Back legs, line up with front legs and tail bottom.
Sew on buttons for eyes or embroider eyes if needed for younger children's toy. Embroider satin stitch for nose.

Hands Down the Best Trivet/Potholder Ever

This crocheted trivet/pot holder is my go-to favorite. You can never have too many on hand.

Be warned: once you give one or a set as a gift you will be petitioned for more.

They are handy and multiple sizes make for great uses for multiple tasks. I like the small ones for the 1-quart pans, medium for 2-quart pans, and large for large pans or hot dinner plates, soup bowls, etc.

We are a society of eating on the couch while we enjoy our favorite shows and these make great plate trivets so you can hold your plate of microwaved leftovers in comfort. They can be used for pot holders, too, of course, microwave or oven, or even for those large pans whose handles or lids get too hot to handle. I actually bought a beautiful Dutch oven pan recently and was surprised to find that the handles were way too hot to handle once the chili had been cooking for a few hours.

A former co-worker told me how to do these almost thirty years ago and I have made an abundance of them over the years. They hold up really well. I am pretty sure I still have some of the original ones.

You will need cotton yarn. I like the Peaches N Cream cotton yarn for these (as well as dish clothes) and one skein is usually enough to make my favorite size trivet/pot holder. I use up the rest of the skein with the next trivet and then use another color to finish as needed. I like the stripes. Plus it makes them unique then.

Okay, a skein of cotton yarn is the first step. It can't be acrylic or it will melt. Wool is sort of an option, I guess, for those wool lovers. But these will be attacked by the food fairies so must be washable. I guess you can wash wool, by hand, or toss a wool trivet in the wash if you don't mind it felting. That's sort of a whole other project though. So if you want consistent, workable, no hassle or questions results, get yourself some cotton yarn. No matter how much you try to avoid it, food will find a way onto your trivet/pot holder.

Crochet hook: For these I used a size H. I often use size G also but could not find my G when I sat down to make these so H it was and that worked fine.

The green trivet is chain 20 +1
The cyan trivet with yellow stripe is 25 +1
The yellow trivet with gray stripe is 30 +1
The gray trivet is 40 +1

The most common sizes I make are with a 30+1 chain and with a 35+1 chain.

So with your size G or H hook, chain 35 +1, sc into first chain from hook, sc 34 (total 35 sc)
When you get to the end of the first row, do a second sc into the first ch then continue working sc on bottom side of initial chain.

When you reach the end of the bottomside row, sc into first sc of first row. (Don't slip stitch to join. This whole thing is worked in a spiral, no stepping up.) Then continue working sc around and around.

You will see a boat shape forming.

Periodically check to see if you've reached enough height to form a square. Just press the front and back of the boat down.

Once you have reached the height where if you push the sides down and the top edges touch, cut yarn, leaving a tail about 2-3 x the length of the area needing to be seamed. (Don't worry if the edges curve out a bit when checking. Once the majority of the edge reaches to touch each other, sc to the top or bottom (middle side of the boat) and cut tail. It will flatten fine even if it doesn't match exactly.) You can turn it to either side that you wish. When I do stripes with a different color I turn it so that the yarn tail that I crocheted over is inside instead of outside to keep it out of sight.

Do a running stitch with a darning needle to close up seam. You could also slip stitch it closed but I like the running stitch with a darning needle. The running stitch leaves a nice, flat seam.

If desired, you can chain a small loop and attach to the corner for hanging.

If you give these as gifts, be prepared to have people asking for more!

Gray trivet: 40+1 chain
Yellow trivet: 30+1 chain
Cyan trivet: 25+1 chain
Green trivet: 20+1 chain

Simple One-Piece Fabric Backpack with Flap

These are simply yet handy children's backpacks. I made them for birthday gifts for a nine year old and a six year old. They turned nine and six on their birthdays, which were one week apart. According to the nine-year old, this was the best birthday gift ever in her entire life.

I just improvised with what I had and did not take strict measurements of this. There are some things I would do differently so when I make the new version I will post more detailed instructions with measurements. But this is what I did with this initial experiment.

Supplies:

D-ring (or keychain ring will work)

2 fat quarters, one for exterior and straps and one for flap

enough fabric for lining piece

Swivel hook

thread

I started with fat quarters for the exterior and some fabric by the yard I had on hand for the lining. I cut 2 pieces 3"x 22" from the side of the fat quarter for the straps, then squared up the remaining piece of the fat quarter. (Not literally square, just straightened sides.) 

