satsuma progress

This set of four calling birds (teehee) is finished except for some beads to stitch on. I’ve never done that, so it will be a fun new thing to experience. Stitching went quickly and enjoyably. Each time I picked it up the progress was significant. The colors substituted from stash turned out looking wonderful, I love the grey background, and I am SO glad there is no backstitch outlining to do. 

I went drawer diving to see if I had a hoop in an appropriate size and alas, no. It’s a toss up as to whether this will actually end up fitting in a hoop even if I do get a bigger one. When I cut the fabric I basically forgot to take into account the room around the design that would be required. I may end up making this into an ornament by stuffing instead of hooping. My preference is for a hoop though, so I’ll go out and pick one up soon and give it a try. It feels good to have this much progress on it and to have found a designer whose work I enjoy stitching up so much. 

Immediately after setting this down I picked up my Clint. I’m done with the center quilt squares and on to adding background strips around it. After that comes the wings. Very exciting. 

a tiny emotional support chicken

I got a boogie bath board and we had our inaugural experience Monday night after I got my back adjusted. Rather than candles and wine and cheese, this crafter decided to take some granny squares into the bath. I don’t know that I’d work on a big project, but it was pretty fun to combine two relaxing things. Would do again. 

The next day, the first thing I wanted to do when I rolled out of bed was combine those granny squares and finish this chicken. It is incredibly cute and I want to make more. I’m pretty sure I saw this on Pinterest and saved it ‘for someday’ and I’m proud of myself for actually returning to the idea and making it happen. 

I rummaged through my worsted weight yarns and came up with some scraps I thought created a pleasing palette and improvised my way through their pattern placement. Luck was with me along the way helping me use up exactly the amount I had both of the maroon center and the peachy outline yarn - very satisfying. There’s plenty of that psychedelic variegated yarn left, which is excellent because it suits the piece really well. The only downside to making this was that the needle size is quite small compared to the yarn, presumably to make a nice tight piece for keeping the stuffing in, and I kept catching it and splitting my yarn on the double and triple stitches. Annoying, but perseverance was well worth it. 

I am starting a new job at the beginning of next month, and I am gifting this to a coworker who has been both a close friend and a fellow knitter. I’m not going far, I will still be on campus, but we won’t be seeing each other quite as often so this will be a humorous avatar for her to have at her desk to give the side eye when she is frustrated at something. A very enjoyable, quick project that turned out so great even on the first try. Everyone needs a tiny chicken!

nearly there

Clint and I have gotten back together. We put our relationship on hold for a bit while I worked on socks and cross stitch and coasters, but we have settled our differences. In a stroke of adult knitting maturity, I made myself pick up one of my two current wips rather than casting on something new. I did cake up yarn for the next thing, which made it even harder, but I am determined to not let things languish too long. Well. Things I started this year. Let’s not discuss the couple of hibernating projects. Move along. 

I think it’s looking really good. I really like the colors together and can’t wait to see how they play together in the wings of the piece. As of this writing I only have the two uppermost squares of this center panel left to do, so I am very motivated to try to get those done tonight. Then I have a gaggle of ends to weave in before moving on. I solemnly swear I will not let that be a point where I put it away for weeks again. 

mercury socks, finished

All done! I am apparently in the mood to name my knits after Holst’s Planets. Mercury is my second favorite movement from The Planets, extremely close behind Jupiter. Starting immediately on the heels of the Neptune socks, no pun intended, this piece was already on my mind. The orangey speckles brought to mind a planetary landscape, but it couldn’t be Mars - that music is way to intense for the feel of this yarn. The frenetic energy of the micro stripes and the mild flashing map quite nicely onto the perky fluttering lilt of Mercury the Winged Messenger, so there we have it. 

