I recently got active on Ravelry again. I posted a pic of a Baby picot edged blanket that I did in Tunisian Crochet panels for my grand daughter. This is not my own design, but rather one I got from the Ragshop online when they were still open. Some minor changes were made, but it was accidental as I did not know what I was doing 100%. Froggin was a regular everyday event, but I never put it away. It took my over 100 hours to complete it thanks to trial and error. Many blankets have been made since then, but none like that. Tunisian is a beautiful needle art and I have done hats and sweaters and they never disappoint.
Anyway, when posting FO's or WIP's Ravelry challenges you to be very specific about the yarn, the name, when you bought it, how much, start & finish dates and more still. Tonight a message was waiting for me in the old inbox asking to feature my pic of the finished blanket. I said yes of course and if you would like ot see it here is the link. If you can't get in let me know I can show you via email or flickr. So exciting. http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sewsassy1/baby-picot-edged-blanket
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Loom Zoom
My daughter asked me to make mittens and a hat for my granddaughter, I had planned to do it before she asked, but the asking was motivation to get it done. Since I have been listening to all of thes podcasts old and new about sewing, knitting, crocheting I picked up a theme on stash. Stash busting, addiction, reduction, punishing, moratoriums etc. I went from being someone that would generally not care for pink to having an over abundant amount of pink yarns, fabrics, and threads. Naturally with this whole stash discussion going on around me, I thought I would de-stash a little and use up the pink on mittens, a hat, and leg warmers for the baby. But no, could not just stick to my own design and thrifty sensibility, I had to ask the daughter what color she would like me to do. Mind you this is for a baby girl and I have on hand lots of pink. She chose purple. Purple of which I only have one no name, but very soft skein of an hand. Without missing a beat I said ok.
The mittens I crocheted in just the purple on my little road trip to the Rally in Washington D.C. I made one on the way down, then made one as we walked around the White House and the city. I was crocheting in public!!! I memorized this easy little pattern and just kept up with it no matter what. There is a seam so I had to do bit of sewing and it is absolutely impossible to detect.
The hast was made on my little blue loom from Provo-Craft. I used the purple unknown, and some white discontinued LionBrand Jaimie Baby yarn. I looks like raspberry ice cream swirled with Vanilla and looks super cute. I think it will fit her until the end of the season after that it can go in her keepsakes or it can become a tiny purse when she is ready for dress up. Staying away from the trend of adding huge flowers to hats, or going way back and doing the pom pom thing, I made my own original little adornment. Being truthful I will say that I was going to be a flower...I only know one flower pattern and it's boring. This is a circular emblem, alternate rows of white and purple and then it has two little wings on either side. It kind of features an angel. Best of all is that it freaking fits.
Leg warmers...UFO's. My mistake was looking for a pattern. I am overwhelemed. I do need to be careful because I do not have a whole lot of the purple left. Plenty of Jaimie Baby. As of two nights ago I have a few rows of ribbing on the needles in the purple. The design is basically going to have purple ribbing on the top, white for the body (leg) of the warmer and the bottom in purple ribbing. If there is enough purple I will probably add some sort of detail like a faux drawstring. Just by twisting the purple and white together to mimic the hat.
Not since a few years ago have I completed requested items for a family member in under a week. I put the hat down and came back to it, easy because of the loom. The mittens can be confusing, but the second one can be put down and picked back up. The leg warmers should go fast becasue I still am excited about them.
Pictures will be posted...so bad at that.
The mittens I crocheted in just the purple on my little road trip to the Rally in Washington D.C. I made one on the way down, then made one as we walked around the White House and the city. I was crocheting in public!!! I memorized this easy little pattern and just kept up with it no matter what. There is a seam so I had to do bit of sewing and it is absolutely impossible to detect.
The hast was made on my little blue loom from Provo-Craft. I used the purple unknown, and some white discontinued LionBrand Jaimie Baby yarn. I looks like raspberry ice cream swirled with Vanilla and looks super cute. I think it will fit her until the end of the season after that it can go in her keepsakes or it can become a tiny purse when she is ready for dress up. Staying away from the trend of adding huge flowers to hats, or going way back and doing the pom pom thing, I made my own original little adornment. Being truthful I will say that I was going to be a flower...I only know one flower pattern and it's boring. This is a circular emblem, alternate rows of white and purple and then it has two little wings on either side. It kind of features an angel. Best of all is that it freaking fits.
