I finished one bag today

The finished size is approx. 15" wide (at the top) and 9 " high. Quite a roomy bag actually. I used McCall's Pattern 5082 and some nice cotton madras. I used a magnetic closure and some bamboo handles that I happened to have in my sewing room. Not sure if I'm loving the fluffy trim but I wanted to experiment on techniques. I suspect one of my daughters will like it.

Total sewing time was about an hour. I think I'll be able to cut that down substantially on the next one now that I've familarized myself with the construction.

I ended up fusing interfacing to the back of all the pattern pieces so they'll hold up for a while. Tomorrow I plan to sew a yellow bag in the rectangular shape - lemon print fabric and lime green lining embellished with grosgrain. It will be for my mom when I visit her next month. She loves yellow and it will make a nice size tote for her knitting projects.

Total Cost:
Handles $5
Madras $1
Pink Lining $2
Pink Trim $1
Magnet closure $1
Interfacing $1

Total $11

Headbands Galore

My daughter started making these headbands a few weeks ago and has been selling them for $5. She's sold 25-30 of them. They are very simple but quite cute - can't beat that!

Betcha Can't Eat.... er... Make Just One!

Does anyone else suffer from a hoarding ailment? Does anyone else walk into a craft store with the intention of making ONE project but leave with enough supplies to make... say TEN projects. Cuz ya know, JoAnn fabric and Wal-Mart might sell out of all their fabric before getting back to buy supplies for the other nine.

See the lovely stash above. Inspired by a very fun grosgrain trimmed purse that I recently purchased as well as Creative Little Daisy's FANTABULOUS bags (how fun... I just noticed I purchased the same daisy trim that she has on her black gingham bag), I decided to make a purse some purses a sh*tload of purses. They had the funnest fabrics at Hancock and the best trims at Wal-Mart (many on clearance!)

Oh and did I mention the $100 I spent on grosgrain in the last week so my daughter can make headbands to sell? She has already sold about 30 of them. She is saving money to go on a cruise to Hawaii with her friend and her friend's grandma. (Remember when we were kids and we saved so we could buy a new record or better yet, a pair of Levi Cords? Ok, I'm digressing and starting to sound like my mother...) Anyhoo, where was I... Oh yeah... the ribbon. I found a vendor on ebay who has a great selection and good prices. So I bought a whole bunch for more headbands and potentially purses once I figure out how to do it.

I should get off the computer and start cutting...

Random Garden Photos

Anyone else getting spring fever? My husband and I have a win-win system. I like to design the garden and he likes to plant it. Gotta love that! Today, we purchased a new tree for our front. It's a dwarf lilac that has been grafted onto a 4 foot trunk to give it height. Doesn't it look cool? We even bought a mini spot light to shine on it at night. My parents had a HUGE lilac tree (we used to climb in it) and every spring when I smell the lilacs, I'm taken back to spring days as a kid. Now, I'll have my own lilacs to smell!

We also purchased some tomatoes, cauliflower, bell peppers and jalapeno pepper plants. The other photos are wisteria blooming for the first time (I think it's 3 years old) and some assorted perenniels that happen to be blooming now.

My First Hat

I have never made a hat. There. I admitted it. But when tempted with free yarn and a good cause, I knit one up in a heartbeat.

The particulars:
Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece
Lovely Lavender (a blueish purpley color)
1/2 skein (approx. 1.5-2 oz)
Size 5 circular and DPN
Lace Edged Hat

Next up, I will use the caramel Cotton Fleece to make this. I think I have enough yarn between the two skeins to make 3-4 hats and will send them off when I finish all of them.

Caps for a Cure

I joined a Yahoo Group in which members make caps and send to various cancer treatment facilities. I am embarrassed to admit that I have not yet made a cap. But that changed yesterday. One of the members received a bunch of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece and sent it out to various members. I received a lovely Lavender and a Caramel in the mail yesterday. So as I watched American Idol last night, I start on a lace edge cap. It is going very fast and I hope to finish it tonight.

Mother's Day

Although it's not over yet, Mother's Day has been wonderful so far. My oldest daughter came home from college for the day. I had two hours of peace and quiet in which I made a skirt. My husband gave me a beautiful bunch of flowers in my favorite colors. And my kids gave me a cute little vase with some mini roses. See the balloon? It says Te Quiero Maman. No, we are not hispanic and do not speak Spanish but my 15 year old thought it would be funny. She's quite the comedian, si?

It's 2:00 pm and I'm still in my jammies. I think I'll put some clothes on and work on some knitting now. I love Mother's day! Hee hee.

Purses

I finished two purses this week. One is a felted purse made of Cascade 220 and Squiggle from a pattern in Pursenalities Plus (love this book!!) The second is also made from Cascade 220 and a free pattern from Knitpicks. Can you see the cute pink and green beaded handle? I purchased it from JoAnn's online and sewed a green gingham ribbon to the top of the lining as an accent piece.

The purple and lime green bag goes to my secret partner in the Tote Exchange and the pink one is for my daughter. Time to start a new one for me, all me!!!

