here i am

Ha, fooled ya! I was gone for awhile there, but I guess I'm back. I will just be blogging a bit less frequently than I used to, especially for the summer. Of course I say that now, but as with everything I decide, it is subject to change at my whim. :)

Anyway, it turns out blogging was good for my project self discipline. Egads, have I fallen off the wagon or what? Witness:

I've been starting stuff like a freak on speed. And not finishing a heck of a lot. I guess I need to feel accountable to my invisible internet posse in order to keep my projects under control.

The good news is, I didn't buy anything new to do these projects...oops, not so. I bought a few skeins of yarn for the afghan, but hang on, we'll get to that.

First up: the knits.

I finished my Sitcom Chic sweater (Cotton Ease in the blueberry colorway) a few weeks back and have even worn it a few times, but I forgot to photograph it. I'll try to have Hubs take a picture next time I'm wearing it. After finishing it I got a serious case of start-itis.

Pictured above are some socks for Hubs' birthday (in July but I figured I should get going on these...he has big feet). I am knitting them to a pattern in the vintage Botany book you see in the photo. It was a gift from my internet BFF Karen and it rocks. The only problem is that everything in there is for a size 32 bust...anything bigger is labeled as "matronly...but smart!" Gee, I'd never thought of myself as matronly before. But the sock patterns are just fine and hold up very well 60+ years after publication. I'm using Knitpicks yarn (sock memories, I think), which is a tad thicker than many sock yarns in my opinion, so I chose a pattern that uses size 1 needles for ribbing and size 3 needles for the rest of the sock. Have I mentioned that Hubs has some big feet? Yeah, size 3 needles help with picking up the pace!

Directly underneath the sock is a sleeve for a very basic zippered cardigan knitted in moss stitch. It's from an old Family Circle Easy Knits magazine (2000, maybe?). I'm making it partly because it's a pretty awesome simple sweater that I will wear a ton, and partly because I had enough natural wool-ease in stash to make it. I'm trying to stick to stash as much as possible these days because have I mentioned I'm poor? Crap keeps breaking in and around my house and car. Doesn't leave much cash for crafting (the sound you hear is me, sobbing and petting my precious yarns). Anyway, more about that cardi as I get more done.

Top right in the photo is the feather and fan shawl. I am just over 100 rounds into it, and just finishing up my first ball of yarn (Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud). Two things: one, I am halfway done as far as number of rounds completed goes; and two, I have only used one ball of yarn. Those two things are hilarious because being halfway done with the chart doesn't mean squat when knitting a circular shawl, and the pattern calls for a total of 6 balls of yarn. That means I should go through 5 MORE balls of yarn at 440 yards apiece while knitting the second "half" of the shawl. Bwaaaaaa! It boggles the mind. And it makes my head hurt thinking about it, so I put it aside for a week or two. Also, I was making mondo mistakes for some reason...I will blame allergy meds for that one. Just needed a break. It's coming out super duper gorgeous though. I can't wait to see the finished product. Some day.

Just below the shawl you see a barely-begun Chicknits Chickami. The yarn is called Sinfonia and is 100% cotton...something I didn't realize when I bought it because I was blinded by the 39 cent price tag. I can't resist clearance yarn. So I wish it was a blend, because I worry about the elasticity (or lack thereof) of 100% cotton, but we'll see how it goes.

And just below that is a Debbie Bliss cabled pullover that I started eleventy billion years ago for Daughter and then kind of forgot about it. It's just some wool-ease sport weight that I picked up for a great price at a Tuesday Morning store after it had been discontinued. I like the sweater but it doesn't set me on fire or anything, so I'm working on it slowly. Also, like all Debbie Bliss patterns, the child's size 3 would practically fit me, so there is no rush. (Dear Debbie Bliss: why are all your toddler patterns so humongous? Seriously, WHY?)

And onward to some sewing:

After making many things for Daughter's summer wardrobe, I was a little burned out on the sewing. That black blob is the last thing I worked on earlier in the spring. It's a black and white polka dot circle skirt that's finished except for the hem. But it's a really gigantic bias hem and I seriously don't want to sew it. I will, because I want the skirt, but I should have thought more carefully about the pattern before I threw it in my shopping cart. Thatsalotta bias.

The three things on the right are khaki pants, extremely lightweight striped cotton pants, and some kickin' purple corduroy overalls, all for Daughter, all cut out and ready to sew. Check out that groovy 70s pattern for the overalls. It was my mom's and she used to make these overalls for me. Neat! I'm hoping to alter them a bit, though, as the original pattern calls for the pants to snap open and I just want them sewn shut. Stay tuned on that one.

These fabrics were in stash with the exception of the striped cotton - that one came from the dollar fabric bin at WalMart. Seriously, if you are a sewer on a budget like I am, you need to be checking the dollar fabric bin at Wally World. There are some treasures in there, I'm not even kidding. And the khaki linen blend...I am embarrassed to say that was actually a pair of pants I made for myself many, many years ago. They fell into the category of, uh, palazzo pants? I think? They were very, very, very wide and to add insult to fashion injury, they were pull-on with elastic waist. I think I completed them, tried them on, screamed, and stuffed them back in the fabric bin to be dismantled at a future time. Well, that time is now! Hooray for recycling!


And here we have the project I did on mother's day. That pattern ease pile is every single piece of Simplicity 3897 in size 1. Yes, size 1, even though Daughter is 2, because she is skinny, skinny, skinny. Guess what? There are A LOT of markings for this one little pattern. I traced all the dress pieces and all the coat pieces and all the sleeves because I want to make one of everything this pattern has to offer. I'm betting the size 1 will be perfect, but I lengthened all the pieces because my child is not only skinny but freakishly tall for her age. Ok, not freakishly, but 98th percentile. Pretty stinking tall.

