Who actually finishes things?

Not me, I tell you. I had to throw in the towel on the chair makeover since despite the new fabric being exactly the same shape as the old, it would not go on the chair nicely. It is now sitting next to my computer desk, tempting my rabbit to eat it and me to hide it somewhere until I give up my original idea (a painted woods scene with windows to little dioramas inside the chair) and just get the thing recovered so I can sit in it.

In the meantime, I started yet another knitting project I may never finish, and bought 3 antique sewing machines. A mystery 50's? Home Mark, a Minnisota Model A and a Singer Model 27. The Minnisota will hopefully be going to a friend of mine, once it's decrusted and if I can find shuttles for it and figure out how it's supposed to come out of its cabinet. The Home Mark may become a jig saw, and the Model 27 will be left as a treadle and be used for things my fancy new Kenmore can't handle. All of them need a serious clean and major wood repair, but I'm looking forward to that.

Craftster Challenge #28, Days 1 and 2

This month's challenge is to recraft an old chair. Now, one thing I am not lacking is old chairs, especially since standard precedure in my area is to leave things by the curb, and someone will take them home. The only thing that keeps me from bringing everything I see home is that I drive a small sedan, though I did comtemplate strapping a glorious bright orange 70's recliner to my roof. Sadly, I did not have anything to strap it with.

To the point, my chosen chair for this project was found by one of my former roommates about a year ago, and she let me have it when we all moved out.

It was a little dirty, missing part of leg, and had a few small tears, but otherwise wasn't in bad shape, which is good news. The bones are great, and I don't have to redo the padding.

After about 5 hours of work, I had the back off. Someone was liberal with the staples.

I'm also happy to report, there was only one minor injury (screwdriver and staple to the thumb), which is healing nicely and I didn't bleed on the chair.

On Day 2, after 4 more hours of work, the whole chair was naked.

Excessive stapling? No...

Some of the staples and the evil metal teeth that amazining, I did not injur myself on.

I'm not dead.

Really. A lot of stressful things happened over the last few months, but craftiness continues.

Picking up where I left off, I nixed the Baby Surprise (to be completed at some point for a stuffed animal to wear) in favor of Baby It's Cold Outside from CrochetMe. This pattern is lovely. It was quick, easy, and the one-piece construction made it easy to carry around and finish. Instead of buttons (choking!) I used short pieces of ribbon for the closure.

Then, this

did this.

Yes, that was a sweater. I eventually salvaged the yarn (made easier with the ball winder Brandon got me!) and got nearly to the shoulders, but it's very unflattering. I'm thinking of frogging back and adding a couple more inches to the ribbing. This of course, to be done at some undefined point in the future.

Just in time for finals, the Great Ice Storm of 07 arrived, and I managed to take a good picture in the one moment of sun.

Over winter break I got Estelle all cleaned and oiled and after a bit of a rough start, she stopped throwing her drive band and I spun my first real skein. It's about 40 yards, bulky, mill end wool.

Singles

Plied on a very fully bobbin

Modeled by Estelle

Detail

I also made this shadow box as a gift for one of my roommates who loves peacocks.

Dogmar seemed to like staying toasty in a sweater, so I made her a coat, complete with sleeves I drafted myself.

Then, I got a bunny for my birthday! His name is Bigwig, and he certainly lives up to his namesake, hopping right up to Dogmar like "Yeah, eat me. I dare you." He is a Dutch/Lionhead cross, and I'm hoping to collect his long fur over time.

You can just make it out in this picture, but his eyes are marbled brown and blue. Red eye is from the flash though.

I made a foray into the world of pet treats and made my fur babies presents for Valentine's Day. Chicken-flavored for Dogmar, and banana & cilantro for Bigwig. These took ages and ages to cut out, which is why I have to post a picture.

In May, Brandon and I moved in together and I made a flowerbed in our little backyard. Now I just have to keep it from being taken over by the violets, which are running wild.

I get my own craft room at our place, and I've got to say, now that my yarn stash is all in one place, it seems so small. Clearly I need more.

The other day I finished my dinosaur dress. It still needs a final press, but here it is on Heidi anyway. I think it turned out rather well, especially since I took out about 4 inches in the waistband and the blue knit was much heavier than the dinosaur knit.

Sweater Woes

Damn you, Zimmermann! Would it have killed you to give finished sizes for your patterns?

