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Project: Finish a Damn Project!
July 23, 2006
Currently I'm a bit obsessed with this idea I have for a purple sweater, with bell sleeves and lacy bits and things, which I would draw so you can see exactly what I mean except I think we've established I'm a bit rubbish at that! I think it would be tricky to design and therefore a bit of a fun challenge, and I'm pretty much champing at the bit to go and buy the yarn and start Right Now. I'm far too self punishing to do that, plus my wardrobe is full of yarn and the current projects basket has spilled out all over the floor. So, I've decided if I can finish just one or 2 things, then I can buy the yarn without making the mess in the living room any worse!
I've decided to finish Gemma, then Soul, and the colinette Honolulu felted bag. You can see them all on the current projects page, but it's Gemma I'm plugging away at right now, so here's a progress pic:
I am totally slow at knitting at the moment, it's very frustrating. Also I never seem to have any free time to knit EVER. Some of that is due to mine and Adam's attempt to do lots of UK tourism this summer, so we constantly seem to be out and about doing things, and I certainly can't complain about that!
This weekend we went to see Stonehenge. We had never been before, and it was pretty amazing!
Isn't it amazing! Parts of it are 5000 years old. We took a friend who bought a picnic (with wine! And cherries!) and sat there listening to music and looking at it for a good hour or so, which was really nice.
I'm going to get on with Gemma now, making my purple fantasy sweater closer by the stitch!
Posted by jen at 07:51 PM | Comments (7)
Super duper cord chalk bag and magic cheesecake
July 20, 2006
I finished that wee chalk bag for Adam that I showed the half embroidered bottom of a short while ago. I wanted to finish it for his birthday (which was yesterday) and was relieved to find it took me less than an hour to sew after finishing the embroidery. I made it out of scraps from other projects, and it was dead easy, so I might make one for myself too. Obviously mine won't be used for rock climbing though, I'll just stick girly or crafty things in it!
Here it is anyway:
Click to see more.
As it was Adam's birthday, I wanted to make him a birthday cake, and he decided he wanted cheesecake. I'd never made one before, so I decided to make the most chocolately one I could lay my hands on - hoorah! I made a baked one with hazlenuts and raisins in with the chocolate, and it turned out pretty damn good:
I wish I could have taken a better photo, there wasn't enough light. I assure you it tastes nice though! I am now messing around with various projects trying to finish something - more on that next time :)
Posted by jen at 07:01 PM | Comments (3)
Plan C!
July 17, 2006
Thanks to everyone who had the idea of ribbons to fasten my Pinkster! I love the idea, and it's definitely going to be my new PLAN A, ie I'm def doing it :)
I also loved Becky's idea of lots of little ties, and that helped me come up with the idea of having it fasten with several (maybe seven?) little hooks and eyes, so the jacket fastens where the fronts meet, and the edges lie nicely. I also want to sew a massive ribbon (massively wide as well as long!) all round the jacket like a little belt, which can tie at the front.
I did several drawings to try and show what I want it to look like, but only managed this hugely dorky sketch:
I can't draw.
It's always my least favourite part of submitting a design somewhere! Those shoulders are stupidly slopey! But hopefully you get the idea. I don't mind if it's ribbon, or fabric, or cotton webbing or whatever, and I will choose something in 2 weeks time when we're in London visiting Adam's brother. I've otherwise finished the Pinkster, but you'll have to wait until then to see the proper finished deal! Oh the suspense!
This weekend we went to visit our friends from Southampton who were on holiday in Pembrokeshire (westest Wales). They are all really lovely and it was ace fun! Before we met them, Adam and I went for a walk along the Pembrokeshire coast path which is famous for being incredibly beautiful, and it really was!
We went out to the end of a big rock sticking out into the sea here, and ate brownies, gosh it was lovely.
The coast was so pretty. Because it was so sunny all the colours were eye-popping.
I'm pretty jealous they're still on holiday there while I'm back at work! On the sunday we went on a boat trip and saw jellyfish and seals in the sea, and cute little birds that stick their legs out when they fly - they were adoreable. Happy days!
Posted by jen at 08:11 PM | Comments (5)
Because it's nearly finished I'm suddenly speeding up!
July 12, 2006
By which I mean the Pinkster OF COURSE, since it is my current project of choice. Basically I'm forcing myself to finish it before working on something else, since I need to stop being so fickle!
I sewed up all the pieces I had, and crocheted the collar - here is how it looks:
I can't remember if I said, and I certainly can't be bothered to look back and check, but as well as omitting the pockets, I also made the fronts 2 sts narrower than the pattern said, as I was planning to use smaller buttons and save some yarn. That was a stupid idea, since now it is a little too small. I'm officially an idiot!
