The Celeste Dress

Hello all!  So it's been a few weeks since I've posted, but all is well.  We've been having a good summer so far here - lots of sunshine lately and not quite as ridiculously hot as it was at the beginning of July so it's been livable.  The first bit with the heat warnings every day got to be a bit much for my liking, especially when the house gets so hot and then just will not cool down, but thankfully we seem to be past that and into the just enjoyable kind of summer weather.  Mind you if the mosquitoes could take a leave of absence for a bit, I'd greatly appreciate it.  Also the deer... I have a resident deer that lives a lot of her life in my yard and seems to firmly believe that I planted the garden for her personal dining enjoyment, which is getting rather annoying to say the least.  She was in there again yesterday noshing on the beets and chard.  The only thing she's left untouched is the corn, the hot peppers and oddly enough the lettuce.  But other than those two aggravations, we've been really enjoying summertime.  It's such a relief to have the crazy learn from home school year done and not have to think about it for a while!

I've also been doing some sewing in small chunks of time.  If you follow my Instagram you'll know that right now I'm in the midst of sewing a bathing suit that has given me all kinds of headaches and fits, but before starting that project, I had the opportunity to test a new pattern for Itch to Stitch* again.  I've declined all testing opportunities since late winter because I just didn't have the time nor the brain power to do a proper job of it, so I was really happy to be able to jump in when the testing call came out for the Celeste Dress!

The Celeste is an easy breezy kind of summer dress.  It has princess seams, short sleeves and a v-neck along with fantastic pockets and an interesting gather detail at centre front.  You have the option of putting in a side zip if you need one, but I didn't think it would be necessary for mine and I was happily right.  (I did baste the seams and try it on first to be sure I could go without the zip.  No need to get completely stuck in a dress!  LOL)  It goes together quite easily, which is always lovely. I had a bit of an issue sewing the facing in the front, but that was more down to me being stubborn to the point of ridiculous.  Once I used some common sense things went much better.

For my Celeste, I used a linen blend with a slight crinkly texture to it.  It had been labeled as linen/cotton, but it really does behave and feel far more like a linen/viscose, so I have my suspicions that the tag may have been incorrect.  It gave my dress a more drapey look to it, which I'm absolutely fine with!  I did lengthen the bodice on mine, which in hindsight maybe I didn't need to do or do quite so generously at least, but the curve at the waist would've hit in a weird spot for my actual waist had I not I think.  It means my gathers seem to sit a bit lower than most other testers, but I don't mind.  I like where it sits for me.

I will definitely be wearing this dress a lot.  It's cool and comfortable and as a bonus can withstand strong winds without the skirt blowing over my head.  (Always such a bonus here on the prairies where it seems to be windy almost all the time lately!)

If you're wanting to pick up a copy for yourself, you can head on over to the Itch to Stitch site.  Celeste is, of course, on sale for the release week!

New Summer Staples

My Helen's Closet Suki Robe finally got made in May!  A couple posts ago I was telling you how I had purchased the pattern and ordered some embroidered cotton from Minerva almost immediately after and then I sat on it for the last few years.  Like so many projects I have NO idea what took me so darn long to make it.  I was obsessed with the idea of a shortened Suki as a summer cover up for over tank tops and tees after seeing Helen's version on her blog. Really, it's a bit silly to say, but the thing that held me back was deciding on the length I needed to make the robe.  (Told you it was silly! How do I let things like that hold me back?!?!).  

 
This spring I took the fabric back out of it's pile it had been languishing in and put the pattern pages together - oh yes. I'd even printed it out as soon as I bought it.  My ridiculousness knows no bounds.  Ha ha!   It was such a quick sew once I got started.  And I was so happy to have it done!  I'd planned to wear it during Me Made May but alas.  I had absolutely nothing that looked good with it.  My love of florals can sometimes be a problem given almost all my tops are in some sort of bold floral print or another.  I really wanted a solid coloured top underneath so that the embroidery on the fabric could really shine.

Took me a few weeks more to get around to getting some solid coloured linen-look black fabric and whip up a modified ITS Crystal Cove Cami, but I got it done eventually - not in time for Me Made May of course, but whatever.  My Suki is done, I love it, and I certainly don't need to wait for an occasion or event to wear it.  I'm going to sew up a pink Crystal Cove as well so I can have a couple colour options to wear.  I bought a metre of it as well when I bought the black, I just haven't got around to actually making it.

Oh! And all that fear I had about the length?  Well - actually it turns out I cut it too short really.  Ooops!  But the world didn't come crashing down on me, nor did the gods of sewing punish me, so I guess it's alright. Ha ha!  I just used some really wide 2" bias binding I had in my stash and created a facing type hem instead and made a note on my pattern to add a bit of length for my next one.  Did I mention how much I love my shortened Suki Robe?  I might splurge on some pretty fabric to make a full length robe for lounging at home too down the road, but I've not had anything catch my eye just yet.

