Christmas gifts I made - two years ago

Two years ago, when I wasn't working and had time to sew (that's my excuse anyway), I made some aprons for two of my brothers-in-law. I never shared the pictures because I wanted to wait until after Christmas to post the pictures. But after Christmas I got a job and got busy and well, here they are...two years later.

I chose a music-themed quilting cotton for my brother-in-law who plays the violin in a symphony:

This Beatle-themed print, though a bit loud, was for the brother-in-law who likes the Beatles:

I used McCalls 2233, a great pattern if you want the whole chef ensemble or even if you just need a basic pair of elastic waist pants and a button shirt.

Here's my review of the pattern:

Pattern Description:
Patterns for chef's clothing: chef's jacket, elastic-waist pants, short sleeve shirt, chef's hat, kerchief, and apron.

Pattern Sizing:
Each pattern is single size, but still a good deal considering that you get so much in one envelope.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes, but I did things a bit out of sequence to save on having to jump up and down to use the iron. I suggest you read through all of the instructions first, then fire up your steam iron and press all of the hems at the same time. Also, make the the ties first and iron them flat when you do all the hems. Then you don't need your iron until the end to do a final pressing.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I liked that it was a utilitarian apron in multiple sizes, including XL, that was suitable for a guy. I also liked that the pattern envelope contains so many pieces for other clothing and also included a chef's hat...should I ever need to make one.

Fabric Used:
Cotton quilting fabric, which I bought more for the novelty image than for the utility of the fabric. A heavier cotton would make a more durable apron but it could be difficult to sew through the bulk when sewing on the ties. Even with the thinner quilting fabric, there was a lot of bulk in these areas.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
Didn't change a thing.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Absolutely I would sew it again. I think the apron makes a great gift.

Conclusion:
There are lots of apron patterns out there but this one is economical because it includes other clothing pieces. It's also a good choice if you need the XL or XS instead of a one-size-fits all apron.

A present for me!

Look what I got!
It's not just a purse...
It's a purse and a knitting bag!

I was able to take a long lunch break today so I slipped out to Bobbins Nest Studio and bought myself a present! I always liked the idea of the Jordana Paige knitting bag/purse but I didn't really like the styles...until now. Her latest design, the L.J. Kaelms, caught my eye and was exactly what I wanted. Since I've been working crazy, crazy hours lately for work, this bag sort of makes up for it. Now if I could only knit while I worked. I could knit and do my work, which is mostly watching stuff and being here in case something happens, but I think my mostly male colleagues would think I was strange (if they don't already) and management would probably think I wasn't working.

Hello old friend

Great idea!

I'm a fairly novice spinner and therefore have not plied a lot of yarn. For those of you who don't spin, the first stage of spinning fiber produces what's called a single. Twisting two singles together, or plying, makes 2-ply yarn, three singles makes 3-ply, etc. Making 3-ply requires 4 bobbins: 3 for the singles and one for the take-up. I have exactly 4 bobbins for my wheel but one is usually full of practice spinning or another project. Bobbins for my wheel cost $30 each so it doesn't make economic sense to have a large supply of bobbins around. And besides, it'd be too tempting to abandon a spinning project to start another one if I had a lot of extra bobbins. I'd never thought about winding the spun yarn onto something else until I came across this blog post:

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Rewind

One thing I like about knitting is that it's "easy" to start over. I decided I didn't like the way the scarf was looking, and I've learned the hard way that it's probably not best to continue when you're not feeling it. So I don't know what the yarn will be but it's not going to be an this particular infinity scarf.

A little satellite knitting

Sorry for the slightly blurry camera-phone picture.

No, I'm not knitting a satellite. I'm knitting during breaks between satellite contacts. I'm helping to operate 6 new Globalstar satellites that were launched earlier today and sometimes there's some downtime. Click here to see the launch (link might only be good for a few days).

This is going to be an infinity scarf. I'm knitting it in Wick soy/polypropylene from Knit One Crochet Two. The yarn feels more like cotton but it's softer.

Another reason I'm not sewing

I'm busy because of this:


Soyuz launch of Globalstar - Oct 19, 2010