My First (Dresden Plate)

Our Modern Quilt Guild did a sewing room swap where you picked someone's name and anonymously made them a gift for their sewing room.  I'm usually more into the giving part of this kind of thing (hello, Secret Santa) since it involves my two favorite things: getting creative and surprising people.  But in a swap with these talented ladies I must admit I was selfishly much more excited about what I was going to get.  I was not disappointed!

One of the suggestions I'd given my giver was a knitting needle organizer.  I've bought material specifically for this project twice, but never got around to designing or making anything.  This has been my system since I bought my first pair of needles seven years ago:

I was lucky enough to have my name picked by the amazing and talented Hema, and knew before opening it that this was going to be so much better than anything I'd make for myself.

The back has this lovely umbrella material and my NAME, which as you all know, if you've seen my next generation quilts, is one of my favorite things to include on a handmade gift.  So I loved that, especially since it was in my favorite color.

The inside had more fabric from the same April Showers line - originally from Seattle, anything with a rain/umbrella motif will always remind me of home.  Since knitting is really a cold and rainy day activity, it felt particularly appropriate.

It took me about two seconds to fill this up and discover I had as many as three sets of the same size needle - now I know exactly what I have and will never buy another duplicate. And how nice that there's space for the long needles and right below, the double-pointeds? You'd think she was a knitter.  Everything I wanted to, fit, including the crochet hooks and stitch holders.  Thanks so much Hema!

My recipient had no requests in terms of object or color, so I got to do whatever I wanted.  I had never heard of thread catchers until I saw them at Quilt Camp, and immediately wanted one (so everyone else must too, right?).

Source

They're like little trash cans you can hang off your sewing table for when you clip threads/corners so your floor doesn't look like mine.  I decided to use this pattern, and was pretty happy with how it came out.  My only complaint is that you're supposed to use glue in several different sections when sewing wasn't that hard and made it so much nicer.  I ended up only using glue to attach the rubber shelving mat on the bottom, and even that I'd sew on next time.

This was a May project so I was feeling summer and went with yellow and this corn/sunflower fabric that I bought too much of at Marden's ($2.99 a yard!).  I don't even like yellow that much, but I like it here - and since it turns out my recipient lives in Florida most of the time...

The top is a pin-cushion topped with a mini-dresden plate, which I'd never tried before.  It was totally quick and easy and made me want to make a whole quilt of them.

The pin cushion is velcro-d to the stability tile, so you can detach it if you need it elsewhere:

I was very happy with what I gave and got, can't go wrong in a swap!

gLoved Part Deux

I've been a little absent from this space but it's not for a lack of productivity.  It's just that when you're 40, you start taking on more complex projects and the finishes are fewer and farther between! All I've completed this month is this pair of fingerless gloves for a dear friend going through a rough time.  Because when you can't say it with words, you can always say it with needles:

The pattern was free and not too hard, although it involved dk weight yarn (read: dental floss) and size 3 needles (toothpicks).  No sign of arthritis yet.

And then, because Karma works like this, my friend Kelli from a couple posts ago dropped off these lovelies, knit by her mother:

Have you ever seen anything so cute? They are toasty and beautiful and we gLove them.  So thanks Ms. Barbara!

Forty (not ounces)

I'm turning 40 in a second, and while I've been making that joke for most of my 30s, it's suddenly no longer a joke.  For my 40th I've decided to challenge myself with the Vivian Cardigan which has been in my Ravelry queue since September 7, 2010. Thanks Ravelry, for maintaining a procrastination timeline for me, totally appreciated.

Here is Vivian - I can't tell you how much it pains me to see her using the cuff of a hand-knit sweater to wipe oil paint off that canvas.  Clearly she didn't knit it herself:

This pattern is a little intimidating and I'm going to have to adjust for measurements, something I've never done before.  But I'm 40, and can do this.  If I were 20, I'd  just shrug and say "Math is hard.  I'll make a scarf instead," knowing I had years to come back to the Vivian.  But I'm 40 now.  I have the patience of middle age, a phone that doubles as a calculator, and a narrowing window of arthritis-free years ahead of me.  This is the time.