My other project that I am super happy I got made is another Helen's Closet pattern, the Ashton Top.  I sewed it up on the last day of Me Made May and immediately put it on for the rest of the day. I definitely need more in my life because it is getting a bit embarrassing how often I wear mine.  I hadn't sewn anything with linen in so long that I'd forgotten what a joy it is to work with and how amazing it is to wear, especially in the heat of summer.  The Ashton Top was another pattern that I've sat on forever.  I think I got it last summer when Helen started talking about "Ashton August" and all the hacks she was planning for it.

I joke that this past winter was the "Winter of Elliots" because I made and wore the Elliot so often - actually I just realized I'm wearing an Elliot tee as I type this!  I'm thinking I may have to dub this the "Summer of Ashton" because I continually wear it... see comment above....  It's just so easy to throw on with jeans, or shorts, or palazzo pants and it's cool and comfy and if it wrinkles I do not care because it's linen and that's what linen does.

I'm currently putting linen in and taking it out of my cart online because I know I shouldn't actually buy fabric.  I don't need fabric.  But I want fabric darn it.  I've even braved going to the fabric store specifically to look for linen.  (Didn't find anything I loved for an Ashton so it was kind of a disappointment - although I did find a great bargain on a linen blend for some floaty, breezy Winslow Culottes...) What I do think I might do, is take apart a dress I made forever ago when N graduated from high school and use the skirt of it for an Ashton.  It was a black and white linen blend print that I loved but lets face it.  I'm never going to fit into the dress again, so I might as well enjoy what I can of it!

So that's been my two - well I guess three with the Cami - new sews for summer that I'm going to be living in.  If you see me wearing either of them on constant repeat, just pretend you don't notice.  I'll try to at least make sure they're clean...

Oh and as for Me Made May?  My pledge was :

I challenge myself to wear at least one me made garment each day and to assess what the holes in my me made wardrobe are and to try and fill those holes by sewing some new garments.

Well, I did wear at least one me made garment each day and as it turns out, without a single repeat.  Which tells me I have a heck of a lot of clothes and not a whole lot of holes in the wardrobe.  Although, I did notice it was tops, tees, cardi's, hoodies etc.  Other than a few pairs of me made shorts, I haven't got many bottoms to go with the tops.   So I guess if I'm meaning to fill holes, that should be where I start.  I mentioned a pair of Winslow Culottes, but I also want to make a pair of cropped Lander Pants and I have fabric put aside for the Arden Pants as well.  We'll see how it goes though.  If nothing else, I tend to be pretty fickle with my sewing plans.  "Oooh look at the shiny new thing... I want to make that instead!"

Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other.

An Important Note

So, obviously it's been a bit since I posted last.  Things felt just a bit chaotic throughout the month of May and I was tired at night so instead of writing I often just went to bed and read instead of staying up like I normally would.  Then I made a decision to stay quiet at the beginning of June so that the community of Black makers could be seen and have their voices heard and amplified.

Coming back to blogging doesn't mean I feel that is any less important or that I'm not still listening.  I've learned so much through the community as they've shared their stories and their pain.  I have been encouraged by discussions I've had, comments I've read, and by many companies that I use that have stepped up to the plate to do their part.    

Some days I've also been thoroughly disgusted and dismayed by others.  It makes my heart sick to know that there are many people that somehow feel someone is "less than" or not "worthy of" simply because of the colour of their skin and that societal attitudes are, in many cases, in no better a place than hundreds of years ago.  I am choosing to be hopeful though that this is the time that people open their hearts and minds and it actually changes for good...

Please know that if you are thinking that you are "tired of hearing about racism" or that you'd "like to just get back to crafting" or that you "don't like political stuff" or that "racism only happens in the States" or probably one of the most asinine I've heard this week alone, that "racism is just a made up thing, it doesn't exist" (WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?!?!?!) then you probably do not want to stick around; you can show yourself to the door now please.  This space has always been and will continue to be one that welcomes and celebrates everyone regardless of the colour of their skin, orientation or religion.  Racism and discrimination will absolutely not be tolerated here.

I will no longer be highlighting, mentioning or supporting companies - large, independent or otherwise nor moving forward spending my money on companies that do not share the belief that there is no place in this world for racism. I will also continue to read, listen and learn how I can help do my part to change the world.

I will resume writing here once again, sharing my makes and recipes and life but it felt very important to put this out there first and foremost before getting back into it so that we are all on the same page.

Me Made May 2020

Well here it is, already May 1st, which means its time for Me Made May!  I've been kind of hit and miss with my participation in Me Made May over the years, but I thought this year I'd give it a go!

My challenge for myself is pretty simple :

I challenge myself to wear at least one me made garment each day and to assess what the holes in my me made wardrobe are and to try and fill those holes by sewing some new garments.