Two weeks ago I started Baby Surprise Jacket #1. I got a little past the end of the decreases so I could estimate the finished chest, and it looked way too big. I checked my gauge, and it had grown in my switch from straights to circs. Well, poo. Normally this would not be an issue with baby things, but as they live in Texas, there's a very small window for jackets. So I frogged and went down a needle size, and for once in my life I got the gauge of 6 sts/in, which makes "a fine present for a newborn, and will grow with the baby" spot on. Still very concerned about the size, I found a handy little sheet that gave all the measurements for baby and toddler clothing. It said newborn to 3 months was a 16" chest. Okay then. Since then I've been knitting between classes and in those strange hours when it's too late to go to bed, but there's still time before I have to get ready. (Lately I have been primarily fueled by Red Bull, Snickers, and Famous Amos cookies.) As of this morning I'm up to picking up stitches and working the button band. The chest measurement comes out to 15". A tad small, but it's quite stretchy so I'll be ok.

Wrong.
In tiny print over to the side of the clothing measurement chart, it says that these are the body measurements, not the finished garment. It should be 18-20" around. This sweater isn't going to stretch that much. Now, normally I would just frog the thing again and knit like mad, but they are for twins, and I haven't even started the second one yet. The babies are due November 1, and I'd really like to have them done by this Saturday as I will be in Texas then.

Argsjlgdhalgsdfhsdfj!

Maybe I'll just start the second one on the larger needles and see how it compares. Stupid me, I didn't write down the measurement I got the first time.

I've also got to go to the bank, class, and work (I got a job as a seamstress) today, and write a film analysis paper. Joy.

Screw what I said before about grown-up winter accessories.

'Cause I really, really need to knit this. And the good news it will be from the stash! In acrylic, true, but I don't think I could stand wool on my face. I have to finish my Cherie Amour and two EZ Baby Surprise Jackets first though. As it is still hitting 80 degrees here, that is perfectly fine with me.

End Hiatus

I didn't really do much over the summer. Most of my days I got up, showered, and remained in front of the TV and watched X-Play until dinner. Yeah. In my defense, I really needed a break after last semester, and they don't have G4 in Oklahoma, so I was trying to get my fix. That also led to an epic hunt for We heart Katamari, but alas, it is not to be found. I did manage to get some crafting done though. I got the top of my toad quilt cut out and ironed, and made a Styracosaurus quilted postcard for a contest at my mom's favorite quilt store. My mom got 2nd place for her cute cricket one. The first place winner was a paper-pieced iris in some pretty ugly fabrics. I was not impressed at all. No pictures of the quilty stuff though.

Very very belated pics of what I sent for the I heart the Library Swap on Craftster:

Luna Moth Shawl in LB Microspun. A bit of a hellish knit. I'd never done lace before and something went HORRIBLY wrong in the last repeat and it took me days to fix it. Neat construction though.


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Fiver (from Watership Down) stuffie. From a very old pattern.

Simple book tote made with some really awesome fabric I got on clearance at Joann's. I'm also very proud of my seams.

Things completed since August:

Socks! I whipped out the first one early in the summer, but then fell into the second sock slump. I don't think I'll make another pair for awhile. Regia 4 color Bamboo. They feel yummy.

Quickie stencil. Technically 3 layers, but it's so simple it really doesn't count. It's from this video for Bright Eyes' "Soul Singer in a Session Band." I wanted to do the doves in bombs across the chest, but I figured that would be better done with screenprinting and it looked funky on my boobs.

Mr. Fred Jones the sock monkey, after the Ben Fold Five songs. He ended up looking less sad than I hoped. But that is monkeys for you.

Cat warming gifts for my best friend. Kitty sling lined with soft fur, some felted toys with jingle bells and catnip, and a silly card.

The sling modeled with the help of my Nabaztag/tag, WinnifredPHastings, or Winnie for short.

Progress on my Cherie Amour from Knitty. The yarn is Moda Dea Tweedle Dee in Cinnamon Twist, and I love the colors. They're a bit richer than in the picture. I wasn't too sure at first, but my mom thought it would be pretty and she was right.

And finally, the most exciting craft find of my life! Meet Estelle, my antique spinning wheel. I got her at an old farmhouse turned antique store behind my grandparents' house in Waukesha, Wisconsin. We had her Fed-Exed to Dallas, and it was a little scary. The box looked like it'd been through hell and back. Amazingly, Estelle was still in one piece. I think anyway. The wheel isn't sitting just right, but since I can't have her until Christmas I haven't been able to figure out why. Expect to hear lots and lots about our spinning adventures together next year.

