One minute I'm in Yosemite, with a couple feet of snow and big, fat flakes falling from the skies and now I'm in D.C. where it was apparently in the 80's yesterday. By the time I got here the winds were announcing the rapid decrease in temperature that comes with a cold front.
I was a camera-snapping crazy person last weekend but alas, all of the pictures are still on the memory card and not on the computer. Then I had to pack and fly across the country for a meeting. At least I got to knit. And stop at G-Streets on the way to my hotel. Yes, I know. I wasn't supposed to buy any more you-know-what. But there's something about G-Streets. My Burda jacket was from G-Street fabric. My Jalie polo was from a bargain one $2.97 yard of G-Street fabric, and the kitchen curtains were from seven yards of $2.97 per yard fabric. G-Street has some surprising fabrics in their bargain pile, if you look (and it is a pile). But their other fabrics are nice too, albeit a bit on the pricey side. But sometimes fabric calls to you. I bought two pieces of rayon, keeping in mind that I need a dress for an upcoming wedding. Yes, I know I only need one dress, buy I couldn't make up my mind.
I did get a lot of knitting done on the plane ride. Not as much as I hoped but it wasn't entirely because my seat-mate wanted to chat. I admit at first I was thinking please shut up and let me just knit and zone-out to the tunes on my iPod for the next 4 1/2 hours, but I was nice. The plane was quite an international mix of people due to a group from the Defense Language Institute in Monterery who were going on a tour of Washington. The seat mate to my left was from Bangladesh and the one on my right was from Poland (yes, I got the middle seat -- ugh). Mr. Bangladesh...his name was pronounced sigh-eed, but I don't know how you'd write it...anyway he was very talkative. Which was kind of nice. He was so surprised I was knitting. He said only old women knitted under trees (huh?) in his home country. He was also surprised that I didn't have children and he wanted to know if my marriage was arranged (his was). He offered me a bit of a Bangladesh snack - it was like spicy fried rice spiced up with curry. It was in little metallic pouch, just like a bag of chips. It tasted good too! He was interested in my iPod, asked if it was 1 "gee bee" (don't think I've ever heard anyone refer to gigabit as a "gee bee") and said he was thinking of buying one on the internet. He was impressed by the fact you could by so much on the internet. He's in an 11-month program at the language institute and this was his first trip to the US and first to Washington. The whole group looked very happy, nice, and eager to be on the trip. It was a refreshing change from a plane load of business travellers.
So now I'm here, sitting in a hotel room, listening to American Idol on TV and blogging via the free hotel internet. My knitting is in my big tote bag/purse and I might just sneak it out tomorrow during the review if I can. I've found that knitting actually helps me concentrate on listening. But I've never knitted in front of co-workers, except for when waiting to board an airplane, so I'm going to have to wait and feel out the scene. Maybe I'll just take long breaks to the ladies room!
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Friday, March 10, 2006
Off to see the snow
I know most people living in colder regions (hi mom!) will think we're nuts, but we're driving up to Yosemite this weekend where there will be lots of SNOW! We've had some pretty chilly, rainy weather here lately and the predicted snow level tonight will be about 500-1000 feet. This is the forecast for my area tonight:
Tonight: Cloudy with occasional light rain . Snow may mix in. Low 36F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
This is the forecast for Yosemite tomorrow:
Tomorrow: Cloudy with snow showers and flurries becoming a steady accumulating snow later. Cold. Temps nearly steady in the low to mid 30s. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. 2 to 4 inches of snow expected.
Yay for snow! The dilemma I have now is which of my big woolly sweaters to bring. I have two gorgeous Dale of Norway sweaters, one of which was purchased during a visit to Norway about 14 years ago. In addition I have a lovely wool/possum mix cardigan from New Zealand that is very warm and snuggly. The possums, not to be confused with the non-furry variety in the US, are a bad problem in NZ so they are allowed to trap and kill them for their food and fur. You can buy mixed wool/possum yarn from NZ and trust me, it's very, very soft.
I'm also looking forward to knitting on the drive up and back. Next week I'm flying to DC for work and plan to knit on the flight. I might just get this UFO sweater done!
Thinking about that possum wool cardigan has me thinking about New Zealand and the wonderful time we had there in 2003. It also makes me think about Tim Tams. Yummy, chocolaty goodness! Fortunately my husband's co-worker just returned from Australia and brought him some, which we are savoring, not munching down like we did during our NZ roadtrip. If you ever get a chance to go to NZ, go!
