Monthly Archives: September 2009

Gentleman o’ Fortune Hat

Posted by on September 23, 2009 5 comments

Ahoy ye land lubbers!

Shush you, I know it’s another hat (I can hear youuuu) but as it’s only the first of er, four *cough* felted hats I’ve more or less finished (including a new design!) we’ll just move right along, shall we?

Tricorn hat - click me for large

As I mentioned when I made my mini tricorn hat, I still wanted a full size one. It had been started and lounging around for several months when I finally got the itch to finish it. Can I say LOVE! This is such a ridiculously fun hat, and I had finished it just in time for International Talk Like A Pirate Day! Arrrr! I’m hoping to wear it with the pirate ensemble for a themed Renaissance Festival weekend too.  Also, I’ve taken to wearing it around the house with frightful attempts at pirate speak.

Don't mess wi' me pirate hat!

Followed the pattern as written this time. I made my own cockade using this lovely tutorial and finished it with an awesome pewter skull button. I then stitched on some silver trim, attached the cockade and added a couple ostrich feathers. I’ve found the ostrich feathers located in the floral section at craft stores work great as the base has floral tape wrapped wire which helps in securing it to the hat.

Pirate cockade

Back view

And obligatory pre-felting monstrous size shot. (My dog wandered in while taking this and it totally freaked him out, heh.)

Boo

Quick Cookie

Posted by on September 16, 2009 7 comments

Sometimes you’re just craving a fast cookie fix. I love baking from scratch but I also know that mixes can do a fine job on occasion. I’ve always loved Confetti Cake from a mix and when I saw this cookie version all thought ground down to “Must Have Now”.

This is certainly the antithesis to my last posted recipe but oooh wow are they yummy. If you love a good soft sugar cookie (as I happen to do) this is your man, er cookie.

Sweet sweet deliciousness

“Funfetti” (Confetti) Cookies
via pillbury.com

  • 1 pkg. Funfetti® or Confetti Cake Mix
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 can Funfetti® Vanilla Frosting

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, combine cake mix, oil and eggs; stir with spoon until thoroughly moistened.

2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. With bottom of glass dipped in flour, flatten to 1/4-inch thickness.

3. Bake at 375°F. for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.

4. Spread frosting over warm cookies. Immediately sprinkle each with candy bits from frosting. Let frosting set before storing. Store in tightly covered container.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies.

It’s so damn easy you feel you’ve gotten away with something!

Everyone needs a little fishnet

Posted by on September 14, 2009 2 comments

The look a little more open weave in person

These mitts were actually finished months ago. They went so quick I completely forgot about blogging them! I truly just winged ‘em.

Casted on, worked from the top down in *Yo, k2tog* in the round until reaching the thumb. Then I split apart at the side to work back and forth until reaching the bottom of the thumb, rejoined in the round and continued until the wrist. Here I worked a few garter stitch rows and bound off. Keeping with simplicity I sewed some mock buttons on each side (instead of actually bothering to make button holes).

Simplest thumb gusset ever - a hole.

I think often these really simple little knits are the ones that actually get used most often. Such as the Quick Plastic Bag Holder, one of the easiest fastest knits I’ve ever done and one that I find the most pleasantly useful.

Petite Fascinator

Posted by on September 8, 2009 2 comments

Or, Feathered Hair Bow Thingie

Petite fascinator

Another happy little quick project. I’m discovering a new love for feathers. I have a couple of full sized fascinators now but wanted something a bit smaller for more regular wear. (You know, those times you unfortunately have to dress a little less fabulously.)

Please excuse blurriness! Wearing flipped the other way here

I’m wearing it flipped the other way here. I just made a little bow of ribbon, gathered it in the middle with thread and sewed on a button. Next I sandwiched in some feathers between the bow and a small piece of felt.

Then added a large bobby pin to the back with a big ol’ glob of glue. Viola!

Back side- glued to large bobby pin

I’m really behind on stuff right now so my apologies for delays on getting back to anyone!

Crochet, now less evil

Posted by on September 1, 2009 7 comments

Finally, I managed to actually read a crochet pattern. I had managed to make the basic stitches in a program at our Dallas Hand Knitters Guild but that was just making rows of the same kind of stitch. The more confusing part to me is reading the patterns.

With knitting you have to do something to each stitch on the needle in sequential order, even if that’s just slipping them. For crochet, trying to figure out how to skip around all over and work different stitches into different places just lost me. So after reading several tutorials and just sitting down and making several attempts I finally started to figure it out! Yeay! 

My first crochet

I have seen several crochet patterns over the years that made me yearn for the skill. One I had in my queue, figuring I would try it, was the cute simple Crochet Necklace by Creativeyarn. I used the flower pattern here.

Talk about stash using, all that's left!

I used the very last bit of my Peru Naturtex Partners Pakucho Organic Cotton for this. It made me think about this yarn’s “journey”. I originally got it for my first design, Topi. I liked this yarn so much I used it for my Mouse Pad Wrist Pillow as well. It then worked nicely for making cords for my Reniasance/pirate chemise too. Does anyone else have a yarn that continually shows up in their projects?