The Part-Timer

Inspiration

2009-03-03T15:47:00.002-06:00

It's been a while since I've blogged, so I thought a good start would be to show you something I put together that is inspired by Nikol. She posted a while ago about Lou, who recycles plastic bags into awesome, fun stuff, and how she was going to start saving her plastic bags to send to Lou. One problem with washing plastic bags is how to dry them, and Nikol came up with a cute, inexpensive alternative to purchasing a bag dryer.

Not having any tinker toys, or wanting to spend any money, I started looking around my house to see what I could find to make my own dryer. This is what I came up with:

It's a perforated metal bowl that I usually keep fruit in and metal skewers. I put a towel underneath to catch any drips and to also keep the skewers from sliding around. It easily disassembles so I don't have to find a place to store it when not in use. Also, I can reposition the skewers to hold bigger bags open.

Here's the type of skewer I used. You could also use chopsticks or anything else that would fit in the holes. Or use a colander instead of the perforated bowl.

Hooray for recycling!

Big Honkin Update

2008-05-20T09:59:00.003-05:00

#40 on my Uberlist is to update this blog monthly. Umm, I'll have to do better for the rest of the year! Somehow I missed April, so what was I doing? Why so busy that I missed a blog entry?

I spent a lot of the month preparing for my third session of Yarn School. I have a large fiber stash full of things I dyed last time I was at Yarn School, which I wanted to spin up at least one bit before I left. I started this yarn ages ago, and put it away because I didn't like how the singles were striping. Then, one Saturday I went to a spinning group that meets once a month, and realized I hadn't thought about what I would bring to spin and as I was running out the door (why am I always late?) I grabbed the rest of this fiber. I'm fairly happy with it, but it's a bit on the bright side. It might do well as an accent on solid color sweater.

230 yards, 6 ounces, wool.

I also practiced some novelty techniques. It takes some practice, the hardest part for me is getting enough twist into the singles so that I can actually do the coils without them sliding around looking ugly. The multi colored part of the yarn is from the Hello Yarn Fiber Club "Lantern Festival." The pinkish is some wool I dyed.

Coils, Beehives and Boucle

I finally finished the Adult Surprise Jacket for my aunt. I used about 14 balls of Noro Kuryeon in color 165. I still haven't mailed it to her, there is a fiber festival the end of this month and I want to enter it into one of the competitions. I think it would be fun to send her the jacket along with a prize ribbon! It turned out so awesome, I'm in love! I think I'm going to make one for myself now using handspun. I have some that I made when I was first starting to spin that's kind of hard and crappy, but would probably work well for the jacket!

Adult Surprise Jacket

Don models the jacket

Vintage Button

The next knitting project I worked on was the Cloud Bolero. I thought it would be a quick and easy knit, but I was wrong! I think I started it at least 4 times. I've never worked a lace pattern before, so I was totally not paying attention to which side of the stitch markers my yarn overs were when I knit the next row. Oops! As soon as I figured out what I was doing wrong I stopped knitting while watching movies and payed attention to what I was doing. I finished it with no problem, and it's so cute! I used about 2.5 skeins of Noro Iro in color 66. I still need to block it and add a couple of buttons.

Cloud Bolero Front

Cloud Bolero Back

Yarn School was fun and as fantastic as I could have hoped. I made a few yarns and dyed a ton of fiber. All my pictures can be found here, and there is also a Flickr Group. On to the yarns and fiber!

Wool, Mohair and Sparkle two-ply

Wool, Locks, and Sari Silk singles

Wool, Sari Silk, Sparkle and Bamboo - Thread plied with paillettes

Batt Out of Hell - Thread plied

So much dying!

This time when I went I really tried to think about colors I love and what would be good combinations. I also tried to take into consideration the fibers I was dying and how I might want to spin them. My first thoughts were to copy nature, but it's harder than I thought it would be! Here is a little of the inspiration I started with:

Forsythia and Quince
I love seeing these two flower at the same time in the spring.

Sky, Spring Greens, Dogwood

Black Tulip

Towards the end of the dying session I was getting weary, and just started throwing colors together. I like some of the results, but others I will have to wait and see how they spin up.

After I got home I spent a few days spinning one of the superwash fibers I dyed. Don was totally into the bright colors, and has asked for a hat.

Here's the yarn - Superwash Merino, 7 oz and 415 yards. I had a little left over on the bobbin after plying, so I tried Navajo plying for the first time. I was happy enough with the result that I immediately started spinning more fiber specifically to Navajo ply. I'm almost done with it, but it takes so long!

My first Navajo Ply

I have been doing a bit of sewing, but the dress I was working on is so hideous, I think I may take it apart and make it into a skirt. I used a thrift store sheet for the fabric, so I'm really only out a few hours of time and about $2. I think my next sewing project is going to be either a few skirts, or some napkins. I have tons of cottons that would be perfect of either project!

I planned on posting a bunch of pictures of flowers from my yard, but I think this entry is long enough!

Spring is Here!

2008-03-27T11:33:00.002-05:00

I live in the South, and winter is never very harsh, but I still get so excited when it's finally spring. I love all the flowers and blooming trees (not so much the allergies that accompany the blooming!) the warm breezes, the quality of light that is softer, more yellow.

