Latest knitting and crochet projects

I've been knitting and crocheting a lot and am having a lot of fun.  I had to stop for awhile because I developed some terrible joint pain that has been a mystery for three months.  They tested me for RA and Lupus but luckily the tests were negative.  The prednisone she put me on seems to be improving the wrist pain and I was able to complete my projects.

Crochet grocery bags- Eugene,Oregon has started charging for their grocery bags at all stores so I was inspired to make my own bags out of some clearance cotton yarn I had gotten awhile back...  The teal, coral and yellow one was my first, adding a custom made silk flower hairclip (see post from April).  They are super easy to crochet and turn out so fun.  I have some really fun ideas for them coming soon....

I had a lot of fun creating a folk art, primitive style knitted rabbit with my friend's yarn of wool and cat hair. I found the pattern online in German.  I spent about an hour translating it and rewriting it.  I could not figure out some of the directions for the ears but they still turned out cute.  I'd never knitted something to be felted before.  I used natural wool for the stuffing and had to redo it while it was in the dryer.  The wool was felting to the knitted part in bad spots so I restuffed, resewed the bottom and put him back in the dryer.  He made it though.  I needle-felted an angora rabbit hair tail to his backside.  I used my hand-dyed fair-trade sari silk ribbon and jute for a bow around his neck. He's approximately 18" tall.

I've also been trying to spin some yarn up to help my friend fill out her booth at her local fiber show.(also available on my Etsy shop, www.thewoolywanderer.etsy.com)

 I had some leftover yarns and decided to try and do another headband for the show.  I love how it turned out and even added a wrap around the seam to create a feminine and stylish look. (Available on www.thewoolywanderer.etsy.com)

I've been needle felting too!  My favorite art-  My pieces NEVER turn out how I picture them but they always turn out cool.  I really enjoy painting with wool.  They all look better in person than in photos though.  They have a lot of texture and color and sparkle. (Available on www.thewoolywanderer.etsy.com)

 And last but not least is my friend's baby blanket I finished up today.  It started out as a blue organic cotton monkey washcloth but I had made it too big so I decided to use more of my organic cotton yarn and make a blanket out of it.  I hadn't made a blanket for and wasn't sure how to fix it up.  I ended up crocheting around the knitted monkey part.  The corners are rounded but I thought it still turned out cute... I hope she will like it and it will go with her monkey theme for Gracian.