Happy Thanksgiving!

The little boys and I made turkey softies for Thanksgiving.  The pattern uses their hand print for the body of the turkey.  I have paper hand prints of the older kids, but they remain stuck in boxes stored away.  This is a neat idea to use their hand prints on fabric to make a softie which can be used in centerpieces year after year.  Love it!

I got it the idea from this site:  Bella Dia

Happy Thanksgiving!!

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The making of a TNT top: New Look 6735

What a process, whew!   This had previously been my favorite TNT top pattern, but the pattern was misplaced.  I forgot that the pattern had been altered quite a bit to become my favorite pattern.  So, I bought a new pattern and the following are my working notes:

Fabric requirements:  1-2/3 yards 60-in. wide for 3/4 length sleeve
1-1/2 for short sleeve 

1st top = hot pink =  Made Size 16.  Shaped to 18 at hips.  Added 4-1/4 in. in length (because I'm TALL).  Turned out way too big!!!  Back to the drawing table.  Neckline was too low - revealing my bra when bending over.  Gap in back neckline, wrinkly back and too loose under armholes.  Wadder!  (This knit is a rib knit with not much recovery - bad choice!)

Way too loose in the back - gaping neck, excess under arms

Too long, too big, way too low in front especially if I bend over

 

 

 

 

 

2nd top = green top:  Redrew neckline, raising it about an inch, went down a size.  Still loose under arm, still gape at back and neckline. This was another rib knit with poor recovery.

Still too big in back

This fabric was horrible to work with - a cheap knit rib.  Never again!

3rd top = orange multi 3/4-length top:  Ok, this is a success! (cotton blend knit)

• In addition to raising the neckline about one inch (from before), I altered the neckline again because felt the neck opening was too wide. 
• Took in 1/4 inch width from armholes. 
• Pinched a tuck in the back neckline about 1/4 inch to solve the gaping neck problem. 
• Reduced the added length from 4-1/4 to 3-1/4 in..  Previous adjustment was too long.
• Added 3/8- in. width to neckline binding piece.  
• Decreased length of binding piece by total of 2 inches. 

 

 

 

 

Finally a winner!  Made 3/4-in. sleeves, fixed the gaping back issue, the excess under arms.  Yea!

 

 

 

 

 

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Pumpkin Patch

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Playing Around Home

Fantastic bike trails nearby

Sweet Brothers

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New Kind of Fun

Our new home is located very close to a river.  Dh bought a used boat off Craigslist and are taking advantage of the beautiful weather.  It was 75 and gorgeous today.  While they are boating, I think I'll head downstairs and do something productive in the sewing room. 

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Move and File Boxes

Wow, it's been a while.  In June, we moved to WA state.  Over the past few months, we have sold our home in Oregon, moved into a temporary apartment (8 people in 1200 SF), and moved again to our new home.  We love the home, the neighborhood and are trying to get adjusted and back on some sort of a schedule.  Do all of the boxes ever get emptied? 

One exciting thing about the home is the unfinished basement.  It will be divided in half:  sewing room for me on one side and workroom for the boys on the other.  I'm thrilled.  I'll post more on that later. 

I just found out about these file boxes and wanted to pass along:  Staples has document file boxes on sale for $5 each (picture below). They are check size, but I will be using them for other purposes.

One will be for homeschooling (to help me organize lapbook projects). I will store each week's items into a section. The other one will used to hold my circular knitting needles - 1 section per needle size.

 The dividers go all the way to the bottom of the box (unlike others that are open), so you won't lose anything between the divider sections.

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How Cooks Are Born

Pearly and Bunny reading through smoothie recipes to see if we have all of the ingredients on hand.

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Margrathea

I had so much fun knitting the Boneyard shawl, I decided to knit another one. I love to learn at least one new skill whenever sewing or knitting. This is the first time I've knitted a real lace pattern and used a chart. It is amazing how a single strand of yarn can produce an beautifully detailed lace design feature. It amazes me the talent of designers and also it reminds me of the Master Designer. Knitting makes think deep thoughts - kind of the same way when I get lost playing the piano. I think that's why I like it so much. It's a quiet and personal time of reflecting. I need that in my rat race of a life.