Tonight: Cloudy with occasional light rain . Snow may mix in. Low 36F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
This is the forecast for Yosemite tomorrow:
Tomorrow: Cloudy with snow showers and flurries becoming a steady accumulating snow later. Cold. Temps nearly steady in the low to mid 30s. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 70%. 2 to 4 inches of snow expected.
Yay for snow! The dilemma I have now is which of my big woolly sweaters to bring. I have two gorgeous Dale of Norway sweaters, one of which was purchased during a visit to Norway about 14 years ago. In addition I have a lovely wool/possum mix cardigan from New Zealand that is very warm and snuggly. The possums, not to be confused with the non-furry variety in the US, are a bad problem in NZ so they are allowed to trap and kill them for their food and fur. You can buy mixed wool/possum yarn from NZ and trust me, it's very, very soft.
I'm also looking forward to knitting on the drive up and back. Next week I'm flying to DC for work and plan to knit on the flight. I might just get this UFO sweater done!
Thinking about that possum wool cardigan has me thinking about New Zealand and the wonderful time we had there in 2003. It also makes me think about Tim Tams. Yummy, chocolaty goodness! Fortunately my husband's co-worker just returned from Australia and brought him some, which we are savoring, not munching down like we did during our NZ roadtrip. If you ever get a chance to go to NZ, go!
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Stuff
I'm continuing to work on the UFO sweater...the white Knitter's magazine sweater from 1999, not a sweater with an alien on it...although I probably should put it down, as Spinnity suggested. Despite her good advice, I think I will continue to torture myself with it. Call me crazy. Or stupid. Having not finished much in the way of knitting projects over my many years of off and on knitting, I want to finish this one. Besides, I do need the practice. But last night was a true test on my patience. I settled in for a nice night of TV watching and knitting. I picked it up, started knitting and then found a mistake which caused me to rip about 7 rows, knit a few rows only to have to rip them too. After an evening of knitting, with time out to watch (i.e., look at the TV and not my knitting) the Project Runway finale, I only succeeded to get my knitting back to where it was sans error.
However today I zoomed ahead. I usually knit in the car on the way to work, while my husband drives. That's good for a few rows. I can't squeeze in any knitting during the workday because I take notes during meetings and even if my meetings were more listening than note taking, I'd feel odd knitting. But this morning I had to sit in on a dry run of a presentation via the speaker phone on my desk. Alone in my cubicle, I picked up my knitting. I was amazed at how knitting actually helped me pay attention to the meeting! Normally if I'm listening in on a meeting my eyes and hands roam to other tasks around me or the computer and I end up missing what's being said. I got quite a bit of knitting done too. Yay, for knitting.
I was so hung up on UFO sweater yesterday that I forgot to mention my attempts at spinning last Saturday. Spinnity hosted a spinning party in her home. There were about a dozen or so spinners ranging from newbies to accomplished. I'm a newbie. My only experience was a few minutes on drop spindle at Stitches a few years ago. It didn't thrill me and I wasn't all that excited about pursuing spinning until I came across an offer for a spinning wheel that was too good to pass up. So I bought the wheel and it sat idle in my family room. The spinning part was just what I needed to get me going. I had a really good time and I even did some spinning. Well, wonky, twisted, beginner spinning, but it's a start.
I may be working on UFO sweater but my mind is definitely on the next projects. Ok, next projects after I finish Liv and the red mittens, which may get put aside until Fall, because I'm not knitting mittens when it's warm out. I picked up some patterns at Stitches and I'm already antsy to buy the yarn for them. Here are my plans:
White Lies Designs: Beauty and the Beads - I'm think Rowan Calmer might be nice for this. It's a fitted cardigan and I think the stretch in the Calmer would help with that. I'm not sure I'll do all the beading on this though.
White Lies Designs: Bella - maybe the Brooks Farm Primero I bought at Stitches.
White Lies Designs: Krista (not on their website) - it's a short sleeved open weave top I thought would be great in some white bamboo I bought at Stitches.
Knitting Pure and Simple: Neck Down Hooded Tunic (#244) - I'm obsessed with this one. I see this in a drapey silk blend rather than a wool, especially since I don't need wool sweaters in this temperate climate of the Silicon Valley (not to be confused with foggy, summer temperatures in the SF, where you could wear a wool sweater!). I'm thinking Rowan Summer Tweed.
I have put sewing on the back burner during my recent knitting madness, but my husband asked me last night (while watching Project Runway) when I was going to start sewing my travel wardrobe for our trip to Europe this summer. Yikes. He's right. I better carve out some time to sew a few things!
