the knotzis

Just wanted to share

2009-08-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

ElinThomas

I really like her earrings. As much as I would love to learn how to make them, I may just buy them. Those crochet hooks are so tiny!

Thanks for a great birthday

2009-05-04T20:11:00.000-07:00

I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends!

I absolutely LOVE my gifts, so thoughtful.

Thanks for all the support and motivation to get my jewelry moving, the best gift of all!

this is amazing!

2009-04-16T18:45:00.000-07:00

a long awaited blog

2009-04-06T21:12:00.000-07:00

I wonder what band is on the 90s channel on that tv.....

Monica and Kristin, pretending to craft... and actually eating.

Laura is so speed racer!
Monica.... you should not drink and scooter.

This made me smile

2009-03-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

Big Ears Cat Hat

another one of these

2009-02-09T14:56:00.000-08:00

the creative mojo has disappeared from me. it's been one of those, if you think too hard about something it won't happen. it could have been the fact that i looked at and worked on that purse for like a week. my butt has been glued to the couch and i've pretty much been a permanent fixture in the livingroom. ugh.

well, i forget to mention glued to the computer as well. so i've been looking up tutorials and what not. i came across this one that is completely useless seeing as how i have like 3 pincushions. but easy and cute. and maybe i can just give it away. so i made it.

i don't feed my kitty canned food but a client gave me these little candle tins for christmas so i just used those.

*notice wendy, it's your wrapping paper.

wendy's birthday present

2009-02-09T14:46:00.000-08:00

just a little late on this post. sorry.

are you using those pockets much?

we were without bleachers.

and the book light was a favorite.

Burger Beanie

2009-02-07T16:52:00.000-08:00

I just found the next thing I'm going to knit on my new favorite website. fredflare.com

Cold???

2009-02-02T13:35:00.001-08:00

Then purchase one of my new headbands. Protects your ears, AND is just ugly enough so your friends won't steal it.

birdie sling

2009-01-29T20:27:00.000-08:00

i had to practice this one with muslin first. the directions never make sense until i actually do it. it called for interfacing and fusible fleece, which i've never worked with. come to find out the 15 year old working the cut counter at joann's didn't give me fusible fleece. just fleece. so i had to make it fusible by using heat bond and basically making it iron on. the purse is insanely stiff and can pretty much stand up on it's own.

i'm pretty proud of myself though. i made gussets AND pleats, which a first for me. i would alter a few things about it for me personally but the shape is pretty cool.

ok wendy, you were right...

2009-01-12T20:38:00.000-08:00

... even I can use the scarf knitting loom!! Ta-Da! Finally after numerous attempts I found a method that works for my skinny yarn and lacking abilities.

It seems kinda thin on each side, but together the thickness is good. It will be a slinky scarf, more for cuteness than warmth. This is probably a good thing because it may take me until warmer weather to finish it :)

not sure

2008-12-29T21:24:00.000-08:00

but i think the knotzi one year anniversary came and went. so i thought i would put some really BAD pictures up, for your pleasure. happy anniversary everybody!

lately

2008-12-16T21:27:00.000-08:00

so i made this for a friend of mine's who's due in april. (thanks for the link kristin!)

and on a side note, this is what's left of the catnip mouse i made for lux.

a sale for us poor folk

2008-12-09T20:16:00.000-08:00

if anyone is as crazy about amy butler fabrics as i am, i wanted to let you know about a sale. 30% off all fabrics on this website. in particular - amy butler.

this should become our Bible.

2008-12-06T19:13:00.000-08:00

craftilicious

2008-12-04T21:54:00.000-08:00

we learned how to knit on a loom this last party. (thank you laura!) i don't have a lot of pictures of that but i do have pictures of:

this.

my first attempt at a scarf on the loom.

ok, so i had to include the ends of the scarf because they are hilariously bad. i kind of didn't follow the instructions and made up my own way of tying it off. look how great that turned out. i wonder if jason will wear it?

oh, and maggie's ferocious teeth!

The last thing I have made

2008-11-13T00:51:00.000-08:00

I have this bad habit lately of starting stuff and not finishing. I like making things.. like this scarf and funny faces. I took this picture of me because it is the last thing I can remember finishing. Someone needs to make me finish Bentley's sweater and Wendy's hat.

one night only

2008-11-09T21:50:00.000-08:00

sunday night's party was small, but fun as always.

kristen felted some flowers that were awesome!

wendy and i decided to felt some catnip mice for our "special needs" kitties.

our pattern. or should i say, what they're supposed to look like.

my cat really liked hers. nothing stops her from kitty pot. not even a dog staring at her.

look at her cRaZy eyes!

my newest addiction

2008-10-30T18:19:00.000-07:00

so i've finally started felting. i bought this book and it has so many cool ideas. it may be weird but i'm so drawn to these little felt creatures.

another money pit.

one of my first experiments.

so then i tried to make one of these birds.

what my bird looks like.

i still haven't figured out how to keep the wool from getting so fuzzy by the time i'm finished with it. but maybe i'm not finished when i think i am and that's why it's all fuzzy.

p.s. i've just discovered that i can't post while watching t.v. this took me like an hour. seriously?!

the party

2008-10-29T15:31:00.000-07:00

the party has been rescheduled to november 9th instead of the 2nd.

my house, at 7:00. be there or be square.

your friend.

