button button who has the button

On Saturday, I hauled both girls off to Joann Fabrics because our local store was having a Memorial Day sale and buttons were 50% off. I love it when sales correspond with my needs and I get a good bargain.

We ended up spending $11 and getting buttons for the purple sweater, the grey sweater AND my poor black calorimetry. So yep, three projects and the buttons would have been $22. Now everyone knows why I was so excited by this sale.

What does $11 (or $22) buy you?

These are for the purple sweater. I'm going to have to do some swatching to be sure I get the buttonholes right--since we have two different sizes. I kind of wish she'd have picked just one kind.

She's my panda queen so this was not unexpected.

The grey sweater is getting these

Which I was surprised at, but they look nice with the grey.

And my poor neglected Calorimetry gets a sparkly button, that hated the camera.

Now I guess I don't have any excuses for not finishing and better get knitting. (and sewing).

Sweater update

As we head into summer (last weekend marked Canada's unofficial start to summer, and Monday marks the US start to summer), I head into the final stretches of sweater construction.

I picked up my daughter's sweater again, after a nice weekend where there was actually no mouthing off about anything. I adjusted the sleeves and picked up all the stitches for the button bands and decided on which buttonhole stitch I was going to use. I marked where I wanted them and knit up to the row where I would need to put in buttonholes and then realized that whoa, I need to know what buttons we're using.

And coincidently Joann Fabrics has buttons 1/2 price starting Friday.

So, I picked back up on the gray Central park hoodie and am almost to the armhole shaping.

I feel like I'll finally have both sweaters done, and then no one will want to wear them until September. I know it isn't true though--I use a lot of cardigans in the summer. In fact, in the summer, you can usually find the following in my trunk: 2 camp chairs, 2 pool noodles, 3 sweaters. I find that this is all you need to be prepared in the summer. And I can't tell you how many times, I've ended up fishing out those sweaters for cold stores/restaurants/movie theaters. (My husband is never cold, which is why there aren't 4 BTW) So while these sweaters probably won't be shoved in the trunk, they'll be what gets grabbed when we KNOW we're headed someplace cold. Or when nights turn chilly. Plus, they'll still fit in September.

I have resisted the lure of the felted project but I swear I feel the pull of the wool that the local fabric store carries (they carry about 4 or 5 lines of yarn, not a HUGE selection, but some basics). Plus I know there would be great fabric to line it with. But I am strong! Not strong enough that I can go through patterns for ideas though.

I am not sure why, but it seems that I am always making sweaters in May. Or finishing sweaters in May.  At any rate, I know I always think about making sweaters in fall and winter, but it seems that by the time the temperatures start rising, I'm sitting there dreaming of how people in this house will look in their new sweaters.

Last May I finished my all wool Central park hoodie in time to wear it maybe twice before putting it away for the fall.  And this year I'm on track to finish two sweaters in time for memorial day!

I am feeling better about the purple sweater.  We've had a good weekend with little eyerolling and huffing and sighing, so perhaps we've turned a corner.  In the mean time I started in on a sweater for her sister.  She requested "something with twists like this" while pointing to my blue central park hoodie.  I looked around to see if anyone had done any smaller measurements to that pattern, and on ravelry, most of the kid sized sweaters had the helpful information of "I just scaled it down." Gee thanks.

I measured the girl in question and realized she's only a few inches away from the smallest size in the pattern.  I also know from the two I knit that it runs a bit small.  So I decided that I'd make her the smallest size and my "scaling" down would mean that I'd make 3 instead of 4 inches of ribbing, and I'd watch to make sure the length was appropriate.  I may have to shorten the sleeves a bit too.  

I have the back done, and about 3/4 of the left front, so it is zipping along pretty fast.  After I finish the left front, I'm going to finish up the purple sweater sleeves and then I'll need to find a day or two when I can sit and think WHILE I knit and figure out the button band*. 

*I want to do all the edging in seed stitch as one long piece (pick up 2 gazillion stitches) and put in the button holes as I go, so I need to a) decide which side to put the button holes, b) figure out which method to use, and c) mark where the button holes should go.  Given that most of my knitting is done after a full day of stuff, this gets to be a bit much to ask of my regular knitting time. 

I'm having a bad case of starter-itis though that I am having to fight. It seems that all I really want to do is knit something I can felt.  The sweaters are winning based solely on not having enough feltable yarn to make anything.  So I've been promising myself that after the sweaters are done, I'll be making a felted bag (maybe) that is lined (maybe) in some funky fabric.

project on hold

I'm nearly done with the first of the kid sweaters. I had an entire skein of yarn left and so offered to add a hood. The hood offer was accepted, and so I started knitting a hood.

Yesterday, I was knitting what I felt must be about the last few rows on the hood and then tried the sweater on my daughter. She complained that the sleeves were too short (which means they actually came to the perfect sleeve length--a first for me!), us agreeing that perhaps an additional 1.5 inches couldn't hurt, and then I put the hood on her.

"Almost there!" I chirped.
"not if you expect me to *wear* it" she snarls back.

Oh my.

We've dealt with increasing sassiness, increasing rudeness before, but never have I been so shocked and quite frankly devastated. How long have I been planning this sweater, so everything is just right? Months. I've been actually knitting less than a month, but I agonized over style and swatches and patterns before I started actually knitting. What came next was me slipping it from her shoulders and as calmly as I could saying, "I don't really feel like knitting more on this tonight. I think I'm done working on this for now."
Of course there was more, she's had this attitude for a while and this wasn't the first incidence of her rudeness even last evening. But man that hurt.

