Decorating

Well. An update. Still no new house. Maybe by December 4th. It is hard to keep waiting but i am glad we got out of town this weekend to visit family and relax. 

Today we help my mother in law decorate for Christmas. This involves removing the thanksgiving/fall decorations. This year they have a new kitten and I will not be surprised if she tries to climb the tree. She is so active and playful. Anyway, I have been looking forward to helping with the decorations. It is always fun to arrange items and try to remember where things go. We are talking about like 6 or so giant tubs of stuff and other items too. 

They also are sending us home with some things for our new house. (Feels like early Christmas). I got a ton of vintage crocheted doilies and some pillows and picture frames and mirrors and some curtains and fabric. A main hobby of theirs is garage saleing. We also got a few rugs. So grateful to get stuff for our new house! It makes it seem more real. 

About the vintage doilies. I plan on using some around the house, and maybe some for an art project. I have seen curtains and and adding them to lampshades etc. There are lots of cool ideas online. 

I brought some knitting on this trip. A cowl for me. I barely had any bandwidth yesterday because of my cold. Feeling a little better today and hoping to get more done. I do have more Christmas presents to make but could not bring them because then family here might get an idea of what they are getting. 

Here is the cowl. It is called Vortex Cowl. The original pattern is for 4 colors but I am only doing two. I think I like how it is working out. I already have so much blue in my wardrobe but I hope it will go with lots of things. The colors are a little off. Navy stripe and variegated blue & purples. 

Stitch by stitch

So. The secret Christmas Present making continues. I got a lot of knitting done on a project when we went to see a movie and only had a few mistakes to fix the next morning. Since the pattern was simple it was easy to drop down 10 rows and fix the stitches. I love not wasting time and often knit in the car too, if I am not the driver.

I have finished 3 projects (sewing, sewing & knitting), and am in the middle of 4. (They involve knitting, knitting, embroidery, and painting/glitter). Trying to keep a list so I keep everything straight.

One of the projects I finished used up some stash fabric and was pretty quick to make once I had all the pieces cut to the same shape. It felt great to be able to use stash as I have not been sewing much this summer, and a lot of my stash is smaller pieces. I am looking forward to my new craft room so much!

I love vintage sewing rooms: Here is a 60s/70s one. Main things I need: Lots of light, Storage ( I already have one big piece of storage furniture.) Ironing board (My husband is hoping to build one that comes down from the wall. I will need to locate a good chair I guess too.
I do hope someday to fix a few of my machines. I guess I have 4. Only one that works well. There is one I do not have cords for, one I'm not sure if I have cords for. One my dad got me at a yard sale that probably just needs a tune up. Hopefully someday I can take them in to a repair shop and see what we can do. I may not need 4 machines, but two might be good in case I need to lend one, or have a friend over sewing. I would love to get a surger someday too, I really don't know a whole lot about other machines.

Here is a West African beans and rice recipe we like. I made curry lentil soup last night because it is cold outside.

Next time I blog we may have our new house and be painting furiously!

Daylight or lack there of.

Started this post on 11/3/15 and realized tonight that I had not published it yet...

 My Pumpkin this year...


Daylight savings time was halloween night. Ever since then I seem to be tired at 9pm and wake up at 6:30? And once I am awake I start thinking about our move and the new house. We looked at carpet and paint colors last night. Everything seems so relative, color wise, and of course hard to tell in small rectangles. The carpet that is there does need to be replaced, since the previous owner smoked and it is 1970s carpet (that textured brown stuff so many houses had). We think we are going with a speckled style of carpet which we hope will wear well over the years. It is a neutral with flecks of red brown an gray green. We are planning on painting all the walls too. Trying to keep the house feeling light but also add some interest.

Anyway lots to think about. 

