My First Attempt at Sewing a Shirt a/k/a Why I Don't Wear My Clothes Inside Out

I've been reading a lot of sewing blogs lately. They make it look so easy. And pretty. So I attempted Vogue 8790 It seemed simple enough. A back, 2 pieces for the front and 2 sleeves. short ones at that. I found some cotton lycra at Joann Fabrics. I measured, I pin fit and I cut out. I started to sew, but the thread I had gotten to match the fabric was too heavy. Who knew? Well, probably most other people, but remember I'm new to garment sewing. I programmed my sewing machine for stretch knits, and began sewing. The thread and garment jammed in the machine. In an effort to remove it, I ended up with a small hole in the fabric. Not a big deal. Minor seam adjustment and began again. After a few more attempts I realized that it was the thread and changed. Unfortunately I couldn't match the fabric so I had to use black. But it made all the difference. Sewing went much more smoothly. I had some weird thing with the gathers on the second side of the shirt. I tried to fix it, which made it a little better, but still there's this burp of fabric. It's a little big in the shoulders so next time I will go down a size. I guess it takes some experience to get the hang of the whole thing. It's wearable. In the dark. And if you don't look at the inside.

Sewing Vogue 8790, a photo by 1d3c on Flickr.

I really need to remember to put some make up on before I take the photo!

Sew, what have you been up to?

So, several weeks ago I went to Joann Fabrics and bought a pattern for pj's and found some cute cotton.  I couldn't really find what I wanted for the top, so I picked up some stretchy poly-something that I thought might work.  This is my beginning attempts at sewing garments so I didn't want to spend a lot of money on fabric and PJ's make for a nice first project.  Usable, even if they don't come out great.




The bottoms came out well, although they're a little baggy.  Next time I will go down a size.  The top came out ok.   Sadly, at the very end, as I was topstitching the hem, I had a machine malfunction.  (My machine never gives me a problem, so really, what the heck?)  My top got caught in the machine and I ended up with a hole.  

Since I've never had a DPN grab my knitting and put a hole in it,
I'm going to console myself with some sock knitting                                   
Medallion Lace Socks (Rav link). And maybe a margarita.
A large margarita.

      

PIGS and Eggs

While pulling out my stash for Flash Your Stash Day, I found a Pig (project in grocery sack).  A Noro Striped Scarf a la Jared Flood (Ravelry link)  that I had started ages ago.  I'm using the Noro Silk Garden Chunky and bigger needles. The main colorway I'm using is color 11, and I'm currently using colorway 5 with it. I don't know what the first colorway I used with 11 is.  I've long since lost the ball band, and never entered the project in my Ravelry project page.  I'm finding the k1,p1 very soothing and I'm easily amused by self-striping yarn.
       
                                                               
Today's culinary adventure took me to Scotland.  Scotch Eggs . The recipe is from Allrecipes.com.  I baked the eggs in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes instead of frying.  Even with baking instead of frying, it's not the healthiest recipe, but it is oh so good!

                                    
Music by Enter the Haggis

Ok, so I know they're from Canada but it's good music. If you're a traditionalist, how about Scottish Moods.  Happier?

Drive By Posting

I haven't abandoned the blog. I just got sidelined with a bit of a cold and then a couple of bad headaches.

April 1st was Flash Your Stash day.  Dutifully, I opened up all my storage totes and laid everything out on the floor.  First side by side.Then, after realizing that there wasn't enough room, one nestled on top of another. Again, not enough room.  So, towards the back they ended up 2 and 3 deep.   

Knitted Monster knitting

I present to you, the kotamonster:

   The pattern is the-thrifty-critter by Nikol Lohr.  Very cute.  For the knitting needles I used bamboo skewers that I cut in half and put these little jewel-like things that you can stick on something.  For the yarn ball I used a small styrofoam ball and wound some yarn around it.

St Patrick & the knitted monster

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Some people celebrate their Irish heritage by hoisting a glass of Guinness (yum).  Me? I eat.  And knit.

My monster is nearly complete.  All knitted up and just awaiting some eyes. I'm making a stop at Joanne Fabrics this evening after my violin lesson so I can finish him up.  Meanwhile, I'm working on my Cassidy cardigan.  I had the left front nearly finished when I realized a row of cables were crossed on the wrong row. rrrrrip!  I really can't say enough good things about this pattern (ravelry link).

The eating part.  Homemade Irish Soda Bread, Corned Beef, cabbage & champ.
























The corned beef recipe I used is called Kilkenny Corned Beef.  My mother has made it for years, and it's my absolute favorite.



