WIP update.

The sweater I started at the beach (cast-on photo is also my new blog header) couldn't be simpler.  It's actually called the simplest sweater on Ravelry and it is a great, straight forward pattern if you're searching for an easy top-down raglan sweater.  I didn't have much of a chance to work on it last week but it's getting there.  Here is a sneak peek showing what I accomplished at the beach.  The funny looking loops at the bottom are stitches held for pockets--yes my first go at pockets!  My Ravelry notes are here.

This sweater also help me reach a significant milestone (to me) with my knitting--knitting while reading.  That may sound crazy, I know.  And I'm right there with you.  Actually, the pre-knitting Sandra is right there with you.  Because pre-knitting me thought reading a book is best enjoyed with absolutely no other mental demand.  But hear me out. 

If you have an easy project on your needles (like this one--inches and inches of stockinette in the round), you don't really have to look at it.  Well, okay, maybe once in awhile to slip the round marker.  And of course you have to stop knitting to flip the page.  But it's really doable.  And this is how I can happily report that I read two books while also knitting about 80% of a sweater at the beach.  My disclaimer is that the books were total fluff, chick lit reads and that a teensy part of me was motivated to have something to show for my time investment.  I don't see knitting while reading something by, say, Mark Helprin.

Now, the sweater.  I wasn't too sure about the colors.  But I took it to a girls night out and my friends made me more confident that the colors do indeed work.  I'm doing short sleeves instead of long and am nearly done.  I hope to finish and block it this week and will post more details then.  Happy Monday!

Sandra 

Shalom.

I am pretty amazed and tickled--and just a bit stunned--that I am finally at a place with my knitting where I can take some yarn...  

and some pointy sticks and someone's directions and turn it into the very thing I am trying to turn it into (because we are not going to talk about the "hey, nice belt" but it was a scarf episode).  I've said it before, and here it is again, Shalom is a great pattern for a newbie knitter.  This was my first of many firsts:  top-down construction; sweater; twisted-rib yoke; sleeves; button holes.  Yipes.  But it's done. 

It took about a week and a half of fairly steady, but casual, knitting.  In my world, 'fairly...steady...casual' describes me knitting about an hour to two, in total, a day.  Now, that may sound like a lot and I don't blame you if you're wondering what had to give to make room for it in my day (feeding the kids?  laundry??  feeding herself???).  But no, not quite.  I've discovered that I can sneak in knitting in ten or fifteen minute chunks throughout the day.  Or during tv time if I indulge in any after the kids are in bed.  In fact, it is this seamless pick-it-up/put-it-down/fit-it-in-anywhere process that I adore about knitting--because it really adds up!  In this case, into a cute sweater that cannot be mistaken for anything but a sweater. 

Love it. 

 I think I'll mostly wear it open...

 

but I like it buttoned, too...

 

Public Ravelry link here, with my notes.  I'm picking out my next project asap--we have a beach trip coming up and I'd love to take something along.  Though I hear it's tough to knit on the beach with little ones.  We shall see!

Sandra 

linking up here

Little people and their things.

A certain little person in our house fell in love with another little person's knitted bag, seen here.  So, I made him his own.  Same general idea, though this time I did it by memory during park outings and lessons.  The proportions are a bit off, causing its wonkiness.  But I'm inclined to call it its homemade charm.  It was also my first go at working Fair Isle--again, wonkiness ensued.  But how fun; winter hats, here I come!  I used a tutorial on two handed knitting found here.  And I must say it was not very difficult.  But I think I had a head start because I originally learned to knit in the Continental style.  

  

As soon as I gave it to him, he was off...

 

 

...packing it full for his many adventures...

 

 

And what tiny treasures does he currently like to keep close?  Some Little People of his own and his beloved Cars characters (we're working towards a full set).

 

 

In other exciting-to-me knitting news, Shalom is done!  Just waiting for some buttons and then I'll share.  It was a super quick knit (i.e. roughly 10 days of knitting at night).  I highly recommend it for any other newbie knitters out there.

Happy Friday!

 

Sandra

More cake pops.

Did you see that Bakerella's book is now available for preorder??!!  I can assure you that I am splurging on this one--cake pops are a big deal in this house.  In fact, little Will sometimes looks at baked goods funny when they are not presented to him on a stick.  And...did you see her recent post on cake pops shaped like ice cream cones?  I immediately fell head over heels.  And I knew they'd be the perfect treat to take to a summer party for a couple of super special birthday girls.

A few notes:  you cannot make these too far in advance.  Luckily, I suspected this and made them the day of the party.  Good thing, too, because I found that the left over cones stored in the fridge went stale pretty fast.  To make ahead, you could dip the "ice cream" portion a few days in advance.  But I recommend waiting until the day of to assemble the cones.   

Speaking of cones, I'm still pondering what on earth to do with all of these...

Also, I need to figure out a better way to display cake pops.  Especially these ice cream ones.  Bakerella had hers standing up, which I think really tricks you into thinking they are real ice cream cones.  Much more so than my method of plopping them into a bowl...

 

though it's not as if they hang around too long... 

