Author: Annie

Little Rug of Sheets

Sheet Rug | Webster Fiber Arts
| Annie

Hi folks,

I made a little rug!

A Little Rug Made of Sheets | Webster Fiber Arts

This rug is made out of some old sheets. Both of the sets I used were fancy, high thread count guys, and both fell apart way too soon. I have Charlie Brown sheets on the day bed in our guest room that I have been using for almost 40 years (there are pictures on my sitting on my first “big girl” bed with those sheets on it).

The gray sheets were a set Mike got so I would be impressed with his bedding choices when we were dating. I guess I was impressed because 1.) I married him and 2.) we’ve used the sheets a lot. Apparently we release acid while we sleep, because these sheets became thin and discolored fairly quickly, which really just made them softer. Eventually though, a couple of the thin spots turned into rips, and the sheets were toast.

The blue and white sheet is from a set that was nice, but the pillow cases molded while in the laundry pile. Yeah. Mold. Pretty gross. Probably not the fault of the pillow cases, but still. I bleached them, but the stains wouldn’t come out, so those guys went in the trash. Mike pulled the flat sheet of this set out to put on the bed the other day but couldn’t find the fitted sheet. I thought it was trashed with the pillow cases, but as I type this I realize that the fitted sheet is in the back seat of my car, protecting the upholstery from dirt and ickiness during this, the plant and mulch buying season. Ooops!

To make this rug, I turned each sheet in a big ball of yarn. I snipped into the sheet a bit to make a strip about an inch wide, then ripped the down the sheet until I was about half an inch from the opposite edge. Then I went the other direction, so I had a long, continuous strip (I didn’t want to do a lot of sewing in of ends). I removed the elastic from the fitted sheet and the side seams from the pillow cases, but otherwise I left all the hems in the yarn so I had less waste. When I had my sheet yarn balls ready, I did a simple single crochet circle with a giant hook.

The finished rug is a little uneven because my sheet yarn was a little uneven, but it is also really soft under foot, and I saved some sad little sheets from the trash. Yay!

Until next time,
Annie

CGOA Crochet Along: Squares of Happiness

CGOA Squares of Happiness | Webster Fiber Arts
| Annie

Hi folks,

Squares of Happiness is the third strip of my Crochet Guild of America’s Across the Board Crochet-Along. This strip is made up of 11 granny squares.

Squares of Happiness Strip | Webster Fiber Arts

I changed the colors on this one ever so slightly. In the pattern, those stitches that square off the square are in a coral colored yarn. I made mine the reddish color because I had a bunch of it left from my previous strip.

Squares of Happiness Strip Close Up | Webster Fiber Arts

The next strip in this project is done in Tunisian Crochet. I don’t have a lot of experience with Tunisian, so I have been doing a little practicing. Yesterday I spent some time with Jennifer Hansen’s Tunisian Crochet class on Craftsy. The final garment for this class is one I have been admiring for a while, so I decided this was a good time to watch the class. I am enjoying it!

The pattern for this afghan is free for members of the Crochet Guild of America. Information about joining CGOA is available here.

Until next time,
Annie

CGOA Crochet Along: Skipping Stones Strip

CGOA Skipping Stones | Webster Fiber Arts
| Annie

Hi folks,

Last week, I showed you the first strip of my Crochet Guild of America’s Across the Board Crochet-Along. In that post, I had a picture of the beginnings of my second strip, Skipping Stones. Here’s what that meshy strip turned into:

Skipping Stones Strip | Webster Fiber Arts

I love this one. Those little waves of double crochets that ripple out from the bobbles in the middle are just so cool.

Skipping Stones Strip Close Up | Webster Fiber Arts

I even like the back side of this one.

Skipping Stones Strip Back | Webster Fiber Arts

The pattern for this afghan is free for members of the Crochet Guild of America. Information about joining CGOA is available here.

