Stuff Just For Me

I just wanted to show off two of my latest creations.

The first is my attempt at the Wren pattern. I used some Lorna's Lace Shepard Sock Yarn in Hermosa. I like how it came out, but I may reposition the button.


The second item is a tam, just for me to sleep in. I have heard that sleeping in a wool hat will help them dread... so bingo! That what I want to make! I used Fisherman's Wool from Lion Brand in Nature's Brown. The yarn was different to work with... as it felt at times slippery or greasy. I dont know how to explain it, but the final product was just fine. Maybe it was because it was 100% wool and I had never worked with wool like that. I started out using a pattern from a book I had, but pretty quicky I went off the 'chart' and just went free form. It still worked out just fine.

Gift? I Guess Not!

A month or so ago I finally figured out what to make out of some scrap yarn I had laying about. I figured I would use it to make a two sided pillow to give as a gift. Fast forward a bit... all done! Custom cut foam pad etc... everything. Now I just have to keep it away from cat hair and cat butts until I can gift it. I should have known better. Just look at her smug face... filling the fibers with feline follicles that will not budge!


Not only has Mesha decided it makes a great cat pillow, but I have also seen Dot on it as well. I guess it is mine now... even though I hate pink. It does have a gray side... guess I will have to keep that side up!

New Vest Thing Design

I guess I lied.. I thought I wouldnt have time to finish the project, let alone blog about it, any time soon... but I was wrong. Last night I finished working on a design I had been kicking around for a few months. I am not an "advanced" crocheter, so I get a little intimated when I start creating stuff from scratch. I think, for a first try, it turned out alright.


This first version I will keep for myself. It took me over a month to make it, so I am uncertain if any will show up in my shop any time soon. It was fun making it.


The yarn is super soft and warm, but MAN! I used a lot of it! I probably used almost a pound! The self-striping yarn looks a little odd in the round, but I think it has some potential and charm. The colors are just perfect, and now my mom can stop complaining that I dont wear anything white. (BTW, I dont wear anything that is white, this is a very light grey).


Let me know what you think! I have no idea what to call it... a vest? A chest warmer?

WIP update

I was thinking that if I keep tabs on my WIP, I would feel more responsible and get the darn things done! I blogged a while ago about starting a blanket for myself. I knew it was going to take a while to make, and I am right on track. I finished my first strip last week. I am going to create several 5 foot strips then sew them together and give the whole thing a boarder. One strip down... I have no idea how many more to go. I was suprised I couldnt get the whole strip in the photo!


This sucker is going to be warm! I only work on it when I dont really have anything else to work on... so it might take me all year to finish it. I think it will be worth it.


I have also started a loom knitted shrug. It is a bit of an experiment, but so far I think it is going well. I have one arm done. I just need one more arm and the back... then sew the whole thing together and I should have one WARM shrug. This sucker is made with two strands of homespun yarn, which makes it really thick. I think I could wear tank tops under it in the winter just about!


I think it will turn out really good... but we shall see! If it does turn out, I may make a few for my shop, modifying and improving the design along the way. I dont know how many different sizes I can make though... since I am knitting this in the round, and that limits the diameter of the sleeves. I just cant wait to get mine done though!

Pink and Black Punky Funky Monkey Baby Hat

Pink and Black Punky Funky Monkey Baby Hat
Originally uploaded by fuzzy_izmit

I have been making a ton of hats lately... and this is just one of them! I have had a lot of fun experimenting with different kinds of yarn and combination. So far I have just listed baby hats, but I plan on making some preemie hats and adult hats. In fact, I just started making an adult sized warm and fuzzy Santa hat. I made one for my husband and it turned out so cute he thought I should make some more and try to sell them! Check out my shop to see more...and I hope to be adding more as more come off my loom!

First Test of Plastic Bag Yarn!

First Test of Plastic Bag Yarn!
Originally uploaded by fuzzy_izmit

I thought it would be cool to try and make some grocery bag yarn. I try to recycle when I can, and this seems a great way to do it! Make grocery bags etc out of old plastic grocery bags is the perfect way to do that! This is my first test swatch. I think I need a slightly larger hook, but I think it turned out rather well! It seem very durable. I think I am going to make it into a wine bottle cozie/carrier thing. It would be a great thing to give with a bottle of wine for a home warming gift or something like that! So, not only is this an experiment, it is also a WIP!

