Sock it to me...

I am trying to be good and finish up the five pairs of socks I have on the needles before I bust out the really cool sock yarn I got this last weekend.  (Mostly I'm just trying to free up some needles rather than buy another set of size 2 dpns.)

First off the needles, this fun pink and grey colorway. 

I went for a simple pattern of 2x2 ribbing to let the stripes steal the show. 

These were the pair furthest along in the basket, so they were up next. I call them my "Sour Patch" socks because the colors remind me of sour candies. The pattern is Esther and while I love the look of them I'm not crazy about the fit. 

I tried the picot edge cuff just to try something different. I like the technique but it makes it a real struggle to pull the sock over the heel because there isn't enough give to the cuff. I will probably knit this pattern again, but with a regular ribbed cuff.

Only three more socks to go and then I can cast on my sparkly new yarn... it literally has sparkles in it!

Isn't it pretty? It's called Vampire and I am trying to find the perfect lace pattern to make with it. 

I also got this skein called Sunshine. I didn't have any idea of what I wanted to make out of it until I was winding it. I realized I was so strongly drawn to this color because it reminded me of my mom. I am going to find a floral lace pattern and make a scarf. Seriously, how could you not be cheerful when wearing an accessory like that?

Shopping the stash

I haven't sewn anything since December. I got burned out trying to get Christmas churned out, then it turned into my wrapping station. And ever since I just haven't wanted to sew. Mostly I think that I didn't want to dig out the sewing cubical. But today there was no more putting off because I need to sew some costumes for my son's school play. It took a lot less time than I thought it would. Most of the mess was just putting away all the wrapping supplies (yes, they've been there since Christmas...) and putting the fabric back on the shelves. My girls had knocked them through the cubbies and onto the floor. I was pretty irked with them when I started refolding it all, but soon I was caught up in shopping my stash and picking out fabrics I wanted to sew up. First items on the cutting table, new skirts! My girls love to wear skirts and our selection of everyday playing in skirts are getting a little ragged. 

In an excess of creative good-will I let my three year old pick out fabric for a skirt.

She immediately pounced on this purple cotton that is printed all over with ballerina princesses in sparkly skirts... awesome. 

It wouldn't have been my first choice, but I said she could pick. 

I found the lace in my embellishments box and it worked perfectly with the fabric, because the hearts have an iridescent sparkle as well.

She loves her new "fanciest skirt!"

 Having learned my lesson I decided that the five year old would just get to be surprised by what I chose for her skirt. I hopped on to Pinterest for some inspiration,

found a yard of fabric and started cutting!

I love it! It turned out exactly as I had envisioned in my head. I always get a little thrill when I make something without a pattern and it actually works. :)

This is a very thin, silky feeling cotton. It's probably a blend, but it's been in the stash so long I can't remember where or when I got it. I love the summery color and the vintage look of the floral print.

I added side pockets which thrilled Evie. 

I believe her exact words were, " Ooh! They are big ones so I can put lots of stuff in them!"

 I considered shortening it a bit, more to the knee, but she insisted on keeping the length. I don't mind really, she'll be able to get more wear out of it at the rate she's growing!

The sash is probably my favorite detail, especially as it is just for show. The skirt is pulled on with an elastic back waist and no fastenings to slow down my busy girl. The sash could be tied in the front or back, in the middle or more to one side depending on the look you want.

Two projects done and the sewing room is still clean!

Now that's a good day...

Yarn Binge

Last Saturday I spring cleaned my yarn stash.

 And by cleaned I mean more along the lines of rearranged. 

I had every intention of being incredibly harsh and pulling out yarns that I don't love and know that I will never knit up. I really tried to be critical and honest with myself about what I would and wouldn't use. When all was said and done, I had about five skeins in the discard pile. Hmmm...

I moved some stuff around and found a little more room for the yarn I was keeping. 

I also found that I have six socks that are waiting for their mate. I tossed one that was the wrong size and I knew I would never finish, but still... that's five socks that need to be knit and soon. I'm thinking that I need to do a sock of the month thing for a while...

I did cull out two grocery sacks of odds and ends to send to some friends who are undertaking blankets made up of leftovers, so I felt good about that. 

 I realized that I have lots of great yarns and many, many projects in various stages. 

I got all excited about working through some of my great stash.

Then my friend texted me today to brag about the amazing deals she'd just gotten at our local JoAnn's. They are moving locations in the next week and so they are liquidating everything. I've picked up a few things over the past couple of weeks at 50 and 75% off and thought I got great deals then. But with two days left they've marked the entire store down to 90% off!

What?!

That's right. Ten cents on the dollar. Um... at that price it would be irresponsible not to stock up!

Let me explain.