So here's what is left to do: lengthen the sleeves, finish the hood, add the button bands/edging. However, I think I'll be setting this aside for a while and maybe working on her sister's sweater. I don't like knitting something when I feel angry or resentful. Plus, even though she apologized (and honestly not the snooty one that came when I called her on this), I think I still need some time.

mango jam

I think over the years I have made so many batches of freezer jam that I could probably do it in my sleep.  But yesterday was a first for me.  You see every batch of freezer jam I have ever made has been with fruit grown locally. Well sort of locally.  Strawberries and blueberries both within 10 miles of my house and peaches and cherries purchased at farmers market from a farm that is a few hours away. 

 Yesterday though, I decided to make mango jam. Mangos are not local to Michigan.  But I love mangos, particularly Ataulfo mangos (and actually didn't realize that all winter I've been looking for the champagne mangos I had last year and had been seeing them all along under a different name!).  They are for me, easier to tell when ripe, easier to peel, and easier to cut.

I've been buying them every time I go to the store, usually to use in lassis. Although at times they've been getting too ripe too fast and then I've been freezing them.  (cut and peeled) And they've been getting cheaper as the season wears on.  They are delicious in smoothies and lassis. 

If you've been reading a while, you know that I love Certo brand Pectin. And I happened to have some leftover from last fall's peach jam fest. The certo recipe book says mango jam should take 4 medium mangos, 6 cups sugar, 1/4 cup lemon juice and two pouches of certo.  So when I saw mangos at the store on sale for 2 for $1, I bought 6, hoping that would be enough and knowing if it was too much I could freeze the leftovers.  Well, Ataulfo mangos are smaller than the "normal" (Tommy adkins?) mangos and so, this jam really needed eight to get to the 3 cups mashed. Thankfully, I had enough in my freezer stash.

Mangos on the counter all lined up ready to be peeled and chopped.

I did one cup fully blended, as I do sometimes with peach and strawberry.  I like my jam chunky but blending 1/3 of it makes mashing manageable. (you could blend the whole thing, but then your jam won't be chunky)

Six cups of sugar later...

Ok a note on sugar here.  I have friends who have literally gasped out loud and looked like they were going to fall over at the amount of sugar required.  I don't worry about the sugar because first it is jam and the definition of jam is sugar preserved in fruit and second I don't eat huge globs of it raw, I mean what do you put on a PBJ a tablespoon?  two maybe.  Ok, I do love me a huge glob of jam on greek yogurt but even then I think I max out at two tablespoons.  If the sugar thing bothers you, you can buy a different brand of pectin that calls for less sugar.  I know they are out there and a facebook friend posted a recipe that used some insanely tiny amount of sugar.  So go for it!  Personally I like the sugar, but if I ever started eating jam straight out of the container, I'd probably switch too.

I didn't photograph the pectin step, because I was getting my kids ready for bed and got distracted, but I added it and dealt with many many complaints about teeth having already been brushed as I was ladling jam into containers (mango jam and toothpaste not really being compatible tastes) preventing kid tasting.  

We had mango jam for breakfast this morning and the verdict is mixed, but basically everyone who likes mangos to eat plain liked the jam. And I thought it was especially tasty on my strawberries and greek yogurt. 

Updates

I don't have many pictures to show today because, while it has been sunny enough to catch my purples at their truest, it has also been so windy as to blow every thing away while I compose a shot.

I did though want to say that I blocked my purple scarf and it looks fabulous. I even wore it. I even took a picture of myself wearing it. But then after I wore it I realized that probably after two wearings it is going to need to be re-blocked.
 

 I also have been knitting fast and furious on the purple sweater. So much so that on Saturday April 14th I realized I had given myself a blister from poking my finger on the knitting needle pushing the stitches along. I'm on the second sleeve now--the sleeves tend to go faster for me. Also, contrary to my usual sweater MO, I am not feeling the "yarn pinch" as I still have 2 skeins of yarn. It made me realize I could add a hood!

 My other daughter wants a central park hoodie. And while she's too small for the smallest size, it is close enough that I'm thinking I could probably shrink it down. So, I'll be swatching that soon. So many things to knit, and hopefully many more lovely days in which to bring my knitting with me to the park.

Darn it! no! Reknit it!

My local friends of the library has 3 used book sales every year in which they sell donated books and magazines. Well at the sale (or rather the pre-sale because I'm a member!) I scored a whole stack of Interweave knits magazines. I bought 15 of them even though I had a few thinking I'd sort out what I already owned and let my knitting friends choose from the leftovers. One thing I like about the older magazines is that you can really tell which styles are "classic," they are the ones that still look good 12 years later.
Another thing I like is that the articles can be really helpful. So when I saw that the Winter 1998 issue had an article on repairing your knitting by darning and a few other methods I decided to save it. Good thing too because I discovered to my horror a hole in one of my hand knit socks.


So I decided to dig out this magazine and read the article and try, not just darning but maybe something new (because I already darned some socks). Of course it took me a while because somehow even though I have no qualms about knitting in public, or making homemade jam, or baking bread I seem to have in my head that "mending" is old fashioned old lady work.
Which is stupid because I don't think "mending" things around the house is old fashioned or delegated to old ladies. I think of that as practical.

So today I decided to get over this and read the article and figure out what I needed. Lo and Behold, I learned several things. First is that you don't need to darn, you can re-knit. AND if you don't have a hole yet, you can swiss darn. So today, I reknit this hole.