My hope is that with my challenge to myself, I'll get back to creating. As I mentioned in my last post, I've found it very hard to focus over the last month and a half on things, and while I know that I always feel much better when I am giving myself the opportunity to flex my creative muscle whether it be through sewing, knitting or another crafty and creative outlet, I have found that I often don't have the energy to actually do so.  Perhaps being more thoughtful about what I need in my wardrobe will give me the gentle nudge to go sit down and do something.

As it stands right now I have about twenty projects swirling around in my head - I should sew tee shirts! But then maybe I need pants more.  Oh but then there's that Zadie jumpsuit that would be a good thing to wear this spring.  But it's chilly still somedays.  Maybe I should sew a hoodie. Then again summer is coming and I need a new bathing suit...

So it goes on.  Nothing gets done.  Heck nothing really gets started.  LOL  But!  If I can use Me Made May as a catalyst for figuring out what I need to start with maybe it'll help.

I did put together the PDF for the Helen's Closet Suki Robe the other night and do plan to start with that.  I'm going to make it as an alternative to a cardigan for spring in an embroidered cotton.  Both cotton and pattern were purchased when the pattern was first released and I've even had it printed out since then!  I was still working in the parts room back then and because my wardrobe consisted of jeans, tees and sweatshirts at the time, it got shoved to the side.  I think its high time to make it a wardrobe reality though.

Anyway, this morning dawned chilly and cloudy and very much threatening to rain, so instead of wearing something nice and springy for this first day of Me Made May I reached for a pair of ready to wear jeans and a me made hoodie.

The hoodie is my Tami Revolution Hoodie from New Horizons Designs that I made early last fall.  It's made from a heavier weight cotton lycra from Prairie Love Knits out of Alberta as I'm pretty sure its safe to say it's my favourite hoodie I've made to date! Yes.  I am wearing my moccasins.  It's a work from home day for me. Don't judge me.  Slippers are totally acceptable footwear. (They're from Manitobah Mukluks if you're curious, which is an Indigenous owned local company that I'm pretty much obsessed with because they have great products and fantastic service! My husband always cringes when I casually start a sentence with, "So... I saw Manitobah Mukluks is having a sale..." LOL)

I plan to document my me mades on my Instagram account this year so if you want to see what I'm up to you can pop on over there to have a look.  And watch this space!  I'll be back, hopefully sooner than later with that new Suki Robe!

Until then keep healthy and well!

I Sewed A Thing

I sewed a thing this week.

Unlike the rest of the sewing community (or at least one assumes the rest of the sewing community judging by my social media feed), I have not suddenly become a prolific pandemic crafter.

I've felt such a complex lot of feelings about what I have and have not got done, and the projects I choose or don't choose to make.  First I went through a period of time where I felt almost guilty that I wasn't taking the opportunity to learn a new skill, or sew up every piece of fabric in my stash, or knit every yard of yarn in the house because every where I turned that seemed to be the message I was being told I should be doing.   Some days though, I felt it was all I could do to go to work, come home, make supper, care for and teach the kids, try to stay on top of housework and just be a semi- functional human being. Other days, I felt I was doing pretty ok if I hadn't sat staring at the wall doing absolutely nothing for an hour straight.  As an asthmatic in a higher risk category this virus has had me pretty stressed out and scared many a day.

Don't even get me started on the telling me to do my part and stay home bit that came with its own level of guilt.  I can't stay home.  Nor can my husband.  We both have jobs that require us to be there.  For him, full time still and for me, now, part time in the school keeping the office open and the rest of the time working from home.  It's taken a while to stop feeling like I was selfishly and systematically putting the world at risk every time I left the house to go for work. I would love for us to stay home and not ever leave until all danger has passed, but this is not our reality.

Then came the whole sew/don't sew masks thing.  I have not, nor will I become, a one woman mask/scrub cap/isolation gown/whatever else factory.  I admire those that have done this, but that is not where I'm at right now. If this is an issue for you,  perhaps now is time to stop reading.

I realized eventually that I was giving far, far too much power to the suggestions of social media and that this is my own journey and I need to travel it in whichever way I need too. (Of course still following all the actually important stuff like going out only when I have too, social distancing, taking care of my health etc.)  Not only is my physical health important, but my mental health is too and to that end, I decided that I will sew/knit/craft  whenever and whatever it is that makes my mind and heart happy because that is something I do have control over.

When the DIBY Club pattern company sent an email letting customers know that they had put all their patterns on sale 60% off, I decided to grab one that caught my eye.  I certainly don't need any new patterns - goodness knows I have a pattern collection that would probably take more than one lifetime to sew through.  But patterns often are my guilty pleasure impulse buy.

