Oh look...

...another month has gone by.  Maybe if I wasn't crafting for everyone else, I'd have more time to blog?  HA  Anyone that knows me even a little bit... knows I'd much rather sew, knit, and take pictures.  Writing just isn't one of my favorites... never has been and I doubt it ever will be.  Which is really too bad... I bet a lot of people would be seriously amused with what goes on in my head - if I could only get it into words that is.  Anyway, here's what I've been crafting lately...

Remember the give away?  Well, the wonderful Miss Amy did contact me, and she proposed a swap...  rather than a mere sock sized project bag, she requested a messenger... big enough for her larger knitting projects, maybe doubling as a purse?  After brain storming, doodling, sketching, and the like I came up with this:



The Knitter's Messenger!  Yea OK... looks like any messenger bag, I know.  But it's perfect for knitters!  It holds your knitting, and everything else you take with you.  See the water bottle in the side pocket?  And that blue strap on the other side?  Those are my keys in the other side pocket, and you can't see my cell phone that is sharing the pocket with them.  Adjustable strap so you can wear it on your shoulder or across your chest.



And inside we have:

• a large pocket along the back (side with the flap attached to it) for patterns and pattern books (yes, I comfortably got a sock pattern book in there) 
• two large middle compartments for yarn and WIPs (above picture has three skeins of yarn on one side and a hat WIP on the other... plenty of room!)
• two smaller (and not easily seen here) pockets along the front of the bag for notions like scissors, tape measure, yarn needles, stitch markers... what ever your knitting needs are!

Once I completed this little gem I excitedly posted pictures of it on Ravelry...  admit it, you like to show off a little bit too!  Amy was delighted and couldn't wait for me to send it off!  What's more is I had a few other Ravelers request one of their own!  Woot!  I figured if I'm making more than just one or two I should make a pattern instead of sewing by the seat of my pants like I usually do.  It took a little time, a lot of paper, and even more tape but I did it.  And it was well worth it... bag #2 went a whole lot smoother:



I just love the turtle batik fabric! I purchased it from Cute Monkey Fabrics on Etsy. Great seller; fast shipping, excellent color representation in her photographs, and the product was wonderful! I will definitely purchase from her again. =)  This bag is the same as the other...



...but with better pictures of the inside. See, plenty of room for that pattern book!  And there are four full skeins of yarn on the left and a Leg Warmer WIP on the right.  =)  I have two more of these in my "To-Do" pile.  Fortunately they're only two or three days to complete, providing The Little Bird (aka my four year old daughter) cooperates.  ;)

Now, I'm a knitter at heart, so of course I'll have a few knit FO's for your viewing pleasure.  And like the bags, they're for custom swaps/trades.  I offer my knitting skills, they offer me yarn... woot!  At this rate, I'll have a to die for stash, but no time to knit anything for myself...  =)



My first three color project!  A friend of mine in California requested a hat... stating she loved pink, orange, light blue, butterflies, and hearts.  I hunted down a few different patterns, smooshed them together, and came out with this.  She loves it!



Yep, that's me... the Crafty Nerd... not one of my prettiest days, but then again my blog isn't titled "Crafty Beauty Queen."  And no, I'm not implying that nerds can't be pretty...  aw hell... did I just open up a can of worms here?  Moving on...  The hat is fully lined, crocheted together along the bottom, with braids for your pulling pleasure.  *snort*  I wasn't 100% sold on this project while working on it... it kinda skerrid me.  But I totally fell in love with the end result.  =)



And, a show and tell blog post here just wouldn't be complete with out a pair of socks!  These were made for another fellow Raveler in trade for some super yummy sock yarn.  I know the picture is utterly craptastic... the aforementioned Little Bird jammed the lens on my Rebel...  grrrr...  Seeing how these socks were to be for her son (grown son... with size 10 1/2 feet!  Biggest pair of socks I've ever made!) I used Helen Waites Size Matter's pattern from Sock Wars.  I just love the self striping... I've collected a few skeins of naked sock yarn that I think I'll take a crack at with the Kool-Aid.  =)  When and if I get around to it, I'll be sure to post it here!

Thanks for reading...  Craft On All!