anyone want a free shirt?

(If I didn't know any better, I'd say this gal looks rather demure. But I know better, I know better...)

I'm giving away this shirt. I made it in October thinking it would be nice to have a new long sleeved top to wear for my trip to New England. I didn't finish it in time. And when I got back from my trip, I tried it on again and realized that I made a mistake. The pattern is Simplicity 2854 for size 16. But I got into the idea of sewing this with french seams which I thought would be fun. It went fine. The french seams look rad (I should have taken a photo) (okay, I just did because I realized that I am being lazy and my camera and top are just right here). Don't they look nice? It just adds that extra touch to your garment, I think.

(Check out those rad french seams!)

Anyways. I just have the buttonholes/buttons to add and when I tried on the top again I realised that I had been sewing the entire thing as though it had 1/4" seam allowance when I'd cut out the pattern for 5/8" seam allowance. So the top is 1/4" too big. I thought I could get away with it, wearing it over another shirt or something, but I think it looks a little silly around the shoulders because it was meant to fit just so.


(Sometimes I think our bedroom looks a little like a cheap motel room.)

I thought about ripping the whole thing apart and cutting and re-sewing it with the proper attention to the seam allowance+my desire for french seams but dammitall. Here it is now January and I still haven't gotten around to it. I'm sort of over it now.

So. And so. If you would like to have a cute top for free, leave me a comment with your email address and I'll pick a name out of a hat (assuming that anyone reads this blog and is interested in a free top without buttons or buttonholes). And if you are one of my friends and you want this top tell me and of course you get first dibs. Sorry folks. I don't think my friends read this blog. Or are of the size to be able to wear this top. But in the off chance that they do and they are, I think it's only fair that they get first dibs.

(Here, I am rolling my eyes at my attempts at a edgy photoshoot.)

The fabric is 100% cotton navy with white polka dots from the big box store's cotton quilting section. It's a leetle stiff, but I think it's because it just needs another wash or so. I washed the fabric three times and ironed it before I started in on the project so there shouldn't be any shrinkage issues. It's been hanging on my dressform all this time so it's collected a bit of dust. I'll give it a good wash before I mail it off to you. It is missing buttons and buttonholes, so you'll need to add those yourself. The front features pintucks along the bodice with slight gathers under the bust. The sleeves bell a little at the wrist with gathers all around. The back is plain (no gathers or tucks). I added a contrasting aqua bias tape trim to the inside of the collar which I thought was a cute touch. You can see a little of it in the second photo.

scallops

Another thing I seem to stink at cooking. I think I worry that I will overcook it and the scallop will be all tough and chewy.

The night I made this meal, I wasn't paying close attention and added way too much salt to everything. So that was tough going while eating the meal.

For the scallops I used this recipe. I didn't care for it. I think the cornstarch made the sauce a little too thick, kind of cloying. Or maybe it was the apple cider. Some folks in the reviews section recommended balsamic vinegar instead. But that still wouldn't account for the gooey thickness that the cornstarch imparted.

Also, I wasn't paying attention (I must have been distracted that night, I tell you) and I added the bacon too soon. It should have been sprinkled just as you serve it. So that it stays crisp. Instead, I ended up simmering it in the sauce and so it was sort of soggy and not as good.

Still M enjoyed the meal. And Pekoe who thinks that he's a begging dog, circled the table begging a few times. When we ignored his pleas, he remembered that he is a cat after all and jumped from the ground to M's shoulders. Hoping for a taste? I don't know. He's a determined kitty.

And a good jumper. He can jump over 7 feet high without a running start if he's got his mind set on it.

mug

Drawing's hard! I guess there's only one room for improvement from here on out.

Wow does this suck.

distractions

So I was not very productive today. Well, let me start by saying that I took care of some business first thing so at least my day wasn't totally washed up.

And I also cleaned and dusted the whole place if that counts for anything.

But there were other projects that were calling my attention. Projects that I haven't completed. In, like forever. And it's driving me nuts. Maybe sharing my lame-ness will give me the boot to get these babies done. Or perhaps, I should stop coming up with new ideas and buying supplies to realise them.

At any rate...

Here I have started a swatch because I believe that one day I will knit and design a sailor shirt (is it just me or have those been popping up in lots of places lately?) out of a fine sock yarn that will take me too long to knit. It will be cream with dark navy stripes with a boatneck collar. It will perhaps be more tunic-length and I shall wear it like a too-short dress with slim jeans. I also plan to knit a smocked mini-dress the color of that swatch yarn up there. I plan to call it the Meg dress after meg from the White Stripes, cause she was wearing something like it in a poster I saw at my haircutters a few weeks ago. It may have cap sleeves.

I just have to hope that these two design ideas will not meet the same fate as this cardi which I bought the yarn for about a year ago (maybe) and knit up and ripped apart about three different times.

The final design is that little drawing in the corner. Too bad I've lost the patience to finish the sleeves and buttonband and be done with it.


I do believe I purchased this yarn the summer before I got married. It stayed a skein of wool until after I got married. Then I decided it was going to be socks for m. It's so pretty, but I grossly miscalculated and after knitting most of one sock, I am running out of yarn. I was supposed to rip it apart and maybe knit something for me.

Trying to be a good wife who knits, I bought this yarn last summer intending to make m some socks.