So I bought the Adrienne pattern and printed it out one afternoon last week while I was waiting for a video to upload for the school website. (Good gravy my ancient home computer is sooooo slow!!!) That night while supper cooked I put the pages together. The next night I dug through a bin of fabric and found a remnant of sweater knit I'd bought at some point thinking I'd make a Blackwood with it, but then found it had a huge hole in the middle of the of it, so it got shoved further down in the bin.  I wasn't sure if it would be enough, but it turned out I was able to work around the hole and get the whole Adrienne sweater cut out.  I have no idea what the fabric content is, but its soft and snuggly and drapey and turns out it was the perfect fabric for my new sweater.

The pattern has three options of necklines - cowl, bateau and crew.  There's also four sleeve options - long, 3/4, elbow and short.  It features a wide, curved hem band that overlaps where it joins high up on the sides.  Its construction is fairly simple and the instructions include a link to a video tutorial on how to do the bottom bands which makes them a breeze to sew up.

I sewed it up in three days.  It could have been sewn up in a few hours probably, but I chose to do it in small chunks of time as I have found that method seems to work best for me now.  For my version I chose the faced bateau neckline and 3/4 sleeves.  The only change I made to the pattern was to add a bit of length. But the instructions do offer in-depth instructions on how to fit the pattern - everything from simple blending of sizes, to the more complex FBA/SBA.

I decided to use a pair of vintage buttons for added interest.  I bought the buttons a few summers ago when the Costume Museum of Canada had a fundraiser button sale that I went to with a friend.  Buttons are also a guilty pleasure for me... and I can't resist a vintage button!  I was very careful how I sewed my buttons on my Adrienne being mindful of the button tragedy of last summer when I accidentally sewed through a vintage button with my machine on the last button of my blouse and had to settle for one boring old modern button.

I'm really happy with my new sweater, and actually when I tried it on straight off the machine I liked it so much that I wore it the rest of the afternoon yesterday.  (thus the wrinkles in the photos! LOL)

Thanks for sticking around to read all this way!  Until next time stay well, and stay healthy!

Gnomes are Magical

I have a new obsession.  Well, not exactly new.  I've always been overly fond of the common garden gnome. The new part of it is the fact that I have started knitting gnomes.  I'm calling them my Indoor Garden Gnomes and I've got a healthy little collection started.

It all began back in February when, after months, maybe years, of seeing my friend knitting gnomes, I decided to take the plunge and do the Imagined Landscapes Mystery Gnome Knitalong.  I told you about that one in a previous post; how it actually brought a real joy of knitting back into my life.  I was actually excited to pick up the needles and it came naturally instead of feeling forced.

So Gnome Is Where You Hang Your Hat was my first gnome.  I love him and his sweet little pullover.  But once I finished I found that I'd enjoyed knitting him so much that I was a little sad it was over.   What's the best way to combat that?  Why, knit another gnome of course!  You just can't ignore the call of the gnome after all...

So I set to work on Here We Gnome Again, which I think is the cutest little cable-y gnome ever!  He knit up pretty quickly even with the cabled pattern.  He's a lovely little fella with a fancy beard and a bobble nose and I adore him!  Once finished he and his companion sat happily guarding my house plants.

But then every thing hit the fan in the world, and I was having trouble focusing on anything.  Impending school closures had been announced the Friday before, so work was absolute chaos on the Monday, then on Tuesday, both boys woke up in the morning sick with sore throats and colds. We had just had T at his ortho specialist appointment at the big hospital in the city two weeks earlier, so although I knew rationally that it was most likely just a run of the mill cold, I was incredibly stressed out.  It wasn't my finest moment of calm, rational thought, I can tell you that much!  I was in the end reassured by the fact that T spend countless times on the treadmill downstairs running for half an hour at a time as fast as he could because he set himself a goal that he "would become the fastest kid around" and within a day D's mild cold was gone and within three days there was no trace of sniffles, sore throat or cough from T either.

But on that Tuesday evening when I was slowly coming unglued over worry about the boys, stress about work that I wasn't at because I was home with the boys, but was trying to do as much from home as possible still and feeling guilty that I'd basically abandoned ship when things were so insane at the school, along with general anxiety about the pandemic, my husband had told me, "Go knit a gnome.  It'll help.  Gnomes fix all."

So I took his advice and cast on another.  While a gnome can't really fix all, they do offer a sense of order and calm to the mind and soul with their simple little patterns that can be done easily in small chunks of time.  This time I cast on Oh Gnome, You Didn't.

He's a fun little gnome that normally has a jester hat and a scarf, but the boys and I decided he need a beard instead of scarf.  And when I found the fiery yellow and orange ball of fun fur deep in my stash from sometime around 2003, I knew it was the perfect beard yarn for my St. Patrick's Day green gnome.  He might actually be my favourite... (Shhh.  Don't tell the others!) But would you look at how he has his little hands in his little pockets?  Love it.

My gnome collection was a good size, but I felt I still needed to knit another. Gnomes are also a bit like potato chips.  Once you start, you just don't want to stop,  once a Gnomemaker, always a Gnomemaker perhaps. So I cast on a fourth gnome in the span of a little over a month.  This time the chosen gnome was Gnome de Plume.