First I gathered my supplies:
The magazine, the sock, the extra yarn, several sets of needles as two sizes are needed, and a tapestry needle.
I forgot to include my egg and my scissors. But I had them.
The first instruction was to make the hole square--which meant making it wider! It also was supposed to be an odd number of rows.

Then you were to pick up stitches using a needle two sizes smaller than you originally used, two before the hole, all the way across to two after. How were you supposed to know what size needle you used before Ravelry? I have no idea. But I looked on ravelry and discovered not only did I use size 2.25mm needles, but I finished these socks last July. So tsk tsk tsk on longevity! I'd have more to say about this yarn if I wasn't a firm believer in the adage: if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all (except to your husband who just hears yarn yarn yarn yarn no matter what I say about yarn)
It looked like this:

And then you are supposed to knit the same number of rows you are repairing in the pattern of the area you are repairing--in this case stockinette.
So then I had this little flap:

AND THEN...
well and then the instructions said to graft it or kitchner it to the top and I got so engrossed in the directions I neglected to take pictures. This is why it is called "disasters with yarn" and not "perfection with yarn"...

I managed it and my patch looks like:


Then I sewed up the sides using the tails. I'm fairly happy with the result.

I think sometime soon I need to do a complete entry on swiss darning because you can use that to shore up the "thin" spots on socks that eventually wear into holes, and I have a few of those.

purples!

This last week was spring break for my girls, and we did a bunch of crafty type things, but I neglected to photograph any of it. Mostly we worked on Brownie projects, we made two of the snacks required for the snack badge one daughter is working on, and made spool dolls for a local display on the history of girl scouts. For the record, the snacks were homemade trail mix (both girls made a recipe where they use the measurement of "hand-fulls") and cookies where you took a chocolate chip cookie recipe and added something that was not chocolate chips. I think my baking soda is old or something because they came out all flat. Each girl added two things (I divided the dough in fourths) one added craisins and pop rocks candy. The other added butterscotch chips and york pieces. We added all of these to the growing column called: things that are nasty that I taste for my children while smiling and saying Aren't you clever. Actually 3 out of the four weren't THAT bad, but the flatness added a layer of yuck. Plus the girls did all the measuring themselves, so something else could have been off.

But you didn't come here for the brownie crafts, you came here for the knitting! the disasters! When I last wrote I was working on a lace scarf for me just like the ones I made for the teachers for the holidays this year. I finished that but have not yet blocked it. I was also struggling with a cardigan I wanted to knit for one of my daughters. Actually I'm knitting one for each, I'll get to that later.

To refresh your memory on the cardigan thing, I was driving myself crazy because I was afraid to just make up a pattern and/or wing it. I had in mind I wanted to do top down raglan style and found a pattern similar to what I wanted. Try as I might though I just could not get gauge. When I looked at going with what I had and doing a smaller size, I realized that for my size 10 child, I'd be making a 4! That is probably what made me say--Look this yarn is cheap (Brava by knit picks) and you want this sweater to get done, just fire up your raglan calculator and cast on already. So that's what I did.

I have pictures, but I also have to talk about those. See both projects (along with a lot of other stuff I knit) are purple. Purple is really hard for me to photograph true to color. I don't have a fancy camera, a simple point and shoot is what I use. So I struggled, googled and finally decided that my makeshift light box needed direct sunlight. Fortunately we had that yesterday.


This is actually really close to the true purple. Might be just a tad on the blue side, but pretty accurate.


The unblocked scarf. Hopefully there will be more sun when I have it blocked. Because the colors are pretty true on that as a well.

the cardigan of FEAR

One of the things I think is hilarious about having knit for quite a few years now is how much more fear I have now than I did when I was first knitting. You see, I learned to knit and purl (but NOTHING else--not even casting on/binding off) at age 12, but then learned for real about 8 years ago. After I made the class's two dishcloth patterns twice each, I tackled baby sweaters! I had no fear that they would come out wonky (they did, the babies didn't care). I had no fear of other people seeing my handiwork and sitting in judgement (no one looked beyond the babies!).

And now those same babies are nine and growing out of their sweaters and I am paralyzed with fear. I worry that I'll make something wonky or too big (they'll GROW) or something hideous. I have an idea in my head what I'd like to have the sweater turn out as, but I fear I won't be able to match the picture in my head.

It is a paralyzing fear.

I started this journey looking at patterns and I found one that came close: the Tomboy Cardigan. I showed the sweater to my girls and they said... but in a different color, and with long sleeves, and with different buttons! Ah the children of knitters, so confident that their wished can be made into reality.

But then my swatch didn't even come close to getting guage. So I went back to thinking about my own design. Maybe using a Raglan calculator. But then I got scared. So I swatched again on a smaller size (at this point I'm at US size 6 on worsted weight yarn) and it feels about as tight as this yarn wants to be (and still move a bit!) and I'm fearing it might not be enough. I haven't measured it though.



I think I need a big dose of confidence that I can tackle this, do the math if I need to, to make this one come out right.

sweaters

It is 80 degrees. In Michigan, in Mid march. Last year on the first day of spring, we had a huge snowstorm that cancelled school and I took some beautiful snow pictures. Today, 3 days short of a year later, there are daffodils in full bloom.
And so why the weather report on a knitting blog? Well, maybe it just goes to the project I'm working on.

I wanted to make my daughters each a new cardigan. The last time I made them each a cardigan was in 2007. They still get worn but they don't really fit.





