Yeah! More paper abuse. The fabric ones I think I’ve got figured out. I have to remember to put an extra layer to make it so the stupid design doesn’t show through my lovely colors though. Now I’m thinking about pockets and stuff.

Paper on paper still tough. What on earth am I to do with the edges? Or the seam on the road sign one? Figuring it out is half the fun, I guess. Sure. This music one still needs some finishing touches.

I’m still knitting, I swear. It’s just boring stuff not really ready for photos. I really, really need to put some time into organizing this pit o’ crafts, too. The verizon guys were here today hooking up some stuff and I had to shift piles of piles for them to get where they needed. Oops.

Oh, how I love to play with glue. I’ve been attacking these poor, innocent composition books with various adhesives, fabrics, and papers. So far the fabric ones are coming out the best, paper crafts really intimidate me for some reason.

So this one is made with scrapbooking paper. I don’t scrapbook, I loathe scrapbooking, but they sure do have some pretty paper in that section. It’s a mess, I used all the wrong types of glue on the poor thing. Learning from my mistakes, I shall try another way tomorrow. Maybe.

The cloth ones were much more familiar territory, and once I figured out the right glue, they are coming along pretty well.

So that’s about it. I’ve been knitting a row here and there on a couple of bags, crocheting on a star blanket when my wrists will allow me to, and reading a lot. The sewing machine and I still snarl at each other in passing.

I felted my new bag, and gave the smaller one to the little girl. I’m happy, she’s happy, life is good.

No more pictures today. I overdyed the yarn I dyed yesterday, because the orange just didn’t pop like I wanted it to. It is for my sister, you see, and she is the best and deserves the best.

Glued various things to some composition notebooks, we’ll see in the next day or two how those turn out.

It’s over. OVER. The sewing project that has been stressing me out in the worst way is done and gone. No, I don’t really want to put up a picture of it. It was a shopping cart seat cover for twins. I’d rather just put the whole thing behind me and move on.

I don’t even feel much like knitting. Shock. I’m going to be dyeing some yarn tomorrow for my sister, and here I have ready my stuff to make some spiffy journals:

and melting some beads into trays and bowls and whatever else the voices in my head suggest

Right now I’m going to go sit on the couch and stare at the walls for a while.

Just a note to say I’m still alive, in sewing machine hell at the moment, the further past a deadline I get the more trouble it gives me. I have a pile of projects waiting for me once this monster is finished (tonight’s the night, or else!) – a bag ready to felt, some journals to decoupage, and some beads to melt. The only knitting project I’ve picked up all week is the 2nd bag for the KAL.

Oh, and still 1/2 dozen patterns charted up needing counting and writing out.

I blame it all on post vacation traumatic syndrome. Yep.

Two new patterns! The mystery set is ready to go. Much thanks to Terri for knitting these up while I was out of town.

Hers:

and His:

I predict the patterns will be posted late tonight, thanks to the awesome webmaster of the night.

I’m back, and I’ve been busy. So here come lots of pictures! 3,000 miles in a car gives a person quite a bit of knitting time.

First, I made my daughter a little felted bag, since she was always trying to steal mine. Isn’t it cute? She wants absolutely nothing to do with it. Sigh.

Then I worked out the math (no, not math!) to make my handpainted yarn do the swirly zig zag thing. Right now I just have this tube and a pocket, it still needs assembly and some type of handle. Waiting for i-cord overload to pass before I try that.

Then I got busy with my first bag for the KAL. I swear looking at it all I can see is an old lady purse. It must be the colors or something. Maybe that button. Anyway. It is the self lined striped somethingy from the Lion Brand site.

See, lined inside. Kinda.

One of the highlights of my vacation was getting to visit Smiley’s Yarns in person. One step in the door and I was in a trance.

Came out of the trance long enough to buy a few things. Ok a few more things even than this, but I gave them away already.

One of the people I gave some stuff from Smiley’s to returned the favor many times over when I met up with her later that week.

I am allegedly on a yarn diet as of July 1st. Go ahead and start taking bets on how long I can make it.