Straps: Fold the strips in half lengthwise then fold edges into center fold. Sew along both sides of the straps. You could cut them 4"x22" for a wider strap but this will make the backpack smaller if relying on the fat quarter for fabric.

Bag: Cut the lining piece the same size as the exterior piece. Place ends of straps inside at bottom corners. tack in place. Sew up the sides of both exterior and lining pieces. Leave a 3-4" gap in a side of the lining piece for turning. Place the exterior inside the lining with right sides touching. Place free ends of straps 1" from center. Tack in place. Make sure straps aren't twisted. The side with the straps sewn near center will be backside of bag. Sew together along top edge on the wrong sides. Pull through opening left in lining. Topstitch top edge and sew lining gap closed.

Strips for D ring and Swivel Hook: Cut 2 strips 3 1/2"x 4" for straps for hook and D-ring. Fold into thirds and sew along both sides the long side for both straps. Fold in half lengthwise and slide D-ring and swivel hook down onto fold.

Flap: Cut 2 pieces of another fat quarter (paw print fabric for this backpack) and round both corners on one end. I used a candle holder. Place the pieces right sides together and insert strap with swivel hook inside with raw edges meeting raw edges. Sew around flap edge, backstitching a few times over strap to reinforce it. Leave top edge unsewn. Turn, press out along sides and curved bottom then topstitch.

Mark center of flap and center of back side of bag. Place flap on back side with curved side down and raw edges 1" below the topstiching at the top of the bag. Flip flap up and topstitch in place. This will cover the flaps raw edges and hold the flap in place.

The last part is the strap with the D-ring. This is why I will do it differently next time. Since the bag exterior was made from one piece of fabric this tab has to be hand sewn in place. Next time I will do two pieces for the exterior so that I have a seam to enclose the tab into. So, sew the tab in place.

Voila! A handy, simple, fun backpack for the child of any age. :)

Organic Knitting on the Fly

I found some lovely yarn on clearance at Michaels but there were only two skeins. So it was time to get creative and see what I could do with 2 skeins.

(My camera has gone kaputt with strange color lines but my backup needs charging so these will have to do today.)

It's a lovely yarn, soft and has a nice drape. I decided to go with bigger needles than necessary for such a thin, lightweight yarn and make a cover/wrap. That involves a back then splitting at the shoulder for two front panels and tacking a few inches on the sides to create sleeves.

Since I only have two skeins I decided to knit as long as I could on the first skein then call that the back length and start the front panels with the second skein.

With size 6 circular needles I cast on 140 sts, using the alternating ribbing cast on method. I have posted that here before.

Then work about an inch of ribbing then about 2" of moss stitch (k1, p1 across then on following rows knit in purl and purl in knit) to keep the edges from rolling.

I placed markers after 10, 30, 50, 90, 110, 130. The first ten and last ten stitches are worked in moss stitch. After the border is complete stitches 11-50 and 91-130 are worked in stockinette. I put the markers at 30 and 110 for counting then left them because I think I will do a design on the front. Stitches 50-90 are what I call holey stitches.

Holey stitches, multiple of 4 worked in 4 row repeats.
Row 1: k4, yox2, k4, youx2....end with k4
Row 2: k2, ssk, (p1, k1 the 2 yos), k2tog, *ssk,p1,k1, k2tog, ending with k2
Row 3: k2, yo x2, k4, youx2.... end with k2
Row 4: ssk, p1,k1, k2tog....

I still have plenty of yarn left in the first skein and have reached a length that would work well for the cover but I plan to go a few more inches.

I wish I had thought to do a self-edging icord on the sides as I worked but did not think of it until I had several inches of the back completed above the edging and I did not want to tear it out and start over and I certainly did not want to start the new edge partially up the sides. For the next one though...

One-Piece Leather Zipper Pouch

You can never have too many zipper pouches, right? I use them for everything imaginable and they are so handy when traveling.

The leather pouch on top is my old pouch with the worn out zipper.

I made this leather zipper pouch probably about ten years ago. I have had it so long that I have forgotten just when I made it. Probably more than ten years ago. It was one of my first experiments with leather. Leather is a unique beast to sew. It can be done on a home machine with some patience and a few learned skill sets. A walking foot is very helpful also.

The zipper has gone kaputt. I won't toss the pouch just yet because I am hoping that maybe I can fix the zipper teeth somehow. I've seen some magical solutions to this problem though I don't remember them exactly at the moment. If nothing else I will tear it apart and resew with a new zipper. That option will change the dynamics and dimensions of the pouch however. Unlike with fabric, ripping out a seam from leather leaves holes. Unsightly holes. So it's a project for another day.

