PS

This is also probably the right place to deliver all my hard-earned thoughts and opinions regarding sewing, patterns, yarning, crafting, and holy cow what the hell have I been thinking all this time I can't believe my husband has been putting up with my rants for so long!!

Thanks hubs.

Phrase + photos + feels

I have gotten pretty caught up with photos lately. BUT I was just reminded by this post that part of the reason why I started this blog is to write. (She writes "the distraction of trying to string together coherent words is a soothing balm " and makes me groan with beautiful words and a reminder of what I've been omitting these past several months. (PS hope you feel better soon, Sanae!) (I'm talking like I know her. I don't, really, but I can pretend.)

Cute baby photo distraction !

Inciting thought and participating in a community are as important to me as producing hand crafts, and I feel sad now that I got caught up in this show pony parade for the last year. Not totally sad - regrets are not my style. But resolutions are ! So here's to writing more. Thinking more. And finding that spool of brown thread I bought last week but can't find for the LIFE of me gosh darn it...

moar distraction!! 

Another knit reference on Reddit

Again, I don't Reddit, but I have friends that do. Occasionally I find something worth sharing.

So when I was dutifully looking over this "I'm too old for this" thread, I couldn't pass this up:

Sounds about right to me!! 

Let me count the ways...

Remember that Study Hall Jacket I can't get enough of?

Just to refresh your memory :

Version 1 (and 2)

Hello Kitty style (hood hiding)

I've made ANOTHER ONE!

A goddamn adorable one, amirite??

This time I opted for the ruffled welt pockets and ruffled collar.

I mentioned previously that I'm not in love with the pattern. And after making it four different times, in two different sizes, experimenting will all the different cuff, waistband, collar and pocket options...I am really not happy with this pattern.
I am also putting off writing a review so I can gestate a positive outlook and potential remedy. (Since I've already got plans to make 2 more of these gosh darn cute things for upcoming birthdays.)

All in time.

Enjoy the photo, and good luck with last minute Halloween preparation!

Knitting on the couch? Underachiever, you.

Here's a glimpse at awesome:

 Courtesy of The Wonderist - read more about it here!

Thanks to W for sharing with me.

FO Backlog - Hello Kitty Hoodie

Not much time to write, but here are some pictures from my latest FO!

A Hello Kitty hoodie from the Pattern Anthology collection that was released a while ago. Guiltily, I have bought both collections released and am pretty damn sure I'll be buying their next one as well. (This time I'll remember to use the discount code, tho - whoops!)

To be totally honest, I'm not a huge fan of the pattern. I had a LOT of issues - but I won't get into it right now. However, there's no denying the end result!

Ta-da!

Mucked up this side's welt pocket, drat.

Rear View

Loving the ruched cuffs and waistband.

Looking at it now, I'd love to make it again with a fleecy white outer and adding ears and a bow a'la Hello Kitty - with a more subtle HK liner fabric. I definitely plan on sewing this pattern again (actually, this was my third go - see the Avengers jackets previous post) but with copious modifications from the original pattern.

FO Backlog - Avengers bomber jacket!

Just a quickie - here are some pictures of a recent FO. Two, actually!

My son's BEST friend had a birthday recently, so I decided to make use of my recently acquired Study Hall Jacket pattern and made matching Avengers jackets for the boys.

The freak-out factor was high on this.

Gotta say, it was a hit. The Avengers fabric is courtesy of Joann's and the sleeves are some old Ikea curtains I've been chopping up. I bought black ribbing and black fleece for the sleeves and interior - and it was totally worth it.

You can see his collar is sitting a little funny, but after some wearing and washing it looks way better. This is fresh off the machine - he couldn't wait to try it on - so the seams are fresh and visibly complaining. Of course I finished this morning of...'cuz that's how I roll.

BFFs 4 Lyfe

More soon!

FO : Baby doll knot top

What does one do on Sunday mornings, when everyone is sleeping?

Well I don't know about you, but apparently I sew.

A heart because a shrimp was too hard to applique. 