When we moved into the house a couple of years ago I bought one of those huge mixed bags of daffodil bulbs. We have a pretty large yard, and I have a goal over the next few years to fill it completely with daffodils so in the spring it will be magical. My favorite daffodil of the mix, and there was only one of them, is this guy:
You can't tell from the picture, but these flowers are tiny - only an inch and a half across. Their scent, however, is huge! One sprig will scent an entire room and the aroma is sooo good - kind of reminiscent of a hyacinth, one of my other all-time favorite flowers. This one blooms later than the others, and I'm always a little anxious that it's not going to come back. I'm ordering another few bags of bulbs for next fall, I hope I get more of these little dudes!

I finally set up an Etsy shop. I've been meaning to for ages, I love the idea of so many crafters and artist having a marketplace and community. So far I'm selling vintage patterns. I have tons and I'll never be able to use them all, so hopefully someone will fall in love with them as much as I have. I'm starting with children's patterns, since I don't have kids and I know I won't be using them at all. They are easier to part with than those dress patterns I've been wanting to make for years! At some point I'll also be adding vintage clothing. I have some real gems that don't fit me anymore, and I also need to make room for new stuff in my closets. So be on the lookout!

Here's the shop link: Nashville Fiber

Now go buy lots of stuff!

March already!!

2008-03-03T17:42:00.003-06:00

The daffodils in my yard are blooming. Spring is on the way and I've barely posted all winter! I was pretty busy sewing costumes all January. We went to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, which was fabulous as always! Our Krewe's theme this year was Woo - Hoo Goes to the Circus. Our costumes were poodles and trainer - I think we turned out pretty cute!

Here we are in our best formation:

Check out the tails:

More Mardi Gras fun can be found here.

In knitting news, I made an Urchin hat and a Fidget neckwarmer out of my handspun. It's modeled by my new mannequin head that I LOVE!

I've also started an Adult Surprise Jacket in Noro Kureyon for my aunt. I'm dying of the colors. It will be hard to give this one away, I hope she loves it!

A couple of weeks ago I spent an afternoon making terrariums. I want to make so many more and cover every surface in my house. Not only are they extremely cool to look at, the cats can't eat the plants inside! Bonus! Check out my set on Flickr.

Other than the costumes, I haven't been sewing much. I did get to check one item off the Uberlist when I made a circular knitting needle holder. I used vintage fabric that I've had for a while. It was only a tiny bit, and this was a perfect project!
I used vinyl stick-on letters and they seem to be holding up pretty well. One day I'll get the embroidery software for my sewing machine, but for now this works pretty well.

Spinning has been at a standstill the past two months. I really need to get back into it. However, I have been making some progress with opening the shop. I have an appointment to talk to a small business counselor in a couple of weeks, and I'm working on my business plan now. In the meantime, I'm working on an Etsy store. I'll post as soon as I have anything listed to sell!

November Sewing

2008-01-18T16:15:00.000-06:00

I made this dress for the Sew Retro October - January challenge.

This did not start as my 'No More Buts' project. I have a vintage muumuu pattern (the kind with a draped/train back) that I don't have quite enough fabric for and will have to redraft the pattern for using a different fabric in the pleat that I wanted to be my project. But I digress.

There were several factors leading to this becoming the October - January project.

When I started to pull the pattern out of the envelope, it was crumbling before my eyes. The previous seamstress totally just shoved the pattern back into the envelope all wadded up, not even folded! What I believed would be a fairly straightforward project taking a couple afternoons soon turned into several hours of tracing a disintegrating pattern before I could even start.

The next problem I encountered was with my fabric. It's a lovely piece I bought on sale last year from an online retailer. I laid it on the cutting table and started to put the pattern pieces down, and quickly realized it was a DIRECTIONAL PRINT! I was cutting it seriously close with the yardage, since the website did not say it was a directional print and I didn't buy extra fabric. My general rule is to buy 5 yards of fabric if I don't know what I'm making it with it, so I always have enough for a full skirt. For this pattern to work, especially since I wanted to make the longer sleeved version with full skirt I would need about 1/2 yard more fabric than I had. Oops! So there was some cunning layout work to do.

After getting everything cut out, I thought it would be smooth sewing. First, I've never made a notched collar, and when cutting out the pattern I just followed what had been cut by the previous sewer - the notch line. It wasn't until I got to that part of the sewing instructions that I realized I was supposed to cut that line after sewing around the notch. Ugh. After trying to make it work, I eventually had to cut a new collar from the scraps. At least I had enough fabric! Then, when trying to sew it all together the top and bottom would not match, no matter what I tried. I sewed it 3 times! Fearing I traced the pieces wrong, I got the crumbled bits back out and compared. I had done a perfect tracing job. ??? Then I noticed the very faded word 'Ease' that I had missed the first time. Whew! So I eased the right places and it fit together perfectly.

The final problem I encountered was with the back zipper. Despite meticulous basting it took two tries to get it in straight. Then, because I used an invisible zipper, the plastic-ness and the placement of it caused the fabric to bow out in the back. I looked like I had a weird tumor growing. My mom suggested I take it out and just sew up the back seam since there was plenty of room with the buttons in the front to pull it over my head. That worked brilliantly.

I also realized while sewing that this is only the second time I've had to set in a sleeve on a garment. The pattern had good instructions, so it was pretty easy peasy.

So here I am, in the finished dress!

I love the collar so much, and how huge it is in the back! I think it looks cute with a sweater, too. Always a plus when you pretty much only sew cotton dresses to wear year round.