Kilkenny Corned Beef with horseradish sauce
about 3 hours

1 piece corned beef
Boiling Water
1 tablespoon mixed pickling spices (usually packaged in with the corned beef)
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup prepared mustard

Preheat oven to 325.  Wash corned beef brisket & place in roasting pan.  Cover with boiling water & add pickling spices.  Cover pan with aluminum foil..  Bake @ 325 for about 2 hours.  When tender, allow to cool in cooking liquid.(This can be done the day before).  About an hour before serving, drain corned beef  from liquid, put in roasting pan & cook @ 325 for 30 min.  Prepare glaze by combining the brown sugar & mustard.  Spread over corned beef & cook for an additional 30 minutes.

Horseradish Sauce 
Prep time about 5 min
Total Time:  2 hours

8 oz container of sour cream
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 tablespoons horseradish.

Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate for a couple of hours to let flavors blend.


And since you know I don't cook without music, here's a list of some of today's favorites:

Carrickfergus - Lisa Kelly
Fiddlers Green - Noel Mcloughlin
Green & Red of Mayo - Saw Doctors
The Wind that Shakes the Barley - Loreena McKennitt
The Blacksmith - Liz Knowles
U2



So, since dinner is ready, let me just end
this post with an Irish toast:


May those who love us, love us.
And those who don't love us,
May God turn their hearts;
And if He doesn't turn their hearts,
May He turn their ankles, 
So we will know them by their limping.

Monsters in the House

I'm working on a knitted monster for an on-line friend that's going through a rough patch right now. I'm not the only one. There's several of us from, from all over. I raided my stash of left overs and was hoping to find some green or blue worsted weight. No such luck. So I'm using some Cascade 220 in an orange-red that I had left over from my Origami Cardi. I usually use dpn's when I knit in the round, but for some reason I kept twisting the yarn. So I tried magic lop for the first time. I'm not totally converted, but wow.

Since I've just joined the ranks of the unemployed, I thought this may be a good time to explore some cooking from other regions and countries. Maybe a new place once a week or so. Kind of like Julie & Julia, with knitting. And without the movie deal at the end.

Since tomorrow is Fat Tuesday, I decided to try my hand at making Gumbo. 'Cuz really, nobody does Fat Tuesday better than New Orleans! So I put on some music to get me in the mood and got to cooking. The aroma is wonderful. I used this recipes from Allrecipes.com. I did cook my roux longer than the recipe suggests, used about 1/2 of the salt and no file powder.

ETA: I'm not sure why Blogger wants my picture on top when I want it under the paragraph that it relates to. I'm tired of arguing with it so I'll leave it there .

2011 - Tranquility

I'm a fan of the Knitmore Girls podcasts. Jasmin has talked about having a theme for the year which I think is a great idea. Resolutions = epic fail for me. But a theme, something I can work on and explore. Well, that may work. So after a lot of consideration, I picked tranquility as my theme. Tranquility through balance and a healthy dose of acceptance. So for the past couple of weeks, when life gets crazy, I pause and think what a tranquil life means. And in those few moments it's been helping me to prioritize and let go of those things that are less so.

Winding Down

Labor day. The summer is officially winding down. And right on schedule, the past few nights have been cool enough to turn off the air conditioning and sleep with the windows open. It feels wonderful.

I finished up the Whisper Cardigan and I absolutely love it. I should be able to get a few wearings in between too hot to even think about it and I need something warmer.

I've taken the Origami Cardi out of hibernation. It's a pretty quick knit. I found that I needed to put stitch markers after the first 4 stitches and before the last 4 stitches otherwise I would screw up the berry-in-a-box pattern. Missing yarnovers, extra yarnovers. I didn't do that for the back and had to rip back a few times. I'm almost done the second front section.

I'm not really sure how this is going to work out. On the back I cast on for the smallest size, but used the length for the 38 size. For the front I followed the smallest size.

I'm using Cascade 220 Heathers in an orangey red. It has flecks of goldish brown. (Mine also includes some white cat hair here and there. You'll have to find your own cat for that.) Anyway, I really love the color. It reminds me red autumn leaves when the sun is shining on them from behind.

I also started knitting on my Queen Alice socks. I haven't gotten much more than the cuff of the first sock done. This was the first kit from the Alice in Wonderland sock club from Woolgirl. This was February's shipment. Why yes I'm a little behind. Why do you ask? This was my first sock club ever, and I'm loving it. Now all I have to do is find the time to actually knit the socks.

I've recently been overcome with a case of knitting bag lust. I have the vintage bag from Namaste but I also wanted something a bit more subtle. I purchased another bag from Namaste. This time it is the Newport bag in Hollywood Pink. Please refrain from any comments about how could Hollywood Pink in any way be considered more subtle than, well, anything. I'm not sure where this will lead. Maybe the Laguna in charcoal.