But I have both a PLAN A and a PLAN B. Plan A involves having a little yarn left after the sleeves, so I can add a "button band" type thing to one of the fronts. Plan B involves not having enough yarn to do this, and sewing on a fabric button band maybe. I wish I'd just followed the bloody pattern in the first place!
I've made one sleeve, and I made it with just 3 rows and then the sleeve cap. This will make a cute little sleeve, and because the jacket is cropped to the waist anyway I think I can wear it over long sleeved stuff, we all know the layered look is super chic! I know I'm not chic but humour me!
OK I'm off to feverishly crochet the second sleeve, I'm desperate to know if I'll have enough yarn left for the button band thingie!
Posted by jen at 07:36 PM | Comments (7)
Deeee-licious!
July 10, 2006
I had a good weekend! Adam came home, I went shopping with my oldest friend (I've known her since nursery school), and we cooked some yummy things. First of all we made some easy peasy incredibly naughty brownies:
The recipe was from our Green & Blacks chocolate cook book, it's such a good book. I went on my stepper for 20 minutes today and then stuffed one in my mouth, and it was lovely!
I also bought myself a confectionary thermometer, which I've wanted for ages, but thought it was going to be more expensive than it was (it was £13). So I used it to make some vanilla fudge - I took a photo while it was bubbling like mad on the hob, but it's a bit blurry - I took it quickly because I didn't want any hot fudge to get on the lens!
Here's the finished pan of fudge:
It's pretty naughty and delicous as well.
I have also done some of the Pinkster - here is a pile of pieces which are the back and 2 fronts:
I have just under 1 ball of 4 left, so I think I'll sew up what I have and crochet the collar, and then halve what's left and see how much of the sleeves I can make.
I hope you haven't forgotten the caterpillar! It came into work today (at the request of some colleagues!) and I kept wanting to stroke it all day. It's spending the evening on my lap:
I'll show some proper Pinkster progress next time!
Posted by jen at 06:24 PM | Comments (5)
Making things for the boy
July 06, 2006
Since I appear to be going dead slow on the Pinkster (and it was going so well! Blasted non-existent attention span!), I thought I'd show something else instead of the rather pathetic few extra inches of crochet over here.
I was looking at the new Knitty this morning, and I am very excited by the Knucks gloves, which frankly rule! I need some, or maybe several! I immediately thought how cool to make some for Adam, saying RIDE FAST or BIKE HARD or something for wearing on the bike, but then I remembered he never wants me to knit him anything, the big knitting anti-fan, or whatever the opposite of fan is.
I have made Adam several things, which are a pair of cords and 2 pairs of shorts (look on the sewing page) and also a zippy jacket (on the knitting page somewhere, I'm going out in a minute and can't be bothered to link - lazy!) and the sewn stuff gets worn loads and the knitted item PRACTICALLY NEVER. Which I suppose is not so bad since sewing is a million times quicker.
So, currently I'm making him a little chalk bag, to take rock climbing. It's going to have a round bottom with ADAM on it:
And is made from lovely chocolate cord with grey lining:
At least that's certain to get used - the last one fell apart!
In the mean time I'll have to think up some slogans for my own gloves :)
Posted by jen at 07:23 PM | Comments (2)
Xtreme-crochet more like!
July 03, 2006
I am well into crochet at the moment! I have done some more on the Pinkster - now I have a back and one front:
I have shown how much yarn I have left as well - I started with 4 balls of yarn, and have used just over 2. So it's definitely looking do-able! I'll have to get some buttons soon.
People have been asking me about Debbie Stoller's Happy Hooker book, and crochet in general, so I'll blab about that for a bit.
I have not crocheted much stuff at all. I've done two lacy ponchos, which were fairly quick and easy (see them on the crochet page) and also the back of a jacket in a Rowan mag, before I become permanently distracted by other stuff. Although I still do DEFINITELY intend to finish it one day!
The happy hooker is ace because like the first Stitch and Bitch book it has really cool designs in that are very simple. Which is great because you can be a total beginner and make stuff you really want. It also has all the info in you could ever need. I am really impressed with it, it has made me want to crochet tons of things!
These are my very favourite things in the book, although there are loads more things that are v v cool, these are just my absolute faves.
Orange you Glad bag:
Totally fab lacy jacket, made with some yarn I've never seen over here, but I think Rowan 4ply cotton would do fine:
Heather's ACE skirt:
And this cute mat, which is made from all kinds of stringy stuff from the hardware store, but I thought sturdy wool might be ok too, I never wear shoes in the flat and could put it next to my bed....
Apologies for the flash on the photos. As I said, there's a ton of other cool stuff too. Well, Adam is away this week (BOO!) so I'm going to drink some wine and start the second Pinkster front, I'm just irritated I watched all of Pride and Prejudice last time he was away!
Posted by jen at 07:33 PM | Comments (4)