Woo Hoo!

Does my daughter look happy? She is - their team received a bid to Worlds!!

Band Meme

Saw this on Nored No More blog:

Anyone seen the BAND MEME going around? Basically, you go to three sites to randomly select your band name, album title, and cover art.

1. Go here for the band name: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
No matter what the title of the article is, that's the name of your band.

2. Go here for the album title: www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four words from the very last quote on the page makes up the title of your band's album.

3. Go here for the cover art: www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/
Whatever the third picture is, that's the cover to your band's album.

My results:

Name of my Band:
Joe Girard

Title of my first Album:
"Those We Don't Like"

Cover Art (To those of you who really know me, How perfect is this????!!!):

Hello, IT Department? Ummm, I think I need a new keyboard

Ya see, I received an email from Vogue Patterns in which they are highlighting their new spring designs and one of their new patterns made me spit my coffee all over my keyboard.

I don't care how nice your butt might be. That is NOT a good look!! Michael Kors, I love you but what are ya thinkin????

Apron Swap - how cool!!

First, Thanks for all the good tips via comments and emails regarding the McCalls jacket. I am not completely abandoning my robe... I mean my jacket but I'm going to let it sit on Lola for awhile while I ponder what to do with it. Life's too short to sew things I'm not in love with.

But on a more exciting note... I just read about a great swap - The Sassy Apron Swap! It sounds like a lot of fun. Click on the button to read details on the blog. I also added added a button on the sidebar. To summarize:

• sign-ups are open until January 20th;
• participants must sew an apron or purchase a homemade apron (i.e. from an Etsy shop or something similar);
• the apron must have a pocket;
• you must include a soup recipe in your package;
• apron must be mailed by March 1st.

BTW, the hostess, Lucy, intends to do other swaps later in the year. Very cool!

Yay or Nay?

I am almost finished McCall's 5479 and can't decide if I like it or not. These photos are terrible but hopefully, you can see what it is looking like. The black fabric has embossed daisies on it - almost impossible to see in the photo but you may be able to distinguish them in the facing / lining picture. So what do you think? Is it too 'big' of a look for me? I don't mean the size. It fits fine - I'm just not sure my body is right for this style jacket. Or maybe it's simply the wrong fabric choice. The plaid versions I've seen here (hi Lori!) and here are adorable. It looks very similar to the picture on the envelope and the line drawing but I just can't decide if it looks good on me. I either look like I'm headed into the courtroom or I'm getting ready to graduate and the dog chewed the bottom off my gown. (BTW, I would not be wearing it with the lovely Pepto-Bismol pink sweat pants. LOL.)

Calling Cincinnati Knitters

Hey you Knitters in the 'Nati.... Anyone interested in a downtown lunchtime knitting group?

Let me know via comment or email if this is something that you would be interested in. Or if you know any other knitters who work downtown and might be interested, pass the word. Thanks!

Destashing

I always try to get organized in January. I've made a good dent in cleaning / organizing and have made a couple trips to Goodwill as well as filled the cans a few times. I even organized my patterns and realized that I had some duplicates as well as some that I don't want. If you want any or all of these patterns, email me (bonnie_crocker yahoo com) and I'll mail them to you (sorry but within the US only.) None of the patterns have been cut. I have some vintage patterns that I will be giving away at some point but I haven't figured out which ones I want to keep!


Vogue 9396 Dress; Size 8-10-12 (oop)


New Look 6087 knit Top; Size A 6-16 (oop)


This one is gone: Simplicity 4084 Threads trench coat; Size 6, 8, 10, 12, 14


This one is gone: Simplicity 3964 Top / Tunic / Dress; Size D5 4, 6, 8, 10, 12

Political Survey

Thanks for all the nice comments on the jumper in my last post. It is a great pattern. I appreciate all the feedback on the light versus dark look. I think people unanimously preferred the dark, which is funny as I was leaning the other way. I'm thinking I should reach out to you all more frequently when I am trying to figure out what to wear to work!

