Bed Bug Scare, Gift Coasters and my latest Simplicity 1620

Last week was cray cray.  I got a notice on my apartment door on Tuesday evening that my apartment was going to be sprayed for bed bugs as a preventative (because I DON'T have bed bugs but my neighbors do) and I needed to get all this stuff done by Wednesday :/

 

 

I freaked out and called the property management place that I rent from.  She gave me the exterminator's number and I got the low down from him.  He said the spray date for my unit was pushed back to Thursday to give me time to prepare and also all I had to do was push all the furniture away from the walls and wash my bedding.  That was a huge relief!  I also felt the need to mildly clean my apartment because I didn't want to gross out the bug spraying guys with cat litter on the floor and dirty dishes in the sink.  I took off half of Wednesday to get ready and all of Thursday because I needed to keep my cat with me out of the apartment and also because I knew I wouldn't want to go back to work after driving around with a cat for 3 hours LOL.  Why didn't I just board her you ask?  Well, I checked two vets and it would cost about $10 to board her and about $100 to examine her and get her up to date on her shots and they refused to board her without the shots.  So we drove to visit my mom and get my oil changed.  Well, then my mom's employee noticed that I had a staple in one of my tires!  So me and cat spent about 30 minutes in Wal-Mart.

 

 

She was so good and only meowed a little bit.  Mostly I think she was just annoyed and on the trip back home relaxed enough to take a nap.

 

After we got home,  I moved all the furniture back into place and put everything in order and then got to work crafting!

 

I finished the black polka dot Simplicity 1620.

 

 

I really like this pattern!  It fits me well and it's so easy to make.  I don't like how the arm holes gape so I need to find some jacket/cardigan type things before I can wear it to work but other then that I'm really keen on it.  I wish I had done a few things different like put the arm hole hem on the outside and the bottom hem on the outside kinda playing with the darker print of the right side of the fabric that was turned to the inside but for work that may be a bit avant garde so to speak and to everyone would probably just look like I had it on wrong side out LOL.  Oh well next time I reverse the fabric I might play around a bit with that :)

 

Saturday was my mom's bday so I finished up her present on Friday night.  I made her some cool Ballband pattern dishcloths in colors to match the ceramic stuff that she collects. The white is a little too bright for me but that's ok I guess.

 

 

 

On Saturday, I got a wild hair to make some coasters with this new cool yarn that I bought from Hobby Lobby.

 

 

I just kept going and by the end of the weekend I had 7 coasters!  (One went to Gran.)  I used the Granny's Favorite dishcloth pattern and instead of decreasing at 44 stitches, I decreased at 30.  I used up the entire ball so I bought some more and hope to make coasters for all of my coworkers before I leave for my new job next week.

 

I just noticed that something went wrong with the bottom right coaster.  There is a slight jog in the pattern LOL

 

So coming up this week I will be making more coasters for my work crew and also working on a new dress made from this pattern.

 

 

I made one about a year ago and I really love it even tho I never wore it. I'm trying to be more bold about wearing my makes.  I have two fabrics that will be perfect, a really bold lemon print and some dessert print.  I want to have enough dresses so I can wear one each work day if I so choose.

 

I've been stalking the Driftless Cardigan by Grainline Studio.  I loved Christine Haynes' version.  So cool and I've never really worked with knits before so that will be a challenge.

 

 

I am also super into Christine Haynes' new pattern the Lottie.  I especially love her pattern hack version with the buttons down the front like a house dress.

 

 

 

 

Here's some animal pics.  Ripley snug in her cat tree once we returned home on Thursday and Pokey coveting my seat on the couch at Gran's.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hats for the hospital and ballband dishcloths

I've really gotten into this dishcloth pattern! It's called Ballband Dishcloth and it's alot of fun.

 

I made some grey ones for my brother.

 

 

 

University of Oklahoma themed pair for my supervisor.

 

 

And I made the Ballband Dishtowel Pattern for me.  I didn't make it as wide as the pattern and I'm glad that I didn't because it is heavy enough the same width as the original pattern.

 

 

I finished the Owl Beanie that I think I started last May.  The yarn is variegated so the little owls don't show as well but that's ok.  I think really bold owls would be a little much for me. I need to add buttons for eyes and then it's ready for the fair!  It's probably a little too simple to win anything at the fair but I'm still proud of it.  I made it pretty tall so it's very slouchy. I used the Conversationalist instructions to finish it off matching the height and closure style.