Inspired to Sew Again

I used to sew. A lot. I made many of my kids clothes and lots of things for me, too. I just loved the freedom of walking in to a sewing store and making whatever dress I wanted in whatever fabric I wanted. I spent many mornings cutting, pinning, sewing, pressing while my kids were napping and going to pre-school. And then, life got in the way. I ended up going back to work after a divorce and a job, kids' schedules and everyday life of a single parent of three put a kabash (sp?) on my favorite hobby. I still made Halloween costumes, Easter dresses, home dec accessories and other special things but my every day sewing stopped.

Well, fast forward ten years. In spite of a job that requires a lot of travel, I have more discretionary time. Every once in awhile, I come across a sewing project that starts me thinking about dusting off the Bernina. I like to follow Alison's blog and enjoyed reading her foray into sewing. I hit the fabric store last night, planning on making a simple skirt to get me warmed up again. I envisioned something bright and colorful (pink, lime green, turquoise, etc.) before I went to the store but I didn't see anything bright that I liked but I did like the black and white fabric shown on the left. It's a black broadcloth embroidered in white (the color in the picture makes it look like there's some purple but there is not) and I plan on embellishing with white grosgrain ribbon to create a skirt similar to the second design from the left. Very Ann Taylor-ish. Using my 40% off coupon, the fabric was only $13. Patterns were on sale for $1.99 and the ribbon and zipper were another $4. Total price $19. Very UN-Ann Taylor-ish!

But here's the funny part. I was going to post a comment on Alison's blog that she inspired me and when I did, look what I found! What a hoot!

Tidbits about me

Can you say "FOCUS ON YOUR WORK - QUIT PROCRASTINATING!"

Yes, I've had a hard time doing what I'm supposed to be doing today so I've done this instead:

You Are Lemon Meringue Pie

You're the perfect combo of sassy and sweet Those who like you have well refined tastes

What Kind of Pie Are You?

You Are a Chocolate Martini

You're an elegant drunk, who only likes the best bars and the most expensive drinks. A bit of a cheapskate, you're likely to mooch ten dollar drinks off both friends and strangers. You should never: Drink and dash. You're gonna get caught leaving someone with the tab! Your ideal party: A posh celebrity party you crash, with an open bar. Your drinking soulmates: those with a Classic Martini personality Your drinking rivals: those with a Blueberry Martini personality

What Flavor Martini Are You?

And finally, a Mommy meme:

I AM: a happy 43 year old.

I WANT: to lose 20 pounds

I WISH: I could take some time off from my job to catch up on my life or gain 4 more hours in each and every day.

I HATE: working when I want to be knitting or reading!

I MISS: living near my mom

I FEAR: I will die before my kids are grown

I HEAR: birds chirping on this beautiful spring day

I WONDER: what my children will “be” when they grown up

I REGRET: not taking more photos and video tapes as my children have grown up and organizing those that I did take.

I AM NOT: very patient

I DANCE: too infrequently

I SING: loudly (and poorly) in my car

I CRY: at the drop of a hat. You name it, it brings tears but I always feel better after. My oldest daughter is the same way!

I AM NOT ALWAYS: patient

I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: food and knitted projects

I WRITE: sloppily! If I was a child in school today, I’d surely be sent to an occupational therapist.

I CONFUSE: directions and frequently get lost.

I NEED: 8 hours of sleep per night to be completely functional (and nice) but I rarely get more then 6 or 7.

I SHOULD: exercise. (ICK!!)

I START: new projects before finishing old ones.

I FINISH: most books that I start but not all.

I TAG: whoever wants it.

Off to the final lacrosse game of the season!! Have a great evening!!

Confirmation Today plus Lots of Food

Aren't my girls beautiful?!!

Today my 15 year old will be confirmed into the Catholic faith (her older sister is her sponsor.) A big spiritual day for her although I'm not sure she "gets" it. That's ok. It will come. She wanted to select Dolly as her confirmation name so she could hear the Bishop say Molly Dolly but I nixed that. So she settled on Margarita because she likes the way it sounds.

After the mass, we'll return to our house for a celebration dinner and will include my ex and his wife , my ex's daughter and her husband, my father in law and my daughter's boyfriend's mother. Complicated, huh?

Here's the menu:
Texas Caviar with tortilla chips
Fruit with fruity dip
Marinated Grilled Flank Steak
Marinated Grilled Chicken breasts
Twice baked potatoes with cheese and bacon
Broccoli Salad
Roasted vegetables (eggplant, portabellos, zucchini, red peppers, asparagus) drizzed with olive oil and balsamic
Dinner Rolls
Cupcakes (my daughter's pick!)
Triple Berry Crisp with vanilla ice cream

Separated at Birth? Reunited at last!!

