Amazon.com Widgets

Entries Tagged as ''

So, anyway….that’s done.

And as blithely as that, Susan of TheRaineySisters.com, wrapped up a COUPLE day’s worth of whipping out this Ladybug sweater! Complete with picot trim, and close ups of fabulous finishes and a blog post! My first response to that post was “HOLY COW! How does she DO that???”

You see, she’d just been contemplating STARTING the sweater a day or two previously. She was concerned at how confusing the instructions sounded. So, I tuned in day or two later to see how she was coming in deciphering the instructions and VOILA! there was the completely finished sweater in all it’s adorablenes, complete with adorable lady bug buttons and custom hand-tailored button loops. (I’m stealing that idea.)

Now…I don’t compare myself to experienced knitters. I’m not even in the same country (figuratively speaking) - never mind the same “ball park” with them - again with the metaphors - I mean, c’mon, I was just making dishcloths last year…but THAT totally blew me away! Yes, it’s small, but two DAYS? I was stunned and impressed beyond words…and felt like skulking off to a dark corner with my tail between my legs. Well, you know, if I had one…(a tail that is). I have, however, made progress on my ladybug project. And for this, I am considering myself “accomplished”:

I have managed to correct the error of my ways and re-knit the row of ladybugs that I chose to put into a dark blue. You know, the blue that’s so dark that the black I’m using for the spots doesn’t show up? Yeah….that blue. It’s a gift I have. Choosing the most obviously wrong color for the thing I’m trying to accomplish. Whatever. I like the color and I think it looks nice with the red bugs, will probably go well with a pair of dark blue indigo jeans, and I have now finished that stripe. Mistake? Yeah, probably. But one of those that are within the realm of possibility to live with.

So, anyway….that’s done.

Now all I have left to do is the rest of the sweater and both sleeves - hopefully before my currently unborn grandson is a year old. I think I might just make it under the wire at this rate.


Tags: Dale of Norway, Ladybug Sweater by EllyMae
2 Comments »

Knitting as a metaphor for life.

I enjoyed Yarn Harlot’s episode on Knitty Gritty this week, and she made a statement about knitting being a metaphor for life. I thought that was a good analogy. Take, for instance, the part of life called “admitting your mistakes.” A person can make a mistake, and just continue on working with it, refusing to admit it was a mistake. The final result won’t be exactly what you were aiming for, but sometimes it’s at least within the realm of acceptability. Sometimes, however, keeping on with a mistake can just mean a lot of wasted time and effort….and the sooner one admits it and takes steps to FIX the mistake, the sooner one can get on with their life. To wit (?) - I give you the latest in a series of “mistakes” which I am now about to admit, rip back, and - hopefully THIS TIME - do it the right way. The top row of lady bugs goes from nice fat plump ROUND bugs [4 on the right side], to skinny kind of rectangular ones [4 on left side]. I spotted this mistake quite a while back. My first reaction to it was to put the project down. Start doing something else and pretend that it wasn’t really happening (ahem … “denial”). Picked it up again, and knitted a few more rounds thinking - ‘well, maybe it’s not so bad after all (Queen of de Nile).’ Put it down again. Chose not to think about it. Worked on other stuff. Let’s see if a little more EVASION works! Got a lot of sewing projects done. Things went like this for a while, and now I’m wanting to get this little sweater finished - I’ve got another one waiting in the wings for the next “big” project. I’d like to get to that one. So, now, I have decided to cut my losses. This band o’ bugs will be ripped back and restarted. I have admitted my mistake. I am ready to fix and move on. I’m OK with the rest of the little sweater in it’s un-blocked - probably too tightly stranded state. That’s beyond my ability to “fix” now - and no way am I taking out that much knitting. I just want my bugs to match. The rest is “within the realm of acceptibility” for me. Too bad I didn’t get to this point in my “life” a little sooner…I might have had a whole Ladybug Sweater to show here. Oh well….live and [hopefully] learn.

Tags: Dale of Norway, Ladybug Sweater by EllyMae
2 Comments »

Felt

Oh, this is TOO COOL! Check out this/these felt bag(s) at http://www.joshjakus.com/feltum/feltum.html. I’m always impressed with genius. Probably the main reason for being such a big Elizabeth Zimmermann fan. Clever/Genius - always sure to impress me. Be sure to click on the picture with the zippered bags (white background), or just sit there staring at it all long enough for the animation that shows you how they work. Very cool. Now why didn’t I think of that?