I am knitting a lot this week for Christmas. It is annoying because one of my thumbs is cracked and dry so I try to not do too much, but I really want to be knitting as much as I can. I bought some new yarn for two projects and already started one of them (it will be perfect lunchtime/keep in my purse knitting). I also started a different project that requires a little more attention to the pattern so I am making progress when I have light to see my work. It is a completely different style of project than I have done before and so it is fun to try something new. Today I am hoping to finish up a sewing project I was working on last week, and maybe finish up mike's big present which involves painting and stuff drying so I can hide it again. 

I need to be taking photos as I go to get everything documented for Ravelry etc. I generally handmake things for Christmas. Often it is just ornaments. This year I tried to start early and I am also doing some sewing projects which can be a little faster. So hopefully I will be able to finish things, since I know once we get the house we will be painting!!!! 

It is so so crazy to be getting our first house. I am really excited yet nervous and it will mean a lot of hard work. The good thing is besides painting and flooring the house doesn't need much else. We do need to reinvent the two garages to be a recording studio though! And budget it all, of course... 

More later. I will try to share photos of what I can so it doesn't become too boring. 

Almost November

Well. I am knitting and sewing as much as I can but don't want to get into too much detail because it is the Xmas season, and I am trying to work on presents. I guess I will just try to get good photos to put on Ravelry/the blog later. I can tell you I finished a cowl. I had previously knit a few lengths of scarf-like knitting, hoping to sew them together as a rug, etc. I then looked at them one day and decided to turn a few into cowls. Here is a not-great photo. I have been wearing it on my walks to work and on my days off. It has finally turned to Fall, after a long dry summer.

I also can tell you I finished a hat. A baby/kid hat for no one in particular yet. One of those single skein purchases because the yarn was so pretty. The pattern is from purl soho. I love their simple palate and get inspired when I look at their site. The yarn is Noro silk garden which was rough on my hands. I may think about sewing a lining in case it would feel rough to a kid. Of course, now i have left over yarn and no idea what to do with it.

Let's see what else can I mention. I am embroidering something secret. It is a fun Aunt Martha's  pattern and hopefully I can do another one. Just look at all of them online. Hard not to want to buy many more.
I am also sewing something which means currently I am hand sewing binding on. I always seem to end up hand sewing bindings, but it allows me to have more control. The binding is so thin to use pins that I have been using my extra Bobbie pins and it is working quite well. I hope to get a good deal of the binding done today if I can. 

I know when we close on this house I will not have much time for presents (besides the hour long lunch break I have at work) so I am trying to get what I can done now. 

There are some people I have no idea what to make for.. And some people that I have an idea for but wish I had started a long time ago. Like socks or something.

Anyway, we are getting excited about the house. We will be painting and replacing carpet and moving in. I kind of wish it was not going to be winter with all the cleaning/painting but I guess sooner is better than later. And maybe we can decorate for Christmas a little! 

Speaking of which, I need to find out what my pumpkin will be because it is this weekend. As far as costumes I think we may just do a low key year as our costumes are packed up, and we haven't been invited anywhere. I guess we are getting old, haha.

Oh! Just remembered the yearly Xmas print I do. Sigh. To get it done this year I guess I will have to pick a simple design/process. I generally screen print or block print. Maybe I can carve stamps? It is always the lining up that takes the longest. 

I may mention it every few posts - I am hoping one day to have a more streamlined blogging system. To get photos and links in correctly and in a timely way, I feel that the laptop is the best. (I have also tried my phone and ipad). I may just have to get in the habit of taking photos with my digital camera and transferring them at least once a week. It's amazing how much of a chore it seems, but I think it will be easy once I get it worked out. 

La la la

Trying to finish something. Anything. Starting to try to work on some Christmas presents but not feeling like I am making a ton of progress. Here are some cup cozies. Super quick, though not really sure how many I will realistically make. There is a pattern on Ravelry of course. I will have to link to it. Also trying to graft 2x2 ribbing on a hat. It is slow going and not looking as seamless as I was hoping. Working on another hat which I may rip out. Not sure what I really want to do with that yarn still.