This pair turned out looking very different than what I imagined when I impulse bought the skein, but I have now learned something about reading yarn that I think I will stick in my mind. I’ve read lots of articles about the topic, but there’s nothing quite like experience to make something make sense. Truly a fun knit, I think they turned out quite successfully. I knit these on US 2 (2.75mm) needles though, and I’ve been hearing other people say they use 2 or 2.25mm needles, so I think I’m going to spring for some US 0 (2mm) 9-inch circulars and try those out for my next sock. For science. I think the gauge here is totally fine since I think I knit quite tightly on the tiny circulars, but I am curious to see what a difference it will make. Why not? For true scientific method, I may try to make some shorties from the leftover yarn so nothing changes besides the needles. We’ll see what I decide when I get around to my next pair. I’ve got some other things I’d like to give attention to, but the sock mania has been really fun. No regrets. 

pumpkin coaster improv

This was another beautiful mess I made on the 'Sunday of stitching' at the beginning of August. Spooky season is nearly upon us, and has already firmly arrived in the realm of retail. I found some joy inducing towels depicting a horse wearing a witch's hat. I got a set for myself and a set to share with some friends who will appreciate them as much as me. For one of the gifts, I would like to pair the funny towel with some quirky pumpkin coasters. This is another project inspired and taught to me by Pin, Cut, Sew on YouTube, and it was so fun. 

As with any scrappy project, one must start with a mess. At least I must. From the chaos emerges sensical discrete combinations and lines to sew one at a time. Then in the end, from mess comes magnificence. I do enjoy the improvisational process once I am in it, but sometimes starting it can be hard to let go of expectation and control and ending it can be hard to look at the piles and know they need to be put away. These piles are still languishing. I tell myself I want more coasters, but that's not strictly true. I will likely make more because the piles are still there but that was not the intent at the end of this particular day of making. 

My first effort was made as described in the tutorial. It is a kind of wonky log cabin construction of strips around a central starting point. It was fun but time consuming and I don't have many spooky fabrics that lend themselves well to strips. I really like how this one turned out, but I didn't really feel the pull to keep going like that. Making more meant changing my tactic.

Instead what I did was combine larger pieces of fabric in a more improvisational patchwork type of layout. This worked well with the larger scale foxes and owls, and let me showcase a bunch of black kitties on one. The recipient has four black cats, so I am glad to have found that scrap to include. She also likes purple, so for the back of each pumpkin I used the same purple geometric print. This makes them reversible to all match or be scrappy as the mood strikes. 

I enjoyed the improv play in making these and I like how unique the finished product is. I like that I have one of my own to keep and a set to give, that they didn't really take up that much in the way of supplies, and that I actually would like to sit down soon and make some more. 

mercury sock number one done

Do I have other things on the needles? Yes. Other projects in different crafts I want to do? Absolutely. Did I cast on another pair of socks the same day I finished the last pair? You betcha.

I'm still on the quest to see if I like to knit, and to wear, hand knit socks. This is my third pair of the summer and the third weight, technically. The first pair was also a fingering weight yarn but a "light" version and in a non-wooly fiber. This is a more typical sock yarn, so it probably represents the best prototype I will have for "hand knit sock". I'm using a yarn I bought on a LYS trip with mom while my folks were visiting. We both picked up the same pretty looking skein and I decided to just get it. I did not know it would microstripe like this, which is pretty cool! I kind of wish the stripes were a little thicker because the colors are so pretty, but I don't mind. 

    

Again, the tiny circular needles are making this a truly effortless project that is easy to put down and pick up. It's taking a bit longer for this pair (four days for the first sock instead of two) but that is largely because I am actually doing other things. Tonight was a good night, though. I did most of the foot and finished the first sock. Will probably cast on the second sock tomorrow before work. 

my first satsuma street

I have the itch to cross stitch! Mom got me hooked on some FlossTube channels and has also made me some very pretty pieces lately so I have felt inspired to return to this craft, quite possibly my first craft? Satsuma Street is a designer who uses color and whimsy in a way that appeals to me. Not only are the colors bright, I enjoy the way she combines her colors in the designs. Some of her work, the cities and some of the season samplers, are geometric and bright in a way that gives me It's a Small World vibes.

