Time Sock Completion

Much knitting was done on the road trip:

Once we'd arrived, I got some help from my 3-yr-old niece:

she knitted 12 stitches on one sock, and 2 on the other

More knitting while on the ferry to Bainbridge Island:

Some speed knitting and a little sleep-knitting was done Saturday evening and parts of Sunday to get us this far

and finally, Monday evening (too late for the premier, but we couldn't get actual cable channels to show up on the TV anyway, alas) the socks were finished.

So there you have it. You can knit a pair of socks in about 2 weeks, even if you don't seem to have much spare time.

Because I didn't, really. And yet, the Time Socks are finished.

All My Chickens, Week 31, Humbug Bag

A bit of a cheat this time. I plan to make this cute little bag using a chicken-printed fabric (ignore that huge duck - it's mostly chickens), which is basically the only way to tie this in with the theme at the moment.
(I hope you'll forgive me - I'm on vacation.)
The Humbug bag is simple, adorable, and useful, all in one. You can get the pattern here, or, if you're very clever, you might even be able to figure out how to make one without a pattern. (hint: the shape is similar to this project*)

*which brings up the idea of doing this bag with all the chicken parts as well, with the zip on the underside. could be cute, no?

*pic of my own creation added after-the-fact*

can I have a little more time, please?

I did some good work on the time socks during Fab Fibers,

I still have about 14 rounds to go before the gussets are done.

but then, when I got home, I was suddenly detoured into stitching up a new top instead. For me. It was something I'd been planning to do for a few weeks, just hadn't gotten to it yet.

This was a total start-to-finish project*, in one evening. I had this remnant of knit, and it was only 2/3 yd. I wanted that same top (S3759) out of it that I'd done with the pale yellow and the lovely purple, only this was even less fabric.

I barely managed to cut out all the pieces, and had to piece the neckband. Lucky for me, the butterflies didn't land anywhere embarrassing.
This looked fabulous with the black pants I was wearing yesterday, and I notice some deep red in there that probably means it will look great with my red suede skirt, too.
How much do I love this pattern? Lots, I guess.

But that won't help me get the time socks done in time.

*Wardrobe item the 13th, in case you wondered...

gussets are cool, I'm knitting gussets now

The gussets are taking for-freaken-ever!

I am not doing well with seeing the whole picture of what I'm doing while trying to follow row-by-row directions for the gussets.
Yes, I know how to do a gusset on a sock. It's just that there is also a twisted rib thing going on here and there, and a diminishing segment of twisted rib below the zig-zag part, all while decreasing every other round for the gussets.
Not to mention, her rounds are not really written for the magic loop 2-at-a-time method, so one of the socks is done from the middle of one round to the middle of the next.
It's driving me crazy.
I keep getting lost.

But I really really really want to be wearing these socks while I watch the ever-evolving history/mystery of the Doctor unfold.

3rd Time's the Charm

I've started my heel turns 3 times with this sock.

I'm so annoyed with myself.

The first time, I had only done 16 more rows, instead of "repeat these 2 rows 16 times". Duh.

The second time, I was so pleased when I had finally done all the row repeats, I didn't realize that it should be 34 rows (2 rows, worked 17 times each) instead of 36 (I need 16 more of these rows, and I've worked 2 rows, so together, that's 18, which means 36, right? Faulty math happens after 9pm, I think.) I was picking up the stitches down the side of the heel flap before I realized my mistake.

Now that I've ripped all that out (again), I think that, if I discover any more mistakes, I'm just going to forge ahead and work it out at some point before I start the rest of the foot. So there.

time sock update

I've started the heel flap already, so it's looking pretty good for a Saturday goal of peering over the tops of my time-sock-wearing toes while watching the mid-season premier of Doctor Who.

I have a little bone to pick with the designer, though. The second sock (the one on the right - it has to do with the magic loop method) has you shift stitches before you can start the heel flap. If I was using double points, this wouldn't be a huge problem, as you'd just slip stitches from one needle to the next until you had it the way you want it. But with the magic loop method, the second sock in particular is difficult to shift. It asks that you stop 14 stitches short of finishing the chart section, and start the heel flap stitches there. The heel flap should be on the needle in front at this point. To get to the other 1/2 of the needed stitches, which are on the cable at the back, you need to first travel through the entire first sock (and at this point, you only wanted to be knitting on the heel flap half, so you're just slipping stitches for the other half), or work backwards through most of the second. Then, you have to get a double point needle of the same size, and shift the requisite number of stitches onto that, so you can be ready to knit them with the heel flap. Then, shift the extra stitches that you won't be using for the heel flap to the cable at the back, and now, finally, you can proceed with the actual knitting.

