Category: Crafts

Something Up My Sleeve

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Well, not technically up my sleeve yet because it’s still 100 degrees every afternoon and wearing long enough sleeves of that would be absolutely insane.

This idea came about when I was preparing for my Paris trip and trying to come up with a way to carry my wallet contents without actually having to deal with a wallet in such a tourist area. Because everyone knows pickpockets gather in tourist areas. Which is why I wear pants with buttoning pockets to Universal. Well, that and so I don’t lose my phone on a roller-coaster.

Anyway, back to the wallet. I didn’t actually get it finished in time for Paris because I got stuck on the closure. I had originally planned for snaps so it could be reversible. That didn’t work out so well because I kind of forgot how to put the snaps in, plus snapping it seemed like it might be a little difficult to put on one-handed.

I finally went with buttons and loops. Much easier to put on. I just made a long bias strip out of the remaining piece of the top fabric and cut 4 – 1-and-a-half-inch strips.

I made an opening with a zipper to keep everything safe inside. I took the zipper pull off and sewed the edge to each side first. Then I put the zipper pull back. Pretty easy to put it together this way.

The fabrics I used for the outside and the lining are the same pattern in two different color ways. Both are from Anthology Fabrics from a couple of years ago.

Outside:

Inside:

I like how this came together, but I think I am also going to make another one. Just to have a couple of options, especially so I can wash one and have another on hand. I think I will do the second one on the bias and just make it slip over my hand rather than using a closure. If it works out, I may just write that pattern up and share it.

Knitting at the Hollywood Bowl

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I’ve gotten into the habit of carrying my little knitting bag nearly everywhere to make progress on some of my smaller projects when I have a bit of free time. So when I got the chance to go to the Hollywood Bowl to see the LA Phil and Los Angeles Master Chorale perform Verdi’s Requiem on Tuesday, I knew I would be taking it along to work on the sock I had cast on Monday. But, being paranoid as I am about having my knitting needles taken away somewhere at security, I wanted to check for any restrictions.

There is no information anywhere about knitting at the Hollywood Bowl. I know there are many knitters out there who like to bring work along to concerts and such, but there was literally nothing on the Internet that said whether you could or not. Typing “knitting Hollywood Bowl” (simplest term I came up with) only leads you to pages that mention The Knitting Factory and Hollywood Bowl. So I decided to wing it.

Now, my experience may not be typical. The security guy glanced at my lunchbox and I didn’t even have time to open my tiny knitting bag before he waved me through. But no one else inside the venue said anything about it, so I’m assuming it’s not against any regulation.

We got there right as they were letting everyone in to be seated, so we ate our dinner at our seats, which were luckily in the front of the section. That meant we could use the ledge as a makeshift table. I had packed sandwiches and cookies in some fabric sandwich bags I threw together. I’m not saying that to “humble-brag,” I literally was throwing things through the sewing machine. That is why I took them apart today to remake them with a little more thought.

We finished eating our dinner just as the concert was about to start. I picked up the start of my first purple Earlybird sock and started knitting. We were only able to stay for the first hour or so, since it was a late night. I still managed to get through the first repeat of the cables, though.

So, for any knitters out there looking to knit through their next LA Phil concert at the Hollywood Bowl, to my knowledge you are allowed to bring it. That is some helpful information to have out there.

A Carry-Some

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I’ve created a long list of projects for myself recently. In order to get everything done in a reasonable amount of time, I’ve started carrying some socks I’m working on with me nearly everywhere. Seriously. I was knitting and walking around downtown Burbank the other day wasting time before I had to go back to work.

Anyway, there is no room in my purse to continuously shove the socks, needles, stitch markers, and information card I need to work on the socks at any spare moment. So I needed a way to contain everything and attach it to my bag (or carry it on its own). Luckily, I had a free workshop on Craftsy to make a small drawstring bag. I also had the remnants of some “fat quarters” (a half-yard of fabric cut along the fold) lying around.

The bag came out just the perfect size for all the things I needed to carry to work on the socks I’m currently making.

Plus, the drawstrings let me either tie it to the strap of my big bag or carry it on its own. I even tied it to my belt loop the other day while I was walking.