This pattern is Margrathea by Martina Behm. I loved the pattern. I am using Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in the Winter Wheat colorway using my Addi Turbos US #4. I will probably change to Knit Picks interchangeables in the same size when I get a chance to purchase them - really like sharper points when knitting lace.

I discovered a mistake in my knitting about 2 inches down from where I currently am working. It’s not completely obvious unless you are really looking at it and after thinking about it for a minute, I have decided to keep it there. Even though I am normally a perfectionist, considering this is my first chart/lace project, and also keeping in mind how the Amish always leave or incorporate one mistake in their quilts “because only God is perfect”, I will leave it there. I’m okay with that. Knitting is a wonderful time to think deep thoughts and with this one mistake, I will remind myself that life is full of hurdles; we can make mistakes in life and still have something unique and beautiful in the end.

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Boneyard Shawl

I wanted to take a knitting project for the San Francisco choir tour, so I selected a pattern that would be very easy to do in case of interruptions (with 60 students, this was a given). This pattern was great - very easy. My favorite was the yarn: Madelinetosh Pashmina in the Cove colorway. YUMMY! It feels good to have needles in my hands once again. It blocked beautifully. I made a few revisions by adding eyelet around the edge. You can find my notes on Ravelry with my user name: homejewel.

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San Fran!

Pearly and I spent 4 days touring San Francisco area with her choir. I am their accompanist and "choir mom". We had a great time. They sang at Southern Oregon University, Chico High School, Pier 39 in San Francisco, and also at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, CA. I especially enjoyed the Alcatraz tour. What a fun time with my daughter and 59 other students (and 10 chaperones).

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Finished Knitting Project

I finished the Chalet Brioche Cowl after a rough start. You can read my review on Ravelry. Here is the pattern link. I like it - it's a bit funky, but it is sure nice and warm to wear around the neck on some of these bone-chilling mornings. This is my first experience with Malibrigo - yummy!

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Brioche!!

Still around, still working on the house, putting excess into boxes!

In my idle time waiting for children to get done with music lessons or in between volleyball games, I have been taking my knitting with me. I found a pattern using the Brioche stitch. It's quite an easy stitch once you figure it out.

The pattern I was using is called Chalet Brioche (Ravelry link) and was giving me fits until I contacted the designer and also read up on various websites and looked at youtube videos. BTW, I cannot find any Continental style knitters demonstrating Brioche with audio. I may have to do my own video to upload because in my Google searching, I found quite a few others who were stumbling with this stitch. I have detailed notes on my project page explaining what worked for me on Ravelry.

Anyway, here is progress and I really like it. The stitch is extra thick, so the perfect stitch for cowls, scarves, cold weather attire.

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Head Spinning

That's what I feel like lately. I realized lately that there is not one room in our home that is "finished". We've had lots of remodeling going on, windows replaced, carpeting, flooring, trimming, drywall, granite countertops, you name it, and now I begin to paint so we can get our house on the market. It's a bit of a challenge doing the single mom thing during the week, but we're doing okay. The unemployment is still 10.6% in our area so I am thankful that my husband has a job.

As if our life were dull, Pearly is busy occupying herself with more volleyball. She has grown and is now 6'3-1/4". Yes, every 1/4-in counts! She is thrilled. She is on two teams. One is a club and the other is the private league that she has played on for years. The club is a special treat. The coach has really taken her under his wings and wants to develop her. He's had one-on-one training with her and videotaped the session so she could see the details in slow motion and fine tune her skills.

Aside from volleyball, Orange Boy and Brown Eyes are also on local rec leagues playing basketball. They both love that.

In the meantime, I take special pleasure in seeing sights like this - Caboose decided he wanted to sleep in the closet of the newly carpeted room. Can you believe this is my baby? He's almost FIVE. No way!


If I can get the boys' room painted, I will be rewarding myself with some sewing time!

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