Funny thing with this one, is that I just assumed she would be the same size roughly as the others.  So as I was knitting her hat, I kept thinking it was one epically large hat for a little gnome.  Finally, I checked the finished measurements and realized she was not a little gnome at all.  She was so much bigger than I was anticipating.  So much so, that when I was in between stuffing and finishing her I had to find my tallest mug to rest her in because she was just a little too unwieldy to just set down in my lap.

Even though she's not a little gnome like the rest of the collection, she is perfect in my opinion with her leafy hat and leaf shaped beard. (Do all lady gnomes have beards?  I wasn't sure but her's is a delicate leaf shaped one, so I thought that it would be as feminine a beard as one could ask for...) I have decided she is to be crowned queen of the gnomes and she has joined her much smaller loyal subjects in guarding the plants!

I'm taking a break from gnomes for the moment and working on a different project right now, but the important thing is, thanks to these magical little gnomes, I have found the love of knitting again, and it has come at a time I need it the most.

If you're looking for something that doesn't take much yarn, doesn't take a whole lot of focus and doesn't take much time I suggest taking a look at Imagined Landscapes collection of patterns.  There's several gnomes to choose from (although there's not just gnomes!  There's plenty of other beautiful items to knit if gnomes aren't your thing of course).  The patterns I've done have all been very well written, and lovely to knit! If you're not up to knitting right now, you could always check out their podcast!  I've really enjoyed listening to the two sisters chatting. (plus they are fellow Manitobans and I'm always excited to support someone local to me!)

Until next time, I wish you all good health and a hope that you are still finding joy and happiness in the small, simple pleasures in life.

A Trio Of Elliots

Hello all!  Here we are almost a week later since my last post.  How is everyone doing?  I waver between calm, rational thought and obsessive worrying and anxiety lately.   There seems to be no middle ground for me.

So I thought I'd distract myself with a long overdue post about my trio of Helen's Closet Elliot Sweaters that I made earlier in the new year.  How have I neglected to blog about them?  I wear them all the time!  Next time One Week One Pattern roles around it will be a no brainer for me given I have a total of five Elliots now! You can see my previous versions here and here.  Oh!  And I made my daughter one last year for Christmas... I don't think I have a photo of that one though.  I love this pattern.  Can you tell?

Let's get down to business here!  Note - these might not actually be in order of how I sewed them. Too many weeks and too many things have gone on in between to remember details like that and I'm a bit too lazy to figure it all out right now.  It doesn't really matter anyway.

Elliot #1 :

I sewed this one as an entry for the Fabric Snob's sew along.  It has a few mods to it - I lengthened the front, lowered the neckline slightly,  and simply lengthened the sleeves following the pattern lines so they ended up somewhat belled.  I LOVE this sweater.  It's in a hacci sweater knit from the Fabric Snob.  They still have it stock right now as a matter of fact.

Elliot #2 :

A t-shirt version is up next.  This one I'm not quite as happy with because first I lengthened it too much and then I shortened it too much.  WHY?  Why do I do that so often? ??  And now I feel that it hits at an awkward point maybe.  Also the sleeves need to be shortened just a smidge still.  I followed View C with the banded neckline, and had, as mentioned, initially lengthened it to have a curved hem.  I also initially shortened the sleeves somewhat from the pattern, but still not enough for my preference. After over shortening the top itself I'm scared I'll shorten the sleeves with reckless abandon as well and regret it.  What I don't regret at all is the fabric I used.  This one is a tri-blend jersey also from the Fabric Snob (and also still in stock) and it is so, so soft and comfy!

Elliot #3 :

I'm not going to lie... this one could be my very favourite of all my Elliots maybe.  It's definitely right up there. What seems like forever ago, Helen posted photos of herself wearing an Elliot dress.  She looked amazing in it and I couldn't get the idea of a Elliot dress out of my head.  I had some French Terry from Water Tower Textiles sitting in my stash since last August waiting to be used, and it seemed perfect for a dress with such simple lines.  For this one I simply extended the front and back to the length I wanted to have a straight hem and the rest is as View A is designed.  This dress makes me feel like a million bucks. It's comfy (hello, secret pjs!), easy to throw on and easy to wear.  It checks all the boxes!  Thanks for the inspiration, Helen!!

So there you go!  There's my three Elliots in all their glory!  It's such a great "blank canvas" type pattern with its simple design lines and possibilities for hacking.  Helen also has a great post up on her blog with her versions of just her tees which could be a great jumping off point if you're looking for inspiration!

That's it for me now - back to reality, housework and making supper.  Until next time, I wish you all to stay safe and healthy and remember, especially in these difficult times to try and share kindness and light as you go throughout your day.

