Winter is Coming. Right?

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Heather

There’s nothing like knitting winter accessories in the middle of a heat wave.

 

A Nobel Cowl

This A Noble Cowl, designed by Emily Kausalik (and free!), and knit from Cascade Yarns Pima Silk in colour 6478 Sky Blue. I finished it up while we were roasting in the heat last week.

Soft doesn’t even begin to describe how this yarn feels. It is like butter, like a baby’s bum, like a cloud. Why would I be disappointed that I can’t knit with wool when I have lovely yarns like this available to me?

There is one downside to this cowl–I don’t like things around my neck. So, as much as I adore this, it is going into the Christmas gift box. Yes, I said it, I’m knitting Christmas gifts already. 😉

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TUSAL – July 2012

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Heather

Happy new moon, and happy TUSAL day! (Ummm, yesterday…)

My jar of orts

Not a bad haul for this month. The green yarn is from the pteranodon I crocheted early this month, and there is some glow-in-the-dark braid from Voodoo Girl, and a few other bits and bobs.

So, even with a few knitting failures, and a few not so great health days, I think I did great. 😀

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Just Cross Stitch Halloween Collection – 2012

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Heather

Halloween is right around the corner (honest, it is!), and Just Cross Stitch has released their second Halloween collection, a special edition of their magazine dedicated to nothing but Halloween designs.

Just Cross Stitch Halloween Collection 2012

If you have the 2011 edition (my review here), you will notice a big difference right away: last year’s issue felt almost like a large-sized craft book, and this year’s feels like a magazine with a slightly thicker cover. I’m guessing this is the main reason for the price difference. Last year the special Halloween edition cost US$16.95, while this years is only US$9.99. There are just a few less designs versus last year–48 to last years 51. However, it appears that all of this years designs are new, unlike last year. And, given that Ink Circles (whose charts average US$10) and Adelaide Needleworks (€12.00 for the average chart) also make a return, the cover price is a steal.

Just Cross Stitch Halloween Collection 2012 – Contents

Again, like last year, the designs range from the primitive (Angel Stitchin, The Prairie Schooler, and others), to whimsical (Mosey ‘N Me, Amy Bruecken, and more), to more elegant (Sharon Pope and JBW Designs).

Halloween Pumpkin by Sharon Pope

Of the 48 designs, nineteen are what I consider to be larger sized, frame-able pieces (ranging from 68×56 stitches to 163×175 stitches), with the remainder being ornaments in various shapes and sizes.

Just Cross Stitch Halloween Collection – whimsical ornaments

As always, the design quality varies, as does the subject matter. While Mosey ‘N Me’s Blue Mr. Monster is cute, it doesn’t seem to match the rest of the magazine. And I love Dragon Dream’s little sleeping dragon, but I think I would leave off the sign and stitch it for Christmas. As for the design by The Sampler Girl, well, let’s just say that I won’t be stitching it.

Waiting by Fern Ridge Collections

Many of the designs call for the perennial favourite DMC thread, at least one uses Sullivan’s, and there are several that make use of WDW and other specialty threads. In fact, so many call for Gloriana Silk that I was starting to wonder if they were an unofficial sponsor. I have no problem using silk or over-dyed cottons when they add to a design, but when a design that is only 32×28 stitches and calls for four different skeins of Gloriana (two of which are used for very few back stitches), I can’t help but feel that there is a disconnect between the designer’s vision and what makes sense for the average stitcher. (DMC substitutions are provided for most designs.)

Wings and Things by Ink Circles

So, it is a buy? If you are a Halloween fan, then yes. If you love Ink Circles, then for sure, as the Wings and Things design in this issue is fabulous. If you like your Halloween creepy, primitive, or elegant, you will find something in this issue to suit your tastes. The best designs aren’t show on the cover, they are inside, wait for you to discover them.  Happy stitching, and be sure to share you pictures of your finishes!

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Blue Serger

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Heather

I have been very, very slowly working on a project that has left the inside of my serger looking like this:

Fuzzy serger insides

You would not believe the amount of blue fuzz I cleaned out of my machine. And that, ladies, is why you should clean out your serger (and sewing machines) after a big project. Yuck!

And speaking of blue on my serger, I wanted to share a little trick I use. Because I don’t have a lot of experience with my serger, I can have trouble remembering what the settings are for plain serging with quilting cotton-type fabric (my most common task with it.) So, with the help of some blue painters tape and a pen, I’ve labeled everything important.

