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Marled Dotted Rays Shawl from Becca's Crazy Projects

I've been working on this shawl for what seems like forever (it wasn't forever). On Sunday morning I made it to the bind-off. The pattern is Dotted Rays from Stephen West. I knit it using two strands of fingering held together (more info on the yarn at the bottom of the post). This meant it knit up pretty quickly on size 8 needles. I also blended the colors together like in the Marled Magic Shawl.

During the Baltimore Modern Quilt Guild meeting I continued working on the bind off. I was pretty pleased when I made it to ...

added by Becca 13 hours, 20 minutes ago. under 2018 , adventure , craft , crazy , fiber , knit , knitting , maryland , md , project , projects , ravelry , shawl , wool , yarn

Charity Quilting from Becca's Crazy Projects

I've been trying to complete small projects during the week. Trying to get much crafting done after the workday is no easy feat. I did manage to piece this charity quilt for Annapolis Quilts for Kids.

Then I spent some time last weekend getting it quilted. This one was just a simple meander.

This one I did a fun flower motif. This one is great for covering a bunch of area relatively quickly and creating some great texture. I had to share the back so you could see the design.

This one was pieced by another member of the ...

added by Becca 3 days, 12 hours ago. under 2018 , charity , crazy , maryland , md , project , projects , quilt , quilting , quilts for kids

Bubblegum Pink Shawl from Becca's Crazy Projects

During the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this year I picked up entirely too much yarn. I'm constantly looking for new projects to use some of that yarn. This project uses the two sock blanks you see above, from Flat Feet.

I grabbed two cakes of yarn, my crochet hook, and did a couple test pieces to decide which fabric I liked better. In the end, the one on the bottom won.

I used that sample to get started on a new shawl. I crocheted in the car.

I crocheted at breakfast.

I tested out edging and ripped it ...

added by Becca 2 weeks ago. under 2018 , crazy , crochet , maryland , md , project , projects , sheep , shopping , wool , yarn

Bingo Quilt from Becca's Crazy Projects

The Baltimore Modern Quilt Guild is having a bingo event again this year. What is Quilt Bingo? Well, it is an event where you play bingo and the big prizes are quilts made by the guild. For a list of the kinds of prizes one might win at Quilt Bingo you should check out this great post, complete with links to free quilt blocks, bag patterns, and other quilty goodness.

I volunteered to quilt one of the quilts. I didn't make any of the blocks. They were made by members of the guild.

I quilted it with swirls and ...

added by Becca 2 weeks, 6 days ago. under 2018 , adventure , baltimore , crazy , long arm , longarm , md , modern , mqg , project , projects , quilt , quilter

Saving the Planet from Becca's Crazy Projects

Saving the planet one straw at a time.

I'm not here to teach you about the damage we're doing to the planet because of single use plastics, including plastic straws. I am here to tell you how to make a cute carrying case for your stainless steel straws so you can be part of the solution. Amazon will sell you a Set of 4 Stainless Steel Straws (with cleaning brush) for a little more than you'll pay for a venti frappuccino.

The question then becomes, how do you carry them until you get to your destination where ...

added by Becca 1 month ago. under 2018 , bag , craft , crazy , maryland , md , project , projects , sew , sewing , tool , tutorial

Home Improvement is(n't) Glamorous from Becca's Crazy Projects

The full bath on the main level had this switch and outlet combo when we moved in three years ago. the cover plate doesn't match the outlet or the switches and is painted over in spots. It worked, so we didn't mess with it. On Friday, the switch that controls the light decided it was done. It was over being a servant to our wishes for light or the lack of light, so it quit. Everything else in the box worked fine (the exhaust fan turned on and off and the outlets provided power). That doesn't mean ...

added by Becca 1 month, 1 week ago. under 2018 , home-improvement , house , maryland , md

Totes! from Becca's Crazy Projects

This tote called the Fat Sack by Atkinson Designs was shared on one of the many groups I'm a member of on Facebook. I decided to give it a try.