I usually pay between $12-24 for a skein of sock yarn. I try to wait for it to go on sale, but sometimes you find a colorway that speaks to you and says, "take me home... you know you want me... I need to be yours!" (In my world sock yarn whispers.)

This is a hand-dyed skein that I paid $24 for.

 (I think it wants to be a pair of gloves... but that's a different post.)

This is what I bought today:

22 skeins of sock yarn

3 skeins of crazy pom-pom yarn 

(Lila has been begging me to buy her this yarn for months, and for 50 cents each she finally wore me down. I have no idea what I am going to do with it. I might just end up letting her lug the skeins around and snuggle with them...)

3 rolls of ribbon

4 button cards

(I would have gotten more, but I think my friend Myra cleaned them out before she called me.)

3 sets of knitting needles

Total before discount = $240

Total I paid = $24! 

So just to recap...

And yes, I was so giddy by this purchase I rushed right home and set up a photo shoot with my new yarn. That's more fun then figuring out how to rearrange the stash again...

Well, I blew that...

So much for the goals I set in the last post. I obviously haven't posted once a week. I haven't documented any finished projects, and I even made my Grandma a pair of mittens for her birthday. I haven't sewn, not one stitch. And I don't even want to talk about no. 4 on the list, other than to say I have definitely decided against keeping a public record of what I've spent on crafting supplies. (There is a chance my husband could see it! What was I thinking?!)

What have I been doing? I have been suffering from a raging case of start-itis. I've been averaging two new knitting projects a week since Christmas and so far the finished projects tally is one (maybe two if you are feeling really generous, it was a pair of mittens...)

One of the biggest stumbling blocks has been what I have come to loving call Blue Death on a Stick (or the BDS as it will be known from now on.) It is a knitting project that will definitely receive it's own post and quite possibly drive me to seek some form of therapy before it is finished. But if nothing else it has shown me the depth of determination I possess, or proven the depth of my craziness, depending on who you ask. It's also brought out into the open the procrastination issues I have. As in I would rather do just about anything else than knit on the BDS, except maybe scrub the toilet. Hmmm. I don't know, that may be a toss up...

So far I've started a blanket, a pair of color-work mittens, and I'm making my own fancy-dancy beaded stitch markers rather than knit on the BDS.

A few of my first attempts.

 I kind of think the black one with spots looks like a fishing lure...

I have found that my taste definitely runs to natural stone and pearls.

I would have made more of these, but I ran out of the gold pearls. 

Carved wood and coral, so pretty and feminine.

Blue and silver with pearls, a slightly nautical feel.

Pink and gold, vaguely floral.

These are just fun. They look like candy rocks, plus I love the rainbow colors.

I call these my Othello set. (Anyone else play that game as a child?)

These are my current favorites, but each set that I finish has been my favorite and these just happened to be the last set that I made...

I'm even using some of them in the BDS on the theory that it would make it more fun to knit. So far it isn't working...

I would be making more stitch markers right now, but I ran out of the rings. The thing is they are just so much fun and pretty much instant gratification. Five minutes to a finished product as apposed to three weeks to get 5" of the BDS... it is a pretty blue though, isn't it?

2012 Goals: Crafting Edition (and the 1st finished projects of the new year)

Last year I had a goal to post everyday on my family blog, and I did it. But something had to give and it was my crafting. Not the doing of crafts (because I made a lot of stuff last year) but the recording of them. Perfect case in point, for Christmas I knitted nine hats, two capes, one pair of mitts, one pair of mittens, one shawl and one vest with cables. And I didn't take a single picture before sending them off to their new owners. I also haven't sewn in quite awhile. A lot of knitting, but almost no sewing. (I have a lot of fabric to get through.) So here are my crafting goals for this year.

1. Post over here at least once a week, even if it's just a work in progress.

2. Document finished projects, especially if they are gifts.

3. Sew! (I have a subset goal to attach to this one, but I am still working out all the details. So we'll come back to this one later.)

4. Use what I have. Which is a whole lot. Almost ridiculous amounts of things, as I found when I was relocating my sewing room. So no buying anything until I use up what I have. I'm thinking that I may have a running total on the side to keep track of my craft related spending... (I have not yet decided if that will include yarn. It probably should... okay, no new yarn. Unless it's out of like, birthday money, or something...)

So now that I have those listed out, let's get to the fun stuff:

Today I finished two projects, both for Evie. 

A hat/neckwarmer out of one skein of dk self striping yarn.

The top has an i-cord drawstring so it can be opened to fit over the head.

It can also be used to keep the hair out of the way.

And it's pink of course...

P.S. This makes 10 hats since October. I have really been on a hat kick...

