Reaping and Sewing

Finished a week at girl scout twilight camp as the craft queen. It is my 6th year. Is that right? Seems like only yesterday Sam was a daisy scout. Now, she's a Cadette.

Anyway, through girl scouts I met another feckless leader with younger daughters who asked if she could go through my stash to find fabric to make dresses for her daughters out of. When I did, it caused me to want to sew again.

So, I am off on another sewing oddysey this summer.

2 sewing projects that have caught my eye:

Schwinn Romper

Habitual Simple Sundress

I became aware of both of these through BurdaStyle. So excited! I am going to make sundresses for all of samantha's little peeps and then they can be the Von Trapp family for halloween. Wonder if I can get Madden, Thorsten, and Eliison in lederhosen?

I was asked by Happiness in Quilting to make a Quiltapalooza market trunk show sample and I am making it in Viva! by Robert Kaufman fabrics. I love day of the dead and mexican folklore. Most people love it or hate it. I am making it in a pattern called Voila! I am so exicted! It is very funky and out there. My friend Cindy @topstotreasures (who does not like Day of the Dead - gives her the creeps) is going to have to quilt it. heh-heh. In skulls, heh-heh-heh

Now for Pattern Magazine Fasting

With money tight at the Ladwig household, I decided that I should pattern fast this year and work on the items I have in queue. I have enormous stash and pattern stash and yes, queue so I need to work on getting that down.

This is going to be a Herculean task but I am going to add it to my prayer list. It's like peeling an onion - removing all those unnecessary layers.

I just feel like removing all the areas of gluttony and greed and as silly as it sounds my fiber life is where I am guilty. I derive so much pleasure from knitting, crochet, quilting, etc. that I have indulged myself in these areas. It has gotten to the point of compulsion and I need to address this area.

Caliente!

 

The January socks for Loumms' Year of Socks are Caliente and Court Line. I finished one Caliente sock today. It seemed a little big so I washed it in cold water on delicate and it lightly felted it and removed my "ladders" created by changing needles. It is the first time that I made a toe up sock. Frankly, it was just my second pair of socks.

I am very excited to be using my new Kollage square DPN's (double-pointed needles). I got the medium length ones and they are a little awkward. I have poky ends I have to work around. I think I'll acquire the short ones too.

I washed Madden's Masonic Lodge socks and to help the ladders disappear and he likes them. He has planned an outfit to wear around them. Thursday, he says.

Now that I made Mike a scarf he says I never have to knit him anything else. He has not desire to wear socks made from imported wool. White cotton socks are fine. He can't see his way to $30 socks. I have made him all the hats he needs. Nevertheless, I have plans to make him a Mr. Rogers zip-up cardigan and a shawl collar tweed sweater (probably not this year but sometime) though. I want to make someone an Ernie sweater but I have no takers as yet. Anyone?

I thought about making Ellison one but I found a vest that is gray with yellow cables to look like an asphalt highway. It has pockets for hot wheels that look like a stop light.

First Socks!

 

I finished my first socks on January 1, 2010. I am going to follow the Loumm's Creations "A Year of Socks." I made them for my son, Madden, age 15. I found it satisfying to finish them. I had tried when i was a new knitter to make them buy was not able to understand the structure. I am about 75% complete on my second pair, Caliente. They will be slipper socks.

In January, I have decided to take a rug hooking class. I think I will take the pillow in I completed the front of (but never sewed) to have the instructor to critique. I have several pieces that Cindy's grandmother completed the hooking on but did not bind. I have also have several that are partially completed.

Rose Path Weaving in Lindale, TX opened a rug-hooking wing and that is where I would take my class.

It is interesting to me that beginning a year could bring about such creativity in me. I realized for Christmas that I had completed 3 quilts, 1 scarf, 1 pair of slippers, 1 pair of socks, 7 dish or face cloths, 1 trivit and 2 amirugumi santa clauses. That is not even completion of projects for the year. I think it has been a productive year.

I told my husband my and he said, "Are you tired?" and then said with tongue firmly planted in cheek, "Don't do it again."

Unexpected Developments

My daughter taught herself to knit over New Year's weekend. She got a kit from my 8 year old nephew and sat and taught herself to knit. Understand that I have been begging her to let me teach her to knit and she taught herself with a kit.

Now, we have begun negotations over whether or not she will now make a potholder or coasters. Everything with Sam begins with a negotation. Unfortunately her project stalled because she ran out of yarn. I will have to find purple yarn for her to complete her purse with.

I have to dash I have to negotiate Sam's bedtime.

10 in '10

I have accepted a challenge posted on Ravelry to create 10 articles in 2010. I am hoping to make socks. I found an inspiring blog, "Loumms' Year in Socks." The patterns and blog timeline were completed last year, but at that time turning the heel of a sock was not an ambition of mine. Now, I find I find myself no longer intimidated by cables and had the a-ha! moment when the engineering of a sock heel clicked in my head. Taking one-dimensional pieces and creating a 3-dimensional garment has always fascinated me so now I am doing the same thing with a piece of string and some sticks. I am also determined to make my first mittens and tam this year. I'll probably throw in a couple dog sweaters for good measure.

Merry Christmas from the Ladwig's

Make a Smilebox scrapbook