Pumpkin Party!

2008-10-19T11:59:00.000-07:00

Kristin, Laura and I had a Pumpkin Carving Party last night..... can you tell who's is who's?

grocery tote

2008-10-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I finally decided to put my plastic grocery bags to good use and give the ironing them together and making a bag idea a try....

First of all, if you ever try this, be patient. Very very patient. You need to put your iron on a low setting and iron the bags for a very long time.... Putting the iron on high and trying to do it fast only ends in disaster. Anyway, here's some pictures of the lining..... I'm gonna do the outside in fabric... Pics of that will come when its finished.

A post for Laura....

2008-10-15T12:23:00.000-07:00

Laura is making Bentley a sweater.... I want to learn how to make Banjo a sweater.

So freaking cute!

holes!

2008-10-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

I finally got holes in my ears...... totally not craft related except now Kristin can make me tons of fancy earrings!

Fun stuff.

2008-10-09T20:40:00.000-07:00

thought I would share something I stumbled upon
so cute!

urban threads

knotzi party!

2008-10-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

Another Great Knotzi Party!!
We missed those who couldn't come (good luck CPAing, Tammy!)

Monica.... embroidering what will be another owl in her collection

Laura.... Punch Needling

Kristin.... with yet another owl... knotzis sure do like owls!

My friend the turtle...... embroidering.

And Kristin made us jewelry!!!!!

ok, so i did make something

2008-09-30T20:04:00.000-07:00

i finished this quilt about a week or so ago. i'm not crazy about it because it looks like a 3 year old made it. but when you've never made a quilt or let's say, didn't use a pattern or do any research, this is what you get. and i guess it's not that bad.

oh, and i got a dog. and i may just include her in all pictures from now on. because i am in love.

harper and the quilt.

October Craft Party

2008-09-30T16:43:00.000-07:00

It's time again for a craft party! This weekend's party is going to be at my house. I can't wait to see all of you beautiful people and the things you have been working on. I especially want to see that awesome bag Wendy made for me. Hope everyone can make it Sunday.

BRAIN

2008-09-30T09:02:00.000-07:00

Brain Bag for Miss Laura......
Just a regular tote with a psychedelic brain on it......
This is Laura's Brain Not on Drugs.

Where are all the knotzis lately? Have we gotten lazy in our knotzi ways?

book

2008-09-08T18:15:00.001-07:00

I want to find a new book with some good shit in it, ya know?

Has anybody seen this one in real life or know if its any good?

amy butler's In Stitches

resin jewelry

2008-09-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

so i've been working on this resin making stuff for about a week now. many mess ups = learning.

it takes a lot of patience (at least for me) because you have to wait for it to dry for i swear to god, days. forever. on top of that i didn't want to mix it inside because of the fumes so i've been doing them in the garage. which means it's freaking hot and humid and the first batch were still sticky 24 hours later. j says that it smells like airplane glue but i think it smells like pee. i say that because #1. it does #2. i don't know what airplane glue smells like.

the first ones i tried i used a candy making mold made out of silicone. but i later found out that you can't use silicone for resin because it will never dry. unless you cure them in the oven.

so then i used the actual mold you're supposed to. they turned out pretty good. except i had this bright idea that i was going to get leaves and flowers from the yard and embed them in the resin. umm, resin sucks the life out of greenery. it made everything turn brown except for the flowers. so i have some pretty brown resin pieces if anyone wants them.

i know that i will be seeing you ladies tonight but i wanted to post anyway. probably because i miss you, blogspot. i'll bring them tonight so you guys can see them up close and nitpick their imperfections.

i don't know how to make necklaces. or bead. apparently i just make rosaries.

the earrings.

the brown ones.

my favorite so far.

next on my things to do - imbed a storm trooper for joseph.

2008-08-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

So this project was part sewing and part jewelry making. For the beads I used 100% wool, typically used for needle felting, which is something I haven't tried yet but want to attempt soon. The balls are made by shrinking the felt with hot water, rolling it VERY carefully as to not create cracks and lumps. A few of my beads ended up looking like pac-man! It's the same principle as washing a 100% wool sweater in hot water.