Surprise find. When I originally started the Queen Alice socks I used the size 1 needle called for in the pattern. The socks were way too big for me. I had to purchase size 0 needles. The shop I went to was running a little low on their DPN's. I usually use Brittany needles and have been very happy with them. They didn't have the Brittany's in the right size. They did have Crystal Palace needles. At first I thought they may be a little flimsy. They just weren't as sturdy as the Brittany needles. Well, can I tell you, I am loving them. They have just the right amount of flexibility. The shop only had the 7" and I would prefer 5". I see more Crystal Palace in my future.

My First Fleece

Last month I went to Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. It was hot, humid, crowded and fun. I met up with some friends from my knitting group and met some new people. I got to listen to Maggie Casey talk about spinning with a spindle. Very interesting, by the way.


I did a wee bit of shopping


Not included in the photo are the rovings that I purchased.

I loved all the fleece for sale and wandered through the fleece section.



The woman in the front left, her name is Rose. She was one of the wonderful volunteers. She helped me purchase my very first fleece. A nice corriedale.



I washed the fleece. (Ok, most of it. There's still one more batch to go) I did it is small batches. I used a small plastic basket and a large plastic tote. After discarding the debris and any dung tags, I soaked it in cold water for a day or two. Then I scoured using two washes with Power Scour and two rinses.





What a difference.

I decided to try dyeing some of it before carding. This is my first attempt at dyeing.




I can't wait until it's dry and I can card and spin it.

Way too cold

So it's the end of January and right now it's about 20 degrees outside. Brrrr. I guess the robbins I saw the other day were wrong. And being one to always live in the moment, what am I thinking about right now? How to turn my plot of weeds in to a nice yard and garden. Lots of flowers, some veggies, a lawn instead weeds mowed really short. But I'm not really sure where to start.
Meanwhile, I'm knitting the Prairie Spring Tunic by Franklin Habit.



I'm actually much further along but I need to take a few more pics.

Inauguration Day

There will be much said and much written about today by others much more eloquent then I could ever be. So, with that said, let me just say -

Today, I am proud to be an American

A New Year - A Continuing Quilt

I'm working on the Dec/Jan block for the Saturday Sampler from Pennington Quilt Works. Generally I enjoy picking my own fabrics for blocks, but these ladies are amazing. Their fabric choices are absolutely perfect. It's always fun to go to the class. Sometimes they review techniques I already know and sometimes I learn a new technique. There's always tips. Every class is full. I'm doing my quilt in the Spice colorway. It doesn't really "go" with anything in my house, but that is usually not my primary concern. I like working with different colors and am usually more concerned with the "feel" of the finished quilt. I tend to be eclectic in my tastes.

The Christmas Hat Brigade

I decided to make hats for several members of my family for Christmas. My husband, my mother, father-in-law, brother and sister-in-law. I even finished them by Christmas, barely. The last one was finished on Christmas.



Harvard Square


I still have one scarf that I'm making for a friend, The Noro Scarf but I'm not going to my friend for a few days so I have a little reprieve. Even though I've been wanting to use Noro for a while, I resisted the urge for a while. I was working on a sweater and a lace scarf, and of course, there were Christmas hats yet to be knit. But willpower is a fickle thing. At least my willpower is a fickle thing. I was in the quilt shop one day, and right next door is a yarn shop. I found myself inside, by the Noro. How could I, in good conscience, leave it there?

But back to the Christmas hats. I knit the Seaman's watch cap,

Seaman's Watch Cap

A Hat Fit For a Boyfriend, the Claudia hat, the Harvard Square hat and a pattern from Woolbearers. I got to use some great yarn. For the Harvard Square hat, I used Classic Elite Montera and I think I have enough left over to make a hat for myself.





Claudia

Back Again

So much for actively blogging! Well, I'm going to try again.

The weather has turned cooler. The trees are going from beautiful fall color to bare branches. Perfect weather for knitting & quilting.

I'm working on a cardigan for a class that I'm taking. I'm using Drops Design Studio http://www.garnstudio.com. Pattern 88-4

I'm not following the pattern and I'm knitting from the top down. I'm learning a lot. It was so much fun to go to Woolbearers and pick any yarn I wanted without worrying about gauge. There was such a feeling of freedom! I've had to do a lot of ripping back, but if I focus on the process and not the product it doesn't seem so bad. Hey, I'm learning as much from ripping back as I am from knitting. Maybe more! With that said, I'm hoping to get a cardigan that fits. Wish me luck!

