Better Yarn, Better Work

The more I look at patterns and create finished pieces, the more I have seen evidenced that it's really much more about the yarn and the color choices than it is about the pattern. The right hue combination can really make something beautiful in a perfectly subtle way. There are definitely good patterns and there are bad patterns, but without the right yarn it's harder to tell the difference between the two. Likewise, a mediocre pattern can become beyond dreamy with a little ingenious use of color.

I know it probably goes without saying and this is the whole theory behind yarn lust and such, but I think perhaps I am getting more serious about it personally - what with the just-opened world of baby girl knit ideas. :)

A few examples of things made amazing by yarn choices:

rililie's Versio by ANKESTRICK

Taylasmum's Milo by Georgie Hallam

If you just look at the pattern you'll see there really aren't any tricks...and a standard, true-to-pattern knit up will yield a nice normal FO. But...! Add a little thought like the knitters did here and... you have a whole new level of intrigue and professionalism.

I also love this berry hat. 

Baby Berry Hat by Michele Sabatier

NaKniSweMo - Day 1

Yikes - almost forgot!! November first means it is the start of NaKniSweMo - National Knit a Sweater Month!

Unfortunately, I completely missed the boat on this one. I did not plan ahead at all! No design picked or yarn purchased. Slightly more pressing things in mind, I suppose.

HOWEVER! I do have that cardigan I started earlier this year, and never finished...and I know it seems a bit like cheating, but I think I'm going to have to take it as a handicap. "Opportunity is not a lengthy visitor."

Besides, it is kind of appropriate for me to finish this sweater now. I started it in March but had to stop due to terrible morning sickness. Haven't been able to look at it since. (I also haven't been able to knit in a moving car anymore.) Perhaps it was destined to be finished now?

The pattern: Pomme de pin Cardigan by Amy Christoffers

Yarn: Valley Yarns Huntington in yellow

So while my husband is busy growing a mustache for men's health (www.movember.com) I'll be working on this. Yay.

IANAOMS - Part III: Baby Hamper

The third project in my "I am not afraid of my Serger" series!

Now: After a day or two at home with the new baby I realized that *gasp* I had no place to put her dirty laundry!
(If you haven't had a baby this might sound silly to you. But think about it...would you want something with baby diarrhea/urine/milk barf etc. going into the same hamper that you use for, you know...clothes you care about? Yeah didn't think so.) (Oh yeah, and she gets special baby detergent.)

Since we have a *very* tiny home, space is always an issue. Comfortable living is only to be had by thinking creatively. The changing table was my first choice - here's the space I am working with:

Not a lot of room, but when you look from the top...

84 degrees in October *grumble grumble grumble*

There is a little gap! This will be perfect.

I set out to create a hanging hamper that would just fit in that spot. since that is where more of the dirty clothing is procured - and you'll note there are some really nice, rounded knobs at each corner of the table. Design was easy - I knew exactly what I wanted, and how to make it work with the Serger. Luckily I had some black thin corduroy for backing (to protect the table), stiff black mesh for the outer, puffed portion (the better to ventilate with) and some black elastic.

And when I figure out how to write sewing patterns I will get right on it! :)

Pictures of the final project:

I did have quite a bit of trouble getting the tension correct for edging. I think this is because I had it most recently set for the flatlock stitching I was doing on the quilt. In addition, the mesh did not want to behave at all, and although I was really excited to try and use the setting for differential feed I just could not get it to work for me. Perhaps the fabric's fault? Can't imagine mesh is ideal to work with. I actually gave up trying to get it right and just did gathers manually - hence the slight asymmetry. (Cuz pinning and ironing is a time luxury I can't afford right now. Deal with it.) I attached the elastic loops by hand.

All in all, the project only took an hour or two - and much of that time was spent trying to tweak the tension and practicing on scraps. Yikes! Hopefully it will start to come more naturally soon.

Halloween Goodnight!

