I Love to Create: HotTee (Knitted T-Shirt Hot Pad)

In my house if it's not nailed down (and can be cut into strips), then I'm probably going to try and knit with it. Fortunately this fact lends itself well to recycling, especially all of the old t-shirts that tend to pile up in a household of 5.

You know what else those t-shirts are great for? Dye experiments. Mix the two together to create a handy-dandy hot pad in the perfect shade to match your kitchen (or your mood)!

Materials

T-Shirt Yarn (from an XL-XXL Men's Shirt)

Tulip Custom Dye Color Kit

Stainless Steel Pot

How to Dye T-Shirt Yarn

• Choose color from the Custom Dye Color Kit Chart (I went with "Mango" for Spring). Following the chart's recipe, add dye mixture and 1 gallon of HOT water to pot.

• Immerse t-shirt yarn into dye bath and stir continuously for 15 minutes. Let soak for at least 45 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

• Thoroughly rinse t-shirt yarn in cool water and mild soap until water runs clear. Wring excess water out. Hang dry.

• Wind into ball before using.

T-Shirt Yarn in Color: Mango

Make the Hotpad

Materials:

T-Shirt Yarn

Size US 13 Needles

Size US J Crochet Hook

Yarn Needle

CO 18 stitches.

Rows 1-5: Knit

Row 6: Purl

Repeat Rows 1-6 four times more.

Repeat Rows 1-4.

BO.

Finishing

Join t-shirt yarn at corner of hot pad. With crochet hook chain 10; join chain at corner to create a loop. Tie off.

Weave in ends.

Craft.Rock.Love,

Vickie

T-shirt yarn is made by cutting t-shirts into strips and rolling them into a ball. For a tutorial, check out my book AwareKnits: Knit & Crochet Projects for the Eco-Conscious Stitchers.

In Austin? Take my Eco-Yarns class!

Movie Monday: Jennifer's Body

In my book, Diablo Cody (Juno/United States of Tara) can write no wrong so I'm going to just assume that along with the clever dialogue in Jennifer's Body, she also wrote all of the knitwear into the character descriptions. Oh, and since I interviewed Diva Zippa who mentioned in my article that she knitted a cape for Diablo, I'm also going to pretend that there's only 1 degree of separation between her and Movie Mondays. Okgoodthanksbye.

Amanda Seyfried as "Needy", wearing a Cabled Jacket

Chevron Hairpin Lace Afghan

Boucle, Rolled-Brim Beanie

Aztec Intarsia Cardigan

Recommended Knitting:

NaturallyCaron.com's Arusha Jacket, by Margaret Willson

Rolled-Brim Hat, by Cynthia Spencer

A Dude's Sweater, by Sabrina Thompson

Happy viewing; happy stitching!

Craft.Rock.Love,

Vickie

Crocheted Bunnies!

Hey there, hookers! Don't forget to crochet-up one of these adorable, bunnygarumi projects this Easter.

The Animal Planet plushie from AwareKnits makes a great giftie for anybunny!

Dig out the May/June '09 Issue of Crochet Today!, to whip up this rabbit rattle!

Craft.Rock.Love,

Vickie

I Love to Create: Robbit Plushies!

Rabbits are nice but robots are (dare I say) cooler--this year add a little techie love to a traditional bunny to make the kids a Robbit plushie for their Easter basket! Here's how.

Materials
Grey Felt
Poly or Bamboo Stuffing
Sewing Machine & Grey Thread
Fashion Graffiti Fabric Paint Tagger (in either color: Soho, Merge or Taxicab)

Fabric Marker (Black)

Tulip Matte Fabric Paint (White)

Fine Tip Paint Brush

Optional: Embroidery Needle & Floss (Silver & Light Blue)

Optional: Wooden Skewer

How-To

• Cut front & back pieces for the head, body, legs, arms & ears (see photo below for examples.)

• Use Fabric Paint Tagger to color in the center of the front ear pieces, and a square on the front body piece. Let dry.

• Use Fabric Marker to draw a robot-y face on front head piece and the frequency modulator line on the body front.

• Using needle & floss, embroider detailing on the body & eyes (optional).

• Sew Robbit together using a top stitch & 1/4" seam allowance; stuffing all pieces (except the ears) as you go along.

Note: If you don't want your Robbit to be all flopsy-mopsy, insert a wooden skewer through the stuffing in the body & head.

Blue Robbit

Pink Robbit

Yellow Robbit

Beep-beep, hippoty-hop--Happy Easter!

Craft.Rock.Love,

Vickie

The Howell Brothers Present: Dragon Attack!

