Jami's Loom and Boards

I have learned to knit with needles!!!

2006-12-03T23:36:00.000-08:00

I haven't been on the puter much because I have been learning to needle knit and have become addicted to making dishcloths and washcloths. I am also making soap and candles. My idea is to make gift baskets for christmas presents with all of my new crafts.

Here are some that I have made. The green and purple sets have one that I did in tunisian crochet (the ones with the waffle in the center). The red and white is my first ever needle knitted cloth (as you can tell lol). Its called a ballband cloth. I didn't carry the yarn up the sides correctly but know how to do it next time. The green variegated is needle knitted and the pattern is called the DW Cloth. The purple by itself is called a textured square and it is needle knitted. I still need to block the cloths but that will come later lol

Stocking Exchange

2006-11-24T23:58:00.000-08:00

We have a stuff a stocking exchange on my group KKEXnMore. My partner was Gail. She sent me the most adorable snowman that I just HAD to show it off :-)
I know the photographer didn't do a great job in capturing this picture but trust me its absolutely precious!!!

Bernat Galaxy Yarn

2006-11-19T10:51:00.000-08:00

Have you seen or bought Bernat Galaxy Yarn from Big Lots just because it was $1 only to get it home and wonder.......now what am I going to do with THAT? lol I know I did. I received a get well goodie box from a friend that had the red galaxy yarn. This was one my local store didn't have. I decided to work it up to see how it looks. I made this scarf on a knitting board. I really like how it looks. The ultimate test at my house is my 19 year old fashion queen, I mean daughter. She liked it too.

Loomed Back Scrubber/cloth

2006-11-17T18:22:00.000-08:00

I am going to make some soap for Christmas presents and wanted to include a soap sachet, washcloth and a back scrubber. All made from cotton yarn. I prefer Bernat Handicrafter or Lion Brand cotton for bath items as its much softer than peaches and cream or sugar and cream cotton. Here is a picture of the back scrubber I loomed all in one piece. I have to tweak my last row a little and will post instructions once I do this :-) I made this one on a fine gauge loom. Its 3 1/2 inches across and 12 inches long with the icord handles being 8 inches long.

The first pic is a close up view and the other pic is to show the handles and size.

New Scarf

2006-11-10T17:08:00.000-08:00

I have been working on making preemie hats and booties this week for the TTT charity and took a break today to make a scarf for my daughter that she wanted. I used the Bernat Super Stripes black and white on a wooden knitting board I bought at Hobby Lobby. I really dreaded this scarf even though my daughter picked out the yarn because I loathe working with boucle yarn. This was a pretty even boucle meaning no thin then thick globs of yarn. I really love how it worked up. Its VERY soft. I have one more skein and will try to make a matching hat to go with this.

Another Booga Bag done

2006-11-04T13:29:00.000-08:00

I finished up another booga bag. This one is a little taller than my previous booga bag because I put a few extra rows. I had made a purple and variegated bag that shrunk up too short so I thought I needed to add some extra rows. Now I need to find a happy medium lol. It measures 8 wide by 10 1/2 inches tall and 3 1/2 inches deep. I doesn't look "off size" in person. I need to learn to take better pictures.

"Camo" Felted Purse

2006-11-02T01:19:00.000-08:00

I have 2 bags that I have made in the last couple weeks. One I felted tonite......it ended up being a little taller for some odd reason and I just didn't like how it looked so I am trying something different. I folded the top of the bag down for a "cuff". I will stitch in spots to secure it and line up the stripes. I also brought down the loop I made for the button as an embellishment and will either add a pretty bead or a button in that. I will put a snap inside the bag and adjust the strap. If your bag doesn't come out "dimensional" like you expected, this just goes to show you can get creative and come up with your own new design :-) Here is the finished bag. It looks MUCH better in person!!!!!

What I am working on

2006-11-01T00:03:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted anything in a couple weeks because I had surgery on my neck on Oct. 18th and have been working on recovery that is taking its sweet time. One thing I have learned......do NOT loom under the influence of pain pills.....you never know what you are going to find when they wear off and you are thinking clearly lol

I have done 2 purses (one booga bag and another "tote style") that need the straps and felted which I hope to have done tomorrow. It will take another day to dry soooooo by the end of the week I will have a couple more purses to view (providing I don't mess it up when I felt it lol) I have an idea for a round draw string bag that will use the provocraft flat bottom and I will figure out how I want to do the purse itself but if I can get it out of my mind and on a loom. I think it will be neat and it will be a purse pattern anyone with KK's can make......I will keep you posted.