I started out by searching the local knitting stores for the right yarn and finally settled on this pretty baby alpaca from Juniper Moon called Dark Harbor.  It's sooo soft, just the kind of thing the most impressive sweater you ever knit should be made of.

I forked over my $120 for the baby alpaca (surprising cheaper at Gather Here than online) and wound six balls of yarn for myself - ensuring that it was no longer returnable.  It's a good sign when you keep petting it, right?

Then I dutifully made my swatch to check gauge, and I knit 5 stitches to the inch instead of 4.25 which doesn't seem like a big deal until you think how many inches there are.  It's already such a loose knit that I don't want to up the needle size.  For all you non-knitters this basically meant that I was stuck with six balls of non-returnable, too-thin yarn.

But I'm 40 right?  So I met with one of my many newly-in-her-40s friends, who happens to be good at math, and over coffee and a 4 lb. chocolate eclaire, phone calculators in hand, we THINK we have solved the problem - and not with more math.

Katie's going to knit the same sweater - so it's not like she's working for free!

We just manhandled my swatch until it fit the gauge - I'm sure this is exactly how Elizabeth Zimmermann would do it.  It took two hours to write out and knit the first row.  This thing is either so complicated you'll never see my mistakes, or so intricate you'll notice every one.  I'll share the final product either way.  My goal is September (I guess I should specify, September 2014).

And for those of you who are wondering - THIS is 50:

Curse Of The Love Sweater

I learned it as the "Sweater Curse" but whatever you want to call it, the belief is widespread among knitters: if you try to knit a sweater for a significant other, the relationship will fail before you finish it. Some people think once you're married the curse no longer applies, but I'm (conveniently) not one to tempt fate.

My way around the curse was to seek out the hand-knitted sweater that I would have made for Mr. Responsibly if I wasn't constrained by the curse.  That's how he ended up with this pretty Irish fisherman's sweater by a Maura Kennedy.  Maura and I, because I like to think I had something to do with making this sweater before it appeared on the shelf at Irish Imports, chose a lovely blue/green wool that matches his eyes but falls a little flat in these pictures:

My plan worked, it definitely makes him feel loved:

Since then I haven't really knit for him.  I don't do gloves, and Mr. Responsibly doesn't wear scarves much.  Really all he's ever gotten from my needles is one unwearable hat.  I just can't quite get it right.  Back in 2008 I really wanted to make him the Elizabeth Zimmerman Watch Cap:

Nice job, toknitisdivine.blogspot.com!

After three attempts with the same ball of yarn, I'd made two too small, one with a super girly brim when you folded it (I think I cast on too tightly), and finally, well, this last one:

I gave up.  But this December we could not find the box or shelf or drawer where we must have packed away our winter things so Mr. Responsibly has gone hatless.  I decided it was time to try again.  No more pork chop stitch, we're vegetarians.  No more worsted, I was going chunky.  No more variegated burnt orange, it was time for a conservative charcoal.

Sometimes I like it, but from the side I'm less sure: 

Is it still a little off - too long maybe? Does he just need better glasses frames? Or does my simple little hat just not stand up next to Maura's sweater?  I guess the only thing that really matters is, he wears it!

gLoved

I have such mixed feelings about fingerless gloves.  On the one hand (heh heh) they just look cool. You can't argue with a trend once Hermione embraces it.

and Spiderman:

and edgy Siberian hackers:

And it's not just an emo/superhero thing.  This whole web page is gamers seeking advice on how they can "modify" Grand Theft Auto Four so that Nico wears fingerless gloves:

But on the other hand, they just seem so impractical - like I care if my palms are warm when my fingers aren't.  There's a reason why people wearing fingerless gloves always seem to be cradling a cup of coffee.

compulsivecraftiness.com

craftedportla.com

momadvice.com

How/why then, would you own fingerless gloves in New England?? You get them because you are known and loved by a knitter who is too impatient/unskilled/tired to knit fingers.  That's why my friend Kelli is wearing them:

I did the pretty lace swerve from this free ravelry download.

