A knitted purse!

Yet another knitting project I definitely want to do! I have a friend who wants me to make her a "craft bag" so she can carry a ton of her craft things to school and back, since she has a ton of free time between classes. She already has a bag, but she wants one with pockets and and a nice closure and made specifically for what she wants in it. She bought some pretty fabric, but I have botched previous projects for other people, and I am REALLY not in the mood for sewing. Plus, I handsew, so the things I make don't come out very sturdy. For the type of bag she wants, there will need to be all sorts of things I haven't used before, such as interfacing and pockets. I have only made simple tote bags out of t-shirts before... Also, she would be carrying things that are more solid and heavy than what I carry in my own bags. I keep things to a minimum in my purse, but the straps are still straining.

Since I AM in the mood for knitting lately, though, maybe I can knit her a purse. It is likely to be a lot more better than if I were to sew it, even with my beginner knitting skills. So, I looked for purses.

Here is one (well, two...) that I really liked. It isn't exactly good for keeping crafting items in, but for myself. For my friend, I would just knit a solid purse, then make extra panels to attach as pockets.


The tutorial is here and honestly, I have really liked the ideas of the mesh knitting in general since I started knitting again. In the last post, I posted a link to a bolero that also has lace. I plan to cast on for my bolero tonight and possibly start working a few rows so that I have it for tomorrow after I leave for my boyfriends. After the bolero, I plan to work on one of these purses above for myself, in order to figure it out, because I plan on using the basic pattern on my friends purse (if she likes the idea of a knitted purse, that is.)

Change of direction?

So, since I do not have my camera, I guess I can just start posting some tutorials from online that can be easily gothified. This is NOT what I wanted for my blog, and I can't wait until I can find my camera. (It MUST be somewhere around.... NOT lost at a hotel!)

As I am particularly enamored with knitting at the moment, I supposed I will show you a recent find that I would like to knit in a plain simple black, at least for starters. It is called a ribbed lace bolero by the creator.


Isn't it CUTE??? There are more pictures on the webpage I linked to above, which also contains the tutorial.

I plan to do a simpler lace knit, but overall, I think it's going to turn out great! Now, to find out halfway through that I don't have enough black yarn....

So, I will start posting more often again. I plan to do a book/series review soon. Also, to post about my new diet! Since starting it, I got sick, and now Brumeister is sick, so we haven't gone to the gym yet, NOR have we donated blood plasma (which is how we weigh ourselves every week). The moment of truth will come sometime soon, I hope.

Ta ta, for now.

Did I really type that? I supposed I did.

Eye Doctor and Knit to-do list

So I went to the doctor when I first got my infection. I couldn't get my contacts out myself, so I went to a regular doctor in order to get them out. He prescribed anti-biotic eye drops. The next day, I went to my eye doctor, and he prescribed anti-inflammatory eye drops. I just had an "infection", but they never said a name for that infection. I had pus in my eyes. There may be permanent damage to my eyes, too. Pretty much, I think I got the infection long ago, but it didn't hurt that much. I would take out my contacts for a few days, then put them back in when it stopped hurting. So, it was still there, but the contacts were trapping it right around my cornea and iris, which is where all the damage is.

Contacts on a healthy eye is just fine. They don't do damage to your eye. If your eyes get irritated, take your contacts out. If you keep them, disinfect them with contact solution. But whatever you do, just take them out of your eyes ASAP. It doesn't matter where you are, or what you're doing. If you leave them in, you are escalating the problem.

Some people, like me, don't like taking their contacts out every night. I got the kind of contacts that you leave in for a month, then throw away and put new ones in. I never took them out and washed them. If you want contacts, you need to be more responsible than that. I wore them longer than a month, taking them out only when they started to get dry or itchy. Then I would instantly put new ones in.

I am out of contacts, so I will be very nearsighted for a couple of weeks. At least I can open my eyes and they don't burn anymore. I am getting new contacts, but I am going to figure out the best ones for me. Obviously, it isn't the kind that I leave in over a month.

On to knitting tutorials! This first one I really want to try, even though I can't really get purling. At least, I don't think I can.

$5 in Paris. Easy top down raglan sweater with optional side shaping noted in the tutorial. This is not the first picture I saw of this sweater, but I can't find the other one now. It had long sleeves and the neck was more of a scoop neck. It was also sort of an off the shoulder sweater, too. But I liked it that way. I'm pretty sure the girl had just knitted it too big, so that is what I am going to try.