I am also testing a pattern for Denise for a "newsboy cap". Its going to be really neat and is the trend this fall.

I have some preemie hats and booties to make for the TTT charity on the markman yahoo group. I have a hat and scarf to make for my grandson. My daughter is making her "to do" list of things she wants me to make her.

Its nice to know my family is finally appreciating all that "knitting stuff" I do lol.

Recylcing Wool Sweaters into Felted Purses

2006-10-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

I had seen something a month or two ago about recycling sweaters. Wellll my daughter and I went to a goodwill store. I went through rack after rack. I bought 3 wool sweaters for $2.99 each. I made sure they were either mens xlg or womens over sized xlg. I am NOT patient enough to sit and unravel and wind all that wool soooooooo I cut the sleeves and neck bands off the sweater *gasp* I actually cut up an Eddie Bauer and Ambercrombie sweater with tags still on it (yesI have lost my mind lol).

I threw a sweater in a pillow case, tossed in a pair of jeans and proceeded to felt the sweater. It did take doing this twice before it felted (I am thinking it was because of the size of the sweater). Today I will be cutting out the "shape of the purse" I want and seaming it together. I will do a quick felt again in the wash so I can block it. The results........I will have a $1.50 "designer" felted purse!!! I can easily get 2 purses out of one sweater and even 2 pouches for inside the purse out of each sleeve. Just another idea for those who either don't want the expense of buying wool or afraid to learn to felt.

Picture of one sweater already felted and stitched but not "completed" yet. Still needs a short felt for the straps and stitches.

Another sweater waiting to be "ruined" (felted) lol

My new grand "doghter"

2006-10-12T01:10:00.000-07:00

I know this isn't crafts related but I have to show off my new grand "doghter", Roxee. My son bought her a couple weeks ago and I joked that this is the best grand doghter I could have and it beats him having a child for a while hahahahaha.

My Wool Stash

2006-09-22T23:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the colors of wool I went nuts buying yesterday. Hobby Lobby had Lion Brand Wool for $3.33 a skein and Michaels had Patons Merino for $3.77. How can a yarn addict pass up a sale like THAT? lolol

Patons SWS yarn worked up

2006-09-19T17:44:00.000-07:00

Here is after felting (still wet but couldn't wait lol)

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I have started yet another bag for a friend of mine. Patons SWS is new. Its 70% wool and 30% soy, interesting huh? I am making this with the "natural navy" color. Its striping by itself. I did the flat bottom with black and its making the colors "pop". I will post it after I felt it to see how it does.

My latest idea

2006-09-14T18:41:00.000-07:00

Well the next bag is finished. The only part questionable is the tweed section I put in as a "separator" between the squares. I hope it felts up evenly *sigh*.

The colors don't seem to show well for some reason but the bottom is dark olive green (patons merino wool) then sage green and cream wool that I won off ebay. It will also be felted when done. I am making this on my 18 inch small gauge adjustable loom from www.markmanfarm.com using 92 pegs.

After Felting (still wet and being blocked):

Before Felting:

Making of a Booga Bag

2006-09-05T22:48:00.000-07:00

Well I got what I wanted, the purse shrunk up ALOT. It started as a 14 by 14 inch bag and I had to stretch it to block it out to an 8 inch by 9 inch bag. It was about 6 x 8 right out of the washing machine. Here is a picture of the finished bag:

I finished my bag and I think its just way too big to come out like the booga bag but we will see once it felts. The finished size before felting is 14 inches by 14 inches and I only intended on it to be about 8 inches *sighs*. I will majorly adjust my loom on the next one. Here is what it looks like pre-felted -kind of looks like a sweater :( :

I saw this purse: http://www.blacksheepbags.com/booga_bag.html and decided to make one on my adjustable loom from www.markmanfarm.com. Here is the purse in the making. One problem is unless it felts up ALOT, its going to be too big and end up more of a tote bag.

My first felted bag

2006-08-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

Well I actually did it, I FELTED something lol

I had no idea how to do it so I just made a little tube bag on my fine gauge sock loom, crocheted a couple rows to connect the bottom of the tube for a "flat bottom effect", attached the I-Cord and threw it in the washer in a small "bra bag" on hot water with a pair of jeans and a squirt of Dawn dish detergent. I checked it after 10 minutes and it was felting!!! I didn't let it spin out on the rinse cycle but I dipped it in the cold water a few times to get all the soap out then wrung it out with a towel. I took the pictures before it was blocked because I couldn't wait hahahaha. Now its being blocked with walmart bags stuffed in it and hanging to dry.