Today my boys took a Stop-Motion Movie Making class through a program called, Bits, Bots & Bytes. They absolutely loved it; leaving the 3-hour course with their film debut! If you've got 40 seconds (ignore the 2:15-most of that's blank screen) to spare, please give it a screening (they get so excited every time the view number goes up.;-))



Thanks!,
Vickie

I Love to Create: Potato Stamp Tutorial

Potato stamping is an easy and fun way to dip your toe into both stamp making and fabric printing; since today's St. Patrick's Day, it seemed extra appropriate to post a tutorial on it. Here's how to turn Ireland's infamous vegetable into the holiday's celebrated symbol!

Materials

Baking Potato

Paring Knife

Pen

Tulip Slick Paint in Color: Leaf Green

Sponge Brush

Plain Fabric

Making the Stamp

• Cut tip of potato off so that a flat end is created. Leave the peel on the rest of the potato, so that you have something to grasp onto while you're stamping.

• Use a pen to free-hand a Shamrock (or whatever shape desired) onto the potato end. Since potatoes are pretty juicy the pen may not write well on so make sure you press hard enough as you draw so an imprint is at least created.

• Using a paring knife, carefully whittle away about 1/4" deep of the negative (the part that will not be a part of the image) space of the potato.

Stamping on Fabric

• Brush a thin layer of Tulip Slick Fabric Paint onto the stamp. It's important to go this route instead of just dipping the potato into paint, if you don't want a lot of gloppy-glops (for lack of a better term) on the fabric. ;-)

• Firmly press stamp onto fabric (the smoother the textile the better), taking care not to shift.

It's as simple as that. Use your new stamp on napkins, place mats, kiddie t-shirts, greeting cards and more!

Wishing you the Luck of the Irish from me and my little Clover!

Make you're own tiny top hat headband, with a plain band, a cupcake topper

& some Liquid Fusion!

Craft.(Sham)Rock.Love,

Vickie

Petite Purls

The Green Issue of one of my favorite web magazines, Petite Purls, is now live for your viewing pleasure and I'm honored to have both my Tutorial for Natural Dyeing and a review of AwareKnits included in it!

For those of you taking my Eco-Yarn class at Stitch Lab, take a look at Stefanie Japel's bib pattern--it's the perfect project for the t-shirt yarn we'll be making!

Craft.Rock.Love,

Vickie

Movie Monday: Precious

I was finally able to see Precious: Based on the Novel by Sapphire last week. The story of a horrifically abused teenager and her journey to rise above it; the movie was as well acted, written and directed as it was tragically heart-breaking.

Here are a couple of great, knitted pieces that made an appearance in Precious, too.

Gabourey Sidibe as "Precious" in a Garter Stitch & Eyelet Cardigan

Angelic Zambrana as "Consuelo" in an '80's Inspired Off-the-Shoulder Top

Recommended Knitting:

Bountiful Bohus, by Chrissy Gardiner (from More Big Girl Knits)

NaturallyCaron.com's Cables & Eyelet Hoodie

Off-the-Shoulder Pullover, by Vladimir Teriokhin (from Vogue Knitting)

Yarn-Over Steek Vest, by Teva Durham (from Loop-d-Loop)

Happy viewing; happy stitching!

Craft.Rock.Love,

Vickie

See past Movie Monday posts here!

Craft Apparent Project: Wooden Spoon Wind Chime!

This week's project, a wind chime made from recycled wooden spoons, is up on PBS Parents' Craft Apparent. Go check it out, when you can!

Craft.Rock.Love,

Vickie

"Lilly": American Idol-Inspired Crocheted Earrings

My obsession with spotting yarn-y items in the media will soon be enabled by a new feature on the NaturallyCaron.com blog I'm calling, "KnitSpotting" (and of course by my regular, Movie Monday posts). When my favorite American Idol contestant of this season wore crocheted earrings for her appearance--and then was voted off after performing a very cool, but non-mainstream sounding performance of an old school classic--I couldn't wait.

Lilly Scott, this project is an ode to you and your kick-A#$ voice. I'll be looking for your future cd, lady. Best of luck!

A. I. Contestant, Lilly Scott in Crocheted Earrings

Materials

Variegated, Worsted-Weight Yarn (I used Simply Soft Paints in Sticks & Stones)

US "H" (5mm) Crochet Hook

Yarn Needle

2, Earring Hooks

Jewelry Pliers

Finished Size

3 1/2"/9cm Circle

How-To Crochet (My Version)

(Make 2)

Ch 6. Join round with a sl st in the 1st of ch-6, taking care not to twist.