A close-up of the vintage rhinestone buttons I used. I tend to wear day dresses in the evening, so a little sparkle makes it feel more special.

New Year Organization

2008-01-08T22:01:00.000-06:00

It's the new year, and I've been thinking about the Uberlist. I'm mostly done, and a lot of it involves organizing the supplies for various crafts. This is a recurring theme in my lists, which is so perplexing.

There has to be a way for everything to be organized, and in a way that is easy to maintain. Every year I try to find the answer, since even the most thought-out and purchased-for plans seem to fall apart after a short time. I recently came across a photo of one of my first attempts to get my sewing crap together:

Susie is checking out my stash of the plastic zipper bags that bedding is packaged in. I was using them to containerize sewing stuff. In the background is a plastic box with more stuff.

This pretty much fell apart the minute I needed a few items. I'm pretty sure I'd work cleaner with small drawers rather than big boxes. The search is on for furniture! Suggestions are welcome!

November and December: Busy Knitting!

2007-12-26T21:28:00.000-06:00

I was so busy knitting I didn't even think about updating the blog with progress! This Christmas I had a goal to give everyone handmade gifts. I started knitting in November, and finished everything in time! Now, I did have some cheats. We bought gifts for my in-laws, because they really wouldn't appreciate hand-made items. The exception to this is my FIL, who has liked the hats I made him. I made two for him, but gave them before Christmas cause he is bald from chemo. I also gave the gift of money to my cousin who is a freshman in college. I remember how broke I always was, and thought he could probably use the cash more than a hat. :)

So, on with the projects. I started off November knitting at Blackberry Farm.
It was a relaxing and beautiful start to the season.

I made the Anthropology Inspired Capelet twice, using my hand dyed yarns and commercial yarns.

I made two more dishcloths

I made hats for my FIL, niece and nephew using my own handspun yarn.

Here's a wimple I made for my mom.

I did a little spinning

Which I turned into three matching Calorimetries for me and my sisters.

I made the EZ Snail Hat for a friend:

Another hat for Bill using very squishy alpaca.

I finally finished the hat for my granddad that I started last December.

I also made a hat for my dad.

My aunt requested a sewn purse which only took a couple of hours to make.

I also made myself a dress, but haven't had a chance to photograph it yet. Plus, it's my November/December entry for Sew Retro, so I'll make a post devoted just to it.

Overdue October Post

2007-11-14T15:09:00.000-06:00

November is halfway done, and I haven't posted my October update yet. It's amazing how quickly time can go by, especially when you don't have a job. That's right, I QUIT MY JOB!! I had a very good eight years working for the library, but it was high time I move along to the next phase of my life. Hopefully you will see an announcement here about the awesome new business I open within the next 6 - 12 months!

So the name of the blog doesn't really fit anymore, what to do??

I did not sew at all last month. I have a few patterns picked out, beautiful fabric, the desire for new clothes, but it just didn't happen. I still want to try the current Sew Retro challenge, and have two patterns that I've already tried to make work. It will take more fiddling, I think.

How awesome is this wiki for vintage patterns? I think it's so very awesome that it's going to be part of my 2008 Uberlist to add a few entries. It could be a corollary to my Sew Retro projects: review the pattern I sew.

I really, really need to set up a sewing space again. Pending renovations, parties, holiday gatherings and general stuff has my whole house in flux. I've been doing laundry for ages, which really cuts into craft time. About the only thing I can focus on now is dishcloths. I'm making a stack and will gift as necessary. They are practical and, I think, cute. Hopefully a welcome gift!

I've done a few other gift knitting projects, but I want to keep them a surprise for now. :)

Yarn School

2007-10-02T14:18:00.000-05:00

I just got home from the most perfect weekend in Harveyville, KS at Yarn School. I spent most of my spinning time working on plying with thread. I feel like I'm getting a little better, but the main thing I need to work on is getting more twist into my singles. Part of the problem is my broken wheel. Things should improve once I get the replacement part.

I got to spend some time in the Dye Lab. Here are a few commercial yarns I dyed:

I also dyed fiber. This super bright wool was in our fiber goody bag.

This is a Merino/silk fiber I brought from home. The colors ran together more than I wanted. I need to remember to leave some white space next time I dye!

I made a few batts on the drum carder that I didn't get a chance to spin while I was there. This one is fiber I dyed, which turned out muddy and ugly. I had hoped that carding it would maybe improve it a bit, but I was wrong. It's still ugly. But who knows, it might spin into something lovely.

The other batts are a random mish-mash of fiber that was provided for carding.

I can't wait for next year!

August and September Spinning

2007-09-24T17:06:00.000-05:00

Yarn School is almost here! I thought I should get a little practice in before I go, and make room for any new fiber I get while there.

I spun this yarn as a single a while ago, with the plan to ply it with beads. I had a small ball and a larger one, so I practiced on the smaller. Good thing I did, since I totally suck at it.

A few months ago I joined the Hello Yarn Fiber Club, and hadn't actually spun any of the fiber. It's so pretty, I didn't want to mess it up! So here is my first attempt at making a big fluffy thick and thin yarn plied with thread. Colorway is Cricket.

This did not turn out very pretty. I had a hard time getting the tension right on the thread, and it kept breaking.