WHAT?!?

Why in the heck would I want to do that, when I could have just started the second sock at the right point in the pattern, so that I could just proceed to the heel flap naturally?

(are all the non-knitters totally bored/confused now? I won't be offended if you've stopped reading. really.)

I've made notes on my pattern as to the extremely simple change, and those notes will also go on my Rav project notes so perhaps others can benefit from my frustrations. It's clear that the designer hadn't actually worked both socks, at the same time, using the magic loop method, when the pattern was written. Normally, that wouldn't bother me. I'm used to having to interpret patterns so that I can use my preferred method of sock construction, and I'm getting pretty good at it, I think. But this particular pattern states that it is written using the magic loop method.

NOT!

Perhaps it was written with that method in mind, but worked only one sock at a time? But again, why, when it's easily avoided, would you want to shift the stitches at all?

Okay, rant over. You can now carry on with your day.

All My Chickens, Week 30, Chicken Run-ner

I've been taking stock of the many assorted chicken related patterns, kits, and nearly-finished items that were already a part of my sewing room landscape when I started this challenge, and I've come to the conclusion that, as we're over half-way through our year of Chickens, I need to get serious about these.

One such project is Chicken Run-ner, by Lake View Primitives, which I bought as a kit from a local shop, (Corn Wagon, I think) and then, instead of starting to work on it, I would periodically get it out of the box, or off the shelf, and stroke the lovely felted wool while I thought about cutting out the pattern pieces.

A few weeks ago, while entertaining myself in the aforementioned fashion, I found I was truly ready to tackle this one. It took a few days to trace off all the pieces and cut them out, but now it's all ready to stitch together.

I am pretty sure this is going to take more than one week to put together, because it's all hand-stitching.* But that's not exactly out of the ordinary with this challenge.

*not to mention, I'm tyring to finish the Time Socks

time sock day 3

too many projects?

Just how many (active) projects is too many, I wonder?

Currently, I'm hard at work on the Time Socks, and making pretty good, um, time, too.

A whole 2 1/2" now. I just might have a chance of finishing before next Friday.

Still working on the Amethyst Ribbon Socks, though they've been set aside until the Time Socks are done (or relegated to a slower pace). I'm just about done with the gusset.

why do I think of Tigger every time I look at these?

Actually, I'm wishing I'd finished these before picking up the Time Socks, because after working with the Felici yarn, this stuff feels positively course.

Taking up the bulk of my project bag at this moment are some All My Chickens projects. Though there are some that aren't getting hauled about with me (like I'm expecting to work on them at any given moment?), I have no less than 6 vying for my attention every time I reach into that bag:

Chicken Scratch Heart 

bet you thought I forgot about this one

 Momma Chicken

barely begun, but at least it's a start

Eggy & Barnyard Birds

neither of which have actually been started

Square Chicks

I've done the base, and started up the sides!

and, the Chicken Strip Mini Quilt

I'm quilting already, so that's not bad, right?

Then, just in case I get tired of working with yarn (or fabrics) I've got this needlepoint kit

nor very far into it, but hey, sorting the floss took ages!

So, what I'm wondering is, where is the tipping point? If I added just one more project to the list, would it start to feel like too many to think about, thus leading me to work on none of them? Or would that take another half dozen or so?

(Do I really want to find out? Do you?)

Time Socks

I decided it was way past time to cast on some socks in my Time Traveler stripe Felici yarn

and, after looking at the other projects on Rav in that yarn, I decided two things:

I won't call the project Timey-Wimey or Wibbley-Wobbley.

The stripe is strong enough to not get lost in cables and such.

So I cast on for Frankensocks. A lot of others did Jaywalker or Monkey. I like the Jaywalker pattern, but I've got some already on the needles. The Monkey pattern is nice, but it's not quite what I'm after.
I figured there should be something more than just a plain sock, and I like the look of the Frankensock. Both of them.
This business of knitting into the back of the loop while doing the right twist mini-cable might do me in, but I think it's the right pattern for this yarn. For me, anyway.

Now, what about a name for these?

And, do you think it's possible to get them done before the mid-season premier next weekend? (Go on...watch the trailer...I know you want to! Watch the Prequel! I'll wait...) 

Lookie - I've already knitted a whole inch!

That's a good start, right? I can easily finish them in, let's see, 9 days? Piece of cake.

