Nottingham

I've got a brand new pattern I want to tell you about today!!  It's the just released Nottingham Top from Itch to Stitch Designs*!

Kennis Wong, the designer behind ITS has quite the selection of patterns now and I've been fortunate to test several of them for her!  Since going back to work last year though, I've not felt able to give a test pattern the attention it requires.  I felt it would be too overwhelming and the pressure to finish would be too difficult.  I've really missed it, but knew it was for the best to take a step back. But then she posted a testing call for the Nottingham recently and I decided to apply.  It's a great top, looks far more complicated than it is, and knowing the Itch to Stitch patterns as I do, I figured it would be a breeze to sew up.  Kennis does such a great job of the instructions, paying really close attention to all the fine details, I knew that even if it was complicated I'd still be able to manage without getting overwhelmed.

I'm happy to say I was 100% correct about her instructions and pattern.  I was so very wrong about the sewing it up though.  At least my first attempt... and it was all my fault. I bought a drapey rayon blend solid the other day for just the purpose of testing.  It was a gorgeous peacock blue.  I got it all cut out after much cursing and swearing and trying to keep it from sliding right off the dining room table and set to work sewing.

All was going swimmingly well until I tried it on.  I'd added my customary length that I always add to my ITS patterns and guess what.  With the drape of the fabric and the  pattern itself my top was precisely the 1 1/4" that I'd added too long.  Not only that, but it turned out that my fabric, while having exactly the prescribed lengthwise and crosswise stretch, had absolutely pitiful recovery. Such a pretty blue.  But such a weird length...

Not to be deterred, I figured no big deal.  I do like my tops a bit longer anyways.  So I soldiered on.  But then part way through my workhorse, dependable, ancient Pfaff simply stopped working.  It just seized up and refused to do a thing mid stitch.  I assumed a bent needle.  So I wrestled the needle out and nope.  It was still straight.  Misaligned bobbin?  Nope.  All good there.  I tried a few more things than went outside in a mad panic to find my husband who can fix anything and wailed that I needed his help.  He dropped what he was doing and came in the house to see what could be done and to give him credit he tried.  We thought it was fixed and then it seized up AGAIN at which point he advised that I should probably just take it to the repair shop and get it fixed properly.  Which left me with the misery that is the Walmart purchased Singer Advance that functions only slightly better than a paperweight.  Oh how I despise using that machine.  But desperate times call for desperate measures and thankfully other than the knot and hems, I could use my overlocker for the majority of the sewing.

I finished up the peacock blue and it was so stretched out and wobbly looking from fighting with the Singer, that I thought I'd pop it in the washer and drier and tighten it all up again.  DISASTER.  It shrunk up first of all. Not a bad thing given its extra length, but beyond that it revealed that I had totally cut it off grain so the seams were twisting like crazy.  It's like I'd never cut out a pattern before.  Geez Louise.

The next day I regrouped, took out the extra length I'd added to the pattern pieces, dug out a floral double brushed poly and got it cut out.  Sewing it took less time than the cutting out I think despite using the beastly Singer  although I did it in a few chunks over the course of the evening and by the time I went to bed I had my new version done.  I love it!  It's everything I hoped it would be and now I need more fabric to make a solid black one.  And then I have some grey sweater knit that would be perfect for the long sleeve version. And then...

Yes.  This is one of those tops that it's going to become a go to.  It's so easy - once you do the knot part, it's just a simple teeshirt and don't worry about that knot.  The instructions walk you through it with detailed diagrams, and there's notches on the pattern to line everything up easily so you can't go wrong.  The kind of pattern that practically sews itself it goes together so well.   Just look at the details of the knot and those flutter sleeves.  I think it goes perfectly with my Blended Threads Double Brushed Poly that I bought last summer and had no idea what to make with.

Congratulations, Kennis, on yet another amazing design!!!  If you want to grab your own copy, head on over to the Itch to Stitch website!  If you hurry, you can get the pattern on sale until May 23rd.  I highly recommend this one!!! (and by the way, if you have your heart set on any other Itch to Stitch patterns, don't forget you can use the bundle discounts for a great deal on everything in your cart while you're at it!)

Well That Escalated Quickly!

After knitting six pairs of socks over the course of the last year for other people I felt the urge to knit a pair for me so towards mid March I succumbed to that urge, grabbed the skein of sparkly stripey sock yarn (Plymouth Stiletto) and finally cast on a pair of Zigzagular socks, which is a free pattern on Ravelry and I highly recommend!  These socks, between the stripes and the simple, but interesting pattern, pretty much knit themselves!  Only change I made was to do an afterthought heel to accommodate the continuity of the stripes!

The whole time I was knitting my sparkly socks, Baby Boy was having serious sock envy.  He desperately wanted a pair of stripey socks of his own.  If he could've had sparkles it would've been even more perfect.  I knew I didn't have enough left over yarn from my socks though and he didn't want to wait for new yarn, so I let him pick out of my stash.  He chose an ancient ball of Fortissima Colori Socka for his and I used Joeli's Tiny Treads Basic Top Down pattern.  I should have knit up a size.  They will probably fit him for all of five minutes.  But he wears them all the time so at least he's getting use out of them while he can.

