She's a wicked witch

Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I started this sweater back in February. Not the most exciting knit on the planet, I'm afraid. I have no love for neverending rows of stocking stitch, but the end result is worth it.

The pattern is Wicked, formerly from Zephyr Style, but now available through KnitLulu. It is available in a worsted or laceweight version. I wanted to knit it with fingering, so I don't have to wear a cami with it. And besides, how could I resist sock yarn called Wicked Witch? It was too perfect for me, and for the pattern. My favourite colours, too. I love Knit Picks!

Without further ado, pictures. The only real modification I made was to do six rows of seed stitch on the hems, because I don't like rolled stocking hems. Other than the change of yarn weight, I knit it exactly as stated in the pattern.

Seasonal Shawl Project

I always wear a shawl when I do ritual. Wearing an item I've knit really is something special, but I only have one shawl. It is beautiful, but I wear it at other times too. I decided recently that I wanted to make shawls specifically for ritual. This is what I came up with:

Spring:

Pattern: Echo Flowers
Yarn: Knit Picks Shadow Tonal - Springtime

Summer:

Pattern: Sagittaria
Yarn: Knit Picks Shadow Tonal - Summer Blooms

Autumn:


Pattern: North Röe
Yarn: Knit Picks Shadow Tonal - Gypsy

Winter:

Pattern: Antarctis
Yarn: Knit Picks Shadow Tonal - Blue Violet

I'm too late to start the Spring shawl now, since my plan is to cast on at the beginning of each season, so the first one will be Summer. None of the patterns call for beads, but I really want to make some beaded shawls, and since I want these to be special, I'll be adding beads to them. I especially want to bead the Winter shawl - the beads I chose will give it some sparkle, like snow falling in the moonlight. The beads I picked for the Spring shawl will look a bit like dew drops in the morning.

I can't wait to cast on my first shawl.

Art Quilt Tutorial

Here's a brief tutorial for the art quilts I made for my daughter's school. These instructions are for a quilt that measures approximately 65"x72".

Supplies:
White quilter's cotton - 2 yards
Solid coloured backing fabric - 4 yards
Printed fabric - 2 yards
Thread
Quilt batting (cotton is best, but polyester is economical)
Fabric paints

Cutting:
White quilter's cotton - 30 6.5" squares
Solid backing fabric - 20 3.5" squares
Solid backing fabric - 2 45"x90" pieces
Solid backing fabric - 8 yards of 2" wide binding
Printed fabric - 50 6.5"x3.5" rectangles
Printed fabric - 8 45"x3.5" strips

Instructions:

1. Paint white squares with whatever theme you desire. Make sure that the squares have a 1/2" allowance on all sides, because some fabric paints are difficult to sew.


2. When squares are dry, lay them out on a flat surface. Organize them so that they are visually appealing.


3. Sew everything together, using a 1/4" seam allowance. When I made my quilts, I sewed the five art squares across, then the separator strips, then assembled the quilt tops. The order of the piecing doesn't really matter. Do whatever is most convenient for you.


4. Sew top/bottom sashing and side sashing together. Line up centers with the center of the quilt, then trim excess. I sewed on the side sashing first, then the top & bottom.


5. Sew quilt backing pieces together.


6. Lay everything out on a flat surface. I like to pin things down on the floor. First, pin down the backing, then lay batting on top, making sure there are no wrinkles or creases. Next, lay the pieced quilt top down, lining up the center of the quilt top with the seam in the backing. Pin everything together, then baste together.


7. Apply quilt binding.


8. Finish the quilt in your preferred method. I like to stitch in the ditch, but these quilts were hand tied with yarn.

Art Quilts

My daughter's school is having their second annual art auction this Thursday. Back in November, the principal asked me if I'd sew together three art quilts for the auction. I agreed to do it since it looked like such a fun project.

I picked up fabric right away and cut out plain white squares which were given to the science teacher to be painted by her students (4th grade, if I'm not mistaken).

Over the winter and early Spring, I mentioned to Mr. G that I'd need to start on the quilts a few times, but the painted squares weren't done yet. Fast forward to the middle of May. I finally got the painted squares, with only 2 1/2 weeks to get them sewn together for the auction. Eep!

Ten days of frantic sewing, and the quilts are finished. I'll be putting together a tutorial on the quilts soon, since I've had a few people ask how they're done. They're really beginner's quilts, but they turn out very nicely, if I do say so myself.

Insect themed quilt:


Ocean themed quilt:


Amoeba themed quilt:

Sorry about the funny angle on this one. There was nobody home to take a picture for me, so I had to stand on the bed.

What the heck happened here?

I decided to do some spring cleaning. What started with changing my blog's appearance and tidying up categories turned into making a royal mess and eventual deletion of everything.

Don't worry though, I'm still going to be posting about my crafty, delicious witchy bits here. I may not get around to reposting all of my crafty things, but I'll definitely be posting all future crafts here.