Brain sucking

I haven't posted many craft items lately, so I figured it was time. I hadn't knitted since I was pregnant, but my niece requested this hat, and it was a nice, quick knit.



It's a Chain Chomp from Super Mario Bros.




She's 10, but I needed a model, and Brock didn't mind having his head munched for a minute.



Pattern can be found here.



And here is what a Chain Chomp looks like:

Wrap-Me-Up Puppy

There was a time not so long ago when kid stuff bored me more than anything. Amazing how times change, huh?



I recently bought "Itty-Bitty Toys" by Susan B. Anderson when I came across these Wrap-Me-Up Puppies on someone's blog.







I used some Elsebeth Lavold Angora yarn for the puppy that I got once at Tuesday Morning for really cheap. For the blanket, I bought some cheap Patons yarn because I had nothing in my stash that matched.

Next up is the giraffe on the cover, which I've already started.

Wee sweater

Just a quick post to share this sweater I made for my son-on-the-way.



The pattern is Soft N Seamless Baby Sweater by Lynda Ward, and it's very easy -- no seaming!



I used Manos del Uruguay Wool Classica, colorway 116. I had about two-thirds of a skein lying about and loved it, so I bought one more and whipped up a tiny boy sweater.
It's a chunky/thick/thin yarn with lots of texture.

Still sewing

My last two Warehouse Fabrics Inc. posts include:

A spacious yoga mat bag, pattern courtesy Sew4Home.



And relaxing neck pillows, also from the same site.



I also finished a baby sweater that needs blocking and started quilting the quilt made of vintage linens that I started a year ago. On top of that, I've been working on some crewel and regular embroidery projects and starting a new knitting project, so I'm keeping busy. I just have few things to show for it right now.

Itty-bitty sweater, itty-bitty cat

I wanted to show you my latest finished project, but Roady is keeping it a secret for now. Tomorrow, perhaps.

Who needs a stupid capelet anyway?

Months ago, I started working on the Casual Glamour Capelet by Stitch Diva. I had to set it aside to do the Asagio Shawl I promised a friend.



Do you like my pose? I had to crop my hair out because it was ridiculous -- I was in the process of getting ready.



Oh, but I made a big mistake. I decided to measure to see if I was nearly done, and I read the diagram wrong. I wasn't supposed to count the collar in the measurement, but I did.



I realized after I bound off that I was at least three inches short. But I didn't want to fix it. The whole thing actually seemed too small around.



After blocking, it improved greatly. It's still too short, but maybe I can wear it a few times if I get out of my head what it was supposed to be like.



The yarn is really soft and pretty, and only $3.99 a ball at Knit Picks. It's the City Tweed in Lemon Curd.

Finally finished

In October, a friend at work commissioned me to make a shawl for his mom for Christmas. He offered to pay, but really, it took so many hours that it would have cost $700. Or $1,000. I started it Oct. 31 and finished it Dec. 15, working on it about two hours a day almost every day. Seriously. I'm not a slow knitter, but it sure takes me a while to finish projects. And I get very impatient and bored with things. And let me say for the record, I will not be doing any more requests for anyone.



I had motivation, though, because I had a deadline. I did it, and I think it came out beautiful.



The pattern is a vintage pattern called the Adagio shawl. If you're on Ravelry, you can see my link here, and find your way to the pattern.



I used Knit Picks City Tweed dk yarn, about 9.5 balls of it. It's a beautiful, soft tweed. I used the colorway Orca.



Notes:
I used size 7 needles, but found it to be too tight despite having knit a swatch. It stretched nicely upon blocking, though. I did initially have trouble with the k3tog at the beginning, because it was too tight to get the needle into three stitches at once. I panicked, but nobody else seemed to mention this problem on Ravelry. I found a substitute stitch that makes the same effect (SSK, then pass that stitch to left needle, pass third stitch over it and off, then pass stitch back to right needle.), though it was much more time consuming. After a few rows, however, the fabric loosened up and I was easily able to k3tog.