Once his socks were on the needles of course Little Man had a need for stripey socks too.  Unfortunately there was nothing to his liking in the sock yarn bin, so I logged onto Webs and let him pick out some yarn for himself. He chose Sirdar's Sole to Sole in the Jungle Fever colourway.  Bonus for me, it was super inexpensive!  I didn't really follow a pattern this time so much as cast on in between Baby Boy's size and my size and then knit until it fit.  Although darn his little hide, I think his feet are bigger than I assumed, because they seem a touch snug.  Again I used an afterthought heel to keep those stripes going nicely.

I'm not sure how me wanting a pair of stripey socks escalated so quickly to everyone needing a pair of stripey socks, but that's just how things roll sometimes and that's how I ended up knitting three pairs of socks in a total of eight weeks.  Not bad if I do say so myself!

Speaking of hand knit socks, I've decided to partake in Me Made May once again this year.  Last year I took the year off because I couldn't think of a challenge given that I pretty much wear me made every day all year round at this point.  But after listening to Zoe of the So, Zo blog (and the mastermind behind Me Made May) on the Love to Sew Podcast last week I thought that maybe I could find a challenge for myself after all.  I have well over a dozen pairs of hand knit socks that have been languishing in my drawer since I went back to work.  I wasn't wearing them during the week because I didn't want to "ruin" them in my work boots, and on weekends I'm usually barefoot around the house or would just grab my sport socks if I was headed out anywhere.  I decided that it's high time I enjoy those hand knit socks once again, so my challenge for Me Made May is to wear hand knit socks five days a week at work.  (I'm not wearing them on the weekends because there's no snow on the ground anymore, which means no socks thanks!)  I'm not committing myself to documenting them daily - I'm just going to go with the flow on this one, but I'll let you know at some point how my challenge is going or went.   How about you?  Are you Me Made May-ing this year?  What is your own challenge?
SaveSave

The Jessi Hoodie

Ages ago - I feel like maybe as far back as late fall - one of the sewing groups I belong to on Facebook was hosting a sew along for the Jessi Hoodie by CoEmi.  I snapped up the pattern, bought the paper needed to print it off (It's a European pattern so required A4 - I made do with 8 1/2 x 14 " to accommodate the extra length needed and it worked just fine), printed and then assembled it all in short order.  Then proceeded to have zero time to sit down and trace the pattern out, add seam allowances and cut fabric out, let alone sew it up.  So it sat in a big pile on top of my desk until the beginning of March.

I've seen this pattern everywhere on Facebook for months now. It seems like ALL the custom fabric group sewists are especially crazy about it.  I really liked the look of it and thought it would be perfect for work, so I finally dragged my roll of tracing paper out and set to the business of tracing and adding seam allowances to all the bits and bobs.  It really wasn't an onerous task and now that it's done and I'm so happy with how it turned out I wonder why on earth I waited so long, other than time was, as always, at a premium.

I decided that my peached herringbone jersey from Blended Thread Fabrics would be great for the main fabric and instead of buying a co-ordinate for the rest, I decided to make do by utilizing as much of the charcoal Fabric Snob jersey from my ill fated New Horizons Vermont cardi that I'd made earlier in the year. (You never saw that one.  It was a complete fit disaster on me.  I don't know why I strayed from my beloved Blackwood Cardi in the first place).  So the cowl contrast was cut from the back of the cardi, the front side panels from the cardi fronts.  I cut the cuffs off and used them as is, and did the same with the cardi bottom band, so cuffs and band weren't exactly as the pattern measures, but did the trick nicely. I was pleased that the only "waste" left over from the cardi was the front bands which were so bizarrely stretched out of shape they were garbage anyway, and the sleeves, which I'll save for contrast on something for the little boys.

I have really loved wearing this top and reach for it so very often on cooler days, so I thought I'd make another version.  This time I used a panel from the custom print company, Midnight Mountain Fabrics which is located in the city. Being from the flat as flat can be prairies, I've always been drawn to the mountains. Some might even call it obsessed with them. I love their majesty, ruggedness and beauty, so I couldn't resist the panel when the pre-order went up a few months ago.  I combined it again with a jersey solid from The Fabric Snob.  This time since I was starting out from scratch I used the pattern pieces for the cuffs and measurements for the bottom band.  I like the bottom band's width, but the cuffs feel just a bit too long and too snug for my liking.  I'd probably like just an extra quarter of an inch width and a 1/4 of an inch shorter for my personal preference.  I'm not sure if it's the difference in fabric, or if I totally used the wrong seam allowance (How on earth do you do that when you're the one that added the seam allowance in the first place...The mind.  It boggles sometimes! LOL), but this one turned out really relaxed and verging on baggy.  I've taken it in some on the side seams and will wait until it's gone through the wash a couple of times in case it shrinks then I may leave it in it's still "relaxed fit" state, or may take it in more - I just feel that the minute I take it in, is the minute that it's going to shrink like a beast in the wash and I'm going to be living in a world of so much regret.  So for the time being it stays as is.

I used the "BIG Jessi" pattern. (Wow!  Not sure how I feel about the naming of the pattern - thanks for pointing out the obvious there CoEmi, because we larger ladies might not realize we're bigger than your regular pattern size range already.  But whatever.  Slight annoyance aside, I wasn't going to let myself be put off by that.  Maybe it's a translation thing.  I don't know.) As for the nitty gritty pattern details, the fit is pretty good (if you follow your seam allowance choice you made...), and it's a nice flattering design.  It has one heck of a huge cowl - if you feel the need to hide your head in a shell like a turtle, this is your pattern. LOL!