Mom told me just at the end of last month that there was a Xmas in July sale going on, so I popped over to see what I could see. I quite like the small ornaments she has designed for Halloween and Xmas when I have seen them on the various YouTube channels I now follow. When I looked through the sale collection, I saw two bird themed ones I particularly liked. Turns out they were individually available but also bundled up with two others, so for just a little bit more cost I got four charts instead of just two. Yes please. I have a partridge with a pear, two lovey doves, a hen with an Eiffel Tower (so cute), and four birds on a telephone. That last one just totally got me with both whimsy and color. 

I resisted the impulse to go with the exact colors called for, despite the fact that I enjoy her colors, and instead opted to dive into what I already had to see if I had colors that were close. I was pretty pleased to be able to pull satisfactory colors for everything, even some of the actual called for shades. I already had appropriately sized Aida as well, so away I went. 

 

I really enjoyed starting this chart. This is just one evening of stitching! The last time I worked on a cross stitch project, my proud plant parent sass, it seemed like it took forever even though it was relatively small. For some reason this one has been more enjoyable and I could not put it down. The phone is starting to take shape and there's a couple of birdie bellies making an appearance. I am pleased to be using my newest project bag, also with birds on it.  This will definitely be done by Xmas. 

neptune the mystic socks, finished

Neptune the Mystic is the subject of the final movement of Gustav Holst's The Planets. It is an ethereal treat for the ears that scintillates with mystery and magic. As I worked up this yarn and considered what it was telling me about itself as I went along, this mystical character and soundscape came to mind in the deep purples and blues gently interrupted by subdued, but somehow still sparkly, pinks, greens, and browns. 

I started these the evening of August 1. After a successful day in the sewing room, I had a peaceful evening downstairs in the soft light of the living room enjoying the iridescence of the yarn as it worked up into a cozy fabric. It was wonderful to have a full and varied day of deep creative time with my hands and mind. 

    

It did not take me long to finish the first sock, just another day, and just a couple days after that I finished the second. DK weight socks certainly do work up quickly and I can understand the appeal of a slightly thicker more slipper like sock. These are slightly on the short side because I was uncertain how much yarn one sock would take in a DK weight situation. A bit of research on Ravelry suggested that my size might be kind of close to the whole skein, so I went conservative on leg length because the idea of running out of yarn at the end of a second sock is very unappealing to me. 

They turned out looking great both in dim light and in bright sunshine today where the colors can really show up. They'll either be for me to keep or as a gift for my sister in law. I think her feet are slightly larger than mine though, so they may be staying here if I can't block them bigger when I get her measurements. Such is the risk of starting socks for someone before you're sure what size they are! 

pyramid pincushion

I found myself sewing up a storm this weekend, especially Sunday. I've been enjoying watching Pin, Cut, Sew on YouTube for a while now and one of my favorite things she does is suggest small projects you can whip up with scraps. The tutorials are engaging to watch and inspire me to spend some energy making little things that are both fun and functional. This pin cushion is one of those things. I think it was an older tutorial, but another pin cushion tutorial she posted lately made it come to mind. Making the zippered bag earlier in the day and actually using pins made me feel like it could be useful to have a pin cushion. Like the kindle plops I made last winter, I just needed time to be convinced it was useful for me. 

  

These are all scrap fabrics, many of them from the Bohemian Ponies quilt that is currently gracing my bed in all its glory. That is an epic project totally worth commemorating in pin cushion form! The bottom is a piece of pink corduroy from my rehearsal tote which was kind of fun to incorporate, and the tab is from some really great twill tape I recently purchased for bag making. It kind of reminds me of Fruit Stripe gum. 

I had bought a large bag of poly pellets to use for my future knitted gnomes, and it came in handy here for weighing down the pin cushion so it doesn't poof away when poked with a pin. The suggestion was to use rice, but I had the pellets so went with those. It's a bit wonky and perhaps slightly overstuffed, but it works to hold pins and certainly fits nicely into the chaos of my sewing table. Very pleased with this and would love to make a list of sewing friends to share more with!
 

boxy banded pouch

I am having a lovely sewing centric weekend. With the wall hanging finish and a clean card table, I felt I inspired to keep up the fabric play and dive into my pattern stash. I've had this pattern for a boxy zipped pouch in my drawer for a long time and this was a fun experience learning a new zipped bag/pouch construction. 