I really love the footman. She's had some love.

Attack of the Socks

I have been crafting, I promise you. My swap package has not arrived in Canada yet, so no pictures. Rogue is thisclose to blocking, but my fingers, along with the rest of my body, seem to have crapped out on me during the re-shaping of a sleeve cap. I can't sleep properly when Brandon is so far away. He's also leaving for Germany on Thursday, so I'm sure that won't help. It's hard to get serious crafting done when you are constantly exhausted.

I do however, have enough energy to dream about future projects. The summer Knitty went up today, and there are 4 sock patterns. The last 3 issues have also had 4 sock patterns, and last summer's issue had 7. As it was an extremities issue, socks are to be expected, but a think socks being a third of the issue is a bit much. I suppose I can't really talk as I have yet to knit socks (I have crocheted them, and knit little sock-let things to protect my feet from the wrath of flip flop straps), but to me it seems as if they are not all that difficult, and I don't think swapping out one lace pattern with another warrants a spot in one of the most popular knitting magazines/ websites. I've had it with socks and ridiculously stupid things like wings and wigs.

Is it just me, or does the whole crafting world seem to be going downhill?

I'm crafting...

...but it's all for the I heart the library swap on Craftster, so I can't say anything about it.

But I will say that there is no bunny fabric to be had in the tri-city area.

And then I was going to post the rest of my ceramics pieces, but then I remembered they are in boxes, somewhere. I will find them at some point over the summer.

I'm lazy, I know.

I've been a bit naughty.

Instead of working on my last final paper (and again asking myself, why are you an English major? and then being slightly cheered by the fact that creative writing people only have to take 3 upper-division lit. classes) and preparing stuff for the house I'm living in next year, I went shopping.

First stop was Borders, because they give me more coupons and better sales than B&N. And the people there are helpful and nice. I will refrain from ranting about B&N's customer service. I bought Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid by Lemony Snicket, which isn't exactly crafty but writing counts too, and I love Daniel Handler. I read my mom "There are some people who say home is where one hangs one's hat, but these people tend to live in closets on little pegs," and then I had to explain it to her. Oh dear. Nothing he says is profound, but I think he has an amazing ability to describe emotions and interactions honestly and in such a way that you feel exactly what he is talking about. I'm sure there is a word for that last part, but lately my recall has been impaired. I then browsed the craft section and decided I need Knitting Lingerie Style. Sehr sehr schön. (Hey, I don't know French, so lemme use German, k?) It's mostly things one would wear in public, inspired by pretty underthings.

Then I went to my LYS, the Happy Cat, and spent $50, on top of not getting any of the yarn I came for. What I did get called out to very core of my yarn soul, so I had to get it.

Lovely sock yarn from SWTC--a blend of wool, soysilk, cotton, and chitin, which is made from crab and shrimp shells and is anti-bacterial. I had to get this for many reasons. It's enough for two socks, it's sooo pretty, it feels delicious, and I get to say I have yarn made from crabs.

3 hanks of artful yarns serenade, which is 70% cotton and 30% angora, and is just yummy. The pink is a bit brighter than the photo, and the green is quite bright. There was a whole pile of hanks of this on a table, and I could not resist. Plus they wound it into adorable little balls for me. I'm going to make a sexy little summer tank out of it, something that screams "touch me!" It does seem that I can't multiply in my head, so I think I need to go back for another hank tomorrow. I'm going to use my best friend's method of paying cash so it's like the purchase never happened. In the mean time, I've been on the hunt for a suitable pattern, and discovered that lace tops tend to show off the nips. Have a gander:







I do like that first one though. What I really love is this:

The only problem is it has no bust shaping, which I clearly need. I finished the front of Cupcake from SnB crochet the other day, and you can see I just had to do a wee bit:

Photobucket is being mean and won't let me rotate it. Anyway, the sides are supposed to be straight. I pinned it to the back and tried it on, and it has killer bra of doom straps. Hopefully once I add the sleeves and shell stitch edging, that will go away.

In other crafting instead of working news, I finished Dogmar's "formal" collar today.