Hoping to sew a few Christmas projects that I will keep secret. And making a secret present that includes painting and lots of glitter. Waiting for it to dry more before I hide it again. Anyway, not feeling like I am making much progress but my hands have been dry and cracking so I have been not doing quite as much knitting as I'd like. 

I was working on ornaments but made one and not sure I like it. I will invent some other kind of ornament with the pieces I cut if I have to. 

House news: Looks like we are going for it! And I am so excited to someday set up the craft room! I also hope to make some curtains and pillow covers. 

Excuse the iPad photo. Once we move I hope to have a better location to take photos/upload. 

A few things

I guess I wrote this a few weeks ago and never published it...

Music:
If you like music and want to support my husband's CD, here is a link to pre-order (and there is also a link to listen to a few tracks.) He has been working on it with his friend for over two years.

Knitting:
Another link to my Ravelry projects. I am trying to be better at posting to Ravelry. A lot of it is the same as on the blog, but it helps me stay organized a bit. I am so bad at taking good photos (I blame the last two years on living in a basement apartment, and trying to use my cellphone camera). But as I have said before, in the past I often gave presents away before taking a photo of them. So at least they are documented in some small way. I'm sure I will improve someday, right?

I use the favorites of Ravelry a lot, but not so much the queue. I often don't know what yarn I am using as I lost the label long ago. As I am knitting up a lot of stash, I hope when I buy new yarn I will be slightly more mind-full and try to notate things better.

As you can see from my projects - There are several patterns I knit over and over. Practical patterns are good presents.

It is the last day of my Staycation/Recovery. I succeeded in finishing reading a real book. (I tend to re-read things and often don't read much at all). Winter in Thrush Green by Miss Read. The perfect type of book to read when you are not feeling very well. I just googled the book and found she has written many Thrush Green books and others besides. (It is my mom's book I borrowed, I think she has at least one other one in the series.).

I also watched too many movies including The Labyrinth, a newer version of Anne Frank, Julie & Julia, Bride & Prejudice, some Granite Flats, Miss Annie Rooney (with Shirley Temple), Chocolat, State Fair, etc. I am on the mend, and have to return to work tomorrow. I am hoping to get close to finishing the sleeve of the Stella sweater, so I should go have some lunch and get knitting. Yay!

Currently

Currently listening to: https://www.seamworkmag.com/radio So cool that Colette Patterns has a podcast. I am still secretly hoping to work for them one day, though I will have to learn to be a better sewer. I know I have great potential (haha), and a class or two might do me good!

I finished knitting the cabled brown hat, and I am just waiting for my husband to try it on and make sure it will fit him. I need to weave in the ends still, and take photos.

I also finished the little Stella sweater, I wove in the ends and just need to take photos.

Today working on this hat: http://www.purlbee.com/2014/01/23/lauras-loop-garter-ear-flap-hat/
It is in dark blue Noro Silk Garden Solo yarn. That yarn, and the brown yarn for the other hat, I believe are contributing to my right thumb getting quite rough and so I have been limiting my knitting somewhat. The blue Noro was an impulse 1 skein buy, and I like how it is knitting up for the hat, but I am not sure if I will have enough yarn when I am done that I will have wished I had made the next size up.

We placed an offer on a house, and will hopefully know soon if it is accepted. I have been researching the area a little and looking for yarn stores/groups. So far nothing in the immediate area but a few yarn stores about 15 mins away. The library looks like it may have a knitting group. It seems like a great way to meet women, and I guess it would just depend on the schedule, as I may be working.

I would love to host someday a some-what regular crafty get-together. (Every other month, 4 times a year?) I have had a few craft parties and they are always fun, even if not a lot of crafting gets done. It is mainly an excuse to hang out and talk. The cool thing about having a house some day is that there will be space to host parties.

