I (heart) Tuesday, FO edition

I had a great holiday weekend! I hope you did as well.

I went for a hike and then out to the Gorge to see Flight of the Conchords at Sasquatch.




But besides all that, I finished two projects, YEAH!


First up, Blithe.






Knitting Blithe was a breeze, but finishing it up was the bear of all bears! I'm not sure why, but when I tried to sew it up, the seam looked horrible. I must have ripped it back about 30 times. I even thought the fact that I only steam blocked it made a difference, so I washed it and let it air dry and, of course, it didn't make a damn bit of difference.

I finally crocheted the seams together, placing the right sides together, so the crochet chain is visible on the inside only. It's still not perfect, but 'good enough for government work.'
This is a look at the results.




And next, my first dress!




I had to do alot of ripping out of seams and I didn't fully understand what the sewing directions were telling me, but I think it turned out okay.

Well, except for the sleeves. I keep hearing Tim Gunn say "It looks like you are about to tell me the specials at Benihana."

Oy. So I think I will adjust the sleeves, then give you the details.

I (heart) Tuesday, late edition (i.e. on Wednesday)

Sorry, I know I ...

a.) am late with my post (and I'm on deadline constantly for a living, so it feels really weird to blow one.)

and

b.) guilty of leaving you hanging about my big splurge.

So I apologize and give you these in hopes you will forgive me.




And now for my splurge ...





Can you tell what it is?

I got a new camera! Okay, a second-hand Nikon d-70 body from somebody on Craigslist, but it's new to me!

I'm still playing with it, since I wanted to be able to use my old lenses, I'm having to dust off that part of my brain that knows what the hell an f-stop and iso are.

The inlaws have been helping us around the house, namely A.K. and his dad are building a deck for our new house and A.K.'s mom is helping me make some cushions for a window seat. (I'm nervous about putting cording and zippers on the cushions.) Hopefully I'll get the hang of my new camera and take some great pictures. Or I can continue taking lame photos with my super-duper camera. Well see how things go.

Weekend

I felt guilty about not showing a better photo of the wrap cardigan progress, so I took the stitches off my needles and took these shots.

The fabric behind the sweater is what I'm using for the fabric panel for the sweater. I'm not sure who will be the recipient yet, as I have a few friends having babies in the upcoming months, so I wanted it to be gender-neutral.

But this beauty has been spoken for.

This is my second attempt at testing my sewing skills, and I totally ripped off Whispering Pines, but you must agree it's worth stealing.
All in all, not too difficult, except I had a tough time with those ties, and the inside of the outfit looks like hell, but the outfit is so adorable, I'm in the process of sewing another one for A.K.'s new niece! (I guess she's my new niece too, but she's the first grandchild on his side of the family, so I'll let him have the glory.)

Also as another shoutout to A.K., the table that has all my crap on it, is a table we got from Craigslist for FREE! It needed a lot of TLC, which A.K. did! It looks fabulous, despite my crap being all over it.
So to treat ourselves for jobs well done, A.K. and I went snowboarding on Saturday, since it seems like it's our last chance before the season is over.



Because apparently spring is making it's way to Seattle.

Nirvana

I think Kurt Cobain is messing with me from the afterlife. I look at my closet and all I want to wear is a flannel shirt and a green Mr. Rogers-esque cardigan.

Okay, so I probably have these urges because ...

-Seattle weather has been nothing but rain, gray and cold.
-Heating guys have a part on order so they can't turn on the radiators in my house.
-I'm reading Charles Cross's biography of Kurt Cobain, "Heavier Than Heaven." (I got to hear Charles Cross speak about Cobain, Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Lee as part of the P-I's Writer in Residence series. Every now and then, my job gets some pretty good perks.)

Instead of the cardigan, I decided to knit up a hat instead. Something that makes me think of the Pacific Northwest.



I decided on Brenda Zuk's Seaman's Cap pattern. I knit is using one skein of Debbie Bliss's Donegal Chunky Tweed. I wanted a more substantial hat, since it has been so chilly, so I knit with 5mm (US8) needles, instead of the 7mm (US10.5) that was recommended on the label. I love it, mainly because it was a fast knit and it keeps me warm, but I guess it's been a while since I wore anything 100% wool because I notice it irritates my forehead.


I don't consider myself allergic to wool, rather, I think my forehead may be a sensitive spot. I also didn't block it yet (IT'S BEEN CHILLY). So maybe after a good soak it will soften up a bit. Or maybe I'm in denial.

If it doesn't, maybe I'll sew a lining into it.

Speaking of which, I have a dilemma. I need to do some sewing for some cushions.



(I picked the green pattern, I'll use the yellow for something else, and just in case you are wondering, I'm really not over my beige phase, when I bought these, I was trying to find some gray fabric. These are the runner-ups)

I've blogged about my mom's sewing machine which I've sort of adopted and it is totally fine, I just find myself trolling craigslist and ebay looking at Husqvarnas and Berninas.

So what do you guys think? Should I be happy with my mom's 25+year-old Kenmore that she bought at Sears (I know this, because I remember being there when she bought it.) or get a fancy new-ish machine that practically sews everything for me? (Which I think could be helpful since I am lacking in sewing skill.)

(Little background about me that may or may not be helpful ... I drive a 10-year-old Honda Civic hatchback, I am easily swayed by shiny electronic objects and I have a big-fat mortgage on my 95-year-old house.)

(Oh, and I don't plan to give up the Kenmore, it would become my backup.)

(And, if you have any suggestions for a new machine, they would be much appreciated. I realize this sounds like I already made a decision, but I really haven't.)

How to avoid knitting a steeked bag

If you are wondering to yourself 'what steeked bag is she talking about,' here's a recap ...

I decided to dust off the summer 2000 Interweave Knits and knit a bag Kristin Nicholas designed using steeks. But the truth is, I'm afraid to cut into my knitting, and since finishing the Calla Lily socks, I really have had no excuse not to finish the bag.

I thought the colorwork was going to take up a lot of time, but it really goes much faster that I was anticipating.

So above is what I've done with my time, since I wasn't picking up the steeked bag.

I went to see the Raconteurs live at the Moore.
If you ever get the opportunity to see them, you really must. I'm in my early to mid-thirties now and thought rock shows were behind me, (i nodded off during the opening act), but when the Raconteurs came on, all of a sudden I remembered how to bang my head and pump my fists in the air.
When Jack White (yes, that Jack White) picked up his guitar and started jumping around the stairs, man, I couldn't stop screaming. And I was totally crushing on Brendan Benson. (don't tell A.K.)

When the ringing stopped in my ears, A.K., Lilly and I went camping at Alder Lake with some friends. It was a bit cold, but the lake was beautiful.

Also trolled the internet and the Local Fabric Shop for solids for the quilt. Spent last night washing and ironing all the fabric I bought. I'm of the belief that all the washing and ironing didn't do much, but since I've never sewed a quilt before, I'm going to follow the directions.

When I went to check out my mom's sewing machine, I thumbed through the manual, and noticed my mom recorded the date of purchase in it. And noticed that the machine had a 25 year warranty that expired in April. My mom's too cute. (The machine checks out fine, and should be ready to fire up once I get all the pieces for the quilt cute)

And I found some time to make some bath salts for me and some friends. No particular reason, except I didn't want to pick up the steeking.

Before anyone out there starts mistaking my distractions as having a life, I'm going to be good and start back on the steeking tomorrow. (or maybe the next day, but not saturday night because I have to see Talladega Nights, the Ballad of Ricky Bobby).