Kelli's got a little bit of superhero in her, so I'm not too worried about frostbite.  Maybe she should get herself a hot cup of coffee though, just in case.
XOXO

Measure Twice, Knit Once

I plan ahead.  I'm the kind of person who knows whether I'm going to get a cart or a basket before I even pull into the grocery store parking lot.  My list of creative to-do projects is so long and thought out it includes things like J's fingerless drumming gloves (come middle school she'll be practicing in our cold garage).  I just like to know what's coming.  The trouble is, while I know what I'm going to make, I don't always calculate the supplies correctly, and my shopping can predate the actual project by years. My Orange Peel quilt required four trips to the Cambridge Quilt Shop due to miscalculations, but at least the fabrics were still in print (on the up side, Lynne and Monique know me by name now).

I've mentioned before that whenever I take up a new craft I immediately commit to making a *insert time-consuming project* for each of my nieces and nephews. I did my first Christmas stocking six years ago when I first learned to knit:

My youngest niece is now three, and she's next on the stocking list.  There were five nieces/nephews in front of her, so she had to wait patiently.  I wanted to do a matching but contrasting color for her so I just switched it up:

Of course the problem is, I bought the yarn two years before actually starting the stocking.  When I started to run out of the red I panicked - there was no way to get a second skein from the same dye lot. I'd have to use a slightly different color to finish the toe (Naooooooo, as j would say) or start over (I don't do that, ever.  It's a patience/perfectionist gene I was not born with.)  I made do with what I had and cut corners/rows wherever I could.  I could've waited to give this gift in person, but I sent it through the mail so my sister can explain to Daria why she gets the small one.  She has much more parenting experience, so she probably won't say "because Santa likes DJ better," but I can't wait to hear what she comes up with.

After knitting a big sock, I was in the mood for a newly conceived project, not one that's been stuck in the closet forever.   A hat for a toddler seemed like something that could just be whipped up and I liked this cloche from ravelry (free download!).  I've never done anything with thin fingering weight yarn or tiny size 3 needles.  Always seemed like a good way to get bored and develop arthritis.  But, I loved this yarn that matches J's eyes, and so did she.

It came out pretty cute.  Doesn't quite cover her ears, so she'll only get to wear it for a couple more weeks, but I'll round up some super chunky and size 15 needles for the next hat!

I think I'm still in a knitting phase - it's such a nice way to make watching TV feel productive. Maybe I'll just relax and see what kind of inspiration next week brings!

I LoVermont

Just back from two weeks in Vermont, and I will try not to make this an Ode to Vermont but it's going to be hard.  I mean THIS is where I swam everyday:

And there was no phone, no TV, and no cooking, since I'm not the cook in this family anyway.  I'm just the baker -  a smart division of labor on my part, since the Baker only shows up every few weeks, and then only if she feels like it, and never in an un-stocked rental kitchen.

Before I left I got a little start on J's travel quilt.  It's going to be nine squares in all, based on the lyrics of an old Patsy Cline song.  But I'll get to that in some future post.  Here's the start of the first square, which is supposed to be "See the pyramids along the Nile." Loving my dude on the camel right now.

With no room in the car for sewing supplies, I figured I'd revert to knitting.  This was my thing before quilting, and much like with quilting I started off ambitious with "I'm going to knit a Christmas stocking for each of my nieces and nephews."  And I did the first four, but now I've got a three-year-old niece who knows nothing but a "place holder" stocking; a hand-me-down from her cat, originally procured at the dollar store.  So I kind of need to get on that. It's going to match her brother's, but it'll be red, and have her own name.  This is his:

Anyway, I cast on.  Half of the first row.  For you non-knitters, that's like saying you're going to make cookies and then wondering if you have flour before calling it a day.  Knitting just feels like a winter sport, and I was too busy teaching J how to eat raspberries:

and how to brush bunnies:

And how to kind of swim:

And I got distracted with this, I forgot how much I love puzzles:

And learning the true use of copper bowls (fudge making, who knew?):

And reading this:

Which I highly recommend.  It's the first non-YA book I've finished in a long time, and I just loved it.

But now we are back, and the only lake on this back patio is a dirty, pink wading pool.  There is, however, a new tart pan in this kitchen.  I should really go check on the flour situation.