Thanks to some inspiration from a friend's Pinterest pick (yup, I'm still pretending that I don't need to open my own account) I fabricated this wee top yesterday. 

The original pin can be seen here.

(I'd out my friend but I figured I should ask her permission first)

Technically, not EVERYONE was asleep...

Q was supportive, however.

I didn't have quite enough yardage to make it a dress, unfortunately. 

Still working out the kinks, but it isn't too shabby! I had to move the buttonholes in towards the center a bit - after trying it on the kid I saw they were too far apart. 

Love those knots.

Oh yeah...although this sort of fits my baby girl (who's fat body I used to help me measure) it also fits my 4 yr old son! Who graciously allows me to use him as a little live dress form, AH DORABLE. His father will never let me take photos, though. (Not that I blame him.)

Thanks for bearing with the dry spell, guys. It's been a nutty summer but (as evidenced by this little number!) we're starting to acclimate to the new normal.

FO: Baby girl top

I saw the cutest picture, recently. Somebody blogged about an adorable shop selling adorable patterns of kids clothing. Can't find it for the life of me now.

Anyway - one top really stuck in my head. Too darn cute! So, sans pattern, I decided to give it a go.

Part of the reason why I am loving sewing so much lately is that my brain loves figuring out how to construct things I see. And sometimes it even works out! So I have to give the designer credit there, as soon as I can find her...

Would love to adapt it for myself.

FO: Baby Bow headband

Technically, I made the baby too.

That counts, right? :)

Just an easy bow with fold over elastic as the headband. I stitched the bow down over the FOE seam, so it's a smooth wear for those soft baby heads.

And sometimes my head.

Let's catch a breath of air, shall we?

If you're like me, then you are busy. And you probably like it.

Not only am I craft crazy, employed full time, and a mother of two - as of this Monday I will also be a grad student.

Busy, busy, busy.

In addition to the typical hubbub, I've had a lot of different changes in my world recently that have served as huge, soul-stretching opportunities for...growth. I say growth because that is the positive end-product and 'positive' is the name of the game when shitty things happen. (And I italicize the word because it is a little nauseating to be so goddam Pollyanna and putting things in italics makes it seem like I'm tilting my head a little, and therefore makes it feel less trite. Because head-tilting is anything but, natch.)

Consequently I've had to dial back on the crafting, posting, and anything else extraneous / not totally necessary. I have luckily been able to make a few beautiful things which I'll definitely be sharing soon - but the biggest project in my queue now is my own, squishy, disgusting, gorgeous brain - which, let's face it, will need all the help it can get!

So as today is June 1, not quite the midpoint of the year but close enough, I'll make a new theme for the second half of 2013:

finesse

1 : refinement or delicacy of workmanship, structure, or texture

2 : skillful handling of a situation : adroit maneuvering

So let's up the ante, everyone. It's time to get ridiculously fantastic at everything.

Reddit con't

I don't know where people find these, or why they make them, but a good knitting cartoon is hard to come by and SO APPRECIATED!

Here's another one for you from that comment thread I mentioned last time.

This is exactly how I look when I knit

Do you Reddit?

I don't peruse Reddit. But I have friends who do! And they are kind enough to send me relevant gems every once in a while.

Like, this!

Adorable!

Here's the link to the comment thread with [disputed] source info.

Do you Reddit?

A new level of functional crafting

My baby girl loves the Jenny Jump-up seat at her baby gym. So much so that my husband wants to buy one for our house! BUT, considering we have a tiny house and limited funds, it's something I can't personally justify.

HOWEVER...

You can make your own baby swing!

Gotta admit I'm a huge DIY fan, but this never occured to me.

What do you think? Would you make it?
Would you put your baby in one that someone else made?

Fat babies love costumes

Buzzfeed is always fun, and today a friend sent me a link to:

31 F**king Adorable Things To Make For Babies

There are some great things, and some "how the hell did that make this list?" things - but since 'adorable' is an objective label, I'm pretty sure I should let it go.

However, a few brought me to near tears...check out what made got added to my do list:

mermaid tail for baby!