Next up was a more successful attempt with Thistle. I wanted a stripy, sproingy two-ply with some solid color stripes. This one I am happy with! It's so soft and pretty, if only I had MORE! Like enough for a sweater or poncho!

The last little bit of spinning I did was this tiny bit of alpaca we got at Yarn School last year. It's soft and lovely, but there is probably only enough to make a cat toy.
In other spinning news, my poor wheel is a little broken. The new part is on the way, but as it is I can only spin on the largest whorl of the bobbin, and the new bulky flyer and bobbin set I got is acting cranky with it. Bummer. I really didn't want to spend Yarn School fumbling around with a crap wheel.

September Sewing

2007-09-24T16:56:00.000-05:00

I've had this pattern for several years and always liked it's childish looks. Now that I work in the children's department of a library and the most perfect fabric came into my life, I had to make it.

After I got 'help' from my bad kitty
This is how it turned out:

I think it's cute! One thing I didn't realize about the pattern until after I had already cut it out is that the back is lapped, and therefore flaps open when I walk. :o I guess that's why panties were included in the pattern! My fix was to wear another skirt I made last year under it. At some point in the future I'll probably sew up the back seam, but for now, especially in chilly weather, the added layer is okay.

Here's a closeup of the adorable Japanese fabric, sent to me from Jodi:

August and September Knitting

2007-09-23T14:24:00.000-05:00

I was busy in August knitting a couple of gifts. The first was a Baby Surprise Jacket for a co-workers baby shower. I used Plymouth Encore Colorspun. I pretty much hated this yarn, it was kind of scratchy or something on my hands. My local yarn store had a very limited selection of washable yarns that weren't cotton, so next time I know there is a baby coming I'm going to be sure not to procrastinate and thus have time to order nicer yarn. I don't know why I always put off making the gift until (in this case) one week before the shower, but there is always next time!

The jacket itself was an awesome pattern, very easy to follow and fairly mindless. I knit most of it sitting at the bar of Vessel in Seattle. We were in Seattle for a conference and it was fortunate to have such an awesome bar right around the corner from the hotel. Also featured on this project were some vintage buttons from my stash.

Another knitting project was a One Skein Wonder shrug for my friend. Earlier in the summer I made this dress

for her and when I visited her she kept shivering the whole time she wore it. So the search for a nice yarn that wouldn't be too hot and would actually match was on. The colors in the dress are peach, pink, purple and green, and it seems like most yarn colorways with pink or peach feature blue instead of green. I finally found a nice ribbon yarn - Filatura Di Crosa "Malva" that was a perfect match.

I think it's pretty cute. I'm still waiting on a picture of the two worn together!

In other knitting news, I'm still working on Sahara. I started this in June, thinking it would be great for summer, but I've been slow to finish it. I've got a few more rows to do on the neckline, then I can start the sleeves. It shouldn't take too much longer if I devote several days to just knitting it.
I also made a scarf from Exquisite Little Knits. I used my own handspun, which wasn't as bulky as the pattern called for, but made a nice lacy fabric. It's still going to be warm, which is the important part! I have enough yarn left to make a matching hat too.
This is what it looks like flat:

New dress

2007-07-25T08:47:00.000-05:00

I made a dress using a pattern from 1975. I had to make a couple of adjustments to the shoulders, it was way too big. I'm very happy with it, and will use the pattern again. It has no zippers or buttons - it's very generous in the back and you just cinch it all together with the attached belt.

This is the pattern I used - McCall's 4796

Gift projects

2007-06-04T16:51:00.001-05:00

I crocheted this little circle bag for a friend's birthday using a pattern from the book One Skein. I made some changes - added a lining, used a button instead of a zipper closure, and added handles. The yarn is Fiesta Yarns Zia in Coral Reef colorway.

Here is a cute little tank top I made for Jodi. She recently went shopping for me in Japan and sent a huge box of the most exciting fabric ever! I will have to take photos soon to show the fabulousness of it all.

The pattern is the ChicKami, from Chic Knits. It 's an easy pattern and knitted up pretty quick. I used Classic Elite Patina, a cotton and silk yarn. It's so soft and felt really nice on (yes, I had to try it on!)
I also made this cute dress for a friend's birthday. I've been meaning to make her something for ages and never got around to it. She came for a visit recently, so I was able to fit it to her. The strap on the right looks a little wonky, and I hope my measuring was correct and it doesn't fall off her shoulder. The pattern is one I've had for a few years - Butterick 3076 - and I don't think it's still in print. It was very easy to put together, and it has one of my favorite features, pleats!

Now I'm going to devote a little time to knitting and sewing for myself. I have a dress I need to take apart (my math must really suck, it turned out far too large after a few alterations), a skirt to finish and I've started a cute knitted summer sweater that I'd like to finish before summer is over!

Not so good with this blogging business.

2007-04-30T11:37:00.000-05:00

It's been almost two months since I last posted. I really wanted to keep this going on a more regular schedule, but I find myself wanting to DO more things in real life, and less on the computer these days.

We've been traveling a lot these past few months, and instead of knitting I've been using airplane time to catch up on reading. Only working part-time has really put a crimp in my reading schedule. It's amazing how many books I used to go through when I had 4-6 hours a day to read at work. Now I'm lucky if I read a couple pages a day.