 

 

 

I made 3 chemo caps for the hospital but I forgot to take a pic :(

 

I also participated in the #summerstitchfest16 last weekend.  It's a social media sewing bee type thing sponsored or I guess created by Sonya Philip.

 

It was a great way to get me motivated to finally finish the two dresses that I started like 10 weeks ago :/

 

I went to my mom's and we sewed together Saturday morning and then I finished it up Sunday.

 

I love it and can't believe I waited so long to finish it.

 

 

It's Simplicity 1620.  I used it last summer and found notes from 6/28/15 about hem length LOL.  So that was nice.  I used the reverse of the fabric as the outside.  The right side was too bold for my taste.  There was a really sharp contrast between the polka dots and the pink background.  I like the reverse so much better.  It looks softer and kind of 80's to me ;)  I'm hoping to wear this dress and another one that is in progress that is black to my new job starting August 16th!

 

 

Mr. Robot is blowing my mind right now!  I have to listen to an aftershow podcast to get it but I'm not complaining at all.  Rami Malek and the entire cast are so good!

 

 



 

First Sock!

Finished my first sock ever!  I took a three Saturday class and learned to make this chunky rather unattractive sock that only a mother could love LOL. But I'm proud of it. I tried starting the second one at home but I can't get the hang of the instructor's provisional/tubular cast on. I can't find any video tutorials with this exact technique which kinda pisses me off so I'll eventually go back to the yarn store and get some help casting on. 

I made two Ballband Pattern dishcloths for Miss Maureen at work and I really love them.  the pattern is so cool. Really wish the edges were neater looking but oh well. Can't have everything ;)

I finished up the last 4 baby hats for Maureen's storytime baby dolls. 

I ran out of red yarn so the red hat didn't get a pompom :(

I finished my first baby hats for the hospital. My first hat I cast on 70 and it's a bit too big. I discovered that 60 with a size 6 needle makes the required size. I washed them (before adding the pom) to clean away any cat hair or dander and bagged them to keep them safe waiting for delivery. 

I looked it up today and my county fair is two months away. I want to start thinking about what kind of knitting I want to enter in the fair!  I've been procrastinating finishing up two hats and I decided I need to enter those in the fair! So maybe that will motivate me to finish them up.  I also have my mom's Antler Toque that I'm really proud of that I could enter in a pinch.  I think it might be neat to enter the state fair as well just for fun because why not lol 

 

 

The last of the 40 baby hats and my WIP's

This was a fun project.  40 baby hats by July 16th.  Well, I finished 4 weeks early and I'm super proud of myself because I really thought I'd get bored and quit LOL. 

 

Here's the last 8.

 

 

I still need to make 4 more for Maureen's storytime dolls because I want them to have cuter ones with pompoms but that will be super easy.

 

Now that I'm done with the storytime baby doll hats, I feel kind of aimless with my knitting.  That goal of 40 really kept me motivated!

 

I have several projects in my queue and also three WIP's that I need to finish.

The orange socks I'll finish in class the next few Saturdays. 

I need to look up how to do Kitchener stitch and finish my I Was A Teenage Mutant Hat because as much as I'm worried about messing it up, it's definitely not being worn in it's half finished state. 

 

I also need to finish my Owl Beanie.  I decided to make it slouchy and add a pompom and maybe add buttons for the eyes so I have a bit more to do.

 

After finishing the 40 baby hat challenge, I decided to find other, cheaper ways to get my knitting fix other then buying $18 a skein fancy yarn.  (I'm still going to buy that stuff but not as frequently.  I just can't afford it.  I do want to save up for about 4 skeins of some really nice yarn for a cardigan but I'll worry about that closer to fall.)

 

I went by the hospital and volunteered to make baby hats and chemo caps.  I'm not a big fan of the yarn they gave me.  It's finer weight then the worsted that I like to use so each hat will take longer but oh well. Maybe I'll really like the FO. 

 

For the chemo caps they gave me a skein of I Love This Cotton.  Which is cool because I really like knitting with that.  The lady at the hospital said they use I Love This Cotton because the hats need to be really soft.  I'm not crazy about the pattern so I might use some other patterns (or maybe add flowers or something to jazz it up).  I also found some cool patterns to try on Ravelry.  I wanna learn how to do stranded color work so this will give me an excuse to try it.