Ok, so no, I'm not adopted and no, I didn't find a brother or sister. But check out the magic of blogland.... I received an email a few weeks ago that asked me about the stuffed dog pictured in a November blog entry. This dog was one that I received when I was a baby and as you can see in the top picture, the dog was well loved! Well, Stasia told me in the email that she had a similar dog and would take a picture. She emailed the bottom picture to me today (poor dear had her left arm and ear amputated!) . Can you believe the similarity!!

I think we need to host a family reunion for these doggies.

Join the Tote Exchange

Along with three other gals, I am co-hosting a knit/crochet tote exchange. I hope you will join us. Sign-ups are due by April 14th so hurry over. Here's a link to the blog or send an email to ToteExchangeHostesses@gmail.com to join us!

Cable Knit Purse

I completed the Knitpicks Cable Knit Purse (free pattern) last weekend. I used some chunky Cascad. It was a very quick knit and is lined with a pre-made tote bag which means very little finishing. I added a black satin ribbon and toggle button for trim. The beaded handle came from JoAnn's.

A note if you try this pattern: You must double the yarn. The pattern omits this important little tidbit.

Car Hat and Sweater finished

I finished the hat and sweater set for my co-worker's baby. I used Cotton Ease yarn - candy blue, licorice, vanilla and red - and merged the Lion Brand Jester pattern and MagKnits hat pattern together. I'm very pleased with how the set turned out. I haven't been back in to the office since I sent it home with my co-worker so I don't know how they liked it.

Backyard fieldtrip

Here are two shots from the step of my back door. One shot looks across the patio to our pergola. In the summer, there is wisteria growing across the top of it. It is our favorite place to be on summer and autumn evenings. The other shots looks towards our backyard. To the right of the steps leading to the grassy area is a waterfall. We have it turned off now but the sound of it is wonderful when it is running - so peaceful. We can't wait to see some green again. In the summer, the entire back is filled with flowers - perenniels and annuals - so colorful.

It's sunny this morning and 30 degrees.

Lambikins Sale

My friend Linda and I just returned from the Lambikins sale. I didn't go looking for anything in particular but look what yarn just JUMPED into my arms!! I bought 18 skeins of Blizzard (14 in a gorgeous purple and 4 cream) by Reynolds. It is a chunky/bulky yarn that will make a great sweater. I bought enough to also make a hat and some fingerless gloves. Did I mention it was 1/2 off????? Approx. $4.50 per skein!

The other yarn is Cascade 109 that I plan to make some little felted Easter baskets out of. The blueish looking yarn on the left is actually purple.

As usual, my Lambikins experience was superior. One of the employees stopped to help me before I even asked and the owner, Christine, also stopped by and was just as sweet and helpful as ever! This LYS remains my favorite shop in the city for its selection and service.

Saipan Knitting

I just returned from Saipan, which is the largest island in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas islands (a U.S. Commonwealth.) It is in the Western Pacific Ocean, the Philipines Sea to be exact and is off the coast of the Philipines. Took a long time to get there (20 hours in the air, 48 hours total - each way.) It's a beautiful island with very friendly people. I didn't take many pictures while I was there but here is a shot from the balcony of my hotel room.

The bonus to that much flying time is - you guessed it - lots of knitting time. The second picture is all the knitting I did while I was gone. I finish all the pieces to the baby sweater done in Cottonease (I had the hat done before I left, I just included it in the photo so you can see what the finished sweater will look like). I also quickly knit up the back of a Rowan Biggie Print Penny cardigan (colorway Pool Party - lovely shades of blue with magenta woven in.) The darker purply pink triangular thing is the start of a poncho sweater (pattern name is Thunder) done in Rowan Plaid (colorway Bramble). I also started a lace scarf (Fiber Trends Falling In Love Pattern in Fleece Artist Kasula Ruby Red colorway) - only an inch done on that!

I want to keep my ISE scarf!

My Butterfly Beaded Scarf is done blocking and ready to be shipped to my International Scarf Exchange pal and I want to keep it!!! I am really pleased with the way it turned out. Blocking really does make a difference!

Statistics: 4 skeins or approximately 350 yards of alpaca / silk yarn (Queensland Collection Llama Seta 80% alpaca/ 20% silk) and 99 5mm rainbow beads. Pattern from Simple 1-2-3 Knitting Scarves available for purchase here for $3.99. This is the little booklet that was for sale in the grocery store a few months ago. I've now made two patterns from it.

Off she goes over the big blue ocean (hint hint.)

Knitting Olympics - The Torch is Lit

I understand the torch was lit at 2:00 pm today so I can legally cast on for the Knitting Olympics. Notice what I'm wearing. It's an official Olympic jacket given to my daughter a few years ago to inspire her gymnastics career (she quit a few months later!) The sweet donor is a friend of mine who made the 1980 Olympics team as a diver. Unfortunately, the U.S. decided to boycott and my friend never go to compete. What a waste!! I'm hoping she will transfer some of her spirit and perseverence via the Olympic jacket as I try to complete the baby hat and sweater set (along with finishing the scarf for the International Scarf Exchange!!) before the closing ceremonies.

Good luck to all 4000 Knitting Olympic competitors.