More pictures

I thought it was about time I posted a few projects I've worked on and completed. I've been lazy when it comes to getting pictures posted. It's such a process (or at least I feel like it is) to get th pics on the computer, edited, and then posted to the blog. And of course putting it off just means the pictures pile up when I finish another project. So here we are with a lot of pictures to get through.

First, this project is Painted Turtle. I made this hat for a Itty Bitty group swap on Ravelry. The hat is from Itty Bitty Hats by Susan B. Anderson. The original pattern calls for an orange based hat, but since this is meant for a little girl, I thought the soft yellow would make it a little more feminine.

My cute little model

The turtles are crocheted (something new for me) and then embroidered. I stuck with different hues of green - I wanted the turtles a little realistic. I think the colors compliment one another nicely and are soft. The pictures are a bit dark since I took them in the evening. I was anxious to get pictures and didn't want to wait for daylight. :)

The turtles

The second set of pictures are of a project bag for knitting. The design is from Sew What! Bags. It's a fairly basic drawstring sack with a shoulder strap. The nice thing about this book is that it gives a basic template for making your bag, but identical measurements aren't necessary. Leslie (author) really teaches you how to design and create your own, unique bag. This was a fun project. It's the first bag I've ever attempted. I had to rethink the way I pieced things together, especially since I decided to line it. But I'm very pleased with the overall design.

Finished bag

The drawstring enables the knitter to keep her project, notions & yarn contined in the bag without running the risk of snagging the precious yarn or project on a zipper.

Drawstring top

I also added a few small embellishments. I used a decorative stitch on the strap to make sure it was extra secure and I also added some decorative quilting stitches to the bag, just for a little flare.

Can you see the stitching?

And to top it off I decided to make a matching pouch. This pouch is meant to be a notions bag, to hold such things as needles, stitch markers, ruler, scissors - anything little that you need to help you accomplish your project.

Completed notions pouch

I don't know much about different size projects, but this bag could easily hold a couple different projects: socks, hats, scarves, mittens - small projects to possibly medium sized projects. I was able to fit 4 skeins of yarn, notions, knitting needles, finished hat, and a small amount of stuffing. There may be more stylish things out there, but this is a nice, simple bag.

Finished project

So that's some of what I've been up to.  It's nice to finally get this pictures up!