FO: Ilene Bag (in psychedelic colours)

Finished Ilene Bag

WOW. This is finally finished. Ok I didn't take very long to knit this particular bag. But this yarn has been on and off the knitting needles for several times. I bought the yarn 3 years ago and was in the process of knitting this Mary's Summer bag. But I screwed up somewhere along the way. I was still beginning to learn to knit then. Consequently, I decided to frog it all together. I have tried crocheting a bag out of it a few times too, but I just couldn't get a base of the right size.

Original bag that I was knitting

Then, I came across the free pattern for Ilene Bag on Ravelry and I knew that I have to knit this bag, in this yarn. More importantly, I have to finish it.


And I did. Phew. I'm not very sure if I have an extra ball of this yarn back home in Singapore. I certainly hope not. Although I love the colours, I think I have had enough of looking at this yarn on my needles. 

But isn't the bag pretty? :) I made a rather long strap so that I could either use it as a sling bag or a shoulder bag. 


I feel like a hippy. Just give me a vast grassy field and I'll be laying there with this bag by my side.

THINGS TO KNIT/CROCHET

With this list it seems like 24 hours a day are just not enough. But I need to put these off for a while because I need to start knitting some other stuff for my friends first!!!

DIY: Summer Diary/Planner

The front cover of my planner

The back

And so, it has begun.


I think that the very idea of having a summer holiday is very romantic. The thought of summer conjures up images of the free-spirit, youth, islands surrounded by clear blue water, sun-kissed skin and unforgettable memories. 


But sometimes the mind fails and it forgets things. I wish I could sing the song by ABBA while I reminisce about my last summer, but sadly, I can vaguely recall it. 


So, this year, I am trying something different. I spent the entire day making this scrapbook/summer planner/diary thing from the junk on my shelves. As a self-confessed hoarder, I often find myself having too many travel brochures, free postcards and magazines lying around. So once in a while, I make something like a scrap-notebook or card. It's my way of recycling. 


Materials:

Steps:
1. Cut the scraps of paper and cover the pages of the magazine with empty spaces for your writings/doodles/whatever.


2. Get some other unwanted magazine, cut some more pretty pictures up and paste them around the pages. You can be creative here and try to use different medias as well. I used some cartoon tapes on some of the pages. Here are some examples:

3. Make an eye-catching cover. Do a collage of pictures of random models if you are tired by the time you reach the last page, just like me. For a great finish, stick contact sheet on the cover page and the back page. FYI, I think contact sheet is the most amazing that I discovered in Sydney. It's this sticky clear plastic that you stick to the covers of paperback books to prevent those doggone dog ears from forming. Damn, you can even spill coffee all over the cover.


4. Start writing in your diary/planner using your coloured markers. It's a diary/planner because I will be writing about the things I plan to do and the things I managed to achieve in the same book. You can fill the book with whatever details you want.


The huge top picture of my cover is actually a photo of Hamilton island that I found in a magazine. The words "Summer '10" are something that I wrote in permanent marker. 


I think I will be posting the scanned pages of what I have written in the book. :)

I WEAR DIY: Chambray and Lace

I haven't had much to say lately. Maybe it's all for the better, because I mostly write nonsense anyway. 


You should have seen this outfit in the DIY tutorial post. But here are just some more gratuitous pictures of myself. With my new haircut. And a lot of wind. By the way, that's my birthmark on my right leg. 


P.S.: Yes I am still wearing my very very worn white (perhaps off-white is more accurate) plimsolls.


The tutorial for the skirt, which by the way, was originally an oversized shirt, can be found here.

DIY: Refashion Chambray Shirt to Skirt with Lace

I said that I would keep true to my promise...

and so, here you go! This is a skirt made from an OVERSIZED chambray button-down shirt that I thrifted. I was planning on wearing it as a real shirt but then I realised it's really just too big for me. I felt that the shirt was actually mocking me when I looked at myself wearing it in the mirror. Then somehow I heard my sewing machine sobbing in a dusty corner of my room and thus I decided to cut the the shirt up and sew it into a skirt.

P.S.: I also cut my hair today.

Materials:

Oversized shirt of any material or pattern that you fancy. It doesn't really need to be very big, just large enough to fit your bottoms in...

Sewing machine. You can also sew this by hand if you feel that you have a lot of time to spare.

Lace trimmings. Enough to go around the bottom of your new skirt TWICE.

And now we make the skirt:

Steps:

I WEAR DIY: Purple and Bleached Denim

Hi guys, I'm finally crawling out of my pile of notes and coming back to my blog. I would have been jumping around my room playing air guitar with the song Johnny B. Goode blasting in the background. But right now I just feel drained. Grrr... 


I know I promised a Refashion Tutorial. That will be TOMORROW! YAYY!!!


Meanwhile... a late I WEAR DIY post. It's something that I wore on October 20th, Spirit Day.

Bleached Denim Jacket: DIY (thrifted and bleached)
Little Miss Tee: swapped at some clothing exchange
Skirt: Dress worn as skirt
Charm Bracelet: DIY


Also, I think it's time I throw my white plimsolls away. But... it's so comfortable!!!


Oh, and my tutorials have been appearing on cuteable.com and copycatcrafts.com. (^_^)v

HIATUS

It's the time of the year again! No, I'm not talking about the impending Christmas. I'm talking about my upcoming end-of-semester examinations! So please excuse my absence for the next 3 weeks. Yes, sadly this blog will be experiencing a 3-week hiatus. I'll be back with a refashion tutorial. (^_^) I PROMISE.

Meanwhile, here's a little sneak peek of what I have been working on. I know I should be studying but I still need to take breaks in between right? This is what I do during my breaks. It's the BEST way to de-stress, apart from listening to He's a Rebel by The Crystals.

By the way, I'm using the circular needles that I bought on eBay...

 See you soon!