Oh my gosh, what a whirlwind this was to knit! I wish I would have blogged more about it along the way because I truly learned SO MUCH from this project. Firstly, and probably most importantly, I went 100% outside of my comfort zone and learned to steek. I will not lie: this was very…
Category: art
Second Skill Set: Casting on. So this cast-on was entirely new to me. It’s called a tubular cast on, and it took me a few tries to get it right, as well as realizing halfway through that I had used the wrong needle and had to rrrrrrrippit back. The tubular cast on is pretty cool,…
As has been noted, I am re-raveling the Dude Sweater for Justin using all one fiber and a new pattern which knits in the round, and is therefore straight knitting, not ribbed. This should be a lot more fun to knit, but it does stretch my skill set a little (as all good projects should).…
I can’t believe I didn’t write (not even) one post about The Dude Sweater that I made for Justin a while back. I mean, this was an epic project that I had planned as a freaking Halloween costume gag, but ended up taking me two years, and now I just ripped it all back to…
One of the best things to come out of social media algorithms is how I fit Taproot Magazine‘s customer profile. This magazine really is everything I could want: it’s ad-free, crafty, visually appealing, well-written, and has lots of applications for household waste. It practically is me. In issue 40: Cure, was a small quilt project…
Sashiko
Well, I might have fallen in love with a new mending philosophy: Sashiko. I foresee a long, home-bound winter ahead. In preparation, I bought a subscription to Craftsy: partly because I’ve been meaning to and partly because they had a $5 sale for the year, so I could see if I would even use it.…
#baghag for lyfe
Baghaggin like a real hag these days. When I moved my stuff out of the classroom this spring, I found a big box of balled up plastic bag yarn that I guess I must have balled up over the last couple of years. It’s all separated by color and texture. I remember doing it, but…
Another Gertie Swirl
I was planning to help a friend make a Gertie swirl dress yesterday, but I think her day must have gotten away from her, so I started without her. Friday night, I cut and prepped all the pieces. I meant to photograph it, but it was hot, and my place is small; I just didn’t…
Sewing Day Part Two
So this morning I finished slashing & spreading the pattern to approximately fit my body. Now for the “muslin” which I’m hoping will fit well enough to wear. I chose a nice green & cream gingham from my pattern stash, but decided to cut the bodice (at least) on the bias. Of course, I don’t have…
Sewing Day Part One
It’s March First and it’s still snowing. I’d like to be as every other New Englander and complain about it, but I’m just done. Maybe we’re all done. It’s time to adjust to the “new normal” of cold, bitter snow and probably-forever winter weather. So I can’t go outside, and half of our things are…
There’s, like, eight feet of snow outside. We can’t even open the back door. I’ve been digging out the back door by harvesting snow to feed my carnivorous plants (they are fickle and don’t like city water). Meanwhile, INSIDE the apartment, it’s like some kind of freakshow blooming parade! An orchid that bloomed a couple weeks…
Oh. My. Stars. My friend, Petra, invited me to go with her, her husband and her sister to Niantic for their annual pilgrimage to the 30% off book sale at the Book Barn. So first of all: The Book Barn. My first visit to The Book Barn was with my dear friend Eggie a few…
My bag of bags is finally finished! I used probably about 100 one-use plastic bags to make this multi use bag. It took about a month to make, but I wasn’t consistent in knitting time, just little by little. Also, I found that the little produce bags were the nicest to knit. Very silky. I…
Our dear friend, Eggie, Justin & I made the sojourn to Pennsylvania for the Wickerman Burn Festival again this year. Each year is so different from the last; each an experience unto itself; this year was no exception. We arrived late Monday night after an almost-11-hour drive from Rhode Island to this patch of land…