A New Cardigan

It seems sort of frivolous to be posting about things like regular day to day things like new patterns, but I know for my own sense of mental health and well being I absolutely can't focus all my energy and thoughts on the current state of the world.  Anxiety looms heavily waiting to pounce at any moment and I am doing my best to not let myself be sucked in  or consumed by it.  I'm doing my best to remain calm - we are prepared and keeping ourselves informed through reputable and reliable sources and we are doing everything we can to maximize our chance of staying healthy.

So on a much lighter note, let me introduce you to an easy to sew, quick to make new cardigan pattern. This is the Castillo Cardigan* from Itch to Stitch.  I was quite excited to test this one as I am weak when it comes to a new cardigan.  I wear them so often and it's nice to branch out from my rotation of  ITS Avieros and Helen's Closet Blackwoods.

This one has a simple open front design and a unique shoulder shaping detail that uses darts.  It also has a hood of cozy proportions!  Side slits add interest as well!

Also, pockets!!!! Would you look at those pockets.  Ok, I know they're hard to see because I didn't take any close up shots, but they are a lovely large size!

One of the things I really like about the Castillo is the length.  I love a cardi that hits between the lower hip and mid thigh.  

The other thing I absolutely adore about this cardigan is the finishing on the hood seam.  The entire seam is covered by either twill tape or grosgrain ribbon if twill tape is unavailable.  I was hoping to find gray or blue for my cardi, but had to settle for black as that's all my local shop had available unfortunately.  You could even get some fun printed ribbon or tape and really let your personality shine through on this detail.

If you're wanting to pick up a copy for yourself, it is on sale currently for the release week!  Just pop on by to the ITS site.

Stay safe and healthy my friends!

Victory Will be Mine!

I told you a few posts back that I wanted to come back soon to show off my latest knitting FO.  It's been ages since I've had a proper yarny finished object, which always seems just a bit funny given that way back in 2006 my blog started out as a place specifically to share my knitting projects.

Anyway, I'm really quite excited to be sharing this with you as if feels like the ultimate in knitting projects.  Not only did I knit the project, but I spun the yarn too, which is where the ultimate part comes in.  The only thing I suppose that would make it even better is if it was from sheep I raised and sheared myself.  However, realistically speaking, I have no hot clue how to properly raise sheep nor am I anywhere physically strong enough to learn how to shear a sheep.  That is serious business my friends.  I'm always amazed at how a sheep shearer can make it look so simple!

So I do the next best thing! I spin yarn from fibre that other people have sheared from flocks raised by those that know what they're doing.  The closest I'll get to being shepherdess in my lifetime is picking T's little stuffed "Lamby" up off the floor and putting it back on his bed.

Both of the fibres I used were purchased at the Manitoba Fibre Festival in 2018 from two of my favourite Manitoba fibre artists.  The grey-ish brown is Shetland from my "down the road" neighbour, Barb of Prairie's Edge Wool Farm.  If you are local to Manitoba you need to get your hands on fibre from Barb.  It's beautiful, so lovely to spin especially for a beginner like me.  I always make sure to get a good sized batt from her booth at the Fibre Festival.

The pink/yellow/brown is from another favourite Manjusha Fibre Arts.  I always make Tammy's booth a stop on my tour of the market at the Fibre Festival too.  (I should mention that the boys always love to pick up a souvenir yarn from the festival to give to Grandma.  I give them free reign to choose whatever they would like and they always, always browse for a bit and then make a bee line straight back for the Manjusha booth.  So it's kid approved as well! LOL)

I spun this yarn before Christmas of 2018 and I made a hat for my husband out of the Shetland, but didn't know what I wanted to do with the rest of it and I had no idea what to make with the other yarn - I always worry I'll "waste" my handspun by doing a poor pattern selection.  While I had a good amount of the Shetland I didn't have that much of the pink, so that was a concern too.  I'd been eyeing up the Victory Wrap on Ravelry for quite some time and kept thinking it might be the perfect project for my precious handspun, but since my desire to knit had all but vanished and I wasn't even sure if it was THE pattern I put it off for an entire year.  Finally I decided enough was enough and just before New Years I decided it was high time to cast on something fun that might keep my needles going.

It took me almost a month. I still obviously didn't have my knitting mojo back and it was still a bit of a struggle to pick up my needles, sometimes feeling forced instead of intuitive even though I was wanting to knit it and was loving the wool.  In the end I used up almost every bit of the pink yarn.  I had mere inches left to go when I cast off the last stitch.  (Yarn Chicken score one for Sarah!)

It took me just about another month to get around to blocking it, which was silly.  I finally dug out my blocking pins a few weekends ago and set my wrap in the sink for a bath.

Exactly one month after I cast off my wrap, it had been blocked and was finally dry. I took the pins out and proudly put it on and wore it to work that morning.  It's snuggly and soft, and squishy and cozy and best of all what started out as fluffy bits of fibre became a wrap all by my own hands.