It's very simple, just nylon webbing, D ring, plastic snap buckle, and cheap faux crystal trim. I did the construction by machine, and stitched the trim by hand. Hopefully now Dogmar won't be mistaken for a boy all the time. Her "casual" collar is pink and green, but it doesn't seem to help. I guess pit bulls just look like boys. I'm putting it on her tomorrow, and I hope the massive buckle I used doesn't bother her. She has almost no fur on her chest, belly, and insides of her legs, and she has a little bald patch on her neck from the collar she had at the shelter which hasn't grown back yet. The vet said she was either just naturally naked, or still stressed from all the recent getting adopted and returned crap she's been through. I used a small, smooth buckle for the first collar I made her, which she recently snapped with a good lunge towards her bathroom spot. (Somebody always waits until the absolute last second to ask to go out.) Normally she gets walked on a harness, but I wanted a sturdier collar for quick trips to the bathroom / in case she gets loose.

That was a bit excessive, but I'm done now, and I should really get to bed.

Craftster Swap Info

Because let's face it, I tend to be a little sporadic and contradictory. So here for the ease of my swap partners, is lots of stuff about me:

~*~*~ last updated November 1 2009~*~*~

Name: Holly, but I don't care for things with my name on them.

Age: 22

Work: I work as a virtual receptionist for a pretty awesome company. The hour and a half communte each way--not so awesome.

Crafts I do:
--crochet
--knitting
--sewing: bags, clothes, quilts, toys, whatever
--polymer clay
--stenciling
--decorative painting on boxes, frames, journals, etc.
--needle felting
--origami
--woodburning
--stamp making / linoleum block printing
--loom beadwork
--a little jewelry
--resin
--needle tatting
--spinning

Crafts I'm in the process of learning:
--bookbinding (made one, need more practice.)
--shuttle tatting (I just don't get it!)
--embroidery, both regular and punch needle
--chainmaille

Crafts I need to learn:
--pmc(have pmc, but no heat source.)

Crafts I have no interest in:
--scrapbooking
--ATC's
--candle/soap making (really I'd like too, but I'm allergic to tons of stuff.)

Colors/Styles/Things I love:
--purple
--earthy greens and browns
--purple and light / lime green together
--silver
--black
--tropical/ocean blue
--60's/70's kitch, especially the floral fabrics and paintings
--fun, little-kid stuff, like pooh bear, my little pony, unicorns, toys from when I was little (late 80's/early 90's), and the children's section of Ikea.
--dinosaurs and other ancient creatures. But do your research, please. Incorrect dinos, be it name (it's an apatosaurus, NOT brontosaurus!) or posture, really irritate me. And none of these scene kid "dino love" things. My favorite ancient critters are: any sauropod (but especially apatosaurus, brachiosaurus, and amargasaurus), protoceratops, trilobites, and nautiloids.
--birds. I used to volunteer at a raptor rehab center and I love love love owls.
--manatees
--snails
--rabbits
--adorable animals
--trees/vines/leafy things. The only flowers I'm particularly fond of are orchids and tiger lilies.
--Swarovski crystals. love the violent sparkle.
--German, especially Barvarian things. I was a competitive German folk-dancer in high school and I went on an exchange to Bavaria one summer.
--Wisconsin/Packers
--Darwinism/evolution
--things from the 90's.
--socks
--books! My favorites are Dinotopia by James Gurney, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, White Oleander by Janet Fitch, Visible Amazement by Gale Zoe Garnet, and anything involving Raskolnikov from Crime and Punishment is awesome. I also have a thing for King Pellinore and the Questing Beast from The Once and Future King. And I really like Joyce Carol Oates. Children's books are my favorite genre, and chick lit, sci-fi, and mystery are my least favs.
--Kurt Halsey's art work
--clocks. I'm a time whore, I always need to know what time it is.
--logic puzzles, especially the kind with a list of facts and a grid and you make x's and o's on the grid to solve.
--cute, but not baby-cute, things
--celtic knotwork

Favorite Movies, in no order:
--The Lion King
--A.I.
--Ghost
--Peter Pan
--The Fountain
--A Knight's Tale
--Toy Story
--Finding Nemo
--The Last Unicorn. It's also a book, which I have been unable to find.

Colors/Styles/Things I do not like:
--orange and yellow (acceptable in kitch)
--gold
--brass
--hot pink
--plaid
--trendy
--prissy
--animae
--emo/punk/scene kid
--art dolls in general and human (as opposed to animal) dolls. I do like revamped my little ponies.
--religious/spiritual stuff
--really feminist things
--being cold
--mohair
--violence/gore

Measurements:
--wrist: 5 1/2 inches
--ankle: 7 3/4 inches
--head: 21 1/4 inches
--bust: 33 1/4 inches (size 30-32 E-F...I have a tiny ribcage.)
--waist: 25 inches
--hips: 33 inches
--back waist length: 16 or 17 inches. I have a long torso.
--total height: 5 feet 4 inches
--shoe: 6 1/2 or 7, usually 6 1/2 now
--ring: ranges from a 7 for my thumb to a 3 for my pinky.
--store bought tops: adult small in unisex or misses, medium in juniors
--store bought bottoms: 0 or 1, and occasionally 3 depending on the brand.