It's an old school paper pattern, so it felt a little nostalgic opening up the tissue paper, trying not to tear it while looking for the pieces to cut out, pinning the pieces to the fabric, and using scissors - not a rotary cutter - to cut everything out. It was written for pre-quilted fabric, so I did have a bit of prep work to do making a sandwich with some batting and a couple of coordinating prints. I used two layers of batting here, which I think was a good idea given the need for structure, and just a simple cross hatch quilting pattern using gray/silver thread that was already on my machine. It looks more complicated than it actually ended up being, and I had it done in no time. It feels quite retro! 

I have had this pretty peach and red print in my stash for a long time and haven't really known the best use for it. There is a big, beautiful border along one side and then the peach background print takes up the rest of the yardage. It felt a little wasteful cutting out just part of the intricate border for this added band on the bag, but the tulips look so cute marching along the sides. Either my cutting or my seam allowances were slightly inaccurate because it's not quite "true" on the ends and sits a little bit wonky, but it's still a serviceable pouch and would be good for pencils, threads, maybe even a small single skein knitting project like a Sophie scarf or a pair of socks.

I would say now that I have made it once as intended, I could think of a few ways to modify or add to it. Perhaps a pocket inside, definitely would like to add a strap to one end, and I think a fun zipper pull would be a nice touch. There are definitely more of these in my future to be made for family and friends. 

scrappy rainbow gallery wall hanging, finished

This piece has been hanging on my design wall for such a long time patiently waiting for binding inspiration to strike. 

It finally came in the form of the rejected borders on the mushroom pillow mom and I started. The strips were just the right size for a binding and, despite being linen and bound to be finicky to work with, were pretty perfect for the job. This felt like a nice project to start off the month and get me back to sewing a bit. 

I can't remember when I decided that hand sewing binding on to the backs was preferable to doing a zigzag on my machine, but it is a very strong preference now. I used to do it all the time, but it feels so cavalier to think of machine finishing a binding now! I also remFunny how we change over time. 

It's done, and looks so good. The teal binding pulls out the green-blues in the middle and emphasizes them more, which I quite enjoy. The irony is that I'm not sure where I'm going to hang this, so it's back up on my design wall but at least it is finished! 

I remember the first night of playing with squares, the frustration of dealing with that black coarse linen for the sashing, and the joy of deciding it didn't matter if it was perfectly lined up - it was a scrappy experiment and did not have to look a certain way. I like that I found a good home for this large scale Amy Butler print I've had since the beginning of my stash. And there are lots of memories in those little scrappy squares - of places, projects, and phases of life. A fun finish, to be sure. 

afton shrug, finished

I am both happy to have this finished and unsure how I feel about it. It's nearly impossible to take a picture of it especially if it's not on, so the contortions below are really rather humorous and I have no idea how it looks on me. A fun July start and finish nonetheless. 

As expected, it was an easy knit (with one exception, read on) and a good pick up/put down project. In fact, it got put down for a bit because I got distracted by socks and because at one point when it was evening knitting it was lulling me to sleep! Talk about being a relaxing knit. This was a Blue Sky Fibers pattern, and Blue Sky Fibers cotton yarn which is incredibly soft. 

My one gripe, at least the way I knit, is that second sleeve. I switched to the smaller needles and ripped out the bind off multiple times and it still flares and lays/springs differently than the first line of ribbing which behaves very well. I ended up doing a sewn bind off, pulling rather snugly, and then weaving a double ply of sewing machine thread around the edge just under the bind off to get it to sit a little more like the cast on edge. I'm not sure if that's going to be a long term solution but it improved things a bit and I can't really tell there's thread. Not wildly different in terms of size/width, but definitely different in terms of springiness.