The floral fabric is a sweet little poly-blend print I couldn't resist...also from the dollar bin at everyone's favorite discount superstore. Fun! I don't know which dress that will become, but it was sitting there when I took the photos so there you go.

To clarify, I didn't actually SEW anything on mother's day...I merely spent an eternity TRACING the pieces. Not a quick step, but very much worthwhile.

And finally...

Wait, what is THAT?

Your eyes do not deceive you. That's a crochet hook, my friends.

My baby sis just found out she passed the NY bar exam. YEAH BABY!! And her birthday (26th, I think...gulp! That means I am very old!) is coming up in a few days. She has been dropping not-so-subtle hints for years about wanting an afghan, so I figured this is a perfect time. The problem is I only had about a month's lead time on this, so I chose to crochet instead of knit. Yes, I prefer the look of knitting to crochet, but this was all about speed, people, speed! Baby sis will be here for Memorial Day weekend and I want to give her the blanket at that time. I have 4 of 5 panels finished, which leaves one to complete over the next couple of nights of bad TV, and then a week to assemble and add the fringe. Or not add the fringe. Still thinking about that one.

The pattern is from a Leisure Arts book (A Year of Afghans, 1996). I love Leisure Arts books. They're delightfully cheesy, but the patterns are accessible and simple, and I've rarely found mistakes.

The yarn is just Red Heart Acrylic (I KNOW, disGUSting, but the sis, she is messy, and this will end up on the floor, and be chucked in the washer and dryer, etc.), and I have a major beef now with Coats and Clark. Something is awry in the QC department, because this yarn is discolored throughout the skeins. It isn't obvious while working with the yarn, but when the strips are laid out on a table, you can clearly see color changes within the skeins (and they are all the same dye lot, I checked carefully at the store). When I discovered this I was halfway done and almost cried. I showed my mom and she said it isn't that obvious, and that I should just finish it and not worry. But I want the company to know that I am really dissatisfied. I will be sending a letter and a label from one of the skeins because they do not accept emails from customers. How lame is that?!? It's 2007, C&C. Catch up.

Actually, I can even see the color difference in that photo. Can you? Some of the cream is more yellow, and some is more tan. Ugh. What a bummer.

*****

So that's about it on the project front. There's probably more, but I don't want to go searching for half-finished stuff. There's tons going on these days, from graduations to weddings to birthdays to regular old house stuff like landscaping and fixing stuff. But I've already blown naptime by writing this much, so all that will have to wait for another day.

Daughter says:

"Peek-a-boo!"

mud rules

SQUISH!

playgroup week 2: i hate playgroup!

PLEASE NOTE: There are many opinions expressed herein. You will not agree with everything I say. I am venting. Please don't leave me comments about how rotten I am.

We went to playgroup again this morning. There were more kids there this time...all boys. Crap. I really had hoped for a few more girls.

Some of the new boys did things like: communicate only in grunts; step on my Daughter during storytime (her ankle, but she is apparently fine); and throw toys! At my kid!

Which makes me wonder...what is the protocol for dealing with mothers you'd really love to punch in the face? Consider this exchange:

Toys whiz by Daughter's head as we exit playgroup. They clatter against the wall. I turn, stunned, to see where the toys come from, and there, at the other end of the room, is a mom with her rather large 3-year-old.

Other mom (to her child): Oh goodness! You need to say sorry!

Child: sorry.

Me, trying to make light of the fact that her kid almost took my kid's eye out: Oh, it's ok, nothing hit us!

Other mom: Oh, I know.

Me: ...

Notice that nowhere in there did the other mom tell her child that it is unacceptable to THROW SMALL PLASTIC OBJECTS ACROSS THE ROOM. What is wrong with people? Seriously! I guess it's ok to chuck toys around as long as you mumble a 'sorry' after you do it.

I hate to say this, especially about a 3-year-old, but the minute I saw this kid I thought, I don't like you. I know! It's terrible! He's only 3! But I could just tell by the look on his face and his mom's attitude that he was not a nice kid. She even told me (unapologetically) that "he's going through the raging 3s right now. He was so great at 2, but now..."

Ok, first let me say that this playgroup is specifically for children who are 2. TWO. Not 3. And really not "raging 3."

And also? If you know your child is kind of a terror, why bring him to a playgroup?!? If he does anything further to put my child in harm's way I will speak to the teacher. I just don't like the kid, and I don't trust his mother.

And I'm not finished. What is up with moms who think they don't have to clean up after their kid at snacktime? Daughter helps me clear her place and wipe any spills. There were a few moms who just left the stuff on the table when we went to storytime. Also irritating: the mom who brought snack today brought those little chocolate covered donuts (I think they are called "donettes" or something). Good grief. My daughter has never even had a real donut, by design, thanks. Why would you bring junk like that for 2-year-olds?!? Daughter didn't even eat it, nor did many others. She took one bite and spit it out. I can't blame her. At least the mom who brought juice brought 100% juice. I know, I know, I bring my kid to this playgroup and I have to live with the way things go. If the snack mom wants to bring crap, I can't say anything. But come on. I'm not saying you have to bring baby carrots or apple slices, but there are about a bazillion better-for-you snacks than little synthetic donuts. Gross.

Another mom brought a special organic super-duper healthy protein-packed cereal bar for her kid's snack (this is the kid who stepped on my kid's ankle), and then let him wander around the room with it, even though all the other kids sat nicely at the table. I fault the teacher for letting that happen. If it were my program, I'd have nicely asked the mother to sit her child down to eat.

