Refashioned top

This is a bit of a stretch in terms of post worthiness, but here it goes anyway. I bought this top months ago at H&M - tried on one size, it was too small, so I bought the next size up without trying it on...and the sleeves were still too tight. So it sat in my closet until I finally cut off the sleeves and hemmed the armholes. I did the sewing by hand because the fabric is very light and I'm not confident enough with my sewing machine on delicate material. I still love this top, I'm excited to finally be able to wear it, and now I have these awesome sleeve pieces, which I think will make adorable pockets on some future project of undetermined nature.

Leg Warmers

I had a special request for leg warmers for a potty-training toddler who likes to wear dresses but whose mom hated the hassle of dealing with tights at potty time. I forgot to photograph the first pair I made; they were made with crazy bright yarn and were just 2x2 ribs tubes. For these, I used Berroco Comfort Yarn, which is very soft & machine washable, and made it up as I went along. I started at the bottom with 40 stitches, then gradually increased to 48. I used my forearm as a rough approximation of a toddler's leg. I didn't make them a perfect match because the request stated explicitly that the leg warmers should be "funky," and this was the only way I knew to make pastels funky.

Baby gear

Well, I think I already broke one of my New Year's resolutions by not posting all week. I guess crafting takes time. I have been busy crafting fun baby items lately. My pending auntiness didn't really kick in until a month ago, but now I just want to make baby things all time. My first project was a little hooded wrap. I knit this with Bernat organic cotton. Organic cotton is hard to come buy if you're not willing to order online, so I question how organic it really is. Hmm. I really liked how the little wrap knit up though.
Second, since the baby is going to be born in winter, I thought a little sweater and hat set was necessary. I used patterns from One Skein for both the hat and sweater. I thought I was getting the hang of seams, but this sweater was crap to sew up. I loved the yarn though. It's Classic Elite Yarns Lush, 50/50 wool/angora. It's super soft.
Finally, I made some baby bibs. I wasn't too sure if new babies use bibs but I've been assured that they do. They're so little that a little bit of fabric goes a long way. I really like the kitty/cat fabric. The more I look at fabric, the more I'm tempted to buy the super expensive stuff online. There are so many irresistible fabrics out there. I used the pattern from Chickpea Sewing Studio. They sewed up really fast, and they're so cute....

Babies are cute.

Warm things

Here are two quick warm things I've done - the first of the year! (So far I'm doing very well at not straying from my knitting plan. Which I'm proud of even though it's only weeks into the year.) Anyway, on the left is the Karn hat from Norah Gaughan vol.1 (can't wait to get vol.2 which just came out!). I used Lamb's Pride, of course. I love this hat. On the right is a pair of mittens for m husband, made with the famous $2 wool from Smiley's. I managed to get a hat & these mittens from one skein, with a little ball to spare - that's a lot of mileage for $2!

What a Surprise!

I spend my days opening mail for other people, so it was such a surprise to actually see something in the mail addressed to me today! And once I opened said package, I was floored to see what was inside!
Here is an action shot of me enjoying my new mittens Tippi knit for me! They are unbelievable (and with cute little squirrels-- and green trim that doesn't show on the picture). These mittens are amazing and so thoughtful a gift and I totally love them!

Beware the changing blog

For those who noticed, this little knitting site is going through some changes. It was time for a dusting off. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Christmas crafting round-up

I had great intentions of debuting all my crafting for the holidays slowly, but since it's practically mid-January, here ya go:

Item #1:
Here is the mysterious item I was hand felting. It is a big bag and it was a name-draw gift for Christmas. I was fairly pleased with the final product. I think it could have felted better in a machine but overall, I was able to keep the felting consistant. The handles were horrific to felt--I didn't think they would ever shrink! I will also confess to attaching the handles on wrong ends so I cut them and attached buttons for a cute little flair.






Item #2:
I decided that bags were going to be the gift of choice this year; they're always needed, super trendy, and customizable. So I made my mother and two sisters their own tote bags. I kind of winged it in terms of a pattern. I learned a lot about the process of adding a liner from the bags when I made the bags for my grandmothers, and I just adapted that pattern for new bags. I'm also starting to not forget to add pockets to the inside! I did, however, forget to make a bag for myself. I think they're so cute but I'm kind of burned out from sewing....maybe I'll make a couple when the outdoor farmer's market starts up again.


And for some non-present related Christmas crafting:

New Year's post

I don't think I really made a list of New Year's resolutions last year so I'll start with a clean slate this year.

First, I think my first new resolution should be to post more often! I always set out with the best intentions and something sidetracks me. I'm too busy creating and not documenting enough. One non-knitting goal I have for myself this year is to photograph the world around me more, and I'm sure my knitting will feature prominently in that endeavor.

Second, I will no longer buy yarn for imaginary projects, even charity baby items. I have a very small space to store yarn and most of it is taken up with bad yarn choices. I have reached a point where I need to bag all the yarn up and walk into a random knitting group, slip in beside someone else's chair, and walk away slowly. I have so many better creations to work on.

Third, I need to organize my queued projects and prioritize. I might work on Ravelry to make this happen, but at this point I'm not sure I want to fully jump into that community.

As for non-knitting resolutions...
I hope to dabble in embroidery a little this year.
I've made some progress with sewing and I want to keep that up. Limited time and space really are hard to work with though.

And finally (and I've been wishing for this for a while), I want a room of my own (but since I just renewed my crappy apartment lease, I don't think that'll happen this year).

Ridiculously long New Year's post

It's another new year! I went back to my "resolutions" post from a year ago and thought I would see how I did:

-Fewer impulse yarn buys - more conscious stash management!
Well...I did alright on this one. I tried to buy mostly sale yarns and to buy sweater quantities to encourage more garment knitting.
-Actually *finishing* more projects instead of ripping out 10 times before finally giving up.
I haven't gone back and counted my finished projects, and while I'm sure I was more productive than in the past I still had too many impulsive project starts and subsequent rejections.
-Knit more of my own clothes and knit more gifts for others.
Again, did better perhaps than in previous years but there's a lot of room for improvement.
-Do some charity knitting.
A community service group I belong to at my work did a hat knitting project in December - 26 hats for a men's shelter in our neighborhood!

My hopes for 2008 are high, and my project list is long, including lots more than just knitting. In general, this is my challenge: this year, how can I be more creative, more productive, and less wasteful? I want to think about these questions in all areas of life - crafting, eating, work, shopping & spending, etc. With regard to knitting in particular, I have begun to develop a list of specific project goals and sketch out a timeline for getting them done. I've resolved to buy no new yarn or clothes for 6 months in an effort not only to economize but also to focus on working with the materials I already have to create new clothes (or refashion old ones). And charity knitting is still a goal, both with the group at work and on my own.

Here is my last project of 2007 - the 6-stitch-per-inch Basic Socks from Getting Started Knitting Socks. I used one strand each of gray Wool-Ease Sportweight and brown sock yarn, and they turned out warm & well-fitting. They were very fast to knit, too.