A few weeks ago--ok a month or two ago--my daughters were wearing their sweaters to school regularly because it would often get chilly and a cardigan was just the thing. So I thought, I'll make them new ones. A search of ravelry found exactly nothing like I wanted. This doesn't surprise me, because what I have tended to notice is that you can find a TON of baby sweaters and a TON of grownup sweaters, but try to find a non colorwork sweater for a kid who wears a 10-12 and you'll find lots of I made it up myself sweaters.

Of course the purple and grey sweaters above are both I made it up myself sweaters.

So I set out to "design" my own. I'm using quotes because I am terrible at design and pattern writing. That grey sweater up there, no notes, no idea what I did, figured out how to incorporate shaping into the pattern, no idea how. Then add to that that I sketch terrible, well what you have there is a recipe for one of a kindness. (I know not every designer sketches, my favorite project runway star Mondo does not sketch and I think he's a great designer.)
My sketch:


I decided to start with my purple loving daughter--in part because the purple sweater above is way too small for her. So we have some purple yarn (Brava from knitpicks)
Anyway, what I envision is a top down raglan style cardigan. I am trying to decide which type of increases I like best. I know it needs to have some sort of collar on it, but I have no idea what that should look like. I know it needs a button band or a zipper band. I know it needs some sort of ant-curl thing on the bottom--ribbing or a pattern of some sort. I know my gauge, in that I have a swatch that I like. (running an average of 4.25 stitches an inch).

But it is 80 degrees. And I don't feel like making sweaters at 80 degrees. But now I look at the long range forecast and it says Thursday's high is 70 and Friday's is 61. Sweater weather!

knitting philosophy

I have been test knitting this week--no photos or details on that right now, but I did want to write a little bit about what I have learned about myself as a knitter this past week. So here goes.

What I have learned about myself as a knitter

* I might be a process knitter after all. For so many years I thought of myself as a product knitter. I want something so I make it. While I do like what I'm knitting this time, it isn't stuff I usually wear, and yet I am having a lot of fun knitting it.

* I am bad for gauge. I tend to do gauge swatches and sometimes decide that I like the feel of a fabric better at a different gauge and work around that. I also tend to be very slapdash about gauge for my own purposes. No wonder so many of my knitted things don't fit the way I want them to.

* I tend to think of patterns as jumping off guides. In this instance I find myself reading this pattern and following it to the letter, but several times I've had to reign myself in from going off in another direction altogether.

* I'm a loose knitter. I don't know what to say about this except I didn't think I was. Oh and we used to make lots of loose jokes at the LYS I worked at so go ahead.

* I knit faster than I think I do and I actually have more time to knit than I realize. This has been a tight deadline, and I discovered that I have more time to knit than I ever thought I did.

*I get more distracted in my knitting than I had always thought. Maybe the positive thing is that I zen out, but then realize I have no idea how I got to the point I'm at. but it leads to ...

*I'm pretty good at reading my knitting. I always thought I was, but this has helped me knowing where I need to backtrack to if I need to.

* I maybe think reading patterns is kind of fun. I realized this when I realized I know a bunch about style of language for patterns. Clearly that means I read a lot of patterns. I may or may not read patterns I do not knit. I'm not saying.

* I have a lot of yarn that I bought for projects that never came to fruition. I pulled out 400 yards of worsted weight yarn and didn't even bat an eye... one skein I could not even remember the intended project. I'm sure other people have stash issues like this, but generally I don't buy yarn for the sake of yarn, generally I buy it with a plan. A plan that may never ever see the light of day, but still. Oh yes, my yarn is totally paving the way to hell.

Overall, I've had a blast with this test knitting, I hope I get to do more in the future because I think it is having a positive effect on my knitting.

Leap day

Well hello there knitting blog. I sure did miss you in February. I happened to have an extra day though because of Leap year and so I thought I'd pop in and say hey, how's it going. Look I finished some socks:



I love them.

I have a few more things to report. I perfected my lassi recipe and had plans to share it here, then my blender broke. Then I got a new blender. So perhaps the next entry and be the lassi recipe. Except it doesn't work so well in the new blender, which crushes ice much differently. Effectively but different.

I also have yarn to use to make my girls much requested new cardigans. This has been such a warm winter that I have not really felt that need (ie being cold all the time) to knit sweaters for everyone. Then on the eve of spring winter has put up a fight. So I guess it is time to pick a pattern and start swatching. Besides, spring is a great time to wear a cardigan, when you need just a little bit more warmth (over the short sleeve shirt you insisted on wearing because by golly it is SPRING).

I promise to update more in March. I'm busy but I'll make time. Of course March is when knitting competes with these:

destructive

I just realized I never did any resolutions for 2012. Probably because I didn't make any. I would love to say this is because every day is a new day and a new chance to change, but really, I was pretty lazy at New year's. That said, it is true you can change any time you decide to.

If I DID make a resolution though, it would have been to update this blog more. However, I don't have much new to report. I finished my black calorimetry, sort of. I didn't weave in the ends or find a button, but it does have a dressier look than I wanted for running. So I need to go through my yarn stash and find a yarn better for a running headband. I'm sure I have something.

I'm feeling a bit more destructive rather than creative lately. I broke my serger finishing the ends of towels. I also broke my VCR --don't judge. Both are fixed now.

Also, we recently did an overhaul of the craft room. My daughters have one side of the finished basement for their art and I have the other side for my sewing. The girls had these step two desks that they had outgrown, and a banquet table that they used. They also pile all kinds of stuff all over everything, had no where to put new things and basically were frustrated every time someone expected them to "clean the art room." So we spent 2 days of a recent 4 day weekend and cleaned off both desks, throwing away old things and recycling other things. And now the desks are out of here. We then cleaned off the banquet table--a 4 foot version and folded it up to put away. After the floor was clean we bought a new 6 foot table that the girls share (they had desk chairs at the banquet table). There is so much more space on their side of the room that it makes me feel like I should clean my side. The last time I attempted that I found several UFOs that I decided to complete (and haven't).

