DIY Water Bottle Holder. Tee ise: Veepudeli kott.

I like to go for a walk most days. Sometimes I take a water bottle with me. I have broken one already, just slipped from my hand and fell in million pieces despite it was a plastic bottle. Another thing is, the water gets hot when I keep the bottle in my hand. It would be easy to get a bottle holder online for couple of pounds but where is the fun there? Why I should get something cheaply made in China when I can make one what I really like? 

***

Ma käin jalutamas peaaegu iga päev. Palava ilmaga võtan veepudeli kaasa. Ühe pudeli olen juba ära lõhkunud, lihtsalt libises käest ja purunes kildudeks, kuigi oli plastmassist pudel. Teine probleem on, et vesi läheb pudelis soojaks, kui pudel on käes. Muidugi võiks ju osta koti paari euro eest, aga see pole ju lõbus! Milleks osta midagi, mis on odavalt tehtud Hiinas, kui võin ise teha täpselt sellise, nagu soovin?

Last year, before designing the White Star Blanket, I knitted a lot of mosaic swatches, using leftover wool. Wool is good for insulation, right? I decided to felt swatches and make a bag. 100% natural wool is good for felting. I put the squares in a washing machine, short 30 minutes cycle in 40 degrees C, no detergent.  The squares were slightly felted. I ran another cycle. Now the swatches were beautifully felted. 

***

Eelmisel aastal kudusin hulga mosaiikkoes proovilappe enne, kui asusin White Star tekki kuduma. Kasutasin igasuguseid villase lõnga jääke. Vill on ju hea isolatsioonimaterjal? Otsustasin proovilapid ära viltida ja kasutada neid koti tegemiseks. Viskasin nad pesumasinasse, ilma pesuvahendita, lühike 30 minutine tsükkel, 40 kraadi. Lapid vildistusid veidi. Lasin nad veel teist korda samamoodi masinast läbi. Seekord tulid välja ilusasti vilditud lapid.

Nicely felted!

***

Kenasti vilditud!

Now was time for hand-sewing. I used two squares for the bag. One square was folded in halves to create a pocket for a phone or sunglasses. A piece of furnishing fabric was cut for the bottom of the bag and a rope for the shoulder strap. I'm really happy with the result!

When my husband saw the felted squares he said, those would make a nice bedside rug for him. Never know, maybe that's my next project! ;)

***

Nüüd oli käes aeg natuke õmmelda. Voltisin ühe ruudu pooleks, sellest moodustus tasku mobiili või päikeseprillide jaoks. Koti põhi sai tehtud mööbliriide jäägist, üle-õla-rihmaks on nöör. Võibolla vahetan nööri välja, kui sobivama rihma leian. Tulemusega olen igatahes rahul!

Kui abikaasa nägi vilditud lapikesi arvas, et neist saaks voodi ette kena vaibakese. Kes teab, võibolla on see mu järgmine projekt. ;)

Knitted Soft Book. Kootud pehme raamat.

As you might know, I've been self-publishing knitting patterns for years. I have several patterns published in E-magazines also, which is great! Yesterday I had my first pattern published in a printed magazine, Your Crochet and Knitting, issue 18. It's an amazing feeling, open the magazine and find my pattern among others. The magazine is full of interesting patterns! I love that cushion with a bird on the front cover and tiny garden birds. The magazine comes with a yarn pack, knitting needles and crochet hook included, so one could cast on straight away. I think is a great idea, especially on times like we have now with the lockdown. 

The pattern I proposed and was accepted for publishing is a soft baby-book. It contains eight colourwork charts, the letters A, B, C, D and pictures of an Apple, Boat, Cat and Duck. The squares are worked in mosaic knitting technique, directions given in the magazine. Ever so often I hear, oh, mosaic, never tried it, sounds too complicated. Afraid not, it is actually very easy, suitable for beginners. If you know a knit stitch and slip stitch, that's all you need! 

I have been designing mosaic motifs for over a year. I've used them for the White Star blanket, cushions, washcloths, coasters. Still, I didn't have a good idea for kids items. I started to think, what do I use them for? Washcloth? Baby blanket? I asked for ideas in a Facebook group. One of the suggestions was a soft book. And here it is! Enjoy!

Ma olen kudumismustreid kirja pannud ja avaldanud juba õige mitu aastat. Mitmed mustrid on ka E-ajakirjades ilmunud. Eile oli tähtis päev, sest avaldati esimene minu muster trükitud ajakirjas. Imeline tunne on avada ajakiri, ning leida oma töö teiste vahvate mustrite seas. 

Alustasin mosaiik-koes motiivide disainimisega üle aasta tagasi. See on lõbus tegevus! Paljusid motiive olen kasutanud tassialuste, pesulappide ja teki ning patjade jaoks. Hulga lastepäraseid motiive on jäänud siiani kasutamata. Üks idee oli neist beebitekk kokku panna, kuid otsisin veel uusi võimalusi. Küsisin ühes Facebooki grupis nõu, mida teha. Üks soovitustest oli pehme beebiraamat.

Pakkusin ideed ajakirjale Your Crochet and Knitting, see osutus valituks, ning nii see raamat sündis!