Now for pictures!
This is a two-ply yarn I spun up from fiber I won as a door prize during Yarn School. It's very squishy, but a little rough feeling. I have about 270 yards of this, plus an additional 94 of the same red fiber plied with blue that I haven't photographed yet. I still have a bunch of blue fiber to spin, and I'm thinking if I spin up the blue and make a two-ply of just blue I might have enough yarn to make a stripey poncho.

I have started a Branching Out scarf from Knitty. I got the yarn from Habu, it's called Frisbee and it's very fine merino. I only have only have one little ball of it, but I think it will be enough for a short scarf. I mainly wanted to practice lace, since I've never made any before.

I started this poncho ages ago using a bulky cashmere from School Products. The pattern is from Vogue Knitting on the Go: Ponchos. I got almost done with the charted part of the pattern and realized I had seriously fucked up a couple of rows at the beginning so I had to frog 4 days of constant knitting. :( But I'd rather do it right than see the mistake every time I wear it. At this point it's a stalled project, it's way to hot to hold that on my lap while I knit. I'll pick it back up in the fall when it's cooler.

This is more handspun yarn, taken in different light. I dyed the fiber at Yarn School. I plan to ply this with thread and seed beads, but first I have to practice plying with thread a little more. I don't want to mess it up!

I also made a cute summer dress in pink, but somehow I miscalculated and it's way too big. So unsewing and resewing is on my agenda for later this month. I have a couple of circle skirts cut out, just waiting for them to hang a few more days since the are cut on the bias before I do any sewing. There is also some secret sewing and crocheting going on - two of my best friends have birthdays this month!

February Knits and Yarn

2007-02-17T12:16:00.000-06:00

Look! My first successful attempt at making yarn! Sarah sent me the fiber she hand-dyed. It's South African Fine, and it spun up very nicely. Thanks, Sarah!

I made a capelet. I didn't use a pattern, and its worked out ok. It's not quite what I had envisioned, but it's warm and cute, so I'll try not to rip it out. This is the third try with this yarn I bought from Hello Yarn a while ago. I just could not make anything look good with it.

Mardi Gras Crafting

2007-02-17T11:53:00.000-06:00

It's glitter and sequin time again! This year our Krewe's theme involves wearing masks. Don wears glasses, so I decided to make him a mask that would fit over an old pair so he can see while we parade. Aren't I nice!

I started out with a store-bought plastic mask. I enlarged the eyeholes a bit so it would slip over his glasses. Then I cut out a beard and eyebrows from craft foam and hot-glued them to the mask. This was followed by two coats of acrylic paint.

After the paint I added two coats of glitter glue.

This was followed with some extra Mardi Gras bead flair.

The men of the Krewe were asked to dress like Bacchus, so I also made him a headpiece with plastic grapes and grape leaves, some feathers, and more beads. Here is the finished look:

You can see the where the mask attaches to glasses better in this photo:

We are a pretty Krewe, which means we have to drink from pretty bottles. Here are the ones I made for us and a couple of friends.

More photos of the bottles here.

I'll post more pictures when we get home of full costumes and fun!

January Crafts

2007-02-11T16:30:00.000-06:00

Earrings made with reclaimed vintage beads.

Hat for Don

Baby Longies and Hat

I also sewed a skirt for Sarah, but forgot to take a picture of it before I sent it off.

Gift knitting

2007-01-11T17:29:00.000-06:00

Wow! December really flew by, and now it seems like January is halfway gone. We've been traveling a lot, so I haven't had as much knitting time as I'd like. I made a baby hat for my new nephew from a Hello Yarn pattern. It's even more adorable on!

I made two identical hats for my father-in-law and my grandfather. They are both old and hard to shop for and always cold. From now on they get knitted gifts!

I had a little set back on a 1x1 rib hat on size 0 needles, so I'm putting it away until I'm in a more patient mood. In the meantime, I'm trying to finish up the pants to match the baby hat. This weekend is the knitting group, so i hope to get a lot done.

This month will also be the start of several secret projects, and Mardi Gras costumes! We are marching with the Krewe of Woo Hoo again this year, and I really need to get cracking on the festive outfits, masks and drinking vessels. Wish me luck, it's going to be a busy few weeks!

Bad Blogger

2006-12-05T13:39:00.000-06:00

November completely flew by, with barely a post from me. We went to New York, so my crafting time was a little limited. I had to work extra days to get all my hours in, then as soon as we got back I had to prepare for Thanksgiving.

I did make a poncho, a scarf, and a necklace.

The poncho is made with Hello Yarn, and I just kind of made up the pattern. It is my current favorite item of clothing. I wear it constantly at home, and at least once-twice a week at work. I need to hurry and make another one, so I won't be so boring!

I made this scarf to give to my grandmother. The pattern is "Flying V" from Exquisite Little Knits. I used yarn called Granbia that Jodi sent from Japan. The colors are so beautiful I want to keep it for myself!

I made this necklace from bits and pieces of vintage/thrifted jewelry. The picture really doesn't do it justice. Those are pearls in between the pink beads, and they have a really interesting patina. I used to make a lot of jewelry in high school, and over the years I've amassed quite a collection of random stuff. I'm glad I finally have time to make a things every once in a while. I made this to go with a pink silk skirt, and it matched perfectly!

Hopefully after the December I'll have more fun things to post. Don and I are going to Hawaii in two days, and I'm taking knitting for the flight there and back. I hope to finish hats for my grandfather and his dad, and possibly start on the baby gift for my sister. She's not due until mid January, so I have a little bit of time (hopefully baby won't be early!)