Labeling standard length and width

Tension is probably the most important thing to label (for me, at least). The machine is set to my current project, but the painters tape shows where to turn the tension wheels for quilting cotton.

Thread tension marked by painters tape

And, since I can’t sew a straight line to save my life, I’ve even marked different measurements down by the foot. (I’ve got a cloth guide too. Suspenders and a belt, you know!)

Cloth guide and measurements on painters tape

Don’t be afraid to write notes right on your machine! (Use removable tape to keep it tidy, if you like.) It is yours and you need to make your life easier!

For those interested, my serger is a Janome Four DLG. It doesn’t do cover stitch, but with a bunch of accessory feet it does do just about everything else you could want. (A cover stitch machine just may be on my wish list…)

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A Little Voodoo

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Heather

Christmas in July? No way! It is time for Halloween stitching! (Oops! This is also my Theme-a-licious post for this month!)

Voodoo Girl, from Haberdashery Designs

Haberdashery Designs Voodoo Girl has been on my to do list for ages. (I finished her companion, Voodoo Boy, aka Bob, back in 2008, see below.) She is stitched on a random piece of fabric from Enchanting Lair (possibly Marquis or a one-of-a-kind), using glow-in-the-dark Kreinik braid and plain old black floss. Instead of my regular DMC, I actually used J & P Coats for the black, since I bought a whole pile of skeins of black for a very, very good price several years ago.

I hope to have her sewn up shortly, and I will make braid from the black floss and possibly the purple glow-in-the-dark braid. Pictures, of course, when it is done.

And, here is her companion, who has waited patiently for her for many years:

Voodoo Boy, from Haberdashery Designs (finished in 2008)

And one last Halloween-y thing to share. I am stitching the Lizzie*Kate Halloween mystery. I haven’t got much done yet, but I’m so pleased with the part of the design that has been revealed so far.

Oh, mysterious!

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Did Someone Say Lego?

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Heather

I’ve mentioned a few times that the little man isn’t very interested in crafts. He doesn’t care for colouring, and I can only occasionally get him interested in tasks that involve gluing, cutting or folding. He does, however, love to build. One of his obsessions is Lego, and in the six months since he got his first Lego set his collection has grown exponentially.

Earlier this week we decided to try to tame it a bit. First off, we made a binder to hold all his Lego instructions books, Lego Club Jr. magazines, and his precious Lego catalogue. I made the cover from a picture and free Lego-style font I found online, and slipped all the instruction books into page protectors. Now they are all corralled in one place, he can easily grab what he is looking for. (I think we are going to need to expand into a second binder shortly.)

Guess what’s in this binder

 

Manuals stored nice and safe, and easy to find.

Next up: the Lego bricks themselves. For his birthday back in January he was given the LEGO Ultimate Building Set, which comes in a blue tub, and we’ve been using that to store all the Lego he has collected since. But, we’ve recently out grown it, by a long shot. So, I went to the dollar store and picked up some good-sized food storage containers with snap-on lids, and we proceeded to sort out the mini figs and accessories; the wheels, steering wheels, windshields, and other important car-related pieces; and then a container for current car creations. I think we may end up adding a container for doors, windows, fences, and landscaping pieces as well.

Lego sorted into containers

 

Lego further sorted within the bins (e.g. mini figs in the middle, with hair and hats on one side and various accessories on the other)

 

So, the Lego is sorted for the time being. It is still hard to find the exact regular pieces we are looking for, but the little man will be getting this Lego Sort & Store for Christmas, which will help a lot. (Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for supporting my–I mean the little man’s Lego habit.)

As an aside, did you know that Lego has over 3300 Lego manuals available online? Check them out here. You can download monthly builds from 2010 and 2011 here. And this page has additional instructions for some popular starter/younger kid sets. Happy building!

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Silk Hankies

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Heather

Nope, not the kind you embroider and then blow you nose on. I mean these kind:

Silk Hankies

These are mawata, or silk hankies. They are made by stretching several silk cocoons over a wooden frame. There they are allowed to dry, until they turn into something that very much resembles a silk hankie of the tear drying kind. (Read more about the process here.)

So, what am I doing with them, then? First, I’m pealing off each layer of silk:

A single layer of silk

And stretching it into unspun yarn:

Unspun silk yarn

 

Here’s a sample knit up:

A small knitted sample of unspun silk yarn

My goal is a pair of warm silk mittens, kinda like the ones the Yarn Harlot made.

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