Or if you'd rather, there's a nice big hood option as well. You also have options to put in pockets (I didn't bother) and if you're a nursing mama, the pattern tells you how to add hidden zippers along the princess seam lines to make it breastfeeding friendly. Certainly not a feature I'd need anymore, but might be quite handy for others.  I like that you can mix and match fabrics and that it's a perfect way to use those fun custom print panels that are all over the internet that I seem to be acquiring but haven't previously had a hot clue what to do with.

I'm am pretty much delighted with both my versions and am currently pondering if I should make a third version, but this time with french terry and just a regular jewel neckline instead of hood or cowl.  Although, the weather has been glorious, so maybe I should just turn my thoughts to spring sewing instead... we shall see!

Ooops! I Did It Again...

So.  It happened.  I didn't mean for it to happen, but there you have it.  I had some jersey in my stash begging to be sewn up and really, I should have grabbed a different pattern, because I think it is likely just a teensy bit possible that one should branch out and sew something different once in a while.  However, these days sewing time is limited and the pattern was sitting right there on top of the pile of patterns and Oooops!  I did it again.  I further added to my already overly extensive Molly Top collection.

I can't even say anything about it because once you've sewn something ten or eleven times and you've talked about it eight or nine times previously there's just not a whole lot left to say.

So lets talk about these recent fabric choices instead.

The first one is an oh so very soft poly/rayon/spandex jersey from The Fabric Snob.  It's drapey and did I mention oh so soft?  I did my short sleeved, v-neck mod for my Molly because it's currently my favourite way to sew it up.  (admittedly because for whatever reason I can easily sew a v-neck shaped band on a neckline, whereas doing a regular one I seem to manage to mess up every single time.WHY?!?! Its like the fact I can't make Kraft Dinner.  Or Jello.  I don't know... I'm just weird that way I guess.)

The second one is a jersey of unknown specification that I snagged a year or more ago out of the clearance bin at Fabricland.  It has Llamas on it.  You know I couldn't leave it behind.  But there is precisely no drape to it and somewhat less stretch than desired.  Plus there's just something about wearing an entire tee covered in Llamas (or maybe they're Alpacas - I'll have to check out their ears and decide from there I guess) that felt just a little bit too quirky.  But it does make one heck of a fine pyjama top.  And if you've got a top?  Well, quite frankly you might as well make bottoms (I used the Halla Patterns sleep shorts pattern  and they took all of ten minutes to whip up by the by).  So win win!  I got to use my llama/alpaca fabric, I got to sew another Molly top, and I have new summer pyjammies!

Now I'm going to try and take a bit of a break from Molly for a while, but honestly? I really can't make any promises...

I'm So Magical I'm a Freaking Unicorn

A couple weeks ago I started listening to a new to me podcast, the Prairie Girls Knit and Spin, which I highly recommend - Danie and Susie are great together and I've thoroughly enjoyed the episodes I've listened to so far.  Anyway, in the first episode I caught, Danie was talking about spinning a sweater's quantity of yarn and then knitting a sweater from it.  The comment that she was so magical she was a freaking unicorn popped up and I've decided to adopt it because it is just so perfect for so very many situations that pop up in life.

Need that gearbox right now?  Here it is... I'm magical.  I'm a freaking unicorn.  You enjoyed that roast beef dinner with the impeccably puffed up Yorkshire puddings...  I'm magical.  I'm a freaking unicorn.  Spin some yarn and make something with it?  HELL YESSSSSS!  I'm most definitely a magical freaking unicorn.  See?  So perfectly fitting for so many things.

So, as you all know I started spinning in July of 2016 when my husband surprised me for my birthday with a day long private lesson with a master spinner and my choice of spinning wheel.  Over the course of time, I've spun a decent amount of yarn, but I'd not actually knit with any of it.  I wasn't sure what to knit or where to start.  Every now and again I'd take all the skeins out and admire my handy work, but that was as far as I got with them.

Then a couple of weekends ago I suddenly realized I had the perfect pattern in my queue to use up some of my early handspun.  In fact one of the yarns was my very first "on my own without an instructor sitting with me" yarn that I spun in the days after I brought my Ashford Kiwi 2 home with me.   The other yarn I spun and plied a few months later over the Christmas holidays, just before I started back to work.

The difference in the two yarns is amazing.  I can really see my progression, although both are pretty wonky.  Uneven, overspun, thin and corkscrewey in some places and underspun and thick as your thumb in others.  But they are mine, made with my own two hands and I love them.

The pattern I picked was a simple pair of fingerless gloves that I thought would be perfect for this time of year.  I had to fiddle with the pattern because my yarn definitely knit up at a much, much larger gauge than the Breton Mitts pattern called for.  I increased the needle size and then decreased my cast on considerably and adjusted the rows to fit my hands.

My mitts are thick and cozy and a bit bullet proof, the fabric is so dense, but I didn't want to go up yet another needle size from the three or four sizes I'd already gone up by, because then the thin bits got too thin.  Regardless of their wonkiness and bullet proofness, I adore these mitts and I wear them every morning while I'm waiting for the truck and more importantly the steering wheel to warm up when I'm driving to work.

And I can tell you that knitting something from yarn I made myself is pretty darn magical.  I'm a freaking unicorn.

#SMYLY2018

I wasn't going to participate in this "Sewing Makes You Love Yourself" challenge figuring I had nothing to say really, but as it turns out, I do have something to say.  Perhaps more for myself than anyone, but it's something I often think about, so here goes.  It's going to be a long one, so you may want to grab a cup of tea and a snack before you start reading...