I just...I just...AAAARRRRRRRRGH! Gah! I shake my fists at you, lame parents of the world! You are in charge of your kid! Believe it or not, you're bigger, technically you are smarter, and it is your JOB to guide your child in appropriate behavior. Yes, I understand some people give birth to a force of nature, and parenting is an uphill battle sometimes. There are days when I feel drained by bedtime because all I've done all day long is say, "no! don't touch that! stop kicking me! don't throw that! eat with your fork, please! no! no! no!" But I say those things because I have to, so my child will end up knowing how to behave and be a productive member of society...one who other people will not want to avoid (see: holy terror child described above).

I realize I sound terribly judgemental here. And that's because I am being terribly judgemental. It is hard not to do so when the evidence is so clear that some folks let their child run the show. I loathe the thought of sending my daughter to school with kids from homes like that. At least when that happens she will be 4 or 5 and better prepared for it. And hopefully no one will throw anything at her.

I hate playgroup.

But we'll be going back next week, because guess what? Daughter had a great time.

In addition I must add that I chatted with many nice moms/grandmas and their children were mostly very sweet. Sometimes just a few bad apples really spoil the bunch. And again, I'm just venting here.

praying for Heather

I trust you all have heard about Heather by now. Her story is all over the blog world. In case you somehow don't know, she is a young mom of 3 who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. She's having really dangerous surgery to remove it on Thursday.

Pray for her, people. Pray hard.

etiquette 101

Thanks for the funny and kind comments about my playgroup anxiety. In response to some of your thoughts: this is a community ed thing through our school district, it is only 1 hour per week, and I am not as crazy as I made myself sound. I behaved perfectly normally, truly I did...I just felt like I needed to run about 5 miles when we left to blow off all the pent up nerves. I'm not good at being the new kid. Anyway, it was fine, really it was, and we are going back next week.

And now I have an etiquette question (unrelated to the playgroup).

Part of the reason I haven't blogged much is because the biggest thing going on around here has nothing to do with me. Back in March, my bro-in-law (Hubs' brother, who I will call "C") finally proposed to his looooooooooooooongtime girlfriend ("M"). Now, C and M have been living together in her house (not her parents' house, her actual house that she bought) while C tried to get his life figured out. He graduated with a degree in sociology in 2002, but has been knocking around trying to get a police job ever since. All he's had is security work, until finally he was accepted into the US Border Patrol, which we think is pretty awesome. So he's been away at their academy since January, while M remained here, working and whatnot. She went to visit him on her birthday and he proposed (awww), and plans immediately commenced.

Their engagement is to be only 6 months, which seems so short to me, but he will be stationed in California so they want to speed things up for M to move out there. So things are coming rather quickly. Hubs was asked to be a groomsman/usher, and Daughter was asked to be a flower girl (which we declined based on the fact that she will be less than 2.5 years old at that time, and also with Hubs being at the altar who would help me wrangle her?), but I was not asked to participate. That's fine with me, but my question is this: what role do I play in the preparations...specifically, her shower(s)?

Hubs has only the one bro, no sisters, so there are no women from "our" side of the family involved. The bridesmaids are to be M's only sister and I guess some friends (possibly cousins, I don't know). We are not very close to C and M, because they are 4 and 5 years younger than we are. Hubs was never tight with his bro due to that age gap. We see them once in a great while, mostly at my in-laws' house. Case in point - Hubs is NOT the best man. C chose a friend instead (as did Hubs for our wedding).

So I'm just not sure if I should hang around and wait for a shower invitation, or if I should offer to help somehow. If so, who would I even contact? My mother has told me that, typically, a girl's own mother/sister/grandmother do not hold a shower (though I realize people do it), so I don't know if I should speak with them or not. I've never even met those women. I guess I don't HAVE to do anything, but I'd feel awful if 5 or 10 years down the road it came out that they were aghast that I didn't offer any help.

Here is your chance to play Miss Manners. What would you do?

"playgroup" or "my social anxiety comes to a head"

A month or so ago we got a community ed booklet, and I thumbed through it hoping to find some sort of playgroup for Daughter. And what do you know, there was a Creative Playtime class just for 2 year-olds. I was a little perturbed about paying $32 so my kid can make some friends (I mean, can you imagine our parents paying actual money for us to have other kids to play with?!?), but there just aren't any toddlers within shouting distance of our house. My poor kid stands at our front fence and watches the 5 and 6 year-old girls across the street, trying to call out to them and interact, but of course they could care less about a toddler. And I wouldn't be real cool about having her play with kids that big anyway.

So we signed up for playgroup. It started this morning. It's a nice thing, this Creative Playtime. The 'teacher' is maybe in her mid-30s and has 4 kids of her own. It takes place in a preschool classroom so there are tons of toys, and there are several specific activities set out for the kids to play with (today it was painting, rubber stamps, and coloring). I guess 14 kids are signed up, though only 9 showed today. And 6 of them were boys. Poop. I wanted Daughter to start interacting with some little girls, so I hope more show up in the future.

I quickly discovered that most of the kids are older 2s, and several are actually turning 3 in a month or so. Daughter, you may recall, turned 2 last Thursday. So she was the smallest and youngest by far. I was also probably the youngest mom, and it seemed I was the only mom with only one child. Lots of kids were with their grandmas.Everyone else seemed to know each other because they've been participating in this Creative Playtime for 2 year-olds since their kids turned 2. Many have been through 2 sessions already.