I wish I had taken before pictures of the art room. I suppose that is something to learn if I do decide to clean up my sewing space.

calorimetry(s)

I have so many new project ideas spinning around in my head. I want to knit new cardigans for both of my girls, and was struggling to find a pattern that I liked. I had this idea in my head of top down raglan cardigans. And oh by the way they need to be kids size 10. I hit ravelry and the closest thing I cam up with is the tomboy cardigan, which I would do in long sleeves and in knit picks yarn. Except that one girl can't decide on a color. (the finalists are: dove heather, denim, orange, and a turquoise whose color name is slipping from my mind). So I can't order. Then I was noticing that knit picks is now selling silk hankies for spinning and ever since the Yarn Harlot posted about knitting knit hankies into mittens I've wanted to try it.

This is all not to say that I have not been knitting, because yes I have. I have been knitting calorimetries. It all started because I lost the one I was wearing to run with and I wanted to make a new one. So I took some leftover purple yarn from my estelle sweater and knit one. It was co-opted by my daughter enough I don't have a picture of it.
So then my other daughter was like HEY! and so I knit her one in pink:

I used Vintage by berrocco, but I'm not linking because I'm lazy. It took so little yarn too.
I like the button, which was leftover from another project:


So now I am finally knitting myself one... in black because no one likes black. I may look for a rhinestone button--mine is in Silky Wool. Actually I may have to do a different one to run in as that is sounding like I have visions of fanciness in my head. At least they are quick.

And of course I always have a sock going:

Doll clothes

It occurred to me the other day that I never finished showing off the doll clothes. Probably because I finished so last minute that I sewed on snaps and wrapped. So anyway, the doll clothes were a hit, although the dolls do not get played with as much as say barbies. Also I had a pair of "leggings" not fit.
Anyway, here are the clothes:
First a jumper and blouse (this is the one with leggings to match that didn't go over the dolls posterior) :


I just loved making this one. I bought that fabric originally to make a skirt for me, but that didn't work out so I cut it up for doll dresses! I also made the shirt and leggings (same pattern, maybe this doll likes ice cream less or something!)


I actually made two coats. The other coat was pronounced the FAVORITE and did not get photographed. I made it from fleece leftover from a coat I made me. This one is made from fleece left over from a LOT of projects, but notably the stuffed alien I made her many many years ago.


I did enjoy making doll clothes and I promised to remake the leggings. So I may be doing more of that in the future. I've had a bad case of the I do not want to do anythings and so have started on a sock and am dreaming up a big knitting project. But I haven't actually finished either yet.

finished

At the last possible moment, I finished the second teacher gift. This one for the teacher's aide.



Both gift have been given, and very much appreciated.

This year I used gift tags from Jill AKA Kniterella. Kniterella makes great gift tags, and has a whole line of funny ones, but I chose to go with the more traditional. If you ever saw her funny tags and thought, it wasn't quite right for your occasion, then you should know that she also has these (and lots of others too!) and they look really elegant.



The pattern is Fishtail lace scarf this one in Knit picks Shimmer. I used a size 4 needle.

jammies

I know I'd be doing terrible at the posting every day thing, but I set my expectations LOW! Post more often and when you sometimes go weeks without posting even once a week is more often.

I've been a little panicky on my gift knitting, so I need to get back to that, but I wanted to tell you al about the OTHER gifts I'm making this year.
You see, I'm making clothes for each of my daughters' 18 inch doll. I bought a few patterns when Joann's had them for $2 a piece. They were out of the one I really wanted that had PJs and a bathrobe and underwear(!), but I really wanted to make PJs. Because I had this great flannel I wanted to use.

And so I have been sewing away on doll clothes. And so far the only completed outfits I have done are the jammies. As everything else either needs snaps or buttons or to be finished. I'm thinking three outfits for each daughter. Jammies, a coat and pants, and a jumper dress with leggings and a shirt. And so I present to you the jammies

The panda flannel is perfect for this daughter:

And pink monkeys are a great choice for the other:

I can't decide if the closures go in front or back. Maybe they look better as fronts, but the pink monkeys came out a little crooked.

Anyway, I still have snaps to sew on the coats (and buttons) and one jumper dress and one shirt to finish and some snaps to sew on both jumper dresses. And ten days. TEN. Plus a scarf to finish.

operation upgrade wreath

I am feeling really rushed on one of the presents I am knitting for Christmas. Panicky even. So I'm taking time out to tell you about something I did when I could have been knitting. In fact I'm taking the 15 minutes of knitting time I have this morning to tell you about the 45 minutes of knitting time I "wasted."

See, my outdoor wreath (plastic) is old. In fact we bought it at an after Christmas sale in 1997. And frankly I was tired of it. I wanted a new one. However, a trip to Michael's told me that unless I wanted to shell out $50 for one now or take my chances and try to get it after Christmas for $25 that I was stuck with my old wreath.

Thankfully I was not alone on this shopping adventure. The intrepid FinnGarian was with me and she pointed out that all the Christmas ribbon and floral doo-dahs were 50% off and gave me all the moral support I needed. Also she sent me a webpage to learn to tie my own Christmas bows. Plus she clued me in on the need to buy floral wire. So really this was her fault! But less than $10 later I had supplies for my very own do it yourself operation upgrade wreath.