Since I still had a nice sized ball of the Shetland yarn left I decided last week that I should knit a pair of fingerless gloves for spring.  I queued up the Lambing Mitts pattern from Tolt Yarn and Wool in Ravelry last year I think.  Maybe longer ago than that even? I've no idea. Anyway, I thought they'd be a nice quick knit and handy to have as we head into spring.  They definitely are quick.  I knit the first mitt in about three hours, which felt like a victory in it's own right!  I haven't had the chance to finish the other glove yet though because I've been busy with another project.

I've just finished my other little project on the needles now and I think I can safely say my will to knit is BACK!!!!  I just finished up the Mystery Gnome KAL from Imagined Landscapes and it's become really exciting to be picking up my needles and not wanting to put them down!  Here's the little guy who's made me really want to knit again.  Isn't he cute?  He even has his very own little sweater! (also note he is standing in front of my apparently confused about the seasons Christmas Cactus that, after having only bloomed once about two and a half years ago when I bought it, is now in full glorious bloom right now in March! A gnome, the return of my knitting mojo and flowers. So many things to be happy about all in one photo!)

Gnomes are apparently magical for mojo.  You might see some more consistent knitting content here on Prairie Girl Knits yet!

The Betty-Anna Dress

Hello again!  I'm back already!  It seems to always go like this - radio silence for weeks on end and then suddenly I'm popping back in all the time.  LOL!

I'm back here today because I've got another project up on the Minerva blog today!  This is a dress that combines two of my favourite dress patterns that I was able to bring to life when Minerva sent me the most gorgeous large scale John Kaldor cotton sateen last summer.  The fabric was silky smooth and gloriously lightweight and perfect to mash up a By Hand London Anna dress bodice with the swishiness of the Sew Over It Betty's skirt.  This dress is everything I love in a dress.  Fitted bodice, swingy full skirt and of course pockets!!!

I am absolutely dying to wear it, and hoping spring hurries the heck up here on the prairies so I can dig out my favourite red Lotta from Stockholm clogs and throw on my Betty Anna!

You can hop on over to the Minerva blog to read all the details about the dress and find links to the fabric.  They seem to be out of stock on the exact colour way I used, but they still have a gorgeous navy and aqua one available!

In the meantime I'm off now to the first of our Atom C the games for the playoff series.   Tom has woken up in "tank" mode this morning and is predicting a win (and another goal for himself) ...  Go Redwings! Let's hope he's right!

Another Sew Over It Heather Dress

Occasionally I find a pattern I really love and I make it over and over again.  The Sew Over It Heather is one of those patterns.  Well, I've only made three of them, but it seems I'm constantly thinking of the next one.  Make no mistake.  There will be a fourth in the future!

My first Heather was a warm, quilted long sleeve one back when the pattern had first come out.  My second one was a short sleeve one the following summer.  Which brings us to Heather Dress number three.  Which just so happens to be up on the Minerva Blog today.

Why is everything so green again you ask?  Well.  Let me tell you! There is often a lag in when we make our projects to when they get posted up on the blog, which leads to some pretty comical time travel-esque photos.  This dress has actually been in my wardrobe since last summer when I made it.   Right now there is no grass in sight, the temps are plummeting from a - 3C high yesterday to a nasty - 40C today.  It's definitely the cozy clothes time of year.

Suffice it to say this dress is all that I hoped it would be. It's so soft and snuggly, and like my other Heather dresses is like secret pyjamas, it's so comfy!  I wore it to work just yesterday as a matter of fact!  I hope you'll head over and read about it.  There's even a bit of a funny story about taking photos of it, but I'll let you hop on over to the Minerva Blog to read about that too.

Down, Set, Hut

Hey all! I'm back again with a super quick, drive by post before I dash out the door for the boys last regular season hockey game this afternoon.  I wanted to show you my latest project that is up on the Minerva blog today.

This one is actually a pretty old make all things considered.  I made it months ago when football season was in full swing!  It got loads of wear throughout the fall especially on those rainy and cold practice nights.  Oh my word!  It was such grim weather for football.  I've never seen so much mud.  Nor have I ever experienced anything like the hell that is soggy wet cleats that never dried out.  There is no worse smell than wet cleats it turns out.  So very gross.  It is the smell of nightmares.  Ewwww.

But enough of that - onto more pleasant topics and that topic, of course, is my cozy, snuggly Hey June Handmade Brunswick that is being featured today.  I had so much fun making this one!  It's a straight forward, easy sew and I loved the opportunity to personalize it for days at the field.  I'm sure it's going to get lots of use again this year when the season kicks off again!

You can hop over to the Minerva blog and read about my project and the fabric I used!  As for me, time's up!  I have to run.  The boys hit the ice in a little over an hour.

The Pursuit of Craftiness

Hello, hello!

