Temptation ~or~ The Trouble With Monogomy

I'm getting pretty far with my sock project, but I'm getting bored, too.  I started them on the last day of February, so that's 4 1/2 months.  I actually had to rip them all the way back to the start, at one point, because they were just too tight.  Now, at a better size, I'm almost back to where I was but I want more.  I'm not very good at sticking to just one project, since I like to switch it up with my mood and the setting, and I've got all sorts of things calling my name.

I started looking at other sock patterns, a sure sign of trouble ahead.  Being all noble and stuff I decided they should be for Jonathan.  He picked a pattern from the selections I offered and a yarn from the bucket.  They're going to be awesome.  But I still want more.

I haven't worn real shoes in long time, so when I put on heels for church, on Sunday, my little toe was worn raw within an hour.  Sunday School brought cold bare feet and visions of anklets that look like ballet flats that I can keep in my purse just for occasions like this.  And I still want more.

A shawl?  A dress for Lucy?  Dr. Who stockings?  Something else entirely?  Or do I hold out and finish before moving on?

Palatte Choices

What do these colors say to you?


Yup, we're having a girl. Elena was so happy, when she found out, that she started crying.

A Year of Knitting

(WARNING: This post is picture heavy. But so pretty...)

Remember this picture from last year?


Those were my plans for the year, knitting-wise. As usually happens in life, some got done, others didn't, and a bunch of other stuff found it's way in, too.

There were tall socks to keep my feet from freezing at the Temple.


Fingerless gloves to keep my hands warm but still functional. (I hate it when I can't feel what it is I'm touching. It makes me feel all fumbley.)

Socks for James.


And Jonathan.


A small shawl to keep the chill off. I've actually got this one wrapped around my neck right this moment.


Socks for me, too.

There were gifts, too. For Craig's graduation.


Regan's birthday.


Richard's first baby. (A boy. The headband is because I had extra yarn and it pays to be prepared for future possibilities.)

(and an actual view of the sweater.)

More socks. (It was a sock club, after all.) Mine...


and Jonathan again.


Costume help for some nieces and their friends.


New stockings for Mom and Dad.



Sweaters for Elena and Joseph. (James just likes to say cheese for the camera.)


Socks for Mom and Dad, too.




And then there's these. Ready and waiting for their Owner's arrival, in June.


(I know June is hot. Hospitals are cold, though, and my baby absolutely deserves cashmere.)

Self-Imposed Sock (Yarn) Club

I like to read Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's blog. Last year, she looked through her rooms full of yarn and decided that, instead of joining a Sock Club, where someone mails you new yarn and a pattern each month, she would create her own from what she already had. I, myself, have lovely yarns that I never seem to get to because something else screams "Knit me!" So, I did as she did, picked twelve projects and twelve sets of yarn, put them in Ziplocks, and will pull one (possibly at random) each month to work on.


Not all my projects are socks. There are two pairs of gloves and two small shawls in there, but all are made out of sock yarn. Or, at least, fingering weight yarn. Anyway, this is my Self-Imposed Sock (Yarn) Club. I know some of you knit. Would you like to start your own? You can make the rules anything you want, since it's yours.

Thoughts on Socks

A friend of mine likes to post things that catch her eye. They may be awesome cookie cutters, a retro-styled dress, or funky boots, but they all point to that certain something that only she has. She knows she's probably never going to buy them, but that's OK because it's not about getting them--it's about finding them.

Here's mine.

I have this thing with socks. I like short socks. I mean, why spend money (or time and effort knitting) for the leg of a sock when it's the bottom that wears out so fast? Even with my red lace stockings I can only stand to wear them to church because I don't want the sole to wear out. And yet, if I'm going to go to the effort to knit socks, I want them to get worn out because that means they're getting worn. There's no greater compliment than that. So what's a girl to do? Either figure out how to re-sole the tall ones (that's part of what taking me so long, Mom) or only make short ones.

Drool... Delicate lace on a cute, feminine anklet. I especially love the ballet/Mary Jane pair. And what sassy colors, too! I don't think I would have picked them, myself, but they work, you know? I wonder if there's enough in each ball to get a pair for me and Elena...

A Wreck of Art

Cake Wrecks came to town, last week. A few of you have spotted my work, there, but here I give you all the details.

Jonathan asked me if was going to enter anything in the Wreckplica contest. I wasn't sure, and had no idea what I would do if I did, so he suggested I do this one from this post. It's his favorite cake on the site. It gets better every time he looks at it, it's just so messed up. Inspiration given, I sat down to write up a plan, and got to work. I still had my library book on cakes, so I whipped up a half batch of the same one I did for Elena and James' birthdays. I used a mini-loaf pan to get the overall shape, then cut it down to the proper size and specific shape. To give you a sense of scale, that's a 6" paper dessert plate.



I made a batch of frosting and split it into a couple bowls for each color on the cake. The brown went on first, then the blue around the edges. I was hoping it'd create curves in the right places, and it did a beautiful job.



