Neither Hip Nor Funky

Thanks for all the awesome compliments on the Argyle vest. I have to agree with Ms Frickknits and Ms Flintknits; the term “geek chic” is the most accurate description . And thanks to all the Civ freaks for coming out of the woodwork. I have to admit that after turning it on to get the picture, I was hooked again for the next 24 hours. (If you asked a question recently, and I haven’t respond, please re-ask it. Many emails are a bit buried.)

When I am in the midst of finishing up a few knits in a row, I get to participate in some of the other fun aspects of knitting (besides the plain act of knitting itself—which is also great). I am currently plotting my next knitting conquests, figuring out which quick projects and which long term ones to add. Some in my queue (Ravelry link), a simple ribbed, jogging hat for my dad, Squid-a-licious for P-funk, Celtic, and Autumn Rose Pullover. Not to mention that fact that I already snuck a few things on my needles that I haven’t talked about here yet.

One of the other fun things about finishing up knits is getting to wear them out for the first time. Which I did this Sunday when I went to brunch and Pix and to Crafty Wonderland. (The brunch at Pix (on Division) is fairly new, and I highly recommend it. It is the brainchild of a young chef, cooking everything from scratch himself, and it amazingly good. Hie thee there, Portlanders.)

I’m trying to reserve some of my money for things other than yarn, and I managed to pick up some great things:

Patch from Leethal, Magnet (forgot to get a card) from Sugar Lily, Earrings from kg: ear things (It was so hard to pick just one pair. I think all you chocqua fanatics influenced me), Shirt from Handmade Julz.

I was eyeing many other things, but I’d already spent quite a bit of the month’s budget on yarn.

However, on the way home, I did snag this at a yard sale in my neighborhood:

I’ll try it on to see if it fits. However, I really bought it to make a bag from the linen fabric.

(Picture heavy post)

Step 1. We can have lots of fun
Step 2. 2. 2. There’s so much we can do
Step 3 3 3 It’s just you and me

Okay since that is all I know of that song, I will move on to the actual tutorial

Supplies:

• Freezer Paper, black marker, X-acto, envelopes
• Cutting Board, Matboard, or cardboard
• T-shirts, bags, etc.
• Fabric Paint (You can use regular acrylic paint in place of fabric paint. It works fine but can sometimes be a bit flaky after washing)
• Iron

Step 1. Place the waxy side of the freezer paper down and draw your image. I will use P. Edward Squidersons II as a demo.

Step 2. After sketching the image, use black marker to fill in all the areas that you want the paint to go through.

(If you are using a pre-printed image, you will start at this step. Convert your image to black and white. You can then tape your image facing the waxy side of the freezer paper. You will be able to see the black areas that you want to cut out through the freezer paper.)

Step 4. Make a copy of your image. If you have a simple shape, you can skip this step.

Step 5. Start to cut out your image. Save any of the cut out white pieces in an envelope.

For example, I saved Squidersons’ eyes, head pieces, and the areas between the legs.

You can throw out the black areas.

Step 6. Iron on the main stencil of your image, waxy side down. Make sure you place the iron straight down. You are likely to peel up parts of the stencil if you move it back and forth how you would normally iron.

Step 7. Grab the copy that you made of your image and your envelope full of pieces. Refer to the copy as you piece your image back together like a puzzle, ironing each piece down as you go.

Make sure that you are placing the small pieces waxy side down so that they don’t end up sticking to your iron.

Step 8. Start painting. It is better to dab at the stencil rather than use back and forth brush strokes, which are more likely to peel up the smaller sections of the stencil. Make sure to use a fairly thin layer of paint. (I’ve found out that if you put on too much paint, it is likely to smear in the wash and give you a splotchy t-shirt.)

Step 9. Let the paint dry completely before peeling up the stencil. You can use a hair dryer to speed up this step.

Step 10. Heat set the paint by pressing on each section for 20-30 seconds with the iron set on high. (If you didn’t use fabric paint, you can skip this)

You’re Done. Enjoy looking suave.

A quick recap:

Freezer paper is quick and easy…oh and fun, of course.. The lines are more crisp than what you get with fabric marker, and it is quicker than screen printing, unless you want multiple copies.