I felt like the new kid in school. Didn't know where to put our coats. Didn't know the routine. I think I was the only one who had to leave the room to change a diaper. My child was the only one who couldn't drink from a dixie cup at snack time - thank goodness I thought to throw a sippy cup in the diaper bag (I was the only one with a big fat diaper bag, too). She was also the only one who didn't know exactly how to conduct herself during storytime. At first I was psyched because she ran right over and sat on the rug with the other kids, but that lasted about 30 seconds. She got up to play with toys, and when I tried to bring her back she started a hissy fit with the shrieking and the stiff body - you know. And the room was so, so quiet. Except for the shrieks. Luckily the teacher was freaking amazing and asked Daughter if she'd like to come sit next to her, which yes, she wanted to do.

The moms/grandmas were really nice. I don't mean to say that anyone made us (me) feel bad. They all kept commenting on how sweet and tiny and birdlike Daughter is, which is totally true - she is 36 inches tall but only 23 pounds, with these long, slender feet and hands. And I made it a point to mention that she is only just barely 2, so people would know why she wasn't going on the potty or drinking from an open cup. Which, I mean, why? I don't really know why I felt I had to do that. There is nothing wrong with my child. She is developing in a totally normal fashion and on a perfectly average timeline. I know I don't have to explain why she can't do all the things another child can do - especially a child who is one full year older than she is. And frankly, she can speak better than several of the children - the little girl sitting next to her asked for more juice and goldfish crackers and that girl's own mother couldn't even understand her. I couldn't either. Whereas Daughter can say many, many words perfectly. I'm sorry, re-reading that I guess I sound a bit braggy and snotty. I don't mean it that way. I'm just trying to process some thoughts and feelings here.

Anyway, Daughter seemed to have a blast. She talked about "playing with new friends" all morning. We're definitely going back. I just hope it isn't too much for her (me). Five kids were missing today and I am hoping some of those will be younger 2s also.

Our day to bring juice is May 23rd. Good heavens, I hope I bring the right kind.

the meaning of life...or something

Yeah, so I haven't been posting. I'm not sure where I want to go with the blogging thing just now. It has started to feel vaguely like a chore...think of something to write about. Take photos. Upload photos to PC. Edit photos. Upload photos to Blogger. Train for, run, and recover from a marathon while waiting for Blogger to upload 4 or 5 measly photos. Write stuff. Lose all "free time" (aka naptime) from my day.

In the past week and a half or so I have put the computer away. It has been quite liberating, really, to discover that I had a very serious internet addiction. After a loooooong, dark winter of living vicariously through others, I am enjoying not looking at this screen.

Interestingly, my house is clean. My chores are pretty much done (ok, except for the ironing because holy heck, I hate to iron). Generally speaking, I'm just doing more and sitting on my butt a lot less.

Each morning our Daughter wakes us with some seriously LOUD singing from her crib. She belts the Sesame Street theme song, Rubber Duckie, the Chiquita Banana song, and several others. When I go in to get her, she stands up and says, "HI mommy! What do today mommy? Issa booful day!"

It could be sleeting and freezing outside with no chance of sunshine, and yet my baby-who-is-no-longer-a-baby still tells me it's a beautiful day. To her, every day is beautiful, and I have to capture that and hold it close while I can. She turns 2 on Thursday. It won't be long before she stops asking me "what do today?" It won't be long before she stops looking at every day as a "booful" one.

I owe her my time, all that I can give. This is what we gave up extra money, nice cars, and a nicer house for...so I can be with her completely. And that means putting down this dang computer unless I need to check the weather or something.

So I don't know what that means for blogging. I started blogging because quite frankly, I was lonely sitting in my house all day with a 6-month old infant and no one to talk to. Now I have a 2 year old toddler who does nothing but talk my ear off, and it's grand. I'm afraid talking to her and more importantly, listening to her rank higher than showing you my latest projects. I'm not sure if it's quittin' time, or just break time. We'll see what happens.

grandma's stash

I've been waiting for Joann Fabrics to put Simplicity patterns on sale again...they often mark them either a buck apiece or $1.99. This weekend they are $1.99, so Daughter and I braved the whiteout conditions (which, what the - ? It is APRIL), and picked up a dress pattern I've been eyeing. I wanted to buy a bunch of patterns, actually, but I held back because I'm already juggling enough projects.

I just got this one:


Simplicity 3897, sizes 1/2-4. The one I want to make is the dress shown on the little girl. The reason being that it requires one yard of fabric, and I have many, many single yard hunks of calico piled up around here.

Which leads me to the title of this post. I had to pick up some zippers to make a couple of these dresses, but I neglected to bring the fabrics with me to the store. I guessed at the zipper colors, but I couldn't guess at ribbon for the trim. When I got home I started thinking about a box of stuff that's been buried in my sewing bins for years. It was stuff we cleaned out of my grandma's basement when she passed away, oh, I guess it's 18 years ago now. Wow. Anyway, I've never actually sorted through her sewing stuff...till today. I thought I might find some ribbons and trims. Egads. Here is what I dumped out:


Aparently this is where I got my instinct to hoard the craft supplies.

Let's take a tour!


Need to bind a seam? Face a hem? Holy moly, my grandma was prepared for anything. There are some fantastic colors here, people. Some of these packages predate my birth by many, many years. Remind me to never ever ever buy seam binding. Ever.


Bias tape. MILES OF IT. I should never have to buy this ever again, either, but no doubt I'll need a different color/size than I have here. That green one on the top is Majesty brand, and it says it's "lawn." On the back it advertises other products, like coif caps and corset ties (!), but there isn't any company info. Anyone know anything about Majesty brand?