I'm a sucker for online quizzes. So today, instead of figuring out what flavor ice cream I should be or what kind of Goddess I am, I assessed my political affiliation via this poll that I saw on Beth's blog. Because I have both conservative and liberal tendencies, I was curious to see where this poll would put me. Wow! Although not surprised to see more red than blue, I was surprised (and a bit alarmed!) to see which candidates I was more strongly aligned with based on my answers to the questions. (Beth, maybe I should not come back to knitting group until mid-November!)

73% Mitt Romney
72% Fred Thompson
68% John McCain
67% Rudy Giuliani
63% Tom Tancredo
60% Mike Huckabee
58% Ron Paul
54% Bill Richardson
44% Chris Dodd
43% Hillary Clinton
41% Barack Obama
41% John Edwards
33% Joe Biden
31% Mike Gravel
26% Dennis Kucinich

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

I FINALLY sewed a Burda WOF!

I finished up this Burda jumper tonight. I had everything done last night except the hem. I wanted to do a twin needle hem but I didn't think I had matching thread. I checked again and VOILA. Found some. I found a great tip for knit hems via Laura's PR review of this same jumper. I used it on my hem and it works great. No more bulky seams!

So what do you think... Cream turtleneck and tights and brown boots or black turtleneck, tights and boots? I'm leaning towards cream. (Hey... how come I look shorter in the cream ensemble??)

The details:

Pattern: Burda World of Fashion, September 2007, #121 "Pinafore Dress"
Size 36 although I ended up taking it in at the hips so a 34 probably would have been fine
Fabric: Some really stretchy cotton lycra (I think) blend in a heathered denim color that I've had in my stash forever. I am reasonably sure I bought this fabric to make leggings when I was pregnant with my son. Who is now 13. Which makes the fabric 14 years old. And the lycra has not dry-rotted!

LOVE this jumper!

This is the first Burda WOF pattern I've actually made. I have had another one cut out for several months but I haven't started sewing it yet. The style in the WOF patterns is awesome! I have still not subscribed to the monthly publication but I think it's just a matter of time. For now, I buy the monthly issues that I like for $8 plus $2 s/h.

I had a little trouble figuring out the back pleats. Burda WOF is skimpy on instructions as well as drawings and pictures. I THINK I was sewing the back pleats correctly but they caused the skirt to stick out at weird angles. Not sure if it's the size of my behind or maybe the shape of it or perhaps simply user error but I went with a box pleat and it seems to be laying flatter. Here is a picture (do you know how hard it is to take a picture of your own b*tt?)

Grrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!

That's me in my new bathrobe. Do I look like a Leopard or a Jaguar? Or a Cheetah (as Lori pointed out!)

I can never find a RTW robe with all the "features" that I like so I came across this pattern before the holidays and decided to make myself one. Hancock's had lots of fun polar fleece prints from which to choose. I almost picked a purple plaid but then I decided to let the animal in me out. Ha ha.

So what features you ask? I like to lounge in a robe on weekend mornings. I prefer a robe that zips so I don't accidentally flash my family - not pretty. Because I frequently cook or clean while still in my robe, I need the sleeves to be form fitting so they don't catch on fire at the stove or get dipped in the toilet. I like it to be all the way to the floor so of course, it needs to be wide enough to walk comfortable. I have to have pockets. And it needs to be cozy. Doesn't seem like it should be that hard to find but it usually is.

This is a PERFECT pattern for me. The particulars:

Butterick 6881, View E
2 1/4 yards 60" wide polar fleece (this is less than the pattern calls for, however, I did not make the pockets from the fleece to minimize the bulk.)
Ribbing for the sleeves
1 22" zipper
a zipper pull - I happened to have a little tassle that worked well.

Pictures of some of the details:
Rib Trim on the sleeves:


Tassle Zipper Pull:


I used some cotton rather than polar fleece to reduce bulk for the pockets:



This took about 1 1/2 hours to sew. Went together very easily and it is sooooo cozy. I can't wait to put my jammies back on tonight!

Uh oh, Am I getting old? Say it ain't so.

