Like a jigsaw puzzle

I made a small patio!

We bought the concrete stepping stones a while ago with the intention of making a small patio under a bench we have in the backyard. Like many projects, we had good intentions but other stuff stood in the way, like  weeding under the bench just so that we could get to the point of being able to put down the stones. Here's what the area looked like before we hired three guys to save us from the weeds:

I'd like to get a few more of the concrete stepping stones and fill in some more area in the front of the patio but I'm too pooped to go out to the home improvement store to get more. It's a beautiful day today and just the right temperature but it was still hard work to make the area level and lay down the stones. I took frequent breaks and enjoyed the pretty blossoms in the yard.

The bees like the cherry blossoms too

The Wisteria is blooming and smells wonderful

I even let two of the cats out to have a romp. Felix loves to roll in the dirt.

I can tell I will be sore tomorrow from the digging and raking and lifting. I'm already feeling it, so I think I will finally try out that new air-jet tub we put in and have a soak.

Where have I seen this before?

This looks a bit familiar, don't you think?

I'm in no way saying Indygo Junction stole my idea because I absolutely do NOT take any credit for the design of the pincushion I show in my tutorial. I copied that pincushion from one my mother made me in the 70's. I'm not sure where she got the idea from but I know she made them to sell at a craft fair to raise money for the Boy Scouts, I think. Anyway, if want to make a pincushion to hold the long thread spools, now you know where you can get a pattern...or how you can adapt the design to accomodate them. ;-)

Weed-be-gone

The house projects continue. Work on the guest room/sewing room #2 will begin in a couple of weeks and we also took the first steps toward landscaping the yard.

On Friday the backyard looked like this:

And after two days and three guys we hired it now looks like this!

It's great to see the raised vegetable beds again and with everything cleared out we're inspired to put in new plants and flowers. Although I do like the very green "before" and the flowers were pretty, they were all weeds. Lots of weeds. The guys also weeded the front yard and removed two big juniper bushes, so they did a lot of work in two days! The next step is to put in large flat stones to mark the paths through the yard. There is no grass in the backyard, which is just fine in this climate where there is no rain at all from around May to October. The last window in the above picture is the window in the bedroom what we'll be replacing with French doors. After that work is completed next month we'll have a brick patio put in that wraps around the side of the house. And there's the front yard to work on too. Slowly but surely we're getting it done.

Itching to sew

I haven't sewn in about a year, mostly due to the fact that my sewing area is buried under stuff that I had to move out of sewing room #2 during the house renovations so we could sleep in there. Too much stuff. Work on sewing room #2 will commence shortly...well, as soon as I move the remaining stuff out of sewing room #2. Until then I think about the day when I will return to the sewing machine.Where did all this stuff come from??? We watch Hoarders on A&E and I can honestly relate...to some of it.

I could clean up the sewing area, find some other place to stash the stuff, but I would have to clear a lot of things out of the way, and I simply don't have the energy or time right now. And I can't sew amidst chaos so I guess there will be no sewing for a while. I need to organize all of the pieces of the project, and I can only have one project in front of me. When I was in college, preparing for finals week was a project in itself. I would gather up the notes, books and other material and neatly organize and stack them for each class. Only then could I start studying. It's the same with sewing.

Last night I went shopping for a dress to wear for "formal night" on a 4-night cruise I'm going on later this month (it's actually for my work's annual meeting). I've never been on a cruise before so I don't know how formal to dress but I have been instructed to wear a cocktail dress, dressy pantsuit or gown. While shopping at Macys I couldn't help but think about all the dress patterns and fabric I have and how I could make a dress that fit so much better than the ones I was trying on. Nearly every dress was too tight in the hips and at the same time too big in the bust. Sigh. But I scored at Nordstrom Off the Rack. I found a simple, long, black knit dress and it was on sale and only $16. Unbelievable. It is sleeveless but the straps are wide enough to hide bra straps, and the top is the "twisty-top" style so it can fit bust sizes large or small. I plan to dress it up with jewelry and wear a cashmere lace shawl I knit. The other great thing is that the dress will take up very little room in my suitcase. I think it's a perfect dress to bring for only a few hours of formal dress-up time.