The project for this day is to make a replacement leather one-piece zipper pouch with a small header. I found some fun leather at Tandy Leather and made this lovely little number.

Materials:
1 9" zipper with plastic teeth
1 8"x 12" piece of leather
1 8" x 12" piece of fabric for lining
Coordinated thread


Place 8" side of leather edge to zipper tape edge, right side of leather facing right side of zipper. I arrange so that the metal stopper beads on zipper are out of the way of fabric edges so they won't be in the way when sewing the sides in a future step. On the other side of the zipper tape place 8" side of fabric to zipper tape edge. The zipper will be sandwiched between the leather and lining fabric. Right sides of leather and lining fabric will be touching. Be sure to align along sides.

After sewing the leather and lining to zipper, finger press back and topstich. I change stitch length to 4 for topstitching leather.

Now do the same for the other side of the zipper with the other ends of the leather and fabric pieces. You will have two loops of fabric.

Unzip zipper and turn. Topstich the second side. It's a little bit of a pain to reach the edge where the zipper head is but you can use a longer zipper if wanted. I just sew as close as I can get because the edges will be sewn in the next step anyway. Turn it back inside out.

Now open zipper at least halfway. If you forget this you won't be able to turn your pouch after sewing sides. Align pouch so that there's about 1" of material above and the rest below.

If you want a tab or ring, tuck it into side, raw end out, along bottom zipper tape. Or you can add a grommet in the header when pouch is finished. Or you don't necessarily need one at all. I cut a slim piece of leather long enough to provide a thumb loop and inserted it by zipper at the loose end before sewing up the sides. I insert tab on side where zipper opens from.

Sew up sides. Be careful of metal stopper beads on zipper. Do not sew over those. Hold zipper securely in place at its loose end until secured with stitching. Backstich and sew over zipper several times to reinforce it. I sew over it, backstich to edge of zipper and sew over it again at least two times.

Dealing with raw edges options:
1. just let them be. The original pouch had raw edges for ten years of use and was not a problem.
2. zig zag along edges to minimize fraying
3. cover with binding
4. trim with pinking shears

If you choose option 2 or 3, only do the edges below the zipper.

Now turn bag right side out. Poke out those corners into nice neat points then topstich 1/4" or 1/2" from zipper to hold header in place. I line up zipper foot with edge of leather along zipper tape.

Just lovely.

Super Easy Fabric Baskets with Decorative Flaps

Aren't they adorable? I think so. And so handy.

Super easy as well. Let's get started. These are my notes on the ones I made for reference.

This basket starts with an 18" square fashion fabric enforced with stiff interfacing and an 18" square of fabric for the lining.

Iron on the interfacing to the backside (wrong side) of the fashion fabric. I used Pellon 808 for this basket and it worked very well. The extra stiff Pellon craft interfacing would work well also but is not necessary for the basket to hold its shape.

Place the two fabrics right sides facing and sew around with 1/2" seam, leaving a 3-4" opening in the middle of one side for turning. Clip corners and turn. Poke out corners and smooth sides then topstich 1/4" from edge around all four sides (this will close the opening left for turning).

Fold in half. Measure 3 1/2" from bottom corner and mark on bottom and side then draw a line to join the two points. Do this for right side and left side. Sew along diagonal line. Be sure to backstitch at edges starting and ending the seam.

Now fold in half on the other side. This will feel a bit awkward as the first two corners will distort the rectangle a bit but it will work fine. Measure 3 1/2" from bottom corner up along side and down along bottom fold and mark then draw diagonal line between the two points for both sides again. Sew along the diagonal line for both sides.

Whatever fabric side is facing you when sewing the corners will be the lining.

Turn inside out. Fold tabs down onto sides of basket. Topstich 1/4" from edge along top to hold tabs in place.

The tabs inside the basket can be tacked in place. Or they can be cut 1/4" from seam and surged or zig-zagged to cover the raw edges. I left in to provide added support.

I ran out of Pellon 808 and the replacement was Pellon 809 which is firm but did not feel as firm as 808 so I attached to both fabrics for the owl/polka dot basket. Worked really well.

Baskets can be custom sized for any dimension.

What I've made so far:

A. 18" square 3 1/2"x 3 1/2" Finished 5" h x 7 1/2" w
B. 16" square 3 1/2 x 3 1/2" Finished 5" h x 5 1/2" w
C. 12" square 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" Finished 3 1/2" h x 4 1/2" w
D. 12" square 2" x 2" Finished 3" h x 4 3/4" w

I plan on making a chart once I get some more done of varying dimensions but this gives a general idea of results that can be expected.