Kitty "Hood Scarf" with pockets. This super simple tutorial can be changed to have different kinds of ears, like longer ones for a fox scoodie. (As I prefer to call them.) This project is simple enough that I am sure I could make it. (I'm not that good at knitting....)

Knitted Cat Hat. I have tried this one before. My needles were too big and I was too stupid to figure out that that would have quite an impact on the project. But I still want to try to make it right!

Knit Kitty Key chain. Anybody could do this one! (I like cats, okay?)

Double Nickles. I have also tried this one before. I just can't freakin' purl! I am going to try harder though. I have managed to follow ONE pattern so far. and make two scarfs. I have also managed to make two very different arm warmers. and failed at making a slipper, and a bikini top. Oh well?

Lip Balm Tutorials

I don't know about you, but I have dry lips a lot. I sleep with my mouth open and I don't know how to stop. In fact, it's hard for me to remember to breath with my nose. So, I use my lip balm. They all don't work, though. Some just smell yummy, some just taste yummy, and that's a problem. I want something that I can put on and feel it working right away. I want something natural, and not full of chemicals. I want something yummy that actually does something for me. So, why not make my own?

I haven't tried ANY of these tutorials (yet), but I am definitely working on it! I have plenty of containers to put mine into!

Bitchy Bee Lip Balm: Uses beeswax, which is a good start. Beeswax is a GOOD ingredient to have in lip balm. However, she doesn't really use measurements, so this tutorial could be hard to follow.

Honey Vanilla Lip Balm: I usually stay away from any kind of lip balm that uses petroleum jelly, but this one also uses beeswax as well. She also uses Vitamin E oil which is good for your skin! I plan on trying this tutorial out for sure!

Vanity Lip Balm: This is more of a lip gloss, but she uses beeswax lip balm as well. This could be a lip gloss that works just as well as a lip balm, and looks pretty! She sounds like she has had plenty of experience making lip balm/gloss.

Banana Lip Balm: This tutorial looks much more professional than others and has clear instructions. She also uses more ingredients, like Shea butter and and almond oil. I think this lip balm would probably be one of the better quality, but more expensive to make.

Beeswax Chapstick: This is the simplest tutorial I've found.

Buzzy Bee Balm: Another lip balm that requires more ingredients, but again, it looks as though it would be better for your lips! The instructions are simple to follow regardless of the amount on ingredients.

Lip Balm Making Tips: Just a list of tips on making lip balm. She basically tells you how to create your own custom lip balm with what to and what to NOT use and how to do it right.

These tutorials are all from just one craft site, so there are plenty more out there! Remember to stay away from petroleum jelly, a.k.a. Vaseline! This is not good to leave on your lips. It will help dry your lips out, NOT rehydrate them like you want!

Personally, I want to try some of these tutorials out, and create a custom lip balm using several ideas and techniques. Maybe I could even start selling them! Or just gift them.

Useful(ish) Tutorials

As you might imagine, this post contains links to some tutorials that I enjoy and might have used so far, though I am planning on making all of them!



This T-Shirt Shrug is a quick and easy tutorial that I have used before. I didn't like the one I made I think, because I haven't seen it for years.


This Bustle Skirt tutorial is very detailed, and while I haven't used the exact tutorial, I have made something like it that I gave to my sister. If you click on the link, below the tutorial there are versions that people have made of this skirt that you can see. There are so many!

I have used this tutu tutorial before and I really do like the way it came out. It sticks out instead of lays down, which is what I think a real tutu should do. However, other people who have used this tutorial end up with tutus that lay down. I think everyone is happy with their own. I used 2 yards of each black, light blue, and dark blue tulle to make mine, so that was 6 yards, and my waist is about 34 inchs around.

These next two don't have pictures, but if you look at the site there are line drawings for part of the instructions. This tutorial is for making a pencil skirt into a fuller skirt - something that I am doing right now. This could be a very useful tutorial for those of you who go thrifting and find skirts you absolutely love the pattern on, but the the pencil...ness.

This tutorial I really want to do: make a circle cloak! This is a detailed tutorial on how to make a cloak. I haven't the money to go and buy fabric just yet, but I have my own idea on a cloak/coat.

Antimony and Lace has some other tutorials.... Take yerself a look-see and you might find something else you'd like to do!