WIP... I have just started today

WIP... I have just started today
Originally uploaded by fuzzy_izmit

I recently completed a nice project for a friend that got me going on a huge knitting/crocheting kick (see some of my previous posts). That got me thinking, I have never really made anything big for just me! Well, today that changes. I started working on a vertical striped blanket that is going to be nice and warm to curl up with on cold nights. I plan on making the stripes separately then join them later. The scarf like sections will make it easier to manage and move around with. You can see the two colors I chose were an off white and a dark red. I have yet to choose a complementing color to join everything with, but I figure I have plenty of time to figure that out as this is going to take me forever to complete.

My mom would probably die since I picked out "white" as a color, but I think of it this way... the off white looks more like bone. Bone and blood look good together, right? So there! I do like to contrast some times! I am sure when she sees this for the first time she will faint from pure amazement. Then she will start buying me white clothes, which I will never wear... oh well, you cant win them all, right?
You can see more photos, like a picture showing all of the yarn I had to buy (6 pounds total!) and close ups of my stitches on my flickr account!

Arm Warmer Frenzy!

I have been in a fiber frenzy lately. I have made something like 3 pairs of arm warmers (4 if you count a pair I messed up on). I am still working on a blanket and another set of red arm warmers, plus I have another blanket and an extremely long pair of arm warmers floating around in the back of my head. My first two pairs (red and black pair and the sparkly cranberry and black pair) are crocheted and the gray ones are knitted. I retaught myself how to knit because my still WIP red pair (not pictured) will be created using a yarn were the stitches just disappear when they leave your crochet hook! I really want to use this yarn because of its color, red and slightly darker red, and it is really light and soft. As a bonus, while I was balling it up, the original skein looked like a flopping blood clot dancing around my floor. That was great! I found a "new" techinique for balling up my yarn where it will pull from the middle of the ball... yeah I know I am behind on my fiber arts learning curve.. I have only been crocheting for something like 10 years now. HERE is where you can find it. The only issue I have with it is if you get a knot... you are missing one of your thumbs to help unwravel it. More views of my arm warmers can be found on my Flickr site. If you like what you see, just let me know! I am always willing to do custom work (through my etsy shop, of course!)!.

Update... its been a long time!

Man, it has been a long time since I blogged. Sorry about that everyone in cyberspace. There have been some interesting things going on in my life, plus I wanted a little down time before my summer semester started up again.

First off, the Amazing Technicolored Dream Hat sold a few days after I listed it, and that was super exciting. I have another one that is almost ready to list and I hope that one goes just as fast. I also whipped up another similar hat but it uses different granny squares, different colors and is smaller. I hope to list that soon as well.

We have a new addition to our home, and her name is Mesha and she is about a year old. She is really uniquely colored, and her eyes are the color of the sky. We got her about two weeks ago from the local humane society. She is still very shy and skiddish, but when she decides to come out from under the bed all she wants to do is be petted and loved. Her purr box is very loud! Our other cat Dot is still working on adjusting from being an only cat to sharing the love. They occasionally get in each others faces, but it is quickly over. I hope that all these little scuffles disappear soon.

Also, about 2 and a half weeks ago my husband and his sister installed my roving wool dreads, and you can see how they came out. I like them and they are very light. They are slightly easier to clean because you can wring them out, which you cant really do with synthetic dreads. The next batch I made is going to be longer though.

I also bought an old wool sweater from a local thrift store and did some needle felting on it. While the colors arent my favorite (I never wear pastels) I think it is cute. I also hope to list this, but I think I am going to try and sell in on Vampire Freaks first. I hope it sells, because it was a blast to make!

Congrats fauxtograph!

Well, my "Name the Hat" Contest is over... and the winner is Fauxtograph with "The Amazing Technicolored Dream Hat"! Fauxtographs entry garnered 37% of the total vote. It was a close race and I want to thank everyone that entered. I hope you all had fun. Fauxtograph has won a $5 gift code to my etsy shop and free shipping on their order! Look for The Amazing Technicolored Dream Hat in my shop soon!

Name the Hat Contest Part 2

First off, thank you to everyone that entered my contest! It was a great showing with nearly 40 comments, many of which had multiple names! It was hard to narrow it down to just five, but we did it. Drum roll please....