This week

2006-11-04T21:22:00.000-06:00

It's been busy! Don's birthday was on Thursday, and we had a combined birthday/Day of the dead celebration.

Monday night Don, Chek and I prepared the sugar skulls.

Then we made lots of tamales, beans, and various salsas and had a party. There are pictures here.

I also finished the pinwheel blanket I've been working on this month. I gave it to our CSA farmers who are expecting a new baby any time now! I thought it turned out pretty cute with it's picot bind-off.

For next week I'm trying hard to finish a tiny bit of sewing and get a couple of knitting projects started before we head to New York for a week. Then it's home and time to prepare the Thanksgiving feast!

October Sewing

2006-10-28T21:29:00.000-05:00

Because of Yarn School and my sewing machine need a new foot control, I didn't do much sewing this month. I really loved the denim wrap skirt I made, and immedietly upon finishing it I started rummaging through the fabric stash to see if I had enough to make anouther skirt. I had some left-over corduroy, and with a little creative cutting and piecing together of the fabric I made this:

It is kind of lumpy and not as attractive as the denim one. I'll probably still wear it, but only with a baggy sweater covering the waist.

The other skirt I made was much improved. It's Simplicity 4703 done in a brown cotton twill. It is my current favorite skirt - very comfortable and wearable for work and home. This is a pretty good shot of what the pleats look like:

I adore pleats, and this pattern has six! variations! I forsee making a few more service skirts like this soon, especially now that I bought the fancy invisible zipper foot for my sewing machine. I think they are much easier to put in and look better than the other kind. Although, what's best is no zipper. I've been working on a pleated skirt design with buttons instead of a zipper. It could work!

Kimchee!!

2006-10-26T13:34:00.000-05:00

Recently we got a gigantic Chinese cabbage from the CSA. We asked the farmers what to do with it (really, it was huge!) and they said they only ever make kimchee. So kimchee it is! I've never made it before, and I'm pretty sure I haven't even eaten it, but I love pickles, so I thought it would be worth a shot.

Here's the cabbage. I should have put something there for scale, but basically it took up the entire counter!

Next we have the daikon radish, also from the CSA. I love the hot pink! They are also very spicy.

I sliced the radish with the mandoline. Aren't they pretty?

Cabbage and radish sit together in salt water overnight.

Then you drain the vegetables, saving the liquid. Add green onions, garlic, ginger, cayenne and sugar. See how the cabbage shriveled up?

Into a jar it goes! Pour the remaining liquid to cover.

It will sit like this for three days on the counter covered with a clean dishtowel.

After three days it looks like this: (sorry for the blurry night photo)

This is what it looks like today:

A successful experiment! It was easy to make and very tasty. I didn't use quite as much cayenne as the recipe calls for, even though I like spicy, in hopes that other people will help me eat it.

October

2006-10-16T19:53:00.000-05:00

I've been busy all month and haven't posted at all. Shameful!

I had been steadily working on stuff for the first week and a half of the month, then my sewing machine broke. Damn you, Bernina, for not selling parts online! My foot control went wonky, which put a crimp in my list of things to finish before Yarn School. Yes, Yarn School! Hooray!

For pictures of Yarn School, click here. I really learned a lot, even if I didn't successfully make yarn with the spinning wheel. It's being shipped to me, so as soon as I get it I will start practicing again. I brought enough fiber home with me to work with the drop spindle, which is a good way to practice drafting.

Before I left I was sewing a bit. My favorite finished item is the denim wrap skirt. I got the pattern from fitzpatterns.com It's pretty straightforward, but be warned: if you make the large, measure the pieces against your body. You might want to make a practice one. I had to lengthen the ties a lot and add a belt loop in the back. Other than that I think the first one turned out cute. Here is the inside: The shape is nice and it's very easy to wear. No chance of it flying open and exposing anything. I do think I need to make it a little shorter for winter. I have a corderoy version I'm working on now* and it's a little cuter with tights underneath if it's knee length, I think.

*I thought I had finished it, but I forgot about making the ties longer, and they don't go all the way around my waist. Fixing this is on my to-do list for this week cause it is getting chilly and my wardrobe isn't prepared at all!

I bought some dark brown fabric and some navy blue fabric. From the navy I'm making a smock top View C from I'm going to make it shorter, just a few inches below above my hips. I think it will be cute to layer it with long-sleeve shirts or sweaters and wear over skirts.
The brown fabric will be used with a skirt pattern I bought a couple of years ago but haven't ever made. I think it should not cause too many problems, as long as I get the pleats straight.

I've also been cooking. Tonight I made a feast of Indian food, but was way too hungry to take any pictures. Here are a few things I've made that I took pictures of. Click the pictures for more info!

Fall Dressing

2006-09-28T11:03:00.000-05:00

Pretty, isn't it? It's one of several pieces of kimono fabric I was planning on making into another Duro. This morning I was looking at the Sartorialist on Style.com, and saw this woman on the right:whose dress reminded me of my favorite dress from Trashy Diva:only with long sleeves.

So now, I think I need to make a non-Duro dress with the kimono fabric, something with tight sleeves for wearing under sweaters, with a full skirt. I wonder if I have something perfect in the pattern stash? Must go browse!