When I was about five my Dad helped me thread a needle while my Mom was busy at the sewing machine and then helped me as I haphazardly sewed a sleeping bag for my barbie doll.  A few years later my mom helped me sew a stuffed creature of my own design on her sewing machine. A few more years after that I took home-ec in grade nine and made possibly the most hideous pair of stirrup pants ever to grace a body.  Too short, the zipper poked out funny, the stirrups themselves were wonky and uncomfortable.  As much as I'd loved my few little sewing projects that fell in between the barbie sleeping bag and the stirrup pants I HATED that home-ec class with a fiery heat of a thousand burning suns.  I also hated everything about grade nine.  Especially the school, that on the first day of grade nine, the guidance counsellor gave an uplifting (note extremely heavy sarcasm here) speech on how more than half of us wouldn't make it to grade 12.  I needed out and I had a plan.

To go to a different school I needed to take something not offered in my school division.  Dad taught Metals and Aerospace, so that was my first request.  No go.  Dad wasn't having any part of that suggestion.  Next I suggested Power Mechanics.  That was a flat out no as well.  I moved onto the next available option, Woodworking.  Nope, nope and nope.  Now don't get too upset about me being denied these courses.  Dad had some pretty valid reasons.  I was a complete disaster when it came to shops class in junior high.  It was amazing that I got out with all my limbs and digits in tact.  There was absolutely no way Dad was going to be comfortable with me using machinery that could possibly maim me.  So out of sheer desperation I tossed out the one last option I had at my disposal. Could I please take Fashion Technology and Pattern Design?  Yes.  It was a go.  (My poor Dad.  After all his trying to protect me from harm, a few months into my first year in the program I managed to sew right through my finger on an industrial sewing machine and needed to be taken to the local clinic by the school secretary in case I needed a tetanus shot.  So much for his theory that I'd be safe!  ha ha!). So really sewing at the beginning was simply just a means to an end.  A last ditch effort in a desperate plea to get out of going to the school I was in.  I had no idea it would become what it is today to me.

Right out of high school I didn't do a whole lot of sewing, just the odd thing here or there, until my daughter was born in '92.  Suddenly the sewing bug bit hard and I was obsessed with sewing all the clothes for the kids.  Then in '97 I suddenly found myself as a single mom of three young kids, stressed out, struggling to make ends meet, no self confidence and feeling lost.  I got a second part time job at the fabric store to supplement my part time bakery job and found my sanity along with it.  I kept the demons at bay by shopping the clearance section and using my staff discount and then sitting down in my sewing room after the kids went to sleep, into the wee hours of the night, stitching my troubles away for a few hours at a time.  I took in sewing as a third job, making dance costumes and mending along with whatever else came my way.  Then a few years later I moved to the city, tried to make my marriage work and sewing went back to being a passing hobby only done on the odd occasion until word got out that I sewed and suddenly I was making dance costumes again.  It was my gateway back.

My crafting - be it sewing or knitting (and now spinning) has always been my coping mechanism when things are rough.  It took me as a desperate 14 year old to a new school. It saw me through the first and then second and final ugly breakdown of my first marriage.  It gave me a way to help put food on the table and pay the bills.  When my last pregnancy ended in a miscarriage that left my heart and hopes shattered I sat hand stitching the binding on a quilt, each tiny stitch easing a tiny bit of the pain and sadness away.

Its been a huge part of happiness in my life too.  Stitching my first ever quilt when I was expecting Little Man, sewing a Teletubby "Po" for N when he was three because he dearly loved Po and I couldn't afford to buy him one, sewing so many clothes for the little boys and all the sewing I did for the older ones when they were young, making gifts and quilts for my loved ones and more recently over the last few years, sewing my wedding dress and the explosion of sewing for myself that has led to having an almost completely self sewn wardrobe except for my jeans that I wear to work every day. (No way I'm putting the effort into making jeans that might get grease on them!).  My husband gets it.  He also enables the purchase of patterns and fabric and never complains when the dishes sit unwashed in the sink or the laundry is threatening to take over the basement because I've been down in the sewing room.

But there's more to it than just that.  Sewing, and the community that goes along with it has given me the confidence to feel good about myself.  I think the change of tide all started a few years ago with the whole "Cake with Cashmerette" experience, although to be brutally honest I was more than a bit hypocritical.  I couldn't stand the thought of society daring to try to make someone feel less worthy or beautiful based on their size and more so to have the absolute gall to think they had any right to comment, yet I would catch myself looking in the mirror and berating myself for how I looked. Then feeling like crap because I certainly wouldn't tolerate anyone else treating another human being like that and yet I was doing it to myself.   So it didn't really take complete hold until last spring when I sewed the Penny Dress and had the "it's the pants, change the damn pants" idea from Stasia Savasuk hit home full bore.

I have the ability to change the damn pants.  I can make whatever I want and have it fit however I want.  It also means I can say to hell with society's notion of sizing.  So what if my measurements fall into a size 20, an x-large, a 2XL or a large?  Am I comfortable in what I'm wearing?  Do I feel good about it when I look in the mirror?  Is the important thing the sense of pride and happiness I feel when I put on a dress or top or whatever I made that fits me? Absolutely.

