I sew too!

Well, I didn't quite keep up last week. A variety of things kept me busy and away from the computer, mostly friends, which is always a good thing. Plus I had pictures to show and didn't have a chance to dig out the camera cable. Still no official word from the interview. It's a non-standard situation so it might take a few more months for the wheels to make they're way to a final decision, so for now we are here.

Last weekend I had major crafty time. First, I will update you on the LL Vera that was giving me so much trouble. I decided to make a Convertible, to me this is a much more useful version of a shawl. One that won't slip off! I'm not coordinated or sophisticated enough for a regular one. But, I have no idea what gauge yarn that is and I really wanted to use my sock yarn, since I had more then I needed for one pair of socks and I already have three no make that four other pairs of socks on the needles. So I just decided to do some math with my own gauge, pick a lace pattern from my book and go for it. Well, that plan went mostly ok. One false start with the tracery pattern that I couldn't master:That big hole between my fingers shouldn't be there...and every row was just wrong! So I ripped back and went with the little arrowhead lace. Much easier to master and memorize so this went from a total concentration project to one I could do in front of the TV:
So, it grows, my goal is to have it done before the end of the month, but I'm not sure I'm that fast.

The bigger craftiness however, was my new bag. I started this pattern a while ago and just never got all the way through. It's the original ScrapBags pattern. And I love it.


A couple of notes on the pattern and my fabric choices. I used 45" home dec fabric from jo-ann's, so it's a little thicker than the quilt scraps the pattern is designed for. I'm tough on my totes so I wanted it to be more durable. BUT, the extra bulk was too thick for the machine, (three needles later) so I ended up with small holes in all the bottom corners that I had to stitch by hand. If I were to do it again, I would either eliminate the batting in the gussets, pockets and/or bottom, or use a lighter weight lining fabric to eliminate some of the bulk. I have one of the bottoms that the pattern calls for, but I haven't installed it, I like the slouchier look! The bag holds everything and fits very well over my shoulder so I consider it a success! What do you think?

Ok, I've stayed out of the sun enough for this beautiful day. I'm headed back out to the garden!

Clapotis is not for me

Look at this, two posts in as many weeks. I'm on blogging fire. I've been thinking alot about blogging lately. I feel guilty about my orphan blog, but at the same time, don't know if I really want to post. I mean, it's like putting your whole life up there on the internet for anyone to see. But at the same time, the technology geek in me loves that I can keep my friends and family all over the country up to date on the goings on in my life...I find myself in a bit of a quandary about the whole thing. So, for a while at least, I'm going to try to keep posting...mostly to avoid the guilt, but my posts may be not too personal, yet still tidbits of what's happening in my world.

So today I give you some knitting. You may remember in my last post that I mentioned I had started a clapotis. If you google it you will find that it is a VERY popular pattern, which I had never really considered knitting...probably because I feel similar to grumperina (whose blog I find very informative). But then I saw one on display at Webs and I decided that I wanted one. A smaller version in lighter yarn. AHHH, an excuse to use some more Lorna's Laces Shephard Sock that was not a sock!

So why is she still talking you might say? Well I'll sum it up in pictures. Now you see it:
and Now you don't:

It was coming out a little too camo-ish (the colorway is Vera by the way) for my liking, so I frogged it, and it has already been reborn into a new project...which I will blog about next week! This of course was all before I came across this post, (can you tell I've been surfing the knitting scientists webring) which shows the color pooling changes drastically after you drop the stitches...maybe I will revisit the clapotis at a later date...

and...

Warning: image intensive post. (read: mom you can't see this on your dialup)

So, it's been a month and a half. Those of you who know me know that that's not a long time for me to drop off the face of the earth. What have I been doing you might ask. Knitting. ALOT. Now is the time in the post were there should be pictures, but words will have to suffice. I finished Mark's sweater, it was the Cambridge Jacket from Interweave last year sometime. He loves it and wears it often. The pictures are all blurry though. I made a sweater for myself, with yarn that was intended to be a Rogue but I couldn't get the gauge right so it became a sweater from the fall 2000 issue of Vogue Knitting, which was a stocking stuffer from my mom in yes you guessed it. 2000. I'm a bit of a pack rat. I'm also in love with my sweater, but I think all the pictures we took make me look fat so you can only see it on the blocking board:
After the two sweaters I launched into a bit of knitting ADD and indecision. I now have on the needles: three pairs of socks (none of which are for me), a Clapotis, and endpaper mitts which I will show you a picture of because my first attempt at fair-isle is going quite well if I do say so myself:
I think the calming properties of knitting are helping me handle the lack of control existing elsewhere in my life. I did have one job interview, it went well, but I still wait for an answer.

My biggest accomplishment this year, however, has not been on the knitting front. I pulled my very own "while you were out" on Mark yesterday. In 12 short hours, I turned our pantry from this:
Ugly white super-warped being held up by pennies, yet charming space to this:

Nice warm yellow, with lovely level wood shelves, hooks for every pot, and an brand new retro light fixture.

I can't take all the credit, I had an accomplice to help me decide on sturdy wood, run the table saw (but I did the router!), and help stain an polyurethane the shelves, all in three nights without Mark's knowledge (I'm super sneaky). I have lots of pictures of the whole process including the destruction it set on the rest of the house, but I got it done and all put back together before Mark got home last night. He was impressed. And I'm pooped.