Leg warmers...UFO's. My mistake was looking for a pattern. I am overwhelemed. I do need to be careful because I do not have a whole lot of the purple left. Plenty of Jaimie Baby. As of two nights ago I have a few rows of ribbing on the needles in the purple. The design is basically going to have purple ribbing on the top, white for the body (leg) of the warmer and the bottom in purple ribbing. If there is enough purple I will probably add some sort of detail like a faux drawstring. Just by twisting the purple and white together to mimic the hat.
Not since a few years ago have I completed requested items for a family member in under a week. I put the hat down and came back to it, easy because of the loom. The mittens can be confusing, but the second one can be put down and picked back up. The leg warmers should go fast becasue I still am excited about them.
Pictures will be posted...so bad at that.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Sit & Stitch
But, it's not sewing. I have this yarn called Jaime Baby from a long time ago. For whatever reason when a baby is born i pick it up and either crochet or knit something up from it. I have made wash cloths, bibs, booties, hats and little toys. The color is a white and my favorite thing to do is pair it up with this golden yellow yarn that is even older still.
The name or brand of the yellow escapes me, but I do remember a few years back I crocheted enough petal flower type granny squares to make a pretty big afghan. Those flowers are currently in my yarn stash waiting to become something. The blanket would have been born, but I found that after the hours it took me to make the petal squares i was sick of looking at the yellow that I once loved so much. Keeping track of where I was became easy when I realized I could use my magnet board (which I only knew about because of Cross Stitch) to stay on track.
I have become hooked on this Jaime baby again because of all things babies seem to like it. They like it to chew and suck on like a teething rings especially when it is fashioned into a towel or shape with little nubs on it.
As I was mindlessly knitting with it, my grand daughter sat on my lap and got hold of the working yarn. It got soaked from her slobbering on it (she's just 4 months) and now instead of a hat for a Steelers fan it it going to become something for her. She already Christened it and I can stand to part with it. Something tells me that one of the stashed yellow flowers may become part of the finished project and eventual gift to her.
The name or brand of the yellow escapes me, but I do remember a few years back I crocheted enough petal flower type granny squares to make a pretty big afghan. Those flowers are currently in my yarn stash waiting to become something. The blanket would have been born, but I found that after the hours it took me to make the petal squares i was sick of looking at the yellow that I once loved so much. Keeping track of where I was became easy when I realized I could use my magnet board (which I only knew about because of Cross Stitch) to stay on track.
I have become hooked on this Jaime baby again because of all things babies seem to like it. They like it to chew and suck on like a teething rings especially when it is fashioned into a towel or shape with little nubs on it.
As I was mindlessly knitting with it, my grand daughter sat on my lap and got hold of the working yarn. It got soaked from her slobbering on it (she's just 4 months) and now instead of a hat for a Steelers fan it it going to become something for her. She already Christened it and I can stand to part with it. Something tells me that one of the stashed yellow flowers may become part of the finished project and eventual gift to her.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sew Excited
Now a crocheter, knitter, embroiderer, educator, designer and soon to be podcaster.
I am working too much on technical stuff like facebook, podbean and even blogspot. I had a little refresher or maybe inspiration from listening to the podcasts of others. Since then (only like 2 months ago) I decided to jump back in and e communicate. What I hope to achieve is serious time management...just the way I carve out time to sew (hello that's how I get paid), crochet, knit or paint so will I make time for the blogosphere, threadosphere and yarnosphere communication.
If you do not listen to podcasts you are missing out on a whole new way to be pampered...or is it lazy? It's like an audibook of someone's life and they actually read or tell it to you. Yes we get to be lazy and listen in. I set up a podcast site---now I need to sit in a pod and cast, but I am not ready yet. Now that I typed about it I could just read this entry as my first podcast!!!!
Anyway the caster chatters on about whatever the podcast topic is like for example a good one is "Stitch Stud" and his topics are about knitting, yarn, bits about his family, school blog blog blog you get it. Uhm "Material Mama" is sewing based and topics are about "Material" (do not call it fabric) lol her kids, she does interviews so does Stitch Stud, breaks down differences in patterns and more. Now I know that lots of people have been in on this forever, but years back the variety was not there and dare I say the personalities neither. Any given day I can find 3 or 4 new podcasters that I find pleasing to the ear.
One of the funniest ones is "Stitch It". Her name is Meghan and she gives good cast, but I can't tell you any tips or helpful things right off of the top of my head because I mostly listen because she cracks me up. I do re-listen and never delete here casts either. So yeah, there gooood. Without spoiling it she has a section where she babbles and I am not ashamed to tell you that I like it. She says she is always babbling---BABBLYON then girl. I have hushed my Mister to hear what she was going on about.