I am trying to think ahead about knitting or sewing some gifts, with this house-buying we are trying to do, I need to get creative for Christmas presents. I might make a few mug cozies, and then see what else I can come up with. For now though, I think I need to take a knitting break so my thumb can heal a little. Besides this blue hat, which is currently for no one in particular, I think I will try to work exclusively on present ideas (even though I am dying to start a cowl for myself that I already have yarn for). Ha.

Stella Sweater

Stella Sweater progress. I think I will need to do Jeny's surprisingly stretchy bind-off, since I bound off the sleeve, and it is so tight for being such a wide sleeve. I also may use the tiny amount of yarn I have left to lengthen the body. 

It is going pretty well and I may do this pattern again. I know a lot of the people who have done the pattern say that the neck is really wide. not sure how to fix that. Can't wait to see it when it is all blocked!

The true cost

Finishing up watching the documentary The True Cost. I have watched other documentaries about clothing/sweatshops, etc. If it's not in your face everyday it is easy to sort of forget. Or see a country name on a label and be like "at least it's not China/whatever country". It is so complex because many of the women are able to better provide for their families by working at garment factories, but cannot have their children with them in the city. Not to mention all the health issues and dangerous situations and chemicals. In the past I was more strict about mostly buying thrifted stuff. The last several years it has been easy to go out and buy something at the mall or target or something. It's still a scavenger hunt but easier because they have the same garment in multiple sizes right there.

Anyway, just want to say this is back on my mind again. I know I want to learn to sew better and make my own clothes. I think it will be a long journey, but the least I can do is try. I can also buy vintage or thrifted or alter clothes I already have. I try to knit practical things for people. Clothing exchanges are fun too. And some things are made in the USA but i remember hearing about how that may mean it's actually one of the Pacific Islands which still have cheap labor etc. I think it's great that Portland clothing companies are starting up and that there is locally made clothing. I have yet to buy anything, but perhaps can save up for something cool someday. I also of course love Colette Patterns and how they are broadening their pattern company and really thinking about their customers. I just need time and space to sew and of course to find the right fabric. 

Shoes are another matter sort of. Slippers are common to knit or sew, but real shoes... I guess it's just good to buy the ones that are good quality and will last a while. 

Anyway. Just some thoughts. I have been focusing on knitting a lot this summer because of our move. Quilts are more straight forward than clothes. I think it is probably good measurements, and practice practice practice. It's so easy to dream of the perfect dress etc. But just like recording music, it takes time and editing and maybe doing something out of tune first. Worth the time to do a muslin of the patten first. I do have some gift card money that I was hoping to use it for curtains when we get a house. We'll see. Maybe I'll get something for clothes too! 

Okay time to keep working on the hat I am knitting!

Spiral hat

Hi. Once again I am blogging awkwardly, trying to get photos from my phone to the iPad. And of course I do not remember the name of the pattern on Ravelry. I will link to it sometime. Just wanted to share that it is done. It is a baby hat and maybe fits a 12month. Babies heads are all different. This was an attempt to use up some fingering weight. I did get bogged down a bit not knowing what size it would end up etc. 

Hard to show the colors correctly. It is dark navy & green, not so faded as the photos. 

My new project for my purse is a cabled hat. It is hopefully a present for someone. I have gotten a few rows past the ribbing. It is worsted and wool of course. Lovely yarn. 

Also still working on Stella by Linden Down. The size I am making, the sleeves seem so wide. My gauge is slightly looser in the round doing the sleeves. Maybe because it is in the round, maybe because my double points are slightly larger, though they are supposedly the same size. 

I am having a stay-cation of sorts towards the end of this week as I recover from a procedure. I am hoping I will feel well enough after the first few days to get a little knitting done. Perhaps even some embroidery? I'm also hoping to watch some of my crafty classes that I have yet to watch. I have bought a few, but also saved a lot of the free classes. 

That's all for now. Can't wait for Fall to come!