I can't tell you how much I used to hate shopping for clothes.  Nothing could put me feeling lower faster than a shirt that didn't fit, was too tight or too short.  Or dresses that I either couldn't get out of without the jaws of life because they were fitted in all the wrong places or tent like because the next size up was graded up comically huge.  Wondering what the hell was wrong with my lumpy bumpy self that I couldn't look good in anything I tried on.  All that is in the past.  Sure I still have my "Ugh.  Why are my jeans so damn tight today?" moments. But it's just a moment.  It's not a continuous stream of negative self talk going through my head.


For my project I was planning to sew a new dress this past weekend, but then I made the Halla Patterns Cozy Wrap Sweater last week.  It's totally out of my comfort zone as of late.  I seem to be more about greys, and muted colours, blending in rather than standing out.  Even my florals tend to be on the monochromatic side of things.  Don't get me wrong.  I do love a good bright floral for a summer dress, but was totally unsure and self conscious about a top.

So I posted a picture of myself on the Halla Patterns Facebook group.  I had hard hat hair, I was tired, it had been a very long day, but it proved the whole supportive sewing community point so well that I decided this had to be my SMYLY project.  I received so many encouraging and supportive comments from group members (and found out there happens to be a lot of Halla Pattern enthusiasts that are also spinning enthusiasts!!!!  These ARE definitely my people!!!).  Instead of feeling self conscious about my bright floral print, I am going to wear it with pride and if those little nigglingly self doubts creep into my head, I'm going to squash them and remember all the kind words of the group members.

If you've made it this far, thank you for reading! I'd also like to end with a big thank you to Athina Kakou, Hattie van der Krohn, and Lisa Kisch for hosting #SMYLY2018 as well as a huge thanks to all those that shared their stories throughout the last few months. There have been so many heartfelt reasons why we sew and it's been incredibly touching and inspiring to hear them.

It's All About Comfort

It's been cold a lot here lately.  Even when we have a ridiculously warm temperature in the forecast it'll go something like this, "Thursday's high -3C... with a windchill making it feel like -35C"  What?!?!  Why can't we have anything nice??? Quit playing with us, Mother Nature.  At this point it's just rude.

So along with cold comes a great need for cozy, comfortable clothes.  I'm all about jerseys and pontes these days!  I had some quilted jersey from Blended Threads that I wanted to use for possibly another Grainline Linden, but then one of the Facebook groups I belong too was planning a sew along for the Hey June Halifax Hoodie.  Since I have a Linden already, I thought I'd branch out.  I made view E of the Halifax, but lengthened it significantly (too much maybe?), because while I really loved the cowl neckline and the interest of the front diagonal seams there is no way that I'm doing a hi-low hem.  I really can't stand them at all on me.  It just always feels weird, so I spend all day tugging at the front of my top and feeling awkward.  LOL

I'm pretty happy with my Halifax although I've discovered that the quilted jersey collects lint like a beast (as does the ponte that I used along with it) and it also seems like it's going to have a tendency to pill a bit.  I also feel that the black is a bit strong (does that even make sense?) and wish I'd gone with a charcoal instead, but I was using up stash so, whatever.  It's cozy and comfy and so I'm perfectly fine with its couple of downsides.

After all was said and done, I still had a bit of Ponte left in the stash and a hankering for another Linden, because I absolutely adore the striped floral one I made at new years.  I went hunting through my stash of leftover bits and bobs for the sleeves and settled on quilted jersey left over from my last year's Jasper Hoodie.

I'm super happy with how it turned out and again, other than the lint collecting factor of the ponte, this was a complete wardrobe win for me.

My final make is a bit of a dud.  I think I mentioned how my husband bought me a Silhouette Cameo for Christmas - best new toy ever - and I wanted to try doing a shirt with a logo on it.  I had bought a light grey tee from Walmart for the purpose, but it was ridiculous on me. First off the fit was weird.  Next problem it was tissue paper thin.  Nope. Nope. Nope.  So $5 worth of poly blend jersey from Fabricland and my "TNT" Molly Top pattern seemed the best route to go.  The saying, "Don't Make Me Use My Hockey Mom Voice" is a reference to the fact that one of the other team moms and myself are sort of a bit ... ahem... infamous for our loud cheering.

Now before you start thinking we're that kind of obnoxious hockey mom, we're definitely not.  We cheer everyone on for pretty much everything. You're skating?  We're going to cheer.  Your stick touched the puck?  Cheer.  Got a goal? We're hooting and hollering like a couple of lunatics.  So we are super encouraging to our little players, but just happen to be a bit loud whilst doing it.  I blame it on my years in cadets as a teenager, calling the squadron out onto the parade square and giving drill commands.  That whole comes from the diaphragm, not the throat thing apparently stuck and I am just loud.  Can't help it.  LOL

The tee is fine.  Except it was like Goldilocks and the freaking bears with that neckband.  The first one was TOOOOOOO big.  The second one was TOOOOOOO small.  The third one?  Well it's ok. Certainly not just right, because in the meantime all the ripping out and re-doing stretched the heck out of the neckline.  Then I actually burnt the fabric a tiny bit right in the front trying to beat the darn thing into submission. (Hello polyester!).  So it's not great, but it'll do.  Then there's the logo.  I think my placement is a touch off.  Maybe a bit lower? Maybe more line spacing? Maybe a bigger font?  I've no hot clue.  I just know it looks off to me.

In amongst the sewing, I've also been knitting, spinning, playing with the cutting machine and generally avoiding dishes, laundry and other sundry housework when I'm not at work or the rink...

Just for Me - A Mystery KAL

Every holiday season for the last four years, one of my favourite designers, Laura Aylor of Fogbound Knits hosts a mystery knit along.  I've only had the opportunity to participate in two of them so far, but both times have thoroughly enjoyed it and this year's was exceptionally good!

