Thursday, June 9, 2011

The Denim Rug - Take 2

I finally finished the rectangular rug!  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out...but it will probably be a while before I decide to make another one...if ever I make another one.  It's pretty labour-intensive, but worth it in the end.  I just love that it was made of old jeans!

And now...my first "how-to" post...

...ahem...

How to Crochet a Denim Rug

Material: Q hook, nine pairs of old jeans, scissors, needle and thread

1. Gather your jeans.  I originally started with eight pairs, but my dad ended up finding an old pair of my brother's from the early 90's.  (Yes, you read that right.  This is what happens when your parents don't get rid of anything.)  So, I used nine pairs in this rug.


2. Cut out the pant legs.  You will need to remove the pockets and the seams.





3. To make the "yarn," begin by cutting a one-inch strip.  Stop cutting approximately 0.5-inches away from the end, then switch directions.  You want your pant leg to be one long, one-inch strip.




4. Begin rolling the yarn into a ball after the first pant leg has been cut.  To add more yarn, simply sew the ends together.


5. When one pair of jeans has been rolled up, you are now ready to begin crocheting.

6. With a Q hook, ch 40 (or as many ch you need for the size rug you want).  The entire rug is worked up in sc.  Be sure to count your sc periodically to make sure you are on track!  To add more yarn, sew the ends together.



7. Continue working in sc until your rug is the size you want.


halfway!


The finished product:



And there you have it, folks!  An upcycled, crocheted, denim rug!

This one is going to sit at the back door...and I think I'm going to bring the oval one into my classroom in the fall.

PS - These are my new shoes.  Cute, no?




Friday, June 3, 2011

U2 and Konadicures

 U2 was in town last Sunday.  It was a fabulous show.  I will spare you the crazy-fan stories, but I will not spare you from pictures!
Watching them walk into the stadium was probably
one of the best moments of the night!

"Hello, Winnipeg!...with two n's!"

The Claw
Love this picture!

End of the show :(

...and even though I said that I'd spare you from the crazy-fan stories...I just have to say two things: 
     1. Bono and The Boys are just too cool.  Seriously.
     2. U2 makes me happy.  Crazy happy.

In other (fluffy) news:

In addition to yarn, I've decided that I really love nail polish, too.  Thankfully, my girls love it just as much, so I don't feel quite as bad when another bottle of nail polish makes its way into our home.  After all, 3 out of the 4 people who live here will use it.  At least that's what I like to tell myself.

So, a couple of weeks ago, I finally picked up some crackle nail polish:

Let me just say that crackle nail polish is just so much fun!

But you know what's more fun than crackle nail polish???? Konad Nail Stamping - that's what!  I ordered a few Konad supplies from http://www.wowsocool.com/ almost two weeks ago and the package came in yesterday.  I heard about Konad from someone at work - her nails are always beautiful.  I was so happy when my package came in!  I did my nails that evening.  I don't think it looks too badly for a first attempt, if I do say so myself! 



What is Konad, you ask?  It's too hard to explain - it's best if you just watch this video (which is actually one of many Konad videos on youtube).


My name is Emily, and I am a Konaddict.