My 13 year old son is making dinner right now - Schezuan Chicken to be exact. One of the ingredients is chicken broth. The electric can opener was behind the mixer and hard to get to so I handed him an opener similar to the one pictured above to open the can of broth.

He looked at it like it was some complicated piece of equipment; held it next to the can; paused and then said, "What am I supposed to do with this?" LOL. I showed him how it worked and then launched into a "when I was a kid" story about how metal soda and juice cans did not always come with the openers built right in.

BTW, I googled it to find a picture and found out that kind of opener is called a "church key opener." Who knew?

1/6/08 Edited
Well.... my son had all the ingredients measured out and ready to go. Then his buddies showed up and they got distracted with the newest Xbox 360 game. They ate leftover pizza and all the ingredients went back in the fridge for tonight's dinner. He really does like to cook. I bought one of Sandra Lee's "semi-homemade" cookbooks for him. Not as manly as Emeril or Bobby Flay but her recipes are definitely more in line with what he likes to eat. He and his buddies made bacon, eggs and homemade waffles for breakfast this morning!

Now.... if I could only train him to cook for me every night. hee hee.

Last FO of 2007

Happy New Year, everyone! Hope everyone found some time to relax this past week.

I have spent the last week or so on the road at a basketball tournament and then a cheerleading competition. Lots of sitting around time so I did some knitting and reading. I made this headband and I LOVE the pattern. I intended it for my 20 year old for those cold walks across campus but she looked at it and said, "You're kidding, right?" Guess it's not fashionable enough for her. Whatever.... Another piece for MOI!

Pattern: Knitty Calorimetry
Yarn: Malabrigo - Autumn Forest
Needles: size 4
Cast on 100 stitches instead of the 130 called for in the pattern. I could have probably gotten away with only 90 stitches. I'm going to weigh the yarn on my postal scale at work tomorrow but I'm guessing it used about 100 yards.

No resolutions for me but I do love this time of year for the "fresh start" it presents. I have spent the last two days cleaning and sorting and organizing my sewing room including patterns, yarn and fabric. I'm not quite done but here are the before photos:

And here are some photos I just took today:

Making a Blanket

This is my friend (the one who made the nightshirt) and her husband making a fleece blanket for his grandpa for Christmas. The two of them made a TON of these blankets for family members (we can all relate to how ONE little craft project turns into a TON of projects, can't we?!) Since the grandpa is in his ninety's, they wanted to do something extra special so they made this video and gave him a dvd of it for Christmas. Along with the blanket, of course.

Be sure to watch the video all the way to the end for a surprise visitor.

Stick a Christmas Fork in it

I just finished up the twins' capelets - the Christmas presents are done! And I still have 30 minutes to spare until we have to leave for Mass.

Merry Christmas everybody!!!!

I can SEE the finish line!

I am so very happy about the gifts I've made over the last two days. Check 'em out:

The Poncho & Bunny Hat intended for my 9 month old niece. Poncho is from Holiday Knits and Bunny Hat is from Itty Bitty Hats (if you have any babies in your life, BUY THIS BOOK!) Yarn is CottonEase (discontinued colors.) I wanted to use a little of the green yarn in the hat. I tried I-cord (too fat); I tried simple yarn bow (too skinny); finally settled on a simple crochet chain stitch. I debated embroidering a face on but opted to keep it simple. I also didn't embellish with a pom pom tail for safety reasons.

I don't recall where I got the pattern for the hat. It is made from some leftover wool yarn I had and a pattern that is a simple hat with basketweave brim. It will go to my brother along with the hat I made for my SIL for their daily walks.

And a pair of PJ pants for my 13 year old. It's a camo flannel fabric I found in the clearance section of Hancocks. Cost about $2!

And some food gifts:
The Hawaiian vodka I mentioned a few weeks ago. I wanted to embellish with some little pineapples but couldn't find any at Michael's so i opted for a tropical looking flower. The bottles will go to two of my friends along with the martini apron I made recently and a martini glass ornament.

Have you heard about these Rolo Turtle Candies? It's not a new recipe but they haunted me this year. I overheard the sales staff at the yarn store talking about them on Saturday and saw the "recipe" on several blogs the same day. I decided I had to make some. Took all of ten minutes to make, no lie. (Buy the individual packages of Rolos so you don't have to unwrap them.) And they are DELISH!

