Yes, Socks Receive Their Own Blog Post

Though socks for a child are but wee, I felt that since I knit two pairs for Camden this year (well, over the past 8 months), they get their own blog post.

I used quite lovely yarn on both pairs, which makes it totally worth it ;)

I finished the pink pair way back in June (project page)...and they were slightly long, which I planned for...and they still are - oops!  The yarn is Cyborg's Craftroom in the Assockilate base, and the color is Unicorn Rainbow Fight.  They knit up beautifully, and I kept wanting to stare at them - and the other pair - while taking photos, aha!

Here is my thing with socks:  they are tricky in that, to get gauge, I originally had to go down to a size 000 needle, and I either use metal DPNs or my Karbonz DPNs (I buy the Karbonz from Handome Fibers - you NEED to order from them!!!  They are always so fast!).  BUT...I started tensioning my yarn a bit, because of my loose gauge, and I now wonder if it's just too much.  For example, you can see that ON, the socks fit super well, but they ARE snug to get up over the gusset (and I always knit a gusset and heel flap)...even though I knit my heel flap several rows longer, to accommodate for my crazy tight row gauge.  I don't necessarily want to move back up to a size 00 needle, but I am wondering if I should give that a try on the next pair of socks for one of the kids.  I love the final product in a 000, so, I'm not sure what to do.  I wonder if maybe picking up even more gusset stitches would help.  Hmmm....

For both pairs, I used the same pattern I always use for stockinette socks (paper copy, by the way!) - the Easy Lightweight Sock Pattern by Knitting Pure and Simple.  It is pattern #245.  I use the adult version for my socks, clearly, which is a different number.  One detail to note is that I used to kitchener toes closed, but I honestly have been finding I like the fit of the gathered toe better.  I also DO like to try out different toes on socks for myself, but for the kids, I keep it simple.

The other pair is knit in Hue Loco on the Spun Sock base in the Lucky Charm color way (my project page).  The colorway is gorgeous, and the socks are really quite bright and fun!  Nicole is getting back to dyeing more yarn, after having given birth to a gorgeous baby girl, so, go snag some yarn!  She has some lovely colorways in stock, like this one!

Of course, Tiberius feels HE needs a new pair, and I'd love to cast on some on, BUT.  I really need to finish a few projects I have going - including a pair of socks for myself.

Other shenanigans we've been getting up to....or NOT.  Honestly, we truly need to escape this house.  We hit up the bouncy house a week or so ago, and Camden and her dad went ice skating a few days ago, but we've just been so cooped up.  I need to get out and simple walk.  My knitting body is dying a bit.

Squeezing in a game of Outfoxed

I try to relax in baths...but when I've read a bit, I just want to escape, aha!

When Tiberius takes charge...

Matt is working on a quilt!

He may finish his first quilt before I do!

Camden says real artists wear berets

Contemplating life over Snickers Pie

Blog Shout-Outs!

Today's theme?  Blog shout-outs!

I would like to highlight some fellow crafty ladies out there in this big, bad world.  I look to these blogs, amongst others, for inspiration - and a good laugh!

Ali Cat and Co.

First up is BRIANNE over at Ali Cat and Co.  (FB page here.)

She is a woman of many talents - sewing and baking amongst those.  (Speaking of baking, I REALLY need to try this Lemon Cake recipe some time!)  Specifically, though, she has really latched onto making bags.  She loves her some Swoon bag patterns and is making me quite envious of these bags...probably mostly because of the hand embroidery!  She must have a boat load of bags tucked away under her bed.  

She also has two super cute girls, for whom she also sews - pictured below are two patterns she recently tested - the Norah dress by Mouse House Creations (It's out now, peeps!!!  And....only $7 through today!) and the Saffron dress by Zafarani Designs (shouted out below).  

