Two More

About a month, ago I ordered the size 2 needle I needed for the Sleeveless Tuxedo Top, and, of course, I ordered some yarn too.

I had been eyeing the Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn in Flamingo Stripe for a while and finally decided to order some. This week, I was looking for a sock pattern and found the Roza's Socks in my Spring 2007 Interweave Knits (which uses the same yarn in a solid colorway). I wonder how it will look with stripes? I ordered the Jaeger Aqua yarn in Pumpkin to make the Grrr Washcloth from the Summer 2007 Knitty.

I placed this order with Jimmy Beans Wool, and I am now a big fan. They have reasonable flat-rate shipping which they extend to the entire US, not just the Mainland (this is fast becoming a selling point for me), and they sent me an e-coupon for free shipping when I placed my order. They also have a great selection of yarn, and they sent two little Strawberry Candies with my order!

Cutie Socks

I ripped out the Father Sock this afternoon, and I cast on for the Son Sock. There are only 44 stitches per round, so I am already making good progress. I am pleased with the stitch definition in this lighter color.

Henry, who is always very interested in my knitting projects, is thrilled that I am making something for him!

And Then There Was One

My Father's Socks are about to meet the same fate as my Stow Away Shopping Bag. Despite the fact that I chose one of the same colors that was used in the Interweave Knits picture, my yarn is not picking up the stitch pattern very well. I think the dark/heathered color is the problem.

Just to top it off, my gauge is also too big (although I did do a swatch and moved down a needle size). I don't know what my problem is with the gauge (maybe I am too compulsive about it...) I want to blame the bamboo needles, although I think this is probably irrational. I plan to rip out this attempt and find a more suitable pattern. I am still going to try the Son Sock with the orange yarn and metal needles.

On a happier note, my Josephine Top is coming along nicely.

I am using Addi Turbo (metal) needles and, so far, the gauge is right on...

Picking-Up Stitches

Today in a fit of frustration I ripped out every last stitch of my Stow Away Market Bag. I spent almost all of my knitting time today attempting to get the stitches picked up correctly around the base. Once I finally got the stitches onto the needles correctly, I started knitting the bag up in the round. On the third round, I lost my place and dropped a stitch...somewhere. The stitch pattern is so loose that I could not figure out where I was. I went all the way back to the base and tried to pick-up the stitches again. It was around the 3rd or 4th attempt when I lost all reason and just tore the whole thing out.

I now have a nice neat ball of yarn waiting to be made into a bag, and somehow that makes me feel much better. So much for easy patterns and knitting for relaxation.

Knitting Progress

I am finally back into my knitting groove, and I now have three projects going.

1. Josephine Top - I finally got it started again, after I had to rip the whole thing out because my gauge was off. I accidentally jumped down from a size 4 to a size 2 needle, and the gauge is now perfect. I love mistakes that work in my favor!

2. Father and Son Socks from Fall 2006 Interweave Knits - I am knitting "Father" socks for Nolan with Reynolds Whiskey in teal (#53). I also have the same yarn in orange (#102) for "son" socks for Henry.

3. Stow Away Shopping Bag - I am using Classic Elite Provence in Basil (#2635). I have been meaning to get to this project for almost a year. I bought the pattern and yarn last January during a visit back east, thinking it would be a quick project! My friend Joanna knit-up three of these on her road trip down from Alaska. I will be happy if I can just finish this one.

So far all the projects are working up well. Hopefully, I will have enough progress to actually take a picture of some of them in the near future. It is amazing how much knitting I can get done when I actually have yarn on my needles!

Perfect Princess

On Monday, I finished the Princess quilt. Today, Nolan took apart Gwyneth's bunk beds, leaving her with a full-sized bed. I made up the bed with the new quilt, and it is a perfect fit.

Here is a close-up of the quilting pattern and backing fabric.

This is one of the most complicated quilt I have ever made. Maybe that is why it took me over 4 years to complete!

Homecoming

Some signs...

Lots of leis...

Daddy's home!

Doll Quilt

About 5 years ago, I made this quilt for my cousin's baby girl. This is one of my all-time favorite quilts. All of the triangles (pinwheels and prairie points) are flaps. Nolan was so enamored by this quilt that he couldn't believe I was going to give it away!


After I finished the quilt, I used the leftover fabric to piece a mini-quilt top. The top has been waiting to be made into an actual quilt for the last 5 years. I added this project to the list, and now it's finished.


I think it will make a great gift for the "baby" on her 5th birthday!

Fudgsicle

Going...
Going...

Gone!

One Down

My first completed project from the list. Four cuddly taggies:

Grand Plans

This morning I decided to brave the commissary, even though it is a payday weekend. I figured if I went early, I could probably avoid the crowds. We left about 45 minutes later than intended, but I thought we were still in good shape to beat the crowds. When I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed a line of people wrapping around the store, never a good sign! Not only is it a payday weekend but the commissary is having a caselot sale, not a good combination. Needless to say I didn't go in!

On the way home, I decided to stop at the regular grocery store to get cash from the ATM. While I was there, I thought I would pick up a couple of things to make a recipe with Gwyneth (Teddy Bear pizzas made with premade biscuits). The Grands biscuits were $3.79 each! Am I out of touch, or is that truly outrageous? (Grands cinnamon rolls were $5.79). I didn't even bother pricing the other items on my list. I know it is only $4, but I just couldn't do it! The Teddy Bear Pizzas will have to wait until I can get to the Commissary.

I spent 45 minutes in the car to get cash from the ATM, but at least I didn't have to unload groceries when I got home!