It's all over! (Well, it is for us. Sounds like it is still happening for my drunken neighbors though.) Just had to share some of my favorite pictures from tonight. Even though this year was extra exhausting, it was a ton of fun for everyone.

My pumpkin! Totoro jack-o-lantern.

Naturally...because he is always getting in trouble.

Schroeder is such a good sport.

Muahahha!

Hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween!

Happy Halloween and Baby's First FO!

Halloween is a favorite holiday in this house, and we are extra blessed this year due to new baby Q and being World Series champs - yay Giants! My husband has been walking on air for days, with no end in sight. :)

Also...I finished Baby Q's first item! The Aviatrix hat by Justine Turner.

daww

More info soon. Hope everyone has a great Halloween!

I am not afraid of my Serger Part II: Piecing The Quilt

I am still working on photos for this portion, so you'll have to do with words for now.

So: Once I finally had my arrangement decided upon, piecing was easy.

I followed the recommendation from the original pattern and just picked up pieces in a single row, then sewed them all together. Since I was working with the machine it made things a lot faster, which meant no need to carefully stack every row and place in labeled zip-lock bags - each row only took about 5 minutes or so to piece together! I tested out the style of stitching I wanted with some scrap pieces beforehand and was able to get some nice looking ladders:

Using this blog post as a guide to flatlock stiching, I was even able to emulate the look from the original pattern! (Which is all hand stitched...admirable or masochistic, you decide.)

Once I finished piecing all the strips I ironed them out and miraculously, they are all pretty much the same length. I was careful when building the pattern to find pieces that added up to the same length - glad to see that it actually worked out.



Although it was super tempting to just continue to work and try to finish the quilt, I had already spent an exorbitant amount of time on this project and my son needed to go to sleep (which means no more machine running...we have a very small house).

Funnily enough, I went into labor this night. One of the first things I thought when I woke up with contractions was "But my quilt!! I wanted to finish that today!!" I was so disappointed!! So, we'll see when I get time to put the final touches on this. The great news, however, is that when my step-dad came to see the new baby he brought our old Singer sewing machine with him! So I will have no problem finishing all the non-Serger aspects of this baby. (I was really scratching my head about how to border this thing...ever impatient am I.)

I am not afraid of my Serger Part II: Practicing With Felt

I recently inherited several boxes of fabric, one of which consisted entirely of felt. A few new pieces but mostly ends and scraps and strange bits. I knew this would be perfect for meditation and practicing some more Serger action, but I didn't know exactly how.

I adore Purl Bee for all their amazing patterns and fabrics, so this was the logical place to look for inspiration. They even have a section of felt projects, which made it really easy to browse. After considering coasters, placemats, bean bags, and a memory card game I finally settled on this quilt as a guide:

Because why have a bunch of useless bean bags when you can have one useless quilt? :)

So far I've managed to cut a million squares, iron them, and arrange them into a pattern I think I can like. Since this is basically just to keep me moderately occupied (I'm at home waiting for a baby to fall out of me) and to get some extra practice with the machine, it's nice to not have to worry about being precise.

Also, cutting through felt with a rolling cutter is so incredibly gratifying. I cleared the box in no time at all - look at how many squares I had!

ok, it's hard to tell. but those stacks are really high! 

Here's a picture of the arrangement I settled on. Can't wait to start sewing.

The black triangles are covering some of my slightly inadequate squares.

Update: If you've been attentive you will have seen that the baby DID fall out of me...so whaaa? I write posts in advance and schedule them for later publishing...that's why the time warp. Funnily enough, I went into labor the night I was putting this together.

Zombie Bunny

Just in time for Halloween - check out this amazing creepy amigurumi posted by  Knit Hacker! Made by Mowglee Mo.

It looks like a standard bunny with a creepy eye and bloody bandage...brilliant. (More pictures at her Flickr stream. So creative!)

Happy early Halloween, everyone!!