Finishitis

We have a JoAnn store here, but I hate to shop there, mainly because of the s-l-o-w checkout. I don't shop much at Walmart, but they have a sewing and craft section and self-checkout. So that is where I went to purchase some thread. I have the finishistis bug and am determined to complete my outstanding weaving projects, if only so I can clear off the dining room table. I will post about them separately.

Knitting: *Finally* moving forward again with the Habitation throw. While I'm knitting, I find myself thinking, On my *next* Habitation throw.... But seriously, I think this is the last one, no matter how much sock yarn I still have.
Weaving: I hemmed the top of a sampler of leno and Brooks bouquet techniques. I also hemmed the sari yarn table runner. Next up are the sage hand towels and leno curtains.

I came across this magazine at Barnes & Noble. It almost makes me want to take up felting. It's from Australia, so it has quite the international vibe.

Blew out my felted slipper

I made these felted slippers in 2009. They were for my SO, but for some reason he left them at my house and rarely wore them. This past winter, I reclaimed them. It didn't take long for a hole to open up in the heel.

In a way, I am glad this happened, as I have been contemplating stash busting by making more of these. Now I know that I need to double up on the heels and/or add a sole of some sort.

I've also been contemplating how to fix these or at least repurpose them. Any suggestions?

Baby's got a brand new bag

I'm not much of a seamstress, but I figured I could sew the output from learning to weave on a triangle loom. Besides, I planned to felt the bag, so expected any "quirks" to be hidden. And that is what happened.

I used what I guess is called a running stitch to join two pairs of triangles to form the front and back of the bag. I wanted something relatively invisible so the fabric would not look pieced. And that is what I got (after felting).

To join the back and front, I used blanket stitch on three sides. For the flap, I'm guessing the stitch I used is called overcast. Across the purse opening, single crochet provides reinforcement. Fringe finishes off the flap; in retrospect, I should have left the fringe longer. Five-stitch i-cord became the strap.

I haven't felted much, but I remembered enough to put the purse in a mesh bag. Then I tossed it in with the regular laundry, intending to check on it after five minutes of agitation. I forgot all about it, so it went through the whole cold water wash cycle.

I half expected the result to be doll-sized. While the loom is ostensibly 8" on a side (okay, on two sides - the "top" is longer), the material contracts to about 7" when it comes off the loom. After my lackadaisical felting, the purse is about 6" on a side. Perfect for a six-year-old, me thinks.