The Life of a Compulsive Crafter

Next up is MAE over at The Life of a Compulsive Crafter.  (See her FB page.)  She happens to blog so she doesn't drive her non-sewing friends crazy with all her hopes and dreams about sewing, LOL!  She does do a bit of the "selfish/mom" sewing, but mostly, she sews for her little girl and boy.

She has a sweet style, girly (well, not so girly when it's for her son, aha!) and understated, and she followed along with the last Project Run and Play.  One of my favorite looks was this one - her Bubblegum dress!  Also on her blog are posts about conscious living, and I will soon be guest posting on her blog (think deodorant!).

Ginger Dimples

CRYSTAL over at Ginger Dimples is a hoot and a holler.  (FB page here.)  She adds a little zing to her posts with her sense of humor - and has made me envious over the years with her awesome Halloween costumes and great Project Run and Play Sew-Along entries - this one being my FAVORITE...and she knows I want to snatch this for my daughter, LOL!

She's only been blogging for eight months now, but she's been sewing for a long time, and one thing she noted in the last PRP challenge was that she wanted to challenge herself and do something she hadn't done before (not sew with ANY woven cottons!) - I think she covered that!  What a great 80s style her daughter has ;)

I have to say, though, that one of my favorite things about Crystal's blog is that she details fun mom-sewing!  (And word up, if you're reading this - I haven't seen any of that in a LONG time!  No hints or anything...)  Here is one photo of her cuteness in a dress she made!  (And here's a link to a lovely mom-and-me project she did!)

Zafarani

Lastly, we have KARLY from Zafarani Designs.  (FB page here.)  She is a funny lady with a big family!  Most of her sewing is for them, which is fine, as she loves to show of both her sewing and her kids, LOL!

One thing I have to say about Karly is that she is SPEEDY!  She always seems to have a million projects - and seems to finish them super fast!  Because she has her share of boys AND girls, she gets the chance to sew for both quite often.

And thing I'm admittedly probably NEVER going to do is sew up a lovely crib set, which she did!  I give kudos to anyone who does that, as it always seems like an effing lot of work to me, if you'll pardon my French!

Above, though, you saw the lovely Saffron dress Brianne sewed, and it was released back in August.  Already, so many people seem to love it!  I know Camden does, as it's pretty twirly!  Karly will have a new pattern coming out, hopefully later this fall, and having seen the sneak peak, I'm pretty excited!

Karly also joined in on the PRP Sew-Along challenge, and I thought both of these entries were great - her Mad for Plaid for her son (because quite often, we don't see enough BOY sewing) and her Candy entry for her daughter - so fun and bright!!

One other note is that some of these lee-days are over at That's What She Crafted, a blog combining their talents (with another lovely lady) into one ultra-awesome experience!  (FB page here.)

Thanks, ladies, for letting me include you in my blog shout-out post!  I can't wait to see what y'all have up your sleeves in the coming months!

                                         

knitting, knitting.....and a LONG scarf

I'm settling in after a fun early-birthday surprise evening with my husband!  We had great Peruvian food for dinner and finally caught "We Are the Millers" - great flick....and so happy it was still out that we old fuddy duddies could catch the LATE showing of 7 :)

As for a new finished project - presenting the Color Me Pretty Scarf, designed by Elena Nodel:

For the speedy knitter - and the knitter who doesn't dink around on-line in sewing and knitting groups on Facebook and Ravelry, this could have probably been finished a WHOLE lot faster.  I, however, want to apparently prove that I'm as slow as they come....and it took me a good month or more to work on it.  People often think sweaters are a lot of work, and they can take on that whole "Will I EVER finish this????" train of thought, but scarves are a whole other story for me.  I love the result, and my daughter thoroughly enjoyed it (and not just for looks, for realz...she was in the bike trailer for two different trips, and people, Bend, OR, hasn't exactly been sunshine and sweaty days lately!) and received compliments on it while we were out and about today, admired at both the chiropractor and the library, aha!