Totally kidding. But I'm going to knit on them as much as possible anyway. Also, can I just tell you? I love this Felici yarn! It's just about the softest thing I've worked with since baby alpaca. I need more. I don't even care what color, I just need more. Need, I'm saying. It's that good.

towels are not fulling-friendly

I had the pieces of this red and brown tote all crocheted and ready to assemble ages ago (can't even think how long - but years, not months, I'm pretty sure), and I was stalled a bit by (you guessed it) the assembly process. 

The way I hate having to sew together parts that I just created, so please explain to me why I couldn't have just created them already assembled? Please?

Except that, sometimes, that's not possible/practical. I think the little flap might have been the sort of thing you could have worked right onto the body of the bag, but the straps really had to be made up separate and sewn on. (Unless someone knows how you would manage the little circle thing as a surface chain/embroidery sort of thing? Thought not.)

I ran across this un-finished-object while looking for another that I hadn't seen in a while, and decided it was time to just sit myself down and sew the dang thing. Ugh.

It was hard. Really hard. All that business of cutting the yarn, threading the needle, placing the pieces just exactly so. Trying not to have my stitches show up.* Working with the same color yarn just in case. Geez.

Once it was sewn together, it was time to throw the thing into a hot water wash and shrink it.

Now, I'd gone and used this lovely red wool, and therefore I was concerned that it might just bleed a little color.** Washing it with the sheets sounded like trouble. Besides, the current sheets on my bed are denim, rather new, still quite dark, and likely to bleed some color themselves in hot water. I pondered this for a day or so. I considered throwing in some (faded) jeans, but couldn't think of a pair that I was willing to sacrifice to possible shrinkage and/or pinkness. I finally decided I'd use an old pink towel to add that little extra abrasion to help it shrink nicely.

This started out pretty well. Although, on second thought, I might have used a bit too much detergent. It was a hot sudsy mess in there.

The tote shrank up just right, I think. But now, we see why a towel is not the best fulling companion.

I spent the next 1 1/2 hrs hand picking the towel bits off.
That was fun. (NOT)

In the end, I'm pretty pleased with this. But next time, I'll know to leave the towels behind. In fact, I'm considering sewing up a little fulling bag out of some old, very faded, jeans - contain those wool fuzzies, and speed up the process all in one go. Sounds like a plan.

*which really won't show at all after it's shrunk, but I worried about it anyway

**in point of fact, it did not

All My Chickens, Week 29, Eggy!

More yarn this week. This is a quick, cute little crochet project.

Eggy, the Cute Chick, by Ami Amour. (Rav link)

*pic of my own creation added after-the-fact*

Just Right

One of my book club besties decided to host our meeting in the middle of the day, at her backyard pool. She sent the hubby off with the kids (after he grilled up our turkey burgers), and those of us that could get away enjoyed a fabulous lunch (followed by some fancy snow-cones) and a few hours lounging by and in the pool.

Now, I'm sitting at my desk, smelling of sunscreen, my hair in soft waves down my back, dreaming I'm still there.

It was just exactly what I needed. Thanks a million, 'Chelle!

Heeeeere's Clucky!

I know, I know, it's been ages since I announced this one. I took way too long getting it done. Fabric selection* was a big part of that, (choose the main fabric, and then let that dictate the rest of the color choices) but once I'd settled the question, it should have gone together pretty fast.

Melly and Me does great patterns. I especially love how she did this beak! At first, I wondered why you'd want the weird shape you get when you sew together two of the beak pieces, but once I set it against the face, I could see where she was going with it.

see how it does that little pointy bit on the sides? and how the seam makes it look like she could open her beak? LOVE it!

I started the sewing up by doing the little chicks first. I sorta felt like I wasn't getting anywhere, and I was still puzzling over how I was going to do the tail and comb (I didn't want to use fusible interfacing on this for the stiffness, because I have my own method for that - I use a layer of thin batting, sewn in when I sew up the two pieces). On pieces like the wings, that's just one layer, because the inner side of the wing doesn't need the padding, so that's easy. But on the tail and such, it needed to have it on both sides. I finally figured out that I could sew it together with one layer of batting on the bottom, and then flip it over and sew it again, following my stitching, to attach the second layer. Worked out well. 

I was a little confused at how she did the chicks beaks, because it wasn't quite looking like her drawings. I finally figured out it what she was getting at, and it's pretty clever. Here's how my pieces looked when I folded them up:

And then when I inserted them into the opening:

That's the raw edges sticking out to the right, with the folded bits inside, so they'll be on the outside when it's turned right side out.

