Workbasket Wednesday...

 Here is a wee update on what has been occupying me over the past few months.

Isaiah's sweater - I posted about this way back here and then here again and so here it is.  I weaved in the ends while the kids were asleep in the sunshine Monday afternoon.  A labour of love, this sweater.  This was the first time I tried Elizabeth Zimmerman's Percentage System for a sweater from The Opinionated Knitter.  It worked like a charm for the entire thing but the neck opening.  That I had to rip back a few rows to make a bit wider for Isaiah's gargantuan melon.

Thrummed Mittens - I made good progress on these on Mother's Day - sticking them in my purse with some torn unspun yarn in a ziploc baggie.  I'm pretty impressed with how fast they knit up once you get going.  Tearing the unspun wool is what fuels the procrastination.  Thanks to the Yarn Harlot for the hilarious yarn-along.

Isaiah's "Superhero" - that is what he lovingly calls all capes - just "superhero".  So he's getting one and I am excited to give it to him with the warm weather upon us.  I have visions of him wearing only this cape and his underpants running around the parking lot.



Those Socks - yes, yes.  I'm still working on them.  Sort of.  I lost another needle a couple of weeks ago so I'm back down to 3 size 2mm needles.  sigh.  now I have to go buy a new set of them before I can make any more progress.  Update: The very nice Chinese man at the drycleaning/yarn store gave me a set of 2mm for free - before I dropped off Keith's pants for cleaning!! Nice man.

I have a couple of projects for my little miss.  One is finished but too small so I'll be making another LARGER one soon.  The other is still in the works so I'll be posting on them a little later this week.

What have you been working on this week?

Vintage Goodness...

Last Spring, Keith's grandma passed away and after a few months Grandpa asked all of the grandkids to come and go through Grandma's belongings and take what we'd like.  I was away at school when both of my grandmothers died so I was never part of this process.  It was overwhelming - the feeling that these were her's - that she picked them out herself and I felt I knew this Grandmother-in-law of mine a bit better by being there.  The most wonderful and also somewhat sad part was going through all of her yarn and fabric and notions.  Beautiful fabric all neatly tied into bundles with scraps secured inside.  Summery cotton prints neatly folded and waiting for their turn to be sewn into something useful and lovely.  She wasted nothing - each scrap was there just in case she ever needed it for a log cabin square or a pocket lining. Grandpa even sent along her Bernina sewing machine.  I cannot wait to try it out.  It was so special and humbling to go through her wardrobes of cloth and sewing tables - to pick and choose as best I could what I would use and what might be better used by the quilting guild. I was sad because none of her original granddaughters sew or knit.  I was sad that they couldn't fully appreciate the richness of her collection of thread, rickrack, wool and cloth. The history in the cut fabric of pajamas and receiving blankets and nightgowns; pant suits and summer skirts and blouses. I was honoured to take it and I hope I can make some beautiful things for her great grandbabies - just like she would have wanted to do.

A Flurry of Projects...

Reasons I'm really glad I'm learning to sew.

#1: This is what I can accomplish in 7 hours of sewing for baby shower gifts:

3 double-sided receiving blankets (cotton/flannel), 10 3-ply burp clothes (cotton/flannel), and 3 eye pillows (flaxseed, lentils and lavender)

#2: It is faster than knitting....or - did I not make that clear?

Project Update: Mostly Knitting

Well, it is the middle of March and I haven't posted very many project pictures in a few weeks.

First up - the finished projects!

This is the Lazy Days skirt from Oliver +S.  The cotton fabric was quite thin so I added a second layer of solid coloured fabric inside.  I made a bunch of mistakes but learned a lot.  I actually made two of these, one for my wee girl (not shown) and my niece for their 2nd and 4th birthdays, respectively.

I also finished up knitting this cowl out of stash yarn.  It is too big so I'm thinking about knitting an I-cord to weave through it so I can cinch it at the neck.  It is soooo soft - baby alpaca and silk. I can't wait to wear it - guess I should weave in the ends...