Last time I was here I said I wanted to share some of the fun projects I had been working on in my blogging absence and I thought I'd pop on over here and take a moment to write while I wait for my blueberry muffins to come out of the oven. If you're looking for a to die for blueberry muffin recipe by the way, try Joyful Healthy Eats recipe.  Mmmmm.  I think this is the fourth batch I've made in the last month.  Everyone here loves them.  Even my hubby, who up until this recipe (and her recipe for orange cranberry muffins which I have also made several times), was a self proclaimed muffin hater, is now requesting I make them for his lunches.

Anyway, let's get back on track and talk about the pursuit of craftiness, which is why I came on here tonight.

I had a lot of fun working on little projects - you know the kind.  Quick, simple, almost instant gratification.  To start out, I ended up participating in the Secret Santa exchange at work this year.  I usually dread those sorts of things, because I tend to get super stressed out about picking out the perfect thing, but I thought it might be a fun way to get involved and participate at my new school.  We did the last five days of school before the holidays and I ended up doing a mix of hand made and store bought gifts.  I really enjoying myself and will definitely do it again next year!  I love putting a handmade touch on my gifts for my exchange person, our lovely gym teacher.

For her handmade gifts I pulled out my embroidery thread and my old Betz White pattern that I used several years ago and made her a peace dove ornament.  I haven't done any embroidery since the last time I sewed one of these ornaments and I found once I got into the rhythm of it, I quite enjoyed the stitching.  I love this ornament so much.  I definitely want to make one for our tree!! On another day, I set to work using my Silhouette Cameo and changed up a design I had bought in the design store to perfect it for her.  I think she liked having a "gym teacher" specific mug! For the last homemade gift I thought being a gym teacher, she might like something to relax with at the end of the day, so I sewed up a flax heat/cold bag for her.  (Note to self.  Sew one for yourself, Sarah.)

Once those were done, I set to work on the gifts for the little boys teachers.  Last year I made a zippered pocket infinity scarf and it was a big hit, so I thought I'd go the same route for the ladies. I got a bit fancy and used embroidered cotton for the scarves to make them a bit more festive. For the lone male teacher in the group I made a mug in the same style of the mug I made for the gift exchange at work.

Once those were done and ready to go, I set to work with some fun gifts for the kids!  Making special things for them is one of my favourite things to do.  My Silhouette Cameo 3 got a work out this year!  I made t-shirts for each of the big boys, and socks for the girls.  I also sewed up pocket scarves for each of the girls as well and completely forgot to photograph them.

Of course, like every year, I made the little boys a new pair of pjs for Christmas Eve.  I think at this point there would be some sort of revolt if I didn't.  I used the Walk the Plank for the bottoms and the Jolly Roger Raglan for the top.  Both patterns are from Patterns For Pirates and worked out really well for the boys! Of course I had to play with my Silhouette and cut out some vinyl for their pjs too. Instead of tags or label like I would normally use I also used vinyl to put their hockey jersey numbers on the inside of both the pants and the shirts!

The next project made was not actually made by me, but I have to show it off! I had more of a supervisory (and ironing) role.  The boys always "make" a shirt for Daddy for Christmas and this year, Little Man sat down one day after school and created his idea for the design.  He and Baby Boy had a consultation meeting and came to an agreement that they would create the shirt using a combination of vinyl and paint.  Then they sat down at the computer and designed it on the Silhouette, choosing the fonts, making the lettering, aligning everything, and then they selected a simple snowman shape to create a stencil with.  They did the sending to print and all the weeding of the vinyl except the star font which was a beast to do.  I was really impressed with both their level of collaboration and their efforts.  It's such a cute shirt and even better because it was their very own concept!

Last but not least was a fun little pattern that I made as a safe way to transport the mug that the boys made Daddy as well.  Last year we hadn't painted a mug and I think everyone was a bit sad about that, but I couldn't find one that would transport easily or if it could it wasn't microwave friendly which was a must for his coffee breaks.  If it transported easily and it was microwave friendly there was no way for the boys to personalize it.  After perusing pinterest for ideas I found a tutorial on making a mug carrier that would fit the bill perfectly allowing us to paint a regular coffee mug, and allow for safe transport (turns out if you leave mugs at work in that staff lunch room, even when they are clearly personalized and someone's special mug, people feel free to use it and not wash it out - yuck - so transporting it back and forth became necessary).  This little bag is padded enough that it keeps the mug safe, but small enough that it's easy to put in a lunch bag or backpack.

So that, along with some test projects I can't talk about yet, and a few other things are the crafty pursuits that kept me busy!  I really did have fun making each and every one of them.  It's fun to do the quick and easy little projects every now and again.  I'll be back again soon to talk about a few other projects I've done in the last couple of weeks.  I even have a knitted finished object!!!  I just need to block it and take some photos.  I can't wait to show it to you though!  

I'd better head off for now.  I've nattered on long enough.  The muffins are cool now (it's taken a lot longer to write about these than I thought!) and I need to make lunches for tomorrow!

Until next time, happy crafting!