 

I also want to make some dishcloths for my coworker Maureen.  I picked some really cool colors and I think she'll like them.  I also get to try a new pattern! 

 

The Ballband Pattern looks so cool and I'm dying to give it a try. 

 

 

 

I also want to make her a Ballband Hanging Dishtowel because why not?! 

 

 

If I really like it I'll be making tons of them in all kinds of combos and giving them to everyone!

 

I'm also excited to make this Stash Buster Cushion. 

 

 

I love stuff with a rainbow color pattern.  I think I can use cotton yarn and it will be cheaper then fancy wool and nicer then acrylic and hopefully durable enough to withstand my curious cat.

 

I think my obsession with rainbows started with Rainbow Brite when I was a kid.  I loved the show, the doll and her horse.  I want to make so many rainbow knits. 

 

I'll start with this pillow and see what else I can find!

 

 

So, 

 

• 3 WIP's
• 4 more baby hats for Maureen's storytime babies (they need spring colors)
• Baby hats for hospital
• Chemo caps for hospital
• 4 dishcloths and 1 dishtowel for Maureen
• Stash Buster Pillow for me!

 

Hopefully that list will keep me busy and deliver me from project inertia LOL

 

Why I love the Great British Sewing Bee

The Great British Sewing Bee Series 4 started a few weeks ago and it is just the tits, you guys.  It's on BBC2 so the only way I've found to watch it in the states is on Youtube.  The audio is kind of weird and the video is oddly framed like part of the screen looks lopped off at times but if you can get past the presentation the content is pretty fab.

The concept is similar to Project Runway but radically different in execution.  Each episode is themed.  Contestants work to create three garments per episode: a simple challenge where they all make the same thing to test a skill and using a pattern (nice to see others struggle with pattern directions like I do sometimes), the redo challenge where they make something new from an existing garment, and the big challenge where they make something that they have practiced before at home. 

Did you get that?  They know what their last garment is going to be and they practice it at home!  This show is miles away from the cloistered, high stress, no sleep environment of Project Runway.  The challenges are timed and therefore inherently stressful but this show isn't about cutthroat competition. It's about finding "Britain's Best Home Sewer" so the competition is friendly and they even help each other. 

The best thing about the challenges is they are things that I've also struggled with in my sewing.  Some challenges are created to test certain skills like applying bias binding or matching stripes.  It's basic but also easy to mess up as demonstrated by some of the contestants.  It makes me feel a little better to see other people struggle with their sewing skills too LOL.

The host, Claudia Winkleman, keeps things light.  At first I was like this lady is so obnoxious, I wanna see more Patrick!  But she grew on me, and I like the way she relates to the contestants and judges, cracking jokes and basically keeping things from getting too serious.  Her style is like a mod witch which I also like LOL.

 

Speaking of Patrick...Right from season one, I've been enamored with Patrick and so have some of the contestants.  I don't remember what season it was but I'm pretty sure an older lady made a joke about his luscious bum once and it was fabulous. He's one of the judges and with his Savile Row background I sometimes wonder if he feels like the show is a bit beneath him, but he is never condescending and always kind with his constructive criticism.

The new addition to the show, Esme Young, is just amazing.  Her bob haircut is amazing.  Her glasses are amazing.  Her style of straight cut shift dresses and bold jewelry is amazing.  Like Patrick, she is kind with her criticism.  It's kind of hard to explain why I like her so much.  I think it's the combo of all of her style choices that make her such an individual and I really admire a person who can express herself through her style choices.  Also, we don't get alot of positive representations of mature women embracing aging and celebrating it.  I see in her style and presentation a rejection of the popular culture's fascination with youth and trends.  (And that's something I think alot about since I'm a year away from 40).  She is just the best and I hope she sticks around for the next season.

Oh yeah and there are contestants.  The contestants are hard to talk about because I don't remember much about them and they are kind of just broad representations of real people.  The teen who made her prom dresses, the mom who's sewed for years, the stay-at-home dad, the young professional married woman.  The show will profile one of them occasionally and leak out tidbits about their lives to make them a little less flat (which I love btw, one of them sings when she sews! <3).  The main thing about each contestant is that they are just so darn likeable and it doesn't bother me at all.  All of them are quick to laugh at themselves and seem to really enjoy the process of making their garments, working with each other and being on the show.  I hope that all of this enjoyment is genuine but if it's not don't tell me!