A.

C on left and D on right.

(B got put to use right away so I did not get a picture of it at this time.)

Round Ear Bud Holders with Key Ring

I made these fun little, padded, round ear bud cases a few days ago. They whip up quick and easy and are so handy. They would make terrific gifts.

All it takes to create these are 2 fashion fabric circles, 2 fleece circles, and 2 circles out of a lining fabric. (These are made with circles 4 1/2" in diameter.) And a zipper. I used 7" zippers. Excess will be trimmed away. And a key ring or giant lobster claw. And a small rectangle of fashion fabric for tab. I used key rings.

Of course, the lining fabric can be made from a fashion fabric. I think the term fashion fabric is used in the industry more to designate your outer fabric while lining fabric tends to be a cheaper, solid fabric.

So 2 circles each of fleece, outer fabric, and lining fabric. Cut one of the circles in half for outer, fleece, and lining fabrics.

You now have 1 4 1/2" circle of fashion fabric and 2 semi-circles of fashion fabric, 1 4 1/2" circle of fleece and 2 semi-circles of fleece, 1 4 1/2" circle of lining fabric and 2 semi-circles of lining fabric.

Sandwich the fleece halves between the outer fabric and lining halves with wrong sides against the fleece. Place the sandwich face down on a zipper. The right side of the fashion fabric will be against the zipper and the straight edge of the fabric will match the straight edge of the zipper.

Sew the 3 layers along zipper edge then press back away from the zipper teeth and topstitch. Then line up the other set of halves on the other side of the zipper and do the same thing. Just make sure that the right side of the outer fashion fabric is facing the zipper when sewing it to zipper and facing up after pressing it away from the zipper teeth and topstitching.

Now sandwich whole circles with fashion fabric right side facing down, fleece circle, then lining fabric circle right side facing up. Place on right side of halves attached to zipper, lining up edges as neatly as possible.

Right sides of fashion fabric will be touching and right sides of lining fabric will be facing out on both sides.

Be sure that zipper is unzipped. Zipper head should be in center of circles or you won't be able to turn it right side out after sewing together. Place tab along zipper at the opened end. You can tack this down to keep it in place. Raw edges of folded tab will be lined up with raw edges of circle. Folded end of tab will be inside, between the two right sides of the fashion fabric.

Oh, to make the tab, cut a rectangle about 2"x3", fold into 3 lengthwise, sew down each side about 1/4" from edges. Fold in half with side with raw edge inside.

Sew around circle with 1/2" seam allowance. If your edges are super even you can do 1/4" seam allowance but with so many layers it's simpler to use the 1/2" seam allowance to better catch all those circle edges.

Trim zipper ends flush with edge of sewn circles then use pinking shears to trim around circle edges. If you don't have pinking shears then clip around. Turn right side out through open zipper. Topstitch around outside edge without going across the zipper. This will encase the raw edges. Voila! A handy little carrying case for ear buds or spare cash or a key or a jump drive or all sorts of things.

Instead of using a key ring you could use a clip or a giant lobster claw to attach to a ring on your purse or backpack, etc. Or you could do the key ring.

The first one I did was only 2 1/2" in diameter and that was pretty small, too small for earbuds, but big enough for a spare key or maybe a pair of earrings, etc. I think 3 1/2" or 4" circles would work well also. I think the next set will be cut at 4" diameter for the circles.

A fun project and a very quick sew up. A great stash buster. A great gift idea.

A Blanket That Is a Pillow

Last month I made a fleece blanket that folds into a pocket to form a pillow. It was to be a birthday gift for a three year old. It was fairly straightforward, except that when I moved to Texas I removed the spool cap from the sewing machine that I brought with (to keep it safe) and I could not find it when it came time to sew.

I still don't know what happened to the spool cap. The spool of thread that I took off when I removed the spool cap was right there but no cap even though I took them off at the same time.

That was the large spool cap, which is the only one I ever use. The medium spool cap does not normally work on normal sized thread spools but it was what I had so I used it. What a nightmare! The thread kept catching on the little cut in the top of the spool and breaking. I guess I am lucky that the needle did not break.

So, as a workaround I cut a circle slightly larger than the medium spool cap out of poster board. That worked. It is not a permanent solution, of course. I did find one online and ordered it and it arrived and all is good in the world of my sewing machine working well again.