Completed "zebra" purse

2006-08-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a view of the completed purse. I used Black (3/4 skein) and Deco (scraps) Homespun yarn for this one. The finished size is 9 inches wide by 11 inches long. (Estimated cost: $3.11 for black homespun - 1 skein bought on sale at Hobby Lobby and left over scraps of the Deco from an afghan I made; button $1.42 at walmart).

Making of a purse

2006-08-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

Step 1, make a flat panel in the width and length you want. (mine are made on a small gauge rake - 3/8 inch spacing - using 36 pegs; the end result was 9 inches wide and 26 inches long for this one) Add 1 purl row at the beginning and the end to prevent curling. I crocheted a row on the tweed purse so it would lay better by having the "wrong side" facing me and crocheting a single crochet row. Don't worry about the sides curling a little because you will whip stitch the sides together.

Step 2, Using 2 pegs and wrapping like a figure 8 (back and forth around the pegs), make an I-Cord the length that you would like for a strap but allow for the strap to be stitched into the sides of the purse. How to measure: fold up the purse like you are folding up a piece of paper to fit into an envelope, take the I-cord and put at the bottom of one side of the purse, around your shoulder and down to the other side of the bottom of the purse. Make sure its the length you want before you take it off the loom. You can make 3 I-cords and braid them together for a different look (see my tweed purse for an example). The picture below was done with 2 VERY long I-cords and a square knot macrame but I don't know if I would ever do that again lol.

Step 3, fold up the purse as explained in step 2 and see picture below (measure to make sure the folding is even and pin the top sides)

Step 4, place one end of the strap into the bottom of the purse and pin the sides together. Begin whip stitching (how to whip stitch: http://www.knittingfairy.com/techniques3.htm ) from the bottom of the side of the purse and go up to the top, weave in ends.

Step 5, repeat Step 4 on the other side of the purse.

Step 6, whip stitch the straps to the side of the purse over where you whip stitched the sides

Step 7, Add button or however you want to close the "flap". I just did a simple crochet chain attached to the flap for my loop to go around the button.

Completed Purse

2006-08-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

I finished the purse today. I went through several ways of how I wanted a strap done and none of them really "worked" like I wanted. I think when I made 3 i-cords and braided them together, I said enough is enough on this project, maybe I can make it better on the next one (practice makes perfect) lol.

Two Tone Purse Project

2006-08-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

I decided to make another attempt at making a purse. I am using 2 colors of Homespun yarn (russet and fawn) I wrap every other peg with the russet and go back and wrap the other peg with fawn, then knit off. The next row I will alternate and make sure the fawn is on the russet peg and the russet is on the fawn peg, then knit off. Here is a close up of what it looks like:

My beautiful gift

2006-08-16T11:09:00.000-07:00

I received an exchange package from Tammie in Australia who is a member on my group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KKEXnMORE/

I HAD to post this because it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL and I can only imagine the work that goes into a craft like this (beaded crochet). She sent me several other BEAUTIFUL items. Her talent is amazing. THANK YOU TAMMIE!!!

Color changes on Flat Panel

2006-07-29T18:35:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to figure out how to do color changes so I could create more patterns. I played with a 2 color change to get the hang of it. I hope the pictures help since I am not good explaining it lol. Here is what I have come up with :

Front view (for easier flow of colors, leave out the purl stitches):

How to drop one color (blue) and pick up the next (white) crossing in the back (note: make sure first color [blue here] is in FRONT of the next color [white] before continuing to wrap)

Continuation of wrapping second color (white), blue will pick back up on next row)

Baby blankets completed

2006-07-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple baby blankets completed using the Bernat Baby Stripes yarn. The blue/white was done with 2 strands on the yellow round KK loom and the purple/white was done on the new long blue KK loom (see previous posts). The purple/white shrinks up ALOT due to the "ribbing effect" but it stretches out to wrap around the baby. I am giving this to the Teeny Tiny Treasures charity because of how it "shrunk up". I pulled the blanket out for picture detail. I have done a couple others with the baby stripes yarn and even a complete "layette" for a baby shower gift which included a blanket, hat and booties to match. It was adorable.