Maybe it's a testament to the warm, cozy almost anti-competitive nature of the show where they end competitions with a cuppa and a biscuit that I don't really care who wins.  I'm there for the journey like they seem to be.

The show airs on Monday nights on BBC2 and is usually available on Youtube by Tuesday evening.  Episode 4 aired last week so episode 5 should be coming up this Monday.  It's super fun!  And I hear there is an American version in the works.  I hope it retains the same charm as it's British counterpart.

Sock Class and 8 More Hats

I'm at 32 now and getting so close to my goal of 40.  I'm starting to get kinda bummed about it.  I didn't think I could make this many and now that I have I'm like YEAH!  It feels good to set a goal and actually reach it.  And I saved some money the last few months because I didn't go to the yarn store.  I'm not sure if I'll stop at 40 now.  We'll see ;)

 

 

Why is this picture bigger? Idk :/

 

I also started a 3 Saturday Sock Class on June 4th.  I learned the tubular cast on which was cool.  I'm not crazy about the yarn.  It's chunky and kinda coarse but hopefully by the end of the class I'll have the skills to make some of the delicate socks that I see on Instagram :)

Wardrobe Making and Plans That Will Probably Change

I need work clothes.  I've been wearing the same two pairs of black polyesters pants, black socks, black loafers with various tops for so long!  I'm sick of it.  My original plan to make some dirndl skirts backfired so I pushed it out of my mind and continued to wear my boring old work clothes. 

 

Recently, I came across a blog article by Made by Rae titled Planning a Handmade Wardrobe.  This cool article led me to the Collete Wardrobe Architect series and then to Christine Haynes' articles titled 2016 Wardrobe Architect Project.  I'm still reading my way through them but I'm getting interested in building my own work clothes again.

 

I've been interested in Sonya Phillips and her 100 Acts of Sewing Patterns for awhile.  I listened to her interview on While She Naps and was really motivated to try to make my own work uniform.

 

These articles inspired me to try making my clothes again but with a different strategy.  Instead of dirndl skirts as the backbone, I decided to try Tunic Dresses that I can wear with leggings.  This led me to focus on three things to build my new work wardrobe:  Tunic Dresses, Wraps (cardigans, kimono wraps, any jacket type thing) and Shoes.

 

So I created some Pinterest boards as you do.

 

Tunic Dress

 

This pic from the blog Sugarbeans pretty much sums up what I'm going for with the Tunic look:  dress, leggings, cute shoes.  This is the Dottie Angel pattern, Simplicity 1080, that I have and hope to try soon.

 

 

 

 

Wraps

 

I want something to cover my arm meat. 

I've been dying to try this kimono jacket from Sew Caroline for awhile.  Not sure how it will look with a tunic but I'll give it a shot.

 

 

 

Shoes

 

While reading over the Collette Wardrobe Architect worksheet, I began to take a look at the things I like best about my wardrobe and when it comes to shoes it's my Converse.  They are just the coolest.  I also really love the vintage looking Swedish Hasbeens shoes and I had a pair of moccasins in junior high and I loved them!  Hopefully I can get some more.

 

 

I need to think more about color but right now I'm just sewing up what I have in my stash and then I'll be more purposeful in my fabric buying.

 

I'm going to start with this pattern.

 

I made the dress last June and it's a little loud but fits well.  I wanna start with something that I know fits because I really hate getting bogged down in pattern fitting.  It's depressing mainly because I don't really know what I'm doing. 

 

I might try the jacket with Simplicity 1620 but I don't really like the cut of the front.  For a casual wrap, I don't think it needs to come in towards the center.  I think it will fall weird on my front parts.  I prefer the straight line on the front of the Sew Caroline kimono instead.

 

I pulled some patterns from my stash and separated them into potential Tunic and Wrap options.

 

 



 

 

I'm not quite sure if I'll use any of them.  I don't wanna get too excited about it when I've had some really bummer sewing fails.  So I'm trying to remain optimistic but I'm a realist so I know there is potential for failure LOL.

 

Here's some funnies to lighten the mood.