Thinking last night about the dresses I could sew really got me in the mood to get back to the sewing maching, but I guess not enough to find some place to put all that excess stuff. However I hope that it's enough to light a fire under me to get sewing room #2 cleared out so that the work can begin.

Knitterly news

This post is a recap of the "dreaded" UFO (un-finished object). If you're like me you have one or two...or fourteen. Some are projects that aren't going to work out and rather than face this fact you stuff the annoying mess...and the discouragement...into a bag and shove it to the back of a closet or drawer. Out of sight, out of mind. Other projects are just stalled due to lack of interest or finish-itis. I suffer from the latter in a big way. For example, I love the act of knitting and sometimes the end result is not what I'm after. I have a few things that are just an hour's worth of work, if that, away from being finished and for some reason I just don't sit down and do it. The lure of a new project is sometimes just too great, especially if it's with yarn or fabric I just purchased.

About a year ago I took inventory of my knitting UFOs, so I thought I'd bring back the list of eleven items and see where I am with it and what new items I've added to the UFO list or actually finished.

1. White cotton sweater from Stitches magazine.  FROGGED! It was my oldest. unfinished project and when I finally did finish the knitting I found that my gauge varied too much and couldn't be fixed with blocking. I didn't really like how it turned out anyway.

2. Liv - this was an Elsebeth Lavold pattern, knitted in Rowan cashsoft. It was going to come out too small. FROGGED!

3. Clapotis shawl - I blocked it sometime last year but still needed to weave in the ends, which I finally did last night. It only took me about 15 months to get around to it.

4. Felted bag out of Noro. I felted it at least but it still needs a lining and closure. NOT DONE

5. Cat bed that I knit and never felted. DONE!

6. Socks for my husband. These were my first attempt at toe-up socks. I almost made it to the heel but it's looking a bit narrow and I need to decide if it should be frogged or finished. UNCHANGED

7. Jaywalker socks. I ran out of yarn during the second sock so I frogged the toe of the first one, reknit it using a different but complementary yarn and used the frogged-yarn to finish the second sock up to its toe. The yarn I bought for the toes was a little thin so I doubled it, which made it a little too thick but better to have the toe too thick than too thin, I think. But the thicker yarn made the decreases really hard to work. I'm at the toe of the second sock and not looking forward to fighting with those decreases so the sock sits...unfinished. UNCHANGED

8. Blue t-shirt. This was a store pattern for a short sleeve sweater using two different Rowan yarns. I really liked the store display and it was a quick knit. I only have a few more rows to go and then the dreaded seaming to do. I stopped knitting it because summer ended...that would be summer of 2007...and because I'm afraid the sweater will look dumpy on me. UNCHANGED

9. Fingerless gloves. I had alpaca yarn left over from the Clapotis and thought it would make lovely and soft fingerless gloves. I started knitting some but the pattern didn't have a thumb, only a hole for the thumb, and I didn't know how to make one. So the gloves sat and my hands remained cold. UNCHANGED  - but I knit and finished a different pair of fingerless gloves so my hands aren't cold now.

10. Capri sweater from Rowan magazine, knit in lime green Rowan Calmer yarn. I knit this in June 2008 while sitting on console monitoring a satellite that was just launched. I need to block it before I can pick up stitches for the front band. UNCHANGED

11. Lara - was a UFO on that list last year, but now it is FINISHED

Now for the new stuff:

12. Blue twisty top - I think I finished knitting all the pieces and it just needs to be blocked and seamed. And of course the ends need to be woven in.

13. Brown stripey socks - need the ends woven in. This goes into the category of may not work out so I'll just never finish it and put it aside instead. The socks are narrow and a bit snug. I know what you're thinking - frog them or finish them already!

14. Gray socks - I have a sock and a half completed. I put it aside so I could start a new project on the long flight to Japan. This has been my current knitting project but I messed up at the very end of the short row heel and think I need to frog the entire heel because I can't make the stitches work without leaving a hole where there isn't supposed to be one.

15. Multi-colored hat - the Japan project. I stopped it so I could start a new project on the long flight to France. Hmmm, there's a theme there. But I did finally finish it. It had a gazillion ends to weave in and I forced myself to stick with it and get 'em done. Yay.

