Impossible

 ....sure, Boss, no problem, I can totally go to a big important interview which has huge implications for my career, the company, etc in the middle of December.  I'll just pop over to Nordstroms tonight after work and buy a new suit, spend the weekend remembering about how to use that software and generally freaking out about it.  Oh, wait, it's DECEMBER.  Prime shopping for hoilday party dresses, but definately not suits.  Wait, you don't have any suits here right now?  Really?  How?  Huh, epic fail.  Guess I'll go home and....lock myself in my vice room.....

 ....and cut out and stitch up that jacket I have been meaning to sew for at least two years.  Bear was helpful and involved throughout the process.  Generally from the viewpoint of sittng on my lap.  It was very helpful.

 Oh, and I guess if I alter those pants and that jacket that have been sitting here for years too....

...I would end up with a photo worthy project.  No problem.  Got any other impossible tasks you want me to tackle? 

Giraffes and Elephants Oh My!

One of my SAR friends just had a little boy - well, actually his wife had the baby, he's just also reaping the sleepless nights. Whenever they surface from their sleep deprivation I have a present ready for delivery! I made him a cotton bib like the one a couple weeks ago, but I sewed on a little applique elephant.

.....to coordinate with this cool box I got to put the present in. It's actually pretty durable and hopefully useful to them.

I got the box because I knew I had this white safari baby flannel at home in my stash along with this coordinating striped flannel. I actually only went to the store for the bib applique, but when I saw this big giraffe one I couldn't resist. Both projects were quick and mostly from my stash.

Cotton Knit Bib

I went to a baby shower two weekends ago for a fellow grad student. For what I think is the first time ever, I started this present a week or two ahead of time and finished wrapping it as my ride pulled into the driveway. The pattern is from Mason Dixon Knits. I started by using up some leftovers too small for much of anything and finished with more of the same, but I love the scrappy look. It's all cotton of similar gauge, but not exactly the same. In the middle is an entire ball from the Yarn Branch. I made sure the button is machine washable and fully appreciated the simplicity of knit buttonholes vs sewn ones! The bib is large enough to be more for a toddler, which I think is nice because most gifts you get are just for when the baby is super young. I'm planning to make another one for a different girlfriend, with smaller gauge yarn, all in blue with some sort of applique sewn on. Quick, easy, and fun - a great distraction mid semester from writting papers and appliquing stems on flowers. Status update on Carolyn's quilt coming this week!

Blue Wings

It's taken me all winter, but I finally completed my handlebar toasties for my bike a couple weeks ago. The weather immediately warmed up. I still need them in the mornings and I have a couple modifications to make before next year. I used pack cloth for the outer and inner most layers and two layers of polyester batting inside. The edges are taped with polyester ribbed ribbon. It's a little crinkly in the cold, but pretty wind proof and water resistant.

I think I'll add a fleece cuff where my hands go in and an elastic drawstring at the other edge so I can cinch it up and keep the drafts out where they meet the lights. I might also add some sort of clip to attach them to each other at that same point. Delighted that my prototype worked out so well and if I had actually sat and made them in one sitting instead of 10 they would have gone pretty quickly. They are so warm I hardly need liner gloves! Now if I could just get the snowplows in town to stop putting chunks of ice from the road up on the sidewalk.....I'm thinking flame thrower mounted forward facing.....

Slouch Bag

Sticking with my finishittus theme for Christmas, I finished this slouch bag for my sister Jill. I bought the fabric a few years ago, at my girlfriend's shop on POW island. I bought linining/strap fabric from her new shop in Cooper's Landing. The straps are long enough to wear the bag across your body, or to complement Jill's super tall stature. I added batting between the outer layer and lining and quilted just along the seams. I know people who have made these by the dozen and they seem to get more adventurous with each one, some with intricate quilting. It was a super simple bag to make, I substituted an ultrasuede bottom and made less gathering along the bottom.

Tutu Galore

This year for Christmas I made very few gifts. Unless you count the jam and soap I made months ago. I mean the truly last minute started in December after the semester ended kind of gifts. True to my form, my niece was one of the few. This year I was focusing on cleaning out the stash even more than normal. A few months ago KAES sent me some supplies she wasn't that into after she got it home and the fabric I used as the basis for the tutu. My niece takes ballet lessons.