Round 1: Ch 4, 15 tr in center hole. Join with a sl st in 4th ch of ch-4. (16 sts)

Round 2: Ch 2, 2 hdc in base of ch-2, *3hdc in next st; rep from * around. Join rnd with a sl st. (48 sts) Tie off.

Finishing

Weave in ends.

Use jewelry pliers to attach hook to edge of crocheted circle.

Note: Circle fill flop in half when dangling. Just go with it; it's supposed to look that way. ;-)

For a similar colorway to the originals, try Simply Soft Paints in "Harlequin"

Craft.Rock.Love,

Vickie

Coming Soon...

Stay Tuned!

Flamie Nom--Vote for Pop Goes Crochet

Pop Goes Crochet has been nominated for a Flamie Award (The Crochet Liberation Front awards) for Best Crochet Book. Woo hoo!

If you get a moment, please take a moment to vote HERE.

Thanks in advance!

Craft.Rock.Love,

Vickie

I love to Create: Cute Clover Plant Jar

This St. Patrick's Day put a little shamrock-y smile on your friends' faces by giving them an unexpected, foliage treat. With just a wee bit o' clover plant, a recycled baby food jar and some craft supplies, you can easily make these sweet pots filled with true Irish green!

Materials

Clover Plant Clipping

Soil

Drill

Empty Baby Food Jar

Fabric Scrap

Scissors or Pinking Shears

Collage Pauge

How-To

• Peel label off of baby jar and clean thoroughly.

• Carefully drill a hole in the bottom of the jar so water has a place to exit. Note: Wear protective goggles in case of glass breakage!

• Cut a piece of fabric to the width of the flat portion of the baby jar and long enough to wrap around with a 1/4" overlap.

• Use your finger to spread a layer of Collage Pauge over flat portion of baby jar; lay fabric on top and smooth down. Spread an additional layer of Collage Pauge over the top of fabric to seal. Let dry.

• Place a small amount of soil in the bottom of jar along with the clover plant and some water.

Craft.shamRock.Love,

Vickie

Movie Monday: The Edge of Love

This week's movie was a reader suggestion. Edge of Love is the semi-true story of the two (main) women in poet Dylan Thomas' lecherous life. Although I wasn't a huge fan of the script, the art direction and costumes were fantastic! Here are just a few of the great knits that made appearances in the flick.

Sienna Miller as "Caitlin", wearing a Cabled & Ribbon Flower Cardigan

Keira Knightley as "Vera" in a Angled Rib, Collared Pullover

Stockinette Baby Hat & Trellis Stitch Cardigan

"Caitlin" in a gorgeous, Leaf Stitch Cardigan

Tunisian Crochet (I think?) Baby Blanket

Toddler Colorwork Pullover

Recommended Knitting:

NaturallyCaron.com's New Life Baby Blanket, by Ann Aschenbrenner

Leaf Cardigan by Kathy Zimmerman

NaturallyCaron.com's Botanico Pullover, by Margret Willson

Happy viewing; happy knitting!

Craft.Rock.Love,

Vickie

Me + Caron= Big Announcement!

Heya, my crafty peeps--I'm thrilled to finally be able to announce to you that I've signed on with Caron (makers of Simply Soft & NaturallyCaron.com yarns) as their new, spokesperson!

As of today you can expect to see me representing their trusted, yarn-y goodness via articles, social networking, exclusive designs and more.

I can't tell you how excited I am to have to opportunity to be a part of a company who's products are accessible to everyone, no matter their location or budget. I feel like it's just another way for me to stay connected with all of you wonderfully loyal, readers and Knitty Gritty fans!

Please look for Caron (and me) on our new Cuckoo for Caron Ravelry group, share your project pictures with us on Flickr, add Caron on Twitter and continue to shout out on their FaceBook Fan Page. I'll be hanging out at all of those places, cheering, knitting and crocheting along with you!

Feel like making somethin'? Well then, please take a moment to check out my 5 projects for Man, Woman, Child & Home that are available free to you on my page on the Caron website. Stitch 'em up and check back often, because there's more where that came from!

Stay tuned here for Movie Monday (later today) and coming soon, my KnitSpotting posts on the Caron blog!

Craft.Rock.Love,

Vickie

Psst! Don't forget you can follow me personally on Twitter, too!

2 Free Projects to Knit for St. Paddy's Day!

Just a quick post to remind you that I have a couple of free, Shamrock-y projects for you to knit up this St. Patrick's Day!

Mitered Knit Shamrocks

Get the pattern here.

Booties Go Braugh

Get the pattern here.

Craft.Rock.Luck,

Vickie