There are more and as it is natural for fibre artists to 'STASH' I have now taken on a huge Podcast stash. I believe my subscriptions total over 30 different ones on my Zune and a total of 50 on my laptop. Unlike my material, yarn, paint, thread, button, zippers, soda pop tabs stashes I actually listen to a few different ones a day. Some I merely subscribed to because of the title, others because another one I liked recommended it, others because I just want to check them out. I have deleted some due to annoying voices, bad recording, voice changes, arrogance, interruptions that are not amusing (yeah cut them out) not staying on topic, empty promises etc. As I get to 'know' them better I will post their info.
I am working too much on technical stuff like facebook, podbean and even blogspot. I had a little refresher or maybe inspiration from listening to the podcasts of others. Since then (only like 2 months ago) I decided to jump back in and e communicate. What I hope to achieve is serious time management...just the way I carve out time to sew (hello that's how I get paid), crochet, knit or paint so will I make time for the blogosphere, threadosphere and yarnosphere communication.
If you do not listen to podcasts you are missing out on a whole new way to be pampered...or is it lazy? It's like an audibook of someone's life and they actually read or tell it to you. Yes we get to be lazy and listen in. I set up a podcast site---now I need to sit in a pod and cast, but I am not ready yet. Now that I typed about it I could just read this entry as my first podcast!!!!
Anyway the caster chatters on about whatever the podcast topic is like for example a good one is "Stitch Stud" and his topics are about knitting, yarn, bits about his family, school blog blog blog you get it. Uhm "Material Mama" is sewing based and topics are about "Material" (do not call it fabric) lol her kids, she does interviews so does Stitch Stud, breaks down differences in patterns and more. Now I know that lots of people have been in on this forever, but years back the variety was not there and dare I say the personalities neither. Any given day I can find 3 or 4 new podcasters that I find pleasing to the ear.
One of the funniest ones is "Stitch It". Her name is Meghan and she gives good cast, but I can't tell you any tips or helpful things right off of the top of my head because I mostly listen because she cracks me up. I do re-listen and never delete here casts either. So yeah, there gooood. Without spoiling it she has a section where she babbles and I am not ashamed to tell you that I like it. She says she is always babbling---BABBLYON then girl. I have hushed my Mister to hear what she was going on about.
There are more and as it is natural for fibre artists to 'STASH' I have now taken on a huge Podcast stash. I believe my subscriptions total over 30 different ones on my Zune and a total of 50 on my laptop. Unlike my material, yarn, paint, thread, button, zippers, soda pop tabs stashes I actually listen to a few different ones a day. Some I merely subscribed to because of the title, others because another one I liked recommended it, others because I just want to check them out. I have deleted some due to annoying voices, bad recording, voice changes, arrogance, interruptions that are not amusing (yeah cut them out) not staying on topic, empty promises etc. As I get to 'know' them better I will post their info.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Sewing Salon
Got the keys to my new artistic space. It was a hair salon for many, many, many years. Now it's my place to create, explore, share and hide away. No more having to move huge patterns from the upstairs office or the dining room table-chairs and floor. Really I hope it's then end of living room and office sales. For years i would have to go out to meet my clients because I need to keep my worlds separate. I did not want strangers having access to my kids, let alone my home. Nor did I want some person showing up at my door with their butt hanging out of some badly splitting pants during lunch!
It will take some time to get things moved in from the various storage locales, but I actually began organizing in January in case I found a place. From the time I first saw it empty it was home. Mostly because it is the mirror image of my house! No lie, there are some differences, in the trims being lighter, but my own sister saw pics and actually thought I was trying to pull the wool over her eyes. For now I will put up one pic and later I will add more. It is perfect for me & my customers and even my family too. The kitchen is galley style and everything is in tip top shape. We thought the stove did not work, but that's because previous owner had not used it for 30 YEARS. They plugged it up, and aside from some wax (for waxing eybrows and staches) needing to burn off the top, it started up like nothing!!! It is Avocado Green, and looks like a little Cadillac to me. The chrome shines, the finish sparkles and it works. All of the hair styling stations and mirrors are ther, plus the Shampoo Sink. OMG that thing is never getting taken out. It feels so good. There is even a full bathroom---uh yeah. I say not bad working conditions---now my clients have to be faithful and come to me. Awe I am sure I will still do some travel, and will pick and choose while being very picky.
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