Monday, October 14, 2013

New in the Shop - Lovely Sewing Patterns for Girls!

I added several sewing patterns to my Etsy shop, Creativemind, today. There are now several lovely patterns for girl's dresses. Aren't these sweet?


Wouldn't any little girl feel like a princess wearing one of these creations? They are perfect for special occasions. Sew one and watch your little girl twirl to her heart's delight.

There are also several patterns for children's active wear. All the sewing patterns in my shop are complete and uncut. Keep checking back, as I have more to add soon. Happy Sewing!

Friday, October 11, 2013

Yarn Along October 11, 2013

One would think that with time off from work, I could get my yarn along post added on the proper day, but apparently not this week! Joining with Ginny and all the others...
I was about to finish this pair of booties yesterday, when I stopped so that I could get an "in progress" photo for the yarn along. They are my riff on the booties in "Knitting Tips and Trade Secrets" published by Taunton. This book was updated and expanded, but I'm still working off the early edition, which, by the way, includes a tip from yours truly!

This bootie pattern knits up quickly, and I never tire of it. It's just the thing for leftover sock yarn, which this happens to be. It's Patons Kroy which might just be my favorite affordable sock yarn. This shade is called Winter Eclipse.

I am still reading the same David Sedaris book from last week, and I can't believe I haven't finished it yet. Every time I think I'm on the last essay, another one squeezes its way in.

But I also took a break from "Owls" when More Last Minute Knitted Gifts came in for me at the library. I think I saw it here in last week's knit along, and wanted to take a closer look. I was concerned that it might be full of little "who even needs a pattern for this" projects, but no! I found several patterns that I wanted to make, and more importantly, techniques I wanted to try, which were presented in projects that were small enough that learning said new technique would not be overwhelming. Two that come to mind are the Cozy Coasters and the Spiral Seat Cushion. I've done double knitting before, but what a good chance to work on tidy edges and multiple colors! I've worked applied I-cord before as well, but never applied to itself!

There just aren't enough hours in the day!

Friday, October 04, 2013

Yarn Along October 4 2013

Ok, so I'm a little behind this week joining Ginny, but hey, I completely missed the Yarn Alongs for August and September, so this is an improvement!
I've been working on this pair of Comfy Sole socks for quite a while. I got them started in July, and by the end of the month I had to set them aside for other projects. And then, the heel flap. Well.

I like to add a reinforcing yarn to the heel and toe. I have oodles of very fine gauge cone yarn to choose from for this task. This time however, I picked the wrong one, a wool boucle that was just a little too thick, so what I had was a lovely supple sock leg and then WHAM! a cast iron heel flap.

Now, that might seem like a good thing, so I spent a few weeks trying to convince myself that is was ok. I picked up and knit a few rounds of the gusset, and then I just couldn't go on. That heel would have to come out.

So that was a big deal - ripping out a dark sock. I had to wait for some calm time and bright daylight. I think I did it over Labor Day weekend. Then I found a better reinforcing yarn, and got started. The second time around was much better, but I still needed another bright day to pick up stitches and get the gusset started. That day was yesterday. It was overcast and rainy, but I could sit in the rocking chair by the window and see fairly well.

The yarn for this sock is Cascade Heritage sock yarn, a gift from a friend and it is a joy to work with. Probably the best part of having to reknit the heel flap was that it meant extended knitting time with this fantastic yarn. It just feels wonderful.

I am almost finished with David Sedaris' "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls". There were many times that I was laughing out loud. What fun!