Oak Leaf Pixie Hat

Sock monkey baby!!

UGH. so much cuteness.

Also a notable shout out to Totoro ! While I probably won't be making this (I happen to have some other Totoro item up my sleeve presently) it's absolutely worth a share.

pretty much requires me to smush my computer screen right now

Also worth mentioning - it was nice to see Shwin and Shwin make the list with their bow tie onesies! I just finished a few Sunshine dresses this weekend from their Sun and Surf collection contribution...pics coming soon.

It's also interesting that I'm already familiar with so many of the sites these items were collected from. Or more likely, a sign that I've been spending too much time web-trolling and not enough time actually crafting!

If you're craving more, check out this similar list, also by Buzzfeed:

29 Easy And Adorable Things To Make For Babies

(This one is way more my speed and again, makes me cringe to realize how much time I spend on the internet looking at crafts.)

Have you got any projects planned right now?


UPDATE: talk about MORTIFYING but I forgot to include a link to the Totoro costume - which was made by my secret online blog crush, Cherie of you & mie. She recently talked about her favorite made items on this other awesome blog and (perhaps not surprisingly?) she mentioned that the Totoro costume is the most visited item in her whole blog. I'm guessing because it is INCREDIBLY AMAZING. Just a stab.

Happy Easter!

I have a few projects going on right now, but nothing nearly ready to post about. My sad WIPs are crying with neglect, I'm sure, but MORE PRESSING THINGS ARE AT HAND!!

Most importantly - EASTER~!

Every year my extended family gets together for Easter and Thanksgiving. And this year, for the first time...(drumroll please)...we are hosting!

I have wanted to host for ages, much to the chagrin of my husband. The major thing holding us back has been our teeny, tiny home. It is about 750 square feet, and there is only one bathroom. We are expecting around 25 people to come over (and that's a small gathering).

Fortunately, Easter means lots of outdoor time! We are firing up the BBQ and of course, doing an egg hunt. (A new BBQ was actually all it took to get my husband to sign on to this.) The forecast was a little dodgy but I'm pulling for some of that dependable Los Angeles sun.

My family is all awesome so I'm not worried about having enough food (we potluck) the house being a disaster (people help clean) or being bored (8 kids and lots to catch up on with the cousins). Naturally, having a 3 yr old and a 5 yr old usually makes hosting such a large gathering scary - but my cousin pointed out a huge perk: this means we don't have to pack anything for the baby. Everything will be at hand. Score!

So although I'm looking at a fantastic, low-impact weekend, of course I had to find something to occupy the kids "just in case." It is also the perfect chance for me to try out the no-sew tutu I have been dying to try out.

My mom shared the idea with me, and it was easy to find a few, great tutorials. I didn't see the headband idea until too late - that seems like such a perfect waistband! Fortunately I have scads of elastic and tulle ribbon already - as well as scrap fabric. So the only prep I did was cutting and sewing elastic into waist-sized bands, and throwing everything in a bag. I plan on just handing it to the oldest, with a sheet of instructions, and telling them to go to town.

Other project I love I'm doing all by myself - papier mache eggs! (Try reading that blog post and NOT instantly wanting to do them.) Since this is something that needs to be done in advance it's going to be all me. I've prepped the tissue paper and pull strings, the only thing ruining my day now is that stupid liquid starch. I can't find it anywhere! I'll try a few more places on my way home today before I give in a make a binding agent (flour + water).

That's all for now...sorry for the lack of photos. I will have plenty to put up soon. Happy Easter to you!

Knitspiration: Knitting octopus

A friend shared this with me recently. I think she puts it best:

1. It is a knit octopus
2. Wearing a top hat (obviously!)
3. WHO IS KNITTING

HOLY COW!! 

Even more amazing is that there is a pattern for this guy! Check it out, and a cool blog, {here}.

WIP: Can you guess?

I'm working on something pretty amazing, and can't WAIT to share finished product photos.

But first, can you guess what it is based on materials?

There is a clue in this picture that should tip off the biggest nerds.