Not much ric-rac, I was surprised to find. But those two sealed packages are awesome. The one on the left is silver and new-ish, compared to the red and gold one, which only cost 19 cents. I would hate to open this stuff, as the packages are in perfect condition.


Ummm, need any fasteners? We have zippers in a rainbow of 50s/60s/70s colors, some enormous buttons, lots of snaps, and enough hooks & eyes to fasten about eleventy-billion garments. I wonder if my grandma just bought stuff when it was a good price, like I tend to do. I currently have enough hand-sewing needles to outfit a dressmaking school...I don't know if I'm subconsciously afraid they'll stop manufacturing them or what.


These buttons are my favorite. Can you see the sparkles? There's only one missing. I wonder what she made with it.


Back in the day a mere 45 cents would buy you these "Loving Touch" strap holders. These are unused...I wonder why she bought them if not for a specific event? The directions on the back indicate that you wrap them around any lingerie straps you are wearing, and then use the tiny safety pin to attach the wrap to your dress lining. Then your bra and/or slip straps are hidden! Neat!


Polyweb, 59 cents. I wonder if this would still stick?


Bright flaming red iron-on mending tape. 25 cents. It has "a 1001 uses!" The date on this package is 1945.


This pretty lady can teach you how to make draperies with Kirsch Easypleat tape and hooks. Phew. I was wondering how I would learn that!


And look at all the neat stuff you can make with nylon elastic thread! In your bobbin! Which I would not try! I don't know about you all, but I've never had good luck putting anything other than regular sewing thread in my bobbin.

Ah, that was fun. So much neat stuff, and I love to look through it and sort it and think about my grandma.

I did a really quick bit of sewing today as well. For heaven's sake, have any of you tried to buy a slip for a little girl recently? Sheesh, when I was a kid we couldn't escape the dumb things, and now I can't find one anywhere. I guess I'd need to look online or something because the department stores in my mall didn't have any. Luckily I am resourceful! And maybe a little nuts! I decided to make one...you know, 3 days before Easter. Yikes.

McCall's seems to be the only company that even makes a pattern for little girl undergarments, and their pattern starts at size 3. I thought I might buy it and try to cut it down, but when I went to buy it today at Joann Fabrics, I realized that the basic slip is just a tank-style dress with no facings.

Well, come on now, I don't need a new pattern for that!


This is the same old dress pattern I always make, in a size 1 (I want it to fit fairly close to the body because it's underwear). I had a big chunk of eyelet in my stash, so I used that to avoid making a hem. To finish the armholes and neckline, I serged lace (which I have a metric ton of, for some reason) around the raw edges, then folded the edge and topstitched on the right side.


Detail of the topstitching.

The McCall's pattern has straps that meet at the top of the shoulder, and these will button more to the front, but I don't think it's a problem. I'm going to make the buttonholes by hand tomorrow because this fabric is pretty lightweight and sheer...my machine would probably make a mess of it.

This isn't a perfect solution, but considering I couldn't get a 'real' slip pattern in Daughter's size, it will do for now. That said, do any of you know of a commercial slip pattern (even one in a book that I could maybe get at the library) for toddlers?

I'm signing off for the holiday weekend. To those who celebrate, have a blessed Easter!

still here

*Tap-tap*
Is this thing on?

I've kind of slacked off with the blogging thing lately, I guess. Anyone still checking in here? I don't know, I've got a touch of the ol' blogging ennui, plus I have a child turning 2, and it's spring, sort of, so I've had change-of-season stuff to do. Haven't really felt like I had anything to write about.

Here are a few things I'm working on:

First up, Pam, you are a stinking genius.

When I completed this dress for myself last week, it didn't fit right at all, and looked shapeless and...well, just bad. Pam suggested I try ties (my idea, or rather my mom's idea, was to try darts). Ties sounded so much easier, so I gave it a try. I made 2 long ties out of extra fabric, then opened the side seams about 6.5 inches below the underarm. I inserted the ties and re-sewed the seams.


Voila! A dress with shape! You'll have to take my word for it when I say this looks pretty cute on. Disaster averted!


Sitcom chic, with the sleeves now joined to the body. This has been my sitting-in-front-of-the-TV knitting, and it's proving to be very relaxing after a day of chasing a 2 y.o. around. As it happens, there is a small error in the online pattern for this sweater, so I emailed Bonne Marie Burns, the designer, and she got back to me in, like, 15 minutes with the correction. She is AWESOME! Anyway, I'm looking forward to finishing this one up for springtime.


And here we have some not-so-relaxing knitting. Still enjoyable, but definitely not relaxing in any way. Sometimes you need a challenge, right? I find that being a stay-at-home-mom sometimes leaves me wanting a bit more mental stimulation than coloring/playing playdough/reading Goodnight Moon can give me, which is when a project like this comes into play. What is it?


It's the Feather and Fan shawl from A Gathering of Lace. This shawl is also featured on the cover of the latest Knitpicks catalog. I'm working it in Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud in the stream heather colorway. So far, so good, though it took me about an hour to do the first 3 rounds. A circular start in laceweight on size 5 dpns? CHALLENGING. I'm 20 rounds into the first chart, and enjoying it, though it can really only be worked on during the day - like during naptime - as I'd be much too tired at night to keep from screwing it up.

Incidentally, I left this on the kitchen table last night and this morning Daughter dragged it off and dumped it on the floor. By some miracle no stitches were lost, which I can't believe because whenever she finds a sock-in-progress she yanks out at least one needle. Lesson learned...this will be stashed away where she cannot reach it from now on.

new socks

Socks!