Until next time,
Annie

Field Trip to Columbia

Field Trip | Webster Fiber Arts
| Annie

Hi folks,

Yesterday, I met my mom for lunch in Columbia, Mo. After we had our meal and went our separate ways, I hit up a couple of yarn shops in Columbia.

It was a cold, rainy, snowy, gray day in Missouri yesterday, and I think that influenced my purchases. Everything I came home with had some orange in it. I love orange, but everything I bought? I was definitely looking for some sunshine.

First, I stopped at Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe. There was a group of ladies spinning while I was in the shop. Yay! There was also a lot of really fun fiber in this shop. I came away with this 100% wool yarn called “Sunspot” from Universal Yarn.

Universal Yarn—Poems—Sunspot | Webster Fiber Arts

Continue reading →

Stitch for Syria

Stitch for Syria | Webster Fiber Arts
| Annie

Hi folks,

As I was perusing my various social media feeds last week, I saw this post about a cross-stitch project to show support for Syrian refugees who are learning to embroider. According to Concern Worldwide, the sponsor of the project, learning to embroider and, “Selling what they make gives these women a vital income, and the sessions themselves bring warmth, hope and friendship.”

I am not much of a cross-stitcher. I don’t like having to move back and forth from my work to a pattern all of the time. This is a very small piece, so I thought I might give cross-stitch another try.

Here’s my piece for the Stitch for Syria campaign:

#StitchForSyria | Webster Fiber Arts

Continue reading →

CGOA Crochet Along: Diamond Trellis Strip

CGOA Diamond Trellis | Webster Fiber Arts
| Annie

Hi folks,

I’ve been working on the Crochet Guild of America’s Across the Board Crochet-Along. This project will eventually result in an afghan, with a strip made every two weeks. I was drawn to this one because it looks like there are some really cool stitches involved. I’m less concerned with finishing them in the official crochet-along timetable than I am with learning the stitches.

For example, I’m a little slow in getting photos of the first strip posted. This is the Diamond Trellis Strip.

Diamond Trellis Strip | Webster Fiber Arts

Isn’t it cool? I just love it! I’m usually eager to pick my own fibers and colors, but I really like the purples used in the pattern, so I went with it. I think this could also look pretty in a couple of different shades of gray for a scarf, but that’s a project for another time.

The second strip is called Skipping Stones.

Skipping Stones Strip - Mesh | Webster Fiber Arts

This is just the beginning of this strip. It turns into something pretty amazing with the addition of some more stitches. You’ll get to see it soon!

The pattern for this afghan is free for members of the Crochet Guild of America. Information about joining CGOA is available here.

Until next time,
Annie

Stitch & Slash Update

Stitch & Slash Update | Webster Fiber Arts
| Annie

Hi folks,

I spent some time with my Stitch & Slash project this weekend and made quite a bit of progress:

Stitch &Slash 2.24.16 | Webster Fiber Arts

I worked on this while watching the KU vs. K-State game on Saturday. It probably isn’t noticeable to anyone but me, but as the Jayhawks started to let K-State into the game in the second half, my French knots started to get a little sloppy. They aren’t horrible, just a little bit loose. I gained my control back as KU gained back control. Funny how that works.

Until next time,
Annie

Icy Blue Lacy Wrap

Icy Blue Wrap | Webster Fiber Arts
| Annie

Hi folks,

When I told you about my scarf struggles last week, I mentioned that in struggling with stitches, I had come up with a plan for some other yarn in my stash. Here’s what I’ve been working on with one of those discarded stitches:

Icy Blue Lacy Wrap | Webster Fiber Arts

I have three more skeins of this yarn, so I should get a decent sized wrap out of this piece. This stitch pattern is called “Openwork” and is from The Big Book of Crochet Stitches by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss. I’m going to keep chugging along with this lacy stitch, then add some kind of border—maybe something kind of fringy? I haven’t figured that part out yet.

I typically work with bulkier yarn—this Paton’s Lace Yarn is a nice change of pace for me.

Until next time,
Annie