Hope you treat yourself today!

Sandra 

My first softie.

It surprises me but it's true...I've never made a softie before.

And of course, I would have thought my first go at a softie would be a sewn project.  And for one of my kids.  But nope and nope.

Meet Virginia.

 

Little Miss Virginia Lamb, to be specific.  And she was knit as a birthday gift for my sweet mother-in-law who collects lambs.

To up the cuteness factor (not to mention to cover up some beginner-knitter mistakes), I also made a removeable wool coat knit from Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Astrakhan.  My Ravelry notes are here and the free pattern is also on Ravelry, here.

We put a sign on her.  Because we're corny like that.  Okay, actually, I'm the only one who is corny like that.  My poor family.

 

Two of the kidlets have put in orders for their own lambs--the other child is holding out for a  full-size puppy.  Not so sure about a larger softie, but these little guys only take a couple of hours to whip up.  And if I can do it, anyone can--this was the fourth thing I've ever completed!

Bye Virginia...happy tails, er, I mean trails..I know, I know.  I am not punny.

I will stop now.

Sandra

Linking up here...

 

First wearable knit.

I'm certain I fell behind with blogging as soon as summer started.  And there is likely little hope that I'll catch up.  But that's okay because that's what summer is about--being terribly busy doing not much of anything, right?  I will try, however, to do a little recap soon as I have some special things to document--visits from friends and family, lots of new recipes, the boys' many adventures, and, of course, my new love affair with knitting.

To my sewing peeps:  fear not, sewing is still number one for me.  But knitting is now a solid second.  It moved up in the rankings ever since I entered the realm of auto-knitting.  This means I can knit as I sit in front of the tv, at lessons, wherever, really.  And I like that I'm not anti-social as I do it.  I can carry on a conversation, I can watch the boys at their practices...it's such a lovely, portable craft.  It is, quite frankly, a dream for this multi-tasker who cannot stand to just sit.

I mentioned that I cast on my first lace project--the branching out scarf.  Well, I'm very happy to report that I actually finished it!  And...this is the shocking part...I really, really like it.  And...this would be the milestone part...I think I'll actually wear it.  I was on the fence a few times whether to bother ripping out a few mistakes.  But in the end, I'm glad I did because not only did I fix my mistakes, the process taught me so much.  Such as the world will not end if you need to rip out lace, as long as you go steady and slow enough to catch the stitches.  It also taught me to never, ever, rip out lace with three young boys in the room.

Here it is fresh off the needles, unblocked.

If you don't knit, I've probably already lost you.  But in case you're still here, here is a shot of part of the wet blocking.  I was very intrigued about the claims of blocking--"it can magically smooth out your piece" I constantly read.  The process is very simple:  you wet your item then stretch or otherwise shape it as desired.

I soaked my scarf, squeezed out the water by rolling it in a towel, then laid it out on our guest bed, straightening and pinning it every few inches to flatten it. 

After it dried completely, I was indeed impressed how blocking flattened all of my stitches, making everything look much more uniform.  I am officially a blocking enthusiast.

  

Here it is on.  With a t-shirt.  Because the temperatures this summer have been horrible...hot as blazes, nonstop.  Can't wait for the right weather to actually wear it.

Next up is my first go at using double point needles to knit fingerless gloves.  And I just got my yarn for Shalom.  Oh, and some super secret knitting is in the works.  Let's see if I can keep the momentum going...

Sandra

Knitting, again (again).

Two things happened to prompt me to pick up my knitting needles again.

First, my sewing machine had to go in for service.  It took a week to get back!

And second, with the kidlets out of the house for a couple of days last weekend, I felt it safe to pull out and set down long, pointy things.  You see, the older boys are going through a huge, all-consuming, Star Wars phase.  And I use the term phase very loosely because I fully expect it to last years.  Even the two-year-old can make pretty impressive light saber sound effects as he swooshes about whatever he's gripping.

In search of a quick, one skien project, I headed to the library to check out several knitting books.  Two immediately made it to my 'must buy next time I'm allowed to buy books' list (I have a wee problem buying craft books).

My word--these two books have filled my head with ideas, like crazy.  But before I actually go crazy (because odds are I will), I am having fun practicing new techniques with low-cost cotton yarn.  Yes, I am talking about dish cloths.  Sort of a funny thought to me at first.  But now I totally get it.  It's just enough repetition to figure out whether you want to commit to a certain stitch pattern before you cast on a more ambitious project.  And more importantly for an on again/off again knitter like me--it gives you plenty of low-stress opportunity to learn how to correct the inevitable mistake.  First up, a ballband dishcloth, allowing me to practice working with two colors.

So fun.  And quick!  This does not bode well for my craft budget because I foresee a yarn buying trip in my near future.  And looking at the prices of some of the hanks and the yardage required for projects I'm queuing up in Ravelry, I think I might have to find a pile of forgotten funds (ha!) to afford this as a true hobby.

Sandra

My new favorite tote.