However today I zoomed ahead. I usually knit in the car on the way to work, while my husband drives. That's good for a few rows. I can't squeeze in any knitting during the workday because I take notes during meetings and even if my meetings were more listening than note taking, I'd feel odd knitting. But this morning I had to sit in on a dry run of a presentation via the speaker phone on my desk. Alone in my cubicle, I picked up my knitting. I was amazed at how knitting actually helped me pay attention to the meeting! Normally if I'm listening in on a meeting my eyes and hands roam to other tasks around me or the computer and I end up missing what's being said. I got quite a bit of knitting done too. Yay, for knitting.
I was so hung up on UFO sweater yesterday that I forgot to mention my attempts at spinning last Saturday. Spinnity hosted a spinning party in her home. There were about a dozen or so spinners ranging from newbies to accomplished. I'm a newbie. My only experience was a few minutes on drop spindle at Stitches a few years ago. It didn't thrill me and I wasn't all that excited about pursuing spinning until I came across an offer for a spinning wheel that was too good to pass up. So I bought the wheel and it sat idle in my family room. The spinning part was just what I needed to get me going. I had a really good time and I even did some spinning. Well, wonky, twisted, beginner spinning, but it's a start.
I may be working on UFO sweater but my mind is definitely on the next projects. Ok, next projects after I finish Liv and the red mittens, which may get put aside until Fall, because I'm not knitting mittens when it's warm out. I picked up some patterns at Stitches and I'm already antsy to buy the yarn for them. Here are my plans:
White Lies Designs: Beauty and the Beads - I'm think Rowan Calmer might be nice for this. It's a fitted cardigan and I think the stretch in the Calmer would help with that. I'm not sure I'll do all the beading on this though.
White Lies Designs: Bella - maybe the Brooks Farm Primero I bought at Stitches.
White Lies Designs: Krista (not on their website) - it's a short sleeved open weave top I thought would be great in some white bamboo I bought at Stitches.
Knitting Pure and Simple: Neck Down Hooded Tunic (#244) - I'm obsessed with this one. I see this in a drapey silk blend rather than a wool, especially since I don't need wool sweaters in this temperate climate of the Silicon Valley (not to be confused with foggy, summer temperatures in the SF, where you could wear a wool sweater!). I'm thinking Rowan Summer Tweed.
I have put sewing on the back burner during my recent knitting madness, but my husband asked me last night (while watching Project Runway) when I was going to start sewing my travel wardrobe for our trip to Europe this summer. Yikes. He's right. I better carve out some time to sew a few things!
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Project investment and UFOs
Has it really been two weeks since my last entry? It's not like I've been off doing great things, nor have I been sick or incapacitated. I guess life is just being life and ticking by.
So my entry today is titled "Project Investment and UFOs." All projects, whether they're sewing, knitting or remodeling projects, require an investment of time and materials. If the materials must be purchased, then the project requires money too. I generally don't start a project until I've done my homework (although there are many times when I've purchased the materials without doing enough homework). Having done my research beforehand, my expectation then is that the completed project, given good workmanship along the way, will meet my satisfaction. But what happens when I discover that the project is not going as expected? At what point do I cut my losses (of time and money) and stop. And what do I do with the UnFinished Object? Or do I finish the project and consider the time invested in the project as added experience?
These are questions I am asking myself today because I have two knitted projects that I'm not especially fond of. Of course I've also encountered this dilemma with my sewing projects. But since sewing is laying low at the moment, my attention is on my knitting projects.
I finally finished the big knitted gift. Yippee! Ok, I'll just say what it is. The recipient might not be reading this and it's a surprise no matter whether she reads it here or opens the box. I made a baby blanket. The ends are woven in and it's ready to be washed. But I'm not all that pleased with it and I'm having second thoughts about sending it. It's a gift and I wanted it to be nice, but I think it just turned out okay. It's big (about 34x45) and I do like the texture of the seed stitch despite the fact that it probably took three times as long to knit because of having to flip the yarn back and forth between every stitch. Note to self: no more large seed stitch projects. Ever. The thing I don't like about the blanket is the yarn. It's an acrylic that is kinda plastic feeling. I had the yarn in my stash and it was always intended to be a baby blanket, but the recipient was supposed to be someone else and I never got around to it. So when I wanted to make a gift for my friend's new baby, this yarn immediately came to mind. I figured that acrylic yarn would be fine because baby blankets need to be mega-washable. However, since I started this project, I have become much more educated about yarn. I learned that washable yarn doesn't have to feel like plastic. I learned that if yarn doesn't feel good to knit with, the finished product probably won't feel so good either.