I had finished my gift knitting - I'd really scaled back this year because I knew that with working full time now I likely wouldn't have the same time or energy for crafting as I used too.  In previous years it was nothing to be up late Christmas eve frantically trying to finish knitting a gift.  Last year in fact I remember finally going to bed at 4am and setting my alarm for 6am so I could get up and finish G's cowl.  I cast off and snuck it into her stocking as she pulled in the driveway at 7am.  It was madness and I knew that I didn't want that kind of last minute panic this year, so I made a point of finishing up before the Christmas season got under way.

So it left me with plenty of time to work on Laura's mystery KAL that she always dubs "Just for You" until after the whole pattern has been released at which point it gets it's own name.  This holiday's pattern is now named Retrospective.

When Laura sent out the planning sheet early in December I went down to my sewing room and started digging through my bins of yarn for two skeins of DK weight yarn.  I wasn't  happy with any of the choices.  They were ok, but nothing was jumping out at me.  Well nothing except the couple of
couple of skeins of Madeline Tosh yarn in the Composition Book and Lolita colour ways that I've been hoarding for the past several years since winning it in a gift knitting KAL for knitting the most gifts during it.  I kept by-passing the Tosh because it was too precious to use.  It's way beyond my normal budget.  It was special.  I needed the perfect pattern.

And then I said a big ol' TO HECK WITH THAT!  After all, if the whole point of Just for You was to treat yourself then why not use the special, precious yarn?  The worst that could happen was that I'd hate what I knit (not likely with a Fogbound Knits pattern, but one never knows), and then I could rip it out and still have my special yarn.  What good was hoarding it doing?  Sure it was pretty to look at every now and again, but really shouldn't the joy be in actually using it?

So I wound it up and when the first clue was sent out I started knitting.  I LOVED it.  I was so enamoured with the pattern, with the yarn, with the fact I could have a deliciously relaxing time knitting with no deadline.  It was perfect.

I have been desperate to show it off since casting off, but Laura had asked that we keep it somewhat on the down low until all participants had their chance at the mystery.  (She was doing two rounds.  The initial one before Christmas and one starting right afterwards for those who didn't get the chance to knit before hand).  So the pattern has now been released in it's entirety on Ravelry and here I am, finally able to show it off!

I adore this pattern and it was so much fun to knit up - getting a little section to work on each night for twelve days leading up to Christmas was perfect for me!  And I'm so glad I chose to use my precious Mad Tosh.  (except now I'm really coveting more...  those colours.  They're so amazing!!!)  I do have one more full skein of the grey, plus a smidge of both the skeins I used for the cowl left.  Maybe a pair of mitts or gloves would be in order...

 PS: don't judge the Christmas tree.  It's been down since Sunday afternoon - I took these pictures on Boxing day and New Year's Eve day. So well within the acceptable time frame for a Christmas tree! ;) LOL

SaveSave

A Spur of the Moment Small Sewing Spree

Thanks to the holiday I have a three day weekend to enjoy.  I decided that I was going to use some of my time to do some sewing to celebrate the end of the year!  I've had a few projects that I wanted to get done, but before the holidays I was too busy with holiday prep, work and life in general to actually get to it.  Now was the perfect time!

Late yesterday afternoon I got all the fabric cut out for a top, a sweatshirt and a cardi.  Then took my little stack of fabric down to my sewing room and set to work.  The first one I tackled was the Linden Sweatshirt from Grainline Studios.  This one has been on my to do list for approximately forever.  WHY OH WHY have I not made it before?!?!  Oh! Right!  Probably because I waited until November to actually buy it and then had no time for sewing (see above mentioned excuse).  I did add almost three inches to length to accommodate my longer torso and a bit extra out of personal preference.

I picked up the fabric on my way home from work on Friday when I popped into the local Fabricland for something else I needed.  It's ponte de roma and from the clearance bin that I thought was a bargain at regular price for clearance.  I was exceptionally pleased to find it was 50% and my sweatshirt fabric cost me a whopping total of $7.70!

Having finished my Linden (which there will be many more of I'm pretty sure!!!!) I decided to make the top next.  It's a... Molly Top.  Of course it's a Molly!  Do I make any other tops these days?  No.  I didn't think so! Ha ha!  I loved my v-neck version so much that I decided this one should have a vee as well!  This super soft, drapey fabric was from an independent shop out in Western Manitoba, The Fabric Snob.  I don't think she has this particular colour in stock right now - or at least I didn't see it at quick glance - but she's got loads of other gorgeous florals and her 10 oz solids are my go to for solid knits now, I love them so much!

I didn't get this one done last night but had set it at side when I got to the point of needing to do the neckline and the hems, so it didn't take me very long this morning to zip through finishing up this one and moving along to my third make of the weekend, a Blackwood Cardi.  I've been wanting to make another since I made my first Blackwood.  I even have another cardi that I'd sewed up about a month ago from a different pattern that's waiting to be taken apart and fixed up using the Blackwood because it couldn't even come remotely close to comparing with fit of Helen's pattern and I know that until I fix it there is no way it'll ever get worn.  I sewed up a long Blackwood for my daughter for Christmas and had some serious envy.  Good thing she wears a vastly different size than I do or she might not have actually got her Christmas present.  I was going to do a long one for myself, but alas when I bought the lightweight melange knit from Fabricland I was thinking short version and bought fabric accordingly.  Oh well.  Next one!

