What I’ve been up to:

Pattern: Adult Mary Jane “Skimmers”, by Sylvia Schuchardt
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease, various colors
Hook: 5.5 mm (I)

I made a couple more than the ones posted above; they were fast, and they were fun. But it was even more fun to watch my friends’ faces as they excitedly tried on their new MJs. They make great house slippers or anytime you want to keep your feet warm and comfy. And best of all, they are machine washable! The pattern comes in various sizes, and are pretty true to size. My first one, though, was a bit messed up because I didn’t read the directions correctly; for the body of the shoe - I doubled the yarn when I shouldn’t have. If you don’t make stupid mistakes like that, you should come out with exactly what the pattern says it ought to be - a great pair of Mary Janes! =)

*Last picture courtesy of Christy & Marin - Thanks Christy for the camera pic, and thanks Marin for being a lovely foot/leg model! =)

My brain is all over the place. My house is in complete disarray as well (often times, they go hand in hand for me). Now that weddings and showers are no longer on my calendar this summer, I’m determined to clean up. Laundry, clutter, sanity, etc.

I feel all over the place with my crafts too. It’s like my brain is going to explode. There are only 24 hours in a day, and I don’t have enough internal capacity to pursue all the interesting things out there! I have just recently signed up for a photography class this fall. I’m combining my wirework interests with newfound interests in metalwork (see my new favorite toy below). Firing up this baby is SO MUCH FUN. I never knew there was an inner pyro in me. After my first torch class, I want to fire up EVERYTHING!

I’ve also been playing around with jewelry. It’s been a year since I’ve been addicted, and the beading obsession is still growing strong. Here’s a little peek:

Lastly, how could I not mention any fiber crafts? After all those squeal-licious booties, I got to doing an adult-sized version (yes, there’s a pattern for this too).

The stupid thing is, I wasn’t paying attention to the pattern, and I made it slightly too big for my own foot (I crocheted with a double strand of yarn rather than a single strand). I wear a size 8.5, and I think this will fit a 9 or 10. I’ll be throwing this in the washer and dryer to block it anyways (I’m using Cotton Ease) so we’ll see how it turns out and whether it changes the fit or not.

Ok, off to cleaning the kitchen and doing laundry! Whoopee! (Can you hear the sarcasm through your computer screen?)

His and hers!!

First, one more Mary Jane, in pink and green as suggested:

And now, for the boys! I love these little loafers!!

Pattern: Little Button Loafers, by Sylvia Schuchardt (see note below)
Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease, various colors
Hook: 3.5mm hook (E)
Notions: sewing needle, embroidery thread, coordinating buttons
Notes:

The soles are pretty much the same as Sylvia’s other booties patterns. Although, with this particular pattern, I had some trouble. But I improvised. As a knitter, crochet is still a relatively new thing for me; the style and nature of this craft is a tad different from what I’m used to. But no matter, I was able to make do, and as  Tim Gunn from Project Runway says, “make it work!” =)

Other than that, these were super cute and super fast to make. I don’t like hand sewing buttons, but my motivation to put the buttons on was to have a uber cute finished product. Ta-da!