Things I can always use more of:
--craft supplies! Everyone who knows me will disagree, but the goal is to have the biggest stash, right? In that vein, I love vintage yarn, especially "Dawn Odyssey." It feels so horrible, but it sparkles!
--clothes, especially fall / winter tops.
--socks
--non-dressy earrings. I have two holes in each ear, one regular, one gauged to 6.
--warm cuddly things. I am a camel living amongst polar bears.

Things I don't usually need/want:
--small pouches/bags/cozies. medium or large bags are ok.
--blank journals. I can't bring myself to use them.
--any sort of "feminine supplies" item or holder

Allergies:
--any strong scent, especially violet or lavender.
--for the most part earrings have to be hypoallergenic/nickel-free/sterling silver/surgical steel.

Other info:
--I don't care if something's vegan/organic/whatever.
--my inner child is seven, and loves to come out and play!
--I like thinking type stuff, but no math!
--I cry a lot at movies. It's a little embarrassing.
--I am one of those super-true-love, attached-at-the-hip, type people.
--organization, smorganization.
--the most important part of a skirt or dress is the twirl factor.
--I am the mom to a black and white mystery mutt named Dogmar, and I wuv her. She likes pretty things and pretending to be chain chomp, i.e. eating/chewing everything. I also have a Dutch/lionhead rabbit named Bigwig. He is quite adventurous and loves to chew everything except his toys.
--I have a Nabaztag/tag named WinnifredPHastings, but Winnie is easier to say. She likes to play dress up, as you can see in my profile pic. Her ears are 3" long and 3.5" around at the widest point. Her "waist" is 13" and her "hips" are 16.25" Length between her waist and hips is 3"

So I'm bad about posting.

Actually, I'm bad about taking pictures of crafty things. I've been doing plenty of random posting on my everyday blog. It's nothing anyone cares about, but apparently it is entertaining to at least one person. I'm trying not to have random entries here because it's supposed to be the organized, coherent crafts only blog. So on to crafts.

I've put down the Rogue hooded sweater for now. I am a few inches into the hood, but it's too unwieldy to work on at my knitting group and the freak cold snap (nothing like seeing tornadoes and a blizzard in your forecast!) is over, so there isn't a rush for it. I'll finish it once I'm home from school in May, and then pack it up until next winter. *sigh*

In an effort to do something summery, quick, and crochet, I've started the Cupcake top from SnB Crochet. I did the back on Wednesday during Lost, Daily Show/Cobert, South Park, and Halfway Home. Yes, Wednesday nights are my TV nights.

It really needs a good blocking. The new Hobby Lobby has almost no yarn, and the only non-worsted cotton yarn came in about 4 shades of hideous, so I'm doing stripes in Caron Simply Soft Brights. It's not as open or breathable that way, but it's soft and durable, and most importantly, pretty. I'm going to have to make some serious modifications to the front to add some boob shaping. With the stripes, I think the only way I can is just with well-placed increases. The beauty of crochet is it's really easy to rip it back and start again, so I'm not worried.

I also got around to making jewelry from the beads my mom and I got in Wisconsin last summer. I made a 16" freshwater pearl and Swarovski crystal necklace for me, and a smokey topaz, crystal, and sterling flower bracelet for my mom. I picked up some head pins today so I can make matching earrings for both.

The big achievement is Dogmar's couch/bed! (Dogmar is 45 pounds of pit/boxer love child.) It's pretty awesome, I must say. I had all the sewing done about a month ago, but I've been slow on the stuffing. She liked it right away. It's her special spot, but she's still within petting range of the people on the human couch. I've got to make a few modifications on the arm part and then I'll take pictures.

Snail!

I'm so proud of him, and I think he looks quizzical. He now lives under a ceramic mushroom, and I'm going to paint him pretty colors. I was going to make him realistic, but the shell was not cooperating. Excuse the camera phone quality and the two-toned face. I got a bit enthusiastic with the slip, which dries a different color.