Final Week Check In

Chapter 12 check in. Can you believe it? Our final chapter. I have continued to do my morning and/or evening pages. I have found benefits no matter what time of the day I do them. I am planning to continue with my morning pages and my artist dates. I also intend to continue posting on my blog.
I haven't had an artist date in two weeks. Mostly because of our cat that was so sick. Sadly he did not make it.
I have learned much from the book, and have learned even more from the members of the group. I have enjoyed many of the tasks we were asked to do. I also intend to "treat myself as a precious object". Now, isn't that something to be further explored!
I'm not moving on to the next book because I feel that some of the ideas of the first book need to simmer a while, and I also want to some of the tasks I didn't have time for the first time around.
I'm a little sad that our group is over.

Week 10 check in

Week 10 check in. Here it is almost time for week 11 check in and I'm just checking in with week 10. I didn't feel there was very much in this chapter that I could relate to. As a matter of fact, her view on competition is completely opposite of mine. She sees competition as something that blocks creativity and I see it as something that pushes you to reach higher.
Although I could have done without this chapter, one thing I read that made me pause and think was "Art needs time to incubate, to sprawl a little, to be ungainly and misshapen and finally emerge as itself. The ego hates this fact. The ego wants instant gratification." That was really well said. I think of it as growing pains. And I am guilty of lacking patience at times. Yes I want to learn and get better but sometimes it doesn't happen fast enough.
I only did the morning pages 3 out of 7 days last week and the only task I did was touchstones, a list of things I love.

chapter 9 check in

Week 9 check in. Although I have done my morning pages most days this week. I find that they are beneficial for getting the "junk" out as well as helping me to organize my day and re-evalutate my priorities. So they do serve a purpose for me, but I'm not so sure it the purpose Julia Cameron intended.

For my artist date this week I went to the James A Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pa. They had a couple of interesting exhibits. The first was Radical Vision - The Revolution in American Photography.
The other two exhibits New Orleans: A Beloved City, Photographes by Michael A. Smith and last but not least an exhibit of work by Romare Bearden.
I went with my husband. Although the book says we should do our artist dates by ourselves, my husband and I only have one day off together so I don't adhere to that rule.
While I was at the museum, my husband bought a book for me on Sumi-e, which re-awakened my desire to learn. Sumi-e means black ink painting. I even found time last night to practice for an hour or so.
"If we study Japanese Art, we see a man who is undoubtedly wise, philosophic and intelligent, who spends his time doing what? In studying the distance between the earth and moon? No. In studying Bismark's policy? No. He studies a single blade of grass." -- Vincent Van Gogh

chapter 8

Artist Way Quilters: Chap 8 Check-in January 15, 2006">Chap 8 check-inChap 8 check-in I have not done well with my morning pages this week. Our break really took its toll on that morning habit. I only wrote 4 out of 7 days. Although I didn't doe them every day, on the days I did write it seems to come more easily.

I not only treatedmy artist well this week. She was spoiled rotten. It started on Thursday evening when I got together with two friends to knit. It was fun and it's always nice to be able to get together with friends who share in the same interest. Unfortunately I do not have any friends nearby who quilt. At least not yet.
Then on Friday, I arrived home from work to find no one but TWO quilting catalogs. I just love to look through quilting catalogs, even if I'm not interested in ordering anything at the time.
On Saturday I had my Saturday Sampler class. I've learned so much taking that class. I've done blocks that I'm not sure I would have tried yet if it were on my own. Going to their shop is alway so enjoyable for me. I walk out with my head full of quilts to be made, and very often my arms full of stuff to make them! And for my final moment of artist child gluteny, after wanting one for the past couple of years, I bought an Ott-Lite. It was on sale at 50% off. Without the sale I would have been without the light. So no more struggling to see what color blue that blue is. I had a couple of blocks to cut out and it went so much easier using the light. My artist child is skipping around and singing!

Chapter 7 check in

Artist Way Quilters: Chapter 7 Check-in The morning pages proved to be more difficult this past week. One day I completely forgot about them until the next day and one day they were evening pages instead. I am trying to get back into the swing of things after the holidays.

I went to see an art exhibit, Families by Deborah Maher being held in Lambertville New Jersey as my artist date this week. She does watercolors, which I love. The paintings were so free, so joyful.

I skated in the first night exhibition. I consider that taking an artistic risk. All things considered, it wasn't too bad. It felt really good to go out and do it and I really enjoyed myself. I wish I had skated a little better, but I'll work to improve so that next time I will skate better. I will attempt to post a picture in a day or two.

I enjoyed the tasks this past week and I am looking forward to going back to do the ones I didn't do.

One of those tasks, the five favorite films started out easy enough. Miracle, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Sea Biscuit. Trying to narrow down the last two was almost impossible. I put Roman Holiday and The African Queen. Up for the running was Apollo 13, Philadelphia Story, The Out of Towners (the old one with Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis). Do I see any common denominators? Well, that's rather obvious, don't-cha think? I love to see the underdog succeed. I want to finish a movie feeling good, like anything is possible and I love a good romance.