And here's some pics of how I do the layer of batting sewn in:

When I work with smaller pieces, I don't generally leave an opening along the stitching line, like you would with larger pieces, because it's really difficult to turn them and then get that opening sewn up just right. If this had been a piece you would see from both sides, I couldn't have done it this way, but as these would end up being sewn directly to the chicks body, I could hide the sewn-up slit easily.

You sew it up all the way around the edges, and then cut a slit in ONE layer (the batting is on the other side here). Clip your curves as usual, and then turn it right sides out through the little slit.

Then you just overcast the slit closed. I didn't need to put any stuffing in there because I'd already sewn in a layer of batting. Make sense?

I did the momma wings almost the same way, except I turned them through an opening left along the side, because they're much bigger.

I elected to use a little pouch of poly pellets to keep my chicken upright, instead of the cardboard insert she suggests. I like that it's washable and flexible. I used the base piece again and cut out two layers of muslin (any fabric scrap will do - you won't see it) and stitched those together using 1/4" seam allowance. I left a small opening, which I then put a funnel into to fill it up with the pellets.

Stitch up the hole, and that's it. No need to turn this, as it will be totally enclosed in the chicken. Just slip it in through the opening in the base (after you stuff the rest of the chicken), settle it into place so it's where it should be, and sew up the opening.

FYI, not all the pieces have the seam allowance included. You have to pay attention to her (4 page!) directions, because some of the pieces will be cut out and then sewn together, and others are to be drawn on the fabric, sewn on the line, and then cut out. That's not unusual, exactly, but I finally labeled my pattern pieces because I was getting confused.

The directions for this one are so long, at one point, I considered checking off the bits of directions as I'd done them. It doesn't tell you that you've left off working on the momma when you start up the chicks, it just starts up with the little baby beaks, so I got a little lost.

Although, I suppose, if I'd done this in the right order, it would have made more sense.

Anyway, she's done, and I think she's pretty cute. I'm dying to use this beak on something else, too. So very clever!

*main fabric is Free Spirit by MoMo, wings are Rosemarie Lavin for Moda,  the rest were just whatever, all from my stash

All My Chickens, Week 28, Barnyard Birds

A sweet little knit, Barnyard Birds is perfect for a beginner, because all you do is knit up a square (or use up your gauge swatches, if you've got any).

In fact, I'm thinking you could do these from a square of fabric, if you're not into knitting. I might have to try that. (Obviously, I decided fabric was the way to go here. Principle is the same - start with a square, then stitch up just as directed for the knit variety.)

*pic of my own creation added after-the-fact*

Birthday Fairy in the City

We took the bus into Seattle (the bridge we crossed floats!) and then the monorail to the Space Needle

where we waited

and waited

and waited

until we finally got to take the 41 second elevator ride to the top.

We walked around a couple times outside, looking at the scenery, finding my brothers office building and the like.

Back inside to wait for the elevator down

and that was it

The Birthday Fairy had been pretty good to us. We caught the right bus, got to the monorail platform just before a huge line formed, and really didn't have a forever-long wait to go up the Space Needle. We had just enough time to make all the kids some stamped quarters before our return monorail got there, too.

Back at the station, we decided we'd test our luck one more time and try to make it over to Pike's Place Market, just in case they had summer hours later than 6pm (they did for the shops, though the stalls were all closing up), and my brother ordered us a pan of the "World's Best" Mac & Cheese (and a tub of fresh cheese curds) at Beecher's, while my nephew declared: I DON'T WANT TO EAT HERE! I JUST WANT TO GO HOME! and my niece and I found some cheese with pretty purple flowers pressed into the top of it, which I could have sworn I took a picture of but apparently not.

My niece fell asleep before we'd reached the station again.
That girl is heavy as lead when she's sleeping.
And we still had to have her Pretty Pink Party once we got home.

Chicken Wing bikini, anyone?

These are the wings for Clucky, ready to be sewn to the body. They've been sitting like this for a while, and every time I see them, I think they look more like a bra than a pair of wings.

It sort of begs to be done properly, don't you think? Maybe not person-sized, but on a doll?

I mean, I like the idea, and I'd be happy to design a chicken-themed bikini (with tail feathers, even), but it's not quite "me", so it seems impractical to draft up a chicken-wing bodice that won't get worn. Even if it is a cute idea.

Bluework Hen

I worked up the Blue Hen Chicken pretty much the same as the redwork version - enlarged to 200%, same fabric, using DMC 825. I'm noticing here that maybe it's a little crooked. Oops. I'll tweak it when I sew it up.

I'll be putting the two together into a pillow. Soon.