It is a strong year so far for crafting. With my foot heeling up well enough for at least some wheel spinning allowing me to ply two previously spun fibers. These are now waiting for their baths. They pile of spun,but unplied stretches back years now and it feels good to see these move into stash.
My rainbow socks for A were finished and my first pair of traditionally knit socks for me have just come off the needles. The remaining rainbow yarn will be my second pair of socks for me, giving the three of us matching socks.
Darlene O’Steen’s Proper Stitch is the first embroidery finish for the year. It had been waiting since last spring for me to finish the open work, lace stitches and goldwork. This really only took a weekend to finish, but it needed a bit of concentration. I’ll do a post with pics soon.
My second Adrienne Blouse Dress Hack came just as Friday Pattern Company released their new Adrienne Dress pattern, which is essentially the Adrienne Blouse sleeves and neckline with a tent dress style body. I’ve been waiting on a pic of this to post, but even though I wore it again yesterday-no pic.
My monthly mending consisted of 4 socks darned and one rip in a knit dress sewn up. Of course, one new sock has joined the pile.
Definitely an interesting January so far and it isn’t over yet.
Upon finishing up holiday projects, I pulled out my Woodland Enchantress and did a bit of stitching. The comparison to the update picture posted this time last year was disappointing. Not one stitch that I hadn’t placed that day had been added. After a bit of a push, she is no longer demoralizing.I’m just a few rows from the bottom, though I’m nearly out of the color that runs along the bottom and will need to try to color match from stash.
My next EGA project can be pushed off until March. Hopefully, progress will continue apace and it may not be another decade before this project is finished. Half Crosses are so lovable for their efficiency in terms of coverage while still providing subtle shading.
Perhaps, I’ll get the photos for the unposted update on Finishes so far this year and get that up soon but, I might be busy stitching. Happy Stitching to you.
I made plans. Not real time sensitive plans, actually, I just purchased some fabrics that would coordinate and work with TNT patterns to give me a wardrobe refresh as many of my most loved items are looking a bit worn. But each piece of fabric was purchased with a specific end garment in mind, which could be whipped up in a single sewing session. There still aren’t any deadlines or even plans for when they will be made, though it is tempting to find out if they can all be sewn up in a week.
Okay I admit it. This isn’t quite decided. This luscious crepe will be either an Adrienne Blouse (Friday Pattern Company) or an Astoria Top (Colette Seamwork). The amount of stretch and drape will be the deciding factors.
Definitely Colette Patterns for these two. A Myrtle and an Astoria to wear over it.
Cashmerette Triple: Scoop-necked Turner, Maxi Scoop-necked Turner and a Cowl-necked Maxi Turner.
Some of these may not get sewn or worn until fall. My crafting is still very loosely guided, but these could fill holes made by favorite me-made dresses becoming too faded or pilled to be worn in public anymore.
A second pair of magic loop after-thought heel rainbow socks.
2019 was big and small. Much of my energy was refocused on doing family things and learning skills I’d long sought. My blog caught the brunt of this as regular posts just haven’t been a priority. Even reading blogs was cut way back.
Instead, I learned: to weave-having now made 6 placemats and a table runner, to knit socks on the loom and then using the magic loop. My serger finally came out of it’s box and found a place on the sewing table. Twin needles are now old hat. I did more pattern drafting and hacking. These were all really good things that make me feel strong, capable and proud.
I completely failed my makenine, and felt good about it as I did. It was completely wrong for me. My makenine should have been new skills and new patterns. I met the goals I truly had and learned about my pattern and sewing goals along the way. This year I won’t be doing a makenine. Excel has a spread sheet of my project goals/plans that is updated each season. It keeps all of my old dreams, while allowing me to reprioritize and to follow sudden inspiration.
What do I want to do this year. I want to relax; to find time and space. Now that both kids are in school. Clean out needs to be a priority for me. We have at least 3 pack rats and it’s more than one individual can keep up with, so it will take a very determined push to get it into a manageable state. In order for that to happen, other projects need to take a back seat. They can be my rewards to myself for accomplishing the things that will make my life better. While I’m doing my cleaning out and organizing thing I will also be thinking about what craft skills I want to work on, more self care and my wardrobe goals.
This has been my first year of moving forward. Between small children and chronic illness life was overwhelming for a while. Adjusting to the later took a lot of time and energy and is still a work in progress, but things are pretty well balanced now and it’s time to prioritize and dream; to decide how to plant our garden, what our dreams are, what to trim away and what to nourish.
No big commitments for January. A few loose goals:
Enjoy What I Have
Learn Something New
Knit Socks
Finish Things
Self Care
Clean Out
2020 Shall be the Year of the Treasure Hunt
I shall seek nine treasures in my home and my life as a maker. Whether they be a pair of hand knit socks or finishing a quilt, I will cherish what I have by using it. I will find the projects kitted long ago and turn them into things of beauty. I will wear clothes that are comfortably me. I look forward to finding out what they will be.
If you are a needle pusher when you knit even blunt needles will leave you a small hole in your index finger. If like me your bamboo needle came off the cable and is being glued necessitating the use of your sharps, sometimes a bandage will help. Sometimes you don’t have a bandage, or it gets wet. A sticky little dot like this one, intended for the bottom of a vase or its like, might be just the thing.
In other news rainbow socks have been finished and gifted, now on to some more unassuming socks that will eventually be grey/black/teal/blue.
I’ve no idea how old these socks are, but they’ve finally developed almost worn through spots. They are made of…probably something synthetic…, but they are warm so maybe a mix of synthetic and wool? I couldn’t figure out a good way to set them on fire without my husband noticing the new issue.
His usual athletic socks aren’t worth darning, but these have been around for more than a decade and come out each winter. I’m taking a chance with them though. The darning patches are handspun wool, only single ply. Not the sturdiest, but I feel the anti-bacterial properties of wool will be good for sweaty feet and the thickness will help them wear longer. I don’t make fancy fake knit or re-knit patches. Very messy weaving is my happy place. Really it is on the bottom of your feet. I read patched socks as either: you care for your things and the environment or, someone love you enough to darn your socks. Both are good things. We’ll see how the patches work.
Having sized up from an 8 to a 12 (his current ready to wear size is 10) when guesstimating O’s current size I went a size too far. He didn’t mind swimming in the latest batch of Rowan Tee Hoodies with kangaroo pockets, but the fact that the sleeves were about 6″ too long was a stopper. He very kindly didn’t want to let me know. We’ve been working on talking about fit and style preferences and how yes, when someone cooks you food, you eat it and keep your mouth shut if you don’t like it, but when it comes to clothes you should speak up. If I don’t know you won’t wear jeans you will end up with jeans. If you tell me there is a hole in your shirt I will fix it. If your sleeves are 6″ too long and your shirt is too big I can fix both of those. Given 6″ of extra fabric rather than waste it I decided to turn it into a thumb hole cuff for O. Uncertain of how this would be received/fit I hedged my bets, by completing only one for him to try. When he came home from school O slipped the shirt on and was accepting of the somewhat shorter sleeves until I pulled the cuff up slipping it over his thumb. O preceded to run around the room cheering and shouting happily about “a shirt with gloves” as though he had never before encountered this style before. I’ll take that as a win. Thumb hole cuffs it is.
