Projects, goals oh my

All last week I kept thinking I would write about my goals. Then I got worried about what maybe it said about me that I had goals for my hobbies, then I decided they weren't goals per se they were projects.
Then I thought I should just knit or sew instead of writing about the things I wanted to knit and sew. You can see now why I've not updated in a while.

Anyway, it feels like I have a lot on my "crafting" plate. Perhaps in part because I always forget how busy fall is, with school starting and halloween and my family's annual visit north. Sometimes it makes me feel better to list things I have going especially things with deadlines. But sometimes it doesn't. Let's see how this one turns out.

I really only have deadlines on the halloween costumes. I am on tap to create a "china girl" costume--which is actually a kimono (although I have looked it up--if you google china girl kimono you end up with Mulan) and a clown costume. Those must be done by the school halloween party which I think is on the 30th. I'm still waiting for the school to send out the calendar of "important dates"

I have purchased most of the fabric I'll need for the kimono, and in fact have cut out the top fabric. I still need to cut out the lining and the trim. I may (or may not we'll see) need a bit more fabric. I've looked at the instructions and it might actually go together easily. I also need to look and see if I have enough fusible interfacing. And since my craft area is moderately cleaned out, I actually think I know where my fusible interfacing is!

I have not purchased material for the clown costume, and I'm sort of counting on the fact that the pattern says--2 hours! on it. Not that I'll be there 2 hours before she needs it sewing, if I can help it, but it is nice to know the pattern company thinks it is quick and easy.

I guess I kind of have a deadline on my central park hoodie. I picked it back up again and am soldering on. I have the back and both sides done, and should block them this weekend. I'd like to be wearing it when the weather turns fallish. Which given Michigan, could be next week or could be November.

I kind of have a deadline for the Harry Potter socks I started when I was fussing about the CPH. I'd like to have the second one cast on before the next book club meeting in October. (so I can bring it and knit) It is getting to be wool sock weather and I'm loving that I have 2 new pair to wear--two that I almost completely forgot about.

Of course then there are all the other things. The things I want to do. the things I've started to do. I started a set of potholders, I want to start finishing the works in progress, I want to knit the dollar and a half cardigan, I have a shrug's worth of Blue sky Alpacas silk/alpaca I'd like to do something with. In the meantime, the house needs to be clean--including the dumping ground we sometimes call the guest room. There just aren't enough hours.

Adam's quilt

A while back ago I finished, rather spectacularly, a baby quilt. Because the recipient is my cousin, and I knew she watched my flickr and my facebook pages I couldn't really post progress pictures there, or say much of anything for my facebook status, but one day I wrote: Just had a whoo hoo moment. Because when I finished this puppy I actually hollered WHOO HOO!


The pattern is from M'lss Rae Hawley's book Scrappy Quilts. The cover pattern. One of the things I like about Hawley's books is that she always includes a "gallery" of quilts in the book done in other color combos. I've passed by patterns in the book only to discover something cool in the gallery and realize that the colors were what made the quilt seem special. In this case, one of the gallery quilts was in all pinks, which had a cool effect.
I did blues because she knew the baby was going to be a boy and thought blues would look like the pinks, but no dice. I threw in the yellows because blue by itself was really kind of dull.
I had a horrible time with the blocks and ended up turning hem all over to my MIL to get them to lie flat.


The trick it seems is that two triangles need to make a 90 degree angle. So MIL cheated on those--cutting them if they weren't. All in all I was very happy even if this pattern was a bit beyond my skills. I only purchased border fabric and the yellow on the corners. And seriously it should not be so hard to find a decent non-gold bright but not dark yellow.

My cousin called the other day to let me know she loves it, and also to let me know that now her oldest son was glad that they each had their own quilts. (this one is mine mine mine, were his exact words.)

snag

I actually have a finished object, but as far as I know it is still in transit to its recipient. So until it gets there, I guess I'll have to confess something.

I stopped knitting on my central park hoodie.

See, I finished the back and started on one of the sides, and did it ever look small. Like really small. So I checked guage and huh, I was getting 16.5 stitches to 4 inches instead of the 17.5 asked for, which theoretically if my math is correct means it should be bigger. But I do most of my math as I'm falling asleep--I think it soothes me. I checked the schematics and found that the sides were supposed to be 10 inches wide. I measured and realized that my sides *might* block out to eight and if the button band were on that would be 9.5 and that all sounded like way too skinny. So I ripped the side out. Here's what can't figure out, I pinned out the back and measured it and I can get it to the required 20 inches, pretty easily.


I went back to ravelry and checked to make sure I was using the same needle size and everything! I've heard it runs small but, really should I have to make something eight inches larger than my measurement to get a few inches of positive ease? This would mean either making the sides a size (or two) larger than the back and fiddling with the sleeves OR ripping out the back and starting over.

I can't decide which to do so I started a sock.