Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Promised Sweater


Here is the sweater I promised to show you. It is a crochet design that I found on Ravelry.com. It isn't as fitted as I was hoping, but I still like it. It took a few tries to get the closures where they needed to look correct. It is a grey cotton/ramie blend from a recycled men's sweater I bought second hand. It took a while to unravel it and get it wound into balls, but I am glad I did now that I have used it. Now it is time to get off the computer and finish a sock I am crocheting to keep my feet warm. Nothing like a handmade pair of socks.

Sunshine!







We finally have sun. It is so nice to see and does wonders in improving the mood. Here are a couple landscape shots from today.









This is what it looked like just 3 days ago. These are really the same views as above.











It was an ugly, blizzardy day. I attempted to go to work, but changed my mind when I got to the end of our lane and couldn't see a thing. Kind of scary. So I stayed home and crocheted. I am so ready for this winter to be done. I need to kick it in gear and get m cardi knitted so I can wear it yet this winter. Here is a close up of the yarn I am using. I was correct in the name of it being Snowflake from Hobby Lobby. It has so many flecks of color in it and I will be able to wear it with so many colors. Back is finished and the left front was started yesterday. It really goes very quickly when I sit down and work on it. I just have so many projects started and so many I want to start. I have to stop myself and finish what I have going right now.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Another Blizzard???!!!



I don't know how much more winter I can take. I'm getting worried about calling in to work again to say I can't get there. Hubby tried to go to work early this a.m. and ran into a road blocked with a(big) snow drift. A few hours later I drove to the end of the lane, intending to go to work, and could hardly make out the mailbox a few feet away. It was scary enough trying to turn around and drive back down the lane. It's the worst we've had since we moved out here 9 yrs ago. Already called the boss and told her I didn't know when I'd be able to get there. Hope I don't get fired. Aside from being stressed, I almost completed one sock. I searched Ravelry for a crochet pattern and have adjusted numbers as I go along. For some reason crochet is faster than knitting for me and I have been into that lately. I am also in the process of knitting a basic cardigan I found online. I completed the back in just under a week and that is all the farther I have gotten. I used a wool blend that I purchased at Hobbylobby and it washes up nice and soft. It is a soft celery green with small flecks of color. I really like how fast and nice it is knitting up. I believe it is Snowflake, but I am too lazy to get up right now to go get the ball band. I really need to get back at it as it sounds like the temps are back into the teens this next week. Hopefully I will have more progress to show next post. I will send you off with another winter photo. Stay warm and safe.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

When The Boys Are Away



This is what Cinder (a black and silver German Shepherd) does when the boys leave for school or when hubby leaves. She has been sitting on the cedar chest and looking out the window towards the road. She will wait until they come home or wander around the house whinning. It is really pathetic. She is only content if they are all home and under her watch.
Lately she has been shedding like it was spring. We do not keep our house at an ungodly temperature. It is usually about 64 degrees. This is what I got the other morning when I brushed her. Do you see the full grown cat next to the pile of fur? I joked with my husband about saving it and spinning it into fiber. It really is soft. Don't worry, I threw it away. She leaves clumps wherever she lays. I am soooo tired of vacuuming multiple times a day.

Sweater Refashion

I had taken some outcast apparel from my mother a while back and the following sweater has been languishing in a tote since then. I finally went through the tote yesterday after organizing my sewing room. Here the the first refashion in my new space.


BEFORE





It was you basic over sized pullover sweater that was very unflattering. I am sure it is from the 80's. I started by cutting it up the middle, thinking I would just make a basic cardigan. Then I decided to cut the ribbing off the bottom and slice it horizontally a few inches below the arms. I reattached the ribbing in the middle, hemmed the bottom and zigzag stitched the front edges for a lettuce finish.