16. The France project. Fingerless mitts in Rowan RYC Baby Alpaca. Soooooo soft. When I finished the first mitt, per the pattern instructions (Endpaper Mitts by Eunny Jang), I didn't like that the mitt went way up my arm. I wanted shorter mitts that were more at my wrist, so I ripped it almost all the way back and reknit it. This was after already ripping it back once because I didn't read the instructions correctly and made a mess of the pattern. But now they are done.

Of course I hope to finish the UFOs but in the meantime I have another 11 hour flight to France, which means another new project. I'm thinking of making an infinity scarf, which is just a scarf that is joined at the end and worn twisted around the neck. It should be pretty easy, no two-color knitting or intricate lace patterns.

One more year

It's that time of year to review and reflect on the past year and look ahead to the next one.

Let's see how I did for 2009 and what I plan to do for 2010:

1. Blog more often - In 2008 I had 67 posts and in 2009 I posted about half that: 33 (counting this one). I didn't have any sewing content and only a little knitting content to talk about so most of my posts were about the renovations we did on the house and my travel. I am going to try to blog more about my textile projects next year, since that is the intent of this blog. There are some knitting projects in process that I should photograph and share, and I hope to get back to sewing and share those projects as well.

2. Lose weight. I should just take this one off the list! I actually did make an earnest attempt in October and lost two pounds (woohoo)...and then I quickly gained it back eating yummy food in France. At least I am eating a little healthier. Last summer we started getting a weekly delivery of a vegetable/fruit box, so now I'm eating more salads and greens and fruit than before. I do need to exercise though, which I will try to do next year. 

3. Embrace my hobbies. Knitting, travel and photography (while traveling) were about the only hobbies I embraced. I guess home renovation is on the list too but in a different sense than it used to be. We used to do all of the work ourselves but now we don't have the time. But we do have the money so we put some of it into the local economy and hired a contractor to do the labor. I still did the design work, which is the part of renovation I like the most. I do hope to get back into sewing in 2010. My sewing area has been buried under a pile of stuff, mostly sewing related stuff, but it can't be put away until the renovations are complete. The bedroom where I set up my cutting table is next on the list for demo and redo so it's going to be a few months until I can sew again. I do have a custom-built pattern cabinet and bookshelf to show off, I just need to take the pictures and post them.

4. Think before I buy. I'm doing pretty well with this one and expect to continue next year. At the beginning of last year I did a major closet clean out, which was a good thing considering that we did a major closet redo as part of the renovations and everything had to come out anyway. I donated a lot of clothing and realized that much of it was barely worn. Some clothes no longer fit but even when they did fit I don't think I wore them enough to justify the purchase or a place in the closet. I decided that I needed to be more critical when buying (or making) clothes and I've been doing that. When I bought clothes for my new job I was very picky. It made it harder to shop but it was worth it. I also am very critical when I buy other stuff. More than a few times I found myself in a store, holding an item in my hand and really being honest with myself about why I wanted to buy it and if I was really going to use it or if I just wanted to buy something. Watching the show Hoarders on A&E also helps curtail the urge to buy more stuff. Believe me.

5. Find the good in my work. I have a job again and it is good. Sometimes I don't want to go to work, and I remember with a bit of nostalgia about the 3-4 months of unemployed "playtime" I enjoyed last year, but there really is good in my work. First, I'm fulfilling a critical need with my customer, which makes me feel very useful. Second, the retirement accounts are getting a nice boost. Third, the extra income let us renovate the house, travel to Japan, and enjoy life. As they say...money can't buy happiness, but it sure helps.

6. Nurture relationships. Same as last year - I think I did ok but can do better, especially with family. I call my mom every Sunday but don't talk much with my siblings. But I did call my sisters on Christmas Day and we had nice chats. (Hi D! Now that I know you follow my blog!)

I know 2009 has been a difficult year for many people, especially for those without jobs. I know we're fortunate but it wasn't just luck that got us here. Our parents valued education, which in my opinion is a solid foundation for so much in life. Also, my DH loves me but he also respects me, trusts me, and is a true partner and we have built a good life together. So on that happy note, I wish you all a great new year and hope you are all fortunate in your lives!

Home again

Felix insists that I not leave again.