Bass Cosy Part C

OK it's not pretty. But it has handles and padding. That's what counts. I DID say sewing wasn't my thing. I did add some buttons to keep it more or less closed. Turns out that with the padding and tufting, it came out smaller than I expected. I didn't want it too big so the bass would slide around, but too small isn't great either.

I can still add some tufting to keep the batts in place. I've done some but I'm easily bored.

Bass Cosy (Pt 2)

I took my stuff over to a friend's house to use her sewing machine. I got more done than I expected. I now have a fluffy case for my bass - almost. I still have to attach handles and do some tufting and attach velcro for closure. The thing is so fluffy, I decided it was a cosy instead of a gig bag. Well, it will keep my ubass nice and warm.

I was kind of winging it on this one. I'm not much for the sewing arts. I cut out the basic shape I wanted and sewed around the edges with the right sides together. I reached in and pulled right side out.  I had left an opening at one end to put the batts through. I had thought at first I would lay the batts down before sewing, but realized that would be a major mistake on this project. I had to sew up the top and bottom a bit. I didn't have a long zipper or even the money for a zipper so the two handles, one on each side will hold the bass in until I can get some Velcro to hold the sides shut.

Gig Bag (Bass Cosy Pt. 1)

I know I have been lax in the craft department. I just don't have the space right now to do much and I've been obsessed with playing music. See my music blog here.
I just finished making a music stand out of an old suitcase and my next project is to make a gig bag for my ubass. It is built on the body of a 3/4 size guitar so the bag will be guitar sized.
I didn't have any padding so I carded eight batts of fleece. I imagine that they will felt down over time, but if I put enough in there, it should be fine - if fluffy for a while. I'll be working on this at a friend's house tomorrow so I'll take some pictures as I go. For now, here's a picture of the instrument in need.

Slouch Hat

I just finished a new hat made from yarn scraps. I found the pattern on Ravelry and I absolutely love it. My other little cap made me look like a bag lady. This one does not slide down over my eyes like many of my other hats.
There are some other great patterns on there I'm going to try.

Toasty Toes

I know it has been a while, but I was suddenly motivated to start knitting some slippers. We had a cold snap and the floor gets very chilly on my bare feet.
I have several patterns for slippers and chose the quickest one. The author made these up in one day, but it took me two days. I found the pattern on one of my favorite DIY web sites -  Here.
I always am disappointed when I knit socks or slippers and within weeks the soles start to wear out. I wanted to make some that would last. I found one pattern that called for polar fleece yarn. I had no idea what that was, but finally it dawned on me that the yarn was actually made from Polar Fleece!!! I looked up the yarn and it wasn't terribly expensive, but a pair of slippers would have cost me $30 to $50. Now the whole purpose of knitting them myself is to use my own yarn or whatever so that it's CHEAP - as in FREE.

Well, duh. I had an old fleece jacket with a broken zipper that was in the give/throw away bag. I rushed to take it out and started cutting strips to make my own yarn. (I used to have a nice rotary cutter and mat but they vanished during the move. I had to use scissors and wear gloves to prevent blisters.)

I cut the strips the same way I do when I weave rag rugs. I folded it in half with the stretchy side on the fold and cut from the fold but not all the way through the open side. Then I open it up and cut every other slit on one side. I do the same on the other side but alternating with the first side. This leaves me with one long strip that I can roll into a ball. I round off the square edges as I roll.
Then I started knitting.

I did omit the pom-poms. I'm just not a pom-pom type of girl, and I added a small loop on the back of the heel so I could hand them up.

This is not the most flattering of footwear, but it is thick, soft and warm and it's machine washable. As usual, one of my slippers was considerably bigger than the other. I had to do some tucking in the heel section, but now that I know how homemade fleece yarn knits up, I can start with another pair from a nicer pattern. I'd like to try one with a hand spun wool top and a fleece sole. Later for that.

Gazebos and Fleece

I have a rule that every fleece has to be washed before it's stored. I don't always manage to do that, however. I was given several fleeces just before moving back to Texas. They came with me in plastic bags and stored in metal trash cans. Not the best environment for them.

I finally decided I had to do something with them - either wash them and use them or throw them out. Surprisingly, they were all in pretty good condition. I took advantage of a friend's gazebo for skirting and drying. Now that's the way to clean fleece!

One Mug Rug is Not a Set.

I gave up looking for the blue to go with the pink yarn. I rather like the way the tan looks. Now I can't find the rest of the tan yarn. I know I put it in a clear container to keep it clean, but where did it go?