Elena Nodel designs some of my most favorite patterns for children  - she does great work in writing them and designing them.  She is honestly so super nice, too.  I have worked with her on several occasions, between choosing yarn and asking pattern questions.  She has her hand in many crafting pots, so, she's a busy lady, but she takes time out to help out!  Also, she has enlisted the help of another woman, Jan Harvey, who helps with her blog and answering pattern questions in the Ravelry group, Colour Adventures.  

As for this particular pattern, it's written super well, and it's an easy one, relatively speaking.  If one can get past thinking color work is HARD work, THEN it's easy cheese cream pie.  It does get tedious when I have to untwist two balls of yarn every other round, and I'm not great at knitting continental/picking my yarn, so, I only did that in particular rounds - where the color change was every other stitch.  

As for my happiness with my final product, I do wish I hadn't sized up two needle sizes for the color work; I wish I'd only gone up one, as the width difference is too much for me.  I'm a looser knitter, so, I had to size down two sizes for the main scarf, in the first place - to a size 4 needle.  That seems to be the needle size for me to get about 5.5 spi with worsted/DK weight yarn.  Also, I used Colour Adventures yarn for my project, and Elena, besides being awesome at pattern designing, also does great work with yarn dyeing.  The overall outcome is great, though, and it should grace her neck for a few years.

I used her yarn in these other projects, too, one being the sweater to match the lovely scarf (hat to come later, aha!) and one being her Magical sweater:

Anyway, it's a lovely pattern, but I'm glad it's done - it was the never-ending scarf, and I've now happily moved on to a new project, the Sweet Poppy sweater - for this, I will use Colour Adventures in the colorway Watercolours.  The orange yarn in the picture is Madelinetosh - for some Nozky leg warmers I will also soon knit up.

A last few glimpses of her CMP scarf, which she just loves and doesn't have to hound me about finishing any longer, LOL:

Oliver and S time! After School Pants and Top.

In a non-normal world, I would get a chance to sew most days of the week, but it seems that lately, I get the chance to have a spurt of sewing and finish a sewing project once every week and a half or so.  I HAVE discovered that Camden is able to entertain herself for an hour or two these days while I get the chance to sew during daytime hours, which is what we call AWESOME.  Sewing always used to be a nighttime thing, but with el bebe coming, I find I better be one of those responsible folk and make sure to get enough sleep, so, I stick with knitting at night.  Sewing is one of those tricky hobbies that will keep me up until 2 in the morning...no bueno.

Happily, I was able to finish my second-ever Oliver and S After School pants and top, this time in a size 4.  I'm not sure what my reasons were for skipping from a size 2 to a size 4, but my child surely could have used size 3 pants.  She has a round little belly (which, according to her, is carrying a baby girl) that demands I size up or lengthen shirts, but her leg inseam is just over 13 inches, so, lengthening pants is just NOT necessary, for the most part.  Camden is, I think, slowly moving from average-sized to small, as she gets older.  She would just call herself a big girl and have done with it, naturally.  Anyway, my bad in choosing to do a size 4, but hey - they'll last a LONG time, aha!

I have worked with Oliver and S patterns many times, and for the most part, I find the directions great, though I like to throw myself off here and there.  There is definitely errata one would want to check out on their site, for each pattern, before beginning - or if you are way stuck and pretty sure something isn't right. I have found some of the patterns needed more careful editing, but that's my critical editing eye coming out in me.  Also, one thing I find myself doing with Oliver and S pattern sheets:  Chippity-chopping them UP, son!  I know that may be pure blasphemy to some, but those suckers are sooooo big that I can't stand wielding them while trying to trace, so, I rotary cut them down to size to make tracing easier, and hey - they still fold up all nice and pretty.

Speaking, too, of paper patterns, I am crazy and prefer to use a pencil when tracing, though some are definitely more comfortable with a pen.  I find I would just have to fix too many things to WANT to use a pen, so, that doesn't work for me.  But check out which SUPER COOL pencils I DO use:  stacking point pencils (and WHO knew that was the proper name?! I will never call them that, neva'.  I will stick with my fancy "changeable lead pencil.")  And I know they're a waste.  Don't hate.  It's a childhood memory or some such.

