Ever since I started up Craft Leftovers I have been getting requests for the Knitted Water Bottle Sling. It takes about 4 hours to make, which is a little bit more time than I have to spare for everyone and their mother and vice versa. It's sad and maybe selfish, but there it is.
Anyway, so crochet. I love crochet. So fast. So strong. Less stretchy. (I'm sure you can all tell I have been taken with crochet because, yes, I realize this is the third pattern in a row, sorry guys, next week there will be some sewing and the week after that some knitting, what can I say, I'm in love). I'm digressing. Point is that crochet is perfect for a water bottle sling and is, unlike the knitted version, really fast to make, about an hour and a half. Just half double crochet (my fav stitch) and single crochet. Now I'm not saying this version is better, it's just different, and as the newest different thing I'm singing it's praises. Another good thing too, this one is made out of cotton. I'm thinking about redoing the other in cotton as well. I mean, wool, in the summer, on your tank topped shoulder? What was I thinking. I've learned a whole lot in the past year. In fact it will be a year coming up this June I think. I'll have to double check date. We can have some kind of delurking/prize give away contest. Maybe I will bake a birthday cake, j/k. I'm rambling on like this is the "after the pattern" part of the post! Here you go:
It's kind of funny how talkative I have been since moving the pattern day to Sat morning. I think it's because I'm sitting here, jumping full of my morning coffee instead of running on empty at 1 am. I think I might actually be a morning person... I should go back and tell that to my 17 year old self that would stay up until 9am and sleep until 2pm, just in time to go to work. No wonder I felt like garbage all the time. "But all of my friends are doing it, so it must be okay/healthy". Haha, oh the things we do for the sake of friends.
Okay so, the "better" pictures of the last pattern I posted, well, I'm going to come clean. I haven't quite finished it yet. I'm mean, it's close, it was close then. I thought I would have plenty of time to put the last two rows on, no problem. But even crochet cannot speed up this process, the barrel twine, is well, great for a shoe scraping mat, but not so great on my hands so it's slow going. I'll post finished pictures when it is finished, hopefully by next week's pattern.
And more rambling. I've given up trying to stop it at this point, just so you know. Maybe this is a pre-anniversary talk, I'm not quite sure. But it's something I want to share with you. So here it is:
Sometimes I become delusional about how my patterns are not "complicated" enough and how I'm a fraud and what am I thinking that I should write a book with all these simple patterns that people could figure out just by looking at it. And then something great happens. Two people, my mom and a co-worker, who haven't crocheted in years (to my knowledge) tell me "I saw your little coasters and I thought to myself 'I can do that', so I picked up some yarn and am going to make some for my kitchen, porch, etc." Which makes me think about the people who have emailed and left comments saying "I have been wanting to try sewing/crochet/knitting for so long and your project inspired me to give it a whirl" Okay so i'm paraphrasing a bit, but the point is the same. Let me tell you, it makes me really happy. If just one person picks up a hook or needles or thread and fabric because of this project, well, (excuse the language) that just kicks ass. So that's my goal. Inspiration. A mix of simple and intermediate and maybe every once and awhile I will get a bug up my sleeve and make something more complicated (like next week's pattern). You ladies/gentlemen really do make my day and I mean that it the dearest sense of the phrase (not like Clint's "make my day!").
Okay, so that is that. But, if you have gotten this far, i'm going to assume you are in for the long hall so you get to know the extra special thing going on. Well, maybe crisis, but I don't see it that way. I'm just not sure what to do and some outside advise would be great.
Here is the deal: My stash is diminishing, rapidly now because of all the kit making that is going on. And while I don't so much have an issue with having to buy more for the kits (I honestly knew I couldn't keep it up and factored in cost of buying new materials from the get go, good thing too because I don't have to raise the prices now) I do have issues with making the projects with items bought for said projects. So what do I do? How do I retain the main point of "Craft Leftovers" when my leftovers from crafts are gone? Will they ever really be gone or will they just plateau at a reduced level? I don't know, it most likely won't even be an issue until 2008 if ever. It just the other thing that I've been thinking about. So give me some thoughts if you care to.
The main thing that brought on this whole question was preparing the Sampler for the Sampler. I made and packed up 30 items and 20 kits. It was really fun and I'm hoping to do a repeat for the shop as well as the Renegade Craft Fair. And now my stash is down to 2 boxes of fabric, a bag of felted sweaters (i'm going to make a slew of pillows or something), and one small rubbermaid of yarn. Considering where I started out it's kind of amazing. I feel like I'm gaining square footage in my apartment, it's pretty cool. So anyway, this is way too long, even for me and I need to get my butt to class. Have a good week!
ps - there are now variety packs of reusable tea bags in the shop, go have a looky.
6 comments:
I've been a lurker for a while and I just wanted to say that I really like your H2O slinger. I LOVE crochet and this is a very fun and useful project, right up my alley! Thanks for the idea!
i have no idea if you'll use up your stash entirely, but i think that as long as you make things that *could* be made with leftovers, it would be ok to buy materials for projects. just because you aren't using leftovers doesn't mean other people wouldn't be when they used your patterns. (if that makes any sense at all?)
I tried to make this but it came out way too big. I was using an F hook and 4 ply worsted cotton like one would use for dishcloths. What am I missing? Was the pattern for a standard small water bottle? Is "kitchen cotton" something different? I'm afraid if I use a smaller hook size that it would be difficult to work with the worsted weight yarn. I really want to make this. Thanks.
Hmm, well, is it big long, or big wide. The one I made can hold a waterbottle for my bike or a 20 oz bottle. It could be the yarn, for instance I know lambs pride is a heavier worsted than otheres. I used Peaches N' Creme, but Bernat or Sugar N' Creame would work well too (or something of similar weight). It could also be the pattern. I might have miss wrote something or added in steps that shouldn't even be in there. I think the later is most likely the case. I will see what I can figure out and post corrections later today. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, you see, this is why I need pattern testers! Hehe! Thanks again!
Thank you so much for the gauge and bottle size. I'm going to try again with the Peaches N'Cream. I think my water bottle was too small around.
Great site you have here. I just found you through another site. I love the ideas you are promoting here. I too made a water bottle holder and I used recycled plastic bags. I make yarn out of it and crochet with it. It works great for a water bottle as the condensation doesn't matter with the plastic. Come take a look if you have time at my site. All my patterns are free for personal and private use.
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