The other thing I did was to print off some fun labels for my newest makes!  Santa brought me a new toy for Christmas - a Silhouette Cameo 3 and it is SO MUCH FUN!!!!! It's like a label maker on steroids and then some.  I've been walking around speculatively eyeballing everything in sight for potential decals, labels and fancy cut paper.  During the holidays Patterns for Pirates put out a free file for clothing labels and I knew I had to use them.  I'm particularly fond of Size Sassy and Size Unique!  Take that society!  I refuse to conform to your ridiculous notions of sizing.

So not bad for a spur of the moment small sewing spree!  It felt great to be getting sewing done.  It also felt great to reduce the pile of fabric by three - goodness knows I've a long way to go before I make a slight dent in the stash, but it's a start.  (It turns out when I don't have time to sew, I just start amassing fabric at a pre-apocolyptic preparation worthy level instead.)

Well, it smells like my now traditional New Year's Eve roast beef is going to need some attention soon - it's been cooking for two and a half hours now and it's making me sooooo hungry!  Time to get the Yorkshire puddings prepped and start peeling potatoes I think!

I'd like to wish you all a very happy (and safe) New Year's Eve.  I hope that tomorrow's start of 2018 brings with it a year of happiness and peace for you and yours.

Wrapping Up One Week One Pattern

I'm not even going to bother with making excuses for not blogging or pretend that I might get back on some semblance of schedule with it.  But I'm here for the time being and I wanted to do a wrap up of sorts of my first experience participating in the One Week, One Pattern challenge, which is just as it sounds.  You choose one pattern for one week and either wear different versions of it, or style it differently or a mix of both.

The challenge was hosted by Sheona of Sewisfaction this year and if anyone can persuade someone to want to take part in something Sheona, with her bubbly, cheerful personality is just the person to do it.  I love her vlog posts and instagram stories and feeds.  She is down to earth and so easy to relate too.  So when she announced she was hosting this year, I couldn't help but join in.

I had a hard time deciding which pattern I was going to use at first, because there's a few I love.  I thought of making six more Blackwood cardi's, or maybe a few new Idyllwild Tees.  Maybe a couple more Anna dresses (but how would that work with jeans and steel toes five days out of the week?).  Finally I settled on the Sew Over It Molly Top.  I had five of them already, so I figured I could just double up.  Then I ended up making a Molly Dress the week the challenge was starting, and then another Molly top the evening of the second last day.  I already have two more planned.  Molly is definitely proven to be my go to tried and true pattern. It's such a simple make and I can whip one up in a little over an hour from cutting out to hemming.  The fit is spot on with just an inch and a half added for length, so it's a no brainer for me.  It makes me feel great being able to finish something easily these days when sewing time is so limited and I love wearing them.  It's definitely my number one "TNT" pattern.

I've been on the fence about the Molly Dress since the City Break E-book came out to be honest.  I have definitely wanted to make one, but worried that it would look like a nightgown, or just too shapeless on my figure.  I have some gorgeous Ponte that I'd ordered from Stitchy Bee a while back that I wanted to make a dress with, but no way wanted to waste it if the dress was a disaster.  So I bought some fabric from the local Fabricland on my way home from work one day.  Unfortunately I misread the price and it ended up hella expensive, especially for a potential dud.  Ooops!  I decided to forge ahead with it though with the intention that if it was a nightmare I could chop off the bottom and have a really soft and cozy Molly top.  I LOVE the dress.  It gets all the heart eyes from me.  I have no clue what the fabric is - it's soft and feels like a cross between a really fine sweater knit and a brushed poly.

I documented my week on Instagram - most photos taken with my tripod and remote on my phone, and the weekday ones were taken at 5:30 in the morning, so photo quality is a bit dodgy, but hopefully you won't mind my less than glorious photography skills.  Here's how my week went:

Day One - the brand new Molly Dress

 Day Two - a Molly tee - this one is probably my least favourite Molly.  It's a fairly recent make, and it's ok, but there's very little drape to the organic cotton jersey and it turns out it's not as great a colour as I thought it was when I bought the fabric three years ago, but it's great for kicking around in.

Day Three - one of my early Molly's.  I think this was the second one I made last year.  Unfortunately I forgot to add any length and it's shrunk so it's on the verge of too short for me to wear comfortably.  But it has silver threads along the edges of the stripes which makes me ridiculously happy, so I still wear it more often than I should and then spend the day tugging it down.

Day Four - My first Molly.  Oh how I love this top!  It's so cozy and soft.  It's made from a sweater knit and it's only issue is that somehow a mad case of static cling has got it's clutches on it and no matter how I wash or dry it I can not get rid of the cling from hell.  I've tried everything I can think of so if you have any great solutions, please let me know!

Day Five - A recent Molly.  I totally meant to make a cardi with this fabric.  But then I felt like I was in the doldrums with my sewing and had nothing to wear, so it became a Molly instead.  I may or may not live in this top.

Day Six - this was my third Molly.  At first I thought this jersey from Minerva Crafts was way to drapey and that the top looked way too flowy, but it took mere moments of wearing it for it to become one of my favourites.  It's such a great top for work.  Not too heavy, and a great layering piece.  It gets a lot of wear!  (let's just ignore the wrinkles - it probably should have had a date with an iron before I took a photo in it.)