He only has one pair hand-knit by me and I consider this to be a considerable travesty. They are still yarn. One day, they shall be socks.

In the meantime he actually requested that I knit a scarf for him (!). M is a little tough to knit for since he has a particular sense of style that mostly confounds me. Anyways, I came up with a brilliant idea to buy a sweater from the Goodwill and unravel it to repurpose the yarn for a scarf.

This photo is of said yarn from a really soft wool sweater that used to be from J. Crew. Sadly, I lacked the sense to realise that this fine, fine (read: VERY THIN) yarn will take me three lifetimes to knit on those teeny toothpick-like knitting needles that I’m using (size 000 in case you were wondering). It's meant to be a simple 10x10 ribbing. I've been working on it (casually) for about two months.


image from punky b's fashion diary
I saw this scarf and got really excited thinking that I should scrap the green yarn and buy some pretty grey wool to make him this scarf. Then I realized that he wouldn't go for this because, though it is heritage-appropriate, it's perhaps too ornate for his manly-man tastes.

This yarn came from a really pretty aqua sweater that was once sold at the Gap.

I bought it for 3 bucks at the Goodwill and unraveled it intending to knit a chunky cabled scarf for me. I never got past the swatch because I felt guilty having fun knitting myself a scarf (when I already own several) and poor m all cold and scarf-less.

This is deadline knitting for someone's birthday (a prestigious number birthday) that I abandoned because it was irritating me. I can't even remember the reason.

Possibly I knit it too big. Dammit. It needs to be finished pronto cause the birthday is comin' up.

Here's a stack of pouches that I never finished cause I'm having computer issues.

I’ll leave it at that.

I would try and make it up this evening, but m and I got tickets to see the Celtics play in town as our xmas gift from my in-laws. I actually have another dozen or so photos that I took for my amusement and intend to share with you. But that will have to wait for tomorrow.

Incidentally, don't you just love blogs? I can just post stuff up and if you want to read it you can. And if you find photos of my yarn and apartment boring, you just move on. Brilliant!

Oh, and: GO CELTS!

gifts: so pretty and not so much

So Pretty

Someone had a birthday recently and I gave her the gift on Friday. I was a little nervous thinking that she wouldn't like it and that I really bought it cause I wanted it for myself instead.


Turns out she was tickled. It kind of reminds me of her.

And I was thrilled to find exactly the frame I had in mind for the print.

I couldn't resist picking up some stuff to keep for myself. Emily has the cutest stuff. Here's the package I received quite some time ago, but only now had a chance to photograph.

Even her mailing package is cute. She threw in that postcard and also her business card, both frame-worthy. And her art! The one with pigtails makes me think of me. And it's called "A Good Egg." And the one with the quilt looks so cozy. These are all high quality reprints. I wish I could buy an original...

And now... not so much

So the tradition in m's family is to buy a joke gift for dad. He's quite the jokester with the most impressive collection of whoopie cushions ever. From the simple though genius self-inflating to the motion detection whoopie cushion, m's dad has it covered. It's gotten to be so that one is hard pressed to find new material. Oh but the world of joke props does not disappoint.


That's right folks. You are looking at a pair of farting salt and pepper shakers.

Did you see that? It says it's the ultimate party accessory! And it also says: fart! in case you forgot what it's supposed to do.

Ah yes. Good times.

sad news

Let me first start this post off by saying that if you read this and you are a friend of mine, you should know that I would not post truly bad news on a blog as a means of communicating this to you. People! Give me some credit! I also would not use this forum as a way to let you know that I am pregnant (which I am not) or getting a divorce (ditto) (I can't use getting engaged as an example since that is no longer viable for me.) or doing anything that involves something important to me or my loved ones.

Because I already startled two different people with my sad news, I feel like I need to include that disclaimer. Moving on...

My friend the sewing machine took a nose-dive on Sunday night. I am disconsolate. I almost didn't go into work on Monday (okay, don't need much of an excuse for that one). I was working on...ahem, a mother's day gift when the needle bent and then the shuttle stopped turning completely. I was aghast.

I pulled out the mini screw-drivers and unscrewed one screw at a time, removing a plate here, a part there, squinting into the nether-regions of my machine under the sharp glare of the flashlight. I fiddled, turned and poked around, but to no avail. I considered removing more screws and plates and parts, but thought better of it. Where I had stopped, I could confidently retrace my steps and put everything back together again. If I dove further in, I was certain I would put everything back together and still have a plate or screw left that I couldn't figure out what to do with.

I took the machine into a local vacuum & sewing machine repair place but balked at the cost to repair it. Or rather, the cost to maybe-repair-it-or-maybe-not-repair-it-as-it-may-not-be-
reparable-we-won't-know-until-we've-taken-it-apart-and-need-
to-charge-you-for-the-time-effort.
Ugh. Just didn't make sense, especially since I got it for darned cheap. Not that I have anything against paying these fine repair-persons for their time and effort. But if you did the math with my numbers, you'd find yourself in the same predicament as I.

Obviously this ruins all my plans for many weekends to come. Never mind what it's done to my mother's day gift project which will probably never get completed.

So I am going to give it to a co-worker who is really handy and mechanically minded and hope that his knowledge and expertise on high-rise cooling units can shed some light on the issue with my beloved Kenmore. Wish us luck.