Summer Sewing

My fiance is a doll. Case in point? He's taking in my two sewing machines for repair today, so I can get going on summer sewing.

Both the Athena and my Rocketeer gave up the dust while I was working on my Storm at Sea. So it's not done. And I would REALLY love to bring that bad boy to my quilting retreat in September as a finished top, not in pieces!

I also have some very important projects to work on this summer. I have three gorgeous gifts to make for some very special ladies. And yesterday I received the most amazing fabric in the mail. I may be 28 years old (I'm going to keep saying that, because I keep forgetting and thinking I'm 29 already)... but I can still wear unicorns if I want to. This fabric is from Heather Ross's "Far Far Away" collection. I also bought some of her Mendocino fabric (with mermaids! and kelp!). The Far Far Away fabrics are doubleweight gauze, while the Mendocino are a standard quilting cotton. Don't know how I'll use all of them yet, but the unicorns on the blush background are going to become something like this:


Photo (and tutorial) courtesy of Sew Mama Sew.

Memorial Day Weekend

I blog a lot more when I have time off work. I guess that's an obvious correlation. This was a really delicious 3-day weekend- much deserved, I think! There was a bit of relaxing, a bit of cleaning, and a bit of fun. So pretty much perfect. I didn't accomplish everything I aimed to, but isn't that usually the way?

Stitch 'n Pitch was nice... but I never found my ladies from Silver Spring! I did wave to my former roommie, who I saw briefly from afar, but I never located anyone else from Maryland. I did however sit only a couple rows in front of the Arlington group (and with my gym buddy, who I met through that knitting group). They're nice, those NoVa people, but I was sad not to find everyone else. We were also next to a family that was not my cup of tea. They weren't rude, exactly, but just not very good seating companions. They weren't super into the game, they weren't interested in knitting, so really- why were they there? No matter.

I spent a bit of time this weekend tidying my craft room. OH happy day! It still isn't done (or really even close), but I can see the sofa, and the floor, and things are cleared up enough that I can actually watch TV and knit in here again. And, more importantly, my laptop finally has a home besides the coffee table in the living room. My productivity has already increased. Even though there's a lot left to do (first of all- painting!) I thought you might like some in-progress photos. Voila, my room, unveiled!

View as you walk in (the tv is to the right of the desk, and both machines are currently hiding under the machine cover)


The far wall (including the Rocketeer sewing table)


The near wall (same old wall of yarn, also next to the door that leads up to the attic)


Last night I cooked up a delicious chicken and rice from the New Best Recipe cookbook. The title is a bit far-fetched- really? THE best recipe? But so far, it's been true. I have that book from the library, and two of their smaller ones (30 minute meals and light recipes), and the half dozen or so recipes I've tried have all been stellar. They go into a great deal of explanation for every recipe- what they tried and didn't like, the best little tricks and techniques to use, and so forth. So far I am a huge fan, and I can't wait to cook more of their recipes. We invited G's father over for dinner, and he enjoyed it all as well. I count my lucky stars all the time that I have such a pleasant future father-in-law- he always loves my cooking, and I love having another person there to join us.

Today I took on some serious cleaning chores- I cleaned the blinds in almost all the rooms and cleaned the interior windows and the doors- I didn't get on a ladder and clean the windows outside, but I figure I'd done enough spring cleaning for the day. I tried the 30 Day Shred again, still on level 1, and it was significantly less awful this time. In part this was because I used G's 2.5 pound weights for some moves (instead of his 4 pound dumbbells). Baby steps! After a shower, we headed over to G's friends place for some much needed time with their kids, and a delicious dinner. Very nice way to ease back into the work week.

In other home improvements, G hung up my pot rack and it looks delightful! I suddenly have so much more space in the kitchen, and I am so glad he put it up this weekend. They say you have to "nest" to make a new home your own, and I tend to agree with conventional wisdom. Every window I clean, and every little decorating task we complete, I feel more comfortable here.



Back to watching the Giro d'Italia and working on Clapotis(our nightly passion for weeks, thanks to G's cycling addiction).

Ups and Downs

Yesterday was awesome. A mysterious package... no idea what it could be... and it turned out to be my wedding gown! But I had evening plans, and G was around, so I couldn't open it and play with it until today.

So today was great. G was going on a trip with some buddies, so I made us a hearty breakfast of eggs and toast and turkey bacon. I went to the gym with my gym buddy, and got in a solid workout. And tonight is Stitch 'n Pitch- I am so excited! I don't even know what projects to bring- my clapotis is half-done already, so I have this irrational fear that I'll finish it and need another project. Unlikely, but it's always good to be prepared!

I was supposed to spend my afternoon cleaning up the craft room, but I didn't. I tried on my wedding gown. And here's the big downer of the day- it is too small. Not a TON too small, but the damn thing definitely won't zip up all the way. My resultant profanity was immoderate and colorful.