Sewing Moratorium

I have been spending a lot of time lately dreaming about all the new sewing projects I would like to embark upon. However, I have a very large backlog of incomplete and "need to get started" projects vying for my attention. I think I easily have enough to keep me busy for the rest of the year. I have looked through all of my projects, and I haven't found anything that I no longer want to make.

Here is the list:

1. Twirly skirt for Gwyneth - butterfly and black polka-dot fabric
2. Duvet cover for Henry - firetruck or rodeo fabric (I have both but can't decide.)
3. Corduroy dress for Gwyneth - Simplicity 5483
4. Chrysanthemum Skirt for me - Amy Butler Barcelona Skirt
5. Pink embroidered fabric dress for me - New Look 6457
6. Taggies (4) - all pinned together, just need to be sewn
7. Crib quilt - Stack and Slash 1 - still needs to be pieced
8. Crib quilt - Stack and Slash 2 - blocks ready to be sewn together
9. Crib quilt - Rail Fence - ready to be sandwiched/quilted and bound
10. Doll quilt - ready to be quilted and bound
11. Tote bag for Gwyneth - I have all the supplies, just need to choose a fabric from the stash
12. Gwyneth's Princess Quilt - sewing on binding
13. Take in waist of Pink Barcelona skirt

I am challenging myself not to begin any "new" projects until the end of the year or until I finish everything on the list, whichever comes first. Any bets?

End of an Era

Remember back in July when I decided to challenge myself to go vegetarian for the month? Well, I have kept it up for the past 2 1/2 months, but I think I am ready to go back to my meat-eating ways (it was a very short era). I am feeling very uninspired when it comes to cooking lately, and I am dreading cooking even more than usual. I also miss the meat in some of my favorite recipes, like chili. I plan to keep making vegetarian meals on a regular basis, but I think reincorporating some of my old standbys might make my meal preparation feel like less of a chore!

The Study of Birds

Gwyneth officially started 2nd Grade last week. We are switching things up a little this year and are following the Year 1 plan at Ambleside Online. I had been meaning to write about our plans for the year since before we began, but I never got around to it. We will be continuing on with our current math (Singapore) and Latin (Prima Latina) programs. If you are interested in what we are studying this year, just follow the links.

An important component of the Ambleside plan is spending time outdoors and doing nature study. As a transplant to this tropical climate, I really feel clueless when it comes to identifying...anything! I finally checked out a couple of books about local plants and birds, so that I could start to identify some things in our local environment.

We haven't really spent any time with the plant books yet, but the bird book had been a resounding success. In the past week or so, I have discovered that Gwyneth is fascinated by birds! So far we have been able to identify all the birds in our backyard and several in the surrounding neighborhood. When we are out and about, Gwyneth is always on the lookout for our birds!

The other day we were walking into a store and had the following conversation:

Gwyneth: "What do you call someone who likes birds?"
Me (completely clueless): "A birdwatcher?"
Gwyneth (with a bit of annoyance): "No, Mommy, the "real" word."
Me (thinking she couldn't possible know this): "Are you talking about an ornithologist."
Gwyneth (satisfied at last): "Yeah that's it, that's what I want to be when I grow up!"

Apparently, there was a character in one of her books who's father was an ornithologist. So far so good with the new school plan. I definitely feel like Gwyneth has her spark back!

Apron Overlay

I finished the apron overlay for the Barcelona Skirt.

The pattern was beautifully written, and it was a pleasure to sew.

Committed

I decided to go ahead and make the apron overlay for the Barcelona Skirt, and today I cut out all of the fabric.

Now I can spend my time sewing it together rather than going back and forth about "should I or shouldn't I". I did my best to wrap my brain around getting the patterns to match up, but in the end I fell a little short. I did manage to get the pattern repeats to line up, and I think that is all that matters on this particular project.

Almost Perfect

I finished my Barcelona skirt. The fit is almost perfect. I added a little to the seam allowance at the waist thinking it would be too tight. If I had stuck to the pattern measurements, it would have been a perfect fit. Also, I am not used to working with large scale prints, and it never occurred to me to center the design on the front of the skirt. You can't tell from the picture, but the pattern is slightly off-center. I'm pretty sure this is something few people will notice, but it will probably always bother me.


I am thrilled with how the zipper turned out. Here is the zipper closed. Obviously, I need to do some work on lining up the patterns on my fabric.

Here it is opened...


I am now debating about whether or not I want to make the apron overlay . I may use the fabric I bought for the overlay to make more skirts or just something else. I think the overlay would look nice. However, the skirt is already a bit heavy because it is lined. The apron, with another 2 layers of fabric, may be too much in this tropical climate.

I will definitely be making another skirt soon. Hopefully, the next time I do an invisible zipper, I can get it right the first time!

Reclaiming Wasted Space

I spent Thursday afternoon and evening attempting my first invisible zipper for the Barcelona Skirt. After I ripped out the second attempt, I decided to focus my energy on some knitting. I completed row 5 of the back of the Josephine Top (after spending a considerable amount of time ripping back to correct a mistake made in row 4 the previous evening) and decided it was looking big. I measured, and, sure enough, it was too wide. I ripped out the entire thing.

Instead of sewing/knitting of Friday, I spent the day reorganizing my sewing area (and the rest of the house). I decided to clear out Gwyneth's school area upstairs. Since we have been working almost exclusively in the dining room/living room downstairs, it was becoming a wasted space. The sewing area turned out very well. I have everything I need (including my ironing board and iron) all in one place. I am hoping this new and improved sewing space will inspire me to make some progress on my growing list of projects.

This afternoon I am going to attempt to install that invisible zipper again...wish me luck!