Sigh. Since I don't have anything else to send and I spent four months knitting it, I will probably send the blanket. It'll be ok, I guess. I don't believe my friend knits or crochets and if she does, I don't think she's a yarn snob who'd wrinkle her nose at my creation and never use it. But I feel a bit sad that I spent so much time on it and I'm not proud of the results. I should have quit after the first 20 rows when I decided I didn't like the feel of the yarn. I should have donated the crappy yarn and bought something nicer to knit the blanket with. Shoulda...woulda...coulda...
Project dilemma #2: a six year old UFO. Similar problem. The yarn is not the best. This one is mostly acrylic with nylon and wool. I bought two big bags of the yarn because it was on clearance. I could have afforded better but I didn't know any better. Six years ago my knitting was limited to airline flights and night shifts spent monitoring a satellite shortly after it was launched. Yes, really. Here's a picture of me in (knitting) action:
Those were long, boring shifts. This picture was taken around 4 am. I was going to send the picture into Knitter's magazine - hence the prominently displayed issue of Knitter's.
I finished the back and almost one sleeve and then stuffed it in a bag where it stayed until last week. Our knitting meetup decided to have a UFO-themed get-together to encourage us to finish those pesky UFOs, so I dragged it out. I spent a good hour just trying to figure out where I left off but I did manage to get a few more rows of the sleeve completed. I've since finished the sleeve and I started on the front but not only have I discovered my gauge has changed a bit, I'm not 100% happy with the yarn. Now that I've discovered yarns like Manos Del Uruguay and Brooks Farm and Rowan Cashcotton and so many others, this yarn just doesn't measure up. I'm knitting it to finish it. I'm knitting it because maybe I'll enter it in the Stitches student fashion show next year along with the above picture of me, the rocket scientist, knitting it during a satellite launch (well, after the launch). I also might need to employ some of the techniques I learned in a sweater altering class I took at Stitches this year to redo the trim on the back and sleeve so the gauge matches the newly knitted front. Eh, it makes for a good story and since they gave a gift certificate to a woman who showed off her handspun (by her) sweater, maybe they'll be generous after hearing my silly story.
Will I wear the sweater? I don't know. While I still like the style of both the sweater and the stitch, I don' t love the style, which is dropped shoulder sleeves, boxy with no shaping. I certainly don't envision it becoming a favorite sweater. If it fits, I'll wear it. The only adult-sized garment I knit for myself was a vest I did over 20 years ago. I did wear it and would wear it again if I were still the size I was 20 years ago. So I don't have much experience wearing sweaters I've knitted.
Should I stop knitting the sweater and return to Liv, knit in the very soft and lovely Rowan Cashcotton, or the mittens I started in a luscious red merino wool? The Brooks Farm Primero beckons. So does the bamboo I bought at Stitches. I guess I'm wondering if the Knitter's sweater is worth the investment. I do need the knitting practice. What would you do? I'm itching to buy some Rowan Summer Tweed for a pattern I picked up at Stitches, so I'm sort of making a bargain with myself. Finish the sweater and I can reward myself with the summer tweed. But at the same time I want to enjoy my knitting.
So my entry today is titled "Project Investment and UFOs." All projects, whether they're sewing, knitting or remodeling projects, require an investment of time and materials. If the materials must be purchased, then the project requires money too. I generally don't start a project until I've done my homework (although there are many times when I've purchased the materials without doing enough homework). Having done my research beforehand, my expectation then is that the completed project, given good workmanship along the way, will meet my satisfaction. But what happens when I discover that the project is not going as expected? At what point do I cut my losses (of time and money) and stop. And what do I do with the UnFinished Object? Or do I finish the project and consider the time invested in the project as added experience?
These are questions I am asking myself today because I have two knitted projects that I'm not especially fond of. Of course I've also encountered this dilemma with my sewing projects. But since sewing is laying low at the moment, my attention is on my knitting projects.
