Sunday, August 26, 2012

And now with the Catch-up Edition

Well, it has been a long time since I've posted anything here on this blog. Over a year!?! I have been busy writing knitting patterns: Spiralini
Plucky Spiralini
and Scraptastic.
Plucky Scraptastic
Lots of knitting was done as well. Many sweaters, socks, toys, and accessories.

Last fall, I got back into spinning. Here's a favorite from Unwind Yarn Company (Falkland)
Unwind Yarn Company Falkland
I knit with my handspun, which was wonderful. These are some socks from FatCat SW Merino:
Handspun Frankenstien Socks

And this summer, I got bitten by the sewing and quilting bugs. Crazy. When I was in high school, I sewed a lot. Lots of clothes, even a swim suit! Then I sort of stopped sewing during college (mostly) and didn't pick it up until I was pregnant 10+ years ago. Unfortunately, I bought a terrible machine that ruined sewing for me. It was a pain to use and made ever sewing project frustrating. So, this summer, I sold it and went back to an old favorite of mine. My mom bought a Singer Featherweight 221 in the late 1950's and it is now the machine I've been using. It is not big, but I love it so and enjoy working on it.

Here's what I have made so far:
a baby quilt out of a "Ten Little Things" charm pack.
Baby Quilt-TLT

I've been making a twin size quilt for our living room. Colors chosen by my 5 year old. That may sound scary, but he actually has a pretty good eye for color. I'm hand quilting it, but here's a QIP picture.
Living room quilt, basting

I made a pair of gift project bags from this tutorial. They are on their way to two knitters.
Knitting project bag

 I also have started making cute hexagons from my tiny scraps collection. I made a needle book out of felt and 1.5" hexagons from a tutorial.
Hexagon needle book

There is also a bunch of fabric on the way from Connecting Threads. They have a techie line of fabric and one with books. Pretty much sums up our family in a nutshell. Pictures of that when they arrive.

I took a dye class as well. Fun!
my yarn-at peace
Zombie Pumpkins
Sprinkles at Sea

Hopefully I'll be able to use the blog again more frequently. I think I started it when my oldest started kindergarten. Next week my youngest will be going to kindergarten. Time really flies!

I think I've realize this past summer that I want to be more "well rounded" in my crafting. I forgot how much I enjoyed sewing and that I'm actually pretty good at it. A bit rusty, but I know what I'm doing at that machine. Same for spinning. I spun some fiber 8 years ago, then finished it up last year. It was nearly an exact match for what I made before. Consistency. I sort of went crazy with my yarn purchases when I first was introduced to hand-dyed yarns and collected quite a stash. Now, I'm trying to avoid that pitfall with fabric purchases. I understand a need for fabric on hand, but also know that it is not good just to buy things because I'm having a bad day or without a project in mind. I also realized that I have a lot of sweaters, socks, and hats and really need to make other things that my family can use. Hopefully my hobbies will not feel like they are a chore to use up materials, but be creative outlets that make me happy. My goal is a usable supply of materials, just enough to inspire and not too much to make me feel guilty.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I so agree with you. So hard to make all the things we need, never mind the I "want that" "love that"... does begin to become work. Never time with family and gifts alone. To much to be made. Knitting, sewing, scrapbooking, computer,and on and on it could go... there is no end.