Lastly, I have to give a shout-out to the tracing paper I love to use, as it's so great and sturdy and see-through (duh) and iron-able.  I don't know what I pay for it locally (I buy it at Modern Domestic - best place ever - great ladies, classes and sewing machines!!), but this Swedish tracing paper is available on Amazon, too.  You can sew with it and even make a quick muslin, if you need to.

As for the After School pattern, I loved it the first time I did it - it's pretty stinkin' easy.  Just keep track of those front and back yokes, as there are four separate pieces.  As I said above, because of my little girl's belly, I usually like to lengthen shirts, especially with Oliver and S.  I don't know if that means the shirts run shorter, or if it's really just her belly.  I forgot this time, so, I'm glad I did the size 4, as it fits nicely right now.  If I'd done the size 3, which would have fit her a bit better, I definitely would have needed to lengthen it.  When I first came across this issue with the patten, I just added a band to the bottom, no biggie.

Gosh, that was so long ago!!!

As for her the size 4 pants I just made, I hemmed them on the longer side, but then I blind hemmed them up another 2.5 inches, as they were so long.  They are at the perfect length.  As you can see below, I used the same fabric, but in a different colorway.  Hey - keeps my life easy, and I planned it that way, LOL!  I got fancy and top-stitched in a contrast to match the reddish-orange leaves, but I didn't get any crazier than that.  With the ruffles it already has, I didn't want to go overboard.

Let me know if you have any questions on construction.  The size 4 pants would easily fit your child in length if she has a 15-15.5 inch inseam.  Sometimes, you have to play with hemming things shorter or longer, so, always remember that.  With my blind hem, I can take that out later, easy cheese cream pie!

My Employer

Once upon a time, about 4 years ago, I began working for a wee little fetus named Camden...who then grew into this now 3.5 year old girl who thinks one can run away from polio (the things she says...).  This is THAT little girl:

I am pretty sure she is the best employer I could have, albeit frustrating at times (and what employer ISN'T, honestly???) and wacky at others.  I sometimes get to slack off (I truly appreciate those moments - you know, when the boss is busy dinking around, not paying attention, so, you get to do your own version of dinking around) - and I sometimes I have to put in overtime, though rarely.  We are such lucky parents, in that our little girl sleeps well at night (is that JINX #1????) and is a pretty funny, easy-going, happy-go-lucky child.  I can only WISH/HOPE/DREAM that child numero dos is the same in that way.  Pipe dreams, though...

All that to say THIS:  I knew when she was in utero that she was someone for whom I needed to create.  I am weak in so many areas in life, and an area in which I can give is, in fact, a bit of a material thing, so to speak.  I can sew and knit - not super fancy stuff, but clothing, nonetheless.  My goal was/is to provide for my child in this way.  I do not love to buy her clothing from stores.  I prefer for us to create for her at home a wardrobe that speaks to our tastes, as those could never truly be defined by another designer, so to speak.  She is able to help me here and there - sometimes playing so that I can sew, sometimes sleeping so I can knit, sometimes assisting me in picking out fabric for an ensemble...and sometimes standing right there, on the chair while I press the foot pedal at the sewing machine.  

I do always have that wish that I had more time to create for her - but to have that time would mean I didn't have her in my life, and as she is known for saying, "That would be nutso in the buttso."  Clearly.  She is a demanding boss, but definitely a highly rewarding boss at that  :)

This is my little girl in the first-ever dress I made for her, and her expression could be depicting her sadness at knowing I had a big eff-up with cutting into the FACING of the dress, rather than the SEAM for turning.  My bad.  It's a play outfit now.  Still fits her, these MANY moons later.

This is the latest sewn creation for my little girl - her Oliver and S Book Report Dress (her second one of these) - buttons by Tessa Ann.