I finally finished the big knitted gift. Yippee! Ok, I'll just say what it is. The recipient might not be reading this and it's a surprise no matter whether she reads it here or opens the box. I made a baby blanket. The ends are woven in and it's ready to be washed. But I'm not all that pleased with it and I'm having second thoughts about sending it. It's a gift and I wanted it to be nice, but I think it just turned out okay. It's big (about 34x45) and I do like the texture of the seed stitch despite the fact that it probably took three times as long to knit because of having to flip the yarn back and forth between every stitch. Note to self: no more large seed stitch projects. Ever. The thing I don't like about the blanket is the yarn. It's an acrylic that is kinda plastic feeling. I had the yarn in my stash and it was always intended to be a baby blanket, but the recipient was supposed to be someone else and I never got around to it. So when I wanted to make a gift for my friend's new baby, this yarn immediately came to mind. I figured that acrylic yarn would be fine because baby blankets need to be mega-washable. However, since I started this project, I have become much more educated about yarn. I learned that washable yarn doesn't have to feel like plastic. I learned that if yarn doesn't feel good to knit with, the finished product probably won't feel so good either.
Sigh. Since I don't have anything else to send and I spent four months knitting it, I will probably send the blanket. It'll be ok, I guess. I don't believe my friend knits or crochets and if she does, I don't think she's a yarn snob who'd wrinkle her nose at my creation and never use it. But I feel a bit sad that I spent so much time on it and I'm not proud of the results. I should have quit after the first 20 rows when I decided I didn't like the feel of the yarn. I should have donated the crappy yarn and bought something nicer to knit the blanket with. Shoulda...woulda...coulda...
Project dilemma #2: a six year old UFO. Similar problem. The yarn is not the best. This one is mostly acrylic with nylon and wool. I bought two big bags of the yarn because it was on clearance. I could have afforded better but I didn't know any better. Six years ago my knitting was limited to airline flights and night shifts spent monitoring a satellite shortly after it was launched. Yes, really. Here's a picture of me in (knitting) action:
Those were long, boring shifts. This picture was taken around 4 am. I was going to send the picture into Knitter's magazine - hence the prominently displayed issue of Knitter's.
I finished the back and almost one sleeve and then stuffed it in a bag where it stayed until last week. Our knitting meetup decided to have a UFO-themed get-together to encourage us to finish those pesky UFOs, so I dragged it out. I spent a good hour just trying to figure out where I left off but I did manage to get a few more rows of the sleeve completed. I've since finished the sleeve and I started on the front but not only have I discovered my gauge has changed a bit, I'm not 100% happy with the yarn. Now that I've discovered yarns like Manos Del Uruguay and Brooks Farm and Rowan Cashcotton and so many others, this yarn just doesn't measure up. I'm knitting it to finish it. I'm knitting it because maybe I'll enter it in the Stitches student fashion show next year along with the above picture of me, the rocket scientist, knitting it during a satellite launch (well, after the launch). I also might need to employ some of the techniques I learned in a sweater altering class I took at Stitches this year to redo the trim on the back and sleeve so the gauge matches the newly knitted front. Eh, it makes for a good story and since they gave a gift certificate to a woman who showed off her handspun (by her) sweater, maybe they'll be generous after hearing my silly story.
Will I wear the sweater? I don't know. While I still like the style of both the sweater and the stitch, I don' t love the style, which is dropped shoulder sleeves, boxy with no shaping. I certainly don't envision it becoming a favorite sweater. If it fits, I'll wear it. The only adult-sized garment I knit for myself was a vest I did over 20 years ago. I did wear it and would wear it again if I were still the size I was 20 years ago. So I don't have much experience wearing sweaters I've knitted.
Should I stop knitting the sweater and return to Liv, knit in the very soft and lovely Rowan Cashcotton, or the mittens I started in a luscious red merino wool? The Brooks Farm Primero beckons. So does the bamboo I bought at Stitches. I guess I'm wondering if the Knitter's sweater is worth the investment. I do need the knitting practice. What would you do? I'm itching to buy some Rowan Summer Tweed for a pattern I picked up at Stitches, so I'm sort of making a bargain with myself. Finish the sweater and I can reward myself with the summer tweed. But at the same time I want to enjoy my knitting.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Bloggiversary
A belated bloggiversary...my blog is two! My first entry was Feb 17, 2004 so I'm a few days late, but hey, that's how my blog's been going these days. I'm so behind in writing about my projects and posting pictures.