These have been dragged hither and yon for months as my in the car/waiting room project. They are simple top-down socks, 60 stitches on US size 2 needles. Each sock is made from one skein of KnitPicks Sock Garden in the Zinnia colorway.

As you can see, it is a lovely day. Time to get Daughter up from her nap and play outside.

get a drink & a snack...we've got a lot to talk about

First up: big balls

Of YARN. Sheesh. Quit being pervy! This is a family-friendly blog!

Check these out! I made them! Ok, that is a partial lie. The yarn came pre-made, but I dyed them myself. Now, I do not claim to be Scout, but I am proud of these nonetheless. They are actually 2 different shades, though that's a bit hard to discern in the photo. I tried and tried to get an accurate picture, but even with some tweaking it was really hard. Anyway, I split a skein of Lion Fisherman Wool in half (by eyeballing, so I am pretty amazed that they came out to be almost exactly the same), then dyed the first half with a bunch of black cherry kool aid a few weeks ago. The resulting color was putrid, to say the least, so I let it sit in my laundry room until Hubs started asking questions.

On Saturday night (while Hubs was out), I hauled out my giant stockpot (which I have never, in 10 years, used for stock...and never intend to), filled it with hot tap water, set it on the stove to heat, and then mixed in an entire packet of Rit dye in Scarlet. I put in both halves of the skein of wool, stirred, and let it cook away for 30 minutes. The twice-dyed yarn is on the right as you look at the photo above. It came out a lovely deep crimson. The yarn dyed only once came out more of a cherry shade, so I'm glad I followed the advice on the dye box and used 2X the amount (of dye) recommended or the yarn would have come out too light.

Some thoughts:

I did not stir constantly as the package recommends. Then again, nowhere on the package or Rit website do they even mention using their product to dye yarn, so I'm all about breaking the rules. Also, I was petrified of splashing scarlet dye all over my almond stovetop. Which I did anyway, so thank goodness for Clorox bleach spray.

If you want to do this, go for it, but remember that dye is dangerously permanent. My utility sink is super duper stained from draining and rinsing the yarn. WEAR GLOVES. BE CAREFUL. DO NOT SPLASH. I did this after my daughter was asleep in bed because I definitely did not want to be carrying a huge pot of hot scarlet dye while she nipped at my ankles.

Finally, I am HOOKED on this now. I want to buy a shipping container of Lion Fisherman Wool and several cases of Rit and experiment till the cows come home. I may just start creating my own worsted weight wool colors for future projects. The Rit website has a humongous chart of color blending ideas. Awesome.

More wardrobe enhancement for the kid


This is the Knitting Pure & Simple cardigan in the 18 month size. It's plenty big for my petite girl. I still need to weave in a few ends and sew on the buttons, but for blogging purposes I am considering it complete. My blog...I make the rules, right? Right.

The yarn used for this sweater was Bernat Denim Style, almost 3 skeins. Needles used were US sizes 7 and 8. The pattern calls for sizes 6 and 8, but I don't like tight ribbing. I also made this a tad longer than called for, so it will be a bit more jacket-like.


I couldn't resist making another sweet dress for Daughter, even though she has plenty of summer clothes already. This is McCall's Easy Stitch 'N Save #M5370 in size 2. The fabric is by Nancy Halvorsen, my favorite designer, from her Winsome collection. I knew when I saw this collection online that I would end up buying at least a little of it, and serindipitously a coupon for my local quilt shop arrived soon after. For 40% off, this was an affordable project. Unfortunately, it is totally HUGE and will not fit Daughter anytime soon. Poop. I should have made the size 1. Now I'm worried about all the other size 2 outfits I made her already. Sigh. Here's hoping she has a growth spurt between now and, say, June.

In which I complain a lot


During a recent trip to Joann Fabrics to buy interfacing, I got the crazy idea to sew for myself again. Probably a bad decision.

This is Butterick 6016, I don't remember which view. "But Kate," you are thinking, "this looks like a shapeless sack!" Yes, dear reader, it does. Why? BECAUSE IT IS A SHAPELESS SACK.

The front darts are ok, but only because I moved them down (who are commercial patterns written for? Whose boobs are really THAT high? Mine weren't, even pre-motherhood!) but there is no shaping at all for the rest of the body. Which is such a scam, because on the pattern cover the dress totally looks like it has shape. I called my mom to complain about this and luckily she is both patient and wise - she suggested trying a couple of darts in the back. Ah. Yes. A good idea, as the dress fits, it just makes me look very, very odd.

So, any tips on putting darts into an already-finished dress?


And look! Because I am a glutton for punishment, I'm going to try making this skirt! Me+Zippers=much cursing and gnashing of teeth, generally speaking, but I'm going to try it anyway. The fabric should be relatively forgiving (just a black calico with tiny white pindots). At least my sure-to-be-funky stitching won't show too well against the black. If, by some chance, it works out, I will wear it for Easter with a bright sweater.

And finally, something that seems to be going well!


Seriously, I think it is safe to say that I am really more of a knitter than a seamstress. Knitting is more forgiving, and I need that in my life. I have also recently decided to start knitting more things for myself rather than just making stuff for Daughter all the time.

I bought 6 skeins of blueberry Cotton Ease 2 years ago, right after Daughter was born. Joann Fabrics was unloading their supply of this discontinued yarn (but they've brought it back! Huzzah! No more funky bright colors, though...), so I got the last 6 skeins they had of this colorway for $1.50 per skein. Awwwwww yeeeeaaaaaahhhhh. I loves me a bargain!

