Crafty Projects

I've already left comments on a few blogs so I figured I should at least put in a short post on my own. For some reason, I've been getting very inspired by crafty things lately. It started when the lovely ladies in my family and I went down to Oregon to visit our Grandparents. Since my step-sister, step-mother, and grandmother are all quilters and crocheters, I started to pick up on their positive crafting energy. Since then, I've been seeing all kinds of interesting and great things, but I've been finishing off a project that I really wanted finished (I'll probably post more about this later).

Last night, I finished that project, so now I get to consider the other things I want to start working on. I am constricted by time as well as finances. I only have a limited allowance each month to spend on 'non-essentials' which includes my wardrobe, so I can't go hog-wild on anything. But, I thought I'd share a few of my ideas here.

I'll start with the fairly normal stuff and work my way over to crazy for you ;)

- With a lot of my friends having small kids, some of the little kid booties/slipper and hats seem like a quick, easy, cute project. The only problem with this one is that kids grow and I take forever to finish a craft project. But, with the number of people I know with kids, someone is bound to be able to use it. Plus, it only uses a small amount of yarn, so I don't have to worry about finding 6 balls of colour x and 3 balls of colour y.

- Christmas ornaments! To be used as gifts and maybe even a few for my own townhome (jury is still out on whether we'll decorate at all or not). My step-sister has made these in the past and they look just gorgeous! I'd need to pick up some fine thread to crochet with, figure out a pattern, get a smaller crochet hook, and then starch them so they hold their shape. But, I'd love to be able to make them!

- Slippers! For anyone with a tile floor in a winter climate, you'll understand my need for slippers. When I was little, a family friend always had slippers for us to wear when we went to their house. Plus, they always brought a pair when they were visiting. Also, it's very 'Japanese' to have house slippers for guests (optional in my house, of course). So, I've wanted to get started making some. I've found a lot of different patterns. I think I'd like to start with something like these with a padded sole for extra comfort. My first pair will likely be a test pair for myself, since my own slippers are kind of falling apart.

- Plastic bags! You were wondering when the crazy would arrive, weren't you! So, I saw a link on one of my craft sites pointing me to this project that uses plastic bags to knit. I immediately loved the idea! First, it's as close to free as they get. Second, I've already got a mountain of plastic bags from grocery stores. Third, if you do hate, just throw it away - that would be the normal fate of plastic bags in my house anyway. Since this is the cheapest project and one which wouldn't require me to buy any supplies or follow any pattern (I'll probably just improvise and try to make a round basket to hold my crocheting stuff) it'll probably be the one I'll start with.

If you've got any other crafty project ideas you want to shoot my way, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email!