I had an exhausting, but fun, weekend at Stitches West 2006. It was wonderful to meet up with some local knitters whom I've gotten to know through a sewing meetup. I'm usually by myself at these knitting and sewing conventions so it was fun to see it from a different perspective and get some suggestions and ideas on yarn to buy. And buy I did. I bought two skeins of Socks that Rock from Blue Moon Fiber Arts, 3 hanks of Primero from Brooks Farm (had bought two Thursday night and decided to go back and get one more on Saturday - bought the last hank, whew!), 50 grams of camel spun by Mongolian women from Nomad Yarns From Mongolia, bamboo from Habu, a hank of Italia Fingerpaints from Webs, some roving from Angora Cottage, a purse pattern and itty bitty size 000 Addis from Swallow hill Creations, and three patterns from White Lies Designs and one from Webs. I think that's it. Oh and I got some freebies from the banquet on Saturday night: one ball of Lily Chin's new yarn and a kit to make a teddy bear sweater (or two).
I also took classes on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday I learned a variety of cast-off techniques to make more interesting edges, and how to alter a sweater (lengthen or shorten) by cutting (eek!) and grafting. On Sunday I had an all-day class on finishing, which was too long. We learned different methods of joining and making buttonholes and she shared some info on blocking. I think next year I will not fill my entire weekend with classes, although I guess being in class kept me off the market floor.
I'm almost finished with the gift I'm knitting...yay. I've started on some cabled mittens from the Vogue Knitting to Go book Mittens and Gloves. It's a nice portable project. My goal is to have three knitting projects at a time: something small and portable, something easy that can be picked up and put down easily or worked on while watching TV, and something more challenging. I'm hoping to get back to my Elsebeth Lavold sweater as soon as the gift is completed. This sweater is ready to move into the easy phase (i.e., stockinette stitch) and then will get challenging again when I get to the cable motifs on the sleeves.
And I almost forgot...spinning! I'm going to a spinning party! The wonderful coordinator of our local knitting meetup is having a group of us over to her house for a spinning how-to/get-together. I'm ready. I have my wheel. I have some roving.
I haven't completely pushed my sewing out of the way. I picked up the unfinished Jalie polo shirt and made an alteration to the shoulder seam. I wanted to note the change on the traced off pattern, except I could not find it. Grrr. I have not been very good at keeping track of my traced off patterns. I do at least mark them with the name of the pattern, size, etc., but then they tend to get left on the cutting table, fall to the floor, or they find their way to the guest room bed (next to the cutting table) and promptly get lost among the piles of stuff. They go anywhere but the pattern envelope, where they belong. Bad.
So my blog is two. I've enjoyed having this forum to write about what I'm doing. I know my mom reads it (hi mom!) so it's a nice way to show her what I'm working on. Actually I've been blogging, in a sense, since 1997. It was then that I started a web page on geocities and when having a personal website was a novel idea. I began to keep a journal to let my family and friends know what we were up to. At first I updated the journal almost weekly and then...well, not so much. I think the last entry was in 2003. So when I stumbled upon some knitters' blogs two years ago, I thought I'd pick up the keyboard once again and do some writing. I don't blog as much as I'd like to, but I'm glad that I have this outlet and can meet other knitters and sewers in the process. I also like that the blog serves as a record of what I've made. I don't know how long I will continue to do this, but I hope blogspot doesn't go away before then. I guess I should also think about saving this blog in some sort of hard copy...just in case.
I had an exhausting, but fun, weekend at Stitches West 2006. It was wonderful to meet up with some local knitters whom I've gotten to know through a sewing meetup. I'm usually by myself at these knitting and sewing conventions so it was fun to see it from a different perspective and get some suggestions and ideas on yarn to buy. And buy I did. I bought two skeins of Socks that Rock from Blue Moon Fiber Arts, 3 hanks of Primero from Brooks Farm (had bought two Thursday night and decided to go back and get one more on Saturday - bought the last hank, whew!), 50 grams of camel spun by Mongolian women from Nomad Yarns From Mongolia, bamboo from Habu, a hank of Italia Fingerpaints from Webs, some roving from Angora Cottage, a purse pattern and itty bitty size 000 Addis from Swallow hill Creations, and three patterns from White Lies Designs and one from Webs. I think that's it. Oh and I got some freebies from the banquet on Saturday night: one ball of Lily Chin's new yarn and a kit to make a teddy bear sweater (or two).
I also took classes on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday I learned a variety of cast-off techniques to make more interesting edges, and how to alter a sweater (lengthen or shorten) by cutting (eek!) and grafting. On Sunday I had an all-day class on finishing, which was too long. We learned different methods of joining and making buttonholes and she shared some info on blocking. I think next year I will not fill my entire weekend with classes, although I guess being in class kept me off the market floor.