I had intended to make Sitcom Chic, but dumped that idea when I got pregnant again and knew I'd be unable to wear it for a long while. After my finishing frenzy over the past few months, I started digging for a fun, simple project to use up stash yarn, and this popped out at me. So what you see above is the body of Sitcom Chic (the fronts are tucked under the back...it's knit in one piece from the bottom up), as well as the yarn to finish it. I think it's long enough now (it's a sort-of cropped style), so I'll be starting the sleeves tonight.

So that's what I've been up to. Well, that and playing outside, but I've discovered that I can set Daughter up with her chalks and her outside toys and actually get a smidge of simple knitting done while sitting in a lawn chair and keeping an eye on her. Sah-weet!

a better 300th post...playin' outside

photo removed....sorry!

Favorite little tree


Communing with nature

photo removed...sorry!

"Drawin' chalks"

photo removed...sorry!

Wheelbarrow rides


Kickin' a ball

a post about nothing much, really

Wow, I totally didn't mean to maintain radio silence for a whole week. Has it really been a week? Where on earth did that time go?


Well, we've been doing a lot of this. Spring is kicking and clawing its way forth, and it is finally warm(ish) enough to play outside. Until today our yard has still been covered with a light layer of crunchy, dirty snow, which was ok with Daughter. She llllllllloved it.


The poor child has been cooped up in our boring little house all winter, and has reached an age where if she is not occupied she becomes destructive. So we go outside a lot, where she cannot break anything. The detritus of our ice dams can be seen above. Yes, I moved the sharp piece of broken plastic right after this photo was taken. She didn't care about that, anyway. She just wanted to splash in the ooky puddle.


This is the best we can do so far. Itty bitty lilac buds (I think). Those of you who live in nice climates where it is already warm and things are blooming...count your blessings. It's still cold and rainy here, and will be for some time. Bleh.

I've been surveying the house and yard during my rock-and-stick-gathering sessions with Daughter. I swear, I feel like a prairie homesteader when I look at the damage and all the repairs that need to be made. Winter was not kind to our little dwelling this year. Repairs will begin soon, at considerable cost for young, single-income folks like us. And the grass! Oh, the grass. Where it's not just totally gone it's...it's...traumatized. There's hardly any green to be found out there. The blades are actually bleached out to a whitish shade and the whole mess just looks sad.


We also have lots of mole-holes to trip over.


Le sigh. There are so many things I want to make and do! I'm working feverishly, milking every naptime for all it's worth, just trying to create, create, create before we become shackled to the endless yardwork of spring/summer/fall. Sometimes I think I'd love to go back to renting. Homeownership is for the birds. Thpppppt.


But then Daughter gets out there and runs around our scrabbly yard, and I guess it's worth it in the end.

really hoping this is leftover from halloween

this 'n that

This will be brief, because it's flipping gorgeous outside and I want to get out and enjoy it. As soon as Daughter is up from her nap we are so outta here.

First up, a skirt for the sewing seeds project. This skirt will eventually be going to Africa for a little girl who needs it. I really like to participate in projects like this because I have the ability and the supplies, both of which are typically used for pleasure only. I mean, quite frankly, I could just go to Target and buy Daughter a season's worth of clothing, but I like to create much of her wardrobe because it's fun. Some folks don't have the option of driving down to the local superstore to buy whatever they want/need. Some don't even have the option of sewing. It is the least we can do as the most privileged country on the planet.

I don't know what pattern this is because I had to borrow it - my Joann Fabrics was sold out when I tried to go buy a copy. But this tiered-style skirt is everywhere this season, so you could find one from any of the major pattern companies. I believe this was from Simplicity. I made a size 5. The fabric is a nice quilt-shop quality 100% cotton calico that I've had sitting around here for ages. I'm so glad I was able to use it for something worthwhile. The gathers almost killed me, but boy, the final result is adorable.

On the homefront, I have been doing some utilitarian knitting. Daughter is growing like a weed and needs a cardigan to wear for spring. I wanted a cotton blend but I can't find Lion Brand's reissued Cotton Ease in my local stores. Anyone know if the big stores will be selling it? I tried Joann's, AC Moore, and Michaels. Nothing. So I went with Bernat Denim Style (30% cotton/70% acrylic) in the natural colorway. It's a nice heavy worsted and knits up soft and purdy. I'm using the Knitting Pure and Simple infant cardigan pattern in the 18-month size because it's still plenty big around for Daughter. I'm just lengthening the body and sleeves. I think I'll put a hood on it too, both because it's cute and because Spring can be chilly.

The only problem I'm having is that this yarn 'fuzzes' and little bits get all over my clothes, up my nose, and in my eyes. I hope that problem goes away after washing and drying.

And now, just for pure eye candy goodness...tastycakes! Of yarn, that is...

Mom wanted to order some yarn from Knitpicks but needed to get to $45 to avoid paying shipping (sheesh, remember when you only had to order $30 to get free shipping?). So I graciously volunteered to buy some stuff. People, I am selfless. The things I will do to help others! It boggles the mind!

This is 3 skeins of Sock Memories in the Yukon colorway to make socks for Hubs' birthday (in July). I figure if I start now I can throw them aside occasionally when I get bored knitting ten miles of stockinette for his size 12 feet. So, see, that wasn't such a selfish order.

But it is also 2 skeins of Sock Memories in the Geranium colorway. All for moi. Oh, come on, I have to do something for myself sometimes. Anyway, I needed to be cheered because my house is crumbling and we will be forking over mucho dinero to fix it very soon. And what is more cheerful than spring-like weather and red/hot pink/orange/chartreuse yarn?

Speaking of which...I'm heading outside. Catch ya' later.

get out!