The five finalists are:
fauxtograph with "The Amazing Technicolored Dream Hat"
heatherfuture with "Grannystafarian"
gypsycaster with "Reclaimed Rainbow-licious!!"
quietsleeper with "Dandy Candy Tam"
tjmetz with "Fantasta Rasta"

The voting will go on for one week, at the end of which, the winner will be notified and told how to claim their prize. Good luck to all of the finalists!

Brand New Blog Contest!!!

This is the official announcement of:

Fuzzy Izmit’s Homemade Tomfoolery’s Name the Hat Contest!

I need your help! I am having trouble coming up with a name for the latest hat I created. This hat is created from granny squares from an old forgotten ugly afghan. As you can see, the hat is quite colorful and it is not my normal style… which is why I am having trouble naming it. All I can come up with are names like “Rainbow Puke” or “Ugly Hat” which probably doesn’t make this hat as appealing as it could be. That is where you guys come in. I want you everyone out there in internet land to help me come up a name! Your job is to come up with as many (family appropriate) names as you can and leave them as comments here on this blog. You can enter as many times as you want, just make sure that your comment has some way for me to contact you (like you sn and site you found this from etc.) if you name is picked. Any names deemed offensive or inappropriate will be deleted. Please do not list names more than once, only the first person to list a name will be counted. This "brain storming" phase of the contest will run until April 26^th. At that point, the five best will be placed in a poll (also on this blog) and after a week, the name with the most votes wins!! The inventor of the winning name will receive a $5 gift code they can use in my shop and free shipping on anything they order at that time. I will also give you credit (if you wish) when I list this hat!

On to the hat! Like stated before, this is made from granny squares and is (to the best of my knowledge) make from 100% acrylic yarn. I have a few squares left, so I may make a few more similar, but each one will be unique because no two granny squares are the same! There is elastic cording that helps to keep it on your head and it is made to keep a bushel of dreads under (colorful) wraps. Hopefully with a great name this special hat will find a good home!

Good luck!

Premium Personal Bacon

Bacon1
Originally uploaded by fuzzy_izmit

I am now the proud seller of a line of felted bacon products! As of right now I have 6 pieces of felted Peruvian wool bacon and I am slowly posting them on my etsy shop. I love contributing to the bacon frenzy that is blazing across etsy! I know I personally have bought bacon fudge, bacon lip balm and a bacon scented candle from etsy (a few of which I also blogged about!). There is also an "I [heart] BACON" necklace made by Lady Spleen I am coveting too...

I hope to photograph and list more bacon and head bands soon, but with my brand new camera I need work out the bugs with it.

Enjoy the joy of bacon!

Crochet Frenzies: Dread Accessories

Well, in anticipation of my future wool dreads, I have resurrected an ancient hobby of mine; crocheting. I actually learned the summer between my junior and senior year in high school because (just like quilting, sewing, etc) I didnt have a summer job so I got bored. I actually first taught myself from resources I found online... and this was before things like "youtube" existed :P

Anyway, take a gander at what I have whipped up in the last weekend. Once I get going, I can crochet a pretty good clip!

My favorite one is first. I just love the way the camo looks, plus it is a nice size.



Simple, but depending on the light it looks too pink for me.



This didnt photography well. The yarn is black and it has silver strandy things woven into it... that is probably why it looks gray. It has bobbles in it too, but they are hard to see.



I dont think I am going to become a professional crocheter any time soon, but I have a wagon load of rainbow colored yarn that I bought for a project that fell through.... maybe rainbow dread wraps would sell? It would at least keep my hands busy :)

Wool Dread Extensions: Part 2

I thought I would show a little update on my progress. It is slow going, but today my husband helped me a little bit. We now have a total of 26 done... only 44 more to go! I am thinking I may dye a small batch of these ones red to see how all that works. I can then do some needle felting too! I think if I have any dreads left over I will make some dread falls on elastic bands and sell them on my Etsy page.



I have also started crocheting a bit to break up my time. I was looking around Etsy at dread bands and it inspired me to make my own. I have made two so far, but this camouflage one is my favorite by far. I will probably make one or two more. I have made a gray one and plan additional colors like black and/or red.



You can also see my old hand-me-down couch. I look forward one day to buying my own furniture!