So I dragged one (I actually used to have a matching set) out and took the before shot:


I removed the blue bow and a possibly real pinecone (which fell out when I removed the bow) and set to work.

First, I played and played and played and finally got the bow tied the way I wanted it. (see This site is what I eventually used. Then I played with placement of the bow vs two "things" (one was a silver bird and the other a purple fern thingy) and got them where I wanted. Argued with my daughters on placement and then wired them in. I think it looks great:



Purples don't always read true with my camera, which also highlighted to me that the purples were just a tiny bit off. Still I love it and it is now hanging up outside and I'm happy. Plus I have learned that if the purples feel dated to me next year a change out is as easy as 40 minutes and a few $ at the craft store.

ipod sock

Normally, I probably wouldn't post this project, but I am trying to update more this month to jump start me into the habit of updating more often all year long.

So I finished this tiny little ipod cozy. I made it out of leftover sock yarn that is knit picks, and given to me by the lovely Karen, but I've lost the ball band. It is discontinued at any rate. I just wanted something to keep my ipod from getting scratched when it is in my purse. It also gets cold in my office which is very chilly, but I only notice that when I slip it into my pocket.


I didn't follow a pattern, I just basically cast on "enough" stitches and used a 2X2 rib until it was long enough then kitchnered the end.

The reason I probably would not have put it up here is this: it looks a little wonky. In fact it looks really wonky like my tension was uneven or something. At first I thought it was because while I am usually pretty good about not getting loose stitches between my dpns, I'm not so hot at that when the first stitch on the new needle is a purl. And that happened a bunch until I said--look let's fix this. I don't mind how it looks, but you know it was a little disappointing.


Then I was between projects, as I had to order yarn for teacher gift the second and I had a day where I needed something to knit. So I started some socks. Just some basic toe up jobbies out of some knit picks felici. I decided though to knit these a little tighter than normal, but only after I had about 1/2 inch of toe started. So I unravelled and then looked for my zeros, since I was sure that the needles I was using, which had come almost directly from the ipod sock were ones. But my needle case had both sets of ones missing (you know there are two mm sizes to size 1 needles right). I decided to see which ones I was using, because maybe if I were using the big ones, the smaller ones would be enough. And that's when I discovered it.

On my ipod sock, I used two different sized needles.

wonkiness explained.

Teacher gift the first

I am a really indecisive person. I am. This has carried over a lot to my knitting. There are many times that I can't decide on the patterns, the colors the yarn and times I can't decide if I like the gauge I have.
Probably the think I worry the most about is gift knitting.
I like to make a Christmas (holiday) gift for the teacher that my daughters have. And I also make a gift for the classroom aide if there is one. Even if she's assigned to help a particular student, because I know her presence makes the class run smoother.

When they were in Kindergarten, I made scarves for both the teacher and the classroom aide. I made the same pattern from different yarns, and I ended up liking the aide's scarf better. And I think she liked it too because I saw her wear it many many times. In first grade I made the teacher a scarf that was a bit more dressy. I don't think I ever saw her wear it, but that's ok because she has a teenage daughter who may have worn it or she may not have been a scarf person. In second grade, I got on the necklace kick and made a ton of necklaces including one for the teacher and the aide in the class who was by coincidence the same aide who had been the kindergarten aide.

This year the teacher is very young/hip and so for once I didn't really worry too much about her gift. My daughters assured me she "wears lots of scarves and not all of them look warm." So I bought some Shadow Tonal from knit picks (with color help from my girls who really do have an eye for color) . OOh I see that Blue yonder, the color I used, is being discontinued.
Anyway, I had a pattern picked out to use with it, but when I was searching ravelry for um something anyway, I came across this free knit picks pattern called Fishtail lace scarf.
It is a quick pattern that knit up really fast:





Have I mentioned how much I want to keep this for me?

Next up: the girls have the same instructional aide as LAST year and kindergarten so this is her third handmade item from me.

Estelle

So, I had this crazy idea that perhaps I was behind enough to try to put up a post every weekday in December. But then Dec 1 came and went with no post from me. And I had the best of intentions too, I just got a little too busy working on the doll clothes I'm sewing for Christmas, and then I spent my "designated blog time" agonizing over a decision that I need to make. (career wise rather than knitting, so it is kinda boring).
But I did prepare for blogging by photographing my recently finished sweater!



The sweater pattern is Estelle and the yarn is Lark in crocus from Quince and Co.

I can't remember the needle size but ravelry tells me I used a size 6. I could have made this a size bigger I think. It doesn't quite close in the front, and while the length looks fine I was thinking if it were maybe an inch longer, I'd feel better about it. But no way am I ripping out the 350 some stitches I picked up for the edging to add an inch or two. I did rip out both sleeves because I initially made them too long and this time got them just about the perfect length.

I don't think it is supposed to close in the front, as there are no buttons, but it does make me feel a bit chunky to not have it close. At any rate, I like it and it is warm. And warm is good as we got our first snow of the fall (winter) and I'm feeling very chilly. In fact this got so warm that I had to take it off when I was cleaning up after dinner because it was a might too warm. But earlier int he day I ran into the grocery store with out a coat (41 degrees) because I just felt warm enough with this sweater on.

the LIST

I hesitate to say this, but I feel I have this real bipolar relationship with my knitting. Sometimes I have a gazillion projects I want to do or have started and sometimes, it takes all my energy to even think of one. But I hate calling it bi-polar because it seems like I'm making light of something that is actually very serious. And I do not wish to make light of it. At the same time it is a pattern I've noticed--either I feel all meh about knitting or sewing anything or I want to knit it ALL.