Tags: felt bags by EllyMae
2 Comments »

Checking them off - one at a time


Today’s much-procrastinated project was a set of curtains for my Mom and DSD (dear step-dad). I’ve had this fabric sitting in the “pending” pile for longer than I care to recall. Maybe a year! Anyway, today from start to finish I got these babies done, folded, stuffed into a Priority envelope and mailed! Yes, I know, you really can’t tell what they look like here, it’s just the folded up finished product, but I know they’re done and looked like a decent job, and I’m just happy to finally be able to send them home. Perhaps next trip home, I’ll get down there with the camera and photograph all the curtains on their respective windows. Think I’ve made 3 sets now, all different themed.

I brought home another project this past weekend. My youngest DGD has a dolly that belonged to her Mommy when Mommy was her age. It has been well….loved…and the last two visits home, I have meant to bring her home and see if I could get her cleaned up and clothed. Things are coming along “swimmingly” - here she is in her less than fastidious state.

Here she is multi-tasking - getting a “mani-pedi” and facial all at once:

And then - after much soaking, scrubbing with a toothbrush, scraping with a tooth pick into crevices and indentations - Grammy has managed to get her at least partially presentable:

I found a site online that helped a little bit with how to clean a soft-body doll. She’s still got some areas that could use a little more work, but for now, I’m letting her dry out from her bath. (Tried to keep her body dry, but obviously that didn’t always work.) I think she looks much better already though.

When my sister and I were little (I was about 10 and my sister about 8 - maybe younger) my grandmother made us each a set of doll clothes. I inherited my grandmother’s patterns, and this dolly is about to become the recipient of the next generation of clothes made from this pattern:

These were my sister’s doll’s clothes. So, since this dolly is similar to my sister’s dolly, she’s getting her new wardrobe from this one.

I still have my doll. And I got her clothes pattern too - so eventually she’ll get new duds from the old pattern. Lately, she’s been receiving a lot of hand-knits! (She’s also had a bath and her hair washed.)

So…I’m feeling pretty good about my daily accomplishments during my vacation. I haven’t done as much knitting as I’d imagined, but it sure does feel good to be finishing up all the sewing projects I just couldn’t seem to get to before. I have one more full day left. Hopefully, now that I have these procrastinated projects OFF the table, I’ll be able to face the sewing machine more freely. It’s amazing how discombooberating procrastination can be.


Tags: doll clothes, doll repair, sewing by EllyMae
1 Comment »

Sewing and a little knitting

There has been some knitting (see below), but there has mostly been fiber-fumbling of the sewing kind. This little duo started out with me going through my fabric stash looking for some good prospects to make cloth napkins from. At the same time, I ran across an old Folkwear pattern that I’ve had for a while, and my stream of consciousness ran amuk… Never did get the napkins made, but I think I have a shower gift in the makings. Hopefully the recipient won’t mind cutsey/cottage-y looking kitchen mostly non-essentials! Actually, the knitting will serve the “essential” part, and I may just spring for the teapot to go with this cozy/liner combo, and then you’ve got a real gift, right?

What’s the thing in the basket you ask? Well, here it is un-tied and spread out a bit (and the cozy/liner combo displayed):


Still stumped, heh? Well, that’s because nobody uses tiny little MUFFIN COZIES anymore! LOL. It was so cute though, I just couldn’t resist making a little “tea and crumpets” set. Of course, as you may have noticed, I was using bits and pieces from here and there, so the fabrics aren’t all matchy-matchy, but then most people who know me, know to expect that sort of thing.

Essential knitting content: Latest dishcloth knit on a trip back home this past weekend - made up as I went along, and I’m really liking it. I guess it’s kind of hard to see the stitches, but I wanted texture and interest, so I varied using garter stitch, stockinette and some seed stitch along with the yarn-overs . Crochet’d a little loop at the top afterwards…and added it to the box o’ gift cloths, where it will be available to add to the above silliness. Hey, I may even make some cloth napkins to go with! Well…you know…unless I get distracted making a keyboard/mouse cozy combo or some other equally clever accessory.


Tags: Uncategorized by EllyMae
No Comments »

Next Page »