Even in the picture above I can tell, and that's annoying mostly because the cast on sleeve is so much better behaved than the bind off sleeve. Oh well, I bet it will all work itself out! I am hoping this looks nice with a navy and white polka dot dress I have. Of course it's in the 90s for the near future, but maybe some day I will want to have a layer over a dress again. 

rose garden socks, finished

Well. That was kind of fun. String to socks in less than a week and they turned out looking very whimsical. I'm thinking of a cottage-y garden when I look at them, so I'll call them my rose garden socks. 

I did manage to find the second sock mostly relaxing and remembered the heel and gusset process with a minimal amount of looking things up. That feels like a win. Also using the removable stitch markers to count rows was extremely effective not only to help me keep track, but it introduced the potato chip knitting phenomenon - just one more row til I can place a kitty cat. Silly, but true. 

I mostly like how they fit. I might go down a few more stitches to 60 for the next sock since these at 64 are fine but I suspect they'll grow with wear. I could also go down a needle size but I already have these and there is another solution. I also suspect that using a "normal" sock yarn will change the fabric. This was, even for fingering weight, very thin yarn and it is a blend (acrylic/rayon/polyester) that might not grip on itself a lot. I am looking forward to wearing these in some shoes (rather than flopping around the house in them like I have) and seeing how I like it, if the heel behaves, and if they still fit. 

I am reserving judgement re: am I a sock knitter or not for the moment, but these were really fun. And I am proud that they took me a week and not a month. And I can imagine a few skeins of yarn I already have that would make lovely socks. Not getting ahead of myself here, because how many socks does one person need, but I think I hear my stash calling. 

some fun fabrics and an interesting start

No parent visit is complete without a trip down to Pacific Grove/Monterey. We went to the aquarium this time, which has been a long while! It was a really fun day of fins and bubbles, but at the end we squeezed in a trip around the Point to Back Porch Fabrics and Monarch Knitting. Uncharacteristically I did not get anything at the yarn store, but we did find fun things at the fabric store. I was charmed by the cats and bunnies so very much, both Ruby Star Society I think. I was also really pleased to find that echinacea print from Anna Maria Parry. That line has been out for a while and I did not snag the navy/orange/pink when I first saw it, nor did they have it this time, but I do enjoy this colorway quite a lot. And now looking at these stacked, the coordination with the cat print is quite excellent. Perhaps a drawstring bag? The bee print is a lightweight canvas that will probably end up being a sturdy zippy bag. 

Another uncharacteristic thing in my yarny world is that I started a pair of socks. Right? It's been YEARS. I have never truly understood the draw, though I have knit a couple pairs for myself (which turned out too big and I never wore them, they have been donated) and a handful of gifts. I don't mind DPNs but the yarn twists and tangles were not relaxing and unlike many I have not considered socks as "mindless" knitting. That all may be about to change... I have been a) watching an almost unhealthy amount of YouTube including two lovely ladies who knit A LOT of socks and b) trying to knit from my stash and getting stuck on this ball of yarn that has been peeking out at me saying "me next". 

Well, first off look at the super cute kitten stitch markers. Learning about placing markers every 10 rows to help the second sock match without as much counting kind of changed the game for me, as has knitting on small circular needles instead of DPNs. I finished this first sock in two days. TWO DAYS. I can now see how some people might consider doing 52 pairs of socks in a year if you're enthusiastic about knitting only socks at clip of a pair a week. 

I tried really hard to consider other things I could have made with this yarn. But, it's self patterning. That can be a lot of fun things (including some great teddy bears I've made in the past) but I really felt like this was my chance to try socks again. The yarn is an acrylic/rayon/polyester blend so maybe I won't mind it on my feet as much as wool? Not that wool was really the problem with the first pairs, those were just kinda baggy after wearing. I went down to fewer stitches here. It will be interesting to see if I can keep the heel flap and gusset instructions held in my mind for the next sock (a test to see if it can be truly relaxed), and how I feel about knitting the second sock after the excitement of the first has worn off. TBD. So far, so good. 

agave sweater, finished

Blocked, seamed, and hanging in the garden! Agave is off the needles. Pleased with this finish and looking forward to wearing it this week. The color, 'buttermilk', is a delightfully cheerful but soft yellow. The fiber content, very soft cotton, makes for a lightweight but draped fabric that seems to hold the lace pattern well. The bottom edge is curling up just a bit, so it will be interesting to see how that goes when I've worn it a few times. The other thing I hope changes with wear is the drape of the sleeves. They haven't quite relaxed into full drape yet, but I suspect they'll soften up and get there; they just came off the blocking board today. 