C'mon! Take a guess!

Giants Kouki Cardi Update: Elbow Patches!

My cousin sent a picture of the finished work!

Amazing!!

Moss stitch with the contrast stitching...beautiful!

She also managed to make excellent use of some leftover orange yarn:

Go Sharks!

So proud of our genetic crafting skills, and shared joy of embarrassing our children.

Sewing FO: Bib Round 2

MORE BIBS!! 

Those burp clothes weren't enough - but they were great inspiration! I wanted to try out the hemming style I did on those with something more complex, like, a bib. 

Presto Bib-o

These bibs (like the cloths) are terry on top and linen on bottom. Since I'm terrible at pinning my new method is great because it completely avoids that. 

Basically, I sew the three layers with the patterned fabric strip on top, facing down. Then I fold that over the edge (revealing the pretty pattern!) and use a pretty stitch over what is now four layers to complete the hem and make it cute. (I will take process photos another time...this happened too fast!)

New sewing machine magic - pretty stitch pattern.

See? So pretty. 

I love it! My new favorite. 

Jute knee patches

Here we go, round two!

Some jute patches - that's more durable, right? They make carpets outta that stuff. 

Potato sack looking, eh. 

Don't worry, I didn't line them with jute! My son's knees are bruised plenty... Here's some soft felt and secret winter touches for your viewing pleasure. 

(Confession: I love inappropriately placed holiday attire. I met a new mommy-friend just a few weeks ago because she was wearing Halloween socks in public - and I was wearing Christmas ones! KISMET.) 

(Kismet doesn't insinuate anything romantic, does it? That would be wrong.) 

(Just checked, phew! We're safe. No romance needed.)

Let's see how long these suckers last. 

Sewing FO: Wet Dry Bag

So, I'm going back to work.

I am conditioned to insert a sad face after that statement, but I've decided there's no point in being prematurely dramatic so I'll save my moaning for when I actually have something to moan about. Who knows, maybe it'll be flawless? Knock on winking wood. :)

Anyway, as part of my return I'll be pumping milk. We've been exclusively breastfeeding ("WE?" Why did I type "we" when obviously I'm the only one with boobs. "I" have been exclusively breastfeeding.) and although I'm a bit nervous about the bottle transfer, we did a test run this week and so far silicon has replaced Mommy no problem.

(Another declined opportunity for sad face.)

The Medela I got is super cool - much better than the Lansinoh I used last time and so far, much more comfortable and productive. Only downer is I need a place to put the parts in between pumping. Tra-la! Perfect opportunity to make a wet-dry bag!

I've been dying to make one because they seem so ridiculously easy, and they are grossly over-priced. Since I have a ton of PUL (polyurethane) fabric courtesy of my diaper-making binge (tbb soon, promise) it's a no brainer. If you're previously unfamiliar with wet-dry bags, they are: waterproof zippered pouches for all sorts of things. Small ones are great as reusable snack bags, big ones for for swimsuits, and best of all they are great for dirty cloth diapers (how I came familiar with them). Since they run around $10-$30 and can be made for, oh, $5...it's a great project.

I found this amazing tutorial that gives step by step instructions with pictures (which I found via this incredible collection of resources for cloth diapering - GOLD MINE). Funnily, it was posted on one of my other favorite sewing blogs but I must have missed it. SO GLAD for that resource.

Not too bad, eh!

Now I'm all set to go. Now to find a private place to pump...!

WIP - Kouki Cardigan for Her!

A quick glimpse at the Kouki Cardigan - in girl colors!

Never confidant with my color choices but I think this is pretty swell.

This is one of those projects that I am itching to knit, all the time. And it's crushing me that I can't just sit and finish the whole thing....crushing. Me.

I mean come on...look at that fair isle!

It's fun and quick this second time around (I'm doing a few sizes down - 12 months instead of 24 months). Only downer is doing fair isle flat. It's challenging enough to do it in the round (especially with four colors!) and doing it flat is serious thumbs down.