I also finished the sewn bind off on this sweater that has been taking up knitting bag real estate for months.

It's not really the sweaters fault. It was just bad timing. I finished it once and it was too short and too tight. So I ripped it back to the armpit and knit the body again, and finished it off with ribbing instead of a rolled hem. It looks so much better.

This is the yarn I dyed last year and I love how it looks knit up as much as I did while dying it. 

She looks peachy-keen!

'Tis the Season...

I dug out my widget from last year and popped it back up on the side of the blog there. I found it a useful tool last year to help me keep track of my time (or ramp up my anxiety towards the end...) as I tried to manage all my projects. 

True to my word, I actually did start working on Christmas presents last January. A little bit here, a little bit there. But mostly I decided that to preserve my sanity and to keep my focus on the spirit of the holiday season I would be more realistic in what I tried to accomplish this year. So here we are with 44 days left and I have a grand total of 33 projects on my list. (See? Much more realistic.) The even better part is that I have 13 of those finished! And many more are in the partial to mostly finished category. 

I decided last year, after too many late nights and literally days spent locked in the basement by myself in the evenings, that a crazy, sleep-deprived, ready-to-snap mama is not the memories I want my children to have of their childhood Christmases. I don't want to be so busy making the magic that I don't have time to stop and savor it with them. So I have a plan.

  Step one: Be more realistic in what projects I take on.

Done

Step two: Get my children excited and involved in preparing for Christmas.

I am afraid that all too often I am in such a rush or overly concerned with turning out a "perfect" final product, that I have rebuffed little hands that want so badly to help. This year I am determined to change my focus by choosing simpler projects that are more on their skill level, and letting go of my perfectionism when it comes to gifts. The cookies we give out may not be decorated the prettiest, but by dang they will have an overdose of love as a secret ingredient!

As part of step two, this project is one of my first orders of business. It's an advent calendar, based on my knock off of the PB Halloween Countdown knock-off. My kids love the Halloween one I made and I had such fun making it, I thought a Christmas one would be great for us!

Last year I attempted a countdown of sorts with having a present that they could open each day, little treats and activities directed at spending time together. But with all my crazy crafting I was horrible at following through and actually doing the activities with them. This year will be different. I have been stock piling up little treats and toys that will fit in the pockets. It can be a simple as three chocolate kisses (so they each get one) and a note telling them why they are loved, to a snowman rubber ducky and the promise of a bubble bath where they can play in the tub as long as they want. It really takes so very little to make a child happy. 

Step three: Realize that unfinished projects are not the end of the world.

(and have a backup plan)

I love to give handmade gifts. It's one of my love languages. It says that I care enough about you to spend time making you something. Because while I am working on your present I am thinking about you, and what makes you tick, your likes and dislikes, and trying to find a way to show you that I care about you. And you just don't spend all that time and thought on someone you don't like. However, I also know that the people I love enough to spend my time on them that way, will still love me even if the gift I give them wasn't crafted by my own two hands. So I have a stash of small items (still thoughtfully selected) that are ready to deploy should I end up having more intentions than time. Then I can not stress about presents that are unfinished. Fortunately wool doesn't go bad, that hat or pair of socks can be ready for next year...

Step four: Choose to enjoy this time.

Christmas is magical when seen through the eyes of a child. And you only have so many of those Christmases before they are a little older, a little more skeptical, a little more consumer driven. I want to be able to look back and know that I didn't waste or miss another moment of child-like wonder or the absolute belief in magic they have right now. I have to make it a priority, and choose to spend my time wisely so that I can work on projects when they are busy elsewhere and then we can come together and enjoy doing Christmas things as a family.

I think I'm ready... now I have to go knit some things.

Halloween knits...

A couple of projects inspired by the latest holiday.

Skull Hat

My first attempt at fair isle knitting. I've had this pattern for years but was always afraid to attempt it. I decided to try it with the leftover yarn from Jake's sweater, but it came out a little too big for Jake so Brian gets my first attempt. Jake was quick to put in a request for a matching hat.

Baby pants.... wait for it....

Grumpybum Monster pants!

That's just ridiculously cute! 

Now if only I knew someone with a... say, two week old baby boy... any takers?

I'll hopefully have a picture or two with them on a cute baby in a couple of weeks. :)

And to wrap up the Halloween creativity I'd like to share a poem my son wrote for me:

Zombie Sheep Attack!

By Jake

age 8

Zombie sheep are coming, so run away!

Zombie sheep are coming, today!

All they really want is their wool back,

But I don't like them.

Ack!

They're big and merry,

Definitely not hairy, 

And that's why they're so scary,

At least to me!

Zombie sheep attack!!!

I love this kid. He just makes me smile.