AFTER

I added one button at the ribbing and I am quite pleased. When I put it on this morning to wear it, there wasn't as much definition at the waist as I wanted, so I took it in about and inch on each side and tapered up to the armholes and down to the hem. Now I will where it and feel it is a flattering fit. Love the lettuce edge! Such an easy refashion. Give it a try.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Ice Ice Baby



This is what it looks like out my front window. That is a sheet of ice people. I am sooooo tired of using my vacation time at work for this crappy weather. At this rate, I won't have any left when the weather gets nice. This is also one view of my "new" sewing/craft room. I, surprisingly was able to convince my hubby that it was a much better use of space. You see, my other space was upstairs and measured about 7'x9'. Very small and not user friendly, not to mention I just didn't go up there. Instead my stuff was usually spread around the dining room so that I could do laundry and other chores in between sewing etc. We also use a corn stove to heat the house, and with the cold weather we have been having, we hung a blanket at the bottom of the stairs and in the family room doorway to help heat up the main living space. We haven't really used the living room and the family room since TV went digital. We all watch programs together in one room so the family room was just sitting there not being used. I still can't believe he let me have the room. It took a lot of talking and convincing him that we could move the computer and weights out of Hathead's room so he had more space also. That is what convinced him. This has lead to multiple trips up and down the stairs to get everything moved. The boys had to be bribed with pizza to get this all done. Whatever it takes, right?! It took us two days, but things are finally organized and I am so excited to start on my many sewing projects. Oh, and I said I could make some money with my projects and that helped win him over too. Now I have to get busy. Here are some more pics of my space.
There is a large closet that holds off season clothes and jackets/blazers. There are shelves to the left and right of the hanging clothes as well as two full length shelves above the rod. I have a small bookcase beside the desk that holds my patterns and 2 larger shelves to hold books, accessories, sewing baskets and some of my fabric stash. The rest is in the closet as well as my yarn stash. In the middle of the room is a drop leaf table for cutting and work space. I can't describe the excitement I feel at having this space to use. I am so thankful to the men in my house for letting me have this room. I promise to use it and try to keep in in some semblance of order. I have multiple things cut out already waiting to be sewn. I can't wait to expand my wardrobe and do more refashioning. I am so lucky!

Friday, January 15, 2010

Jack Frost

I really hate driving in the fog, but it also produces beautiful frost clinging to everything. That includes the long winter hair on the horses.




This pictures doesn't look as cool as it really looked. The tail was the best part, but I couldn't get a good picture of it. They all kept thinking I had a treat for them so they just followed me around. You'll just have to take my word for it.


Now on to yarn news. I made to hats when we went through our deep freeze weather. One was knit and one was crocheted. I am enjoying crocheting again. I think it is faster.

Knit
Crochet





















I am pretty sure these are both on ravelry. They were both quick projects. The knit cap was to be a gift to someone, but it came out too big. She has a child size head I think so I have to make her another one. I will keep it to gift to someone else in the future. The cloche is for me and I love it. It is also slightly large for me, but I still wear it. The boys laugh at me and tell me I look like an old lady, but as you can see I was able to get them to model the hats for me (after a lot of pleading). These were both made from some inexpensive acrylic yarn, but the cloche is made using I Love This Yarn and it is quite soft and works well. Next post I will show you a sweater I crocheted and completed in a weeks time. I hope to wear it soon and then I will get a picture. I have a dress that I shortened today that I think will look just right with it. I'm trying to decide if I can get away with wearing it to work tomorrow. I work in the medical field and it isn't typical for people in my line of work to wear anything other than scrubs. When I do, they think I am one of the providers (that's what we call the doctors). I wish I made that much money, but I really wouldn't like all that responsibility. I'll stick with being ancillary help. We'll see if I am brave enough because I like to wear dresses. With the much hated weight that I've gained, they are just more comfortable. I'll let you know what happens.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Cold start to a New Year


More snow and bitter cold temperatures, thanks to a north wind blowing down on us today. The snow is one thing, but the cold is just brutal. It does make for nice fiber time. Right now I am in a crocheting mode. I have been feverishly working on this sweater using some recycled cotton yarn from an x-large mens sweater I got at a thrift store. It has 4 or 5 strands twisted together that are in various shades of grey. It took a little time to dismantle the sweater, but I think it will be worth it when the sweater is done. I am probably going to add some length to the body and do the sleeves in HDC with only a few rows of the shell stitch on the end of a 3/4 length sleeve. I would really like to have it done to wear this weekend. We shall see if I can accomplish that. I hope to make it to work tomorrow and with the lovely weather we're having I think it will be a long 12 hours so maybe I can get it completed.