Learning a new stitch

2006-07-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

I have been playing with a new stitch on the knitting board. I can't remember where I saw this but I have a hard time following written instructions so I just started doing my "own thing". Its creating a knit/purl ribbing type pattern. One thing I am seeing with the new KK long looms is the pegs are so slim that its creating a very tight stitch. I first did the lucest cast on (not sure it was the smartest thing with this stitch but I will see in the end). Here is how I am wrapping the pegs:

Here is what it looks like while working up (yarn used: Bernat Sweet Stripes baby yarn):

Newest projects

2006-06-26T19:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a simple dishcloth I have made using k2, p2 stitch. The picture isn't the greatest, sorry. I also made a couple soap sachets on the DA XL fine gauge sock loom with one strand of peaches and cream instead of 2 on the mitten loom. One is peach and white, and the other is gumdrop.

Dishcloth Rake

2006-06-18T23:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the dishcloth rakes I make.

Swedish Weaving

2006-06-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

Swedish weaving has been my other "addiction" although I have neglected it since I found loom knitting. Here are some pics of afghans I have made.

Finished Gray, White, Pink Afghan

2006-06-18T17:57:00.000-07:00

Well after I got started on this afghan, we decided to convert the garage into a "game/rec room" soooooooo after a couple weeks of building it and playing musical rooms, I FINALLY had time to myself the past couple days to finish this. It was made on my 4 ft S-loom from Cindwood using LionBrand Homespun Yarn (my favorite yarn!!). It ended up 48 wide x 76 inches long (yes I got carried away lol). Homespun yarn has some stretch to it too so it can be "pulled" wider.

Some other loomed items made

2006-06-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

Here are a few other loom items I have made. A baby blanket, a belt, and slippers. I have made alot of other things, just didn't get pictures before I gave them away :(

How to prevent curl

2006-06-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

You can prevent the curling by doing four different things:

1. You can crochet a border around it.

2. You can do the garter stitch at the beginning and end of the item (top and bottom of item). Garter stitch means one row of the basic e-wrap knit stitch and one row of the purl stitch, repeat twice.

3. You can alternate the following stitches at the beginning and end
of each row.
Row A: Purl 4 first stitches, and last 4 stitches.
Row B: Knit all the way through. Alternate between Row A and Row B to prevent curling on the sides.

4. You can wrap as shown in this diagram

Small Drawstring Soap Sachet

2006-05-22T23:37:00.000-07:00

Here is a small drawstring soap sachet I made on the ITA mitten Loom using 2 strands of Lion Brand Cotton yarn.

Using 2 strands, crochet a chain or make an i-cord of about 24 inches.
Using 2 strands, cast on and knit 12 rows
Lay the crochet chain around the inside of the loom with each end going through a hole on each side of the beginning peg.
Pull the first row of loops onto each peg, like putting a brim on a hat and knit off.
Knit 16 more rows and close off like closing a hat off. *hint: if you already have soap for the sachet, put the soap inside the loom before closing off to be sure of the right fit, knit extra rows if needed for the length of your soap.
Pull the chain (like a drawstring) and tie a bow. The bow can be used to hang it in the shower!

Its a perfect fit for the Bath and Body Works glycerin soap.

*Note: I prefer the ITA mitten loom because of the flexible pegs. Cotton yarn does NOT have any "give" to it so the mitten loom made it a little easier to lift off the pegs. My next one will be made on the XL Adult sock loom from DA with cotter pins so the yarn slides off the pegs easier.

My Loom Collection

2006-05-22T23:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of my looms. I know the KK's are missing and I think a couple more are lol

Some of my stash

2006-05-22T22:30:00.000-07:00

This is only a VERY small part of my stash that I have in my rec room. One of these days I will get it out of all my hiding spots and out of storage to put it all together. Please ignore the mess! lol

Afghan in progress

2006-05-22T22:26:00.000-07:00

Here is my lastest "creation" that I am working on. I started this on Friday (5/19) and about half way done!!! This is the 4ft S-loom from www.cindwoodcrafts.com. I am using LB Homespun, Granite, white and Cotton Candy Pink.

My first afghan

2006-05-11T15:12:00.000-07:00

This is my first afghan made on a loom. It was made on a 60-inch S-loom from Cindwoodcrafts. It was made using Lionbrand Homespun yarn. Its VERY soft and warm.

Some baby hats

2006-05-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

I made several baby hats when I started looming. Making hats got old quick. There are only so many you can make and give away lol.

Welcome

2006-05-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my Loom and Board adventures! Stay tuned for updates!