maybe I should stick to sewing and knitting

Ow. Today there is pain. My back, my arms, my wrists and hands are all on fire. But I finished the tree! It is cut back to the property line which is good enough for me (for now). Next spring we can go out and clean up a bit more and put down grass seed. I really had to get this done now because a) it is supposed to snow soon and b) the town is sending trucks to pick up yard debris due to the big storm we just had, so I have to take advantage. Normally we would have to pay someone to remove so many branches.

Honestly, I am rather impressed at what I was able to do with 2 hand tools and a rake in just 2 afternoons. Now I am excited to attack the front corner of our yard which is just covered with densely overgrown stuff. This is what happens when Home Depot lets a yahoo like me buy a saw. Whee! For those who asked, I can swing a picture of the saw (and my finished handiwork in the backyard) but a picture of the duck is probably not possible. I don't know of a stealth way to do it as the wading pool is on the front lawn. Seriously.

But anyway, this is not Kate's Lumberjack Blog, it is a craft blog, so here's some sewing for you:


Corduroy jumper for Daughter. Same pattern I always use - I don't have it handy so I can't tell you what it is, but if you need to know, tell me and I'll look it up. Jeez, it looks a wreck here, but in real life I promise I did a good job. I'm a horrid photographer.


Here is a closeup so you can see I used a contrasting calico print for the facings. I still need to stitch the buttonholes and attach buttons. Hopefully this will be done for church this Sunday.


Wee pants! This is also the same pattern I always use, though I'm going to have to start lengthening them. These are just barely long enough for my tall girl. The special thing about these is that they used to be Hub's pants - I cut the pattern from the legs of pants he no longer wanted. Then I got some ribbon trim at Joann Fabrics and stitched it around the legs. Cute!


Wee Christmas pants! It's a little early for these but the holiday season will soon be upon us. These are flannel that I bought a few weeks ago at the shop where I used to work. It's the more expensive quilters' flannel and you can tell the difference. Nice and thick and substantial. These will be nice and warm when the temps really drop.

Lest anyone think I have superpowers or anything, I did not complete these at the same time as cutting apart a huge tree. These were done early last week but I was all miserable and didn't feel like blogging. I wish I could stay awake long enough at night to do a bunch of sewing after cutting down trees, but alas, I cannot.


And in the "it's all about me" category...anyone want to hazard a guess as to what this amorphous blob is? It's a project just for me, me, me. It feels so deliciously selfish to make myself something so lovely. I've made a deal with myself that I don't have to make any Christmas gifts this year unless I really, really want to. So far, I don't want to. So I'm making myself something instead. Dammit, I deserve it.

Too much outside work today...so tired...I'm off to get my kid to bed and then curl up with that blob of knitting for the few minutes I have until my eyes close...........