I found my stack of decorator canvas and colorful denim while searching for some felt I have around here somewhere. I didn't have enough of one print to make an entire tote, so I did a little mixing and matching. It's a quick and simple pattern and if you're looking for a sizable tote it will serve you well. I do recommend using heavier fabrics. The ...

added by Becca 1 month, 3 weeks ago. under 2018 , bag , craft , crazy , maryland , md , project , projects , sew , sewing , tote

Knitting Dotted Rays from Becca's Crazy Projects

I started this shawl when I went to the 2018 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. You can find the pattern in Stephen West's book WESTKNITS BESTKNITS NUMBER 1 - SHAWLS. I picked up my copy of the book at a local yarn shop and it included a code to receive all the patterns in digital format on Ravelry. You can also find it as a single pattern on Ravelry. I love Dotted Rays. Let me tell you a a knitting story (with pictures).

I knit at breakfast.

I knit in the afternoon.

I knit in the car.

I knit in the ...

added by Becca 2 months ago. under 2018 , adventure , craft , crazy , custom , dye , fiber , knit , knitting , maryland , md , project , projects , ravelry , shawl , wool , yarn

Carpenter's Star from Becca's Crazy Projects

This Carpenter's Star quilt was a great stash busting project.

I put this under Sew My Stash 2018 because Other than the backing fabric, I didn't buy anything to finish this project.

I pulled out all the quilting books (links at the bottom of the post) to try to figure out what to do with the quilting.

In the end it didn't end up being fancy quilting, but I think it is effective. Swirls are my favorite!

This is the back of the quilt so you can see the details of the quilting on the center star ...

added by Becca 2 months, 1 week ago. under 2017 , adventure , crazy , design , maryland , md , project , projects , quilt , quilter , sew my stash , star , stash

All the Yarn! from Becca's Crazy Projects

Last week I shared about a yarn party I had at my house with a friend. Now that the yarn has dried I figured I should show you what I ended up with. All the yarn we dyed was from Knit Picks.

First up is this amazingly bright and fun yarn. This is Bare Stroll Glimmer. I haven't decided on what I'm going to do with this yarn, but I'm excited about this colorway. If I had to give it a name, it would be Poison Ivy. These were made using Jacquard dye.

These candy-colored hanks were ...

added by Becca 2 months, 1 week ago. under 2018 , adventure , craft , crazy , custom , dye , fiber , knit , knitting , maryland , md , mystery , project , projects , wool , yarn

Coloring Yarn from Becca's Crazy Projects

I was a little surprised when I looked over the blog history to find it has been almost two years since I dyed yarn. I guess it was time to dye some more.

I take a stay-cation around this time of year. Not because my birthday week is a grand thing, but because I don't think I should have to work on my birthday. I don't think anyone should have to work on their birthday. Take a long weekend, at least! You deserve it for surviving another year. At any rate, that's why I had an entire ...

added by Becca 2 months, 2 weeks ago. under 2018 , adventure , craft , crazy , custom , dye , fiber , knit , knitting , maryland , md , mystery , project , projects , wool , yarn

Delicate Elephant from Becca's Crazy Projects

Sometimes I get a crazy idea. This time, it was to use some denim I have had for a couple years, a fun embroidery design from Urban Threads, and my own cross-body bag pattern, to make a fun bag.

I picked the colors based on the coordinating print I wanted to use for the lining and strap. The design is the Elephant from the Delicate Ones set from Urban Threads. This four-color design makes a big impact. The denim is a very pale blue; a color better captured in the next photo.

I should time myself making one of these ...

added by Becca 2 months, 3 weeks ago. under 2018 , bag , craft , crazy , embroidery , maryland , md , project , projects , sew , sewing , tote , urban threads , zipper

Charity Quilt from Becca's Crazy Projects

I needed something to do to feel productive so I worked on this simple charity quilt for Annapolis Quilts for Kids.

It's quilted and just waiting to be trimmed and bound.

2018 Charity Quilt Count: 28

added by Becca 2 months, 4 weeks ago. under 2018 , charity , crazy , maryland , md , project , projects , quilt , quilting , quilts for kids

Knitting Update - Dotted Rays from Becca's Crazy Projects

Nothing says welcome to Maryland Sheep & Wool like casting on a new shawl. This time I pulled together 50 grams of fingering from Marigoldjen (I bought it last year and didn't use it up) and a couple cakes of yarn I dyed (in 2016) using food coloring.

