Slip a Stitch, Karma's a B-

-ig and influential factor in all of our lives. That's definitely what I meant. Gosh, get your mind out of the gutter.

I can feel Autumn approaching. I can feel it. I realize that it's possible I could be hallucinating from the extreme Texas heat, but I'm going to take the positive route and believe that nature is changing in my favor. When I'm in class and decidedly avoiding any additional participation than what is necessary, I daydream about falling leaves... And then I snap back to reality and notice that in my imaginings I've been staring at a classmate's dandruff slowly drifting down to the floor. Ew.

It seems like I haven't been working on much, but, upon reflection, I have actually made quite a few things (I am a marvelous thing factory. I do things, I create things, I destroy all things that get in my way, etc). Besides making copious amounts of coffee, and drinking it with almost an almost indecent regularity, I've been sewing, knitting, and generally avoiding the pathway of my fellow classmate's dandruff gently wafting through the air conditioned breeze.

But enough about dandruff and coffee, we're here to talk about things.

The first thing I made was a creepy (or cute, if you're into the devil) bunny with mismatched button eyes made out of green fabric with black polka dots. I don't have a photo, but, trust me, it was literally a cuddly Satan.

My next projects (please note that, although this is a perfect blog, completely free of inaccuracies, I may or may not be recalling the projects in the proper order of production) were two dresses for my sisters Victoria and Hannah. A while back, I was given some bags full of random fabric pieces, and I managed to create both dresses completely out of those fragments! Being a remarkably professional photographer, I can tell you that I most definitely did not rush around after my morning study session to find these items and make them look as if they hadn't been squished in a closet. I also didn't take one single picture of each and declare it "good enough". That's just not how we do it here on ATBOTBS (what an acronym).

During one of my many weekly adventures down at our house in Dripping Springs, I discovered a skein of Lion Brand Fettucini that had just been ignored and shoved into the school closet's craft box. Made  out of 100% undetermined materials, I had to use it to make a project that looks like its maker was 100% unsure of what to create. Thus, in an afternoon, the Banana Basket was born. 

I'm also working on a pair of beautifully detailed Coffee Cantata socks, but I apparently lost the entire project somewhere. I have no idea how that happened, or where the heck it is, but some field mouse is probably overjoyed at the prospect of a cabled, socky, dinner. Mouse: 1. Katherine: 0.

Because the sock has proven elusive to me, I've started creating a pattern. That's right, I'm getting creative again (*Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared plays ominously in the background*)! It's in the early stages of fabulousness, but it's getting there, and I'm excited to see where it goes.

A Curtain's A Curtain, No Matter How Small

     I was in the midst of packing for a trip to Arkansas when I came to a horrible realization: my five bags weren't enough to hold all of my projects. *scream of panic, horror, and general despair*

     So I grabbed some old curtain fabric from Mom's stash (she has a lot of fabric, okay!) and got to sewing.

     Basically, I just made the same type of bag as the Trippy Planets Bag, except it's bigger, I made straps, and added two pockets to both the front and inside.

      "It's the same, but different!" should totally be my tagline on Google+.

     I'm not sure why I made it so large (I was only making my dog, Corky, a sweater), but I think this'll be useful for projects the size of baby blankets.

     If you would like to make a sort-of-close-to-this-bag bag, go to YouTube at: DIY Tote Bag

Organization Was Probably A Good Idea

     I have a lot of circular knitting needles.

     I do.

     And I am proud of this.

     But... All of my needles falling out of their plastic box got pretty annoying...

     So, I browsed the glorious YouTube and found a video on how to make a needle case. I can tell you quite truthfully, my life has not been the same since! Okay, well, that might not entirely be true, but my needles have definitely been more organized!

     I used up ALL of Mom's red and checkered stash fabric to make this, and I am definitely in love! I made two pockets on the inside instead of one, so I have twice the storage space for all of my needles. You can just barely see the outlines of the needles in the photo above, but they're there!

     If you would like to make a needle case similar to this, go to: DIY Crochet Hook Case

Trippy Planets Project Bag

     This bag (I'm lovin' the name I chose for it! lol) was made with some fabric left over from some curtains my mom made once. I had to use some wooden handles because Mom didn't quite have enough fabric for me to be able to sew handles.

     I'm just telling you now, I am very much a beginner at sewing, so my lines aren't particularly straight. I had a good deal of fun making it, though! And it is going to be perfect to hold my Kroy Sock!

     If you would like to view the video I used as a general guideline, go to: DIY Tote Bag