Re-purposed mail sorter

2006-09-27T11:24:00.000-05:00

Re-purposed mail sorter

I feel so clever! I bought this a few months ago at Target to try to get the mail under control. I never used it. I just spotted it abandoned in my craft room and thought it would be perfect for holding the patterns I plan on making next as well as things I always lose like the seam ripper and chalk.

Finished sweater

2006-09-26T13:53:00.000-05:00

Finished sweater

Finally finished. Pattern is from Interweave Knits, Winter 2005. Yarn is Maisy Day specially made for me by Sarah who makes the most fabulous yarn. The ties are too long, and if you look hard enough you will seee mistakes, so don't!

In other news, I'm sick with a head cold. It is icky and I'm glad I'm working part-time now because I have had the past two days off to laze about the house being sick.

Dinner 9-25-05

2006-09-26T11:25:00.000-05:00

Dinner 9-25-05

We got tons of greens from the CSA this week. I have to eat them every day!

Last night's dinner was organic brown rice, mizuna with warm dressing and a Quorn cutlet perpared on the Foreman. I know a lot of people think Quorn is creepy, but I think it's tasty.

Sew Retro September Project

2006-09-25T13:14:00.000-05:00

Sew Retro September Project

Made from a vintage house-dress pattern. The fabric came from my stash, I'm not sure where I got it originally. I think it's maybe a little bit busy, but it is a house dress and not something I'll be wearing out (probably.) I had problems with the collar, but now I kind of understand how they work so maybe the next time it won't be such an ordeal. Also, the pattern was too small so I enlarged it, but I think my drafting skills are not quite up to par. A lot of the pieces didn't fit together very well, and the top ended up being too big. I should have made a muslin to verify fit, but it seemed silly for something so simple.

Dinner 9-23-06

2006-09-24T10:33:00.000-05:00

9-23-06

Don and I made seafood paella for the first time last night. It was incredibly good! The recipe really wasn't complicated, either. We also had a salad and purchased cookies for desert.

Fall/Winter Wardrobe Planning

2006-09-23T11:52:00.000-05:00

This year I really need to update my closet. I've outgrown most of my favorite skirts, and what I have left are mostly crap or wool. As much as I love wool, I'm finally admitting that I hate it for skirts and pants. It makes me way too itchy and uncomfortable to be worth it, even if I wear tights and slips underneath. Also, I realized I have almost no casual clothes. Just one pair of jeans which I need to replace this year.

So on my agenda for the next couple of weeks is a storm of sewing. I know I want to make the following:

- Brown knee length skirt out of heavy cotton with a couple of pleats
- A-line denim skirt
- Several floor length skirts, corduroy and something else - maybe use the tablecloth material
- One nice dress from the green kimono fabric
- Slips and camisoles

Additional patterns I'd like to make:

(oops, I need to figure out how to rotate the pictures!)

Dinner 9-17-06

2006-09-18T10:44:00.000-05:00

Dinner 9-17-06

This is my first attempt at poaching an egg. It wasn't hard, but my results are not as pretty as they could be. Also, the whites were a bit on the rubbery side.

This is the last of the tomatoes from the CSA. So sad. :(

Tomato Tart - Dinner 9-15-06

2006-09-16T13:21:00.000-05:00

Tomato Tart - Dinner 9-15-06

Puff pastry shell, egg and goat cheese filling with fresh herbs, roasted cherry tomato, plain tomato and red onion.

At the State Fair

2006-09-15T18:19:00.000-05:00

statefair 117

Ruth, Don and I went to the fair today. The pictures are here:

Fair 2006

Fashiony

2006-09-15T10:59:00.000-05:00

I've always loved fashion. As a small child, I'd encourage my mom to buy Vogue instead of Good Housekeeping. Now, I'm by no means an everyday stylish type of person, but I do occasionally try to look cute and I do keep up on trends. I found a group on Flickr called Wardrobe_Remix, where people post pictures of their outfits. Not just any outfit, but the ones that make you feel good. There are a lot of uber-trendy hipster types there, but there are also people like me, who dress more mainstream. Working at the library means I can be kind of creative with my clothing, but above all it has to be comfortable for standing on my feet all day and crawling on the floor picking up books. Here are a couple of outfits I've worn this week, as an example.

Notice the knee-lenght skirts, and the long sleeves. I've tried wearing shorter skirts beacuse I think I look better in them, but I hate feeling like I'm showing my ass every time I retrieve a book from the bottom shelf. It's always chilly in the library, so I usually have a jacket or sweater around. Both of these outfits feature items I'll wear year round by adding a long-sleeved shirt or tights and different shoes.

I try to buy clothes that are incredibly versatile and not too trendy. I like to buy sweatshop-free, which somewhat limits my choices. I do buy a lot of stuff from thrift stores, at which point I don't bother worrying about labels since I'm re-using.

Lunch 9-13-06

2006-09-13T14:20:00.000-05:00

Lunch 9-13-06

Grilled cheese on Provence Bakery sourdough and potato kale soup.

I had to nag Don and Chek last night because neither of them has had a single bowl of soup since I made it, despite telling me they would help me eat it. I don't think this kind freezes that well, so I'm forced to eat huge bowls of it until it's gone because I hate wasting food.

Around the yard Sept. 13, 2006

2006-09-13T12:51:00.000-05:00

I made something!