I have seen this commercial several times and I really like it. But I did not know until I found this link on another blog that the actress is Clare Danes. She looks really different in the ad and I have to say, it is the best thing I've seen her do. It's a great commercial!

Gap Ad

wardrobe update

When I was away from the blog for about a week I did a lot of sewing. I couldn't resist this cute flannel at Joann Fabrics, so I grabbed some to make a quick pair of pants for Daughter.


I used my usual pattern (New Look "easy" #6175) but lengthened it by about 3 inches. Daughter is tall and skinny, so she can still wear the larger baby sizes of some patterns if I lengthen the legs. These should hopefully also fit in the fall.


More sundresses. Surprise, it's New Look Kids #6578. This time in size 2 but size 4 length.


This is my favorite of the fabrics I bought for sundresses. You can see tiny dots on the background if you look closely - they're like clear sequins right in the fabric and they sparkle when they catch the light. Adorable.


It's so easy it's Simplicity #4142 tank and shorts, size 2. The fabrics are cotton and cotton/poly blend. Easy care for summer. I know all this stuff looks crazy wrinkled, and I swear I press as I sew. Somehow everything always looks mushed up when I take photos. I promise I'll iron it all before she wears it out of the house.

I'm taking a wee break from sewing - I sew in the dining room and after awhile I just can't stand seeing the mess, so I pack everything up and stop for short periods of time. I'll get back to it after Daughter's birthday when I can assess what she still needs for summer. My mom and sisters tend to buy really cute clothes so we'll wait and see.

In other news, the sun has been shining like mad for 3 days. The way this affects my mood is ridiculous. I just feel SO much better when the sun is out. Now all I need is for temps to rise above the 30s so we can actually get outside and experience fresh air. YAY SPRING! Also, I am psyched for DST to start earlier this year. It's so nice to eat dinner with some light left in the sky, don't you agree?

and speaking of irony...

This is my daughter, holding the tassel I got when I graduated with a master's degree in education 5 years ago:



And here she is using it as the world's tiniest mop:



A LITTLE TOO SYMBOLIC, THANKS.

don'tcha think?

Your 1996 Theme Song Is: Ironic by Alanis Morisette

It's like rain on your wedding day It's a free ride when you've already paid It's the good advice that you just didn't take Who would've thought ... it figures

What's Your 1996 Theme Song?

Bwaaaaa! This cracked me up. I don't really even like Alanis Morisette. And why 1996? I don't know. Go check this out and tell me - what's your song?

Firth

Well, my own-horn-tootingness came back and bit me in the butt. My Firth sweater is finished, but the last steps took me a looooooooooooooooong time and tried my patience.

Here is the info:
Pattern: Firth from A Season's Tale, women's size large
Yarn: Paton's Classic Merino in dark grey mix, black, deep red, natural mix, and leaf green
Needles: US 7, 8, and 9

Modifications: I knitted the body of this sweater several inches longer than the directions called for, and it could be longer still. When I tried it on Hubs said, "it's nice, but if it were me I would have made it a little longer." Seriously - the models must have been really short or the book has a typo or something. It hits me around hip-level and though I'm a bit over 5'7" I have a short torso. So I don't know what's up with the pattern. Moral of the story: If I make it again, I will knit more rows for the body, and just a few more for the sleeves as well.

Other than that I knit it to the pattern specs. Well, I eliminated one of the colors in the fairisle section, ending up with 4 instead of 5.

Seaming this thing was a pain. As I mentioned before, it was my first raglan style sweater knit in pieces. It would have been easy without the colorwork, but seaming that part almost killed me. It took me 3 nights. Then there was the weaving of the ends, and putting in the zipper (another 2 nights). I didn't do a great job with the zipper. It's acceptable, but again the colorwork makes all mistakes look really, really bad. There's a point where the pattern on the front is off by what looks like a full row - but I am leaving it for now. If I don't zip it all the way up you can't see the problem anyway. It's good enough, and dudes, I SO don't want to redo it. If it bothers me in the future, or if I find I'm not wearing it because of the zipper, I will fix it.

So this was supposed to be a stash-busting project, and somehow that went awry.


Because I had to buy a few skeins for Firth's colorwork, I ended up with this lovely collection (all Paton's Classic Merino). I am thinking a small afghan or maybe a color block or striped sweater for Daughter. Don't know...for now I'm letting it sit in this basket because it looks pretty.

Well, even though it's March it is only 3 degrees outside. That's 3. THREE DEGREES. And with the wind chill it apparently feels like -10. My house was 60 degrees inside when we woke up this morning, and it's still chilly. My fingers are cold. If Spring doesn't arrive soon I'm going to lose my mind.

We had terrible ice dams on our roof in 2 places (very old house, very poor insulation) resulting in bad leakage into our bathroom. We will be replacing at least one wall and the ceiling. One of the ice dams started to melt last week when it warmed up and rained, causing it to let go and rip off the gutter and flashing on one side of the house. Conveniently, it was over the driveway, where Hubs' car was parked. The ice hit the bumper - luckily only the bumper - and completely dented it. We have a white plastic picket fence that cuts across our driveway (a vestige of the former owners) and one section is now completely smashed into bits. It was quite a spectacular show when this thing let go and came smashing down. It's too cold to go out there and do much fixing right now, so when I pull into or out of my driveway I just feel terrible. Our house looks like total white trashville. And it's going to cost a lot to fix, I expect. We are praying our homeowner's insurance will help.

That sound you hear? It's me, sighing. Over and over. It's hard to be in a good mood when your house is crumbling around you. Beh. I really hope Spring comes soon.