Now, I know I've gained some weight lately. It's not pleasant, but it's true. I've been cooking healthier, and exercising, but not enough. When I moved out here closer to the suburbs, I cut out most of my walking commute. And I knew that this was a possibility with ordering the dress EXACTLY to fit, instead of going up a size- I was afraid to go up, since it would then assuredly need alterations all around, instead of just a quick hem. And now I'm in the minor predicament of altering myself to fit the dress, or the dress to fit me.

My first fitting isn't until the beginning of August. I just bought a bike. I upped my gym membership so I can go to the gym in Gallery Place, near Farragut West, or in Georgetown (they have better classes than my home location, near my old apartment). I can walk home from the metro, which would mean a solid half hour of brisk walking 5 days a week. I started doing the 30 Day Shred, and will keep it up. G and I are biking once a week so far, and surely will do it more now that I remember how to ride. He is very encouraging, and wants to get more fit as well. And I'm trying to figure out HOW on EARTH I can get up 45 minutes or an hour earlier, which would be all I'd need to get in a quick run before showering and work in the morning.

What I'm saying is... it's on. I will lose the 3-4 pounds I put on since buying the damn gown. I will hopefully lose more, since I should be more like 20 pounds lighter overall for my BMI. And I am going to do my damnedest to drop the weight before August- I want that zipper to FLY up my back at my first fitting. I know the tailor has to hem it- I'd like her to have to take in the sucker, too!

I'll keep you posted.

Home sick

Sometimes being a little bit sick is the best possible thing. I was feeling really rough this morning- bad enough that I overcame my usual guilt about staying home and called in sick. I really hardly ever call in sick- I feel like the threshold for feeling bad is pretty high to keep me away from the office, unless I'm actually contagious.

But by mid-afternoon, my stomach was roiling less, the headache was reduced, and I no longer felt tied to the sofa. I also ran out of American Idol and Dancing with the Stars on our DVR. I even finished the 11th repeat of that darn baby blanket. So I did the logical next thing- started cleaning. I vacuumed, did some windows (since it's the perfect dreary sunless day for it), and did some serious cleaning on the door from the kitchen to the back porch. I am not used to living in a real home- there are just so many things to deal with. In my past apartments, cleaning wasn't that big a deal- you can't have that many windows in an efficiency! Now... it doesn't seem to matter how much I do, it's still not enough. At least after my few hours of cleaning, I'm feeling like now I've made an effort to spring clean, and I can get back to knitting without guilt.

Still on the increases for Clapotis. Well into the last repeat of the baby blanket. 3 loads of laundry done. I'm thinking this is one very successful sick day- and I'm glad I feel better so I can get back to work tomorrow!

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

I thought about not going to MSWF this year. "I'm planning a wedding!" I argued. "I have things to do that weekend!" I contended. "I don't need any more yarn, holy crapamoley have you looked at my hideously messy extremely creative craft room!" I exclaimed.

Yeah, of course I went to Sheep and Wool. I didn't even stick to my budget (although I stayed fairly close to the budget I would have set myself, had I really bothered to set a budget). I took some terrible photos of my new acquisitions, which my photographer in residence has nixed. Apparently my practice of tossing yarn on the floor with reckless abandon worked better when the carpeting was beige. Now that I live in home with green carpets in the living room, apparently I should care about this and do something to improve my yarn photography. A pale sheet, for example, would be effective.

Obviously, I was far too excited about WINDING a ball of gorgeous yarn and CASTING ON for a (third) Clapotis to bother with finding a light-colored sheet. But I have been knitting with some Brooks Farm yarn since the Amazing Race last night, and I am in heaven.

The heavenly feeling is largely related to this Clapotis not being an enormous and annoying and why-isn't-it-completed baby blanket. I am at 10.5 repeats out of the suggested 14. It's pretty enormous. I'm thinking 12 repeats may just be the end of it, for me. I did knit the whole way to and from the festival- thanks to my wonderful friend offering to drive.

MSWF is a lot more entertaining to attend with another fiber addict who has totally different coloring from me, but similar tastes in knitting projects. We never had to fight about yarn, since we always were going for different colors. Except for the gorgeous handpainted lace weight, for which I gave in and became a total copycat. I hope we at least pick different scarf patterns for it!

In the end, I walked away with another bunch of Tess Yarn- worsted purple, destined to become a February Lady Sweater. Tess's new Baby Bunny, in Hot Pink!, which I think would be cute for a baby sweater, or maybe even socks. The aforementioned vari-colored lace yarn for a decorative scarf. Two skeins of a mottled green from Brooks Farm for my Clapotis (to replace the hot pink one I made in grad school- it's time to move on). And I found four skeins of a beautiful red laceweight, because I can never have enough laceweight. Or red.

Not a bad haul. And I enjoyed seeing the different breeds of sheep. Definitely a good weekend! Now... back to the increase rows of that Clapotis, before I give in and work on the baby blanket of doom.