The pattern, Agave by Yumiko Alexander, was easy to follow and pretty straightforward as far as construction goes. It's knit flat in two panels which are then blocked and joined at the shoulders. The sleeves are picked up and knit flat (!) and blocked into shape. Once that's all done, the sides are seamed. I've not made one like this before but had no trouble. The yarn I used was Jody Long Cottontails which is soft and light and was pleasant in my hands as I worked. I can't say I am a fan of how many times the yarn was knotted though. One ball had at least 3 knots in it. The others weren't quite that bad. Each time I came to a knot I untied or cut it out and left ends to weave in. I don't think the knots would have worked themselves very well into this sea of stockinette stitches. I do like the stitch definition and drape. I suspect if I had gone with a linen yarn as the pattern called for I would have achieved even more drape but this was on SUCH good sale at my LYS during yarn crawl (like $1 a skein I think?) that I decided this was the material for this sweater. I had to scrounge around for one extra ball online at full price (it's discontinued) but overall this was less than $20 of materials which makes me enjoy it even more. 
 

Yellow is not usually my color because it seems to highlight the red tones in my face extremely efficiently but this one works. It's more butter and less marigold. The neckline is kind of interesting since it's just a straight line seam interrupted for a head to go through. I kind of like the resulting boatneck though it has some figuring itself out to do to lie correctly where the lace panel is. It seems to behave differently than the rest of the neckline which makes it wave up a bit. I have confidence it will work out. Would consider making again with the other sleeve option, but these flutter sleeves are really quite fun. More feminine than I am usually comfortable wearing, but still fun. 

On first fit it is comfortable if just a bit fussy in the length department. Being cotton I did not want to make it too long since it should grow over time, but right now I'm wishing for an extra inch or two. Again, not worried and it will work perfectly with flowy pants for now and will look better with the jeans as it grows. This was a fun one, though I don't want to make a sweater knit flat again any time soon! I've learned it's not my joy, even if the finished product is pretty joyful. 

eat your heart out, anthropologie

These. Look. Awesome.

I nearly did not see this project through. I made a couple of pieces this spring and thought it was just too much work with the thin yarn and tiny hooks. Mom offered to pitch in and do a few, which gave me some extra oomph to get over the doldrums. We also found a few great artificial (non-yarn artificial...) succulents to add to the mix. I like that they both are bulky and take up space and add a different texture so the whole thing is not just fuzzy. They're also in shapes that I think would have been just ok with yarn but really look super in the plastic. 

I had some dense foam from something, making an ottoman top I think, that I used to fill in the bottom of the fixtures and the succulents are just kind of poked in (store-bought have stems) or perched and squished into place. It worked out surprisingly well and I think they turned out looking even better than I had imagined. They're a matched set in the stairwell and they make me smile every trip up and down the steps. 

quick zips

Mom and I did some color play with my fabric stash to make a couple of zippered pouches. One is for my niece, the other for my sister in law. I had to kind of remind myself how the assembly went, but once that was figured out they went very quickly. Note for next time so I don't have to look it up: if not doing tabs on the zipper ends, flip the zipper towards the lining when sewing together so it tucks in well. 

The first one I added a little tab to the side for a little something extra. There was much debate on whether that was the correct side to put it on or if it goes on the side with the zipper pull when it is closed. I would use it on either side to hold and pull, so we decided it didn't really matter. 

For this second one I skipped the tab, though it would have been cute in that bright green lining print, and instead opted to experiment with making a tassel for the zipper pull. It turned out very cute and I would do again. More bags in the future, no doubt. These are easy to make, satisfying to finish so quickly, and a good time playing with color combinations.