A few options for use:

(Clockwise from top)
1. Have a food stain on your shirt right between your boobies? Place food there on purpose.
2. Have dress shirts that you never wear? Add some flair.
3. Have paint stains on a shirt already? Add a stencil image. It may not cover the stains; however, they now seem like they are just part of the charm of the handmade tee.

I hope this was useful. Let me know if you have any questions.

*Look in the sidebar in the next day or two. I will post a template for the flower in the bottom picture and for Mr. P. Edward Squidersons II.

EDITED TO ADD:
If you have any questions, leave a comment and I’ll reply.
I figured that I would answer a few of the common questions here also:

• Freezer paper is similar to wax paper, but it is only waxy on one side (this helps when you are trying to iron it down.)
• You can find it at most larger grocery stores. Smaller ones often don’t. (The ones in my neighborhood are small, so it took me three tries to find it. However, any major chain should have it.)
• Freezer paper peels off easily, leaving no residue. It seals well enough to create crisp lines but is not very sticky.

Edited to Add (4/7):

I have read that you can use the stencils up to 5 or 6 times with good results. (I haven’t tried this myself yet).

What?! You don’t think squids love puppies? Everyone loves puppies.

Doesn’t this squid just look like it would love puppies?

Here a non-knitting present that I gave recently (the gray one on the left). It was actually a late birthday present not a Christmas present. I have definitely earned a bit of a reputation as a late gift-giver, especially for birthdays….but it is really not because I forget. It because I either want to make it myself or find something the person will really like instead of buying something random just because I need to get a gift. (Since I rarely shop and work on too many knitting/craft projects at once, this results in late presents.)

I really love the tutorial for this shoulder bag from Tiny Happy. The cream one on the right is one that I made for myself last spring. I squared off the bottom of the bag incorrectly, but I still love it and receive more compliments and questions about it than any other item I wear. It is hard to tell from this picture, but I took inspiration for the embroidery from the prints on the inside of the bags. With the way this bag hangs, you see just enough of the inside fabric for it to have a little flair. However, the solid, outside fabric is plain enough that it won’t clash with any outfits.

Just for a little sweetness at the end of the post:

Pattern: Cupcakes from OneSkein
Yarn: (all remnants, of course) Pink-Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere, Blue- no clue, Green-Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk, Red-Lily cotton
Needles: US 5 Bamboo DPNs for bottom, US 10.5 Bamboo DPNs (It would have been better to use US9 or US8, but I worked with what I could get while out of town)

These went with a gift we gave to an aunt and uncle of P-funk’s. They both have a great sense of humor, so we knew that they would get a kick out of this bit of whimsy. The aunt and uncle with very limited senses of humor got a washcloth. See people, if you have no sense of humor you will only get washcloths from me (High in practicality, Low in whimsy).

(*warning: cute picture heavy post)

My niece likes to ribbit and hop around like a frog, so everything else around her is ordered to ribbit also. This cat:

I am happy to inform you that it ribbits and hops exceptionally high. (Uncle P-funk is also a mighty funny ribbitter.) The cat is from the Pointy Kitty pattern at Wee Wonderfuls. It was my first attempt at making a stuffed animal, and I am pretty happy with it. Although I did have the fix the fact that it accidentally had a little butthole where the fabric didn’t get sewed together all the way. (Wee Wonderfuls was one of the many fun crafting blogs that I found through whipup.net. If you haven’t explored that site, you really should. It is a blog with about 15 contributors who post link about all kinds of crafts and art, often with tutorial links. Everything from knitting, sewing, and jewelry crafts to amazing quilt artists and recycled material artists. It consistently links to amazing sites.)

My niece finally received her birthday gift. If you want more info, you can scroll down the page to see the post from when I finished this sweater.

Here is the ribbitting cat and a simple garter stitch scarf. I have no clue what the yarn is, but it was kind of a pain to knit with. It is boucled and fluffy and was in the donated yarn in my classroom.

Now this hat, I love! It is such quick knit and has just the right about of added detail to make it special.

Pattern: Flapper Hat from Sara+h
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere (the leftovers from the Pea Pod Baby Sweater)
Needles: Denise interchangeables US5

Wishing you a new year full of ribbits and hops!