The fabric is shear with white hearts all over and elastisized along one edge. I first cut the fabric in half, both directions to give myself a total of four layers and an appropriate length for a 6 year old. Then each layer got a different color of shear ribbon to finish the raw edge. I topped it off with three rounds of super cute trim, from Jo Ann's, around the top. Sometimes I truly love make it up as I go, other times I really need a pattern.

Brown Sweater

I realized a couple weeks ago that I finished this sweater months ago and never took any pictures. The pattern is from an autumn edition of Interweave Knits, 2007 I believe. I bought it when I lived on the island because I wanted to make several patterns in it. I finished a white hat first (wearing it in the photos on Mo of my girlfriends visit), now this sweater and I have done several failed gauge swatches for the cabled yoke sweater.

I used Patons classic wool and love how this knit up. I started it during my WFR class in the autumn of 2008 and knit all of the back, one front and most of another front during class. The sleeves were finished during another training class. Instructors love me. This piece is now a staple of my work wardrobe.

Quiviut headband

I had leftovers from the fishbasket hat I made for my friend, Russ, that were begging to be used up. I loved the pattern of the fishbasket so much that I modified it to make a headband for myself. This is still from the Arctic Lace book I bought after moving here. I have no idea where Russ bought the quiviut, but I suspect Yarn Branch here in town as it was one of the shops I told him carried the fiber. I can attest that it is warm and I love it.

Status Check - Carolyn's Quilt

I have been working on a quilt for Smokey's mom for over a year now. He did a lot of the cutting for me and a lot of the removing of paper from the back of 5 of the paper pieced blocks.

I have removed the paper from 1+ blocks so far and totally appreciate his efforts!

All 9 blocks are pieced and each is from a different one of Jim's shirts. The pattern is from a book I love, called Scraps of Time: Quilting with Treasured Fabrics.

Besides removing paper I am starting on stem appliques. Each block gets 3 stems, one for each flower, and two leaves.

Then I get to assemble them on point with setting squares, add borders, and applique more stems and leaves. I'm excited about it and the applique work is easy to do while watching netflix, so I get some done every night. More updates as I get the stems and leaves on so you can watch it grow!

Felted Handbags

One of my girlfriends from my Stitch and Bitch group in Seattle introduced me to an awesome pattern for a simple felted bag, the Pink Lady Bag, many years ago. She then made me one and I love it and always get compliments on it when I use it. Since then I have made many, many bags myself. Below is a smattering of those most recently made and named. It's a great project to introduce knitters to felting and I have had many successes.

Tequila sunrise has been one of my favorites for a while now. It went to a new home this Christmas, my local gal, Fitz, is now loving on it.

Rhubarb pie is not pink. But it is the color of the pie contents I made from the rhubarb in the yard this summer. It even has little orange flecks like the orange peel I put in my pie.

Pond reflection features a yummy color of blue my aunt had in her stash. I made one bag totally from blue and used the leftovers here. The completely blue one is being embellished with ribbon embroidery and beads. It's never leaving my life if I can help it.

Midnight Oil is named after an Australian band. Same yarn as rhubarb pie, peace fleece. It was definately more difficult to felt, but worked out well in the end.

Grape Knee-hi also went to a new home this Christmas, to my girlfriend Lael who often gives me smoked salmon and yummy baked breads. I hope that she will be in my life for a very long time.

Goat Meadows is actually one I knit for my cousin. The button has a super cute goat scene on it and she raises goats and brought them into my life on a more intimate basis than either of us planned, including walking one on a leash down a busy street in Seattle.

Fruit Salad is a cutie pie my girlfriend KAES knit. It always draws people into a table at every craft fair I have sold these at. I love the funky nobbly multi color bracketed by the red, like the red is keeping the wildness in check.

Cherry Jubilee was also made by KAES. I like that the nobbly is out of control here, like it just might seep all the way through. Kind of like my life right now.

Pink Headwear

Last year for Christmas I had a pink theme going for my one of my nieces. I made her a pink leaf hat like the black one for my cousin. It should fit her forever, but may not outlive her pink phase. The fibre is a cotton blend and was fun and fast to knit up on DPNs and finish with a circular after the crown; pattern from knitty.com.

I topped it off with this fun foam tiara embellished with feathers, ribbon, and beads. It's amazing with a hot glue gun will allow you to do. The biggest heart shaped bead is one I made many moons ago in my fimo clay phase. the feathers have a wide ribbon on the inside to keep the quills from poking her in the head. Now I just keep one crafting bag dedicated to all things pink for future projects for pink loving nieces. It currently has an interesting collection of yarn, zippers, and binding tape.