2006-09-11T13:34:00.000-05:00

Necklace

Here is a little necklace I made from a couple of broken necklaces. I got a huge bag of jewelry parts from the thrift store a couple of weeks ago and I look forward to making more jewelry.

Lunch 9-10-06

2006-09-11T08:26:00.000-05:00

Lunch 9/10-06

Fish Tacos

Made from left-over tilapia, fresh corn tortillas from La Hacienda, and salad made from CSA veggies. Margarita from the Tex-Mex Cookbook by Robb Walsh.

Weekend stuff.

2006-09-10T10:30:00.000-05:00

Potato Kale Soup is probably one of my top favorite soups ever. We've been getting lovely potatoes in our CSA basket and last week we got the first bunch of kale, so time to make soup! The recipe is very simple - just saute onions and garlic until soft, add chopped potatoes and either water or stock, cook until done. Meanwhile, wash, chop and steam kale. When the potatoes are done, puree 1/4 - 1/2 (or all of it for a super smooth soup) and add kale. Be sure to add lots of salt, I think this one is better a little on the salty side.

Then, since my roommate bought bananas and didn't eat them, and I hate letting food go to waste, I made banana bread. Recipe here. I think I originally got it from Adrian.

Last night was the monthly library knitting party. We've been getting together for about 2 years now. Each month is hosted by a different member. This month Carrie hosted, and I got to meet her charming roommate Claire. We drank a lot fo wine and I messed up my knitting. Doh! I totally forgot I was supposed to be adding some increases on the sleeve. Oh well, there is a new knitting group started that is open to the public and meets at the library on Monday, so I might check it out and try to repair the damage. Today I'm going to try to repair my liver.

House Poncho

2006-09-08T10:15:00.000-05:00

Swatches

I'm swatching to make a poncho. Yes, I know they are not so popular, but my house is always cold. When guests come over they wrap themselves in blankets or coats. So I have a grand plan to knit tons of house ponchos for people to wear when they come over.

The one on the left is knitted on size 13 needles and the one on the right with size 11. I'm going to go with 11's, cause it's a little tighter and I think would hold up better than a looser knit.

Sew Retro September Project

2006-09-07T11:09:00.000-05:00

Sew Retro September Project

I'm going to make this for the Sept. project. I've been wanting to make it sincee I first got the pattern about 7 years ago, when I was much smaller. It will be a good learning experience to figure out how to enlarge it enough to make it fit.

The fabric came from my stash, and I'm really not sure where I got it originally.

Sew Retro

Finished!

2006-09-05T10:27:00.000-05:00

Finished!
Originally uploaded by MarissaH.

I finished painting around the windows. The blobs of paint at the top are intentional, I swear! This way I'll be spurred to call the house painter to finish the job soon. We are going to have the rest of the paneling on the house painted the same color.

Primed facings

2006-09-03T14:15:00.000-05:00

Primed facings
Originally uploaded by MarissaH.

Today the weather is cool and slightly overcast, and it will be the same tomorrow. Perfect weather for painting! We had the sliding doors and windows replaced recently and I wanted to get the outside painted before it gets too cold.

The pink paint is primer. As soon as it dries I'm going to put on the first coat of paint. It will be maroon, like the doors.

2006-09-01T07:58:00.000-05:00

This summer I have fallen in love with Ratatouille. I make it at least once a week. Our CSA sharea pretty much gives all the vegetables needed. Last night I didn't have any peppers so I added a can of chick peas instead. I've not seen a recipe that uses chick peas, but I love them and it was very tasty!

I also made ice cream, but the power went out mid-churn for several hours. When it came back on I was too excited for ice cream to take any pictures.

Now, I'm off to work, my last day as a full time employee in the Reference Department.

2006-08-31T09:22:00.000-05:00

A list of things I want to do.

Knitting

~~Pinwheel for Cher. This might get taken off the list. She is one of our CSA farmers, and I'd like to make her something, but the pinwheel might be overly ambitious for the timeframe.~~
Poncho with new HY.
Capelet with old HY.
Take apart cream and green scarf and re-knit.
Soakers for my nephew (due in January so I have time.)
Do something with jungle bolero so I can actually wear it.
~~Finish Ballet Wrap Sweater.~~
Make a few more dishcloths.
Recycle grey yarn from Don's sweater and make a skirt.

Sewing

Circle skirt with orange kimono fabric.
Duro with purple kimono fabric.
Winter dress with green silk bolt.
40's dress with red and white dot fabric.
Secret xmas gifts (7-8?)
Red silk slip/undergarments.
Cat pillows using moth eaten sweaters.
~~Wrap around apron.~~
~~Fix denim skirt.~~ *I actually made a whole new one that is way better than the old!*
Sort mending box and mend! (I've had that box full of stuff for over 2 years, I may not want to even bother with some of it.)

House

~~Organize credenza.~~
Line hall closet with cedar, add shelves, sort and put away all sweaters.
Build shoe and purse cubbies for bedroom closet.
Re-organize pantry so it doesn't get junked up so quickly.
Clean basement.
~~Set up sewing area.~~ (sort of - I have a working system, at least, which is a start!)
Finish containerizing craft room.
~~Hang up printer shelf in basement.~~
Have a yard sale.
Donate all unsold yard sale things.

Other

Have business cards printed.
Start research on starting a business.
Sell some stuff on ebay.