So Very Much

So very much has happened since my last post. I finally got a job, after almost a year of looking. Just over two years later and I'm still there! It's a great job and a great place to work.

Got to work one day to find a whole flock of yard flamingos out front 

Just after I started my job we closed on our first house! We've spent the last two years making it feel like home and traveling around and enjoying our new state. Oh and I almost forgot, we also adopted a cat. She's our first pet in the 10 years that we've been together. Her name is Olive and I absolutely love her. She has so much personality, it's amazing.

Olive

Things are finally starting to feel settled down for me and I intend to try and start blogging again. It's funny, tonight I sat here and read through some of my old posts and I don't even remember writing some of it, I'm glad that I have the "journal" of my blog to look back through.

There is so very much more to tell, but I think I'll save some for next time :)

Dryad Scarf

In typical fashion, I've been working on several projects at once. Still trying to get some wallets done for my etsy shop. I also have a couple of big knitting projects going. One is the beautiful Dryad scarf by Jared Flood, and the yarn I got for it is so amazingly soft! The pattern is all cables though so it's going to take me awhile to finish (I will probably get it done when it's too warm outside to need it). It's already getting close to that here it seems, it feels a lot like springtime!

I've also been working on my second sweater. I would post a pic of it, but it's on circular needles so it just looks like a jumble of fabric. But the way it's worked is so much different than the first sweater I did, it's pretty neat. I can see how this way would be easy (well easier anyways) to make my own pattern.

I made these coffee cup sleeves quite awhile back, I just haven't gotten around to photographing them until now. There's a coffee shop down at the water front park and for some reason they never seem to have cup sleeves, so I decided to make some for us.

I am hoping to write up the pattern for them...eventually.

Double Point Needle Case

Well Josh didn't go snowboarding on Sunday like he had planned, so I'm just getting to work on my tutorial today. This is my first sewing tutorial and only like my second tutorial overall so hopefully it makes some sense, I did notice while editing photos that I got ahead of myself and didn't get some pics, but hopefully they were pretty self explanatory steps. This is done very similar to the wallets that I've done so if some of my expanations are lacking the wallet tutorial should fill in the gaps. Well here goes nothin'...

Double Point Needle Case

Supplies

Fabric for outside, inside lining, pockets, and flap
Medium weight iron on interfacing
Heavy interfacing or Felt (optional to stabilize)
Magnetic snap

Instructions

Cut fabric as follows:

2 pieces 10.5"x13.5" (one for outide and one for inside lining)
1 piece 13.5"x8" (large inside pocket)
1 piece 13.5"x6" (small inside pocket)
2 pieces 13.25"x6.5" (inside flap)
2 pieces 2.5"x5" (snap tab)
1 piece 12.25"x9.5" (optional felt)

1. Take the 13.5"x8" piece, fold top side down 1/2" (so the wrong sides are facing), press.
     Top stitch about 1/8" from the folded edge.
2. Repeat for 13.5"x6" piece.

3. Line up the bottoms of the two pocket pieces, making sure that the top edges are parallel.

4. Using fabric marker or pencil, mark lines for needle pockets. Mark lines on smaller pocket first, then transfer these lines to larger pocket. Add additional lines to larger pocket.

5. Pin larger pocket to inside liner (10.5"x13.5") lining up the bottom edges. Draw a line 1.75" from bottom. Stitch along this line. Then stitch along lines for pockets, stopping at top edge of pocket.

6. Pin smaller pocket to this piece lining up the bottom edges, make sure that the top edges are parallel and that the markings for the needle pockets line up. Stitch along lines for needle pockets, stopping at top edge of smaller pocket.

7. Take both 13.25"x6.5" pieces and pin right sides together. Using 1/4" seam allowance sew around edges leaving a hole for turning on one of the long sides. ( I did not interface this piece, but it couldn't hurt. If you do, use the medium weight)

I didn't take a photo before I stitched this up, but the yellow lines show where you should sew


8. Clip corners and turn right side out. Press, tucking in the edges at hole used for turning.

9. Top stitch along 3 sides leaving one of the long sides unstitched.

10. Pin flap piece to top of inside piece (unstitched edge of flap piece at the top) . Line up 1/2" from top. Top stitch about 1/8" from edge of flap.

11. Using manufacturer's directions interface the back sides of the two 2.5"x5" pieces and the two
10.5"x13.5". (Use a heavy interfacing on the outside piece if desired)

12. Take the two 2.5"x5" pieces pin right sides together. With 1/4" seam allowance sew around leaving one of the small sides open.

13. Following manufacturer's directions attach the 'male' side of the magnetic snap to tap 3/4" from top edge (not the open edge). Turn right side out and press.