Once your balls are complete, use needle and thread (the sewing part) to string. I added some matte black beads as spacers. Fun project, the felt balls were a little more difficult to make than I thought they would be, however I think it was worth it! Found the how-to in a quilting magazine of all places.

by popular demand

2008-08-27T17:58:00.001-07:00

Hi, I'm Tammy and I do exist.

2008-08-26T09:39:00.000-07:00

It's about time I contributed...after getting berated by Monica. Only kidding. I have issues and something has to be finished before I post it. She informed me, it doesn't have to be done (something that blew my mind)...so maybe you'll see more of me around here.

Newest bag - pretty basic tote but fabulous for carrying anything and everything!

One of the most recent embroidery projects

Behold. The "Hippie" bird as the husband named it....pattern came from here.

I sure do love my new friend. Not sure what he will be used for, but will probably look nice hanging on someone's wall in the near future.

i can't help it

2008-08-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

so i have this book that my mom gave to me years ago. the singer sewing guide - a complete reference guide to sewing. copyright 1954.

so i want to share a few excerpts that i think you ladies will find funny.

YOUR SEWING SKILLS ARE MONEY IN THE BANK:
many women want to help to earn. experts tell us the first way to earn is to save. one dollar spent for fabric can, with intelligent planning and skillful workmanship, produce three dollars worth of finished project. aside from savings made, a woman who sews well always has a trade she can use in an emergency, she can always pay her own way with sewing skills. isn't such economy, such insurance, well worth any effort you expend in learning to sew beautifully?

TO SEW SUCCESSFULLY - mentally:
never approach sewing with a sigh or lackadaisically. good results are difficult when indifference predominates. never try to sew with the sink full of dishes or bed unmade. when there are urgent housekeeping chores, do these first so that your mind is free to enjoy sewing.

TO SEW SUCCESSFULLY - physically:
when you sew, make yourself as attractive as possible. go through a beauty ritual of orderliness. have on a clean dress. be sure your hands are clean, finger nails smooth-a nail file and pumice will help. have your hair in order, powder and lipstick put on with care. looking attractive is a very important part of sewing, because if you are making something for yourself, you will try it on at intervals in front of your mirror, and you can hope for better results when you look your best.

again, sewing must be approached with the idea that you are going to enjoy it, and if you are constantly fearful that a visitor will drop in or your husband come home and you will not look neatly put together, you will not enjoy your sewing as you should.

joseph's pillow

2008-08-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

joseph and i have had many discussions on what he would like for me to embroider for him. usually he tells me this,"i want a pillow with two tanks, some guys falling from the sky with parachutes, some guns, my name..." it goes on and on. i keep telling him that he needs to keep it simple because i'm not that good.

so i decided that i was going to make him a pillowcase. he wanted a gnome on it but only because he looked out the window at the time i asked him and saw my very tasteless gnome sitting on the back porch. so i surprised him with a pillow with a tank on it. he loves it and carried it around with him all weekend. it was a very satisfying project.

Craft Days Are Here Again

2008-08-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

So I made my turtle into a purse....
I am considering selling, but am not sure anybody would buy..... so ill give it to somebody else instead

and I made a necklace

turtle

2008-08-18T18:01:00.000-07:00

i finally finished my turtle today.... my plan for tomorrow is to turn him into a purse.... cause i think people would like purses with turtles on them..... right?

the wallet

2008-08-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

i know that he's not part of our very exclusive group but i thought i would show you guys some pictures of a wallet jason made last night.

he had read about a way you can melt plastic grocery bags and sew them into messenger bags and what not. so i brought some taco bueno home and the next thing i know, he's made a wallet. so here it is:

sunday is sew day

2008-08-10T20:20:00.000-07:00

i've been wanting to make a new pin cushion for a while. the one i use all the time is awful. it's really difficult to put needles in and i usually end up bending them. it's huge and it's that kind that has little chinese people hanging from it. jason wanted to open up the old one just to see what it was stuffed with. it was basically dryer lint and saw dust. i'm not kidding. it was disturbing. so i made this.

i then made this purse which is way too small for me. seeing as how all my purses could carry an entire couch. but i'll play with the pattern and make a big one soon. i'll still use the little one, i'll just have to compromise a little. i mean a lot.

i liked this tote bag

2008-08-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

I will always kinda regret giving this away cause i really liked it.... I guess I could just make another, but that's a lot of work!

I don't really have anything important to post either, but I wanted to participate!

GO KNOTZIS!

let's get this party started right!

2008-08-07T19:15:00.000-07:00

it's hard to write a first post. i over think things.

let's post ideas, website links, our own completed projects, pictures, whatever that is fun, crafty, and creative.

so i will post a picture from our last party. the knotzi party? is that too far?

who's posting next?

also, if anyone has background/layout ideas, let's talk about it.