I'm working up another Dotted Rays Shawl by Stephen West. Why do I keep picking this pattern? because I like how different yarns can really make an impact with a simple pattern. If you want to try your hand at this, or any of Stephen's other designs, West Knits is ...

added by Becca 3 months ago. under 2018 , adventure , craft , crazy , custom , dye , fiber , knit , knitting , maryland , md , mystery , project , projects , ravelry , shawl , wool , yarn

Maryland Sheep and Wool 2018 from Becca's Crazy Projects

After looking at my post for the 2017 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival I realize how much restraint I showed this year when it came to shopping. I'll get to the yarn in a bit. I want to share a few of the sights of the show.

The last couple years we have camped at Ramblin' Pines beginning on Friday evening and departing on Sunday morning. This makes for an early start for the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. This year, I was in line before 8 am . By the time the gate opened, the line was probably 3-4 times longer ...

added by Becca 3 months ago. under 2018 , crazy , crochet , dye , festival , fiber , knit , knitting , local , maryland , md , project , projects , shawl , sheep , shopping , string , wool , yarn

Camper Remodel from Becca's Crazy Projects

The forward compartment has these silly little flap doors. The compartment isn't silly, it's really awesome. The problem is that that this space used to be part of the bed base for the queen-size bed. That means any sufficient breeze could sneak in through those doors an under the bed. Not a great design to keep the humans warm. When we boxed in this section, we thought it would be a great time to insulate the sides that face the inside of the camper to try to keep the inside temperature controlled.

We used one 25 foot roll ...

added by Becca 3 months, 1 week ago. under 2018 , camping , diy , maryland , md , remodel , tool , travel

Small Fans Shawl from Becca's Crazy Projects

In an attempt to post something quickly last week, I learned, again, how much I dislike drafting posts on my tablet. I'm not sure what it is, but it is so much more twitchy than my desktop, so here I am, completely rewriting that post so it won't look horrible and might have more than three words.

I wanted to try out the Small Fans Shawl. I thought I might like it in this fine ombre yarn I received from Aunt Betty. I decided I really liked the work but hated the yarn. I'm sure it is ...

added by Becca 3 months, 1 week ago. under 2018 , aunt betty , crazy , crochet , maryland , md , project , projects , shawl , yarn

Camper Remodel from Becca's Crazy Projects

Here is another installment of our ongoing project to remodel our travel trailer.

My last post showed the built out bed boxes we created to replace the queen-size bed. Last week, we took an hour after dinner to install the hinges, and covers for each mattress. We opened up one of the mattresses (this is the cheapest foam mattress available from IKEA) to make sure my calculations were close enough. Overall, I'm really pleased with this part of the project.

Last weekend we moved on to fixing this section of ceiling. The ceiling had been patched in response to ...

added by Becca 3 months, 2 weeks ago. under 2018 , camping , diy , maryland , md , remodel , tool , travel

Charity Quilting from Becca's Crazy Projects

This was supposed to post yesterday but it seems I forgot to write the post on Thursday.

This is another kit from Annapolis Quilts for Kids. Sometimes I just need a quick and easy project to get some sewing in without having to put too much thought into it. These kits are perfect for that.

I loaded it up on Thursday and got it quilted, too. The meander isn't fancy, but it does create a lovely texture.

2018 Charity Quilt Count: 27

added by Becca 3 months, 2 weeks ago. under 2018 , charity , crazy , maryland , md , project , projects , quilt , quilting , quilts for kids

Knitting Update from Becca's Crazy Projects

I'm still working on my ugly sweater. I figure I'm about to the waist now. So plenty more to go. I've incorporated double decreases at a point below the sleeves to slow the growing number of stitches along the bottom edge. I expect the piece to have dramatic points when I get to the bind off. Pattern: Just the Right Angle, free on Ravelry. Yarn: various wool yarns

This is a tiny Wingspan made with two strands of worsted yarn. Because sometimes you want something that knits up somewhat quickly. Yarn: Bernat Stripes

Sometimes I want to ...

added by Becca 3 months, 2 weeks ago. under 2018 , aunt betty , crazy , knit , knitting , maryland , md , needle , project , projects , shawl , yarn

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