14. Top stitch 1/8" from edges leaving open side open.

15. Install 'female' side of magnetic snap to outside piece 1.75" from one of the small sides.

16. Tuck in the flap to avoid stitching it in the edges.

17. With right sides facing pin the outside piece to the inside piece. Place snap side at the left.

18. Using 1/2" seam allowance stitch around edge leaving an opening on the small right edge for turning.

19. Clip corners and turn right side out. Press, tucking in the edges at the opening used for turning.
      (If you want to use a piece of felt to stabilize this insert it into the side at this point. I wish I had done this)
20. Insert snap tab piece into the hole used for turning, make sure the snaps align.

21. Top stitch around the main piece, you may need to switch to a heavier needle (I use a leather needle).

I hope these directions make sense and work correctly. If you want to make a roll bag instead of a book form, you can place the snap farther in from the edge, or substitute for velcro or use a ribbon as a tie. Also the measurements could easily be altered to hold paint brushes or straight knitting needles, even makeup brushes for traveling.

Sewing Again

While my sweater pieces are blocking I decided to change it up and break out the sewing machine. My friend Brooke sent fabric for a wallet so I have been working on that, the timing was perfect. I wish I could take credit for these colors, I think this wallet turned out amazing!

I've been toying with the idea of selling these on my etsy site, and working on Brooke's kind of got me jump started on that. This is the only one I have done so far, these things take a bit me a bit of time to do. I love this fabric...



Check it out in my etsy shop.

 Tomorrow or Sunday I'm going to post a tutorial for this double point knitting needle case that I made.

Knitting like crazy

I'm not sure a day has gone by over the last few weeks that I haven't worked on some knitting project. My mom gave me yarn for Christmas for this gorgeous cardigan, so far I've gotten the back and the left front done. It's my first attempt at a sweater so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I love this seed wishbone stitch

I rarely use the yarn called for in a pattern, but since this is my first try at a sweater I went with the recommended and let me say I really do love this yarn.

While taking a break from my sweater to give my wrist a break I knitted this hat. It's my first attempt at multicolors, and the technique used is a great one to know. I think even Josh wants a hat like this but with straight lines instead of wavy. But he is going to have to choose another color to go along with his grey.

Holy smokes I did something in bright colors! Hooray me!

 For this hat I used Paton's Classic Wool. It's turning out to be one of my go to yarns, plus it's easy to get since Michael's is just down the street.

On a different note, we've started growing herbs for our kitchen window sill:

Basil

I bought this mug for myself as a stocking stuffer (I love this color) and when I went to wash it, it was cracked all down one side. Not sure when it happened but the crack isn't bad enough to let water leak out through the soil, so that is what gave us the idea to plant the herbs in coffee mugs. We only have two so far, but since these little guys are growing I'm sure we'll plant more.

Cilantro (yucky!)

Will post some pics when the indoor herb garden project gets farther along.
It's kind of a grey, rainy day today so I didn't have much natural light to do my photos. Had to rig up an indoor studio (and I don't have studio lights). I didn't think they turned out too bad for using a speedflash.

Gotta love the booze bottles holding up my fill cards!

Pressed Leaves

Until this year I never knew that I hadn't experienced a real fall season. In Wyoming the leaves go from green to brown, then get blown off of the trees. That all happens in the span of about a week. It's pretty much the same in Colorado and Montana.

Well I've got to say our first fall in the Pacific Northwest was amazing! The leaves turned so many different colors: red, pink, orange, rust, bright yellow and chocolate brown. We took several walks around the neighborhood to look at all of the color. To our amazement the leaves stayed on most of the trees for atleast a month, and some even still have their leaves. There are so many trees here the ground was just carpeted with color when they started to fall off.

On one of our walks we picked up some different leaves and pressed them in the phone book. Finally got around to taking them out last week to see how they turned out. They kept a fair amount of their color, so we put them in floating frames so that light could get through.

Christmas time

I've been doing a lot of work trying to get Christmas presents done, and of course working on some other projects. Right now I'm working on a throw pillow, for some reason I'm obsessed with the idea of having a couch full of pillows. I've also made a few coffee cup sleeves that I will get posted soon, I just have to go get a coffee, so I can get a picture of them.

In the mean time I'll share some of my Christmas decorations. I don't really decorate the whole house for Christmas, but we will actually be here this year so I wanted to do something. We still have our tiny apartment sized tree, which I will be replacing before next year I hope. But this year we do have a fireplace and mantel, so that was exciting for me.

I'd seen glass ware filled with ornaments on Pinterest and loved the way they looked. I almost want to leave them out year round. My mom made the chain of bells for me a couple of years ago. I usually put them on the tree, but the mantel was looking kind of bare and they're so cute and colorful I decided to use them as a garland on the mantel. Also before next year I hope to knit some stockings for us, the store bought ones just aren't doing it for me.

This is my favorite ornament. My sister gave it to us for Christmas 2009, which is the year Josh & I got married. I wore white Chucks for our wedding, so this ornament was just too perfect!