Lately, I've been in more of the down stage. I started working on my Estelle sweater to kind of move me out of it. And I've drudged along convinced that I may not be making the right size on Estelle and then suddenly it is finished. Except that the sleeves are a bit too long and the length is a bit shorter than I'd like. I did rip out the sleeves and need to re-knit the cuffs. I'll have to think about length because that would mean ripping out the 250 something stitch edging.

Then I realized that I needed to get going on teacher gifts and so I started a Fishtail lace scarf in shadow tonal (and I am coveting it). I knit on it all the time and while I feel like it is not growing at all, it seems to magically grow overnight. At last measure I have 41 inches.

I also realized in the middle of Estelle that I need to knit some sort of thing to carry around my ipod in and started a sock, but I really think I need a felted something.

Then I was asked to make a chemo cap for a middle schooler in pink/orange or something funky, and bought yarn.

But I still need another idea for a teacher gift for the classroom aide, who has been in the girls' classroom 3 of their 4 years in elementary school (So I have, in past years, made her a scarf and a necklace). Although she has a new winter coat since I made the scarf.

To top this off, I'm thinking that it would be especially nice to make some extra doll clothes for Christmas this year. And Joann's had patterns on sale for 1.99.

You will notice that there are no pictures accompanying this entry. This is because I am lazy. I have been so bad with photos this year that come mother's day when I go to make calendars for my mother in law, I will have NO pictures. And my kids are always my favorite subjects.

Nothing in this pile is finished, but I'm hoping that over the next few weeks, some of it will be and I will try really hard to photograph things in the next few weeks.

halloween

I've seen a lot this year about taking back halloween for girls. Basically calling for the end of the slutty costumes. I totally agree with this by the way and am horrified at the differences I see in boy and girl stuff generally (last year one of my girls had "boy boots" because only one style of "girl boots" were actually waterproof and they had one of that style in their size--and I have 2 girls the same size). But I thought oh my girls are eight, they won't have that much of a battle, if we stick to the pattern books like we usually do.

Well, thank you Simplicity for putting the adult costumes in with the kids costumes in the pattern book. One of my daughters saw this:


She thought the black swan was the creepiest thing she EVER saw and instantly asked if she could be that. After much discussion we agreed I'd buy this pattern:



And make it all black. This was deemed acceptably creepy.

My other daughter could not decide for a long time and then in the end decided to be this primarily because of the hair.




Actually these costumes didn't go together badly. The main problem I encountered was the sequined fabric for the rock star. It was hard to cut, gummed up my sewing needle and was impossible to press. The tu tu on the ballerina costume wasn't even sewn, it was merely tied on. So tulle is awkward and everything, but one afternoon had the whole thing done.

I think they turned out well.

yarn thoughts

I don't really have much new to report. I'm still working away on Estelle and still putting the finishing touches on the halloween costumes. (one sleeve and some elastic and a hem respectively)
I've aslo been searching madly for thy frequent buyers card for my LYS as I want to buy something and I think was close to the reward.
Alas, it is nowhere I have looked. I have a gift certificate to knit picks (and one for my LYS--hence the card search) and I've been thinking about using it for MONTHS and my thought process always goes something like this:
I'm almost done with what I'm knitting, what do I want to knit next?
hmm maybe socks? Yes, but I have a ton of sock yarn in my stash.
Ok but maybe I want more conservative socks. like black maybe. but I never wear black. ok maybe brown?
I really don't need any more new socks, I have a lot of handknit socks, one for every day of the week plus extras.
but I don't have red.
or brown
Man I'm chilly, I should knit myself another sweater.
I already have 6 sweaters that I knit and a few I bought
Well I don't have a red one. I saw a nice sweater that was in red in a book. hmmm what was that book again?
Oh yes, Knits that fit the Sophisticated hoodie Although the stitch pattern would be a pain
I don't have any red socks to wear with it.
Maybe I should just buy some red yarn and make a different sweater.
Maybe I should just knit from my stash.
There is no RED in my stash!
Sadly, this kind of thinking goes on for a while, until I convince myself that I need red yarn. Then I fail to find a pattern I like and a few months later I see all this red yarn in my stash and think--why in the world did I buy all this red yarn?

picture-less update

Sometimes it is terribly hard to keep this blog updated. Not because I'm not knitting. or sewing. I am, I really am. But rather because I don't have any pictures of what I am working on. And so a month later I still have no pictures, but thought I'd update on my progress. knitting: I cast on for Estelle, which if you don't care to follow the link is a cardigan knit from the top down int eh round with some waist ribbing and feather and fan borders. I'm using the recommended yarn (Lark from Quince and Co) in a purple. I LOVE it. Lark is squishy and it felts well (so be careful). I'm on the first sleeve, which I had started to knit in the wrong sized needle, so had to rip out about 5 inches and start again. I'd have a picture of it except that I have not figured out how to photograph purples in a way that they look true to color. Halloween costumes: This year my daughters have decided after carefully looking at every single pattern book at Joann Fabrics to be: a rock star and an evil ballerina. The evil ballerina was inspired by the section in the pattern books where they mix the adult "hootchie" costumes with the kid costumes. My daughter saw a picture of the Black swan and immediately decided that was the creepiest costume in ANY book and demanded to be that. Basically I'm making a black ballerina costume. Yesterday I finished the tu tu. Which was the last piece for that costume. Imagine 15 yards of tulle cut into strips and tied. The rock star shirt is finished and I hope never ever ever to have to sew with confetti glitter fabric EVER again. It doesn't iron (it melts the glue that holds the confetti on), and it gets your sewing machine needle all globed up. Thankfully the rock star pants are shiny pink fabric, and relatively easy. How great is it that I'll most likely be all done with costumes nearly 2 weeks before the big day! Also no pictures because I think costumes look better ON kids ON halloween. So pictures later. Other than that, I'm just enjoying the nice weather here in Michigan, knowing that when my Estelle Sweater is done, it will be cold enough to wear it!