Oh, phooey!

A few posts ago, I showed you the red Rowan Biggy Print yarn I was given in a swap on Ravelry. Since I didn't have a lot, I made the Carie Cropped Flare-Sleeve Cardigan from "Fitted Knits."



It knitted up quickly, albeit not necessarily easily, since working with giant needles and fat yarn can be a little cumbersome.



The sleeves were definitely more "flared" than in the pattern photos. They are huge! I did rip out the first sleeve and redo it with four more stitches because it has seemed like it was going to be too tight when sewn closed. I think four stitches was too much, because then you add six more stitches toward the cuff, and get these giant bells.



I couldn't really put together an outfit I liked. I also found the sweater to be way too bulky and uncomfortable. It tried to slide off my shoulders all evening. It drove me nuts.



It looks so much better on my dress form. Maybe I'll give it to her.

Argyle Lace hat

I'll always feel weird in hats, but I knit them anyway. This one is from "Boutique Knits" and I used Brown Sheep Nature Spun sport yarn in gray heather.

It was a pleasurable knit, had some interesting parts, but didn't require full concentration. The buttons are from an antique store.

Grab yer needles

See this?



All wooly and red and thick and thin (MY FAVORITE)?



All eight-plus skeins?!!

It was free! Free, I tell you! Can you believe someone gave it to me? I did a swap in exchange for the knitting bags I wrote about before. But, I really feel like the winner here.

Now that it's fall, I've really been in the mood to start knitting. I got into a bit of a lull over the summer. I'm nearly done with a beautiful hat that I will show you soon.

I was wondering what to do with this wonderful gift. I started flipping through my knitting books, looking for something that takes big, bulky yarn but not a whole lot of it. Eight skeins really doesn't go far when it's this big.

I found this pattern in "Fitted Knits" that I had marked a while ago. I have yet to make anything from this book, and that bugs me all the time. I feel like I wasted my money on it because I have yet to use it. (Receipt inside book shows I bought it Sept. 5, 2008).



The Carie Cropped Flared-Sleeve Cardigan. I think that may be it, peeps!

But, wait! That's not all!

I came across this pattern for a capelet and was forced to buy it. I tried to remind myself that I sewed this cape recently and feel really weird wearing it.

Somehow, I'm sure this will be different.



I ordered Knit Picks City Tweed in Lemon Curd.

Treasure hunt (or the post that goes on and on)

Today was a fun day. I taught an old classmate (like from elementary school, who I met up with on Facebook) how to knit.

But before that, I decided to go on an antique treasure hunt. Wait, maybe I should back up.

OK, last night I attended a book signing at Bookworks, a local bookstore in Albuquerque's North Valley, for the "The Kitchen Linens Book" by EllynAnne Geisel.



I had to zip over on my dinner break. It just sounded sort of interesting, and she was supposed to have some vintage linens on display. She turned out to wonderful to listen to.

The book also has iron-on transfers in vintage designs included in the back, so I can try doing this on my own napkins. Which I will, because I certainly don't have enough hobbies. Soon I will be forced to quit my job, and maybe move to another planet where there are at least 48 hours in every day. But I digress.

You see, those old linens with silly pictures embroidered on them really have a tale to tell. Many women in the '30s and '40s had very little, especially during the Depression (Thank you, Robyn, for the history lesson). They may have had one set of napkins, and they were often handmade. They embellished their linens with embroidery to make them special. They embroidered kitchen towels with happy teapots and such to make their days more cheerful.

I overheard one woman saying that she and her mom used to embroider their tablecloths at the kitchen table, talking and rotating the cloth until it was finished.

I was smitten, to say the least. I suddenly wanted some of these linens to treasure. I wanted to bring back to life the careful handiwork of some woman before me. The handiwork that she took pride in, but that her family clearly did not understand or appreciate as they tossed it into the Goodwill pile.