The blanket is fleece on one side and that soft swirly fabric on the other side. I think it's called Minky or somesuch. Most of the instructions I saw when investigating how to make the blanket said to make the pocket 18" but quite a few said to make the pocket 16". So I made it 12". Yeah, I had a logical reason for that. Don't do that. Make it 16" or 18".

The two fabrics are fairly thick so folding the blanket into the pocket is a struggle and a tight squeeze and after wrestling it into place the pillow is as hard as a rock. If it was just a single layer of fleece then the 12" would have worked nicely. But it's not. It's two layers of thick fabric.

The birthday girl loved it anyway!

If cramming the fabric into the pocket is too much of a hassle she can always use the pocket for a favorite bedtime book or slippers or a snack in the car instead.

Playing with Displacement Filters

I enjoy photography as much as crafts and art projects. Love, love playing in Photoshop. There's so much you can do with Photoshop. There's definitely a learning curve. You can't sit down at Photoshop and expect to create jaw dropping images in the first session. It takes years to master the software and even then it's just the tip of the iceberg with what PS can do. But it's so worth it! And over time you will get better and better and things will be easy instead of a struggle.

I've learned to document the steps I used to create a procedure. Even if you follow a tutorial online that tutorial can vanish in the masses of the internet when you realize you forgot what steps it took to create a specific project and often you stumble into your own version even when following someone else's instructions. So write down some notes, take some screen shots of your layers and workspace as you are working. Even the order of layers can make all the difference in the world.

I know a lot of people aren't happy that you can no longer buy the CC version of PS but have to lease it monthly. I like that it's leased for a reasonable fee. The full PS cost was quite prohibitive for a toy. If you are a professional photographer or graphic design artist then you need PS (or Lightroom) but when you're just using the software to play, $700-800 is a lot to pay.

This photo is a compilation of two photos using a displacement filter. It's quite basic and simple and I love the result. The little girl looks like she was painted on the fence and over time the image has faded and been overtaken by vines.

Last Minute Valentine Gift-Knitted Heart

Here's a quick and easy project for a last minute Valentine's Day gift, or any time of the year when you want to knit up a fun and quick heart.

You can use chunky yarn and big needles or lightweight yarn and small needles. The big chunky yarn on large needles (10-15) knits up at the same rate as the smaller heart but you get a small almost pillow size heart.

These hearts were made with metallic yarn using size 2 needles. If you want to use bigger needles, say 4 or 6, they will work as well but the fabric won't be as solid. I used circular needles but straight needles will also work fine.

First, make the first bump:

CO 3
K3
KFB, P1, KFB
K5
KFB, P3, KFB
K7

Cut the yarn and push the bump back along the needle. Now CO 3 on the opposite needle of the circular needle, or empty needle if using straight needles. Leave a tail 7-9" to weave in.

Make the second bump exactly like the first.

CO 3
K3
KFB, P1, KFB
K5
KFB, P3, KFB
K7

Now push the two bumps together and
K1, P12, K1
K14
K1, P12, K1
K1, SSK, K8, K2tog, K1
K1, P10, K1
K1, SSK, K6, K2tog, K1
K1, P8, K1
K1, SSK, K4, K2tog, K1
K1, P6, K1
K1, SSK, K2, K2tog, K1
K1, P4, K1
K1, SSK, K2tog, K1
K1, P2, K1
SSK, K2tog
bind off by doing slip 1, k1, psso

By casting on to the other needle for second bump you will correctly position it so that when you join the two bumps the knit sides and purl sides match correctly. When you are knitting the row K1, P12, K1 you are knitting the first of the two bumps then the second of the two bumps, thus joining them together. That first stitch when you purl into the second bump can be loose, just tug it back down to tighten it up.

Now make a second heart exactly like the first. Leave a tail from binding off long enough to use to sew the two pieces together. 2x the length of the perimeter might work but I allow a generous 3x to be sure.

The only tail I weave in is in the middle, to stabilize it since it's more flimsy. Using the long tail from the cast off, put the two heart pieces right sides together and sew them together. All those single knit stitches on the sides are for this reason, to make them easy to see and give a nice edge to the finished heart. Leave an opening to turn the hearts right side out. About an inch and a half will do. Stuff the yarn tails up into the heart through the opening. You can stuff the heart with yarn scraps or wool scraps or stuffing or even some pleasant dried herbs. Sew the opening closed, being careful to stay with those edge knit stitches to give it a seamless looking join.

Have fun!