I, for one, cannot have too many totes.  Especially during the summer.  Endless uses:  pool bag, wet pool bag, library bag, knitting bag, sewing bag, so on and so on.  And oh, let's not forget to mention a rush-to-the-urgent-care bag.  The kind that swallows up favorite board books, a change of clothes, diaper needs, snacks, and medical records and yet still has room for a panicky momma's things.  The kind that gets you out the door fast but not looking nearly as bewildered and harried as you actually are because little man lost his footing on a two-feet-high plastic Little Tykes slide and somehow managed to hurt his arm even though he regularly negotiates seven-feet-high slides and runs with the big boys incident-free. 

More on that in a bit.  This is about the tote.

I cannot count how many reusable grocery bags I have sitting at-the-ready in the pantry.  They are like bunnies.  They multiply.  But they are neither particularly cute nor comfy.  Instead, I have long envisioned a certain tote shape.  The It Tote, if you will.  Something with a vintage-y vibe, not too big, not too small, and most importantly...something worthy of diving into my stash.  You know how it is.

I started searching freebie tutorials for "my vision" and had no luck.  I nearly gave up and decided I'd just draft it up--I know how to sew up a basic tote and what I had in mind was pretty basic with one specific detail.  But then I stumbled upon Ali Foster's patterns.  Her reversible tote design was just about perfect.  And so I bought it and stitched this up.

And in case you were wondering, the specific detail I sought was the continuous double circle handle straps.  A simple thing, yes, but you'd be surprised how few tote designs have it.  And I love it.

I also picked up a couple of other patterns.  Ali is running a great deal in her Etsy shop--3 patterns for under $10.  AND she gives you permission to sell creations from her patterns.  I still have hopes of reopening my Etsy shop or doing a farmer's market sale and would love to stock it with some fun purses and clutches.  As a side note, I have no affiliation to her shop.  I just love her designs and am a happy customer. 

For the fabrics, I repurposed some lovely nubby, linen-look cream colored fabric that was left over from a recent drapery project.  And for the reversible interior, I used a pretty print I've hoarded for quite some time--I wanted something summery but in black to match the dressform screenprint I added. 

This is supposed to be my sewing bag--to group ongoing projects or pattern ideas that need things for progression.  The idea is I'll just grab it when I'm headed out thrifting or to a fabric store in search of the right trim, fabric, or other notion.

A post will follow about the screenprint.  I finally tried out using my Cricut to cut out the stencil.  I haven't mentioned that Santa brought me a Cricut Expression, have I?  Well, that's because it seems a little excessive for this scrapper-who-once-was, but I hear Santa scored an amazing Black Friday sale on it, so Yay Santa. 

I have not used my Cricut to its fullest potential but I've finally decided it was time.  I'll post about the two software programs I used to design the dressform and even include the file in case anyone else is interested.

Back to Will.  He spent the weekend in a soft cast and was none too happy about it.  Hopefully it will come off today and he can go back to terrifying me on the big-boy side of the playground...he is not allowed near any innocent looking, plastic, baby slides!

Happy Monday.

Sandra

Linking up here...

11th hour skirt.

Okay, not exactly the 11th hour, but we're off to the pool and I don't want to miss the deadline to enter a skirt in Crafterhours Skirt Week--be sure to head over there to check out all of the amazing skirts.

In true Sandra fashion, I put this together on the last day of the challenge.  It is a simple straight skirt with a reverse applique free-style design.  I used two of Charlie's cast off knit shirts for the fabric.  Easy peasy.

Er, that shot really makes the applique look sad.  And I don't think it is.  Maybe a close up will help...

 

I think I'll wear it quite a bit as a swim suit cover up as the waist band just rolls down.  I love working with knits...so fast and forgiving.

Happy Friday!

Sandra

A thank you gift.

Today is Max's last day of first grade.  And I simply cannot believe it.  When he returns to elementary school next year, he will take his younger brother, Leo, with him.  Leo is a rising kindergartner!  Cannot believe that either.

I had the pleasure of volunteering fairly regularly in Max's classroom.  So I got to know the other children...what a great bunch.  Yesterday was my last day with them and I tried to take some pictures to document the space and faces that captured so much of Max's time.  I will try to get that post up over the weekend.

Here is a non-identifying shot of his teacher (I don't know how she'd feel about having her face blasted across my blog!).  She is wonderful.

She and her husband are headed for a nice vacation after school lets out.  And as I thought about a good thank you gift for her, I decided on a simple bag.

It is the downloadable Monterey Market Bag pattern from Grand Revival Designs.  Max tells me her favorite color is blue so I dug into my stash and found some coordinating prints that I adore.

The bag is a very simple design--no pockets or zippers to fuss with (though you could easily add those in if you like).  The only modification I made is to lengthen the strap to make the bag a cross-body style.  I think it's perfect to take on trips, folded up and tucked into your suitcase or purse and ready to pull out when you're shopping and come across a must-buy souvenir. 

I hope she likes it.  But most of all, when she pulls it out every now and then, I hope she thinks of her first first-grade classroom at our school (she was a new teacher this year).  And a little dark-haired boy and his mommy who think the absolute world of her.

Thanks for everything Ms. P!  Have a happy summer. 

Sandra

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