Hoping to have this done by Easter for Baby Q to wear while she hunts those eggs like Lara Croft. 

Yarn Geek

If you're familiar with our family, you'll know that my husband is obsessed with Batman. Which (fortunately?) has previously had no place in my knitting world...

Until now?

Check out this amazing crochet Bane mask (a la Christopher Nolan incarnation):

You can read more here and perhaps even buy one for yourself.
(Meanwhile, I will be deleting my browser history so Reed has no chance of seeing this.)

(And no, he doesn't read my blog....too boring for him!)

Monster Face Pull-over

Another fun project with the kid!

A few weeks ago I saw this on my Tumblr feed:

SAKUN cat sweater with zipper mouth

AMAZING! (Also, I am now in love with Korean fashion blog seoulrhythm. check it out.)

I showed the pictures to the kid and it was a hit. So, naturally, we made our own.

with a few changes...

A few things I learned about doing a project with your kid:

• Plans go out the window I don't know about you, but my kid changes his mind every 5 seconds. I cut out the exact same shape of the cat eyes (in the same color!) only to have him ultimately decide to flip them upside down. He also decided that he wanted a giant brown nose. And then he didn't. Then he decided it was going to be a monster. The choices are endless - and I let him have free reign with creative choices so he feels like it is 'his' project. Ultimately, though, I have to cut it off so that we can actually finish the project. The key is trying to gauge that point correctly.
• It will never be 'perfect' And it shouldn't be! Perfection usually comes at the price of many tears and your kid not getting to be as involved as s/he should be. I have to remind myself to not be worried about the end product - that kind of professionalism is lost on him anyway. 
• Keep it cheap We made this out of scrap fabric, scrap thread, and a pull-over he is on the verge of outgrowing that is no longer a staple of his wardrobe. The only thing I actually bought was the zipper - $1.99 at JoAnn's. Since it's a novelty item and I wasn't sure if it would be successful or worn often, I couldn't afford to put much money (or time) into it. 

We had SO MUCH FUN. I couldn't get it completely finished before bedtime, but we had it all cut and pinned and I promised when he woke up it would be completely sewn. All in all it took just one evening.

And he won't stop wearing it. :)

Bib Frenzy

I made bibs!

Clearly, I am still on a sewing kick. Sorry guys, I promise I am still knitting. (Sewing is just so....immediately gratifying!)

We loaned some housing supplies to a friend for a month, and upon their return somehow came out with a few extra towels. They were nice enough but since we are already overflowing with towels I decided to try and repurpose them.

So many ideas for old towels:

• bibs
• burp cloths
• door sweep
• boot leg stuffers
• scrub glove
• hot pad (rice filled)
• bean bag

...and who knows what else.

For my first go, I did bibs.

I just copied the shape from one of the baby's existing bibs and traced it onto the towels and some other stash fabric. Then I sewed on the hook and loop pieces in the appropriate places, and pinned the two pieces facing each other.  Sewed all around leaving a two inch gap, pulled the bib right-side-out, then seamed the gap.

For some reason I traced the bib a little large, and didn't end up sewing with as much seam allowance as I had planned (bad habits die hard). Consequently, the bibs came out larger than I planned. This made them a little awkward to wear, and the neck hole was too small on a few. Easy enough to remedy for next time.

Good thing I have an easy audience!

Destiny Fulfilled - Felted Knee Patch

Remember me joking about how this felt knee patch wouldn't last?

Here's the car after one wearing:

Little fingers love poking through little holes!

And predictably, this was the result:

Sad panda!

The patch tore off completely within one week of application.

Oh well!!

Working with the kid on projects like this is so fun. Creating something he asks for is like magic! But I guess the downside is there are a few extra tears when it is ruined. (Tears don't last too long though...he has already requested a 'purple house' for his next patch! This time I'll dig around for some more durable fabric, though.)

Knitspiration: MESMERIZED

I haven't been able to stop looking at this blanket:

So gorgeous.
Is it squares put together?
Did they plan the color ahead of time?
Is there a discernable pattern?
Sigh.