I recalled the kitty pot holders my mother-in-law gave me when her own mother died. I pulled them from the drawer and saw them in a whole new light. I thought of my husband's grandmother living in a tiny house, poor, in a little mining town in Colorado so long ago.



I suddenly had a new love for those pot holders I once thought were ugly and old and icky. And that brings me to my treasure hunt. You know how I've been on a search for vintage sheets? I noticed that I never saw any vintage dish towels or things like that at the thrift stores. It had never dawned on me to try antique stores until last night, when I heard one of the book signing attendees say something. (And strangely enough, I never saw any vintage sheets at the antique stores.)

I looked online for the antique mall on Fourth Street and got the address. But as I was driving down Fourth Street in Albuquerque, N.M., I kept finding one antique store after another. I'd pull out of one driveway and two doors down there was another one. I also found a second-hand store (not clothing) called Ren's Thrift, where I got the best deals. For one thing, I got these cool rooster tins for very cheap there, plus a few linens.



I'll actually keep those inside my sewing cabinet to store notions.

Here are my linen finds:



You know, these women would actually hand-crochet borders to them. They'd intricately embroider the designs. It was all done with such care, and, most certainly, patience.



(Those napkins on the bottom right are probably not handmade, but the set of four was pretty, and also dirt cheap at Ren's Thrift Store. I've been trying to use cloth napkins instead of paper more often.)



This one, below, is one of my favorites. I like the colors. Unfortunately, no part of my house really goes with the antique or vintage look. Remember these silly cats from the estate sale? They feel right at home on these linens. They're all, "meow meow, I remember the good ol' days, meow. The days when people didn't buy all their crap at Wal-Mart, meow."




I got this hand-crocheted lace, too. AWESOME!!!! I am definitely going to use this to embellish something that I sew or knit:



And these buttons, to go with the Argyle Lace Hat from "Boutique Knits." It requires seven buttons, and I thought these vintage ones would be a neat touch. There are only six, though they are in their original package. I'll be using this gray wool yarn.





I never did reach my original destination. I found it, but it had a sign that it moved a mile down the road, and I kept getting distracted by other shops. I actually found out that it's an area called The Antique Mile, and there are 15 or so shops there. If it weren't 100-plus damn degrees out these days, maybe I'd stroll about on foot. And also, if there were sidewalks in the area. And no scuzzy peeps. And no drunken drivers who may swerve accidentally onto the shoulder and kill me when I'm just innocently seeking out vintage linens. Goddammit.

The book's author says she collects these items to honor the women who made them. She doesn't care if it's not her monogram; she uses it anyway. And she uses all of her vintage linens. She doesn't keep them in drawers for safekeeping. I think that's what I'll do. Better to make use of them and enjoy them, in my opinion.

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On a slight sidetrack, I'm going to make Simplicity 2927. I had picked it up for a buck on sale, and wasn't too thrilled by the looks of it. Then I saw that this version of it on My Daruma and knew I must make it. Hers is so awesome. I couldn't find good fabric. I wanted something simple and plain, maybe something that would match black pants. I picked this black linen blend with gray polka dot embroidery, and a cute button from Village Wools' faboo button selection.



(I see now that the picture is pretty useless. You can't even see the fabric. You'll just have to await the end result. ;) )

But I also decided to do a trial run, and chose this very unexciting gray fabric. Guess what it cost me for a yard. Go on, guess. OK, I'll tell you: 50 cents. That's right. It's just a practice run, but if it comes out OK, I may very well have a usuable, cute top for 50 cents. But I also got a button for it at Village Wools, and that was around $2.50, so something doesn't make sense here.



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Alright, so back to vintage linens.



At one stop I got this piece of fabric with what appears to be a practice run on embroidery, and I'm looking for ideas on what to do with it. I could cut it and sew it onto something else. Any ideas?