ROLO TURTLES

INGREDIENTS

60 Mini pretzels

60 Rolos (unwrapped)

60 pecan halves

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Place 30 pretzels on the first sheet. Place a Rolo on each pretzel (center each). Bake for 4 minutes at 250 degrees (or a little less). Remove from oven and press a pecan half into each Rolo, until it spreads. Let cool for 15 minutes, and then set in the refrigerator to set up.

Store in a sealed container.

Makes 5 dozen

All I have left to do is make two little polar fleece capelets for a pair of one-year old twins. I was unexpectedly invited to their house later today so my son and I made a quick trip to JoAnn's for the fabric and trim and this pattern ought to do it!

Christmas Craziness

Alrighty fellow Bloggers. I luv ya but you are truly a bad influence. You're those "kids" that mom never wanted me to hang around with because I'd "jump off a bridge" with them. A little background....

A month or two ago, I decided to play it low-key for Christmas. Lots going on in life and didn't want the added stress. I told my kids that I was scaling back and they were good with that. I planned to significantly cut back the rest of the Christmas list. But about two weeks ago, I thought, "How 'bout I just make a little something for everyone to let them know I'm thinking about them." Well, you all know where that leads, don't you? A hat here... an apron there... a pair of pj pants over there.... and before you know it, I have a list of to-dos that I don't have a prayer of getting to-done and in the mail by Christmas. I finally recognized Thursday that I wasn't going to get some of the presents that needed to be mailed to their recipients before Christmas so I sent emails saying Santa B would be a little late this year. Whew.... Relief fell off my shoulders and I was loving Christmas again. As of last night, I finished all the projects except for the bunny hat for my almost-one-year-old niece, which I figured I would finish over the weekend and get that last package in the mail on Monday.

I went to bed last night feeling good but still eyeing a very long list of things I needed to do today. Woke up early, got ahead of schedule and so I dared to look at Bloglines. OMG, the CUTE projects I saw!!! "Hmmmmm, maybe I can squeak out a few more gifts."

So off 16 yr old daughter and I went to finish up her shopping and pick up a few more project supplies. She helped me pick out yarn for a Calorimetry (Thanks, Cheryl!) or maybe Quant for her older sister and little did she know she picked out yarn for her own headband, too.

This yarn store is also a quilt store so we picked out fabric to make some "beach themed" pillowcases (thanks to the fun pillowcase "kits"Allison sent me recently) for my parents to take with them as they head to Florida for the winter.

I also still need to make a pair of PJ pants for my son and daughter and an apron for my friend but I don't need those until Christmas Day so I have TONS of time to finish!

OH! My shopping is officially done and listen to this funny Pay-It-Forward story. Today, my daughter pulls into a Starbucks drive-thru where she orders a Frappuccino. I remembered Sherry at Loopy Ewe's story about paying-it-forward at a Starbucks by paying for the car behind you and told my daughter to tell the cashier that I would pay for the car behind us, too. But no one pulled in behind us. We arrived at the window to pay and the guy says, "The lady ahead of you paid for your Frappuccino and said to tell you Merry Christmas." Tables turned! WHAT A HOOT!!

Any suggestions for a pattern?

I love this little top that Ali Larter is wearing. The collar, the raglan sleeves, the empire waist, the bow - everything about it! Can anyone recommend a pattern so I can create something similar? I can see extending this into a dress.

The Apron Factory

Aprons are quick and easy, right? Ummm, not quick enough. I had the bright idea to make five aprons for Christmas gifts. Bought the fabric a week or two ago and cut them out last night figuring it would take me a couple hours to sew all of them today. It is taking longer than I expected. I only have three done but they are the only ones that need to be mailed so I am ok. I will finish the other ones later in the week.