I'm almost finished with the gift I'm knitting...yay. I've started on some cabled mittens from the Vogue Knitting to Go book Mittens and Gloves. It's a nice portable project. My goal is to have three knitting projects at a time: something small and portable, something easy that can be picked up and put down easily or worked on while watching TV, and something more challenging. I'm hoping to get back to my Elsebeth Lavold sweater as soon as the gift is completed. This sweater is ready to move into the easy phase (i.e., stockinette stitch) and then will get challenging again when I get to the cable motifs on the sleeves.
And I almost forgot...spinning! I'm going to a spinning party! The wonderful coordinator of our local knitting meetup is having a group of us over to her house for a spinning how-to/get-together. I'm ready. I have my wheel. I have some roving.
I haven't completely pushed my sewing out of the way. I picked up the unfinished Jalie polo shirt and made an alteration to the shoulder seam. I wanted to note the change on the traced off pattern, except I could not find it. Grrr. I have not been very good at keeping track of my traced off patterns. I do at least mark them with the name of the pattern, size, etc., but then they tend to get left on the cutting table, fall to the floor, or they find their way to the guest room bed (next to the cutting table) and promptly get lost among the piles of stuff. They go anywhere but the pattern envelope, where they belong. Bad.
So my blog is two. I've enjoyed having this forum to write about what I'm doing. I know my mom reads it (hi mom!) so it's a nice way to show her what I'm working on. Actually I've been blogging, in a sense, since 1997. It was then that I started a web page on geocities and when having a personal website was a novel idea. I began to keep a journal to let my family and friends know what we were up to. At first I updated the journal almost weekly and then...well, not so much. I think the last entry was in 2003. So when I stumbled upon some knitters' blogs two years ago, I thought I'd pick up the keyboard once again and do some writing. I don't blog as much as I'd like to, but I'm glad that I have this outlet and can meet other knitters and sewers in the process. I also like that the blog serves as a record of what I've made. I don't know how long I will continue to do this, but I hope blogspot doesn't go away before then. I guess I should also think about saving this blog in some sort of hard copy...just in case.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Stuck
I haven't been sewing since before Christmas for two reasons, or so I thought: the lift in my sewing machine table broke and we were busy remodelling our living room. Well, we replaced the lift in my cabinet and the living room is nearly complete so I have time to sew again. But I'm stuck. Why do I not feel like sewing?
I walked into Sewing Room #2 (the supposed guest room that houses my cutting table and overflow fabric and other craft stuff), with the intent on getting started on a project, but I just lost my inspiration. It did perhaps have something to do with the mess that is Sewing Room #2. Before I can embark on any project, I must organize. Well, Sewing Room #2 became Christmas Wrapping Central before the holidays and some bits and pieces of Christmas still remained. There's also my yarn stash, doll house, collection of Martha Stewart Living and Threads magazines, and other odds and ends to contend with. I tried to tidy up a bit but the more fabric I uncovered, the more agitated I became. I want to make the jackets, tops, pants, and skirts I envisioned when I bought the fabric...I just can't get going. I'm stuck.
I think part of the problem is that I have too much fabric and I'm a perfectionist who doesn't want to fail at the item I'm making, so I'm scared to start. Another problem is that I'm overwhelmed by too many projects. I have a lot of fabric. I don't know what to start working on. Do I just pick the nearest piece of fabric and make what I planned to make with it? Do I go through my patterns and find something that's appropriate for the season and then find the fabric (out of my stash of course) to go with it?
At least the fabric buying has slowed. I have been sticking to my fabric buying diet, more or less. The last piece of fashion fabric I bought was in early November. I did go to Thai Silks on Saturday with my internet friends but bought only a little bit of fabric to embellish a blouse I plan to make out of fabric already in my stash. I say that doesn't count because it's like buying interfacing, elastic or lace. I've also bought some cotton quilting fabric for either quilts or small projects such as a laptop case. In my mind that is only straying a bit from the diet, like having a small bite of a fattening dessert. Because just like with a food diet, if you exclude all taboo things from your diet, you will surely fail.
Of course I really should finish the pink rayon Jalie top I started. But I can't seem to get motivated by it. Am I just not motivated to sew right now? Is that ok? Except for the Christmas gifts, I haven't made anything since last fall. The cooler weather drove me to pick up my knitting needles and I feel more content knitting at the moment. But my sewing machine(s) sit idle, my wardrobe is in need of some new clothes, and the fabric reminds me of the clothing I want it to become. I go to my sewing meetings and have nothing to show off. I have the fancy machines and more than enough fabric and patterns but I'm not doing anything with them. What a waste!