Next on the finished pile is a small hat that ended up being too small for Rowie (and even a bit small on Lulu) but I'll put it in the growing pile of gifts to go to upcoming babies.



Isaiah's striped sweater is coming slowly along - row by row.  It is going to be way too big, I can tell already, but I try to tell myself it means more seasons of wear before it gets retired or passed down.  I am itching to cast on a Tomten for him but I'm resisting.

Up next - those socks.  I finished up Sock #1 but haven't found the time (or the pattern...) for the second one... grr.

Finally, the project I'm having the most fun with - thrummed mittens!  Woot.  These are knitting up fast (besides all that ripping and twisting of unspun wool).  I am so excited by how easy these actually are to make - and how warm they are. They are my new favourite.  Thank you Yarn Harlot, for the humorous yarn-along.

I have about 30 balls of yarn hidden (from myself, not my husband) under our bed right now that I bought with birthday money and gift certificates. (Thank you, Keith and Dad Dow) as well as a Turkish drop spindle so I'm working hard at trying to get these unfinished projects into the finished pile before I lose all focus and self-control and open that box.  I may need another cup of coffee...

Introducing Monkley

I've been hard at work on handmade Christmas presents over the last few months.  I'm trying to do handmade as much as I can this year and it is making Christmas more meaningful for me.  I really enjoy the time I invest in each gift and I hope it will help quell the consumerism of Christmas in our family. Anyways, here is what or should I say "who" I've just finished working on.

May I introduce to you, Monkley - at least that is what I am anticipating his name to be.  Isaiah has been mildly obsessed with Curious George for some time so when I saw a pattern for a very cute sock monkey in this book (see below) I thought I would make him one for Christmas.  I made his pajamas to match the ones I've made for Isaiah for Christmas Eve.  I hope they become good friends.

The book, Craft Hope, has a lot of really interesting patterns and craft ideas for you own loved ones or for ones you've never met.  It is compiled by Jade Sims but each craft is submitted by a different person.  SouleMama has a pattern for baby hats made from re-purposed t-shirts.  Each craft also has a list of charitable organizations who accept and actively look for these items.  It is a great book full of wonderful ideas so let me know if you want to borrow it!

Adventures in Sewing

In November, my dear husband got me a sewing machine.  It was supposed to be my Christmas present, but he forgot about it and bought me more presents. :)

Anyhow, This little baby quilt was my first project.  I spent hours trying to get my machine to work properly - and consequently ripping out a lot of stitiches.  Then Keith discovered I hadn't lowered the presser foot.

I did not grow up in a sewing household so slowly I'm learning how things work, what works best and what steps you cannot skip. Such as, washing your fabric first.  Sorry baby Aiden.

This was my second undertaking - finishing the quilt I started 6 years ago before I moved to Ottawa.  

There are some great tutorials online for pillowcase dresses.  I tried out three different patterns on the dresses below.

My first attempt. It was too short in length for the width of the bottom.  Not the fault of the pattern, but my eager scissors.








These second attempts and the third below were made simultaneously in a flurry of sewing ambition.  These two print flowerly numbers actually serve as tank tops or tunics as the child grows.  However, these may be shirts by the end of the summer since I still have trouble sewing and cutting a straight line and had to hem them a bit shorter.

This was a fun little dress to make and is a variation on the pillowcase dress.  The tutorial I can't seem to find right now but I'll have another look around.

This large broadturn bag was a project out of Handmade Home by Amanda Blake Soule. www.soulemama.com.  I really liked it so I halved all of the measurements and made a wee purse for Lucy.




Finally, our nearly-three-year-old will be moving into a toddler bed shortly and so I thought I'd try my  hand at making bottom sheets.  I love the fabric I used for this first one.  The plan is to make a second in flannel for Winter.

Thanks for reading through my adventures in sewing!