"Martini Momma" is made from a pattern called Flirty Skirty by Threaded Pear Studios. I couldn't find a link to the pattern on their website but it is usually available on ebay. I wasn't thrilled with this pattern. The ties were WAY too short and the bias trim is too thin. Their directions were not clear at all. I wanted to add a ruffle to the bottom but I ran out of fabric after having to cut a second set of ties that were long enough. Grrrrr......

This martini apron will be accompanied by a bottle of my homemade "hooch", otherwise known as Hawaiian Vodka. I steep a whole pineapple (cut in pieces) in vodka for two weeks . Then mix 3 parts of the pineapple vodka with 1 part vanilla vodka and 1 part coconut rum (like Captain Morgan's). Shake vigorously with ice and pour into a martini glass. Garnish with pineapple. Doggone good!!! Can also be served over ice with a splash of club soda.

"Neon Nights" is a reversible apron made from the same Flirty Skirty pattern. The tie is some grosgrain ribbon I had in my stash because the ties I cut were too short. (Did I mention that the ties are too short in the pattern?)

"Bee-Youtiful" is made from tried and true McCall's 3979 from which I made the Lucy and Ethel aprons a couple months ago. HIGHLY recommend this pattern. I will be making a scalloped edge half apron from this pattern later in the week.

And how about the adorable apron Christmas Tree ornaments found on a blog called Bits and Pieces (beautiful photos) - tutorial here. Obviously, they match the aprons and I'll tie them on the outside of the packages. It would have been cute to embroider them with the recipients name but I had that brainstorm after I made them (story of my life).

Knitting FOs

The hat is made from my favorite rolled brim pattern and some Wool-Ease i had in my stash. It will go to my SIL for her daily walks. I'm not sure what I'll do with the headband. I originally intended it for my mom along with some mittens or fingerless gloves but I've run out of time plus she and my dad just decided to spend winter in Florida. How nice!

(Yes, I do look a little pale but only because I'm wearing such a bright red lipstick.)

My Day... Or How to make Lemonade from Lemons

• 5:00 a.m. Slap snooze button after rudely being awakened
• 5:09 a.m. Slap snooze button again
• 5:18 a.m. Slap alarm off and jump out of bed, remembering an early flight
• 6:05 a.m. Leave house 10 minutes later than planned
• 6:35 a.m. Hydroplane across two lanes on the interstate; curse myself for not anticipating the bad weather, which is causing significant driving delay
• 7:05 a.m. Breathe a sigh of relief at making it to the gate in time for a 7:20 flight and stroll right onto the airplane (I was the only woman on the plane other than the flight attendant - how weird is that? Was hoping the plane didn't crash on a deserted island. Never mind, I digress)
• Approx. 8:05 a.m. Somewhere between Cincinnati and Detroit. "Uh, Folks, we're sorry about this but there appears to be an issue with our de-icing equipment and we have to return you all to Cincinnati."
• 9:15 a.m. Eavesdrop on the man yelling at the gate agent because he has a noon meeting in Detroit and if he misses it, "Delta is going to have to reimburse" him for his ticket. Ok, not really eavesdropping. Actively listening and trying to hear Delta's status update to decide if I'll make it in time for my 11:00 meeting or if I should turn around and head to the office instead.
• 9:25 a.m. Gamble and board the aircraft. Again.
• 9:45 a.m. Still sitting on the taxiway and recognize I gambled wrong
• 10:55 a.m. Exit the aircraft in Detroit and call the client to tell them I'll be participating in the meeting by phone. From the holdroom at the airport.
• 12:15 p.m. Board the same plane at the same gate to return to Cincinnati.

So what's the point of this story on a knitting / sewing blog? I could have taken Path A like the aforementioned grumpy man OR I could take Path B, which is to take advantage of free time on the stalled airplane to knit furiously on the project I decided to do last night for my niece for Christmas. This:

Will become this (see page 40).

I am using my only two skeins of Strawberries and Cream CottonEase that I have been hoarding for almost two years. I will trim it in the light green color (I forget the name.) I plan to make the Bunny Hat from Itty Bitty Hats to go with it.

Oh! And don't ya hate it when you take a new project with you and realize you forgot some of the supplies you need? Like say stitch markers? Check this out:

How handy!