Day Seven - last but not least my newest Molly top.  This is a short sleeved version.  I thought I'd mix things up and make a v-neck on this and now I'm obsessing about a long sleeve v-neck Molly.  I could live in this top every day if it wasn't weird to do so.  

In retrospect, I suppose choosing the Molly Top wasn't the most challenging thing given I really do wear them all the time, especially during the work week.  It felt almost like cheating it was such an easy choice! As I mentioned I'm planning a Molly Dress with the Ponte from Stitchy Bee and I have a great monochromatic grey floral jersey that I just ordered on a black friday sale from The Fabric Snob that is pretty much screaming at me to become a v-neck long sleeve Molly, so clearly I'm not done with the pattern just yet!   

I have some other projects I'd love to tell you about in the near future, but not sure when I'll get the chance to be back to blogging, so who knows when it'll happen or if it'll happen.  I sometimes feel like so much time has past that there's not much point in writing about it anymore.  So I guess I'll just play it by ear and see you when I see you.  In the meantime, I hope this finds you all happy, healthy and enjoying life to it's fullest!

SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave
SaveSaveSaveSave

Brasov Wrap Top

Just stopping in with a quick post tonight!

No school for the boys + no sitter + plus the fact that they need my hubby at work way more than they need me (although it does hurt the ego a bit to admit that! LOL) meant that I had a day off of work today! I had fabric at the ready and the brand new, just released Itch to Stitch pattern, the Brasov Wrap Top* printed off and assembled!

The crossover top pattern features figure flattering pleats and a nice modest neckline. I do prefer v-neck tops, and absolutely love a wrap top, but am always conscious of how my tops fit and making sure the neckline isn't too low or too revealing.   Throughout my day I'm up ladders, or bending down to get things and I also work closely with the maintenance team and often meet with vendors. The last thing I want to be worried about is if I'm at risk for an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction. Brasov is the perfect solution! I was so excited when I saw the first pattern photos for it and snapped up the pattern the minute I got the email from Kennis yesterday morning advertising that it was available!

I'm really happy with how my top turned out! I used 10oz cotton/spandex from The Fabric Snob that I had bought a few weeks ago. It was my first time ordering from there and I'll definitely be making future fabric orders!  Their jersey is top notch - super soft, great weight and fantastic recovery!!  Unfortunately between the fact I started out with less yardage than called for, and that my fabric had  shrunk a bit when I prewashed it meant I had to get a bit fancy in my cutting out the pattern. I ended up having to have a centre back seam and 3/4 sleeves, but that wasn't too big of a deal. Certainly not enough to deter me from using the fabric!  I did add 1 1/2" in length instead of my usual inch I add to Itch to Stitch patterns because I wanted a bit of extra insurance in the event that it shrinks more when I wash it again.

If you act quickly you can grab a copy of the pattern for yourself with a 20% discount! I highly recommend it as a great wardrobe staple for fall and winter! (I'm also dreaming of doing a sleeveless version for spring next year too!)

Leo The Lion, King of the Prairies

I mentioned my other road knitting project in my last post and thought I'd share a bit about it today with you.

Baby Boy - I really should think of a new name for him, he's hardly a baby now that he's in grade two and about to turn seven years old - made the discovery recently that everyone in the world (or at least all his siblings) have a sock monkey and he does not.  He had found my Paton's booklet, "Monkey Business" in the basement a week or so before we were to leave on holidays and he put two and two together and realized all those sock monkeys he's seen in his sibling's possession had to have been mama made.

He desperately wanted me to knit him something.  But not a monkey.  What he wanted was the last pattern in the book.  A cheerful looking lion named Leo.  I told him that as soon as I was finished knitting his sweater I would start Leo.  Every time he saw me knitting on his sweater he make a comment as to the fact that it was good I was knitting his sweater because then I could start his Leo.

He was actually playing with his lion in his head all the time and had so many imaginary adventures with the yet un-knit Leo.  Oh the stories he made up about their adventures.  It was unimaginably sweet.

Before leaving on the trip I let him go through my stash of worsted weight yarns and he picked out the colours he wanted.  I put together a kit of everything I would need to complete Leo from yarn, to needles, to fibrefill and popped it in my bag for in the front of the truck.  As soon as I cast off his sweater I cast on the lion.

I only knit on long driving stretches but slowly and surely all the pieces started coming together.  Lots and lots of pieces.  I am not overly fond of knitting toys.  Especially toys that have a billion fiddly pieces to sew together in the end, but it was a labour of love so I bit the bullet.

I worked on the head between Swift Current, SK and Medicine Hat, AB.  Then continued on two days later from Drumheller, AB to Calgary, AB and bit from Calgary, AB to Jasper, AB.  The muzzle was done while driving to the "Enchanted Forest" outside Revelstoke, BC and back into town again, and the body started somewhere around Rogers Pass, BC and finished somewhere between Calgary, AB and Moosomin, SK.  Seaming, his face, mane and feet (I ran out of yarn for the legs) were finished for the most part between Moosomin, SK and home here in South Eastern MB.  Last Wednesday evening I put the stitches onto the needles and got the four legs done and sewed them on and then added a few more strands in left over orange Berroco Vintage to add a little depth to his mane and fill in the bare spots that were left because I'd run out of the dark brown.  Since most of the knitting was done throughout Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta I've dubbed him "King of the Prairies".

I had Leo already by Baby Boy's bedtime and he was thrilled.  And not just him.  Little Man was equally excited for his little brother to have a "sock toy".  It was such a gratifying moment as a mom and as a crafter.