i made it so. | Page 9

padraig cottage booties: handmade & canadian

Posted on January 31, 2013 by imadeitso

my neighbour had her first baby a few weeks ago, and i wanted to get a little something to welcome baby to our ‘hood :) i came across these at the gift section of my local home hardware store.

now i know how it sounds, buying baby gifts where you buy your furnace filters? well, some home hardware stores have a small section where they sell unique items. most are handmade and many are by local canadian artisans. i love that.

the booties came in a cute cottage gift box…

complete with little windows and door that open and shut.

padraig cottage is a canadian company and you can learn more about them here (no, i am not being compensated for writing about them. i just like sharing nice things when i find them).

do you have a go-to gift for a new baby?

Posted in canadiana, yarn | Tagged baby quilts, canadian handmade baby gift, handmade baby booties, home hardware, padraig cottage, padraig cottage slippers and booties, robeez, sophie the giraffe, wipes warmer | 2 Comments

updating an old vanity tray

Posted on January 24, 2013 by imadeitso

i found this tray in a second hand shop…

i made sure that it wasn’t real silver before even considering changing it. also, i normally like the patina of older things — the wearing down of materials makes me think about an object’s past, a ding here or there makes things more endearing to me. after all, perfection can be easily bought elsewhere right? although, i admit, this one was not quite my style. shiny metal looks cold to me, and while i liked the intricate details, i felt they didn’t stand out enough against the equally shiny mirror.

the underside of the mirror was quite worn, but luckily, it was much like a frame in that it could be removed.

i used a knife to pry open the tabs.

between the base and mirror was corrugated cardboard…

if i ever see corrugated cardboard in anything, i toss it. rather quickly. it’s the perfect place for little critters to hide and nest. i used new foam board…

traced and cut it to shape…

and placed four vinyl feet underneath…

as for the frame of the mirror itself, i sprayed a few coats of heirloom white paint. i know i’ve done it before, but there’s something about the milky white of that paint that makes the details stand out for me, without being overbearing.

i considered scruffing up the edges with sandpaper for more of an antique look, but i think i’ll let it age all over again through my own use of it.

before…

and after…

{ i have to say, the late afternoon sun helped make this “after” photo glow }

would you have painted it, or left it as is?

Posted in something old, something new, thrifting & vintage, tools, tips and techniques | Tagged heirloom white spray paint, replacing corrugated cardboard with foam board, spray painting metal, spray painting vanity tray with mirror | 4 Comments

finished: lace sweater for mom

Posted on January 17, 2013 by imadeitso

one last knit gift that i was working on before the holidays. it has been given, so i can finally share it here…

is it bad to say i love it? because i do.

it was knit seamlessly from the top down, with the sleeve stitches held on scrap yarn and finished in-the-round on double-pointed needles. (for the non-knitters amongst us, or for those just starting, you can read my primer, knitting 101, to decipher my knitting gibberish.)

the last part was the hardest, finding buttons to match the mood i wanted for the sweater: elegant, but not overly formal. since it’s knit in a cotton blend, with 3/4 sleeves, it’s more of a spring-summer sweater. i can see it worn over a t-shirt with jeans, or dressed up a little and worn over a flowy dress. i found these buttons at my local yarn store. i almost went with some hand-carved wooden ones, but i think they would have been too casual.

if the sweater looks familiar, it’s an adaption from elizabeth zimmerman’s february sweater. a couple of years ago, i knit the same sweater in a smaller size for my daughter.

i included a little bit of the yarn along with the gift, just in case anything should need mending in the future, if a button falls off, etc… i also included care instructions on the label.

the details for this pattern can be found on my ravelry.

~ * ~

as an aside, and on a related note about care tags, thanks to all who visited from knitting paradise to check out my printable gift tags. an extra special thanks for those who left a message or two, and who signed up for email notifications. i don’t blog by any firm schedule, so i think that’s the easiest way to follow along. and as suggested, the next time i make a batch of labels, i’ll try doodling a tag just for all the crocheters out there.

in the meantime, if you’re on ravelry, i follow back… i love seeing all the woolly creativity. and if you haven’t seen them, click the sheep below to see my ravelry placeholders. yours to use as well…

alright, one last thing i promise. since i’m sharing links (i really need to re-organize this place so it’s easier for you to find things… it’s on my to-do list), and with february around the corner, here are those valentine’s day sentiments for the knitters in your life. just a bit of fun. click through here :)

see more here.

Posted in tools, tips and techniques, yarn | Tagged crochet gift tags, february lady sweater, february sweater by elizabeth zimmermann, knitting care tags, knitting gift tags, my doodles & drawings, valentine's day cards for knitters | 10 Comments

finished: lace scarf

Posted on January 11, 2013 by imadeitso

before i show the scarf i was working on prior to the holidays, i want to share what it looked like pre-blocking (blocking is wetting, shaping, and allowing a knit item to dry in order to hold its shape. i’ve written about how i block here and here.).

you can sometimes get away with not blocking, depending on the project and type of yarn you use. but lace weight baby alpaca on 2 mm needles? nope, blocking makes all the difference. unless you’re ok wearing a crumpled up scarf like this :)

to block, i placed it in a bowl of warm water with a mild detergent. washing the garment with soap isn’t necessary, you could just soak it in water, or even spritz it with water from a spray bottle. but i had been knitting this scarf over time, and because it was a gift, i wanted it to be clean.

i let it soak for about 30 minutes. time flies when you’re daydreaming about what pretty pyrex you might acquire next…

i sloshed it around gently (agitating wool too much can lead to felting) and rinsed it. i used my salad spinner to get rid of the excess water. again, wringing it is not recommended.

i laid it out on my ironing board, pinned parts of it down to hold its shape, and waited impatiently for about a day and half until it was completely dry.

that’s the most action my ironing board has seen in a long time.

i know it may sound like a lot of steps, but completely worth it.

the pattern really stands out after blocking. here is a pattern repeat before…

and after…

alright, that’s not completely fair. the before photo is akin to the “before”s on those weight loss sites (you know, where the poor person has no make up, is under harsh lighting and is told to think self-depracating thoughts and just “let it all hang out!”).

but you get the gist. i love the after…