So I think I will not push it. If I make myself sew, I may be unhappy with the project and unhappy with sewing. I will not be without clothes if I do not sew. The fabric is not going anywhere. No one will die if I don't finish the pink top just yet. They won't kick me out of the sewing guild. I don' t have to sew. Whew. Ok, I feel better.
I walked into Sewing Room #2 (the supposed guest room that houses my cutting table and overflow fabric and other craft stuff), with the intent on getting started on a project, but I just lost my inspiration. It did perhaps have something to do with the mess that is Sewing Room #2. Before I can embark on any project, I must organize. Well, Sewing Room #2 became Christmas Wrapping Central before the holidays and some bits and pieces of Christmas still remained. There's also my yarn stash, doll house, collection of Martha Stewart Living and Threads magazines, and other odds and ends to contend with. I tried to tidy up a bit but the more fabric I uncovered, the more agitated I became. I want to make the jackets, tops, pants, and skirts I envisioned when I bought the fabric...I just can't get going. I'm stuck.
I think part of the problem is that I have too much fabric and I'm a perfectionist who doesn't want to fail at the item I'm making, so I'm scared to start. Another problem is that I'm overwhelmed by too many projects. I have a lot of fabric. I don't know what to start working on. Do I just pick the nearest piece of fabric and make what I planned to make with it? Do I go through my patterns and find something that's appropriate for the season and then find the fabric (out of my stash of course) to go with it?
At least the fabric buying has slowed. I have been sticking to my fabric buying diet, more or less. The last piece of fashion fabric I bought was in early November. I did go to Thai Silks on Saturday with my internet friends but bought only a little bit of fabric to embellish a blouse I plan to make out of fabric already in my stash. I say that doesn't count because it's like buying interfacing, elastic or lace. I've also bought some cotton quilting fabric for either quilts or small projects such as a laptop case. In my mind that is only straying a bit from the diet, like having a small bite of a fattening dessert. Because just like with a food diet, if you exclude all taboo things from your diet, you will surely fail.
Of course I really should finish the pink rayon Jalie top I started. But I can't seem to get motivated by it. Am I just not motivated to sew right now? Is that ok? Except for the Christmas gifts, I haven't made anything since last fall. The cooler weather drove me to pick up my knitting needles and I feel more content knitting at the moment. But my sewing machine(s) sit idle, my wardrobe is in need of some new clothes, and the fabric reminds me of the clothing I want it to become. I go to my sewing meetings and have nothing to show off. I have the fancy machines and more than enough fabric and patterns but I'm not doing anything with them. What a waste!
So I think I will not push it. If I make myself sew, I may be unhappy with the project and unhappy with sewing. I will not be without clothes if I do not sew. The fabric is not going anywhere. No one will die if I don't finish the pink top just yet. They won't kick me out of the sewing guild. I don' t have to sew. Whew. Ok, I feel better.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Ribbons
I've been drooling over Laura Foster Nicholson's ribbons for quite a while but they're rather pricey and I don't have a specific project in mind. So far I have been resisting the temptation to order them just to have them to look at. For now I just look at the photos on line for ribbon like this one (click for a big view):
or this:
I could use the ribbon on cosmetic bag such as they did here, although mine won't wouldn't be as large (check out the dimensions...snicker).
Another source for fun ribbons is trimfabric. I ordered from this on-line source a few years ago and had fairly good response from them. They've since revamped their website but I think they still deal in mostly mill-end textiles, so their stock changes. I do think their multiple-view pictures of fabric, buttons, and trim are some of the best for an online store. Here's one of their vintage ribbons (I don't know if it's really vintage or just a vintage look):
And finally, mjtrim has a wide selection of ribbons, lace, buttons, and other baubles to adorn your projects.
or this:
I could use the ribbon on cosmetic bag such as they did here, although mine won't wouldn't be as large (check out the dimensions...snicker).
Another source for fun ribbons is trimfabric. I ordered from this on-line source a few years ago and had fairly good response from them. They've since revamped their website but I think they still deal in mostly mill-end textiles, so their stock changes. I do think their multiple-view pictures of fabric, buttons, and trim are some of the best for an online store. Here's one of their vintage ribbons (I don't know if it's really vintage or just a vintage look):
And finally, mjtrim has a wide selection of ribbons, lace, buttons, and other baubles to adorn your projects.
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