Next came piping. I'd gotten a few tips, but didn't have a piping bag, so Ziplocks it was. With creative placement of the lines, I got all the right curves and shaping. I think it came out pretty well. Here we are, all ready for delivery.


These are most of the contenders. I think there's only one or two that aren't in this shot. I wasn't a finalist, but I did make an honorable mention on the blog. I missed the judging because Elena needed to use the restroom, but c'est la vie. It was a fun event.

More Clothes

I've got pictures of more of Elena's new clothes--a dress and a shirt. There's actually another shirt, but she took it and ran to shove it in her drawer so I don't have a picture.

Summer Wardrobe

I've decided to sew as much of Elena's summer clothes as I can. I hunted around online and found some really cute free patterns to try out, and Elena picked out some fabric from my stash. Ta-da! I did the whole thing in about two and a half hours.

Also, a friend found a super cute purse pattern that I wanted to make. I think it came out pretty good. It's not *technically* done, but I'm OK with it.

Thoughts on Progress

Through a discussion board on Ravelry, I found this article on work. It made me think a lot, especially on the things I spend my time on.

As much as I love being a mother, it's so hard to gauge how you're doing. You don't get progress reports or performance reviews. You don't get peer reviews, either, because everyone is terrified of finding out what everyone else will think. Every minor setback makes you question your entire operation. Even outward signs of growth mask the quality of the real product. It's a work that spans a lifetime, but only a small portion is actually under your control.

It's no wonder I retreat into my crafts--perhaps too much. No matter how frustrating it is to rip out five rows of cables, I can reknit it and move on in an afternoon. No matter how trying to the patience a single row comprised of a thousand stitches of sewing-thread-thin yarn in a complex lace pattern can be, I can see the pattern forming and find pleasure with each repeat added. No matter how fiddly the pleats on the front of my new purse are, I know that I can rip out the basting and do it again. And if it just won't cooperate, even after seven or eight honest tries, I have no guilt in chucking the whole thing and starting anew with a different fabric or pattern. Ink stains on my hands become a badge of honor as I look with pride at the dozen cards or gift tags before me. What was once nothing more than a scrap of fabric and a pile if thread morphs into a Christmas stocking embroidered with beautifully shaded pine trees or angel wings. There is real, tangible progress in these things. I can measure my life by gifts given, dresses worn out through constant wearing, or replacing my favorite pair of lacy knee-high stockings one more time.

This is not to say that I can replace my job with my hobbies. I try to bring them together as much as possible, letting my kids pick the project and colors for their friends' younger siblings' gifts and showing them how it is made and the progress that's made, but that doesn't resolve my need to find progress in my everyday endeavors. True, my daughter was just starting to sound out words, six months ago, and can now read any Dr. Seuss book you set her all by herself, but that's hard to remember when I'm changing my tenth diaper of the day and struggling to decide what dinner will be.

So, as my personal request to everyone who knows a parent, let them know what they're doing right. Tell them how sweetly their child said "thank you" to you. Tell them how their child helped clean up someone else's mess without complaint. Tell them about the progress their child--and therefore they--have made. Trust me, they're desperate to know.

Carrier #1

Apparently, I'm turning all the time I spend on the computer, anyway, into lots of extra posts.

I cut the fabric for my carrier a few days ago, but it was getting late (pins and scissors only come out when the children are asleep) so I didn't put it together. Sewing took place last night and it went together really easily. For all that the pattern is very specific about what goes where, how wide seam allowances can be (they're usually 5/8", but this one was 3/8" or 4/8"--it's hard to tell because it was marked on the pattern but never actually written out) and what order to put things together, it was still a very simple pattern and one that I wouldn't mind doing again, for myself or as a gift. As you can see from the pictures, you can wear it on the front or back, and I made the inside a different color so that it's reversible, too. I didn't stand up for my picture so I can't say anything toward comfort, but Jonathan said that other than the 30 lb child on his back it wasn't bad--no pressure points that he could feel.

Jammy Dress And More

I've been on this major sewing binge, the last few days. We'll call it the hormones because it's a serious compulsion to make stuff. First it was new PJ's for Elena. She picked out the fabric, the sleeve style, and the ruffle detail all by herself. The reason I needed more lace is that I ran out with four inches left to go on the bottom and I hadn't even done the neckline, yet. It came out really well, though, and Elena loves it. It's big, but that means she can wear it for the next year or two.


As soon as I finished that, I discovered a really cool tutorial for making my own cloth shopping bags. It was, of course, 10:30 at night, so I had to use something I had on-hand. I decided to use one of the fabrics that was donated to me by a lady in the ward, seeing as how it was free, sturdy and ugly as sin. I have no idea what's up with the seashells. It makes much better bags than clothes or cushions. Or anything else, really. I broke all my needles working on them, though, so I'll have to get more, today. If you want a time gauge, I made both--cutting to completion--while watching Batman Begins, with only a half-hour run-over. If you have lighter-weight fabric, or heavier-duty needles, it'll take less time since you won't be replacing needles every half an hour.


So, what's up next? Here's a preview. I hope to be able to make both, and maybe two of the strappy carrier.