yarn

Whenever I try to talk to my husband about knitting, say try to get an opinion out of him he says to me "yarn yarn yarn yarn yarn". (Imagine that done in a Charlie Brown adult voice). But in all honesty most of what makes knitting fun and fabulous or disappointing is yarn. When I first started knitting, I was like a lot of people and entranced by yarn. Sadly for me, a lot of that yarn was yarn I would not use now. Then, I was attracted to Fun! Interesting! fibers. Now, I want simpler yarn.

I say this all because it goes a long way in explaining why I thought it would be a good idea to buy enough yarn to make a vest in Moda Dea Dream. In green no less! Can you imagine, I'd have looked a bit like Oscar the grouch. It explains why I have a poncho made of homespun. It feels like a big blanket and is comfy but oh my goodness I hope to never have to knit with homespun ever again, it is so squeaky.

I made a pair of socks out of tofutsies and they got multiple holes in it and I decided that perhaps soy yarn isn't great for socks.

It also explains one of the oldest skeins in my stash. I knew that it was banana silk, but it took a search in ravlery to determine it was Frabjous fibers banana silk. Multicolored of course. I just have one skein. I have no idea what I thought I would make with it. I just look at it and know that I bought it because it was shiny and silky and made of bananas! I dug it out the other day intending to make a scarf from it. I tried a drop stitch pattern and was unsatisfied and ripped it out. Then I started a narrower garter stitch scarf, and a movie at the same time. So now I have an almost 4 foot long garter stitch scarf in banana silk... and I hate it.

While I was trying to decide what to do--rip it out and make something narrower, rip it out and do nothing, rip it out and try a new pattern--I started Estelle in a yarn that is more me these days: Quince and company Lark.(in purple)

Of course any and all suggestions about the banana silk are welcomed.

yarn yarn yarn yarn.....

food

I'll get back to yarn and knitting soon. but one reason I have not been writing so much is that I've been really busy with food! I made the peach jam of course, then froze enough peaches for a crisp and for several peach lassis. I still have another week of peach season, so I may freeze more--or maybe make some fresh lassi. Or you know I do actually eat fresh peaches. Liz, friend of mine told her facebook friends that she was going to cook every recipe in Jamie Oliver's food revolution. A friend of hers said she should blog about it. Like every day! Like Julie and Julia! Sure, let's make both cooking and blogging a chore. But she did blog or maybe just note on facebook two recipes she'd made, and they both sounded really good. So I checked the cookbook out of my local library. Let me tell you, I love this cookbook. I love that the steps are laid out. I love that the recipes are easy. I love that every recipe has a picture and STEP pictures. My kids gravitated towards a shell pasta dish which also happens to be on his website. My kids actually do eat a lot of vegetables, (and one lists quinoa as a favorite food) but since they were so gung ho (it was the shell pasta) that was the first one we made. And oh my was it good. First off, it took less than 30 minutes to make. then it was good. THEN it made a ton so we had leftovers. My girls had 2 helpings each. I managed to snap a picture of it: Then our farm share has been giving us a lot of winter squash. While I have a few butternut squash recipes I like, I am usually stumped when it comes to acorn squash. I don't like them except in soups. Enter Jamie Oliver and his sweet potato and chorizo soup. My husband made it substituting an acorn and a butternut squash for the sweet potatoes. Again. Oh my. My children thought it a "little zippy" and only had a spoonful. so we have a ton leftover. Which is ok because YUM. I didn't take a picture and he doesn't have the recipe online, but trust me on this. It was good. I have 2 or 3 more recipes I want to try from there. I have no need to cook my way through it, but I am enjoying it. Back to yarn next time.

busy back soon....

I have been busy lately. I will get back to writing more regularly soon, but in the meantime I finished some socks. The legs are a good reminder of gauge issues--one leg was done on larger needles (a fact which was forgotten by me until I finished the second sock with smaller needles). needless to say the pattern on the socks doesn't match.

long over due...

It has been a month almost since I last updated. I still haven't made the peach jam, although maybe next week. I've made two batches of pesto--one is in the freezer and one in the fridge and then I knit this:



It is the Lodi cardigan I mentioned in the last entry . I ended up with yarn leftover, so I could have made the sleeves a tad longer. I ended up using buttons that I originally purchased for my first central park hoodie, but I think they look better on this sweater.



What I did not think looked good was how I looked compared to the model in this sweater. I feel frumpy while she looks very chic. Then it was pointed out to me that perhaps if I buttoned the cardi in the middle, it would accentuate my waist and I would look not as A line and boxy. and lo and behold when I went to look at the picture to link to this entry, what did I notice--the model is wearing hers with a middle button buttoned! All in the styling I tell you.

I keep thinking that this is the time to start the dollar and a half cardigan. That way it will be ready to wear when it starts to get cooler. but then I start to feel all overwhelmed.
Patterns are on sale at Joann's over labor day weekend, so halloween costumes are just around the corner!